Monthly Archives: May 2010

Tasting Report: 2009 California Cabernet Barrel Samples

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

The first previews of California’s 2009 cabernet sauvignon vintage were held last week, and in the battle of man vs. wine, man won. Below you’ll find notes and early ratings on 71 wines, mostly barrel samples from the upcoming ’09 vintage.

Overall, I found these wines to be restrained, with a similar consistency, herbal, rich and quite tannic, with not a lot of fruit to go around. Still, exceptions were to be found, some big and jammy fruit bombs trying to really pump up the berry character through any means necessary.

Some clear favorites stood out, including the wonderfully balanced Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill bottling, and Sojourn’s quirky 2009, which offers a panoply of flavors you rarely find all in one place. Also keep an eye out for newcomer Mario Bazan and boutique winemaker Hendry Ranch.

Specific bottlings were, in many cases, not indicated, so some of the wines below could represent single-vineyard or reserve releases when they ultimately hit the shelves.

2009 California Cabernet Sauvignon Preview (plus a few older wines sampled)

2009 Adelaida Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 Arns Cabernet Sauvignon / B- ultra jammy

2009 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Ashe Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon / A- juicier, nice

2009 Baldacci Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ green, tomatoes, olive oil finish

2009 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon / A- smoke and chocolate

2009 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ bright plum, cocoa finish

2009 Blue Rock Cabernet Sauvignon / B- ripe

2009 Briar Rose Cabernet Sauvignon / C+ unbalanced

2009 Buoncristiani Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Cain Cabernet Sauvignon / C-

2009 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 Charles Krug-Peter Mondavi Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon / B-

2009 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry / B-

2009 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ sharp

2009 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon / A- cocoa nibs, coffee

2009 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill / A- great balance, wonderful chocolate notes

2007 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill / A

2009 Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ very jammy

2009 Gargiulo Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Grassi Cabernet Sauvignon / B hugely herbal

2009 Guilliams Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon / B soft with a cheese-scented finish

2009 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ in a lighter style

2009 Hendry Ranch Winery Cabernet Sauvignon / A- cocoa and raspberry, very nice

2009 Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon / A- big fruit

2006 Hidden Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon / A- big fruit

2009 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ sweetish finish

2009 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ admirable

2009 Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon / B earthy

2009 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon / B milk chocolate

2009 Mario Bazan Cabernet Sauvignon / A- surprising, where did this brand come from

2006 Mario Bazan Cabernet Sauvignon / A lush, incredible black fruit character

2009 Martin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon / A- nice balance here

2009 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon / A- mellow chocolate

2009 Mi Sueño Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ sharper

2009 Most Wanted Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon / C gone wrong

2009 O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon / B shows promise, not there yet

2006 O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder / A-

2009 Peju Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Piña Cabernet Sauvignon / B thickly tannic

2009 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ blackberry, grows on you

2009 Robert Craig Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ lots of promise

2009 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ easygoing

2009 Sequum Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon / B wild, green notes

2009 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon / A- cocoa hefty, v. good for Silverado

2009 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ limited fruit

2009 Sojourn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon / A very interesting, unique, lots of legs

2006 Sojourn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve / A

2009 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon / B- bitter edge

2009 Steven Kent Winery Cabernet Sauvignon / C

2009 Sullivan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Terlato Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ tart

2009 Titus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon / B

2009 Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon / B nice finish

2009 Tudal Cabernet Sauvignon / B- tropical fruit notes

2009 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon / A- lovely balance, nuanced

2009 Varozza Cabernet Sauvignon / B-

2009 Viader Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ soft

2009 Vineyard 7 & 8 Cabernet Sauvignon / B- not coming together

2009 Volker Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon / B- tough

2009 White Cottage Cabernet Sauvignon / C-

2009 William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon / B+

2009 ZD Wines Cabernet Sauvignon / B+ green

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

“Glass Tasting” with Maximilian Riedel

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

As an 11th generation descendant of the Riedel crystal empire, it’s safe to say that Maximilian has glass in his blood. Today, Riedel is synonymous with quality glassware, its empire unmatched by its competition in either size or stature.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar hosted by Max, who had the goal of proving to his audience that quality glassware really does make a difference when it comes to the enjoyment of wine.

I’ve been a bit of a skeptic for years, figuring that if you had a decent glass you were probably going to get everything a wine could give you. Paper cup, no. Big glass? Anything will likely do for any wine.

Riedel sees it differently, and the Austrian company produces dozens of glasses for every type of wine you might want to drink. The idea is that the shape of the glass can affect its nose, and the shape of the bowl can impact where the wine lands on your palate when you drink it.

It all sounds a little silly, but Riedel is nothing if not convincing, and in a clearly well-rehearsed seminar (mainly directed at restaurant owners which Riedel would like to be customers), I was persuaded — at least to a degree.

We tasted a variety of wines, including 2007 Italian chardonnay, 1996 Spatlese Riesling, 2006 St. Estephe, and a vintage-unannounced Southern California Pinot Noir, all paired with the “right” glass from Riedel’s top-end Vitis line of stemware.

And then we tried the wines from stubby “joker” IKEA glasses — and even from a plastic cup.

The difference was striking. As Riedel suggested, the small glass muted the sweetness of the Riesling and killed the Chardonnay’s fruit on the nose and in the body. The plastic cup was even worse. With its flared-out rim, there was no aroma at all in these wines. The wines we were drinking, so present in the crystal stemware, could have been anything in the plastic cup. I’ve noticed this firsthand before in budget wine events (like those at retail stores). There’s almost no point to drinking wine this way; it just doesn’t taste any good.

I was less convinced by Riedel’s Vitis vs. Vitis challenge. Any differences in the taste and nose of, say, the Pinot Noir when served in the “proper” glass vs. the near-identical Chardonnay glass were elusive to a fault. I’d argue any minute residue of an earlier wine in one glass or another probably had a greater effect on the taste of the wine than an even measurable difference in the shape of the glass’s bowl.

The decanting experiment was also illustrative but not earth shattering. Riedel poured two wines for us into the same glasses, then “revealed” in the end that they were actually the same wine, one decanted and one not. Hardly a shock; the decanted wine was indeed fuller and less green, but they were obviously the same wine from the start. Nothing against decanting — I’m certainly a fan, when I have the time and patience — but it was not the slam-bang finale to an instructive experience that one might have hoped for.

So color me a convert to Riedel and, more importantly, high-quality glassware. Get rid of those freebies you get when you visit a winery and invest in something worth drinking for. And here’s another hint from the pros: You don’t have to hand-wash crystal either… even Riedel puts it in the dishwasher.

riedel.com

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Posted in Barware, Wine

Tasting Report: Celebrate South Africa 2010

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

South Africa. What’s better than the accent? The wine.

Well, sometimes.

At a recent tasting of South African wines I wound my way through plenty of sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, and pinotage (something of a national grape in these parts), but found the best wines to be something else entirely, namely exotic blends of various wines — from Delheim, Morgenster Estate, and Boekenhouskloof (say it five times fast!). But my very favorite was Niels Verburg’s 2004 Shiraz, a gorgeous and lush wine that proves that Australia doesn’t have a monopoly on this racy, delicious varietal.

Complete tasting report follows.

2010 Celebrate South Africa Tasting Report

2009 Iona Chardonnay / B+ / $NA

2009 Iona Sauvignon Blanc / A- / $18 / very smooth, with ripe fruit

2005 Diemersfontein Reserve Malbec / B- / $25 / crazy, herbal and tart

2006 Villiera Estate Bush Vine Sauvignon Blanc / B / $21 / big fruit, green finish

2009 Delheim Pinotage Rose / B / $19 / better than I had hoped

2004 Delheim Grand Reserve / A- / $43 / cab/malbec blend, new world style

2004 Stellekaya Cape Cross / B / $35 / cab/malbec/pinotage, peppery cabernet character

2008 Graham Beck Gamekeeper’s Cabernet Sauvignon / B- / $16 / enormous jam

2009 Slanghoek Sauvignon Blanc / B+ / $14

2009 Slanghoek Chenin Blanc / B+ / $14

2007 Slanghoek Pinotage / B / $15 / has a kick

2007 Major’s Hill Pinotage / B+ / $28 / pepper and chocolate

2004 Niels Verburg Shiraz / A / $43 / huge cocoa notes, best of show by a mile

2008 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay / B / $27

2007 Southern Right Pinotage / B / $20 / very tart

2008 Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block / A- / $35 / shiraz/grenache/cab/viognier/cinsault… Not like chocolate at all

2007 Boekenhoutskloof Semillon / B / $NA / meaty

2008 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc / A- / $20 / subdued

2008 Paul Culver Pinot Noir / B / $21

2007 Muratie Shiraz / B+ / $35 / menthol

2007 Muratie Ansela van deCaab / B / $33 / intense tannins

2003 Morgenster Estate Lourens River Valley / A- / $33 / Bordeaux style blend

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Christopher Null| 13 Comments

The elderflower trend may be coming to an end as haute bartenders move on to yumberry, acai, and other oddities, but I remain an undeterred St. Germain fanatic. There are simply few cocktails in the world that this golden French spirit can’t either improve or twist into something new and exciting.

In fact, you owe it to yourself to give this a try. Except for the most bitter of concoctions, add a drop (1/4 to 1/2 an ounce) of St. Germain to a few of your favorite cocktails before you shake them up, then see what you think. I’m willing to wager that at least half the time you’ll find the end result a better cocktail than without it. (Go ahead and take the credit yourself for inventing a new drink.)

Sure, this won’t work for everything (particularly whiskey drinks), but it speaks to St. Germain’s serious versatility. Sweet but not cloying, the 40 proof liqueur offers a strong lychee character that is balanced with lavender and summer herbs plus a lemon finish, altogether giving it a lightness that you rarely (if ever) find in other fruit-flavored liqueurs.

The only real problem is the price: At $30 a bottle (or more) you spend way too much money since you’ll find you use far too much of this stuff, it’s that good.

Need St. Germain cocktail ideas? Take a spin through the Recipes category on Drinkhacker and you’ll find loads.

A+ / $30 / stgermain.fr

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A+, Reviews

Review: The Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1973 Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This new, limited release whisky has spent 36 long years in cask (one sherry cask and two American oak barrels have been blended together), waiting for just the right amount of time to get from oak into the bottle and from there into your belly.

This is a whisky that feels just about perfect, cooled by time but still racy and alive. The nose is smooth and a bit malty, with citrus and sherry sweetness. There’s heat on the body — it’s 98 proof, after all — but it’s perfectly drinkable even without water.

From there, complexity abounds. Candied orange peel and deep sherry notes are present, then they fade into a melange of baking spices. Deliciously sweet, but not cloying, it ends with a zippy orange tang imbued with allspice and cinnamon that stretches for minutes and warms the soul.

Perhaps Glenlivet’s finest to date. 240 bottles available in the U.S.

A / $1,250 / theglenlivet.com

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Posted in Rated A, Reviews, Scotch, Whiskey

Review: Ron Barcelo Dominican Rum

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

From the land of the Dominican Republic comes Ron Barcelo, an 80-year-old blender which takes various rums from the island and mixes up these concoctions. The company uses old bourbon barrels to age its spirit, and bottles them all at 80 proof. Here’s how they stack up.

Ron Barcelo Anejo – A blend of rums aged in oak barrels for an indeterminate time (up to four years, it turns out), this rum is light on the tongue and still plenty sweet, but offers a solid oak core alongside its sugar. The finish offers an interesting vegetal character, with a little sea-air brine character to it, too. Simple on the attack but that surprisingly long finish makes you think there’s more to it. Tastes more expensive than it is; is actually lighter in color than it looks (due to the smoky bottle). A- / $15

Ron Barcelo Gran Anejo – Also of an indeterminate age, this blend of rums spends over four years in oak barrels, giving it more color and a deeper body. It is also surprisingly hot for an 80 proof spirit with some age on it, and the finish tends to run bitter in the end. Rather strange, really, but not nearly the success that the cheaper Anejo is. B / $20

Ron Barcelo Imperial – A 10-year-old aged rum, this is Barcelo’s top of the line. It’s got a spicy kick and a serious bourbon flavor from all of that time spent in its old Kentucky home, which tends to drown out the sugar cane characteristics. The finish offers some pepper, more wood, and a touch of that bitter character. Definitely a rum for the whiskey enthusiast. B+ / $25

ron-barcelo.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Rated B, Rated B+, Reviews, Rum

Review: Karma Tequila Silver

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This new Highland tequila is made with no additives, a blend of double- and triple-distilled spirit and mixed with well water from the estate on which the agave is grown.

Available only in blanco/silver form for now (reposado and anejo are aging now), Karma has a mild nose and a medium body. The initial rush is quite sweet, with caramel notes normally found in aged tequilas, and mild agave character. The finish lacks almost any burn at all, but turns back toward its agave roots with a long, somewhat vegetal finale. Worthwhile.

80 proof.

A- / $40 / karmatequila.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Tequila

Review: Newcastle DraughtKeg

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

Want fresh, foamy beer without having to haul your ass down to your local watering hole or deal with the hassles of a home kegerator? Thanks to Newcastle, anyone can tap a pint-sized keg in the comfort of their own kitchen.

This five-liter metal canister contains pure Newcastle, complete with an internal CO2 pressure system and built-in tap. Instructions guide you through setting it up: Chill the keg for 10 hours, clip on the tap and nozzle, and go. You’ll have beer flowing in seconds (and much more quickly and easily than the IKEA-like instructions would make it out to be).

If you’re a fan of foamy heads on your pint, you’ll love the DraughtKeg. In fact, the first pint will be mostly foam, so don’t get too excited to drink it since you’ll need to let it settle. Experimenting with glass placement — since the beer comes out at an angle — helps, also. My only complaint with the delivery system: Lots of spillage after you’re done drawing a glass. Keep it near the sink or remember to leave an empty glass underneath.

The beer itself isn’t bad. It’s definitely Newcastle Brown Ale, which is still a little thin for my taste, but it has a light body and sweetness that lends itself well to a party-sized item like this. (It’s good for about 10 pints of beer.) It’s fun and tailor-made for conversation, and according to the company any leftover beer will keep for 30 days in the fridge — so don’t fret about sucking it all down in one go.

B+ / $23 / newcastlebrown.com

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Posted in Beer, Rated B+, Reviews

Review: 2008 Olson Ogden Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge Mendocino

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

This Mendocino pinot noir has a very light body, but it’s balanced by a little smoke, some nice wood notes, and a jammy finish, giving it more complexity than you might think. A little subdued at first blush, it opens up nicely with some time exposed to air. Easy to drink now, if you can find it — just 115 cases were made.

A- / $38 / olsonogdenwines.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Wine

Review: Glengoyne Single Malt Whiskys

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

I’ve had limited encounters with Glengoyne, a Highland Scotch producer just a dozen miles from Glasgow, and today had the opportunity to sample four of the company’s most worthwhile expressions. Here are some thoughts on each. As a house style, Glengoyne does not peat its whisky, but rather air dries the barley, so sweetness and wood are the predominant characteristics, not smoke and earth.

Glengoyne 10 Years Old – An alcoholic and rough-hewn whisky, this malt offers concentrated grain notes, some tart sweetness, and a somewhat unbalanced finish, big with booziness but cut with a bit of maple syrup-like sweetness. Though just 86 proof, it’s still harsh on the palate and demands some water. B- / $40

Glengoyne 12 Years Old Cask Strength – 114.4 proof makes this a big whisky, but surprisingly it tastes far smoother and less alcoholic than the 10 year at 86 proof. Heavily perfumy on the nose, the sherry character in this whisky is gorgeous and warming, and the long finish slowly lets in the sweetness rather than using it as a crutch to make it palatable. This is a really lovely single malt that’s worth serious consideration. A- / $60

Glengoyne 16 Years Old Glenguin Shiraz Cask Finish – A limited edition whisky from Glengoyne and a truly special one. Amazingly complex, the nose offers deep wood character and a lot of heat. The body brings in much smoothness — dark toffee, fudgy chocolate, and wood. Citrus. The moderate finish is pleasant and mild, hinting just a touch at the spicy red wine casks in which the whisky was finished. A splurge, to be sure. 96 proof. A- / $100

Glengoyne 17 Years Old – Nothing earth-shaking. Still 86 proof, this is essentially the same whisky as the 10 year, just sitting around in barrels for 7 years longer. Lots of wood here, and probably already too long in the cask, with a bitter, charcoal-like edge. Not unpleasant but relatively uncomplicated, it comes across almost like a starter whisky, and its inexplicably inexpensive price may bear that out. B- / $50

glengoyne.com