Update on 2006 Nomadic Wines Pinot Noir and 2006 LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah
Jon F. really came to town so we could check the progress of the wine we're making at
CrushPad. I had tasted the wines a couple times since we pressed the wine into barrels, but this was the first time for Jon. The wines had improved quite a bit since the last time. The crux of this CrushPad experience is the chance to watch our wines develop.
We first tasted the Nomadic Wines Amber Ridge Pinot Noir. It has developed exactly as I had hoped - it is a very light red color with bright fruit and great acidity. The 667 clone is showing its great aromatics, though it also looks like we should blend in some 115 to give it more structure in the mid-palate. I like the tannins and the acidity, so the trick will be maintaining the bright fruit while giving it the extra structure.
Next, we found the barrel of LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah. This wine has made great strides - the last time I tasted it the wine was chalky, grainy... it tasted like the experience I would have expected when chewing on fruity coffee grounds. At this point, it has integrated and while the coffee and black olive are still the dominating characteristics, the black fruit is coming out and the tannins are coming together. We think it is time to transition into a neutral oak - we don't want the wine to become to vanilla-y or oaky. Thanks to Ty for helping us out.
I am looking forward to chatting with the winemakers about bottling and racking decisions.
After CrushPad, we stopped by the Ferry Plaza for lunch then drove to Fort Mason for the Pinot Days Anderson Valley tasting. I will post notes as soon as I can.
Labels: Crushpad, Jon, LeFavre, Nomadic, Pinot Noir, Syrah, wine
Dinner at Oliveto with Jon Favre and friends
Jon Favre came to the Bay Area to check on our wine, the 2006 LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah. He got in Friday afternoon and fortunately, his buddy Forrest was able to pick him up at the airport. We all met at Oliveto where Jon generously brought some great bottles. We met the rest of our party - Veronica, Shelley, and Shelley convinced her mom to stay for dinner.
The dinner was excellent - most of the dishes exceeded expectations and I am not even sure if we ordered well. The wine service was good, though not great. The waiter refilled the glasses and brought out new glasses, though he didn't take much interest in the wines. I think the highlight was the steak tartare, though I forgot its name on the menu.
The wines were excellent across the board, from the memorable Syrahs (La Chapelle and Reva) to the interesting Barolo comparison... it was a very successful evening. It was interesting to hear about everyone's travels and to talk about the Hospices du Rhone. Hopefully I will attend next year! After dinner we had a great discussion about the organic cotton market - I hope that Shelley's business is successful in building more demand for organics.
The wines (in order):
- 2000 Weingut Josef Högl Riesling Smaragd Ried Bruck - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau (6/29/2007)
A really nice wine to start with - it presented a combination of honeyed peach and sour apple, alternating between sweet and sour... with enough acidity to cut through the salumi appetizer.
- 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/29/2007)
Wow, this was a much better wine than the other vintages I have tried. Less oxidation and less vegetal notes, even though there were some herbaceous notes that added complexity to this wine. Lots of peach fruit upfront, with notes of wax, honeysuckle, and spice. Excellent.
- 1995 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
Of the two Barolos, this was the feminine, more lady-like version. It initially showed bright fruit and it was a touch sweeter. Like a coy lady, it slowly revealed more layers of earthiness, roses, red cherry, and anise. It continued to improve, but it was not a big bruiser.
- 1995 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (6/29/2007)
This was a masculine example of Barolo, at least compared to the Clerico from the same vintage. There was more tar, darker cherry, more tannins, and a gripping finish that defined it as the better wine on that night.
- 1989 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (6/29/2007)
Just before we got to the modern Reva, it was nice to be able to taste this wine and to enjoy its many layers. It was meaty but not lacking in the fruit department, with berries all-around. It clearly was the crowd favorite, as everyone shifted gears after the two Barolos. Some preferred the Reva for its modern fruit forward, but this was a more nuanced wine. It had a long, beautiful finish that made it one of my favorite wines of my 2007 year.
- 2004 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (6/29/2007)
Blackberry, blueberry, pepper, smokiness, tobacco, coffee - this is a wine with lots of layers but great upfront fruit. I like this modern-styled wine... it is definitely fruit-forward but I believe it will get better. Much more complexity than the Saxum and Pax wines.
- 1994 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Mosel (6/29/2007)
This was a nice light wine to finish a meal. I am not sure if, as an Auslese, I would have expected it to be light and refreshing... but it ended up being a good way to finish off. It had citrusy notes and some petrol that blew off. Not a ton of acidity - almost Moscato-like, but not as cloying.
Labels: Crushpad, Jon, Oliveto, wine
Tasting my wines at Crushpad
It was barrel tasting day at Crushpad, so I stopped by to try my wines as well as some of the other barrels being made at Crushpad. I do have some experience tasting out of barrels, but not enough to be able to predict success.
It was interesting to taste so many different wines from many different vineyard sources. There was a lot of diversity in styles, though as a body, they tended to be more modern in style.
When I arrived, the room was filled with people. I am guessing that most of the people who make wine at Crushpad make them with groups, which inflates the number of people at the tasting. I headed straight to the Pinot Noir table, starting with the lightest varietal... though completely forgetting there were white wines available. I gave up on the notetaking early in the evening.
I tasted a bunch of wines at the Pinot table, but none really stood out. The best ones had a balance of acidity and fruit. I was surprised that the Dain samples didn't stand out... it actually is a good thing because it makes it seem like we could all achieve the quality level he is achieving. My Nomadic Wines Pinot Noir had bright raspberry and sour cherry fruit. The mid-palate had great acidity and the finish, while not long, was clean and left a nice taste lingering on the palate.
The LeFavre Alder Springs Syrah that I am making with Jon Favre was whole different ball of wax. Smoky, mocha, coffee, brambly berries... with tannins that are chalky and just shut down your palate by sitting on your tongue and refusing to leave. I know this wine will come around and improve... the question is just how long will it take???
Labels: barrel tasting, Crushpad, Nomadic, Pinot Noir, Syrah, wine
Foreign juice in American wines
So I was at CrushPad earlier this month for the walkaround tasting (where everyone's samples are tables - we, the customers, are trying both our own wines and wines from others).
Anyway, the level of wine sophistication seems to vary from a little geeky to very geeky (like me). I was alone and I mostly eavesdropped into other conversations. One particular conversation caught my ear and I listened to them for a few minutes.
Essentially, two men were talking about non-American wine being included in wines from America. They seemed to be aware that this could happen and they knew that wine
only had to have 75% of its contents from the declared appellation. In fact, that is correct in California, while in Washington/Oregon the requirements are stricter. Rules are also stricter when declaring the county or viticultural area.
What struck me was their (the two men's) expectation that wineries would be honest. They didn't expect this practice would be widespread... but I have the opposite expectation, especially for the large wineries. I doubt that makers of $50 Napa Cabs are mixing in Cabernet from Argentina, but I bet the mass producers use this technique if it saves them costs.
What do you think?
Labels: Crushpad, wine
