Testarossa Winery, April 28th, 2012

Winery - 7 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Historic monastery setting.  Elegant Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.
www.testarossa.com

I have to thank my sister for introducing me to Testarossa winery.  She has been a wine club member there off and on during the past decade.  She brought me there one very nice spring day (such as today) to taste their wines.  I was impressed.  The quality of their wines is noteworthy.  They are tasty, well made, and age-worthy.  In fact, they like to show off the age-worthiness of their wines by pouring an older vintage of their wines from time to time.  One more thing that I appreciate about Testarossa is that they bottle a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir in half bottles, which automatically attracts my attention.

Historic Testarossa Winery Entrance

Situated in the Los Gatos foothills just above downtown Los Gatos lays a historic monastery building.  Inside operates a fantastic Pinot Noir producer, using much of the same infrastructure and some of the same wine making principals as the original monks.  Just off Main Street, head up the hill on College Avenue to the winery.  The road is narrow and requires caution, though it is not at all difficult to drive.  As you walk up to the winery entrance, you get a real feel for its history.  The tasting room lies at the end of a long, stone-faced tunnel.  A number of historical images line the hallway leading in.  The tasting room is ample, which is good because this winery attracts a crowd.  The tasting bars are reconfigurable.  Sometimes the counters are corralled in the middle of the room.  Today, they flanked two of the walls.  The room has a warm glow to it emanating from the large vintage lighting fixtures above.  There is an array of branded merchandise, ranging from caps and shirts to chocolate sauce and olive oils.  In the summer months, there is also an outdoor patio where you can enjoy a glass of any of the wines they are tasting that day in the filtered sunshine.

Inside the tasting room at Testarossa Winery

The wines on the tasting menu this time started off with a Rose of Pinot Noir, two Chardonnays, and three Pinot Noirs.  I was fortunate during this visit because they were pouring a 2005 Pinot Noir from the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard (near Santa Barbara).  This is one of the few wineries where I actually enjoy the Chardonnays.  The first was a blend of different vineyards from Santa Lucia Highlands, while the second was a single-vineyard wine from the Sierra Madre vineyard near Bien Nacido, both 2010’s.  I preferred the blend for its richer body.  Next we tried the Pinot Noirs from the same two regions, both 2010’s.  Finally, we tried the 2005 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir, which is performing wonderfully right now, with juicy red fruits and wonderful balance.  While this was my favorite wine, it is not for sale.  So, my favorite wine of the day would fall back to the 2010 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 7 and the wines offered as a 7.  This is consistent with all of my previous visits.

April 25, 2012 – Wine: 2002 St. Clement Oroppas

This is another wine that I have worked my way through a case of.  What a delicious wine, delivering consistent quality with every bottle.  The last bottle I opened was in January, and from my notes, I’d say it delivered again.   My first experience with Oroppas was with the 2001 vintage, which really delivered the wow factor.  This time, my experience with the 2002 started off with some mineral and black cherry, followed by black licorice, vanilla custard, and leather notes.  The balance is great and the structure is still prominent.  Although I have just one half-bottle remaining, I am sure that the wine would continue to evolve another three to five years (if I let it).  And the winery is a nice place to visit too.



2002 St. Clement Oroppas



April 24, 2012 – Wine: 2003 Ridge Geyserville

It is with some remorse that I open my last half-bottle of Ridge Winery’s 2003 Geyserville, a blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah.  This was one of the wines that launched my love affair (obsession?) with quality wines.  Every vintage of Geyserville is a terrific wine, but this 2003 has always been my favorite.  I have worked my way through a case in a half of these beautiful half bottles since March of 2006.  Every bottle has delivered consistently in flavor, texture, and balance.  This last bottle was stunning with its silky tannins, impeccable balance, delicious blackberry and raspberry jam followed by leather and mineral notes, and its persistent finish.  While I lament the last of the half bottles, I look forward to opening the magnum of this wine sometime in the not-so-distant future.

2003 Ridge Geyserville

April 23, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Turnbull Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Another wine story …  I discovered this wine through a fortunate accident.  I saw the Turnbull Sauvignon Blanc for sale at an online store and ordered it.  I received bottles of 2003 Turnbull Cabernet instead.  (Oh … darn!  Did that sound sincere?)  The 2003 Cabernet was fascinating.  Every bottle was amazing, but every one of the eight bottles I purchased came out completely differently in flavors, balance, and intensity.  When the 2005 vintage was rated only 90 points (the 2003 was rated 92), I decided to buy fewer bottles and see what was up.  When this wine was young, it had a classic 2005 profile (coffee and minerals, reserved fruit).  But this wine has developed differently than my favorites from the vintage.  In this case, the wine opens with boysenberry on the palette, followed closely by black cherry and minerals.  After 90 minutes of decanting, the alcohol was still off balance, which I found a little disappointing, considering how well the 2003 vintage performed.  The tannins were fairly smooth, and except for the imbalance, the wine was indeed enjoyable.



2005 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon



April 17, 2012 - Wine: 2005 Chateau Clinet Pomerol

Not every wine of mine has a story, but this one does.  In 2008, there was much ado about the 2005 Bordeaux vintage.  And, in 2008, I took an interest in Wine Library TV, hosted by Gary Va-ner-chuck (you had to watch to understand my punctuation).  In one episode, he tasted this 2005 Pomerol and proclaimed its potential.  Naturally, I was curious, scored three half bottles, and tucked them away in the cellar.  Tonight I opened the first bottle (not my first Bordeaux, mind you).  The wine seems to be an expression of balance.  The nose offers plenty of beauty, but not too much.  None of the flavors is an over achiever.  The finish is persistent, but restrained.  The flavors most noticed are tobacco and leather, followed by more subtle notes of red currant and sour cherry.   My notes (probably based on a review) said to hold onto this wine until 2014.  Next time I’ll pay attention to my notes.

2005 Chateau Clinet

Some of my favorite Napa Valley Wineries

I have just added a page where I will maintain a list of my favorite wineries to visit in Napa Valley.  Most of these wineries I selected for my list without consideration of the quality of the wine offered.  They are included based on the merits of the winery facilities themselves.  To see the list, simply click on the link to the right that is called “Some of my favorite Napa Valley Wineries”.  I have added terse notes about what I enjoy about each.  Or click here: Some of my favorites


St. Clement Winery



Vineyard View at Cuvaison



Vineyard View at Miner Vineyards



Dancing Water Fountain at Artesa



April 13, 2012 – Wine: 2004 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

I remember tasting this wine at the winery when it was released.  It was delicious, as were the other single-vineyard wines from that vintage.  After opening the 2004 Anomaly Cabernet, I was curious to compare how this wine is doing.  Quite well, as it turns out.  This wine offers a very similar palette to the Anomaly, starting off more with sweet plum than black raspberry, but continues with notes of blackberry, black cherry, mineral, and a suggestion of anise.  While not quite as smooth as the Anomaly, this wine is indeed well balanced and easy to drink, retaining slightly more structure at this stage of its development.



2004 Etude Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

April 10, 2012 – Wine: 2004 Anomaly Cabernet Sauvignon

Having just visited the winery in St. Helena and tasted the 2008 and 2009 vintages, I was curious about how the 2004 vintage was progressing.  So, tonight I opened a bottle.  The first scent to emerge from the bottle was black raspberry.  I decanted the wine for about 60 minutes before tasting.  This wine is at a great place right now.  The palette starts off with the same black raspberry found on the nose, followed by black cherry, leather, and subtle notes of anise.  The tannins were silky smooth and the wine offered impeccable balance.  I first opened this in 2007 and was impressed with this wine in its youth, and I am pleased to see how wonderfully it has developed.

2004 Anomaly Cabernet Sauvignon

Corison Winery, April 6th, 2012

Winery - 4 / Wines - 8
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Tatsing inside the warehouse.  Elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals (on different label).
www.corison.com

Like Provenance, I am a wine club member at Corison Winery.  I saw their wine in the store and wanted to try it before shelling out for the price, so I went to the winery to try it.  Needless to say, I was impressed.  After visiting Corison for four years and nearly missing out on some vintages, I decided to join the wine club.  Corison is so different from many other wineries.  Here, the emphasis is more on content, less on flash.  The same might be said for their wines, as they tend to be deliciously restrained expressions of elegance … in a bottle.

Corison Winery

As you make your way down the driveway to Corison Winery, located just south of St. Helena on the main road, you notice a very tidy winery operations building, which has been architected to mimic a barn.  As you walk through the large main doors, which act as the main doors to a barn, you walk into the winery operations warehouse, where the barrels are stacked up and stored for their long rest.  The first thing that strikes your nose upon entering is the wonderful smell of all that wine in barrel.  It’s a part of what keeps me coming back to Corison, besides the wine that is.  At the entrance is the tasting area, consisting of an informal counter set up for tasting and a cash register.  Across from the tasting counter is a small workstation with a computer, where the winemaker can sometimes be found at work.  Across the driveway from the main building is an eerie wooden tower that is in a state of slow decay.  I was told that a Hollywood producer visiting the winery offered to buy the tower and take back to Hollywood.  No deal.



The Corison tower

The Corison label produces two wines, both of which are Cabernet Sauvignon.  Their flagship wine, from the Kronos Vineyard, is made from the grapes grown on the Corison estate.  Their other wine, which is more widely distributed, is a blend of grapes from various locations throughout Napa Valley.  They also sell other wines under a different label.  The Helios label is used for a Cabernet Franc, a Merlot, and a Syrah, while the Corizon label produces a dry Gewürztraminer.  On the day I visited, they were pouring a vertical of their Napa Valley cabernets, including the 2005, 2006 and 2008 vintages, as well as the 2006 and 2007 Kronos.  All of the Cabernets produced by Kathy Corison are made in a very elegant, balanced, and age-worthy style, best appreciated after seven to fifteen years in the cellar.  My favorite for this visit was the 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet, but the 2007 Kronos was a close second.


Corison tasting counter

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 4 and the wines offered as a 8.  This is consistent with all of my previous visits.

April 8, 2012 – Wine: 2006 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Franc

I bought this wine based on its performance in previous vintages.  I loved the 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages and have always used them to impress my friends and family.  It helped that the 2006 was on sale for nearly 40% off, so I purchased two bottles.  Two and a half years later, I opened the first bottle and decanted it about for 30 minutes (my mom was growing impatient).  At first, the wine had a nice fruit presence, with dark cherries.  The finish was a little off and the wine was a little edgy, but the Chappellet richness was there.  After two hours of decanting, the fruit and richness had begun to wane and the finish turned awfully bitter.  I tossed the last bit from my glass into the sink.  I continue to have great faith in Chappellet products, but I wish that the winery had had the strength of character to withhold this wine from the market.  Selling this bottle of wine, even at a generous discount, does nothing but tarnish their brand.

2006 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet Franc

April 8, 2012 – Wine: 2001 Bell Sonnette

Here is a wine that performed spectacularly when it was young.  It had delicious richness, dark fruits, and terrific balance.  When this wine went on sale for over 50% off, I eagerly purchased four bottles.  I was advised that the fruit in the wine was shutting down.  The first bottle possessed a beautiful nose, but the fruit was horribly locked down.  The second bottle I let breathe a very long time, sampling every few hours.  After six hours, the fruit was starting to show.  This time, I let the wine breathe seven hours.  The result was worth the wait.  The wine was wonderfully balanced and smooth, and the fruit was finally coming out, albeit restrained (most notable was the sour cherry).  And the nose was equally beautiful as a few years ago.  I have one more bottle remaining and will open it in another year or two.

2001 Bell Sonnette

April 4, 2012 – Wine: 1997 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This is why you age wine.  I first acquired and enjoyed a half-bottle of this wine back in late 2007/early 2008.  At that time, I remember this wine showed a wonderful, dark richness to its fruit.  This time I enjoyed the same wine aged in the full bottle.  What a wonderful wine this has evolved into.  The nose is beautiful, the palette is rich, ultra smooth and elegant with the perception of viscosity (but it isn’t at all).  The fruits are delivered with remarkable balance, starting with summer-sweet blackberry, black cherry, and red currant.  The tannins are practically imperceptible, suggesting that this wine has most likely arrived at its peak maturity.  I selected this bottle to celebrate my mother’s birthday, and she was as pleased with the wine as I was.

1997 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

April 3, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Chateau Cote de Baleau

I remember reading back in 2006 that the 2005 vintage from Bordeaux was turning out to be something quite remarkable, so I snatched up a few half-bottles using professional ratings and price as my guide.  Some I bought through futures offers, the rest I discovered on the shelf.  At that point, my experience with Bordeaux was rather limited.  It takes a different mindset to enjoy Bordeaux when you have become accustomed to Napa Valley, but there are qualities about each that most will find appealing.  In this instance, more like fascinating.

This wine started off with an incredible nose, again filling the vicinity around the decanter with this wine’s perfume (slightly less so than the Oracle).  In fact, the nose is perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this wine.  The palette is dark and difficult to describe, but I’ll take a stab at it.  I sensed sweet black prunes, notes of black currants, salty minerals, and many other subtleties that I will leave as an exercise to the reader.  The finish was substantial, lasting into the better part of a minute.  The flavors were as far from delicate as they were from harsh, leaving a definite impression on the entire palette, all the while maintaining near ideal balance from start to finish.  I’m looking forward to the next one of these I get to open.

2005 Chateau Cote de Baleau