July 15th, 2010

Gladly Taken Prisoner

2008 The Prisoner

Orin Swift Cellars is new.

I don’t mean “new” like they were just formed yesterday, or this is their first vintage, or even that you probably haven’t heard of them. They weren’t, the first release of The Prisoner was the 2003 vintage, and it’s entirely likely that you have.

What I mean is that they’re nouveau. They’re young, and vibrant, and current, and modern. Exciting and interesting, doing things and saying things.

Winery honcho/winemaker/jefe Dave Phinney likes him some zinfandel. The first wine he released under the Orin Swift Cellars name was the 2003 Prisoner, a zinfandel-based blend of some incredible Napa juice. The latest vintage is no different.

The 2008 Prisoner is 46% zinfandel, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 15% syrah, 10% petite sirah, 2% charbono, and 1% grenache. The main players, in my opinion, are the first three, and before you read on you should probably try to think, for a second, what a zinfandel/cab sauv/syrah blend might be like.

Ready?

If your first thought was “big,” you get a gold friggin’ star.

Luckily for me, and everyone else who’s had the fortune of drinking the 2008 Prisoner, “big” is not the only appropriate descriptor here. Fruit-forward, balanced, acidic, earthy all work as well. So, the notes, then?

The wine is dark as night in the core of the glass, and lightens to a bright ruby red at the edges. The nose is lush with sweet cherries and darker, richer blackberries, plus a hint of tobacco or cigar box aromas. It smells rich. It smells like it’s not about to fuck around.

The Prisoner is a full-bodied wine that really coats your mouth. Here is an actual note I wrote in my notebook:

Tannin structure out the ass

This, I assure you, should be translated as “lots of structure.” The tannins aren’t rough or overpowering, though. Raspberry and cherry do a little dance, make a little love, and get down with a nicely-balanced earthiness and acidity that just makes itself known on the mid-palate. The lingering finish of cherries keeps you coming back for more.

I say god damn, this is some tasty wine.

The Prisoner has gained a cult following, and it is deserved. This latest vintage is a great example of California red blends done well, and for around $30 a bottle it won’t take your pocketbook captive.

Verdict: A

2008 The Prisoner

2008 The Prisoner

Tags: 2008, A, cabernet sauvignon, charbono, grenache, Napa Valley, Orin Swift Cellars, petite sirah, syrah, zinfandel

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June 15th, 2010

Drink Pink

2009 Quivira Grenache Rosé

2009 Quivira Grenace Rosé

Summer summer summer… time.

Hot days here in California lead to a desire for lighter, crisper wines that taste good (and maybe that just “make sense”) served at a bit below room temperature—chilled, even. Aromatic whites, imported blancs, maybe a bubble here and there. And, of course: rosés.

I remember (it wasn’t that long ago) when I thought that the end-all be-all of rosé was the damnable White Zinfandel, as proffered by outfits like Sutter Home and Franzia. How truly naïve I was.

I’ve since had some really fantastic rosés, both still and sparkling. Even a few I haven’t written about.

While this wine does not quite stack up to the likes of Pithy’s Sangiovese Rosé, it is still mighty tasty. It’s also completely organic and biodynamic, so depending on your outlook, add or subtract the appropriate points.

This rosé is 90% grenache, 10% mourvèdre, a pink take on the southern Rhône Valley. It’s a tawny pink in the glass, with this earthy hint of tan that definitely makes it stand apart from the abominable white zinfandel.

On the nose is a mix of tropical fruits—passion fruit, grapefruit, and a tiny tiny hint of kiwi—mixed with a more down-home apricot note. The wine is medium bodied, and the tropical notes carry through from the nose to the palate. There’s an interesting savoriness on the palate as well, something I found difficult to place, but that I completely blame on the mourvèdre.

The 2009 Quivira Grenache Rosé is a tasty summer wine that won’t knock your socks off, but will satisfy your thirst.

Verdict: B-

Tags: 2009, B-, Dry Creek Valley, grenache, mourvedre, Quivira Vineyards and Winery

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March 19th, 2010

Like Manna From Heaven Itself

NV Yalumba Museum Reserve 21 Years Old Antique Tawny

Yummy wine

I mentioned in my previous Yalumba reviews that I experienced these wines as a bit of a happenstance, as Jane Ferrari of Yalumba happened to be in town, just happened to be at my favorite wine shop while that shop just happened to be hosting another exemplary winemaker (Mike Dunn of Dunn Howell Mountain) for a tasting.

Jane had a lot of wine with her, including the aforementioned Scribbler and Signature, but apparently, that wasn’t enough. One of my fellow tasters-slash-revelers mentioned to Jane that he’d had a Yalumba dessert wine he claimed had received “something like 99 or 100 points” (the best I could find was a RP 93 for this wine, still excellent), and while she wasn’t sure about the review (I’m betting people in the business of making wine would remember a mainstream review score that high) she did know the wine he was talking about, but didn’t have any on her.

However, Prima Vini, the shop in which we all stood at that very moment, did have it for sale. (They still do.) So what did Jane do? She bought the half-bottle and shared some with each of us. A remarkable move, but after tasting the wine, I knew immediately why she’d done it.

We were now, all of us, irrevocably hooked. This shit is good.

Before I get into the tasting notes, I want to quote this wine’s varietal makeup from the Yalumba website:

Original old vine Shiraz, Grenache, Dolcetto, Mourvèdre, Muscadelle, with a small percentage of Touriga, Tinta Cao and Tinta Molle contributing complexity to the blend.

Whew! Now, on to the wine itself.

The wine is a clean tawny tan in the glass. I wouldn’t use the word “brown” to describe it. It fades from a rich almost-golden tan, to basically clear at the edges.

On the nose is one of the most enticing bouquets I’ve come across: raisins, honey, and caramel. All sweet (this is, after all, a dessert wine) but not at all sticky, or saccharine/sickly “sweet.” Rather, the nose is rich and lustrous.

Take a sip and you won’t be disappointed. The wine is very full bodied, it covers the inside of your mouth like velvet. The honey from the nose is here, but with a rustic, robust heat that reminded me of drinking mead. The wine is sweet but not overly so, hot (at a good 20% ABV) but not off-putting, with hints of candies and sugar.

In short, it’s exactly what dessert wine should be.

Verdict: A

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

Tags: A, Barossa Valley, dolcetto, grenache, mourvedre, muscadelle, syrah, tinta cao, tinta molle, touriga nacional, Yalumba

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January 28th, 2010

Odd Blends Do Not Always Work

NV Steven Kent Insieme Red Blend

I’m always down for interesting, different blends. Steven Kent Winery tosses its hat in this particular ring with the Insieme. The Insieme I tasted was non-vintage: some of the grapes were harvested in 2006, and some in 2007. It’s a blend of 34% mourvedre, 30% syrah, 20% zinfandel, and 16% grenache. It’s also 15% ABV, so you better be in the mood for the alcohol.

For me, that alcohol level was kind of a turn-off. It made the nose of the wine smell like rubber and alcohol. It wasn’t disgusting, it wasn’t completely off-putting, but I could tell that the alcohol content of the wine (which I guessed at at the time, didn’t know the exact amount until later) was overpowering other notes on the nose.

The only fruit note I noticed on the palate was kind of a sour cherry, or perhaps black cherry. The wine was very tight, and rough and tannic. I’d like to say it was simply youth, and the wine needs to be laid down for 5-10 years. However, it’s my (as of yet still undereducated) understanding that higher-ABV wines do not cellar well, which leaves me at a bit of a conundrum. I suppose at $30 for the bottle of Insieme, I could buy some, lay it down myself, and try it again in 2016 or so.

But I’d rather spend my money on more enjoyable wine.

Verdict: C+

Tags: C+, grenache, Livermore Valley, mourvedre, Steven Kent Winery, syrah, zinfandel

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December 21st, 2009

I Had Never Heard of GSM

2007 Wente Small Lot GSM

Yeah, I had to have it explained to me.

“GSM,” when Wente uses it as a wine name, at least, stands for “Grenache–Syrah–Mourvedre.” I mentioned to the older gentleman working the tasting room bar that this essentially meant Wente was making a Rhone-style blend. I don’t think he got it.

Lack of proper employee education aside, Wente has made a very nice red blend here, which is 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre. On the nose, the wine is surprisingly fruit-forward and jammy. It is rich and sweet and it surprised the hell out of me for a wine primarily made up of Grenache.

The wine tastes pretty significantly different from the way it smells, however. It’s spicy and dry, and all of the jammy fruit notes on the nose seem nowhere to be found. Instead, my mouth was full of really awesome mellow spice notes, like cinnamon and clove. This wine is perfect for winter, and would probably make my list of Thanksgiving-approved wines if it weren’t so hard to find: the Small Lot series of wines from Wente Vineyard are only available at the winery or tasting room (they have two Livermore locations), and then only to club members.

Still, a hell of a Rhone-style blend from one of the Livermore Valley’s premier producers. Recommended.

Verdict: B+

Tags: 2007, B+, grenache, Livermore Valley, mourvedre, syrah, Wente Vineyards

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