159- Blind Tasting - Nov 26,2008

Trapiche Oak Cask Pinot Noir

158- Toad Hollow Amplexus

Amplexus Crémant Brut Sparkling Wine

In the year 1531, the Limoux region in the south of France began producing a delicious sparkling wine that was much admired and acclaimed. Even before the discovery of Champagne, the Blanquette de Limoux was well known and sought after as France’s first sparkling wine. That tradition continues today.

The wines are grown in a region that enjoys three very different climatic influences. They converge to produce the ideal climates for the production of the grapes that are needed to produce these unique wines.

To the south, the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains provide a cool, slow ripening process that allows the grapes to develop crispness and ample acidity. The fruit from there is allowed to stay on the vine longer, nurturing on the parent for added complexity. To the west, the fruit is under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, with its natural rains and temperate humidity. Third in the trilogy of climatic influences is the Mediterranean Sea. With its warm dry winds, it assures good ripening each season with full maturity and ample degrees of sugar for a major wine. After harvest and a slow cool fermentation, the blends are made and the bottles are laid down on their sides for their secondary and final aging. The wines are left for over two years on the yeast, giving the marvelous Crémant style for which the area is justifiably famous.

The wine is robust, with tiny bubbles and a long elegant finish. It is virtually dry, with a very small dosage, but rich in texture providing a very sensual mouth feel. The blend of grapes for this unusual wine is Chardonnay, Mauzac, and Chenin Blanc in proportion to the yields of the harvest each year and the individual propensities of the wine. We only choose the very best of the wines each year for our Amplexus. It is our Tête de Cuvée! Go ahead, let it go to your head. You will be amused.

157- 2006 Picket Fence Pinor Noir, Russian River

Picket Fence Pinot Noir 2006

Tasting Notes

“The challenge with Pinot Noir is to get enough extract from the grape skins without turning the wine into something too heavy and rustic,” says Van Staaveren. “This wine has an elegant, pure fruit forward style, with brilliant intensity, spice and rich Bing cherry, but with a luxurious density in the mouthfeel. The hallmark of this vintage is the great palate appeal, the fruit coupled with the velvety texture make this a superlative example of Russian River Valley Pinot.”
- Don Van Staaveren, Winemaker

Vineyards

“The Picket Fence Pinot Noir is a harmonious wine grown in the Russian River Valley in Greenvalley vineyard on Westside Road where consistent warm days and cool evenings create the ideal climate for growing Burgundian varietals. The Pinot Noir grapes are hand harvested at night, a labor intensive process that helps retain the freshness and acidity so crucial to well balanced Pinot Noir.”
- Pete Opatz, Vineyard Manager

Vintage

The 2006 season got a late start with a relatively wet, cool spring. The hot weather came in July encouraging grape maturation while the rest of the summer and fall were mild making for a long harvest. The grapes benefited from this added hang time with good Brix at harvest.

Fermentation & Aging

After the optimal short run to the winery the bright grapes were sorted and pressed gently, the juice was fermented in small, open-top tanks then aged in 50% new French oak. Winemaker Don Van Staaveren specified medium plus toast to give the wine warmth and richness.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.5%
Acidity: 0.77 g/L
pH: 3.70
Released: January, 2008
Production: 4,500 cases

156- Yellow Sparkling- Troblesome Bottle

Yellow glen

155- Seghesio Zinfandel 2007

#10 on the top 100 of Wine Spectator!

Sonoma Zinfandel

When Grandfather Edoardo first planted Zinfandel on our Home Ranch in Alexander Valley in 1895, Zinfandel was known as the "boss" grape in Sonoma County. It earned its popularity by thriving in the California sun and providing good color and sugar at harvest. To the many Italian immigrants in Sonoma County, Zinfandel was reminiscent of the fruit-driven wines of their homeland. Because wine was an everyday part of the family meal and, the fact that Zinfandel is drinkable within a year of harvest, it became preferable over varietals that need years of aging.

The Sites: This wine comes primarily from four estate vineyards: Home Ranch, San Lorenzo and River Road in Alexander Valley, and Cortina in Dry Creek Valley. Several of these sites have produced Zinfandel for over a century, while the newer sites benefit from proprietary clones and the most advanced viticultural practices. Yields are kept at or below 4 tons per acre.

The Wine: Every year, we bring in approximately 35 lots of Zinfandel averaging 25-30 years in age. Each of these lots is produced under the careful eye of our winemaker, Ted Seghesio. The best of these lots are selected to make Sonoma Zinfandel. A small amount of Petite Sirah is added to the wine for added complexity. The result is a tantalizing black raspberry and classic briary flavored wine with a balance of components for which Seghesio wines are known.

154- lewis Ethans Syrah 2005

2005 Ethan's Syrah
Sonoma County

Now 7 years old, Alec's younger brother Ethan shows sunny pride in his new Ethan's Syrah, our first bottling since the 2001 vintage. And like the sunflowers and lavender in France this wine displays true Rhone character. From cooler-climate vines, this 100% Syrah blend is infused with smoky fruit, white pepper and wild floral notes. Sweet shadings of violet and bacon frame a pure focused palate, gathering weight and richness in a plush and persistent finish. 300 cases produced.

153- Tommasi Amarone 2001

Tommasi Amarone 2001
DELLA VALPOLICELLA
CLASSICO DOC


Produced from the three Valpolicella grape varieties (Corvina Veronese, Rondinella e Molinara) cultivated high on its hillside terraces. The traditional "pergola veronese" method of training the vines is utilized, and only the best and most mature clusters are selected for AMARONE. The grapes are placed directly onto small open racks and brought to the open sided building where they are dried by the cool breezes of autumn and winter until the following February.

The Tommasi Amarone undergoes a period of aging of at least three years in oak barrels before being placed in bottles for a further period of aging of at least anther year. To produce Amarone means to embrace a labor of love which is not completed at the time of harvest but continues through the winter months. During these months the grapes are reduced in a period of "active lethargy". They seem to be still but within them there are changes taking place that enrich them, giving them new aromas and a deep full flavor. In managing the drying and vinification process it is essentially that the winemakers ( Mr. Dario and Giancarlo Tommasi ) have clearly in mind the wine which he seeks to create. TOMMASI Amarone is a wine which one can proudly serve on special occasions, particularly with red meat roasts, game and ripe cheeses. But it can also be sipped after dinner, before a fireplace, or anywhere as and ideal companion to enjoyable conversation.

152- Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah 2005

2005 Guenoc Lake County Petite Sirah

Created from fruit sourced from vineyards in the Lake County growing
region, our 2005 Lake County Petite Sirah was aged in a combination
of French oak and American oak barrels. This elegant wine is dark,
rich and concentrated with luscious blackberry, spice and licorice
flavors. The unctuous, chewy tannins are a meal in the mouth, and the
overall impression is one of balance. The long, sunny days and cold
nights have proven to be ideal for the ripening Petite Sirah fruit. Lake
County growers have received wide spread recognition for the high
quality wines from the area. Serve with Osso Bucco or other hearty,
meaty dishes like Cassoulet.
Appellation Lake County
Release Date March 2007
pH 3.57
TA .68
Alc. 13.5%

151- 2006 BIEN NACIDO CUVÉE

2006 BIEN NACIDO CUVÉE

This wine is 50% and 50% Viognier. The chardonnay comes from our first pick at Bien Nacido – Y Block. Most of the viognier is from Bien Nacido, with a small percentage of viognier coming from the Vogelzang vineyard in Santa Ynez. We pick the viognier ultra-ripe (around 25.6° brix), which on its own would be too heavy and cloying. At that ripeness however, the viognier aromatics are amazing. We blend it with chardonnay that was picked, in this case, at 22° brix, which reigns in the alcohol (13.5% here) and gives the wine structure and acidity.

The various lots were harvested, fermented and aged separately. The grapes were whole cluster pressed, the juice chilled and settled overnight, fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels for 5 month and allowed to go through malo. 2613 cases were bottled in March 2007.

This wine is pure pleasure. I don’t think of it in terms of this vintage being better than that vintage, and I don’t age it. Sure, I keep some in the library for fun – but the point of this wine is freshness and youthful exuberance. If you buy a few bottles, put them right in the refrigerator – they will disappear quickly! If you buy a case, drink it up before next spring when we release the next vintage.

150- Artesa Pinot Noir 2006 -carneros

2006 Pinot Noir, Carneros

An exuberant expression of great Carneros Pinot Noir. Refined and elegant aromas of raspberry, cherry and red currant. This wine is beautifully subtle and multi-layered with oak spices of clove, all spice and smoke. Good structure gives this wine a mid-palate weight and silky sensation from start to finish. A perfectly balanced Pinot with just a gentle tingle of acid which keeps the berry fruit lively.

149- Fetish The Watcher Shiraz 2004

148- Glen Carlou 2004 Syrah- cork'd