~$45US, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Lone Canyon Vineyard, Napa Valley

Midnight Black Ink.

Of all the wines to spill on the wool rug…

In any case, what was left in the bottle was extremely sturdy (eek Infanticide!) - A tannic beast that evolved very slowly over 7 days to reveal bunches of cherries, plums and leather. Mountain fruit indeed.

For me, this was more of a curiousity at this point - I had no idea what to expect, and I cannot imagine where this will go, and how long it will take to get there - but don’t drink it around toddlers and/or furniture.

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petite Verdot, from a Magnum

A serious cabernet in a read-to-drink style. Deep purple/red. Black currant and blackberry nose; absolutely classic Napa cabernet. Juicy mouthfeel with a framework of fine but nicely perceptible tannins and acidity. Opened over time to deliver secondary spices; clove, cinnamon and rosemary. Thankfully no green flavors, and no oak monster.

A perfect steak wine, and exemplary in it’s flavor profile and character. Really fun to drink, reminding me of a more focused and linear Prisoner. And the larger format was sweet. Worth seeking out.

Fontanafredda Barbera Briccotondo Piedmont 2006: Bright, fresh. Some interesting vegetal notes and sour cherry. Irony (bloody?) and sweet finish. Superb value.

Apex II Cabernet Columbia Valley 2004: Christmas spices, vanilla, currants. Oaked, but proportionate to the fruit. Very friendly, smooth, and full-bodied. Round, soft tannins.

Leviathan California Red 2005: Deep and brooding - black fruit and brambles, with some curry and dusty aromatics. Full-bodied and weighty, liqueur-like. Reminds me of The Prisoner, but with some deeper 2nd and 3rd tier aromatics and a slightly firmer stucture on the back-end. Decadent as all get-out.

All 3 wines were knock-out efforts with the Rib roast dinner - the Barbera being the surprise of the night, Apex being the easiest drinker, and Leviathan living up to expectations and the high bar of winemaker Andy Erickson.

We enjoyed a good sampling of American wines with dinner and dessert - with the  Meredith Lagier coming out on top.
A premier-cru burgundy the next day disappointed in it’s simplicity.

Ridge, Santa Cruz Chardonnay 2004: Phenolic, fresh, restrained oak, green apples. Unremarkable.

Lagier Meredith, Mt. Veeder Syrah 2003: Perfumed, violets, and lavender, elegant medium-bodied, refined acidity and tannins. Lovely.

Rosenblum, Rhodes Vineyard Petit Sirah 2005: Rich and viscous. Maple syrup on ripe berry waffles, with black pepper and cinnamon. Decadent - almost dessert style.

Bouchard, Beaune du Chateau 2002: Red cherry, black olives. Strange raw “fowlish” aromas. Brisk acidity. Young and simple at this point.

Meadowlark Cabernet-Syrah 2005 - Napa Valley: Black currant, green peppers, wet sticks and tree bark. Some petrol notes after some air-time. Juicy and fruit forward, full-bodied and well built. This is good wine - no doubt, but this point in my wine-journey, I’m realizing that I’m just not down with green-pepper in my Cabernet…I know it shows up often, but I can’t do it. Just a personal thing (being allergic to them). Probably wont rebuy.

Baumard Clos de Ste. Catherine 2002 - Loire - Coteaux du Layon (Chenin Blanc): Complex noise of marzipan, peach nectar, baking spices, honey. SWEET! Dessert style. Biting acidity to keep things in balance - but the tongue-coating sweetness won. Viscous. Some unpleasant bitterness right before the finished tainted the overall experience for me. I would rebuy another vintage only if I had some more friends interested in trying it too.

Amisfield Pinot Noir 2004 - New Zealand - Central Otago: Wow. Dr. Pepper, ripe and black cherries, strawberry jam, wild mushrooms, and plush velvet. Expansive and deep, but not over-the-top. Silky. Simply wonderful - a serious effort from NZ showing that they have something unique to say about Pinot. Love it. Rebuy.

~US$35 100% Charbono, Mt. Helena, Napa Valley, California

Deep, opaque purple color. Fascinating nose of Vasoline, tar, barnyard, pine, blackberries and black cherries. Bold and brazen in the mouth, very firm and structured with strong acidity and tannins to keep the fruit from juicing over. Concentrated and energetic - reminding me of a very tannic petit sirah or an extremely fruity italian red. While big and smooth initially on the palate, wine finished a little abruptly - very dry, with a wall of tannins overpowering-but the lingering flavors were very long and persistent. I could see this wine working with well spicy fair - maybe a rustic pork stew?

Overall delicious, - but too young, IMHO. A great expression of an relatively unknown grape - and absolute try for American Syrah, Petit Sirah, and Zinfandel fans.

BTW: Absolute butter on day 2. Open this one up a day early. Seriously.

~$16US 100% Syrah, Carneros, Napa Valley

DECANT DECANT DECANT. I am quickly learning that the wine-enjoyment meter goes way up with patience and decanting. Case in point, this Carneros Syrah had 6 years of bottle age, and for a Cali wine, I though It would be a pop-n-pour. I did, and while it was promising, it had nowhere near the complexity, integration, balance, and drinkability that it had after 3 hours in the decanter. Deep ruby. Nose of blackberries, black pepper and blueberries. Just enough oak to play a part in the overall harmony. On the palate (after decanting), JUICY and lush berries, appetizing, warm-hearted. A pinch of cigar-box cedar and tobacco. Fine tannins make the transition to the from attack through finish purposeful, from juicy to dry. This wine shows the integration and mouthfeel of a much more expensive wine - and really has panache to make this a great value, compared to equally priced bizzombs from Oz (which have a time and a place all their own).

A very well made wine - what Cali syrah-gentsia should use as a benchmark for quality and price. In a perfect world, wines like this (QPR) should be available in every local wine-shop. Just decant it please!!!