1999 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (93 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Monday, December 31, 2012

VINTAGE

1999

WINERY/PRODUCER

Beringer Vineyards

WINE NAME

Private Reserve

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Cabernet Sauvignon?

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

13.9%

PRICE PAID

This wine was a gift from a friend of a friend when we had a dinner party at our house about a year ago.

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

See above

BOUQUET

We decanted this bottle for a couple of hours since the wine’s been bottled-up for the past eleven years-ish.  Like most mature/well-aged wines, the exuberant fruit aromas of young wines is less prominent and the oak and earthy elements become more prevalent.  There are fruit and spice characteristics present on the nose (especially red and black fruits, along with savory herbs and black pepper), but the Napa Valley’s terrior and oak is more up-front than the fruits and spices.

 

TASTING NOTES

This is a FABULOUS Napa Cab at this point in time; it is mellow, smooth, rich, creamy, oaky, earthy, and well-balanced with the perfect amount of fruit and acidity, even after thirteen+ years after harvest.  There are the usual Napa Cab black and red fruits (plums, blackberries, blueberries, and black cherries), a basket or two of savory herbs like sage and rosemary, gorgeously smooth, silky, perfectly-sweet oak and tannins, and an earthiness that just about any mushroom-loving wine drinker would die for.  As wines age, they begin to lose their "fruitiness" and reveal more of their middle-aged characteristics of leather, earth, meats, minerals, etc.  And although I love a big, bold, fruity red wine as much as anybody, sometimes it's nice to experience a mature, evolved, leathery, meaty red, especially if it's being drunk with a fabulous steak smothered in a mushroom medley as this wine was.

Unlike most people, we try to buy wines and/or discover them (or as we receive them from our five winery wine clubs) and drink them from the oldest vintage to the newest vintage to allow the wines to age, mature, mellow, and develop to their fullest potential (at least to the fullest potential that our patience will allow).  Is there anything better than friends/relatives who can afford to bring over beautifully-aged wines when we host a dinner party (e.g. the wine being reviewed here)?!?!  In addition to this wine, we also opened and drank a 1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grand Dame to celebrate New Years Eve (this Cab Sav was MUCH better than the over-priced Champagne, which was also a gift from good friends about a year ago).  If we had the means and the room, I would LOVE to buy fine wines by the case and allow them to mature and develop for a decade or more.  This Napa Cab is a perfect example of how/why one should (if they can afford it) allow a wine with the appropriate structure to beautifully age, mellow, and develop over time to allow the wine to fully express itself to it’s fullest potential.

  

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We drank this wine with rib eye steaks smothered in Kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbs de Provence and (needless to say) grilled to perfection (medium-rare).  This fantastic Cab Sav paired beautifully with the rib eyes and would pair equally well with just about any red meat dish, like braised lamb shanks, prime rib, etc.

AGING POTENTIAL

Thirteen years after harvest, this wine is drinking beautifully right now and will probably continue to age, mature, develop, and evolve gorgeously for another ten to twenty years.  If you happen to have this wine in your cellar, I can’t imagine it getting any better than it is right now.  But like any good Napa Cab or Bordeaux, it has serious “legs” and will indeed be eminently drinkable for years to come.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

93

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD (even though I don’t know the exact price paid for this wine, I’m assuming this wine cost $100ish)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.beringer.com/

2008 Novy Family Winery Syrah (Rosella's Vineyard) (91 Points)

Date Consumed
Sunday, December 30, 2012

Vintage
2008

Winery/Producer
Novy Family Winery

Composition
100% Syrah

Vineyard Designation
Rosella's Vineyard

Region/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)
Santa Lucia Highlands, California

Alcohol Content
14.2%

Price Paid
$23

Where/When Bought and/or How Procured
We visited the Russian River Valley in October 2011 and after having read many good things about Novy and Siduri wines and never having visited them before, we decided that they would be on our short list of wineries that we had to try.

Bouquet
This Syrah's nose exhibits suggestions that this will be a very Rhone-styled red, with dark fruits, stones and minerals, earth, and hints of oak and spices.  The wine's bouquet foreshadows a Syrah that will not be a typically overripe, jammy, high-alcohol California Syrah but one that will be well balanced.  Let's see..........

Tasting Notes
Sure enough, the bouquet was an excellent precursor to how the wine would taste.  This is a rich, creamy, spicy Rhone-ish Syrah with dark fruit (plums, blackberries, and black cherries), sweet, creamy oak and tannins, fantastic minerality, barrels of spices (black pepper, thyme, Herbs de Provence, and rosemary), all supported with truck loads of earthy deliciousness that allows Rosella's Vineyard's terrior to shine brightly.  The Santa Lucia Highlands is part of the Monterey AVA, which is much cooler than Napa and some of California's warmer AVAs (think of the east side of Paso Robles), which partly explains why this isn't an overripe California Fruit Bomb (CFB).

This is a full-bodied, rich, creamy, deliciously well-balanced Syrah with a deep flavor profile and a long, lingering finish.  As I've alluded to several times already, this is not your typical CFB; this is a beautifully well-crafted, sublime, minerally, rich, delicious cool weather Syrah.  It's not too sweet, it has wonderful spicy and mineral elements that gorgeously complement the dark fruit profile, and it's smooth and well-balanced.  And at only $23, it's one of California's best bargains.  If we had the room and the money, I would have loved to bring home 10 to 20 cases of this lovely beauty!

Pairing Suggestions
We paired this wine with lamb chops topped with a roasted garlic and parsley pesto (one of my favorite lamb dishes EVER).  Needless to say, the Syrah went beautifully with the lamb, as most Rhone varietals do. This wine would also go well with a grilled rib eye smothered in Kosher salt, black pepper, and Herbs de Provence, as well as braised lamb shanks and just about any other red meat (prime rib, beef tenderloin and/or short ribs, etc.).

Aging Potential
This wine is drinking gorgeously right now and will probably continue to age, mature, and develop well for another ten to fifteen years.

Score (on a 100-point scale)
91

Q.P.R. (Quality-to-Price-Ratio) (Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent)
EXCELLENT

Winery Website
http://www.novyfamilywines.com/

2007 Windward Barrel Select Monopole Pinot Noir (94 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Friday, December 21, 2012

VINTAGE

2007

WINERY/PRODUCER

Windward Vineyard

WINE NAME

Barrel Select Monopole

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

100% Pinot Noir

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

Estate grown and bottled

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Paso Robles, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.3%

PRICE PAID

$61.78 (includes sales tax and shipping); regular retail price for non-wine club members is $72

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this bottle in November 2012 from Windward’s wine club

BOUQUET

This wine has a GORGEOUS floral bouquet, exhibiting violets and other flower elements, along with red fruit, spices, earth, and just a hint of oak on the nose.

 

TASTING NOTES

Since the world didn’t (hasn’t yet?) exploded or been invaded by aliens or our sun hasn’t gone super nova, Arthur and I decided to celebrate by having a wonderful bottle of red wine with our dinner at home.  And what better way to celebrate our continued existence than with a bottle of fabulous Pinot Noir? 

Windward is a small, 15-acre vineyard/winery on the west side of Paso Robles, which is, generally speaking, NOT what I would call “Pinot Country.”  Yes, California has several incredible Pinot-producing regions, but Paso isn’t one of them (it’s tough to beat the Russian River Valley and the Santa Rita Hills for phenomenal Pinots, to name a couple).  But some how, some way, Marc and Maggie are able to coax every last ounce of quality from their Pinot grapes to assemble, by far, the best Pinot Noir that has/can/been made in Paso Robles.

Paso is much more famous for their Zins and Rhone varietals, but Windward Pinots can match and/or exceed some of the best Pinots on the planet.  This Pinot has remarkable depth, elegance, nuance, and complexity, fronted first by delicious red and black fruit like plums, black cherries, black berries, and raspberries, supported by black pepper and savory herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme.  There is the PERFECT amount of oak (it’s there, but in the background, not calling attention to itself but lending support and encouragement to the fruits, spices, and earthiness, kind of like Bill Wyman with the Rolling Stones), along with an earthy, terrior-driven creamy loaminess that adds heft and complexity to the flavor profile.

This Pinot is flawlessly well-balanced, with sweet, juicy, delicious fruit, nice zingy acidity, creamy oak and earthy elements, a gorgeous nose, a smooth, elegant, lingering finish, and a flavor profile with depth and complexity that 90+% of the world’s Pinots must envy. 

Depending on the weather/rain/other variables for a given vintage, Windward’s Pinots can be extraordinarily Burgundian-like (i.e. 2006 vintage (light-bodied, feminine, delicate, fantastic beyond belief)) or North Sonoma Coast-like (i.e. 2007 vintage (intense, brooding, dark, deeply flavored and masculine in style)).  But whatever the weather was like before, during, and/or after harvest, Marc Goldberg is an absolute master of the Pinot Noir grape.  Considering the quality of Pinot Noirs that Marc and Maggie can muster in a region that is NOT conducive to world-class Pinots is truly amazing.  I’m beginning to wonder what Marc and Maggie could do with the Chardonnay grape since they can perform unbelievable miracles with the Pinot Noir grape in a non-Pinot region.  Marc/Maggie: please contact Tablas Creek for some Chardonnay cuttings; I’m POSITIVE that you would/could probably make world-class Chardonnays in Paso as well.

 

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this fabulous wine with a huge rib eye steak generously seasoned with Kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and a mild sprinkling of Herbs de Provence and absolutely smothered with a mushroom medley.  Thanks to Pinot’s earthy herbaceousness, the wine paired brilliantly with the mushroom-smothered rib eye.  Because the 2007 vintage is very Sonoma Coast-like, I would steer clear of duck, salmon, chicken, and scallop dishes, which the 2006 vintage would pair beautifully with.  With the serious, dark, brooding, spicy 2007 vintage, I would stick with red meats to pair with this Pinot, such as lamb (racks/shanks/chops) and beef (just about any version will do).

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking gorgeously right now, but thanks to its structure, I would imagine this wine will continue to age gracefully and beautifully for another ten to twenty years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

94

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD – EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.windwardvineyard.com/

2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (91 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, December 8, 2012

VINTAGE

2005

WINERY/PRODUCER

Tablas Creek Vineyard

WINE NAME

Esprit de Beaucastel

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

44% Mourvedre, 26% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Counoise

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

Grown and bottled on the estate

REGION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Paso Robles, California

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.5%

PRICE PAID

$56.31 through Tablas Creek’s Collector’s Edition wine club, which includes tax and shipping (this wine is designated as a “library wine” and carries, at this day/age, a retail price of $70 and is offered only to TC’s Collector’s Edition members at a discounted price of $52.50).

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We received this wine with TC’s Collector’s Edition Fall allocation (a case of current and library releases) in September, 2012.

BOUQUET

This wine exhibits beautiful floral, spice, earth, and fruit characteristics, such as dark fruit, savory herbs, earth, and a touch of oak.

 

TASTING NOTES

I LOVE drinking perfectly-aged wines, especially since most restaurants serve (at most, generally speaking) two to three year-old releases (good luck going into a chain restaurant and ordering a 2005 red blend off of their wine list; most restaurant reds are 2010 to 2015 vintages).  That is exactly why we almost always bring our own wines to restaurants; their wines are generally way too young and way too warm.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve dined at “nice” restaurants where they serve 2010 reds at 80 degrees.  Whenever we go out to dinner, we refrigerate our wines about two hours before we hit the road so that by the time we have our main courses the wine has had time to “warm-up” to the proper serving temperature of 60 degrees-ish.

This is a nice Paso red blend.  Being served seven years after harvest, we properly cooled-down the bottle and let it air in our Burgundy glasses for about an hour before dinner.

Being close to half Mourvedre, there’s a nice meatiness to this blend, beautifully accented by Grenache’s and Syrah’s fruitiness and spiciness.  This blend exhibits significant heft and substance, with gorgeous red and black fruit (plums, raspberries, black cherries and berries) and a healthy dose of savory herbs like rosemary and thyme, in addition to black pepper.  There’s a depth-of-flavor profile that goes long and deep, keeping this wine very interesting and delicious from start to finish.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with pan-grilled rib eyes spiced with Kosher salt, freshly-cracked pepper, and Herbs de Provence.  I had a feeling this was going to be a rich, creamy, spicy red blend and sure enough, it was!  So the spiced rib eyes went PERFECTLY with the wine, though it would also pair well with most lamb and red beef dishes.

AGING POTENTIAL

Even though this wine is seven-plus years past harvest, there is an element of structure (acidity, alcohol, sugar, etc.) that allows this wine to shine as a “youthful” red blend.  In addition to yummy red and black fruit, significant spiciness, creamy oak, shovels of earthiness, and a depth-of-flavor most reds would envy, this wine has only begun to show is true potential.  Like all Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastels, this wine is meant to age and cellar for years.  It was probably fantastic two to four years ago but most likely has only improved with age (like me?!?!).  I would imagine this wine will continue to age and mature beautifully for another 10-plus years.

I noticed that this wine improved quite a bit with aeration.  If you have this bottle in your cellar or wine cooler/fridge, decant this wine for at least one to two hours; it only improves and evolves with every second of aeration.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

91 Points

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

GOOD (based on the library release price)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.tablascreek.com/