May 1, 2012 – Wine: OMG! It’s corked!

Well, for the second time in the last five years, I have encountered a bottle that was truly corked (and not simply an off bottle).  After having opened and served my first corked bottle, which had an unusual flavor profile that was nearly fascinating, I learned the key attribute of a corked wine.  Sure the flavor profile may be unexpected, and the finish may have intolerable acids or bitterness, but the true sign of cork taint (TCA) is the smell of wet newsprint.  I remembered smelling it then and I smelled it again tonight.  Naturally, as this was the last half-bottle of a truly magnificent 2002 Napa Valley Meritage red, I was hopeful that the off smell would breathe away in 90 minutes, but it persisted (and I cried a little).  The flavor was off and it finished utterly bitter.  This was really disappointing because I could also sense a bit of richness peeking through.  As it was getting late and my palette was already thirsting for a nice red wine, I rushed to open a 2009 Dashe Zinfandel and gave it a good aerating (shake-shake-shake) in the decanter.  This wine turned out to be quite nice after just 20 minutes of breathing.

Now for some math…  Over the past five years, I have opened nearly 500 different wines, many of those multiple times.  So, let’s say 600 bottles or so.  During that time, I have encountered two bottles that were corked – one full bottle and one half bottle.  The two corked wines were both red wine blends, but the similarity ends there.  One cost about $8 a bottle (on sale by the case) from the Santa Cruz mountains and the other cost $23 a half-bottle (on sale by the case) from Napa Valley, or nearly three times the price.  But the real surprise is that the cork-taint rate for my cellar over the past five years is a mere 0.33%.  Most studies suggest a cork-taint rate of 0.7% to 1.2%, so I guess I have been exceptionally lucky in this regard.  But my point here is that cork-taint seldom happens.  A more likely failure is a failure of the cork to maintain the seal on the bottle.  Storing the bottles horizontally (rather than vertically) may help this by keeping the cork wet while reducing the direct force of the liquid on the cork.

April 28, 2013 – Wine: 2008 Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet Sauvignon

I recall tasting this at the winery and being sufficiently impressed by it to hunt down a half-case of half-bottles.  My friend’s wife decided this Cabernet was one of her favorites after tasting it soon thereafter.  That was back in July 2011.  The first bottle that I opened was in November 2011.  The wine had entered a shut-down stage of life (similar to the 2008 Clos du Val Cabernet).  It was well balanced, but lacking what originally drew me to this wine.  After observing the 2008 Clos du Val’s performance, I had hopes that this wine would have awakened.  Alas, I caught this wine too early … it is still waking up.  While not as locked down as before and suggesting the promise of something magical to come, this wine is in an earthy state right now.  I noted flavors of tobacco, black currants, sweet black prunes, leather, and minerals. 

Spottswoode, March 25, 2013

Winery - 7 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Elegantly restored farm house.  Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernets, reservations required.
www.spottswoode.com

Now that Spottswoode has completed work on their new hospitality room, they are better prepared to accommodate visitors (by reservation only).  In the past it was quite difficult to sample the wines at Spottswoode, but not any longer.  My traveling companion has long been a fan and supporter of Spottswoode and had been longing to taste the new vintage.  Having never visited Spottswoode to taste, and never having tasted Spottswoode’s premium Cabernet, I was also eager to try them.  So, we slipped past the St. Helena traffic backup via the side-streets and turned onto Madrona Avenue toward Spring Mountain.  Just as the town of St. Helena drops off, you’ll find the Spottswoode Estate on the right.


The old farmhouse at Spottswoode

The first thing you notice pulling into the Spottswoode driveway are the dramatic old oaks shading the parking area and surrounding buildings.  To the left stands the old winery-operations building where the barrels lie in rest behind the old stone walls.  On the right is the old farm house with its surrounding porch, which has been carefully restored and expanded in a way that does not disrupt the architectural continuity.  Inside the main office and reception area, natural light floods in through the windows that line the exterior walls of the area.  Finally, you are seated in the hospitality room where your flight is poured. 


Barrels lie in rest in the old winery operations building at Spottswoode.

 The windows in the tasting room come down just low enough to expose the view of the oaks, foothills, and vine tops from the surrounding vineyards, but block any view of the cars just outside.  The interior is decorated in a warm putty color with white paint on all the woodwork.  A beautiful, long, hardwood table runs the length of the room and its natural finish adds warmth to the setting.


Inside the hospitality/tasting room at Spottswoode

 Our Spottswoode flight consisted of the three wines made at the estate.  We started off with the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc (which includes about 1/3 Sauvignon Musque and trace amounts of Semillion).  This was followed by the 2010 Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the estate’s second label Cabernet.  Finally we had the 2009 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the flagship wine at this estate.  Both the Cabernets seemed to need more time to develop.  (I opened a 2004 Lyndenhurst in 2011 and was quite impressed.)  My favorite was the Sauvignon Blanc, which magically combines a sense of crispness and weight – likely attributed to its multiple forms of fermenting and aging (barrel, steel, and cement).

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

April 24, 2013 – Wine: 2005 Provenance Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

I have certainly enjoyed watching this wine evolve as I have opened about 15 half-bottles of the 2005 Provenance Cabernet.  When it was young, this wine suggested the promise of its vintage.  But then the fruit shut down for a few years, allowing the vintage’s mineral and coffee notes to dominate the palette.  Finally the fruits have awakened and wow!  (At least for the first 90 minutes … wow!)  This wine needs to breathe about 90 minutes to let the components come into balance, but then enjoy it quickly.  I noted that after a little more than two hours the wow!-factor had diminished as perfect balance ensued.  Until then, the red fruits exhibited by this wine were delightful, featuring cranberry, cherry, red currants, leather, mint, and well-controlled minerals.  I have one full bottle waiting that I will likely open next year.

April 21, 2013 – Wine: 2002 Merryvale Profile

When this wine was younger, I was disappointed because it could not compare to the 2001 vintage of the same wine.  That’s when I learned the lesson about how a vintage can impact a wine’s appeal.  Of course, a couple of years later I learned how a vintage can affect how the wine ages, too.  I found that the 2001 lost its magical appeal by 2010 (it was still nice), but this 2002 Profile has kept improving.  Sadly, this was my last bottle of the 2002 vintage, but I enjoyed it very much.  After three hours breathing, the wine showed good intensity, nice balance, and flavors of leather, dark cherry, minerals, lead, and notes of raspberry on the finish.
 

2002 Merryvale Profile



Larkmead, March 25, 2013

Winery - 8 / Wines - 7
Range:  1 to 9 (9 is best, 5 is average)
Relaxing, elegant tasting room and patio.  Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernets, reservations required.
www.larkmead.com

My friend who runs a wine shop in San Francisco accompanied me on this trip to Napa Valley, so I split the burden of selecting the day’s wineries with him.  I had pick-ups at two wineries, so my friend selected the other two places to visit.  When he mentioned an interest in visiting Larkmead, I was glad because I had wanted to visit there in the past but had never found an opportunity to go.  Larkmead not only bottles their own wine, but they sell some of their grapes to other wineries.  Ramey Wine Cellars (in Healdsburg) produced a Cabernet Sauvignon wine using grapes from the Larkmead estate vineyards through the 2006 vintage.  (I have a bottle of the 2004 vintage in my cellar.)  Needless to say, it will be interesting to compare the winemaking styles of Ramey and Larkmead using grapes from the same vineyards.


The impeccable operations and tasting facilities at Larkmead Vineyards

Right about at the point where the grape vines cross over from St. Helena into Calistoga you’ll find Larkmead Lane, off of which is Larkmead Vineyards.  The winery operations are at the end of a long driveway.  The main winery building features a large wooden door in a natural finish, which stands out against the mostly white winery building.  Off to the left lies the tasting room and offices which resemble a well-made farm house from the past.  Inside, natural light floods the room from large windows along the north-facing wall of the tasting room.  A counter is set up for tasting so that visitors look out this window while they enjoy their flight of wines.  Off to the left is an enclosed patio also set up for wine tasting.  And for warmer weather, I recommend tasting on the covered front patio under the roof that extends out several feet to provide a wonderfully shaded area furnished with a comfortable couch.  They strive for an intimate tasting experience, which explains the numerous tasting configurations.


The tasting bar at Larkmead Vineyards

Because the temperature was hovering around 70F degrees that day, our first pour of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc was poured on the porch and taken into the vineyards across the street where the grapes for the wine grow.  For the remaining wines in our flight, we returned to the porch setting.  On the porch, we were poured the remaining red wines, including the 2010 Red Blend (featuring a red label), the 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  My favorite was the 2009 for its depth and fruit development.  The 2009 was sold out, so I opted to bring home the 2010 Cabernet.

Based on this experience, I would rate the winery as a 8 and the wines offered as a 7.

April 20, 2013 – Wine: 2007 Meyer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

I have been Jonesing to try this wine.  Having thoroughly enjoyed every bottle of the 2005 vintage that I have opened (about 2 cases), I was looking forward to tasting the 2007 vintage since the half-bottles arrived 18 months ago.  I could wait no longer, so I opened the first one.  The first thing that you notice is the terrific nose filled with vintage typical fruits.  The palette followed suit with sweet tannins and flavors of blackberry, blueberry, mineral, leather, and lingering black cherry notes.  My only disappointment is that the 2007 lacks the substance and weight of the 2005, but will surely develop into a more elegant wine in a few more years.