August 12th, 2010

Meet Marita

2005 Marita’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

This, my dear friends and people who read me because they hate me but want to see what I’ll do/say next, is some friggin’ Napa Valley Cab.

Marita’s Vineyard Special Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (say that fivefold fast) is a pretty fantastic bottle of wine, if I do say so myself (and I do). Limited to 225 cases, this 100% hillside cabernet sauvignon is something everyone should try.

Legit Juice

Unfortunately, by virtue of the fact that it runs a buck-and-a-half per, not everyone’s going to be able to. C’est la vie, n’est-ce pas, mes amis?

First off, the wine comes in one of the heaviest glass bottles I’ve ever encountered. Seriously, when I opened the box the bottle came in, I thought for a second it was a 1 liter bottle or something. It’s not, it’s a standard 750, but a good 10% taller and maybe 20% wider than most of the other 750s I have in my cellar. And heavy. Even empty (and hooo boy did I finish this one) the bottle felt like it might be half full.

I know the point of thick, heavy glass bottles is to lend a measure of elegance, perhaps even gravitas, to the wine. I couldn’t help thinking about the environmental impact of all that extra glass. Extra energy to make the bottles, if not recycled properly, extra glass in the trash/landfills and all.

It’s the exact opposite delivery mechanism mentality from the NPA, for instance.

But whatever, I’m not actually that concerned about it. Much more concerned about the juice, so shall we?

2005 Marita's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Marita's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

First things first: the wine is damn near black in the glass. It lightens to a rich ruby at the very edges, and mine showed just the slightest hint of tanning near the edge as well.

The nose is incredibly nicely balanced between some fruit aromas—mostly blackberry and rhubarb—and the other side of the cabernet aroma world, namely hints of leather and cigar box and cedar. On the palate, the wine is full bodied, and announces its presence with authority.

But it’s not a fruit bomb. It doesn’t “punch” you, as it were. And at 14%, it isn’t overly alcoholic for its robustness and size. It’s well balanced, all in all. The finish is long, the entire experience is lustrous and smooth, with soft, lush tannins and an overarching elegance that just rocks. It fucking tastes good, too, with fruit aromas of blackberry and black cherries that dance around.

Altogether, this is elegant, grown-up, still delicious wine, with lots of nuance and incredible balance. This is Napa Valley cab, writ large.

Verdict: A-

(full disclosure: this wine was provided to me as a press sample from VinTank)

Tags: 2005, A-, cabernet sauvignon, Legit Juice, Marita's Vineyard, Napa Valley

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May 14th, 2010

Wine That Will Make You See God

2005 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino

I’m not even being all that facetious with the title. Nor am I saying this will make you “see God” in the way that spinning around really fast over and over and over again and tripping over the railing at the Grand Canyon and smacking your head on the way down, or overdosing on heroin, will make you “see God.” That’s too literal.

But there is a reason that wine is made on this planet. There is a purpose, there is a source of inspiration for it. I don’t know if that is “God” or what one person, or another person calls “God,” or if it’s just in some people’s blood, and in some terroir‘s dirt and clay, to make really goddamn good wine.

Whatever it is, this is it. This is the kind of wine, exactly the kind of wine, that makes people into winedrinkers.

Some people ask those of us in the wine blog whateversphere what wine “turned us” really on to wine. I still think for me it was a 2002 Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir I had on Valentine’s Day with my new-at-the-time girlfriend, later-to-be wife shortly after my 25th birthday, but it would have been this wine if I’d gotten to it a half decade earlier.

It’s good.

The ’05 Uccelliera is ruby red throughout the glass, with little to no change towards the edges. I think this is supposed to tell me something, perhaps even something specific, about the wine (newbie alert!!). On the nose is the slightest hint of heat, but only at first, a bit more vigorous swirling and it left and didn’t come back. Two major, major notes run roughshod over the nose: black cherry truffle, and espresso.

It’s so good.

Soft, lush tannins abound in this medium-bodied wine. Notes from the nose are present, but translated: more of a stewed cherry with the espresso, plus the introduction of an unmistakable—and, frankly, eminently elegant—cigar tobacco note. This wine, in part, tastes like the very best cigars smell.

Yum.

Oh, it also pairs orgasmically (ah, wait, no way, you’re kidding… he didn’t just say what I think he did, did he?) with oxtail—which, by the way, I was tricked into eating. It’s the greatest trick anyone ever played on me, ever, but still, a trick regardless.

Verdict: A

2005 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino

2005 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino

Tags: 2005, A, Brunello di Montalcino, sangiovese, Uccelliera

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April 29th, 2010

Pimento? Pimento.

2005 Clos Pegase Napa Valley Merlot

pimento Pimento? 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)

Tags: 2005, B+, Clos Pegase, merlot, Napa Valley

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March 26th, 2010

Dunn Howell Mountain, Through The (Recent) Years

wine 200x200 Dunn Howell Mountain, Through The (Recent) Years

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to taste a vertical selection of Dunn Vineyard’s Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with cellar master and assistant winemaker, Mike Dunn.

I tasted the wine from the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages, and I have notes to share on each. What I can say at the very least is that Dunn is some very good wine. If you haven’t had it, get your hands on it. There are two labels: Dunn Howell Mountain and Dunn Napa Valley. The former is the more prestigious of the two, with 100% of the grapes coming from the Howell Mountain sub-AVA, whereas the latter will include up to 15% grapes from the Napa Valley floor.

Also a word of warning: these wines aren’t cheap. You’d be hard-pressed to find any of these vintages for less than the $75-$100 range per bottle. So keep that in mind as well. On to the wines.

2002 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

A dark ruby red in the glass, this wine really has the Cali Cab look to it. On the nose is a wonderful wet stone note, a general earthiness, marked with a very dark fruit note (perhaps rhubarb). On the palate are notes of raspberry and cranberry, and while I found the wine nicely structured, the tannins seemed a bit rough for a wine already 8 years from harvest. Perhaps it needs just a bit more time.

Verdict: B

2003 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Even darker-looking in the glass than the ’02, the 2003 Dunn is a dark, dark red. The nose is pleasantly subtle and complex, with notes of black fruit mingling with a leather note. On the palate, this wine felt more mature than the 2002, with softer tannins, good acidity, and subtle notes of raspberry. This is a pretty fantastic Cabernet, and not at all bombastic like some California cult wines seem to be.

Verdict: A-

2004 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Speaking of darkening wine… the ’04 is almost black at its core, though it shifts to a brighter red at the edges, a more extreme shift in color than the first two wines showed. The nose here is a bit hot, either its youth or the 2004 growing season showing its stripes, but it is a bit hard to get around. The nose also shows off some red fruit and a dulled, almost like cooked, blackberry. The wine is clean but strong on the palate, with notes of red fruit and leaves. It’s still a bit too hot, and needs some years, but will probably be very good after some more time.

Verdict: B

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

This vintage shows off a bit more in the glass, the color is a rich ruby red in the core, and fades to an almost pastel color on the edges. And this wine is different from the previous three in other ways, as well: the nose is full of forest floor, mushroom and bark, and pine needles. Awesomely stinky in a way. On the palate this wine shows a lot of structure for its relative youth, soft tannins, a good balance of alcohol and acid, with pleasant notes of smoky leather, red cherry, and earth. My favorite of the bunch by a smidge, I think the 2005 Dunn will be exceptional in 10 years’ time.

Verdict: A-

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

Tags: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, A-, B, cabernet sauvignon, Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley

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March 5th, 2010

This Is Why I Drink Wine

2005 Renato Corino Barolo

I recently posted a collection of wine labels from my recent Mostly Italian Experience at Prima Ristorante on my personal blog, stevepaulo.com. One of the comments I got on Twitter when the post went up was about this wine. With good reason.

The 2005 Renato Corino Barolo is a fantastic wine. Period.

I almost feel like I should end the review here, but it would do this wine no justice at all. First, a caveat: the wine runs anywhere from $30-$45 per bottle retail, and this is a bit pricier than a lot of the wine I review. At under $35, however, I would still say this 100% Nebbiolo wine is a massively good QPR buy.

In the glass, the wine is a nice dark opaque red, that turns enticingly pink at the edges. There is a big, big nose on this wine: rose petals and hanging vines of violets mix liberally with cherry jam. Really gorgeous, and really big and bold. The floral aromatics are something else in this wine.

The wine is full bodied, with a wonderfully-velvety mouthfeel. There is good tannin and balance here, lots of structure. The major fruit notes are a ripe cherry, and a cool and clean red apple skin. Let me explain the last one: some appleness, but simultaneously bitter and sweet and sour, all kind of mixing together. It’s something special, and when I used that term to describe the wine, my wife didn’t believe me and wanted to try it herself.

Now she believes me. So will you if you come across this Barolo. Good, good, good stuff.

Verdict: A

2005 Renato Corino Barolo

2005 Renato Corino Barolo

Tags: 2005, A, Barolo, nebbiolo, Piemonte, Renato Corino

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