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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May 12th, 2010

Nothing Petite About This Sirah

2006 Lambert Bridge “Winery Ranch” Petite Sirah

I feel like I know petite sirah. I served petite sirah at my wedding (America’s first petite sirah, actually. Concannon. Though, not the first petite sirah. We couldn’t get our hands on the 1961 vintage). I’ve had quite a bit of the stuff, and while it’s never been my absolute favorite (once merlot, then pinot noir, now a distinction held by Barolo’s nebbiolo grape) it’s always been something I enjoyed.

And again I find, just when I think I’ve got something figured out, life farts in my soup bowl and says, “Nuh-uh.”

Not that that’s the visual I want to associate with the wine in this review. Far from it. The Lambert Bridge petite sirah is something special, and something very interesting. But boy, is it different from (for instance) the way they do it down Livermore way.

Lambert Bridge

Lambert Bridge

First off, the place is spectacular. Seriously, if you ever find yourself partially lost on West Dry Creek Road, just south of Lambert Bridge Road (with its perilously narrow namesake) you need to check these guys out.

On a side note (as if I don’t get parenthetically sidetracked enough) Andy, part owner of Lambert Bridge and the man who poured us our tastes, is a fellow alumnus, with yours truly, of San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, CA. Small world, indeed.

If you do show up, say “hi” to Bernie for me.

So then, the wine? I’m on a kick these days of dark, dark wines. This one isn’t what I’d call black, but more of a “dark ruby” at the core, with a bit of lightening to a still-brilliant red on the edges. The nose is clean, without any overpowering alcoholic heat, and features notes of black cherry, raspberry truffle, and cinnamon.

This petite sirah is full-bodied, complex, and subtle in most of its notes. What you will find here includes more similarities to the nose: ripe, rich fruit notes coupling nicely with espresso and dark chocolate, with hints of cinnamon (perhaps nutmeg?) flitting about. Lots of structure here, with supple, lush tannins that I would love to see get even softer and more velvety.

Great drinking now, and great drinking in 10 years, I’d wager.

Verdict: A-

Tags: 2006, A-, Dry Creek Valley, Lambert Bridge, petite sirah

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February 17th, 2010

A Different Take On Petite Sirah

2006 Concannon Nina’s Cuvee Petite Sirah

Just recently, I reviewed this wine’s brother, the Captain Joe. This is a different spin on Petite Sirah from Concannon Vineyard, and while the Joe is more my speed, others might really prefer this one.

Unlike the Joe, the Nina does not have the influence of 20% Syrah grapes. The blend is, according to the bottle, made “primarily” of the Petite Sirah grapes that grew in “Nina’s Vineyard” (named after Nina Concannon, the current winemaker’s grandmother).

The nose on this wine is pleasant, but for me, didn’t have the big fruit notes I was told to expect. Instead I got earth and wet stone, a pleasant “after a recent rain” smell that was fresh and clean, but also hearty and earthy, and a bit sweet.

Black fruit notes come through on the palate, as do some very nice white pepper and clove. It’s quite different from the Captain Joe, but another very nice example of the variety from the winery that pioneered the making of Petite Sirah wine in America a half-century ago.

Verdict: B

Tags: 2006, B, Concannon Vineyard, Livermore Valley, petite sirah

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February 9th, 2010

Arrrrrrr! Captain Joe Sails The Seas Of Petite Sirah

2006 Concannon Captain Joe’s Petite Sirah

I don’t think “Captain Joe” was actually a pirate, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to legitimately title a wine review with “Arrrrrr!” Forgive me.

Concannon Vineyard made the very first Petite Sirah in the United States. They’ve been doing it for 130-ish years now. So, they make a few different PS’s, and they tend to do them well.

The Captain Joe’s is 80% Petite Sirah and 20% Syrah, and this gives it more of an edge and cuts some of the berry that often accompanies Petite Sirah. It still stains the hell out of your teeth, though. (Don’t you love that about PS? I do.)

In the glass it’s a light garnet red with some nice sparkle. You can see through it just a bit, but not like a rose or anything. On the nose are some nice earthy notes, like mushroom and soil. It mixes with a pleasant espresso/coffee note: just a bit of a bitter burn smell, but very faint, and actually very pleasant, not at all “bad”-smelling.

The fruit of the Petite Sirah comes through on the palate in a big way. Sour cherry mixes with a light raspberry note and it all comes through with a medium body that coats the mouth just enough to announce its presence, without feeling heavy or overwhelming.

All in all, very pleasant, and perhaps the best of Concannon’s Petite Sirahs that I’ve enjoyed.

Verdict: B+

2006 Concannon Captain Joe's Petite Sirah

2006 Concannon Captain Joe's Petite Sirah

Tags: 2006, B+, Concannon Vineyard, Livermore Valley, petite sirah, syrah

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January 4th, 2010

Made Up Names Can Make For Great Wines

2007 Tamas Estates Andiamo

The woman at Tamas Estates’ tasting room was very frank.

“Andiamo isn’t a varietal or style. We made up the word.”

Why? It has to do with certain California wine label laws that state when a winery can (and when they cannot) list a grape varietal on a wine’s label. Seventy-five percent of a wine’s content must be of the stated varietal, assuming there is one at all.

Tamas’ “Andiamo” is 50% Zinfandel, 47% Sangiovese, and 3% Petite Sirah. So while it isn’t 75% any one grape (and hence, has a made-up name) it is 100% delectable.

As a friend likes to put it, “that’s some good juice.”

The nose on the Andiamo is very earthy and rich, it smells like an orchard in the summer, you can almost smell tree bark in there (oh yeah… the wine is fermented in oak barrels, isn’t it?). There’s also a hint of warm spice, like nutmeg or cardamom or something similar.

On the palate, the wine is rich and lustrous. Notes of coffee and chocolate mix with a very dark and hearty raspberry note. The wine feels like drinking velvet.

This is not to say it’s anything like, for instance, Porto or Madeira. It’s not thick or sticky feeling, or really all that sweet. But the flavors are big and bold and quite impressive. Recommended.

Verdict: B+

Tags: 2007, B+, Livermore Valley, petite sirah, sangiovese, Tamas Estates, zinfandel

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