Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve 2004

(USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros)

The Cakebread reserve chard was smooth, well rounded and flavorful.  Nice golden color.  The nose is sweet with pineapple, pear, and a great dose of french oak.  The palate was very balanced and was rounded with butter, oak and light fruits.  A strong wine with some pop to it.  The tannins complimented the flavors nicely.  Full, and rich.  I think a few more years on this wine the tannins will not dance as much and this will be a big winner.  This wine is a define try even at the 125.00 per bottle.

From Cakebread site: Click Here

Winemaking

Our Chardonnay fruit was 100% whole-cluster-pressed to minimize astringency from the skins. Pressing the fruit cold assures even lower extraction of astringent compounds, which also increases the long term aging potential in white wines. Three quarters of the juice was barrel fermented in 35% new French oak barrels at 50-55º F, a slow, cool fermentation that fostered a perfect balance of ripe fruit, yeast, natural acidity and toasty oak. The remaining portion was fermented in stainless steel tanks, with those lots transferred to barrel once fermentation completed. While barrel fermentation promotes complexity and richness, tank fermentation maximizes fruit intensity. Partial malolactic fermentation, primarily of the higher acid lots, further enhanced the harmony of these elements. During nine months of barrel aging, the wines were frequently hand stirred to promote the integration of fruit, yeast, acid and oak, resulting in a beautifully balanced Chardonnay of elegant richness.

Tasting Notes

Our 2004 Napa Valley Chardonnay offers fresh, lovely pear and ripe Granny Smith apple aromas with supporting mineral, baked bread and baking spice scents. Full and richly textured on the palate, the citrusy crisp, spiced-apple and pear flavors are enriched by yeast and toasty oak tones that extend into a very long, rich, minerally finish. Youthfully compact, with superb structure and an ideal balance of fresh fruit, acid and wood tones, this beautiful Napa Valley Chardonnay, one of Cakebread’s very best, should develop in the bottle for another 3 to 5 years.

Tags: Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve, Wine Reviews

2004 Qupé Syrah Central Coast

(USA, California, Central Coast)

Ordered this Qupe Syrah in a tasting flight at a restaurant. The color was a typical Syrah. Dark in color with a touch or bright red around the edges. The nose was a little earthy with a mix of some fruit and veggies and a touch of mint and garrigue. Some tobacco lingers on the nose as well. The first sips were solid and this wine has some good body and was a little silky. I got some jam on this wine with a little blueberries. However there was some earthy touch to this wine but it did not integrate with the fruits the way it should. The tannins were medium and mixed well. This Qupe Syrah had a French Bordeaux feel to it. Overall good for the 15 bucks a bottle and would try it. Although, the wine wend stale pretty fast in the glass. After about 45 minutes it felt old. Qupe Website

Tags: Qupé Syrah Central Coast, Red wine, Wine, Wine Reviews

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