Costco, Kirkland Signature Chardonnay, Sonoma County

Costco, Kirkland Signature Chardonnay, Sonoma County

The one question I get asked more than any other from non-oenophiles (wine geeks), is, 'what is your favorite wine?'. This usually is an icebreaker to open the discussion to ask the real pressing question, 'what is a great value wine?' 

 

I often talk about wine in the context of QPR - Quality Price Ratio, which is a measure of the relative value of a wine in its price range. 

Understandably, everyone in addition to casual wine drinkers who lack the discriminating wine pallet from serious wine tasting want a low cost pleasurable good tasting wine. I've written in these pages about the wine price spectrum, from every day wines, once a week wines, once a month wines, once a year wines, and once in a lifetime wines. Once might be more open to spending top dollar for a special occasion wine than for one for every day casual sipping. 

Couple this phenomenon with two other interesting facts: the average price paid by the consumer for a bottle of wine is under $15. And, the number one wine merchant in the US in rank of consumer wine sales is Costco, the wholesale big box merchant from Kirkland, Washington. 

 

Most folks know Costco is a membership warehouse club, with the intent to provide best available prices on quality brand-name merchandise, leverage large purchasing power, keep costs down and pass the savings on to our member/customers. With more than 800 locations worldwide, they have massive volume purchasing power. This creates the challenge and reality to select suppliers that can deliver large quantities to meet the massive demand of the high volume high turnover Costco machine. 

 

Costco warehouses carry about 4,000 SKUs (stock keeping units) compared to the 30,000 found at most supermarkets. By carefully choosing products based on quality, price, brand, and features, the company can offer the best value to members, those folks that pay for the right to shop there! Oh yeah, that's how they can afford to pass along savings and keep margins tight, because they also collect membership fees. 
 

It would be reasonable to consider this philosophy and approach contrary to wine, where highest quality is the result of small production of carefully crafted product. But for casual everyday sipping wines, there is an intersection point of quality, quantity and price/value. 

Never-the-less, many folks are unaware that Costco® is the number one wine retailer in the U.S. 

While one might argue that high value wines that are available in large volume in the marketplace would therefore be widely available in grocers and wine merchants, the Costco difference is simply the tremendously slim margin Costco takes thanks to their membership model. By making money on membership fees, it helps subsidize the economics to keep product prices low, including those on wine.

Hence, most Costco wines are available elsewhere, but likely at slightly higher prices. The emergence of the large discount wine superstores, Total Wine, Bev-Mo and, here in Illinois, Binny's, the Costco effect is diminished. The everyday Binny's price tends to be comparable to, or better than Costco, and their discounted prices tend to be better than the everyday Costco price. And of course, Binny's will offer a massive wine selection compared to the very limited Costco offering. 

Occasionally, one can find some low production wines available in an individual Costco store, but my experience is that this occurs in the markets where those wines are produced, mainly California and to a lesser degree Oregon and Washington. 

This brings me to the elephant in the room, the Costco house brand, “Kirkland Signature” wines. These are generally high-quality wines made by excellent wineries exclusively for Costco, cutting out the middleman where arcane local liquor distribution laws allow such practices. 

In some cases, these labels are starting to catch on and are developing a bit of a cult following so the low productions ones sell out fast, sometimes even within days. Some might argue this same phenomenon exists with other large volume discount grocers such as Trader Joe's and Aldi. 

I've written often in these pages about 'everyday wines', once a week wines, once a month, once a year, and special occasion wines - each with their corresponding price-point.  

It was Jess Jackson who imagined such a high volume quality wine and built a billion dollar wine empire on the basis of an affordable easy drinking California Chardonnay. His story was chronicled in the best selling book - A Man and His Mountain, the story of self-made billionaire Jess Jackson and his pursuit of his dream to build a brand of premium varietal based wine for the mass market. His accomplishments over the ensuring two and a half decades exceeded all expectations achieving the art of the possible building a multi-billion dollar wine empire - featured in my blogpost about Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay.

The brand that he envisioned grew to an iconic empire, Kendall-Jackson and the Chardonnay label created the whole category of varietal based mass market premium wine shipping millions of cases of wine annually.

With this in mind, I picked up a bottle of the Costco private label Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay, as an everyday sipper. It was surprisingly good, a pleasant easy drinking wine, suitable and ideal for everyday consumption.

According to the label, "Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay is elegant with rich, ripe, fruit flavors. The mid-palate has a wonderful zest coming from the grape's natural acidity which provides a long multi-dimensional finish. Apple, pear and orange citrus notes are surrounded by hints of vanilla and spice from the subtle oak maturation."

This label is Vinted & Bottled by Grape and Grain Imports who write, "The 2019 Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay is made in the buttery, slightly sweet style that, to be honest, is not our favorite but it's done so well it's hard not to like. It opens with a pleasing aroma of microwave popcorn, apples and citrus."

"The buttery theme continues when tasting this wine which is also filled with sweet apple and citrus along with a touch of tart tropical fruit. Featuring a smooth, slightly creamy texture this is quite easy to drink and a great representation of this style. It ends with good length and some lingering buttery citrus notes. Butterlicious."

At at price around $10, this is great value, high QPR - Quality Price Ratio wine - ideal for keeping in the cooler for casual pleasurable, non-discriminating sipping. Pick some up.

Pour Boys Wine Dinner

Pour Boys Wine Dinner

With my Linda out of town for the weekend, Dr Dan invited me over for Friday night dinner. I pulled from the cellar a vintage Bordeaux Blend for the occasion. 

Dan prepared delicious pork loins with seasoned with hot pepper peach bourbon sauce, roasted potatoes and a medley of grilled vegetables.

Prior to dinner, Dan and Linda served a broad assortment of artisan cheeses, shrimp, olives, charcuterie, nuts and chocolates. 

Pour Boys visiting Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma

I selected a producer that the Pour Boys visited, including Dan and Linda, on our most recent Sonoma County Wine Experience, the last of numerous visits to the estate and Chateau over the years - Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Valley. 

In addition to the legendary flagship label Cinq Cépages - which means five flavors or varieties, I also brought another Chateau St Jean label, Belle Terre, their Late Harvest Riesling dessert wine. 

Chateau St Jean is one of the premier producers in Sonoma County and their winery chateau estate is a showcase highlight of the Sonoma Valley - certainly the most elegant and fashionable tasting experience setting that we've experienced there. We enjoyed visiting there numerous times over the years for a comprehensive tasting experience that offers some of their Reserve and Library selections not available in the marketplace.ch as our Napa Sonoma Wine Experience in 2009.

Our private tastings at the 1920's chateau with views of the Grand Lawn and Estate Vineyards and in the Reserve Room have been the highlights of our trips to the region.

Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cépages 1997

We've enjoyed the Cinq Cépages label since its release in the late eighties. Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cépages" was one of the first classic Bordeaux Blend labels from the region and has always represented good value, high QPR relative, to the top Bordeaux labels. 

This was one of the last releases before the 1996 release was annointed Wine Spectator #1 wine in the annual Top 100 list in 1999.  Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages was the first Sonoma winery to be awarded the prestigious “Wine of the Year” award from Wine Spectator Magazine. At that time the release price was $28, a remarkable value at the time. From then on, the label exploited its #1 legacy and notoriety and boosted the price point, but it still represents reasonable comparable value at near $100.    

We have a vertical of this up to the recent vintages - this was the oldest release in our cellar so we pulled as part of cellar management, but also to compare to two other 1997 vintage Napa Cabs we opened last weekend.

This release was awarded 96 points by Wine Spectator, 94 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 90 points by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. 

The fill level, foil, label and most importantly, the cork were all in prime condition.  At twenty five years this was at the apex, in its prime drinking window, showing no signs of diminution from aging whatsoever. This exceeded my loftiest expectations and showed even better than the two 1997's we opened last weekend. This was definitely the WOTN - Wine of The Night.

The 1997 Cinq Cepages is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit-Verdot, aged in 50% new and 50% one-year old French barrels. Robert Parker writes, "this is California's answer to a big, rich St-Emilion".

Stephen Tanzer writes: "At once sweet and structured. Finishes with big, dusty tannins and very good length. The most promising vintage to date for this bottling. (ST)"

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, smooth polished, complex but balanced and nicely integrated black berry plum, currant and black cherry fruits with notes of mocha, toffee, spice, cedar, aise and herbs with a smooth finish. 

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2205

Linda served strawberry shortcakes with fresh fruits and I opened the Late Harvest dessert wine. 

Chateau St. Jean Alexander Valley Belle Terre Vineyard Special Select Late Harvest Riesling 2006  

Château St. Jean has been producing several white wine labels from the Belle Terre Vineyard since the 1975 Chardonnay Belle Terre and 1976 dessert Riesling. The Belle Terre Vineyard is owned by the Dick Family, which over the past three decades, has built a reputation as one of the premier grape-growing families in the region

The vineyard is in the Alexander Valley AVA (American Viticultural) Area just north of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County. The Russian River flows through the valley. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander, a 19th century landowner and grape grower. The AVA includes 15,000 vineyard acres, much of it rich, alluvial soil layered on a bed of gravel, similar to many vineyards in Bordeaux. 

Today Alexander Valley is home to some of California’s most admired wineries, including Simi, Stonestreet, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, and of course Chateau St Jean based in Sonoma. 

This Special Select Late Harvest Riesling is produced only in top rated vintages from botrytis-affected fruit that is carefully hand-selected from the Belle Terre Vineyard.

Upon release, this wine is straw colored, and with its high residual sweetness, can be a long lived wine, capable of aging for decades. As it ages, it becomes darker, turning from straw colored to golden, taking on more brown hues resembling weak tea, then stronger darker tea, and eventually dark blackish cola or coffee colored. At fifteen years, this was already blackish colored, like cola, akin more to one that is several decades old. 

Normally this would be predominant ripe ripe apricot, peach and lemon fruits with sweet notes of fruits and honey. This release the sweet fruits were more subdued interlaced with notes of tea, expresso and bitter dark chocolate with bright acidity on the lingering finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=796124

http://www.chateaustjean.com/

https://twitter.com/chateaustjean1

@chateaustjean1

Over the course of the evening, Dan opened a selection of red wines from his cellar. 

• Long Shadows Saggi Red Blend - Sanviovese, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
• Kathryn Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
• Il Valentiano Brunello Di Montalcino Reserva 2015 
• Entrepreneur Diamond Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Long Shadows Saggi Columbia Valley Red Blend - Sanviovese, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

We're members of the Long Shadows wine club and hence get regular Vault Key Club release allocation shipments of their top labels of which we share our case lot with Dr Dan. We've written in these pages about the Vintners Collection wherein Long Shadows collaborates with world class winemakers to craft varietal compositions from Washington State fruit. 

This label is inspired by the great wines of Tuscany and father-son winemaking team Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, winemaker Gilles Nicault crafts Saggi in the style of its original winemakers.

The 2018 Saggi is a Columbia Valley Blend: 58% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Syrah. The Sangiovese is sourced from two distinct Washington State Sangiovese vineyards, both planted in 1998. Both sites with have terrior of well-draining soils, important to managing Sangiovese’s vine vigor and controlling berry size. Candy Mountain Vineyard Sangiovese is a warm vineyard that delivers grapes with ripe, black currant aromas and flavors. Boushey Vineyard Sangiovese, grown in the Yakima Valley, is a cooler site that brings brightness and balanced acidity to the blend. 

The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, included to add a silky texture to the wine. The Syrah adds a darker hue and another layer of complexity.

Winemakers' tasting notes: "Easily one of our favorite Saggi bottlings to date, this wine showcases the quality of our vineyard sites and the warmth of the growing season. A brilliant garnet-red, the 2018 Saggi is elaborately fragrant, brimming with red cherries, ripe strawberries and notes of nutmeg. Vibrant and
well-integrated with balanced natural acidity, this is a textured wine with great richness and flavors that linger across a generous finish. Drinking beautifully now, the wine’s concentration and structure also make it an excellent candidate for the cellar."

This is becoming a go-to wine for us for Sangiovese complemented Italian cuisine, but bigger and bolder than your typical Sangiovese Brunello di Montalcino. Son Alec, who also shares in our club allocation cites this as one of his favorite wines.

Tonight, this stood out from the others with its big bold style, bright garnet-red colored, full bodied, nicely balanced and well integrated vibrant forward fruits of raspberry, red cherries and ripe strawberries with fragrant floral and notes of nutmeg and clove spices. 

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3720918

 

https://longshadows.com/wines/2018-saggi/133

http://longshadows.orderport.net/product-details/0536/2016-Saggi 

https://twitter.com/LongShadowsWine

 

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon with tomahawk beefsteak dinner

Linda prepared one of her classic tomahawk ribeye beefsteak dinners with smashed potatoes and asparagus tips. I pulled from the cellar this vintage Reserve Sonoma Cabernet. My view is that Sonoma Cabs tend to be a bit lighter, less structured and therefore more approachable than those from Napa with its slightly warmer climate, lacking the cooling influences of the Pacific. Having less cache' perhaps than Napa cabs, Sonoma cabs also tend to be less expensive as well, often providing higher QPR - quality price ratios - as Napa wine prices have escalated through the roof in recent years. 

This wine is labeled Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, which is in the northern, eastern portion of region.

It has been written that Sonoma winemakers like to think of their region as a quieter, less glitzy alternative to the Napa Valley — though in fact, it produces roughly 50 percent more grapes annually, covers more than twice the ground, and boasts about three times the population. 

I write in more detail about Sonoma County and its diversity in my chronicles of our Sonoma Wine Experience 2017.

Sonoma had grapes planted earlier than Napa did, with the first plantings dating back as early as 1812. Legendary Hungarian writer and entrepreneur Agoston Haraszthy, called "the father of California viticulture," bought a property in Sonoma in 1857 and founded the still-extant Buena Vista winery there,  (it is the oldest commercial winery in the state). He later traveled around Europe collecting vine cuttings and is said to have introduced some 300 new varieties to California (among them, according to legend, zinfandel — though this has been disputed). 

Sonoma County boasts a broader range of more diverse soil types and microclimates due to its size and proximity to the coast on the west, and the inland mountain ranges and valleys to the east. The numerous subregion appellations are suited to many grape types with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir being more predominant to the west and Russian River Valley, and Cabernet and Zinfandel thriving inland in the warmer climate areas. 

Dating back to 1959, Rodney Strong Vineyards was the 13th winery bonded in the nascent emerging Sonoma County wine industry.

The current owner proprietors, the Klein family, 4th generation California farmers, took over in 1989.

Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Sonoma County Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This would have been crafted by winemaker Emeritus Rick Sayre, who carried on the Rodney Strong vision, crafting wines for almost four-decades before handing over winemaking duties to current Director of Winemaking Justin Seidenfeld in 2018. 

This vintage release label was awarded 90 points by Wine Enthusiast. 

Wine Enthusiast notes, "The winery is trying very hard to boost the quality of their Reserve Cab. The challenge is to build in those extra layers of complexity and depth." I think this sums up well the impression left by this wine, that it lacks any wow factor and is less than inspiring, lacking that complexity and firmer backbone or structure one might expect or hope for.  

They did package it in a heavy stock grade bottle, indicative of more expensive premium cabernets, found commonly today.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, black berry fruits with notes of cassis, herbs and hints of spice and cedar with moderate tannins on the finish. 

 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=546760

https://www.rodneystrong.com/

https://twitter.com/rsvineyards

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Family Surf and Turf Dinner Features Diverse Wine Flight

Daughter-in-law Vivianna is due to deliver first baby any day now so with family in town for the big event, we hosted the in-laws for a gala dinner. 

Linda prepared flank steak with mushroom sauce of butter, garlic, shallots and olive oil, and pan seared halibut in a garlic butter lemon sauce.

Prior to dinner we had a selection of artisan cheeses, olives and mixed nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

She also prepared twice baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and a colorful pan of roasted potatoes and vegetables. 

I pulled from the cellar a medley of wines for the dinner and to celebrate the upcoming Valentines Day holiday. 

For the wine flight, with the Halibut, I served Rochioli Russian River Valley Chardonnay. With the steak, and noting this crowd favors reds over whites, I served several disparate reds. In commemoration of Valentines Day, we opened the current release of Arrowood Sonoma Cabernet, this following the aged vintage bottle we enjoyed the other evening. 

For another Valentine's selection we served Fantesca, a fun play on the branding of this premium Napa Cabernet - named for a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte. Fantesca, Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious, both the lover and the equal of the protagonist, Harlequin, Fantesca could always be counted on to charm the audience.

Lastly, I served a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, which we visited together during our Rhone Valley Wine Experience in 2018.

Rochioli "Estate" Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2016  

I served and wrote about this wine during our Covid forced Virtual OTBN for 2021.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/03/covid-forces-virtual-otbn-for-2021.html

That blogpost from 2-28-21, a year plus two weeks ago follows.
 

Rochioli Vineyards & Winery sits just ten minutes south of Healdsburg, further inland up the Russian River Valley, where they produce estate sourced Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

 

The Rochioli family legacy began in 1911 when current proprietor and winemaker Joe Rochioli's grandfather, Joe Rocchioli Sr. immigrated to America along with his parents, Michele and Menichina Rocchioli (they later dropped the second "c").  Originally from a small village just outside of Lucca, the Rocchioli’s were one of many Italian families that arrived in New York, made their way across the country, and settled in Northern California.

In those days children worked from a young age, and so Tom's grandfather, Joe, still only 10-years old, labored alongside his father on a farm called Wohler Ranch, in the Russian River Valley.

 In 1934 Tom's grandmother Neoma gave birth to a son, Joe Rochioli Jr.  Shortly after, they moved to a 125-acre property nearby called Fenton Acres, the site and same location where Rochioli Vineyards is today.  

In 1959, Tom's father, Joe Jr, and grandfather, Joe Sr, planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grape vines.  The Cabernet did not grow well and was pulled out in the 1970's.  Sauvignon Blanc, at the time, was a strange new white grape that nobody wanted and was used mainly for blends.  It was soon discovered by a few famed wineries and became desirable as a high quality grape. Today, these same vines are still in production and are considered some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in California.

The Rochioli's passion for fine wine and high quality grape growing began in 1968 when Joe Jr. began planting Pinot Noir. He had his own ideas as to what would grow best here and planted fine Pinot Noir clones from France. This was revolutionary as there was very little known about the grape in the US and he was considered a pioneer at the time for doing this. Rochioli had the foresight to know that the soil and microclimates of this unique spot in the Russian River Valley were very special and would one day produce some of the world's greatest wines. Shortly after growing Pinot Noir successfully, he  planted Chardonnay.

I have written often in these pages about another American Pinot Noir pioneer, Josh Jenson of Calera Winery,  and the chronicles of his endeavors to plant Pinot Noir that was featured in a book on the subject, the Heartbreak Grape. 

By the early 1970's, Rochioli were selling Pinot Noir grapes to Davis Bynum Winery and shortly thereafter they started producing wine under their own Fenton Acres label. In the early 1980’s they began selling to Williams Selyem Winery, and others.  

Tom Rochioli went to college and worked at a major financial institution for a year, then returned to the family farm with a new idea. Based on the quality of the grapes they were selling, they knew their grapes were very good and were making great wines, so they set upon producing their own wines under the Rochioli name.  In 1983, they changed the name of the property from Fenton Acres to Rochioli Vineyards.  At that time Tom took over the family business operations and soon after became the winemaker.

In 1987,  they release their first estate wine with the 1985 Rochioli Pinot Noir.  It topped Wine Spectator’s list of Pinot Noir and was named ‘The Best Pinot Noir in America’.  The Rochioli brand struck gold and was validated as a premier label. With three generations of dedication to the land, Rochioli Vineyards and Winery earned the reputation as one of Sonoma County's finest wineries.

This 2016 Rochioli Estate Chardonnay was awarded 94 points and 'Editors Choice' by Wine Enthusiast , 92 points by Vinous, 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 90 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

Straw colored, medium bodied, notes of stone fruit and lemon curd citrus, hints of peach, honeydew melon and finishes with a sense of bright pineapple and a hint of what I might call cotton candy.

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2817007 

https://www.rochioliwinery.com/ 

https://twitter.com/rochioliwinery

 

@rochioliwinery

 
Arrowood Sonoma County Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 

Following our tasting of the 2004 vintage release of this label the other night, I picked up the current release to replace it, hoping it was as good. Its tough to compare vintages fourteen years apart but the pedigree and legacy promises for pleasant drinking ahead. I wrote about the history of this label in that blogpost.

This is from the Knights Valley, tucked into the foothills of Mount Saint Helena (not to be confused with St Helena in Napa Valley), on the remote eastern edge of Sonoma County, where the terroir experiences a moderated climate, protected from ocean influences, offering a longer and later growing season that develops dark fruit aromatics.  

The Arrowood vineyard there lies thirty miles north of the winery and tasting room in Glen Ellyn, Sonoma Valley.

Knights Valley AVA is one of Sonoma County's original five AVAs, Knights Valley AVA was formally designated back in 1983. Knights Valley AVA includes approximately 37,000 acres of which about 2000 are planted to vineyards. The Knights Valley AVA abuts the Alexander Valley AVA to the west, Chalk Hill to the south, and cozies up to Calistoga (in Napa Valley) on the east.

Knights Valley is pretty remote, tucked between the mountain ranges with the only practical access via twisty sections of Highway 128 through mountainous terrain before it eventually straightens out in a high valley.

This is one of ten different Arrowood Cabernet labels, an estate bottling, with a single AVA versus single vineyard designation as with several of the more premium and ultrapremium offerings.

Winemaker Notes for this label release: "The 2018 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is bold with black forest fruit and anise, nuanced with violet, pine resin, sage, and nutmeg. Densely concentrated and intensely flavorful on the palate with dark fruits, graphite and cocoa nibs."

Wine pundit Jeb Dunnuck gave this 91 points and wrote: "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is terrific and just classic Sonoma Cabernet. Lots of cassis, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings and rocky, savory earth-like nuances all emerge from this spicy, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced Cabernet. It shows the fresh, focused style of the vintage, has wonderful purity, and enough tannins to warrant 2-3 years of bottle age."

While I concur with the above notes on some of the flavors, I would add that there was a predominant layer of sweetness, almost akin to caramel, which is not represented in those notes. I found it less structured and more moderate than the 2004 vintage, and the Fantesca Napa Spring Mountain Cab as well. 

RM 89 points.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/arrowood-sonoma-county-cabernet.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4094954

https://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

@ArrowoodWinery 

Fantesca Napa Valley Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

As mentioned above, I selected this for a Valentines Day wine for its whimsical name from a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte,  who could always be counted on to charm the audience. Owners, Duane and Susan Hoff write that "when we heard Fantesca described as ”Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious,” we knew we had found a name worth living up to."'

 

We visited the Fantesca Estate & Winery during our Napa Valley Spring Mountain Experience in the autumn of 2009, and earlier during our Napa Wine Experience 2007.

 

We first met owner/producer Dwayne Hoff when we hosted him in our home during his promotion tour to Chicago shortly after acquiring the Spring Mountain Estate. 

 

Fantesca Estate and Winery, Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.

Fantesca Napa Valley,
Spring Mtn Cabernet Sauvignon
Etched glass, painted bottle.
(2006 shown)

I bought a case of this label back upon release and note it is the best drinking bottle to date. Perhaps this is now reaching its stride and apex of its drinking character and profile at a dozen years of age.

 

Medium-full bodied, dark garnet color; complex but smooth and polished with bright forward fruits of black currant, dark berry and cherry, accented by sweet dark chocolate, a hint of cassis, and a tone of spice on the lingering refined tannin finish.

RM 91 points.

As always, this was the blockbuster hit of the evening, a great complement to grilled beef steak.

http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=355836

http://www.fantesca.com

 

@FantescaWine -  https://twitter.com/FantescaWine

Domaine Vieux Telegraphe "Télégramme" Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

As noted above, I selected this wine in remembrance of our visit with Alec and Viv to Domaine Vieux Telegraphe, one of the highlights of our Rhone Valley wine experience back in 2018. This provided a background for fun reminiscences about our trip and visit and our friends there.

Earlier in the day, I had already picked up the latest vintage release of this label, so I already had a replacement for drinking this vintage release bottle tonight. 

Télégramme is the Brunier brothers’ “second” label, based on the fruit of the estate’s younger vines. “Young” is a relative term as the vines that contribute to this blend average 35 years in age and come from some of the appellation’s most esteemed parcels, such as La Crau and Pignan. Available at about half the price of the estate’s flagship La Crau label, this offers great QPR - Quality Price Ratio.

While the second label of the estate, like the "La Crau" grand vin label, it is a blend of the thirteen different varietals sanctioned by the Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CDP) appellation controllee rules that require predominance of the GSM - Grenache, Syrah and/or Mourvedre grapes. This is a blend of estate grown 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, and 4% Cinsault.

This release was awarded 96 points byJames Suckling, 92 by Jeb Dunnuck and Wine & Spirits, and 91 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, complex but balanced, the Grenache flavor profile prediminates with black raspberry, red-berry and plum flavors, with herbs, crushed rocks and pepper notes accented by spices with firm but smooth, ripe tannins on the finish. 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2857462

http://www.vieux-telegraphe.fr/en

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Linda prepared hearty Chicken Cacciatore in a zesty sauce of tomatos, mushrooms, onions, herbs of provence and sherry. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and it is hunters who first ate this dish. It is thought that the first Chicken Cacciatore was not made with chicken, but with rabbit or other wild game, sometime during the Renaissance period, between the 14th and 16th centuries. Chicken Cacciatore’s simple but delicious recipe was likely developed to satisfy the appetites of hunters who may have been on the track of a larger animal or herd of animals for several days, and who needed a tasty, filling stew that could easily be cooked outdoors to keep them going.

This warranted a nice hearty red wine  - not too big or complex, but not too small/light, not too fruity, but firm enough to stand up to the sauce. I selected from the cellar this Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and it proved to be an ideal pairing for maximum enjoyment of both the food and the wine. 

Before I write any more about this wine or this food pairing, I found this ..... Amazingly, the last time we tasted and I blogged about this wine was exactly a year ago tonight! Wine karma? In any event, history repeats itself, and tonight's tasting was a recreation of that earlier evening and the experience was consistent with that last year in every respect when I published the following post.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/arrowood-sonoma-county-cabernet.html

Thursday, February 11, 2021 

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

The deep freeze in Chicago continues and we remain shut in for winter and of course Covid. Having a deep and broad wine cellar reduces the dread of cabin fever and makes for enjoyable evenings dipping in to our collection. 

Tonight, Linda created a delicious medley of grilled steak, sweet potatoes and mushrooms. This was a wonderful pairing that suited this Sonoma County Cabernet perfectly. As I've written several times recently, an ideal food and wine pairing such as this accentuates the enjoyment of the whole experience, enhancing the wine and the food. 

We've visited or stopped by the Arrowood winery a couple times during visits to Sonoma, the winery sitting just north of town back off the highway. We hold a collection of this label dating back to 1991 of which we acquired a case upon release and still hold just a couple remaining bottles, along with a half dozen other vintages including this '04. 

My opinion and experience is that the Sonoma County Cabs tend to be lighter and softer (than Napa's) and therefore a bit more approachable and less challenging, more suitable to casual sipping and lighter or less complex food pairing. 

This is the craftwork of winemaker producer Richard Arrowood. Born in San Francisco and raised in Santa Rosa, he started his winemaking career in 1965 at Korbel Champagne Cellars just north of St Helena. He earned degrees in organic chemistry at California State Sacramento and graduate work in enology at California State, Fresno. He moved from Korbel to United Vintners, then Sonoma Vineyards. 

From 1974 through 1990, he was winemaker at Chateau St. Jean, where he developed some of the first vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sonoma County. His role there grew to be winemaker and Executive Vice President of Chateau St Jean.

He and his wife, Alis, founded Arrowood Winery with the 1985 vintage where they produced small-lot varietals and vineyard designates. In April 1990, after sixteen years at Chateau St. Jean, Richard set out to devote himself full-time to Arrowood where he was producer/winemaster. He originally planned to produce reserve quality Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon only, but his passion for making wine lead him to explore and develop unusual varietals that he believed had potential to produce exceptional fruit. The Arrowood portfolio expanded to include Merlot, Viognier, Pinot Blanc, Late Harvest wines, Malbec, Syrah and a few special reserve wines.

Richard and Alis were successful building the Arrowood brand and portfolio which they sold to Robert Mondavi in 2000. Richard and Alis stayed on, but left after Constellation Brands purchased Mondavi in 2004 and subsequently sold Arrowood in 2005 to the (now bankrupt) Legacy Estate Group. 

Jackson Family Wines acquired Arrowood Vineyards & Winery through the bankruptcy court in September 2006. I wrote recently about the Jackson Family history upon reading the book, A Man and His Mountain, a chronicle about Jess Jackson. 

Richard continued as winemaster there until June 2010, when he founded and left to devote his energies full-time to Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery. They sold Amapola in 2019 and set out to retire after 54 years in the wine business.  

Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

This release is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (89.9%), Merlot (7.2%), Malbec and (1.6%), Petit Verdot (1.3%), all from Sonoma County.

Winemaker notes: "This 2004 Arrowood Caberent Sauvignon is a lovely, complex wine that exemplifies our distinctive style. Beginning with exceptional fruit from several Sonoma County vineyards, we selected and blended small lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Each key component was aged for nearly two years in French and American oak. To retain maximum complexity, we chose not to fine or filter this wine, hence a small amount of harmless sedimentation may occur. Although delicious now, this rich and complex claret will develop well beyond the next decade.' 

"Our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is a complete wine. It is a testament to both vintage and the vineyards. The growing season opened with a heat wave in the first half of March triggering an early bloom. The remainder of the year was awash in warm days, cool nights and morning fog. All in all, we feel it was one of the finest Cabernet vintages of the last decade.'

"For vineyards, this Cabernet combines our favorite bench, hillside and mountain sites (many organically farmed) in Sonoma, Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys. By blending lots from a variety of sources Richard was able to capture the character of the vintage and the essence of Sonoma County Cabernet."

Back in 2016 I wrote about this release, "I have two left in the cellar and I wish I had more. At a dozen years old, it must be at the apex of its drinking window - it was delicious and a perfect compliment to the steak and to the anti pasta caprese salad.'

"We often turn to Sonoma County Cab's for more casual sipping as they are thought to be a bit lighter and softer than their Napa counterparts. There was nothing wimpy or second class to this Big Cab."

While the Arrowood winery and vineyards are located in Sonoma Valley just north of the town of Sonoma, they source the fruit for this label from three different Sonoma County AVA's - Knights Valley, Alexander Valley and Sonoma Valley. We consider Arrowood to be a benchmark, representing the best of Sonoma Cabernet.

We have visited the Arrowood properties on several of our trips to Sonoma Valley. 

This wine represents great value, high QPR as Arrowood seem to have held the price on this label as similar Napa and Sonoma labels have risen by 30-40% over the decade.

At sixteen years, this was drinking very nicely, probably still at its apex, not likely to improve any further with aging, but not showing any signs of diminution whatsoever. The filled level was proper and the cork was in perfect condition.

Wine Enthusiast gave this release 93 points. 

Blend: 89.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.2% Merlot, 1.6% Malbec, 1.3% Petit Verdot

 

Back in 2016 I wrote, Dark blackish garnet color, medium-full bodied, the berry fruit aromas filled the room on opening, bold expressive black cherry accented by a layer of leather, mocha and hint of cedar and spice on the long smooth soft tanning finish.

Tonight this was dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, complex yet nicely integrated and balanced rich elegant dark berry fruits with floral notes turning to cassis, hints of black tea and oak with smooth soft tannins and balanced acid on a lingering finish. 

 

RM 91 points. 

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=436318

http://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

 

https://www.amapolacreek.com/

Battle Family Vineyards Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

 Battle Family Vineyards Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

To our 'father-son' dinner the other night, Alec brought from his home cellar this boutique limited production family producer Alexander Valley Cabernet. He acquired this through an on-line "Wine-Text" wineclub he used while in NYC which doesn't ship to IL, hence he has dropped this source of what provided many high QPR quality labels limited production boutique labels. I post this separately as I actually didn't taste it till the next day over at his place. While Alec paid around $50 for this at that time, on-line sources and wine commerce sites widely offer later releases at $125 to $150 per bottle.

According to the rear label, only 175 cases were produced of this Sonoma County Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, "Cellared and Bottled" by Battle Family Vineyards in Santa Rosa. 

From Wine Enthusiast we learn this is from a small site where the appellation overlaps with Chalk Hill, crafted by Winemaker Patrick Sullivan. Alcohol 13.9%, aged for 20 months in 90% new oak. 

Wine Enthusiast gave this 92 points.  

From Mio Creative Services Marketing Agency in St Louis, 'Battle Family Vineyards, tucked into the rolling hills of Sonoma county is a small vineyard and a family with a dream of one day having their own wine collection. Battle Family Vineyards is a rich brand ripe with passion. We assisted their launch with print collateral and an e-commerce website.' 

That said, however, their website www.battlefamilyvineyards.com is no longer viable or live. 

This was dark garnet ruby colored, medium full bodied, rich concentrated firmly structured blackberry and black cherry fruits with complex layers of soy, currant, leather, cedar and clove finishing with firm gripping tannins on a long round acidic finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3565960

Dehlinger Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2017

Dehlinger Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2017

We opened this Chardonnay for dinner with ham and potatoes and haricot verts, then a day or so later for casual sipping with some artisan cheeses, crackers and jelly with olives. 

Founded in 1975 by Tom and Carol Dehlinger, it remains a family-owned and operated vineyard and winery in western Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. 

After obtaining his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in biochemistry in the late 1960s, Tom Dehlinger studied Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis when the program was just being established. After jobs at Beringer and Hanzell, he founded Dehlinger Winery in remote Sonoma County in 1975, long before it was recognized as a wine producing area.

Today, two of their daughters Carmen Dehlinger and Eva Dehlinger, oversee day-to-day operation of both the winery and the vineyard.

They have a forty five acre site planted to fourteen acres of Chardonnay, located on Vine Hill Road just north of the town of Sebastopol, west of Santa Rosa, 13 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Dehlinger produces a single Estate Chardonnay bottling each vintage, sourced from their estate Chardonnay vines planted between 1975 and 1988. They were one of the early pioneers to plant Chardonnay in the cool climate area of western Sonoma County with the cool breezes and fog from the ocean. 

They also produce estate grown Pinot Noir from twenty five acres planted between 1975-1989, and a second site planted between 2011-2014, some Syrah from three acres of vines, and are one of the few vineyards in the coastal Russian River Valley that grows Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on four and a half acres of the variety planted in 1982 and 1983.

We toured the area during our Sonoma County Wine Experience back in 2017.

Dehlinger has been bottling its Chardonnays “Unfiltered” since the late 1990s in order to capture the full flavor potential and most pleasing texture possible. The winemaker's tasting notes refer to "Aromas of lemon custard and white peach, flavors of lime zest and toasted hazel nut. Excellent length, fresh, flavorful."

Very pleasant drinking, with its full boldness it is best with some food rather than standalone. This release got 92 points by Vinous and 91 points by Wine Spectator.

Golden colored, medium bodied,  round, rich, full, bright and expressive, Vinous describes it as 'racy and luscious', notes of citrus, apples, and hints of pear fruits with mineral and tropical sprites and lemongrass on the crisp finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/barcode.asp?iWine=3382464

https://www.dehlingerwinery.com/

 

 

Quivira Sonoma Dry Creek Valley Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

Quivira Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2019 - an unfortunate wine and cheese pairing ?

We discovered this Sauv Blanc label at dinner the other night at Carnivore and the Queen as a WBTG offering which we did not take up, but I picked up a bottle at Binny's, our wine superstore to try. We knew the Quivira label dating back to the 1990 vintage, of which we purchased a 6 liter large format bottle of Quivira Cabernet Sauvignon for son Alec's birth year vintage collection. We served this at his wedding eve rehearsal dinner gathering. 

Quivira has been family owned since its founding in 1981. Proprietors Pete and Terri Kight farm 63 acres of vines planted at Wine Creek Ranch, and another 26 at two sites close by. Quivira Vineyards produce primarily Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhône varieties.

Dry Creek Valley in remote northern Sonoma County is home to a wide range of wines—both red and white. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a terroir with a combination of ideal geography and climate, fertile, well-drained soils with long, warm days and cool nights.

While known for Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc, the area also produces respectable Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah and Petite Sirah which is often found in blends with Zinfandel. 

Quivira Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2019

For this Sauvignon Blanc, the producer touts this label. "All the elements of the world's best Sauvignon Blanc converge at Fig Tree Vineyard. The site is located at the confluence of two waterways, Wine Creek and Dry Creek. The wine's mineral freshness comes from the alluvial, rocky soils that have been scoured over millennia. The rare Musqué clone adds complexity and aromatic lift. Simply put, the right grape + the right place = Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc."

The winemaker notes on this release sum it up. "Classic straw color with traces of green on the edges complement the aromatic sensory overload. Crisp with citrus oozing onto your tastebuds with each sip. Flavors of green fig (ode to our name!), white grapefruit, golden raspberry, and Princess Anne cherry combine with a steely, refreshing minerality. Theres an earthiness and a touch of grass that balances this wine. The nuanced acidity makes this appealing now and, based on our decades of library Sauvignon Blancs, we are confident it will continue to hold well through 2028-2029. Fig Tree Sauvignon Blanc is perennially racy making it a solid pairing with fattier dishes. It can also be savored with goat cheese ...."

Interesting that I opened this to try with a Bourgogne cheese. The wine overpowered the otherwise expressive cheese. The winemaker describes the wine as a 'sensory overload ... a touch of grass ... perennially racy ... nuanced acidity .. '. I encountered all these traits and considered the wine obtuse, angular and a bit over the top. I picked up the citrus and white grapefruit and steely minerality. I also picked up pleasant notes of sweet peach which tended to balance the otherwise obtuse flavor profile. 

This is a Quijote paradox ... like it or leave it ... 

Golden straw colored, traces of green on the edges, medium bodied, slightly angular forward citrus with a white grapefruit and hint of peach fruits with steely minerality and nuanced acidity and touch of grass on the tangy finish. 

While Wine Spectator gave this 93 points, I found it a bit over-the-top and gave it 87 points. Perhaps my ill fated cheese pairing undermined a fair evaluation. I've written in these pages about how a perfect wine and food pairing can amplify the experience, I guess it goes without saying that an imperfect pairing can/will also detract from the experience. Perhaps this was such a case.

RM 87 

Wine Spectator wrote "Verbena, beeswax and matcha green tea notes give way to a succulent, polished core of lemon curd, lanolin and quince flavors. Powerfully intense and focused, but the mouthwatering acidity keeps the flavors vivid, fresh and light-footed."

 

Wine Enthusiast gave it 91 points. They mention the peach notes, and the grassy notes and the acidity.

"From certified-organic grapes fermented in both stainless steel and neutral oak, this lovely and balanced wine tastes of peaches, white flowers and stones. Fresh, high toned and grassy, it lingers in both acidity and dried herb, impressing in both length and grace."

 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave it 90 points and mentioned the peaches, called it 'gregarious' and cited a 'musky perfume'.

"The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree Vineyard has gregarious scents of guava, lychee, fresh herbs, warm peaches and musky perfume. The palate is light-bodied with a gently rounded texture and zesty acidity, finishing long and perfumed."

In the end, Cellartracker's and I agreed, as their community tasting averaged 87 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3911925

https://quivirawine.com/

@QuiviraVineyard

Trio of Big Reds for a hearty wine tasting

Trio of Big Reds for a hearty wine tasting ....  

As posted in the previous blog, our dinner wine tasting extended into the evening and we were joined by more family, friends and neighbors which allowed us the opportunity to break out several more wines to taste. 

Lang & Reed Two-Fourteen Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2014

I've seen this label many times over the years but admit I belive this is my first initiation to a wine from this producer. I must say I was impressed and will pay more attention to this label in the future. I am a fan of Cabernet Franc and will put this on my watch list for expressive wine drinking from a producer who appreciates and focuses on the varietal that is normally reserved for a but fractional part of the Bordeaux blend.

This is produced by Tracey & John Skupny, who started Lang & Reed Napa Valley in 1993 with the goal to explore the distinct charms of Cabernet Franc and to craft wines that are both expressive and enjoyable to drink.

Their wine experience spans nearly a half century working in the restaurant trade in Kansas City as wine stewards (sommeliers). They pursued their passion for wine and moved to California in 1980, eventually settling in Napa Valley in 1984.

They were intrigued with the distinction of Cabernet Franc, one of the noble varietals from the Loire Valley and Bordeaux wine regions of France. Cabernet Franc is a foundation key varietal in Bordeaux red wine blends, included to contribute aromatics and robust flavors to round out and extend the tasting profile of the blend.  

In 1993, Lang & Reed Napa Valley was born with a focus on Cabernet Franc. Named after their two sons, J Reed and Jerzy Lang, Lang & Reed Napa Valley is family owned and operated. Through their winemaking, their wines tell their family story of a life dedicated to family working together to craft artisan wines.

Through exploration and investigation of all things ‘Cabernet Franc’, they selected Clone 214 that originated in the Loire Valley of France, home to some of the worlds’ most renowned Cabernet Franc vineyards and producers. 

In 2007 they selected the Sugarloaf Vineyard in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley, located on a hillside slope with ideal rocky soils with moderate temperatures and cooling breezes that emanate from the nearby northern reaches of San Francisco Bay. 

This new world climate combined with this old world Loire Clone 214 is the basis for Lang & Reed ‘Two-Fourteen’ Cabernet Franc, the only known bottling of this unique clone in California. 

Winemaker notes: "This is the eighth vintage of the Lang & Reed ‘Two-Fourteen’ Cabernet Franc and, true to type, this wine shows a persistent purity of aromas and flavors.  At first scent, this wine shows a nice burst of raspberry and blueberry, with a top note of violet and  a  backdrop  of  savory  herbaceousness.    The  palate  is  medium  bodied  with  beautiful  Cabernet  Franc  purity,  texture,  and  length.    Though  very  appealing  for  immediate  pleasure,  the  structural  elements  will  allow  this  wine  to  age  gracefully for the next 7 to 10 years."

This is composed of 100% Cabernet Franc, the Loire Entav Clone 214, sourced solely from the Napa Valley Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard. The wine is aged 16 Months in French Oak Barrels. 849 Cases were produced. 

This was rated 93 Points by Wine Spectator, 92 Points by Wine Enthusiast and 90 Points by Wine Advocate. James Laube of Wine Spectator says its "Best  from  2020  through  2030.”

This was a big hit with the crowd, all around - dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, forward full expressive ripe dark berry fruits with tangy spice and herbs, notes of tea and hints of cedar and oak with a moderate tannin lingering finish. 

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2536985

https://langandreed.com/

 Domaine Des Chirats Sonoma County Rockpile Vineyard Syrah 2013 

As posted in these pages back in April, this is produced by Jeff Cohn, former winemaker at Rosenblum Cellars, in collaboration with Yves Cuilleron from the Northern Rhône, third generation proprietor of Cave Cuilleron, founded by his grandfather Claude Cuilleron in 1920. Yves took over in 1987 from his Uncle. The 150 acre estate produces over 430,000 bottles of wine annually. 

Jeff Cohn and Yes Cuilleron teamed up in 2013 to produce this wine in the historic Northern Rhône style from fruit sourced from Cohn's Rockpile vineyard. Through their collaboration they have crafted this wine in the style of a Northern Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie.

Fruit for this label is sourced from the Rockpile vineyard in the Rockpile appellation in Sonoma. Cohn calls it "a special place for Syrah". Sitting at 2010 ft. elevation, 20 plus year-old Syrah vines are grown above the fog line allowing for plenty of sun to reach full ripeness. The vineyard gets its name from the rocky soil that stresses the grapes resulting in richness and concentration. Jeff began working with the Rockpile Vineyard over fourteen years ago.

Cohn strives for elegant and complex wines and he believes the craggy soil of the aptly named Rockpile produces some of the most complex and distinctive minerality in all of California.

The 2014 vintage of this wine was rated 95 Points by Robert Parker.

Definitely more of a Northern Rhone style, this was preferred by Mandy, moreso than Linda who opts for the more expressive approachable fruits of a new world style. 

Dark purple garnet colored, full bodied, complex and concentrated but polished and elegant, blueberry and blackberry fruits with notes of floral, anise, meaty bacon fat and spice, crisp acidity with firm but approachable tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2320444

https://www.jeffcohncellars.com/

 

TOR Kenward Family Wines ROCK Hommage Allan Hudson Vineyard Syrah 2013

A previously unknown, undiscovered label, I picked up the last two remaining bottles of this rather obscure label at Binny's and wrote about this Hudson Vineyard Syrah back in December of 2018.

This is the style and profile of Syrah that we favor, dark inky purple, full bodied, concentrated forward black and blue berry and cherry fruits with bright acidity accented by tones of anise, graphite, leather and hints of pepper with a long tongue puckering finish with firm but soft approachable tannins. This was almost over the top for some of the crowd but was a crowd-pleaser none-the-less.

Not as sweet, polished or balanced as some of favorite, preferred, standard bearer Napa Syrahs, but tasty and pleasant drinking in any event.  

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2126714