2005 Trinchero Vista Montone Pinot Noir

The Vista Montone Vineyard is a 120 acre plot located in the cooler region of south Napa Valley to the east of the Carneros AVA. This wine is 100% Pinot Noir (clone 777 and 113) and was aged in 100% French oak (primarily Allier) 52% of which was new wood. It's a relatively small production at 4000 six packs and I think this is considered a reserve wine for this property although I doesn't state it on the label.

Napa Pinot Noir is an interesting animal for me. I have tasted very few which I find world class but there are a few from the Carneros AVA that I have found interesting and quite good. We all know that Pinot is a very difficult grape to grow and with the heat in Napa it makes it difficult to control vigor and over ripening. Pinot need a long cool growing season and most places in Napa just don't provide the optimal conditions.

Anyways......Lets get into the wine!

I always have to remember that 2005 was so long ago. It seems like yesterday when I say it, but it was already 4 years ago when this wine was made. The reason why I'm rambling on about that is the color of this wine seems to be fading a bit towards the edge and is picking up a bit of a copper-brick hue.

On the nose I get aromas of plum, tobacco, leather, cranberry, and cherry. I also definitely pick up the distinct scent of oak, which slightly takes a bit away from the fruit purity. On the palate, intense cherry and cranberry flavors take center stage, along with hints of cedar, coffee, leather, and spice. There is a bit of harsh tannin on the finish that is perhaps a slight bit green in nature. Also the alcohol is creeping into the picture along with the presence of oak.

Overall this wine drinks halfway decent, but the thing I'm worried about is the fruit being swallowed up over time by the oak and alcohol. The way I see it is this wine will do one of two things over the next five years. I could get progressively worse and the oak and alcohol could take over, or the wine could soften out and the flavors could meld together a bit more. Either way it's a risky proposition if you're planning on holding on to this one. 85 points

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Borat Wine Tasting!!! - Hilarious

This is honestly on of the most hilarious things I've ever seen!

Check out this wine drinking Anteater

2005 Twisted Oak Calaveras County *%#&@!

Have your guess at what the label means, but It's almost always commonly referred to as the F**K wine. These guys have a great sense of humor and anytime you grab a bottle of Twisted oak wine, remember to read the back label .

This wine is sourced from various vineyards in Calaveras and is composed of 28% Mourvedre - Dalton Vineyard, 23% Mourvedre - Fodhli Vineyard, 33% Syrah - Tanner Vineyard, 10% Grenache - Dalton Vineyard, 6% Grenache from the Estate vineyard. The wine is aged for 11 months in both new and used French and American oak.

On the nose this wine displays aromas of black plum, wild blueberry, spice, dried herb, and a touch of earth. The more the wine opens up the better the blueberry aromas surface and become pie-like. There is also a touch of black pepper that develops when it opens.

On the palate this wine is very rich and full of ripe fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, spice, molasses, licorice, and mouth coating boysenberry are all flavors that describe the intense, fruit-rich, and complex wine.

I knew this wine had swagger because I had tasted it three or four years ago and remember it being insane. Tasting it now has confirmed that if you can pick up a bottle of this stuff than it's definitely worth the money. I think it's around the twenty dollar range which makes it an absolute steal. 92 points

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2005 Herdade da Malhadinha Nova Monte da Peceguina

Malhadinha Nova’s 2005 Monte Da Peceguina was produced in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The red varieties grown here are Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet and Alfrocheiro. So I am assuming that this wine is a composition of all or some of these varietals. I know from the label that it was aged in French and American oak for 6 months. Believe it or not this wine was hard to find tech data on, but I did find some interesting info. on the winery here -> Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

This darkly colored wine is packed full of intense black raspberry, red currant, espresso bean, cedar, and, dried herb and meats. On the palate the wine shows a bit more red fruit with some nice ripe cherry and red currant. The texture is very silky and refined, which I find quite intriguing considering the ruff and rugged terrain where this wine is made. The finish is full of strawberry rhubarb and red raspberry fruit, combined with a touch of spice, toast, and white pepper.

I really enjoy this wine and was perhaps expecting a bit more power and grit but I'm amazed at the forward fruit and lack of rusticity. I'm not entirely sure how available this wine is, but I would highly recommend seeking it out and purchasing a bottle. It has great finesse, texture, and complexity. 91+ points

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2009 Oregon Pinot Camp

The 2009 Oregon Pinot Camp was an amazing experience to remember and one of the most fantastically planned and executed events I have ever attended.

I'd like to thank all the wineries, winemakers, vineyard managers, and all the personal that made this event possible. It was truly one of the most marvelous occasions and four days I will never forget. The instruction was brilliant and extremely educational and the wines were amazing to say the least.

I've never met a group of people who could answer every question, no matter how wine-nerdy it may have seemed. In fact, the most cork dork questions were answered in an even superior nerdy manner with absolutely no pretension. Here are a bunch of my photos from the event.

2007 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red

The 2007 version of Pillar Box Red is composed of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. The majority of the fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards located in Padthaway, with a small amount from local growers. These vines are grown in various soil types including red loam, black loam & deep sand over limestone. It was aged in 75% French oak and 25% American. 

On the nose I get creamy vanilla notes combined with candied wild raspberry, bramble berry, and lots of oak. The oak is so heavy it almost turns into a creamy coconut type aroma which I often use as a descriptor for wines that are far too over-oaked. 

The flavors are rich and the texture is somewhat viscous, creme de cassis, candied fruits, dark inky black fruits, and even that coconut thing is happening again on the palate. This wine is very clumsy, heavily extracted, and slightly off balance with some bitter green tannins on the finish.

 

I really don't get it...this wine has been amazing in past vintages and has always been one of the best values on the market. Now I feel this wine if far too extracted and grossly manipulated by oak. Maybe my palate has changed to an older world type of liking, or maybe I'm right and this wine has just gone through the shitter. At any rate, I don't fancy it! 72 points

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Why rosé is the perfect summer wine for red drinkers!?

I just had an amazing rosé and realized for the millionth time that rosé is just my favorite wine during the summer months. Most red wine drinkers like myself, tend to enjoy red wine more than white because we feel we can get the complexity in a red for a more reasonable price. This is not to say you can't get equal complexity out of the top white wines, but as a general rule cheap red has more complexity than most cheap white. Anyways, in the summer rosé is the perfect balance. 

Summer time here in my wonderful state of Arizona is simply just not the time to drink big hearty red wines with big hearty meals. If I was to eat a plate of steak and potatoes for lunch with a Syrah or Cabernet every day I would need at least a three hour siesta!! What most people need in the summer is a wine that goes well with lighter cuisine such as salad and sandwiches. 

Take my advice and look no further than rosé and here's why......

1. Rosé is generally more complex than your everyday white like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.

2. Rosé has nice crisp acidity and is very refreshing on the palate.

3. Rosé is an under appreciated category of wine so the prices are reasonable.

4. Rose is amazingly versatile with thousands of foods combinations and cheeses. (My wife made grilled chicken caesar salad and the rosé was the most gratifying pairing I've had in at least a year!)

It's important to get over the stigma of drinking blush wines. White Zin has cast it's plunky shrowd over rosé and it's time people expand their palates to the amazing benefits of drinking the most amazing summer wine! 

Here's a list of amazing rosé's that you should try:

Etude rosé of Pinot Noir - Carneros

Turkey Flat rosé - Barossa, Australia

Francis Coppola rosé of Pinot Noir- Carneros

Domaines Ott - Bandol, France

2007 Planeta Rosé

The 2007 Planeta Rosé is made from 100% Syrah grapes from Sicily. It has a salmon-pink color and soft aromas of wild strawberry, fresh pomegranate seeds, red apple skin, and perhaps a touch of seaweed. It almost has a savory side to it that reminds me of salty foods. 

On the palate this wine expresses flavors fresh pomegranate, cranberry, pink lemonade, and sea salt. This wine comes across really salty for some odd reason. Without knowing too much about the soils where these grapes were grown, I would immediately think they were calcareous in nature and perhaps seashell and beach sand. 

The texture of the wine is also quite round and full and the acidity is very light but shows up on the finish. In my honest opinion this wine is dying for shellfish and would also pair with salmon and capers. This is a great summer wine for red wine drinkers that still want the complexities involved with their favorite Syrah's and Cab's.  The finish is quite extended and the strawberry and light cherry notes are wonderful.  89+ points

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2006 Cass Grenache

This Paso Robles estate grown Grenache is composed of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. Cass Vineyards and Winery is located between Paso Robles and Creston on California's Central Coast. The tech data wasn't available on the winery website so we'll have to assume this wine was aged in oak for some time although I'm not sure what kind. 

Right off the bat I notice that this wine has very powerful aromas of oak, so much so that it almost comes across as coconut creme. Other aromas that I noticed were prune, plum, dates, molasses, and tobacco. 

On the palate this wine continues with the theme of being far too over-oaked with loads of coconut creme flavor mixed with dates, tobacco, molasses, prune juice, raisins, and perhaps some banana runts candy! To be quite honest this wine doesn't really appear to be wine at all! In fact it would probably be best poured over ice cream, either that or down your sink drain. Not much fruit here besides creamy coconut, dates, and prunes........ 75 Points

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