Monthly Archives: December 2010

Review: 2007 Virage Napa Valley

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Virage aims to emulate — and they are very specific about this — the great Right Bank Bordeaux wines. With the inaugural 2007 release of this new winery’s juice — 71% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon — I’m not sure it has the Bordeaux character Virage is looking for, but it is a standout wine nonetheless.

Intense blueberry and dark chocolate notes are the highlight here, and the wine has a solid structure that makes the most of a notoriously tough grape. How Virage has done this with its first wine out of the gate I’m not entirely sure, but the results speak for themselves. The body is huge, and while the finish lacks a certain finesse, it nonetheless keeps calling you back for more.

A- / $45 / viragevineyards.wordpress.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Reviews, Wine

Tasting Report: San Francisco Vintners Market 2010

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a different sort of wine show — one designed not just for sampling the wines on tap but for buying them, too. The San Francisco Vintners Market showcased hundreds of wines, all of which you could buy on the spot.

I was there not to shop of course but to report back to you guys on what was for sale — largely very small boutique wineries (including Dos Lagos Vineyard, where I actually rented a vacation home for a week this summer) and some rather rare wines that are difficult to find in retail outlets. Overall I was highly impressed with the quality of the wines being offered, and my tasting report (below) shows a much larger number of A-class ratings than the usual wine show does. (It helps that I found the “reserve” area, roped off in the back of the exhibit hall, in short order.)

Notes follow.

Tasting Report: 2010 San Francisco Vintners Market

2007 La Sirena Pirate TreasuRed / $60 / A- / blend of 7 grapes, young with good body

2007 La Sirena Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon / $150 / A / huge body, olive notes

2006 La Sirena Barrett Syrah / $80 / B+ / more tannin here

2006 La Sirena Napa Syrah / $55 / A- / peppery nose, nice balance

2006 La Sirena Santa Ynez Syrah / $40 / A- / nice, smooth for syrah

2008 Rubicon Estate Blancaneaux / na / B+ / Roussanne blend, big

2006 Rubicon Estate CASK Cabernet Sauvignon / $75 / A / good, dark chocolate and plum

2006 Rubicon Estate Rubicon / $145 / B+ / still young, some greeneness… try in 2015

2008 Desmond Pinot Noir Russian River Valley / $25 / A- / strong earth, Burgundy style, good finish

2009 Desmond Pinot Noir Russian River Valley / $20 / A- / much fruitier, lively, different style but good

2008 Clos Saron Home Vineyard Pinot Noir / $45 / B+ / peppery, herbal, with harissa notes

2006 Clos Saron Cuvee Mysterieuse / $35 / B+ / stron menthol character, Rhone blend

2005 Clos Saron Heart of Stone Syrah / $35 / B+ / slightly smoother

2004 Clos Saron Black Pearl / $35 / B+ / Syrah/Cab/Pinot, also big on the mint

2007 Poem Cellars Elope Cabernet Sauvignon / $70 / A- / good acidity

2008 Poem Cellars Engaged Cabernet Sauvignon / $70 / A- / jammier

2008 Poem Cellars Tastevin Cabernet Sauvignon / $40 / B+ / very young

2009 Pech Merle Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc / $17 / B+ / big lemon notes

2008 Pech Merle L’Entrée Dry Creek Zinfandel / $27 / B+ / bold, 8% Petit Sirah

2007 Patland Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard / $80 / A- / tart, lots of greenery, black cherry

2007 Patland Estate Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard / $60 / B+ / black pepper, big tannin, woody finish

2008 Spotted Owl Mountain Cuvee / $85 / B+ / smoke and cocoa

2007 Spotted Owl Alexandria’s Cuvee / $150 / A / massive, grand fruit and huge body

2006 Spotted Owl Lev’s Cuvee / $45 / B / easier drinking, simple

2008 Knights Bridge West Block Chardonnay / $65 / A- / solid, meaty and huge

2007 Knights Bridge Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon / $95 / A- / smoky

2007 Knights Bridge Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon / $110 / A- / smoky

2007 Knights Bridge To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon / $110 / A / cocoa notes, great structure

2009 Alpha Omega Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley / $34 / A / fruity, big pineapple notes

2007 Alpha Omega Proprietary Red Wine Napa Valley / $86 / A+ / Bordeaux style blend, huge and quite ageable

2008 Alpha Omega Chardonnay Napa Valley / $50 / A / bigger style cab, but light on the wood. Nice

2008 Alpha Omega ERA / $175 / A+ / Bordeaux blend, rich and gorgeous – best in show

2007 Dos Lagos Vineyards Cabernet Sauvinon Atlas Peak Napa Valley / $125 / A- / lush, massive chocolate notes

2008 Dos Lagos Vineyards Cabernet Sauvinon Atlas Peak Napa Valley / $125 / A / showing well, lighter in style, ready to go now

2007 Bounty Hunter “Pursuit” Campfire Red Napa Valley / $45 / A- / touch smoky, black cherry body

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: Three New 2008 Rosenblum Zinfandels

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

With nearly 20 Zinfandels — and dozens of other wines — Rosenblum has a mammoth profile of wines to its name. We tried three of its latest releases, all Zins from the 2008 vintage.

2008 Rosenblum Old Vine Zinfandel Sonoma County – Bright fruit, sugary like a strawberry pie for dessert. Some herbal character in here with lavender notes, interesting in a Zin, but the very light body makes this a bit more of a party wine than something you’d usually find in the oh-so-serious “Old Vines” vein. B / $NA

2008 Rosenblum Maggie’s Reserve Zinfandel Sonoma County -Rich and racy, with bold black pepper notes. Very fruity, but it’s balanced by spice, herbal character, and a finish that lasts without being cloying. A substantial upgrade to the Old Vine. A- / $45

2008 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Vineyard Zinfandel – Even bolder, with clear strawberry character, balanced by thick pepper, cedar, tobacco, and charcoal notes. A massive wine for a Zinfandel, this one demands food as an accompaniment. A- / $40

rosenblumcellars.com

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Posted in Rated A-, Rated B, Reviews, Wine

Review: 21st Amendment Fireside Chat

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but round these parts it’s getting seriously chilly. That means it’s time for burlier, heavy, richly flavored beers, and 21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat arrives with all of that in tow.

This spiced winter ale is a rich mahogany color and pours minimally foamy. The nose is woody and hoppy and hints at chocolate. The body offers more of the same, but it’s thinner than you might expect. Lightly bitter with a bit of creamy coffee, the “spiced” portion of this ale is where things go a bit wrong. A touch of cinnamon, maybe orange peel — that’s about all I get, and it hardly screams holiday time. Needs a bit more carbonation to it, too. It’s ultimately perfectly drinkable, but I wanted more of a festive experience.

7.9 percent alcohol by volume and 45 IBUs. Available through the end of the year.

B / $9 per six-pack of 12 oz. cans / 21st-amendment.com

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Posted in Beer, Rated B, Reviews

Review: Warsteiner Premium Verum Beer

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

A fairly staid German pilsner (or pilsener, as the Germans call it), Warsteiner has been a survivor for some 250 years. It’s a little hard to believe considering how plain this beer is. A light gold brew, Warsteiner Premium Verum comes across as immediately bitter and not terribly fresh. Preserved, almost with some bitter lemon peel, and the kind of old, dried herbs you’d find buried in the back of your spice rack. The finish is lasting and, frankly, not really pleasant, but you’ll drink a bit more to wash the aftertaste out and keep things moving along, I suppose.

C- / $10 per six-pack / warsteiner.com

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Posted in Beer, Rated C-, Reviews

Review: Angel’s Envy Bourbon Inaugural Release

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Christopher Null| 10 Comments

Angel’s Envy is, put simply, a new concept in Bourbon making. The brainchild of longtime distiller Lincoln Henderson, each year Angel’s Envy will be released with a new recipe and a new method of manufacture.

The inaugural batch — called Expression 10/10 — is already unorthodox. It’s aged in oak and finished in vintage and ruby Port barrels — a practice which I believe is technically “against the law” for a Kentucky Bourbon if one wants to still call it a “bourbon” on the label, which Angel’s Envy clearly does.

But never mind what they call it. This is good stuff. Complex and curious, there is traditional vanilla Bourbon character here, but also a lot of chocolate as the spirit develops, plus some coconut notes. It’s not overly woody, and aside from the chocolate notes that raisiny Port character is elusive — perhaps after sampling an endless number of sherried Scotch whiskys, one tends to gravitate toward those flavors. But in contrast, here the wine barrel finish offers a richer, deeper body that sherried whiskys usually don’t have, and one that appears to go smashingly well with Bourbon.

Call me a fan already, and good luck with the launch! (Angel’s Envy should arrive on shelves in January 2011.)

86.6 proof.

A / $45 / angelsenvy.com