A Marriage Of Livermore And Napa Cab Sauv
Back to the Small Lot series of wines from Wente, which gave us the pretty incredible 2007 GSM. This too is a blend, but not of varietals.
The 2007 Small Lot Duetto is 100% cabernet sauvignon. Where the blending comes in, is where these cab grapes come from. 51% are from the Livermore Valley, and 49% are from the Napa Valley. It makes for a very interesting, very fun cabernet.
First, Wente really avoided the Cardinal Sin of California Cab: this wine is in no way overoaked. There are no notes of tobacco, or nuts, or trees, or whatever. On the nose is a pleasant bouquet of black fruit, mainly blackberry and black cherry.
The wine is a bit chewy in the mouth. It’s got body and really feels full and heavy. The black fruit notes from the nose are joined on the palate by some very light spice notes and a remarkable sour red raspberry note.
It’s the kind of wine you swirl, and enjoy the color. You sniff, and think “yeah, smells like a good cabernet.” Then you sip, and are surprised. Pleasantly so, that this wine brings something to the table that many others do not, or cannot.
A very good cabernet that, unfortunately, may be very difficult to get ahold of. But if you get the opportunity, take it. The Duetto won’t disappoint.
Verdict: A-
A Taste Of Napa From Livermore?
I had a discussion with a friend recently about whether our local Livermore Valley chardonnays ever offer the same kind of buttery, oaky oomph that the Napa Valley got famous for. Some might consider that fame to instead be notoriety, but as I firmly believe: to each their own. She loves the big buttery oak. My personal favorite from Livermore is Steven Kent’s Merrillee, but it’s a distinctly acidic, citrusy chard. Not her speed.
This one might be a bit closer, but, I think, still misses the mark. One of Wente’s premier series of wines (along with the Small Lot wines), Nth Degree offers some of the Livermore Valley’s better wines.
The Nth Degree Chardonnay is a bold, golden yellow color that looks great in the glass. On the nose are some really fresh pear and apple notes. The palate definitely featured a butteryness, but it was of a nutty, rather than oaky nature. It’s light in the mouth, and features a nice light citrus acidity.
In other words, although it kind of looks like a Napa chardonnay, and is buttery, it’s just not the same. Which, frankly, works for me. There’s a hint of what made Napa famous, but this is a great example of a Livermore white wine.
Verdict: B+
I Had Never Heard of 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+