1990 Sori Paitin Barbaresco
Vintage: 1990
Producer/Winery: Paitin di Pasquero-Elia
Wine: Sori Paitin Barbaresco (single-vineyard)
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Appellation: Barbaresco
Varietal Composition: 100 % Nebbiolo
Aging: 24 months in 50% new Slovenian oak
Climate: Continental
Alcohol: 14%
Winemaker: Secondo Pasquero & sons
Imported By: n/a
Bottle Value: $80-$100 USD
Production: +/- 1700 cases
Where: Asheville, NC When: May 3, 2009 With Whom: Vijay, Les, Kathy and Dad
Perspective: This was an amazingly smooth, rich and fruit driven Barbaresco that we opened early on in the evening before many more bottles. Upon opening, the wine was tight in aromas and flavors, with medium plus acidity and tannins. After two hours (without decanting), the wine opened up and all the components integrated to form a beautifully organized wine. Clean fruit structure- black & red cherry, pomegranate, red currant-with earthy flavors of dried mushroom and mineral, finishing with a creamy sweet oak. This was a recently released from the distributor in Asheville, NC so it may be available in your local retail store as well. If not this vintage, I hear the 2000 and 2005 is good as well.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear Clarity. Medium ruby core and pale rim. Minimal deposits.
Nose: Clean. Medium plus intensity. Developing aromas of red cherry, violets, forest floor and hints of rusty minerals.
Palate: Off-dry. Medium acidity. Soft medium tannins and alcohol. Medium bodied with pronounced flavors of black cherry, pomegranate, plum, red currants, vanilla and spicy oak. Herbaceous hints of underbrush, iron, and mushroom with a long lengthy finish. The texture was slightly sweet with juicy fruit flavors, lively acidity and supple tannins. A fleshy wine, considering the age and price, very expressive and well structured.
Conclusion: Very good quality. Points for balance, complexity and length. Drink now or hold for another 5 years, but no more.
2005 Condado de Haza
Vintage: 2005
Producer/Winery: Grupo Pesquera
Wine: Condado de Haza
Country: Spain
Region: Castilla y Leon
Appellation: Ribera del Duero
Varietal Composition: 100% Tempranillo
Aging: 18 months American oak / 2 years in bottle
Climate: Continental
Alcohol: 14.5 %
Winemaker: Alejandro Fernandez
Imported By: Classical Wines from Spain
Bottle Value: $30-$35 USD
Production: n/a
Where: Home – Grenada, WI When: August 22, 2009 With Whom: Anh
Perspective: A great surprise to find this wine in Grenada. Alejandro Fernandez has always made good wines and this one is no exception. Inky, dark purple wine with loads of fruit, creamy spices, and firm interwoven tannins. Decanted for thirty minutes and paired with a homemade bacon cheeseburger and fries…wonderful.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear clarity. Opaque, purple core, deep rim. Tiny amount of sediment in the last glass.
Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity. Developing aromas of plum, blueberry, black cherry, vanilla and leather.
Palate: Dry, medium plus acid, tannin, alcohol and body. Pronounced flavors of blackberry, raisin, plum, blueberry and creamy vanilla with hints of espresso, lavender and stony minerals. Lively acidity, well integrated, velvety tannins and a fleshy viscosity. Warm, ripe, expressive, and well-delineated fruit.
Conclusion: Very good quality. Points for concentration, balance and extraction. Drink now or hold for the next 3-5 years.
1978 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port
Vintage: 1978
Producer/Winery: Fonseca
Wine: Guimaraens Vintage Port
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro
Appellation: Porto
Varietal Composition: Tinta Barroca, Amarela, Franco, Nacional, Cao, and Roriz.
Aging: 2 years in oak bottled in 1980
Climate: Continental
Alcohol: 21%
Winemaker: n/a
Bottle Value: $150 USD
Where: Di Vino Wine Bar-Grenada When: August 18, 2009 With Whom: Pete, Anh and Andrea
Perspective: Fonseca Guimaraens vintage port is produced when a classic vintage is not declared in Porto. A light easy drinking port with sweet flavors of cherry brandy and toffee . Not a very complex wine nonetheless very pleasing with balanced components. We paired the wine with a selection of blue cheeses; stilton, blue brie, Roquefort and a Danish blue, and it was great. The wine was decanted for six hours in a glass sealed decanter before we drank it. If you have this in your cellar I would recommend that you drink it soon.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear clarity. Deep ruby core and pale garnet rim. Moderate amount of sediment.
Nose: Clean, medium intense, fully developed aromas of cherry and cassis with hints of oxidized nuts and toffee.
Palate: Medium sweet port with medium alcohol (fortified) and acidity, soft low tannins, light-medium body. Pronounced flavors of kirsch, raisin and plum with nuances of sweet vanilla and cinnamon. Smooth rounded tannins with unctuous sweet fruit texture and lively acidity. Supple viscosity, mellow and evolved.
Conclusion: Good quality balanced flavors. Ready to drink now.
1937 Quinta do Noval Colheita
Vintage: 1937
Producer/Winery: Quinta do Noval
Wine: Colheita
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro
Appellation: Porto
Varietal Composition: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa
Aging: 7 years in oak, then stored in 640 liter mature oak barrels
Climate: Continental
Alcohol: 21%
Winemaker: Antonio Agrellos
Imported By: William Grant & Sons Inc.
Bottle Value: $500-$650 USD
Production: Bottled upon order
Where: Asheville, NC When: May 10, 2009 With Whom: Vijay, Kathy & Les
Perspective: This is one of those wines that you could spend hours and hours tasting. The complexity of this port is amazing. Full of dried tropical and stone fruits as well as savory components of tobacco and roasted nuts then lush and sweet cloying components of toffee, and nougat. The overall freshness of this wine is astounding. Seventy-two years old with many more years of drinkability. This is why I love what I do.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear clarity, medium amber core and pale rim with golden highlights, medium viscosity
Nose: Clean, pronounced and developing aromas of orange marmalade, dried apricot, almond, honey, and white chocolate
Palate: Medium sweet. Medium to medium plus acidity and soft structured tannins. High alcohol (fortified). Full-bodied, pronounced flavors of spicy tobacco, dried fruits, honey, oxidized almonds, toffee, banana, cinnamon, and vanilla. Silky smooth texture, well balanced components with a long creamy finish.
Conclusion: Outstanding quality. High marks for balance, concentration and complexity. Drinking well now and could age for another 10 years or more.
1997 Chateau Cheval Blanc
Vintage: 1997
Producer/Winery: Chateau Cheval Blanc
Wine: Premier Grand Cru Classé
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Appellation: St. Emilion
Varietal Composition: 58 % Cabernet Franc, 42 % Merlot
Aging: 18 month new French Oak
Climate: Maritime
Alcohol: 13%
Winemaker: Pierre Lurton
Imported By: n/a
Bottle Value: $125-$200 USD
Production: +/- 9,000 cases
Where: Asheville, NC Flying Frog When: May 10, 2009 With Whom: Vijay, Kathy & Les
Perspective: Being such a huge fan of Cabernet Franc and the appellation of St. Emilion, it’s hard not to love this wine, even if it’s not the best of vintages. Very lean in structure with wood tannins over the fruit and acid still very much alive. We decanted this for two hours and by the time we finished, it had been open for four hours at which point it started to seal back up. It showed the best at 3 hours in. Very terroir driven, with mineral and tobacco notes supporting the black and dried fruits. Still pretty tight though it had moments of complexity it was a shy wine. Like to revisit this in a year or so to see how it develops.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear clarity, deep ruby core and garnet rim.
Nose: Clean medium plus intensity with developing aromas of vanilla, smoky oak, black cherry, liquorices, graphite and rusty mineral.
Palate: Dry, medium alcohol & body. Medium plus acidity, medium coarse tannins with pronounced flavors of cassis, black liquorices, cherry, tobacco and raisin. Herbaceous hints of green peppercorns, earthy tones of gravel, iron and smoke.
Conclusion: Good quality Bordeaux. Complex with good length. Drink now over the next 5 years.
2000 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Vintage: 2000
Producer/Winery: Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Wine: Comtesse de Lalande Second Growth
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Appellation: Pauillac
Varietal Composition: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 6 % Cabernet Franc
Aging: 20 months 50 % New French Oak
Climate: Maritime
Alcohol: 13%
Winemaker: Gildas d’Ollon
Imported By: Staccole Inc.
Bottle Value: $150-$200 USD
Production: +/- 20,000 cases
Where: Asheville, NC-Flying Frog Cafe When: May 14, 2009 With Whom: Vijay
Perspective: I love the way 2000 vintages are showing right now. This wine has it all, a blend of all four noble grapes, textbook- lean, rich and firm- Bordeaux. This second growth really maintains its old world integrity and remains a true to form Pauillac. Layers of black fruits intermingled with earthy mineral flavors. I can’t wait to drink this wine all over again.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Clear clarity, opaque ruby core, deep purple rim with medium viscosity. Minute amount of fine sediment.
Nose: Clean pronounced aromas of youthful and developing black currants, sandalwood, violets and underbrush.
Palate: Dry, medium acidity and alcohol, medium plus tannins and body, pronounced flavors of vanilla, smoke, roasted coffee, blackberry, cassis, raisin and plum with herbaceous notes of leaves, graphite and dried mushroom. Fleshy mouth feel with velvety tannins on the mid-palate and stemmy tannins on the finish. Vivid freshness with fleshy viscosity that leads to a long supple finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality Bordeaux. Balanced, complex and youthful. Ready to drink but can last for another 10-15 years.
Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Brut Rose
Vintage: M/V (multi-vintage)
Producer/Winery: Egly-Ouriet
Wine: Brut Rose Grand Cru
Country: France
Region: Champagne
Appellation: Ambonnay-Bouzy
Varietal Composition: 60 % Pinot Noir 40 % Chardonnay
Aging: 3 years on yeast disgorged July 2008
Climate: cool continental microclimate
Alcohol: 12.5 %
Winemaker: Francis Egly
Imported By: Michael Skurnik Imports
Bottle Value: $ 100-115 USD
Production: Grower Champagne- +/- 1,000 cases
Where: Asheville, NC When: May 3 , 2009 With Whom: Vijay, Les, Kathy and Glenn
Perspective: This is one of my favorite Brut Roses. Classic old world style with racy red fruits and mineral. A bit more focused on terroir than Billecart-Salmon’s Rose, which is what I like about it.
Systematic Approach
Appearance: Bright clarity, medium salmon core and golden orange rim with tiny long persistent bubbles
Nose: Clean, medium intense aromas of youthful and developing lees, toast, floral blossom and strawberry
Palate: Off-dry with medium plus acidity, delicate texture, medium alcohol and body, medium plus intensity. Crisp toasty flavors of strawberry, pomegranate, cranberry, raspberry, with sweet spices of ginger and a touch of clove. Long lasting (medium plus) length on the palate.
Conclusion: Very good quality Brut Rose- complex, concentrated, and refreshing. Well defined fruit with velvety and bubbly textures. A truly elegant champagne worth every penny.
Harvest 2009
In three weeks I am leaving the Caribbean and heading to Walla Walla, Washington to work a harvest at Bergevin Lane Winery. Bergevin Lane is a small boutique winery that produces around 8,500 to 9,000 cases of wine. It is the perfect size winery for me to get hands on experience with the winemaker and production manager and really learn something. This is something that I have always wanted to do but I could never take off work for three months to do it. I have this incredible feeling of freedom and can’t wait to dive into the knowledge of wine production. This is the missing piece of my experience and it will contribute a whole new level of knowledge for my future goals of achieving the Masters in Wine designation. This opportunity has energized and inspired me to begin studying viticulture like never before. My new goal is to gain a complete understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and phenology of the grapevine as well as sharpen my knowledge on clones, grafting rootstocks, pruning, trellis systems, and of course all the stages of wine production. This will more than prepare me for my WSET Diploma Certificate and put me one step closer to the MW. I will be blogging about my entire experience as a harvest employee as well as publishing more tasting and study guide notes for all to view. I can’t wait to share this experience and I hope you enjoy reading.