September 6, 2012 – Wine: 2002 Ritchie Creek Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

I bought this wine online nearly six years ago.  One of the tasting notes at the time suggested holding onto this until 2010, but I grew impatient and opened the first of the two bottles by the end of 2007.  At that time, the wine was tannic and tight, so I put a piece of tape around the remaining bottle indicating the wine should be held until 2012.  What a transformation this wine has gone through.  The tannins have softened, but are still prominent.  The body is tending toward elegant.  After two hours open, the fruit finally let go with classic vintage characteristics of red currants, cranberries, leather, lime, and minerals, all woven together with nice balance and a persistent finish.  Double-checking the label confirmed my suspicion that this wine came from the mountain sides of Napa Valley, in this case, Spring Mountain.

2002 Ritchie Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

September 5, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Anomaly Cabernet Sauvignon

Having tasted the 2004 vintage of Anomaly (they make just one wine) when it was released, I was sufficiently impressed with the quality to purchase half-bottles of the 2005 vintage without tasting it beforehand.  Of course, the 2005 vintage received a number of acclaims for its quality, so my risk exposure was minimal.  As it turns out, it was non-existent.  In July 2011, I opened my first bottle and discovered a juicy, lush, well-balanced wine that was still quite tannic.  I immediately hunted down four more half bottles for my collection.  This time, the juiciness had subsided, but the softer character and impeccable balance made up for that slight loss.  The palette on this wine featured cranberry, mineral, cherry, and leather with a nice long finish.

2005 Anomaly Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine scores that don’t add up

 This week I had the opportunity to taste two wines that came with critical scores.  One was rated 95 points while the other was rated 89.  95 points should be a fantastic score which only a few wines produced each year ever achieve.  On the other hand, 89 points is a bit of a let-down for a wine that retails for upwards of $80.  But do aged wines always deliver on their scores?

August 27, 2012 – Wine:  2005 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape (95 points WS)

Having thoroughly enjoyed other 95 point wines, I was eager to try this one.  I had only ever tried two other CdP wines before, and found them to be quite likeable (even with lower scores), and I was hoping to broaden my experience.  The wine had a nice nose, but the palette was off balance, with flavors of sour cherry, iced tea, lime, anise, and minerals, with a very tannic finish.  The wine lacked any kind of wow-factor that I would have expected from a wine that scored 95 points, be it richness, elegance, or flavor.  A number of things could have caused this wine to end so far from its original score, including bottle variation and aging, but it leads me to be suspicious of how some wines are rated.  (This was #3 on Wine Spectators top 100 Wines for 2007.)

2005 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape

August 30, 2012 – Wine:  2007 Hourglass Blueline Vineryard Merlot (89 points WS)

By contrast, a wine that scores 89 points has just missed the mark, and typically lacks an important feature.  Usually, the wine lacks balance, texture, flavor, or any sort of wow-factor.  When applied to a bottle that retails for nearly $80, that is practically a failure.  I had heard a little about Hourglass from friends, and Hourglass sells their wines in half-bottles, so I was eager to try them.  Purchasing the half-bottles directly from the winery was a bit of a challenge as it seems you had to have previously bought their wines to buy some from this vintage.  I convinced the kind woman to sell me a few bottles and laid them down.  Upon opening this bottle, there was a good nose.  After being open for two hours, the tannins finally relented and what was left was a gorgeous, rich Merlot with flavors of dark cherry, cranberry, subtle mineral, and a terrific finish.  In other words, wow!  Not having tasted this wine when young, I cannot understand how it scored only 89 points (unless they factored in the purchasing experience).  This is clearly a wine that was properly built for aging.

2007 Hourglass Blueline Vineyard Merlot

Carter Cellars, August 24th, 2012

Winery - 6 / Wines - 8
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Small productions of excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and blends.
www.cartercellars.com

I discovered Carter Cellars when browsing half-bottles of Merlot online and came across the 2005 Carter Cellars Merlot.  I bought one to try and opened it young.  While the wine was clearly too young and tannic, the “stuff” was there for the makings of a great wine, including a fragrant nose.  I decided to plan a visit to this winery at the north end of Calistoga to try more of their wines and get a few more half bottles.  As it turns out, as good as this Merlot was, the real masterpiece from this winery is its Cabernet Sauvignon, especially the To Kalon vineyard wines.  The wines are terrific and they are priced accordingly, so don’t look for any bargains here – just well-made wines that stand up against the best that the valley has to offer.

Envy Wines and Carter Cellars Winery

Carter Cellars shares its operations and tasting room with Envy Wines in Calistoga.  Most of the amenities are geared toward the Envy customers that make up the majority of the tasting room business.  The outside of the building seems like a California suburban homage to a Tuscan villa, with arched windows and a veranda surrounding the front.  There is a patio where you can enjoy your wine in the warm Napa Valley sun if you prefer.  When I arrived (on a Friday), there was a live band playing, though I expect this is mostly an end of the week offering.  Inside there is a comfortable feel to the place.  Warm neutral colors are accented by black leather seats, deep red curtains, a table set up for the Carter Cellars tasting, as well as a tasting bar.  During this visit to the winery, a fellow by the name of Mark Carter (the winery operator) joined us for a bit and poured us a couple of the tastings.  I discussed how long I had been drinking their wines and revealed a couple of gems of his making in my collection.  He was quite proud of his latest offering from the To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, and I was duly impressed by it.

Inside the tasting room at Envy Wines and Carter Cellars

During my first visit to Carter, they poured five different wines, one of which they poured twice to compare a freshly opened bottle with one that had been open for several hours.  That was when I learned the importance of counting your pours and limiting yourself.  On this occasion (to my relief), they poured just three wines from the 2010 vintage.  They started with the Hossfeld Coliseum Red Blend (Cabernet plus Merlot), followed with the Coliseum Block Cabernet Sauvignon, and then the “Three Kings” To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon from the famed Oakville vineyard.  The To Kalon was my favorite for the wow! that it offered.  But, the Hossfeld Red Blend is a lovely wine that is ready sooner and is luscious and well rounded.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as an 8.  This is consistent with all of my previous visits.

August 19, 2012 – Wine: 2005 Gary Farrell Cresta Ridge Chardonnay

I never was a big fan of Chardonnay … at least not until I tried a couple of 2005 White Burgundy samples at a tasting once.  I discovered that I like a weighty Chardonnay with good body, balance, some toasty oak and mineral and light on the exotic fruits.  I also discovered that a well-made Chardonnay will age gracefully for five to ten years.  This one had the stuff to run even longer.  It so impressed me with its Burgundian style when it was young that I had to return to the winery and buy a bottle.  It then took me over three years to find an occasion to open it.  I had a couple of friends visiting San Jose (from chilly San Francisco) and we wanted something cool to sip outside in the shade.  This wine (once it warmed up from its deep chill) was simply wonderful, with terrific weight and balance, a nice nose, with subtle flavors of wildflower honey, butterscotch, golden apple, toasted oak, and mineral.  Plus it radiated a beautiful golden yellow in the decanter.  This wine was surely worth the wait.

2005 Gary Farrell Cresta Ridge Chardonnay

A tale of two Cabernets

August 15, 2012 – Wine:  2004 Rubicon Cask Cabernet Sauvignon

I was more impressed with this wine when it was young.  When young, it had nice depth, decent complexity and structure, vintage-typical fruits, and sturdy tannins that suggested it would age nicely.  Most importantly, this wine was well balanced when it was young.  It would seem that I have opened this wine during an awkward stage of its development.  No longer balanced as in its youth, this wine has a pronounced mineral component that approaches saltiness.  The mineral is followed by tobacco, restrained raspberry jam, and dark chocolate notes.  The fruits are so overwhelmed by the minerals that it is difficult to pick them out.  I am hopeful that in two to three years this wine will pull itself together again and deliver on the potential of its youth.  I thoroughly enjoyed the 2003 vintage of this wine every time I have opened it.

2004 Rubicon Cask Cabernet Sauvignon

August 16, 2012 – Wine:  2002 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is everything that the Rubicon was not.  The fruits are delivered first and with purity.  The wine is elegant and graces your tongue on its way down.  The balance is exquisite, without any harshness to it.  The minerals, while present, are subdued.  Perhaps what I adore most about this wine is the red currants delivered as soon as the wine touches your palette.  This is followed by subtle sour red cherry and notes of baking spices and minerals.  My one regret is that I have just one half-bottle remaining in the cellar.

2002 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Macauley Vineyards, August 24th, 2012

Winery - 6 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Small, intimate hillside winery.  Cabernets, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah.
www.macauleyvineyard.com

In stark contrast to Opus One Winery, Macualey Vineyards welcomes guests warmly in what was once a hillside ranch house.  The winey tasting room is actually part of the Hunnicutt winery property and was formerly used by Hunnicutt.  To find the winery on the Sliverado Trail, you will need to watch for the Hunnicutt winery sign and driveway.  Macauley had only begun operating out of this tasting room within the past two months, so they are still imparting their style on the place.  Shortly after sitting down to begin my tasting, a fellow by the name of Mac sat down to join us and listen to my opinions as I tasted the wines.  Mac’s last name is Macauley and he operates the winery.

The hillside house is decorated in very dark neutral colors, which not only makes the experience more intimate, it makes the hillside view out the picture window pop.  Tasting takes place on a very comfortable leather sofa situated in front of a coffee table to set down your glass.  Though clearly just getting started with establishing a décor for the place, the most noticeable décor are the animal trophy heads displayed on the wall, one of which is so large that it practically accompanies you at the sofa.  The room is tastefully decorated in a minimal style.

If the décor is minimal, the wines are not.  The tasting started off with a 2009 Chardonnay, followed by a 2009 Zinfandel, a 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from the famed Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard, and a 2009 Petite Sirah.  The tasting finished with a late-harvest Botrytis Semillon.  My favorite wine was the 2008 Napa Valley for its richness, terrific fruit, and good balance, although all of the wines were terrific.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 6 and the wines offered as a 7.

August 9, 2012 – Wine: 2007 Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir

I remember tasting this wine at the winery in Sonoma Valley and thinking that it had nice potential.  The first two bottles I opened needed about 90 minutes in the decanter for the fruit to open up.  This time I was a little rushed and double-aerated this to speed approachability, but I doubt it needed it.  From the moment the cork was pulled, a delicious aroma wafted from the opening in the bottle.  The palette came on strong yet well balanced, with flavors of strawberry, black currant, baking spices, a dash of white pepper, minerals, and a note of lime on the finish.  The structure and body of this wine suggest it will age well for another three to five years easily.

2007 Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir

August 8, 2012 – Wine: 2007 Shafer Napa Valley Merlot

I must have opened the previous bottle of this wine prematurely.  Back in October of 2010, this wine was nice and obviously well made, but it lacked the wow! that I have come to associate with the Shafer Merlot.  Of course, being so young, the fruit was locked down.  After my love affair with the 2005 vintage, I guess I had set my expectations too high.  So I followed my own advice and let the remaining bottles rest a couple of years.  What a difference that made.  The wow! is back and better than ever.  While the palette stars black fruits instead of red fruits like the 2005, the wine is juicy, lush, and amazingly balanced with flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black pepper, dark chocolate, and subtle mineral notes.  Well done Shafer.

2007 Shafer Napa Valley Merlot

Opus One Winery, August 24th, 2012

Winery - 7 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Just one wine, very well made.  Distinct architecture.
www.opuswinewinery.com

Opus One is one of the few California Cult wineries that remains readily accessible to the public.  Situated at the corner of Highway 29 and Oakville Cross Road, lies what can best be described as the world’s most fabulous artillery battery.  That is the view from the street.  As you pull up the long driveway to the winery building, the perspective changes as you notice the melding of architecture from different eras into one bold design.  The parking lot surrounds the winery in a large sweeping circle, with a large conical grassy mound in the middle.  Cut out of the center of the mound is the entrance to the courtyard, which is where the show begins.



The grand courtyard at Opus One Winery

A well-kept circular courtyard welcomes visitors as they enter from the parking lot.  Directly ahead lay the wood doors to the winery foyer.  The courtyard is landscaped with olive trees planted symmetrically on a well-kept lawn.  Once inside, a modest reception desk accepts guests and directs them to the tasting room for their appointment.  The tasting room, like the entire winery, is very elegantly appointed in a very tasteful, comfortable, restrained style.  Throughout the winery, classical music is piped in, whether in the tasting room, hallways, or the courtyard.  The music selected consists of highly recognizable movements from works by the great composers.  While elegant and comfortable, the entire operation comes across as too formal, overly orchestrated, and devoid of the warm personality you might find in a typical Napa Valley winery.  This is not to say that the experience is a bad one – simply a sterile one.

Inside the tasting room at Opus One

Since Opus One produces just one wine in every vintage, the tasting menu is quite simple.  The current release is always available in a three-ounce pour.  You are welcome to ask for an empty glass in order to share the pour with your tasting company or keep it all to yourself.  They often pour from an older bottle as well, leaving you with a bit of a choice to make.  In a one-hour visit, these two pours are too much to ask your body to process when you have other wineries on the agenda.  The good news is that when the weather is accommodating, you are welcome to bring your tasting upstairs to the observation deck looking out over the Oakville vineyards.  On my visit, they poured the 2008 vintage and the 2003 vintage.  Both feature a nice richness on the elegant, but restrained palette.  My favorite was the 2008 for the fruit it offered.

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.