Turley is one of the most well known and premier zinfandel producers in California. 2005 produced many strong wines for Turley. They make wonderful single vineyard Zinfandels and Syrahs (from what I have had) and others. Tofanelli is a well now vineyard for zinfandel. I have had Schrader zins from this vineyard as well.
Taste Review Note
This Turley had nice sweet and sour cherry aromas with some light coffee and green elements. The body was full but not thick or over done. It tasted a little older than the 2005 vintage on the bottle (that's a good thing here). The mouthfeel was not heavy. The 15.5 alcohol seemed nicely intertwined here. The palate offered good tastes of rasberries and dark fruit with some semi sweet chocolate and had very good balance with nice acidity.
The semi sweet chocolate was on the finish which was clean and rich. No heat with decent length. A good Zinfandel from Turley without the heavy price that some others come in at from this producer.
90 Points
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Joe Czerwinski Wine Enthusiast Column May 2009 - Taking Proper Care of Fine Wine
If you get a chance to pick the May 2009 edition of the Wine Enthusiast magazine, please do so. Joe Czerwinski wrote a column on a subject that I have thought about and wrote about myself - the conditions of wines that are shipped and stored before it reaches us.
I always chuckle when I read posts on forums about people who bought this Eurocave or even lower end Haier wine storage units and complain how they don't keep perfect humidity levels or the temp jumps from 55-59 degrees too frequently. I always reply that we - let's say the semi to serious wine drinker store our wines like they were babies compared to how many importers, distributors and stores do. Have you ever driven to your local wine store on a hot summer day and notice a truck backing up near the door to unload cases of this and that?
How many times have you walked in a store and it is at least 75 degrees in there - with a bright store light beating down on the bottles, customers handling the wine and putting back hundreds of times. It's really amazing that much of this wine by the time we take it home is even drinkable. I shake my head every day. Now for the cheaper "drink now" wines and the consumers who enjoy them - it may not matter and let's be honest, that's the consumer most stores shoot for. Still, it really bothers me and it is why I prefer to buy my wine from the producers themselves and age it myself or through reliable auction house where the history of the wine is documented.
Taking proper care of wine is too often NOT a high priority for the various hands involved in the shipment and stroage of these wines - especially delicate or long term aging wines.
I will not buy older wines in any store because of this. I will buy at auction if the wine has been stored by a private collector. I have much more fath in that.
Either way, the wine enthusiast is good this month and Joe Czerwinski stuck a cord with me on his column. Well done!
Custom Search
I always chuckle when I read posts on forums about people who bought this Eurocave or even lower end Haier wine storage units and complain how they don't keep perfect humidity levels or the temp jumps from 55-59 degrees too frequently. I always reply that we - let's say the semi to serious wine drinker store our wines like they were babies compared to how many importers, distributors and stores do. Have you ever driven to your local wine store on a hot summer day and notice a truck backing up near the door to unload cases of this and that?
How many times have you walked in a store and it is at least 75 degrees in there - with a bright store light beating down on the bottles, customers handling the wine and putting back hundreds of times. It's really amazing that much of this wine by the time we take it home is even drinkable. I shake my head every day. Now for the cheaper "drink now" wines and the consumers who enjoy them - it may not matter and let's be honest, that's the consumer most stores shoot for. Still, it really bothers me and it is why I prefer to buy my wine from the producers themselves and age it myself or through reliable auction house where the history of the wine is documented.
Taking proper care of wine is too often NOT a high priority for the various hands involved in the shipment and stroage of these wines - especially delicate or long term aging wines.
I will not buy older wines in any store because of this. I will buy at auction if the wine has been stored by a private collector. I have much more fath in that.
Either way, the wine enthusiast is good this month and Joe Czerwinski stuck a cord with me on his column. Well done!
Custom Search
Monday, April 13, 2009
2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
I started opening a few Kosta Browne Pinot Noirs from 2005 and 2006. The 2007 Sonoma and Russain River Valley wines just got delivered a few weeks ago. The 2006 bottles seemed approachable over the winter, but certainly not unworthy to age for several years.
Wine Note
The aroma of the Russian River Valley had a nice fresh smell of rasberry, spicey berries that great RRV pinot noirs give. The taste had nice rounded flavors of cherries, cranberry and nice pepper spice. It also carried some sour cherries on the back end which is another characteristic of many Russian River Valley pinots - and Kosta Browne in particular.
The finish was clean and sharp, but not overly complex. It's still young and complexity, even with a producer and wine this good generally comes with some age. Few bottles are ultra "complex" in year 1 or 2.
The alcohol on this 2006 was 14.9% and I thought it integrated well.
91 Points
I thought this carried more weight and the fruit was more pronounced on the Russian River Valley wine vs. the Sonoma. I have not had the pleasure of drinking any of their highly acclaimed single vineyard Pinots. Would love to try them some day. I haven't been offered any yet.
Custom Search
Wine Note
The aroma of the Russian River Valley had a nice fresh smell of rasberry, spicey berries that great RRV pinot noirs give. The taste had nice rounded flavors of cherries, cranberry and nice pepper spice. It also carried some sour cherries on the back end which is another characteristic of many Russian River Valley pinots - and Kosta Browne in particular.
The finish was clean and sharp, but not overly complex. It's still young and complexity, even with a producer and wine this good generally comes with some age. Few bottles are ultra "complex" in year 1 or 2.
The alcohol on this 2006 was 14.9% and I thought it integrated well.
91 Points
I thought this carried more weight and the fruit was more pronounced on the Russian River Valley wine vs. the Sonoma. I have not had the pleasure of drinking any of their highly acclaimed single vineyard Pinots. Would love to try them some day. I haven't been offered any yet.
Custom Search
Friday, April 10, 2009
Online Auction Buys - Bottles Bought At Auction March
I have been posting my online auction buys recently here. I have found wine values can really be had given the state of the economy. Unlike stores that are reluctant to reduce wine prices as they already have their cost built in so their spread will shrink. Many will just wait out walk in buyers who will hopefully buy the wine off the shelf eventually. Auctions work differently.
Auctions are in the secondary market where buyers are more motivated and the auction houses just want to make the vig and other fees for transactions, so they just want the wine sold. Thus, when there are less wine buyers and bottles stay unsold for a few rounds, weeks or longer - steals and deals can happen. I'm only looking for good deals. Everyday wines or more established bottles. Reds, whites, doesn't matter to me.
Anyway, last month this is what I was able to pick up:
2005 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz $20.00
2006 Hogue Riesling $5.00
2006 Kutch Mcdougall Ranch Pinot Noir $55.00
2005 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli Vineyard $30.00
2005 Hanna Estate Chardonnay $10.00
2005 Paringa Individual Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $5.00
Custom Search
Auctions are in the secondary market where buyers are more motivated and the auction houses just want to make the vig and other fees for transactions, so they just want the wine sold. Thus, when there are less wine buyers and bottles stay unsold for a few rounds, weeks or longer - steals and deals can happen. I'm only looking for good deals. Everyday wines or more established bottles. Reds, whites, doesn't matter to me.
Anyway, last month this is what I was able to pick up:
2005 Kalleske Greenock Shiraz $20.00
2006 Hogue Riesling $5.00
2006 Kutch Mcdougall Ranch Pinot Noir $55.00
2005 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli Vineyard $30.00
2005 Hanna Estate Chardonnay $10.00
2005 Paringa Individual Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon $5.00
Custom Search
Monday, April 6, 2009
You Tube Wine Videos
I wanted to take a break from posting wine notes and mention a great way to spend time drinking a bottle of wine (I guess a glass is good enough for some! lol). youtube just has some terrific wine videos on there. I don't know about you guys but if I'm by myself in my home office (many times on purpose - wife and 2 kids) with a wine, I love to watch and listen to wine themed videos.
Not only are many of the wineries themselves making great on-site videos, but also just visitors and regular people with a video recorder of course.
Just typing in "napa wineries" or "Bordeaux Harvest" "2005 Burgundy" and dozens of other great searches really gives nice wine videos to geek out with while sipping something special. I was watching a great vid the other day by Chateau Palmer presented by the owner in the vineyard! - talking about sugar levels, when they look to pick and so much more. It really was awesome.
I am also a fan of Wine Library and Gary Vaynerchuk. I know some people think he's a little over the top but I think it's great. His videos are not 3 or 4 minutes, which I hate. They are 20 minutes or so and are very informative. He's honest and regularly pans a bad wine even though Wine Library probably has 100 cases of it. I like the guy and what he does. Ok - I'll leave that there.
I really love the small winery or even better - small vineyard owners. Some vineyards are so special that they grow and sell grapes to several quality producers. In California, you'll see bottles with wine grown from Gary's Vineyard or Shea Vineyard in Oregon and so on. Some of these growers have wonderful homemade videos of their life and what they do.
These vids are great to hang out with and escape to. Some people need more escaping than others I guess....
Not only are many of the wineries themselves making great on-site videos, but also just visitors and regular people with a video recorder of course.
Just typing in "napa wineries" or "Bordeaux Harvest" "2005 Burgundy" and dozens of other great searches really gives nice wine videos to geek out with while sipping something special. I was watching a great vid the other day by Chateau Palmer presented by the owner in the vineyard! - talking about sugar levels, when they look to pick and so much more. It really was awesome.
I am also a fan of Wine Library and Gary Vaynerchuk. I know some people think he's a little over the top but I think it's great. His videos are not 3 or 4 minutes, which I hate. They are 20 minutes or so and are very informative. He's honest and regularly pans a bad wine even though Wine Library probably has 100 cases of it. I like the guy and what he does. Ok - I'll leave that there.
I really love the small winery or even better - small vineyard owners. Some vineyards are so special that they grow and sell grapes to several quality producers. In California, you'll see bottles with wine grown from Gary's Vineyard or Shea Vineyard in Oregon and so on. Some of these growers have wonderful homemade videos of their life and what they do.
These vids are great to hang out with and escape to. Some people need more escaping than others I guess....
2005 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah
Switchback Ridge is a small production (ok cult) winery in St. Helena California. They make stunning Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I have had their petite sirah before. I have wanted to try their sauvignon blanc as I have heard it's one of the best in California. Hint: You can email me to arrange a quick case to taste if the Switchback people are reading.
This wine had a deep and dense color with initial aromas of sweet leather, dark chocolate, cherries and some coffee grinds actually. Pretty expressive nose and it's evolving with a little apple too. I'm not being a show off wine-snoot here! The aromas really are complex on this 2005.
The taste shows rich dark fruit of blackberry and currants that is full bodied but not too thick or chewy. Almost aged cabernet like in the fullness and finesse of the fruit without the heavy tannins or dryness of new cabernets.
The finish is lingering. Drink now out to 5 years. Air out if drinking now though.
92 Points
Switchback knows how to do Petite Sirah for sure.
This is one of the best Petite Sirahs I ever had for sure. Grace, power and complex. Not cheap. This will run you north of $45 and that's if you can even find it. Oh wait - you can find it below if you search! (by one of our sponsors)
This wine had a deep and dense color with initial aromas of sweet leather, dark chocolate, cherries and some coffee grinds actually. Pretty expressive nose and it's evolving with a little apple too. I'm not being a show off wine-snoot here! The aromas really are complex on this 2005.
The taste shows rich dark fruit of blackberry and currants that is full bodied but not too thick or chewy. Almost aged cabernet like in the fullness and finesse of the fruit without the heavy tannins or dryness of new cabernets.
The finish is lingering. Drink now out to 5 years. Air out if drinking now though.
92 Points
Switchback knows how to do Petite Sirah for sure.
This is one of the best Petite Sirahs I ever had for sure. Grace, power and complex. Not cheap. This will run you north of $45 and that's if you can even find it. Oh wait - you can find it below if you search! (by one of our sponsors)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
2005 Eric Kent Chardonnay Russian River Valley
2005 was an excpetional year for Chardonnay in the Russian River Valley area and throughout much of California. Eric Kent is one of the producers I enjoy from that area. I have enjoyed Chardonnays, Syrahs and Pinot Noir from this producer.
The wine had nice aroams of nuts, sweet butter and light oak. The swirl seemed not to show a heavy oaky chardonnay. It looked light on it's feet. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with full flavors of lemon oil, oak and very crisp acidity - almost spritzy for a chardonnay. I happen to like chardonnays like this. Full flavor but not heavy or over oaked. The lemon flavors are a bit too much on the back end of the palate which knocks a few pointies off - fwiw. Finish is good but a bit simple and citrus driven.
Not that this wine isn't delicious...it is. If you ask me, it's a go. It's really my style. For Chardonnay purists, maybe not. It has a "wee bit" sauvignon blanc flavors and acidity. I don't mind that either. A tasty wine is a tasty wine if you ask me.
Would I peg this as 2005 Russian River Valley? No way. Try some heavies from Kistler and some others and you can literally see in the glass the difference in concentration. I happen to not love the Kistler style myself and their wines are literally double what Eric Kent's are.
This Eric Kent chardonnay can be enjoyed by itself but would be terrific with some raw clams or oysters. The spritz, acidity and other chardonnay characteristics make it a perfect match for cold seafood.
Score for me: 89 points
Enjoy!
The wine had nice aroams of nuts, sweet butter and light oak. The swirl seemed not to show a heavy oaky chardonnay. It looked light on it's feet. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with full flavors of lemon oil, oak and very crisp acidity - almost spritzy for a chardonnay. I happen to like chardonnays like this. Full flavor but not heavy or over oaked. The lemon flavors are a bit too much on the back end of the palate which knocks a few pointies off - fwiw. Finish is good but a bit simple and citrus driven.
Not that this wine isn't delicious...it is. If you ask me, it's a go. It's really my style. For Chardonnay purists, maybe not. It has a "wee bit" sauvignon blanc flavors and acidity. I don't mind that either. A tasty wine is a tasty wine if you ask me.
Would I peg this as 2005 Russian River Valley? No way. Try some heavies from Kistler and some others and you can literally see in the glass the difference in concentration. I happen to not love the Kistler style myself and their wines are literally double what Eric Kent's are.
This Eric Kent chardonnay can be enjoyed by itself but would be terrific with some raw clams or oysters. The spritz, acidity and other chardonnay characteristics make it a perfect match for cold seafood.
Score for me: 89 points
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)