2007 Leviathan

Color Me Converted

Statue of Bacchus

Ah, the “Napa Cult Wine.” The perennially-overpriced subject of scorn and ridicule the internet over. Everyone’s tired of Napa fruit and paying the Napa markup. There’s nothing new under the sun, everyone out there is overrated anyway, so forth and so on and et cetera ad nauseum.

Anyone from Napa still reading? I think all that’s horsehockey, by the way. Just wanted to get everyone on the same page.

Still, of the Napa Cult Wines I’ve had, the 2007 Leviathan is the first one to truly live up to all the hype. And what hype there is for this wine!

Some background: Leviathan is a garage wine project from husband-and-wife duo, winemaker Andy Erickson (Screaming Eagle, Staglin, Hartwell, Favia, Ovid, Dancing Hares, Jonata, Dalla Valle, Arietta) and viticulturalist Anie Favia (Screaming Eagle, Favia, and Abreu). Erickson has an MS in Enology from UC Davis, and cut his teeth in the 1990s at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

The Napa pedigree on these two is second-to-none. So what about the wine?

40% cabernet franc, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 16% syrah, and 14% merlot, all Napa juice. It’s maybe the best red blend I’ve had. Ever.

In the glass, the wine is gorgeous, with a brilliant garnet core and only slightly lighter ruby edges. On the nose is some really awesome fruit, like blackcurrant, raspberry, and ripe red cherry, but it’s all muted and held in check by a bit of nutmeg and allspice.

This is as full-bodied as wine gets, without getting sickly sweet and syrupy like dessert wine. The tannins are soft and lush, and everything here is in such balance, that I didn’t notice any of the heat. And at 14.5%, I was expecting it. Blackberry and raspberry are the main notes on the palate, and the wine does remain fantasically fruity.

If you’re an anti-flavor fascist, you won’t care for this wine. But if you still love juice for being juice (even if only sometimes) then you need to try this. It isn’t even that expensive, available for $40–$50 from numerous online retailers. Sure, that’s no drop in the bucket, but this isn’t an “everyday” drinker. The tannins and balance lead me to believe you could easily get 5+ years of aging out of it if you wanted, but it tastes so fucking good right now, I wouldn’t bother.

I’m a convert to the cult of Leviathan. This is crazy, silly good juice.

Verdict: 97/100

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamjodh/ / CC BY 2.0)

Pimento? Pimento.

2005 Clos Pegase Napa Valley Merlot

pimento

Every once in a while, I come across a descriptor I haven’t used before, or at least haven’t used for a particular varietal wine. I drank this wine last night, in fact it is bumping back a handful of fantastic Italian wines I have to review, because I just wanted to get this one out there.

Pimento. Pimento? Yup, pimento.

You may remember Clos Pegase (ok maybe not, but I do) as the creators of the wonderfully stinky sauvignon blanc I drank in Walt Disney World’s upscale California Grill restaurant in Orlando, Florida, last December.

Last night, the same four people (myself, my wife Heather, and my parents) were enjoying dinner together at a decidedly less tut-tut dining establishment, the impressive Chow in Danville, CA. I noticed a Clos Pegase merlot on the wine list, and as I intended to get a burger, this seemed to make sense as a quality choice.

The wine came to the table (a generous pour), and I sniffed and sipped without intending to review it, but then I was hit by something that took me a second to place. It was pimento.

Just a hint, mind you. The wine looks just like a merlot should, a dark ruby that doesn’t lighten too much to the edges. On the nose is a mix of dark cherry and raspberry jam, with a hint of vanilla, all in all this merlot gives you no surprises to this point.

Then, you sip. There is an earthy quality, a hint (very slight) of toasted oak, some good rich cherry jam, and there, on the tip of your tongue, at the front of the palate, is a slightly sweet, slightly peppery pimento note.

I liked it. It was more different than great, but it certainly wasn’t bad. The wine would score higher if I felt like it had better structure or more complexity to it. Still, it’s one I won’t soon forget, and this bit of nuance gives it a character you simply don’t often see in merlot. At $20-$30 per bottle, I’d say this is the wine for you if you’re in a merlot funk and have lost faith in this classic grape.

Verdict: B+

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdvark/ / CC BY-NC 2.0)

Napa Cab That Delivers

2006 Regusci Cabernet Sauvignon

A close friend of mine came into town last night for the coming weekend. I haven’t seen him in 6+ months, but when he lived in California, my wife and I introduced him to Regusci Winery, a small Stags Leap District winery right off Silverado Trail.

It’s one of my favorite places to visit, and between the smiles and knowledge of the employees, and the happy butt-wagging of Trixie, the winery’s Welsh Corgi, we always have a great time.

Oh, the wine is pretty damn good, too.

I bring up the friend of mine, because he had supper with my wife and I last night, and I decided to crack open this Regusci cab I’d been holding on to for a bit in celebration. The man’s been in Utah, not a place known for its spectacular wine (or liberal direct-shipping laws)!

So what’s the wine like? First, it’s not completely cab, but is instead a Bordeaux-style blend (called a Meritage here in California) of 90% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot, and 4% cabernet franc. In the glass, the wine is dark, almost black at its core, and lightens to a bright ruby at the edges. There’s a bit of heat on the nose but it dissipates with even a short amount of time in the glass. Smoky toastiness mixes with red cherry and blackberry notes for a pleasant mix of fruit-forwardness and oaky, earthy mellow.

The Regusci cab is full-bodied, with soft, supple tannins and good structure. Notes of raspberry and black cherry mingle with oak, mimicking–though remaining distinct from–the combination on the nose.

The wine isn’t the cheapest in the world, listed at $48 on their website, but is worth it, as it’s a great example of a Meritage, with grapes from the Valley floor tucked up against the eastern hills.

Verdict: B+

2006 Regusci Cabernet Sauvignon

2006 Regusci Cabernet Sauvignon