Half Bottle Mania offers twice the tasting options

Half Bottle Mania offers twice the tasting options

Half Bottle Mania - Twice the tasting options -
Napa Cabs, Shiraz, Bordeaux, IceWine Flight

For a gala tasting with friends TRR and Don K to discuss wine collecting and cellar management planning, and purchasing strategies, I chose half bottles for a more extensive tasting. While the fun of big bottles is evident, its not as widely known or practiced that opening half size bottles offers twice the number of tasting experience options in the same setting.

Opening small format bottles this evening allowed us to taste seven different wines instead of perhaps three had we opened regular or standard size bottles. This allowed a Napa Cabernet tasting as well as a comparison against a similar vintage Bordeaux  and a Australian Shiraz, and a Ice Wine too. It also allowed a comparison of a selection of Napa Valley appellations' terrior and style - Oakville, Mt.Veeder, Howell Mtn, against a blend of those locations, and a Bordeaux blend.

As we most often do, we enjoyed these wines BYOB over dinner at our local neighborhood bistro Angeli's Italian. The big reds were spectacular with their Butternut Squash Gnochi in rich sweet brown sugar and vanilla sauce, and my favorite dish, and off-menu preparation of veal in a rich blue cheese brown sauce on angel hair pasta.

Prior to the red tasting we did an initial tasting at home of artisan cheeses with Cliff Lede Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007, then a small grilled flank steak taster against the Clark-Claudon and Larmande reds .

Anti pasta course flight:

Cliff Lede Napa Valley Stags Leap District Sauvignon Blanc 2007

This may be my favorite Sauvignon Blanc. A staple to keep for any wine tasting as a tasty starter, transition wine between courses, or by itself with salad, fruit and cheese or a seafood, light pasta or veggie dish.

While a bit more pricey than average, it stands up against classic Sauvignons costing twice as much. We visited Cliff Lede and did a magnificent tasting there during our Napa Wine Experience 2009.

Lemon colored, medium bodied, nicely balanced acidity, subtle oak, citrus and remarkable peach fruit flavor that turns to lemon with hints of mango, passion fruit and tangerine on the finish. Fabulous complement to lobster with a dash of lemon butter. starter. First tasted at the winery - got some at home - a staple white for the cellar. 

RM 90 points. 

 
The flight:

Clark Claudon Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

We've been collecting this Howell Mtn classic since our Napa Valley Wine Experience 1999. We have a vertical collection back to their inaugural 1993 vintage and have tasted this in Napa Cab wine flights with the same outcome as earlier Big Cab tastings - the concensus favorite of the group ...

Deep dark purple - full bodied - explosive aromas of ripe dark berry fruits, big mouth-full of forward complex but polished spicy black and edge of red berry fruits, violets, layers of mocha and oak with a long lingering tannin finish.

The 2004 Napa growing season was condensed with early bud break, warm days, cool nights and one challenging heat spike. The result was a small harvest of intense, flavor packed fruit from an unusual, but exceptional year that is showing and drinking well and should last another decade.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=229261


Yates Family Vineyards, Napa Redwood Estates, Aldon Perry Reserve, Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This was discovered and acquired during our Napa Valley Mt Veeder Appellaton Experience 2011.

A bit of acid heat initially that soon wears off to a pleasant smooth drinking wine. Deep garnet color - full bodied bursting with complex layers of rich forward black currant, blackberry, ripe sweet black raspberry fruits, tones of cinnamon spice, anise and hints of floral, sweet oak, white pepper and tobacco leaf, finishing with moderate smooth tannins on a rich full finish.
RM 92 points.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1012016 

Paradigm Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995

This wine was tasted and acquired during the same Napa Valley Wine Experience 1999  as the Clark Claudon above.

Fragrant, soft supple tannin, medium body, the layers of cherry and black currant fruit are being overtaken by earthy leather, licorice, and herbs, with under-currants of spice and cedar.  

RM 89 points. 

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5875

    








Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Robert Craig produces this blend of Napa Valley Cabernets from his various vineyard sources on Mt Veeder, Howell Mtn and Napa Valley. He also sources fruit from Mt George and Spring Mtn distict for his wines. He calls Affinity 'three mountains and a valley cabernet'. Its produced for early enjoyment but we continue to find it ages well too. We continue to hold a vertical of this wine dating back to the inaugural 1993 vintage. This wine was a highlight of the evening and was a perfect pairing with the grilled rib-eye steaks, and also went especially well with the the pre-dinner double Gloucester cheese.

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, deep dark purple inky color, huge ripe berry fruit aromatics, full body, ripe berry fruit, accented by a undercurrent of caramel with a hint of anise, tobacco and firm full tannins on the long fruit filled finish.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=323482


Château Larmande St Emilion Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux 2005

Château Larmande produces about 9000 cases per year and is known for consistent quality and generally a good value. The estate is planted predominantly in Merlot covering 60% of the vineyard, with 30% Cabernet Franc and just 5% Cabernet Sauvignon making up the balance. 

The 2005 vintage was above average and produced a wine that is already approachable but should last another ten to fifteen years. Bottles are recognizable by the unique lavender colored foil.

Medium bodied, full aromas of floral perfume, moderately complex flavors of red berry and plum fruits accented by subtle spice and hints of cherry-cranberry, nice texture and smooth moderate tannins round out the finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=351693

www.chateau-larmande.com


D'Arenberg Dead Arm McLaren Vale Valley Shiraz 2002

Dead Arm refers to the (one armed) vines that when afflicted in the early days of the last century were spared from being turned under and emerged to produce highly concentrated fruit from the single remaining arm that survived after the loss of the other side of the vine.

Typically a big fruit forward complex wine, the 2002 was a bit more subdued and muted than its normal big forwardness but what was an off-tone of minerality. Lacking that uber ripe almost raisin-fig with a layer of cedar predominating, this still held that complex black berry fruits with tones of pepper, spice, and cassis and hint of vanilla with a big long bold finish that has a slight tone of tangy cherry.

Linda likes this ripe boldness but its a bit too much to my liking it needs to be tasted with hearty meats, even bar-b-que, or artisan cheeses, such as tonight when it complemented the beef tenderloin, marinated pork tenderloin and then the course of dark chocolate deserts.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27221

Inniskillin Niagara Peninsula VQA Oak Aged Vidal Eiswein 2004

We visited this classic Ice Wine producer during our visit to the Niagara-on-the-Lake isthmus nestled between Buffalo, NY and Toronto. 

The fruit was a bit more muted and subdued than earlier tastings with it giving way to a layer of smoke and wood. Aromas of apple blossoms, apricot with hint of cinnamon-raison bread. On the palate, this beautifully rich dessert wine follows through nicely with mix of apricot, mango and a strong honeyed fig component. The overall finish has good length with tantalizing flashes of exotic fruit and spice.

RM 91 points.
 
http://www.inniskillin.com/en/ice/searchWines.asp?AppellationID=3&TypeID=Vidal

Gala Dinner - Awesome Reds Wine Tasting

Gala Dinner - Awesome Reds Wine Tasting

Almost like the alignment of the sun, moon and stars for a celestial event, our autumn gala dinner tasting get-together at Dr Dan's featured an awesome line-up of memorable reds and a spectacular aged vintage white. What might have been billed as a battle of dueling reds turned surprisingly harmonious with intriguing complements and smooth transitions across a tasting of disparate styles of master class selections. One had to pay attention for fear of missing a spectacular wine in the mix! Ironically, this also provided an unplanned almost mini-horizontal of dozen year old disparate Napa Valley Reds from 1998 and 1999. Even the vintage selections proved to be well matched as the mid-flight included 2003, a pair of nicely 2004's and recent releases.

Joining L & I at Dan's with Linda were Bill and Beth, Bobbie, Ernie and Gina. Dan and Linda prepared a marvelous dinner of grilled beef tenderloin, marinated pork tenderloin, butternut squash with creme fraisch, artisan cheeses, and chocolate cakes and truffles to finish.

Awesome Reds Flight minus the Sea Smoke (not shown)

The line-up included, listed in order of tasting after thoughtful assessment and lively discussion, explained further in the discourse below:

• Sea Smoke 'Ten' Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2009
• Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley Red 1998
• Joseph Phelps Backus Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
• Peter Michael 'Les Pavots' 1999
• Freddie Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
• Barbour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
• La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbaresco Riserva Vürsù Vigneto Starderi 2008
• d'Arenberg 'The Dead Arm' Shiraz 2002
• Mollydooker 'Carnival of Love' McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010
• Coutet-Barzac 1959
• Joseph Phelps Eisrebe 2004

Sea Smoke 'Ten' Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2009

The name 'Ten' is from the clones on which this Pinot Noir varietal is based.

 Ruby colored, medium bodied - silky, polished - a symphony of nicely balanced delicate fruit flavors, nice tart acidic, expressive elegant aromatics, nice floral scents turn to strawberries, plum and black cherry, hints of cola, nut and dusty rose with a touch of soft oak on the smooth finish.

Winemakers' notes - "A brooding and intense wine. The aromas begin with notes of chocolate cake, dried blueberry and lavender, then cassis and dusty black berries. Firm, mature tannins—evidence of Ten’s ageability—are followed by a long, velvety finish.

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1025981

https://www.seasmoke.com/index.asp


Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve Napa Valley Red 1998

It would have been easy for this to be overshadowed by the full forward concentrated fruit bombs except that we staged this as the transition between the Pinot and the 'big' Cal cabs to follow, before closing with the Aussie Shiraz'.

Garnet colored, medium bodied,  this was a symphony of smooth polished nicely integrated black berry and black cherry fruit flavors accented by a layer of tobacco, hints of leather, a bit of earthiness with a finish of moderate oak. After about two hours delicate floral notes emerged as a highlight like a lower left bank Bordeaux. This wine has held up well and was very Bordeaux like in showing well despite its pedigree of a modest vintage - more like the challenging years more often found in Bordeaux than the more consistent seasons of Northern California all seemingly make more Bordeaux like than Napa-esque.

RM 89 points.



Joseph Phelps Backus Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

A wonderful transition and progression adding weight and structure at each step in the flight. Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, this was silky smooth, nicely balanced, polished and elegant with black berry and black raspberry fruits with hints of currant, chocolate truffle and touch of vanilla bean with a layer of soft oak and silky smooth tannins. Dan likened it to a refined St Julien Bordeaux.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=165835







Peter Michael 'Les Pavots' 1999

This was my favorite of the tasting flight. I still remember my first encounter with this wine back around 1990 when we had it at dinner dinner at Cab's Restaurant and Wine Bar in Glen Ellyn, IL, one of our then favorite dining places.

Dark inky garnet colored, full bodied, a backbone core of concentrated but smooth polished and balanced black currant, blackberry, more subtle black cherry  and hints of blueberry fruits with nicely integrated layers of mocha, soft oak and hints vanilla, cassis and tea on a lingering silky tannin finish. This was a delicious balance of a full throttle Cal-Cab and a Pauillac Bordeaux.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8110

http://www.petermichaelwinery.com/

There is remarkable irony here as the principle Sir Peter Michael happens to be in the technology business, like me. He is also owner of two lodging properties located in Newbury, Berkshire, England. That was the home to Micro Focus, the software company that brought the Cobol programming language to the PC, and eventually to over six hundred platforms. I was with Micro Focus during those formative years from 1983 to 1996 during which time it grew from $3.5 to $140m becoming the 20th largest software company in the world, and largest in the UK at that time.  During those years, as a Group VP, I visited Newbury almost two hundred times. I've not yet had the opportunity to meet Sr Michael but look forward to doing so one day, either in Newbury, or at the Winery Estate in California. .




Freddie Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

L, Bill and me with Freddie at
Constant Diamond Mtn Vineyards

We refer to it as Freddie Constant Wine based on our adventure having met the producer Freddie Constant during our visit to the magnificent winery high atop Diamond Mountain during our Napa Valley Diamond Mountain Wine Experience in 2011.

What an amazing pairing with the Les Pavots above! On initial opening and decanting, it was almost as if this were the core central component of the blend, this exhibited the same profile of  full bodied backbone core of concentrated but smooth polished and balanced black currant, blackberry, more subtle black cherry fruits with hints of blueberry fruits but lacking the moderating tones of the blend. After about two hours, this opened up even more to reveal more concentrated and forward black fruits with a hints of black pepper and olive - separating itself from the moderating effects of the more elegant and polished blend.

Bill's tasting notes from CellarTracker - "Inky purple in the glass. Full of dark fruit, pencil lead and coffee. Opened after 2 hour to reveal notes of pepper and spice. Very unexpected and absolutely outstanding."

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=43558

http://www.constantwine.com/



Barbour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

If we did this flight again, I think this would better fit between the Bacchus and the Peter Michel. It was narrower (than the Les Pavots) and more modest than the Constant and others to follow and hence overshadowed such that it probably didn't show nearly as well as it likely would if held up stand-alone or against more similarly situated peers. Not bad company to be compared against indeed, it suffers from damning with faint praise in this comparison flight of blockbuster wines! 

All in all this is a dark inky purple full bodied smooth polished cab with forward black berry fruits, accents of dark chocolate and sweet oak with nicely integrated fine silky tannins on a lingering finish. 

RM 93 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1155213



La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbaresco Riserva Vürsù Vigneto Starderi 2008

Forgive the repetition but I'll reiterate my comments above about the Barbour, if we did this flight again, I think this would better fit between the Bacchus and the Peter Michel. It was narrower (than the Les Pavots) and more modest than the Constant and others to follow and hence overshadowed such that it probably didnt show nearly as well as it likely would if held up stand-alone or against more similarly situated peers. Not bad company to be compared against indeed, it suffers from damning with faint praise in this comparison flight of blockbuster wines!  Perhaps too, these both were consumed too young and would reveal themselves more fully after a couple years in the cellar.

How can you not take seriously a wine with a Rhinocerus on the label!?!  Its either farcical or to be taken very deliberately - this is another blockbuster wine that is caught in between the more polished elegance of the blends and the bigger full-throttle varietal Cabernets.

First we should parse the wine label to explain this wine. From the producer La Spinetta, the grower and winemaker is George Rivetti; fruit for this wine are sourced from the single vineyard Vigneto Starderi in the Barbaresco appellation in the Langhe district in the Piedmont region. The varietal is the Nebbiolo grape.

The Nebbiolo black-skinned Italian variety is the basis for some of the best and longest lived red wines of Italy, however, despite the preeminence Nebbiolo has in its native Piedmont region in northern Italy its is relatively unknown beyond. Because of its success in DOCGs of Barolo and Barbaresco, it has begun to be planted in the new world in the Central Coast near Paso Robles and Santa Ynez Valley, and in drier regions of the Pacific North West, such as Washington’s Columbia Valley and Oregon’s Rogue Valley, in South America, and Australia.

The name derives from nebbia, the Italian word for ‘fog’, which regularly enshrouds the foothill vineyards of the region. Benchmarks for Nebbiolo wines are Barolo and Barbaresco, Piedmontese wines known for  powerful tannic structures, finesse, intense, earthy, dark noses, and hints of floral. Aroma of classic Barolo are characterized to reflect tar, tobacco or smoke, combined with violets and rose petals. Neighboring Barbaresco Nebbiolos tend to be slightly more feminine. While Barbaresco can be more approachable when young than Barolo, it should not be consider light in weight or structure, both Barolo and Barbaresco Nebbiolos can possess muscular tannins and high acidity requiring extensive cellaring to fully show off the grape’s more subtle fruit character.  

This selection exhibited dark purple color, medium full body, black berry fruits with hints of smoke, tar and touch of leather on a lingering moderate tannin finish.

RM 89 points.  

As of this date, the CellarTracker community has not yet discovered or encountered his wine, hence the most recent listing is the 2007 vintage. 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=791203

http://www.la-spinetta.com/

Still a work in progress - more to follow ! Stay tuned for the Mollydooker Shake!

d'Arenberg "The Dead Arm" Shiraz 2002

Dead Arm refers to the (one armed) vines that when afflicted in the early days of the last century were spared from being turned under and emerged to produce highly concentrated fruit from the single remaining arm that survived after the loss of the other side of the vine. Always a big fruit forward complex wine, the 2003 is true to form with its big forwardness but what was an off-tone of minerality. It has uber ripe almost raisin-fig with a layer of cedar predominating over complex black berry fruits with tones of pepper, spice, and cassis and hint of vanilla with a big long bold finish that has a slight tone of tangy cherry. Linda likes this ripe boldness but its a bit too much to my liking it needs to be tasted with hearty meats, even bar-b-que, or artisan cheeses, such as tonight when it complemented the beef tenderloin, marinated pork tenderloin and then the course of dark chocolate deserts.

RM 89 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27221




Mollydooker "Carnival of Love" McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010

From Sarah and Sparky Marquis, these left-handed winemakers so named their label 'Mollydooker' which is Aussie for what we call a 'south-paw'.  Their wit and sense of humour is further indicated by their cartoon-esque labels and whimsical names of their wines such as this 'Carnival of Love' their high end Shiraz. Just reading their winelist and looking over their labels is like a journey through the Sunday comics, but rest assured there is nothing funny about this big bold intense Shiraz that  is not for the feint of heart. .

Being a recent release, Bill had to conduct the 'Mollydooker shake' to this bottle. You had to be there!


Building up to this crescendo indicated by its 15.5% alcohol content, this boasts dark opaque inky purple color - full bodied, huge bursts of dense syrupy ripe black berry and dark plum fruits, layers of cassis, spice, sweet dark chocolate, cedar, black pepper and spicy oak with huge but mercifully balanced tannins, that go on and on and on.

RM 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1181887

http://www.mollydookerwines.com/web/index.cfm

Château Coutet a Barzac 1'er Grand Cru Sauterne 1959

What a rare treat to indulge in a 50+ year old vintage wine. This Sauterne brought by Ernie (along with the Les Pavots) would have been straw or butter colored upon release, then turn darker to weak tea color and eventually to a maple syrup color. Amazingly, as 53 years of age, it is rusty brownish orange colored with life still although not likely to improve from further aging. It showed a slight citrus edge on the nut flavors with a subtle layer of smokiness, I wonder if it held more sweet fruit at one stage that bled off with age.  

From the producer's website: "Tasting Notes - The year was marked by an early spring and flowering took place at the beginning of June. The summer was very hot and sunny. On September 24th and 25th, strong rains accelerated the development of Noble Rot in the vineyard that required a team of 150 harvesters. These conditions contributed to the making of a great Sauternes. The harvest took places from September 20th to November 2nd.  The wine is of a dark yellow amber color. Its well-developed nose is rich and complex, an experience that is shared by the palate."

RM 87 points.

The CellarTracker community had not encountered and hence not entered this vintage selection however they list the two adjoining vintages from 1958 and 1960 as noted below respectively: 
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=31099
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=222509


What fun to enter the 1959 vintage selection along with my tasting notes and bottle and label photos!  
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?AllV=True&iWine=1484667

http://www.chateaucoutet.com/




Joseph Phelps Eisrebe Napa Valley Scheurebe Ice Wine 2004

This is consistently one of California's very best dessert wines from a region not known for such. It's vinified from the relatively obscure Scheurebe grape grown in a the small Spring Valley vineyard near the St. Helena estate. Unlike German or Canadian ice wines (see recent post in Inniskillin Ice Wine), where the grapes are left on the vines until they freeze, Phelps uses commercial refrigeration to freeze the grapes before pressing. This results in low yields as the water in the grape freezes leaving the remaining resulting must high in sugar such that the wine ends up with about 8% alcohol and 25% residual sugar. Full bodied, thick and chewy with intense apricot aromas and flavors. A deliciously sweet, unctuous wine, which still has enough acidity to avoid cloying on the palate.


RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=94617

 http://www.josephphelps.com/

Syrah Syrah - Mothers' Day Dinner Wine Selection

Syrah Syrah - Mothers' Day Dinner Wine Selection 

If you don't already know, Syrah is the same grape varietal as Shiraz. Mothers' Day family dinner gathering, Mom gets to choose her favorite wine (s). Ryan pulled from the cellar these two Shiraz's for L - d' Arenberg 'The Dead Arm' McLaren Vale Shiraz 2003 and Flinders Run, Southern Flinders Ranges, Baroota, Australia, Shiraz 2005. For this momentus holiday gathering of four generations of family - Great-Grandmother Evelyn, Grandmother Linda, Daughter Erin, and Granddaughter Lucy, we dined at our favorite Italian trattoria, Angeli's Italian Restaurant and took our BYOB wines.We were also celebrating son Alec returning home from college graduation.

d' Arenberg 'The Dead Arm' McLaren Vale Shiraz 2003 -  RP Review - ‘One of this estate’s flagship wines, the 2003 The Dead Arm Shiraz appears to be better than the 2002. A deeper, richer, fuller-bodied offering that spent time in equal parts French and American oak, it possesses an opaque purple colour, great intensity, and a fabulously sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, asphalt, earth, and oak. Powerful, super-concentrated, and obviously fashioned from low yields and old vines, this is classic McLaren Vale old vine Shiraz that should age nicely for 15+ years.’ RP Rating 95. 

My review - Reminiscent of the 94/95 Dead Arms reflecting a distinctive blueberry taste along with that sweet oak, blackberry and slight earthy smoke, but smooth and polished - more approachable than some of the overpowering over-ripe fruit bombs coming out of Australia recently. - RM - Dark full bodied, concentrated forward ripe black fruits, hint of cassis, raisin, slight tar firm tannin finish. RM 92 points.

This wine derives its odd name from the results of a louse that hit the region early in the last century and destroyed many of the vines. Many producers plowed the affected vines under and replanted. d'Arenberg cultivated their vines which survived however with only one remaining shoot having sacrificed the other main shoot, the 'Dead Arm'. The results were that the remaining vines produced rich extracted fruits from the diminished reduced yields of the surviving grapes benefiting from the nutrients of the full remaining root structure.

We first discovered this wine back in1994 at a dinner with AJ out in Silicon Valley. I still recall the bold, forward, full bodied, ripe black and blue berry fruits of that wine that characterizes Dead Arm wines to this day - worthy of our Mother's Day family dinner selection.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=84155 

Flinders Run, Southern Flinders Ranges, Baroota, Australia, Shiraz 2005 - One of our absolute favorite wines with a huge QPR (Quality Price Ratio). Dark inky colour - full bodied, elegant rich thick chewy - symphony of flavors of sweet currant, ripe plum, red raspberry, blueberry, a layer of mocha accented by hints of pepper, vanilla, and spice, and a lingering essence of creme brulee' and cedar on the long full soft finish. Now seven years old with a bit of age, this wine is smoother, more polished and more approachable than earlier tastings when young.

RM 94 points. 

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=421985

We first discovered this wine down in central Illinois wineshop Friar Tuck's. We bought some and brought it home and loved it. We bought case quantities from Southern Hemisphere Wines in SoCal. Eventually Binny's featured this wine and we bought it all and are fortunate to have a supply as we continue to enjoy this wine which is improving with age!

Two bold and hearty Australian shiraz's - perfect complement to hearty Italian dinner fare on a special day and family gathering. 

D'Arenberg The Dead Arm McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002

D'Arenberg The Dead Arm McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002

Interesting name dating back almost a hundred years to the results of a phenomenon of affliction that took half of the growth of the vines, hence a dead arm. Most producers churned them under and replanted but d'Arenberg descendants kept this vineyard whose now aged vines produced rich, complex, extracted fruits from the remaining one-sided vines.  

One of our longstanding favorites going back to our discovery of the 1994 vintage. Always a big fruit forward complex wine, this was much more expressive than as documented in my earlier 2004 and 2009 tasting journal posts. Its bigger and still boasts a forwardness but what was an off-tone of minerality now is more natural ripe raisin-fig with a layer of cedar predominating over complex black and blue berry fruits with tones of pepper, spice, and cassis and hint of vanilla with a big long bold finish that has a slight tone of tangy cherry. Linda likes this ripe boldness but its a bit too much to my liking. We tasted with fruits and artisan cheeses - it needs a bigger accompaniment like beef steak or even perhaps bar-b-que ribs!


RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=27221