Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

(USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville)

Had this wine at the Venetian in Vegas. Tasted side by side with Staglin Cabernet.  Great experience. Very strong nose of dark fruits, blackberry raspberry and some dried roses.  Really had a quality nose which matched and rolled over into the palate.  This had just the right amount of tannins and was very balanced. This wine was crisp and a little sharper than the staglin which is a little more velvet.  The Paul Hobbs had some mocha and blueberry with was a little smokey tail.  The palate was long and smooth,  It was not your typical harsh finish.  This was an 04 and drinkable now but felt like a couple more years will round it off nicely. Had a nice old world earthy feel.  Worth a try and although it is prices on the high side it is worth it.

From Paul Hobbs Site

Winemaker’s Notes
Inky black garnet color carries enticing aromas of red currant and tobacco leaf to introduce a weighty, complex, seamlessly integrated wine. The deeply textured palate displays a rich interplay of blackberry, cassis, graphite and mocha, with notes of cedar, espresso, lavender and smoke adding intrigue through the mid-palate. Big, ripe, fine-grained tannins grace a lengthy finish. Alcohol 15.3%

Tags: Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vin, Red wine, red wine reviews, Wine Reviews

2003 Tenuta San Leonardo Merlot Villa Gresti

(Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige)

Had this wine at the Catalina Jazz fest a couple weeks ago and it was good but not great.  This wine was definitely more that a table wine, and was bordering toward a Bordeaux.  Its intense and a little hot in the beginning and looseness up in about 30 minutes and the fruits came out more.  Ruby red on the color and little inky.  the nose was very nice with floral and pepper, and a little earthy. Had some tobacco and vanilla. The palate was of dark fruit and herbs.  Medium length and the tannins were just a touch too much in the beginning.  The finish was white pepper and earthy with just a little bitterness.  Really heads toward a Bordeaux.

Tags: Tenuta San Leonardo Merlot Villa Gresti

2002 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Gaston

(USA, California, Napa Valley)

Nice soft and balanced wine.  No one flavor or characteristic came out which made this feel like a real quality wine.  The nose was mild with light oak, floral and cherry. The color was s mild to dark purple.  The palate had cherry, light tobacco, hints of oak and fell in line with the nose on the floral side.  It took about an hour for it to really open up and sing. This wine was lush and one of the most velvety vines I had.  Not over the top and good quality. I visited this winery and was impressed with the operation.  Not sure if there process makes a major difference but the quality is definitely there.  May be a touch expensive for this wine at 100 bucks a bottle but that does not mean it is not good. Worth a try at about 60 bucks.

From their site:

Lovingly named after our son, Christian Gaston, this wine represents the best lots of Cabernet made in the vineyard. This limited Cabernet Sauvignon is not made every year, and is released only in years where we feel that the vintage is strong enough to warrant a separate Cabernet in the portfolio.

The production volume of these wines are limited, this wine is reserved for our wine family member and visitors.

Tags: Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Gaston, wine review, wine tasting

2001 Opus One Overture

(USA, California, Napa Valley)

Had the Opus little brother.  Definitely not Opus but I think Overture is a better value for 45 bucks than Opus is for 150.  The color of this wine was constant with Opus but a little thinner.  The nose was a little more like a Bordeaux with light fruits.  This wine did come off like a little industrial though. It needed to open up a little and i would not open and pour.  After about 30 minutes it opened up a little and was a constant cab.  Little hot on the tannins. The wine was a little metallic and not real strong on the fruit. Had some veggies and some light tobacco.  This wine is good and much better than an everyday wine but I would be hesitant to have too many bottles at 45 bucks.  Try it out for the experience but don’t load up on it.

Tags: Opus One Overture, wine review

2004 Pahlmeyer Jayson

(USA, California, Napa Valley)

Nice wine overall right from the start. The Jayson Bordeaux bled red wine was dancing in every category. Although it is more of a new world red wine with a fruit explosion. The color was a deep thick purple and very viscus. Solid fruit nose with a little charcoal or tobacco and a hit of mering. At the start of drinking this bottle (we did not decant it) it had a little edge to it but the flavors of blueberries, dark fruit and spices were balanced. Medium body and the transition to the finish was quality and had about a mid hang time. The finish was solid and enjoyable. 60 bucks a bottle and this is a staple you should have on hand. I would give the Jayson 2004 a couple more years though. Definite try. It reminded me of the Prisoner Cabernet.

Composition: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec

Tasting Notes: The 2003 Jayson is an intense wine that exhibits aromas and flavors of deep black fruit, dark chocolate and finishes with focused tannins.

Winemaking Notes: The 2003 Jayson is a “declassification” of the wine originally intended for the Merlot and the Proprietary Red. We do not grow or seek out fruit in order to produce wine for the Jayson label. The 2003 Jayson Red was harvested and vinified in the same manner as the Proprietary Red and the Merlot; the whole berry fruit was from hand picked lots and fermented in short, open-topped stainless steel tanks and cold soaked, using native yeasts. The wine then continued fermentation in 100% new French oak barrels and was bottled neither fined nor filtered.

Pahlmeyer Website

Tags: cabernet, Pahlmeyer Jayson, Red wine, Wine Reviews

2006 ZD Wines Pinot Noir Rosa Lee

(USA, California, North Coast, Carneros)

Tasted this Reserve Pinot Noir at the winery in Napa and this wine first hit me with “I want more.” I felt it was a solid syrah and a better quality than most Pinot Noirs I had. Lots of plumb and sour cherries but it did also have a healthy level of oak. On the verge of too much oak. The palate definitely exploded right away and it was crisp with the fruit coming through strong. I liked the overall quality but it was bordering on industrial and fake. It is limited and its worth a try but on the high side for price. 70 bucks a bottle. If you are a pinot fan this is one you should try.

The winery was nice. Very professional and clean and it was a new feel and not the feel of an older chateaus type of place. I did feel a little un-special in the tasting room though. It was kind of like “movem in movem out” and they really pushed the sale.

Tags: pinot noir, Red wine, Wine Reviews, ZD Pinot Noir Rosa Lee

Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino

(Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino)

Had this wine out at the Catalina Jazz festival.  Color was medium dark purple and a little thin for a brunello.  The nose is complex and has some depth to it.  The nose went a little stale in about 15 minutes but while it lasted it had some leather, green peppers and dark red fruits.  Hint of tobacco and was earthy with good balance of oak. The palate was a little flat on the fruit and was leaning more to an everyday brunello.  After about 20 minutes it loosened up and the dark fruits and black liquorish come out strong. The tannins were just a bought right. length was ok. I think this wine needs a couple more years although it was good quality.  Not bad and worth a try if you don’t pay too much for it. Pleasant wine but not over the top.

Tags: Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino, wine tasting

2004 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Appellation Series San Francisco Bay

(USA, California, San Francisco Bay)

Very enjoyable nose.  Plumb pear strong musty ceder and black pepper.  deep purple hinting on brown.  The palate is together and has a little hot bang right on the start.  This wine is zesty and bold with blackberry, green pepper, dark fruits.  It also has some floral ascents.  Some hints of plumb and black pepper. The finish is medium and kind of smooths off the wine.  Not too harsh on the finish. A little tangy on the finish.  Not bad.  this wine is worth a try for the money because it is not an everyday feeling wine.

From Rosenblum’s site:

This is one of the most exotic Zinfandels in our extensive line that we have had the privilege of making. It exhibits a huge core of black cherry fruit with elements of bramble, cassis, and vanilla in the bouquet. The flavors are ripe black cherry and blackberry with hints of spicy plum and black olive in the flavors. The wine goes very well with heavy red sauces, pizza, barbecue and roasted lamb.

Rosenblum site

Tags: Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Appellation Series San Fran, wine review, wine tasting

2004 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses

(Spain, Catalunya, Priorat)

The nose has Smoke, herbs, dark cherries and tobacco with some venilla. Very deep purple in color. Balanced acidity. Smooth mouth feel. Seems a little smother a couple hours into the opening. The palette has strong cherry, chocolate and tobacco. This wine started off a touch disjointed with the finish being a little too bitter with strong tobacco but is smoothed out with time. 2005 is young and I fell a couple years on this wine will do it justice. Good quality for the price, 27 bucks. Worth a try

winemaker’s notes: “A great introduction to Palacios’ style, is the 2003 Les Terrasses, a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Carignan, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A beautiful wine aged 12 months in primarily French, and some American oak, it is a supple-textured, sexy, seductive, deep ruby/purple-tinged offering exhibiting ripe notes of black cherries, currants, licorice, and minerals. Opulent, round, juicy, and alluring, it will drink well for 4-6 years.”

Tags: Alvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses, Red wine, tasting

2005 Château Boswell Chardonnay Dutton Ranch/Sebastopol Vineyard

I’m not a huge chard fan but this wine was a good time. Has an old world feel to it and I feel overall this winery is all quality and produces nice tasting wines. This chard has a nice gold color but not too dark. The tannins were just right and a hint of sweetness rounded it off. The palate hung on for a bit longer than most chardonnays. Burnt sugar, melon, citrus, and smoke on the taste. give it a try

Check out this other Chateau Boswell video

Check out this other Chateau Boswell video

Tags: Chateau Boswell Chardonnay, white wine, wine rating, wine review

2006 J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks

(USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

Nice color, deep purple.  The nose was enjoyable big black berries with ceder, green peppers and black pepper.  The palate was a little hot and a dryer wine than expected.  The palate was somewhat disjointed in that the tannins were a departure from the flavors. It is not an explosion.  It is very vegetable and earthy.  The palate is not exciting.  Its dark, woody with some hints of butter and cherry.  The finish is short and quickly goes into a tobacco and black pepper feel.  Ok for a table wine.  I would not rush our to try.

From J Lohr site:

2006 J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet

The 2006 vintage saw a return to below average rainfall for Paso Robles, and with it came smaller vine canopies, smaller clusters and smaller Cabernet Sauvignon berries. The combination of
these elements in 2006 made for excellent quality in all of our
Paso Robles red varietals, but in particular, Cabernet was the
most positively impacted. The outstanding color and flavor development brought back memories of the noteworthy Cabernet crop from 2001. We incurred no significant heat events after veraison in 2006, and had very mild weather conditions straight through harvest. This allowed sugar, flavor and tannin ripeness to occur simultaneously, producing fruit full of bold and generous varietal and regional expression, and highlighting the dark cherry and black currant fruit that is the hallmark of this great Cabernet winegrowing region.

Cabernet Sauvignon

The predominant fruit for our J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon comes from estate vineyards located directly opposite our J. Lohr Paso Robles Wine Center. The Seven Oaks vineyard was originally planted on its own rootstock, utilizing some of the original plantings from indigenous Estrella clones. The soils in
our Paso Robles vineyards vary from gravelly clay loam to limestone-based soils over a relatively small parcel of land, and various rootstock and clonal combinations have been used to maximize the expression of each individual site. The different soil types and planting combinations add to and complement the palate of the Seven Oaks Cabernet and the other red varietals we produce, including Merlot and Petit Verdot, to add balance and weight to
the wine.

Tags: J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks, wine review, wine tasting

2003 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Crianza

(Spain, La Rioja, Rioja)

This wine was edging toward the Brunello feel.  However the quality level was not there.  The color was deep purple and a hint of dark brown. The nose had some apple and pear.  Not bad nose. It was hot and the alcohol was coming right out and did not settle down with time. The palate was short and hit you with tobacco, bark, black currents, and black liquorish.  It was short and on the dryer side.  I think this wine was ok for the money but I would not rush out to try it.  Had a darker bunello touch to it.

Rioja is probably Spain’s signature wine. Rioja is characterized by its long aging in oak barrels. The Crianzas are the youngest of the Riojas, reflecting the flavors and style of their bigger reserve and gran reserve siblings, but without the structure and depth of the long barrel aging. What results is a vibrant and easy-drinking wine with plenty of fruit, spice, and earthiness.

The Montecillo is typical of Crianzas. Its color is bright garnet with an effusive bouquet of ripe berries and sweet oak. In the mouth there is lots of flavor – cherries, cranberries, and roasted peppers. The oak flavors are somewhat muted and it finishes with soft tannins that are almost musty. Nice layers of flavor and lots of wine for the money. Will go well with pizza, roasted meats, and grilled veggies.

Tags: Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Crianza, spanish wine, Wine Reviews, wine tasting

2004 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve

(USA, California, Napa Valley)

While very good upon popping the cork and you could tell it’s only going to get better. The nose had old world all over it with notes of black currant licorice, cedar, and smokey. Nice earthy nose with some tobacco. Bight purple color hinging on the brown side. Palate has quality all over it. Seemed a touch short on the start and the mid palate was a little disjointed but very good overall. Chocolate and tobacco is prominent with hints of dark berries in the background. Dries out the palate on the finish and ends dark. Great wine for the money and worth a try.

Notes from Conn Valley web site:  http://www.connvalleyvineyards.com/notes.html

Vintage: 2004
Color: Dark ruby with almost a black-purple ring at the glass/wine interface
Aroma: Wonderful aromas of spice, with vanilla, sweet oak and coffee. Very
ripe blackberries
Taste: Well balanced between the acid, oak and fruit. Medium mouth feel, a
sweet black tea with honey taste. Soft tannins and texture on the sides with a
long f inish that is smooth, not bitter. Long lingering aftertaste. Should be at
its best 2012-2018.
The Year: The 2004 growing season was one of the fastest and earliest in history.
The quality of fruit was excellent and the yield light. The season started
with a warm spring, followed by a mild summer with extreme heat at the end.
The flavors for 2004 are high quality and intense and the colors beautiful.
The Wine: Conn Valley’s Cabernets are made from 100% estate grown grapes
from the vineyards located at the winery site in Conn Valley. This vintage is a
blend of numerous clonal varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, each of which contributes
to the character of the wine and adds complexity. Prior to blending
and bottling, the 2004 vintage was aged in the hillside caves located on the
Conn Valley Estate.

Tags: Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Est, Red wine, wine review, wine tasting

1997 Chateau Lynch Bages

(France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac)

We were in a Bordeaux mood and tried this beside a 91 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The 1997 was another tough year for Bordeaux, Parker rated it 83 and the 1991 78. I have to say I tend to agree on this. Although the Lynch-Bages was a bit more exciting than the Rothschild, it was still on the thin and weak side. Not as fruitful and complex as the 89, 96 and 2000 vintages.

The color was a deep purple and much thinner that it’s Cabernet brothers. We decanted this wine for an hour. The nose was still earthy and typical of a Bordeaux. The berries came through more than the tobacco and wet leaves. Really had matured in the nose. Old world quality but not overwhelming. The start on the palate was good with some pepper and blackberry. It was pretty rounded on the start and nothing was outstanding about it. The mid palate got into some floral qualities with a hint of eucalyptus and got a little earthy fast. The finish had the tannins really integrated and quickly transitioned into a bitter and stale feel to it. I got the feeling that this wine has peaked and has nowhere to go. To me this is an everyday type wine that needs some food parings with it but in that case is over priced at 50 bucks. Another pass for the French.

Tags: Chateau Lynch-Bages, Red wine, Wine Reviews

Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five

(USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District)

This is a new world feeling wine with black fruits, berries with flowers, and chocolate. Rich and weighty on the palate with soft tannins and a touch of acidity. Very fruity on the nose and a dark purple color. The wine had some good hang time on the finish and was not bitter. This wine was crisp and clean with a refreshing feel which to me gave it a very new world feel. Overall good quality and balance.

From the Shafer web site:

“The 2005 One Point Five is a meatier, more structured wine [than 2004] but slightly deeper, with broad black currant fruit flavors intermixed with some spice box, crushed rock, and spring flowers. It is characteristic of Stags Leap in its elegance and finesse. The wine has good acidity and freshness, but is long and seamless.”
– Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate

“Rich, deep and complex, with a complex mix of fleshy currant, dried berry, anise, sage and mineral, framed by light cedary oak. Gains depth and complexity on the finish. Elegant and stylish.”
– James Laube, Wine Spectator

“Good deep bright ruby. Complex aromas and flavors of cassis, leather, earth, game, tobacco and sexy smoky oak, with a minty nuance emerging with air. Creamy-sweet and expansive in the mouth, with an almost exotic character to the intense fruit. As lush as it is, it maintains firm shape. Finishes with substantial broad, dusty tannins and impressive lingering sweetness.”
– Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar

“Deep plum, cherry and cassis aromas show hints of lavender, black olive and oak spice.  Quite ripe and plump on the palate, there is enough brisk acidity to keep it tasting fresh, and the tannins are round now, yet substantial enough for short-term cellaring.”
– Linda Murphy, WineReviewOnline.com

“… nicely extracted and showing highlights of loam and woodsy spice in its ample aromas, this rounded and fairly full-bodied effort is all about the ripe cherries on the palate … plenty of firming Cabernet Sauvignon tannins on the back end …”
– Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine

“Yum. Yum. Yum! … This cab rocks – with rich, juicy, mouth-filling black fruits, silky tannins, hints of violet chocolate and spice, and remarkable length. Supple and drinkable now, it still has the structure and depth to age beautifully … it’s gorgeous!”
– Robert Whitley, syndicated columnist

Tags: Red wine, Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five, Wine Reviews, wine tasting