The Royal Tannin Bombs

A thankful departure from the usual Bordeaux I am certain, but we do return this month to Switchback Ridge, my new favourite winery.  This time around for the Wine of the Month we have their Petite Sirah.

These notes are from a blind tasting I did up against the T-Vine Napa Valley 2007 and Four Vines Heretic Paso Robles 2007.  The SB blew them both away, and T-Vine was not my style as it was light in structure which is fine if that’s what you want – my question to you is – you do realize you’re drinking Petite Sirah don’t you?  Anyway…

Oaky charred floral earth pine needle with underlying molasses and brown sugar.  Chalky intense tannins; makes your tongue curl from side to side.  Solid acid.  Incredibly rich and layered mouthfeel, heavy yet balanced, rich.  Defines opulent more than any wine I’ve tasted.  On the finish there’s chocolate going on for many seconds – a “real” finish here.  Overall she has great acid to balance the structure and a great finish – like chewing on a slab of dark chocolate.  This thing is built Built BUILT.  Not my favorite nose, but it is bizarre and complex which is the most important thing.

It appears I’ve given it probably my highest score ever, but then in another blind tasting with the group I gave it an 87 and it came in third (to the Rosenblum Cellars Rockpile Reserve and Rosenblum Cellars Pickett Road).  Still, I gave this review in a blind tasting so I think it’s fair and deserves the accolade.

2007 Switchback Ridge Peterson Family Vineyard Petite Sirah, 16.8% abv, $56
Bad Man: 94

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2006 Granite Sprints Winery Petite Sirah Fair Play AVA El Dorado County $20 13.7% abv – available only at the winery which was purchased by Latcham Vineyards in the 1990s.

It’s a very good wine.  Slightly sweet nose with dark and red fruit accompanied by a touch of pepper.  In the mouth it’s lush blueberries and black fruits, quite filling and possessing solid acidity, with slight chalky tannins on the back palette but no bitterness or over-ripeness.  Slightly proportioned, this is not a monster but is elegant and refined, yet not restrained.  Straightforward and true to the varietal, this is a compelling Petite Sirah and I highly recommend it!

7 out of 10 small stellated dodecahedrons.

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Well at least it’s not Bordeaux, Bad Man chuckles ponderously to himself after the last 2 months of Gironde WOTM entrants.  But close enough – same varietal.  Up this month is my new favourite winery discovery – Angwin’s Switchback Ridge.  Everything I’ve tasted from these guys has that expansive mouthfeel, that rich lushness so important to the middle of a “complete” wine.  This month’s “Wine of the Month” is their Merlot.

Take heed that these guys don’t own the vineyards from which these grapes grow, so there is no assurance that they can maintain consistency from year to year.  I’m sure they’ll respond here to let us know they have a long-term contract and vineyard loyalty – we surely hope this is not an issue as we await future vintages.

Here are my (Bad Man’s) notes from a blind tasting the other night where I ranked it third – behind Pahlmeyer and Lewis; for those keeping score at home.  Hot cherry peppermint fish market nose over firm acid and integrated tannins giving way to a rich full-bodied structure with great abundance of dark fruit.  The finish consists of dry dark chocolate, but this wine is all about the attack.  It’s tremendous up front, just at the start of the palette.  It has a lavish killer mouthfeel…  But the nose is just awful – hence the score is relatively low.  If the nose weren’t a factor, this is an easy 88+ pointer.

2007 Switchback Ridge Napa Valley Peterson Family Vineyard Merlot, 14.0% abv, $55
BM: 84

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Yikes – Bordeaux once again takes top honours here in January of our new year 2010.  This is a solid right-bank wine, not too pricey yet still a rewarding performer.  I misplaced my notes but we’ll be sure to include this in our next Saint-Émilion tasting so come back and read about it then – that should be sometime around May.

2004 Château La Fleur Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 14% abv, $38
92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc 35 year old vines, clay-limestone soil, 18 months in French oak, 90% new.  2200 cases.
Bad Man: 89

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I (the Bad Man) tend to drink Bordeaux, but I do try to make sure other varietals and regions are represented here in our Wine of The Month postings.  Not so this month – being unemployed and looking for a bargain, this $15 9 year old Bordeaux is the clear daily drinker winner!

It’s got that great aged Bordeaux nose, and the fruit hasn’t fallen out yet.  I bought a case of which one bottle was corked, so drink now.  Mostly Merlot I’m guessing from the appellation, but also some Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a little Petite Verdot, from what I’ve read.

2001 Château de La Rivière Fronsac, 12.5%, $14.99
Bad Man: 85

This is the largest producer in Fronsac; here’s a pic of their place:

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As we head into the cold winter months, let’s break open a case of good Santa Cruz Cab.  And true to form, we weren’t disappointed when we dipped into this blend from Mount Eden Vineyards.  Tasted on multiple occasions, some blind some not, this is a consistent winner and solid contender for this installation of WOTM.

From my (Bad Man’s) last blind tasting:
Expansive finish of coffee and cherry.  High bright acid.  Burnt chocolate on the top palette, very soft hot fruit in the front, a lighter bodied wine with brash expression.  Complex dusty finish.  Everything she’s got is in the finish (and nose); some layering, density and finally structure.  But in the front and middle it’s all bright fruit and little else.  Solidly yummy earthy nose with dark fruit and tar, smoke, mushroom and barnyard – I’m impressed!  Perfume and spice and all that’s nice, but let’s face it; this is a showgirl on this tasting.

88-90 points

2005 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate bottles #01644 #02481, 13.9% abv, $39.99
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc

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Whattado royals; whattado? (My homage to raging crush: TV’s Craig Ferguson)! Long time no blog so let’s dive right in, shall we.

A few weeks ago, I was shopping at my neighborhood Trader Joe’s and overheard a clerk singing the praises of an unseen red wine in the Italian section. Ears pricked, I moved in to investigate the source of the praise and encountered a bottle completely unfamiliar to me so I queried the merchant about this stranger on the shelf. He assured me this was a big, juicy fruit bomb with no tannins to speak of, but terrific acidity.  At $3.99, my curiosity was easily satisfied and I carted my find home for some Royal treatment.

The wine in question? Archeo Sicilia Nero d’Avola 2007.  I’m still somewhat of a novice regarding wines from the Boot but was eager to give this bottle a try given the one/two punch of low price/high praise. Popped, poured and with very little wait, “I went in”. I was immediately struck by the huge berry character, slight soft tannins and jammy finish. Yeah, another economy friendly red to add to my winter cellar stores! But it doesn’t end there. When I went back to buy more, I noticed another offering of this newly discovered varietal for only one dollar more and thus a mini-tasting under $10 was born.

I’d be lying if I said I tasted these blind (the BadMan would not be happy with this) but I made every effort to insure my impressions were honest and unbiased. This tasting was more about getting to know the varietal and its nuances than finding a clear winner, so pen in hand, the tasting began.

The contenders:

Archeo Sicilia Nero d’Avola, 2007, 13% abv, $3.99

Epicuro Sicilia Nero d’Avola, 2007, 13% abv, $4.99

Archeo Sicilia Nero d’Avola, 2007: deep garnet in color, the aromas of warm spiced dark berries leapt from the bowl with just a dusting of cocoa for good measure. The acids balanced the layered, jammy fruit nicely. The mouthfeel was soft and silky and the finish showed glimmers of spice box and just the right amount of acidity. Tannins were so soft as to be a non-factor, yet this wine was neither cloying nor overly simple. A solid 86-88 point wine for less than the cost of a Happy Meal. What’s not to love?

Epicuro Sicilia Nero d’Avola, 2007: deep inky brownish-red in the glass, there was a noticeable vein of vanilla running through this floral tinged berry mash wafting skyward. The bright acid presence was the perfect foil to the rustic fruit. It was plush, full and layered in the mouth and a whispering of fine-grained tannins compliment the dusty body and extend the warm juicy finish very admirably. Easily an 87-89 point red. I’m “in like” for sure.

I’ll certainly buy both of these wines again, and will be seeking more examples of this pocket friendly varietal. The Epicuro is a more fully realized wine, with elements not unlike my beloved Zins: yielding nose; rich mouthfeel; and dark rich fruit, warm spice, and vanilla from front to finish. Good alone, with meat or classic red sauced dishes, it’s hard to find a better value. Chin-chin!

Thoughts, comments, and/or suggestions for other unsung or under-sung wine values for a cellar mistress on the dole?

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This is an Italian jewel, definitely one of my favourite wines outside Bordeaux. The 2005 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove from the Bolgheri appellation in Tuscany, Italy, is this month’s WOTM. It has a big strapping body, a little oily on the palette with dark ripe fruit; highly recommended by the Bad Man.

2005 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Le Serre Nuove Rosso Tuscany, 14% abv, $47.99.
35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

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This epistle is late because I was in Japan, where I was fortunate enough to spend time with fellow members Hamakko and his yet-to-be-named-but-definitely-in-the-club girlfriend.  Enjoying a superb wine tasting most every night for my duration, one particular evening’s sampling featured a pair of Bordeaux in an ongoing battle we called the Left Bank/Right Bank war.  Hamakko is particularly fond of Left Bank Bordeaux, while I (the Bad Man) find the lushness of Merlot most satisfying, often found more predominantly in the Right Bank (although note that great Left Bankers – like one of my all-time favs Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, Grand Cru Classé Pauillac – do often have 50% Merlot, so I don’t consider those supporting what I have against Left Bank Bordeaux).

This evening’s line up consisted of:
2006 Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe Comtes Von Neipperg Côtes de Castillon, 13.5% abv, 2,500 ¥ (approx. $28 USD)
2005 Chateau Moulinat Haut-Médoc, 13.5% abv, 3,150 ¥ (approx. $35 USD)
60% Cab Sauv, 35% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc
(note that this is not the Pomerol which appears mostly in my searching on the web; sadly I can’t locate much about this particular wine)

As the Left Bank contender won my favour on this occasion, overall I found in my fortnight’s stay that in all other pairings (there were three formally) I declared the Right Bank the superior.  But that’s a separate blog.  Note however for completists that the above D’Aiguilhe is not the same as the Château D’Aiguilhe featured within these same pages on a previous WOTM – this Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe from what I understand – and the price point bears witness – is their second label.  But enough about Right Bank – let’s talk about this Haut-Médoc already!

Okay, I have to start with the basics.  Usually we look at colour just to look at colour; perhaps to see the tawny tinge around the rim of a 20 year old claret, perhaps to swirl and see the inky black stains of what promises to be a monstrous Petite Sirah.  But in this instance I was blown away by this Haut-Médoc’s fabulous colour – it was precisely what I think a beautiful Bordeaux blend’s coloration should imbue – inky dark with a blood-scarlet rim – zero fade.  Hamakko just installed a wonderfully aesthetically pleasing kitchen overhead lamp in his home, so all the wines we sampled showed their true colours so to speak, but this girl was spot on!

Once past the awesome visual appeal, I settled in to examine the nose.  Here we have a stunning portrayal on everything that is the Bordeaux nose – cassis, tar, musk, black currant, chocolate – plus some fried egg and horse manure thrown in for good measure.  And this baby was not closed – the smells leapt from the glass, hurling themselves into your olfactory centre.

Not to be outdone, the mouthfeel took names.  Gnarly tannins, intense dark fruit flavours, expansive presence on the palate; and showing great promise for aging as there was a little disconnect between the fruit and the structure – I believe they’ll tie together over time.

Bad Man: 91

As I alluded above, since this Haut-Médoc is only 60% Cabernet Sauvignon I don’t think it’s a fair contender for this whole LB/RB war, as I would expect at least 75% CS to give the Cab it’s justice and in so doing exhibit its weakness, but I still enjoy saying that I’ll take the defeat in this battle if I get to taste something this remarkable.

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