The Earth Beneath Our Feet
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Our first bottling from this small production family winery in Calistoga.
My first impressions of this wine, it’s a classic older Calistoga Cabernet. It’s nicely resolved but, not at the end of its life as some have predicted. It is a shade past its prime but, drinking nicely with the exception it’s a touch hot, even after all this time in bottle and when temp’s were not pushing alcohol levels like they can now. However, heat aside, I enjoy wines just the other side of their prime and beyond. Brings out additional complexity-characteristics and are infinitely more interesting.
The nose reveals, stewed & baked fruits of; blackberries, black plum, black cherry extract, black raspberries with some deep blue fruits. Loads of baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Dark spice, dark chocolate, sweet tarriness, mocha, caramel, walnut shells, anise to black licorice, steeped, dark fruit teas, mint/eucalyptus, dry crushed rocks, leather, tobacco, graphite, used charcoal, dark liqueur and cola, dry herbs with dark, red, blue, purple, fresh & withering flowers accented with lavender.
The body is rich, lush, ruby, statin, velvety and thick. The tannins are rounded & softened but, still speaking loudly. The structure, tension, length and balance are in a very good place. This wine has legs to stand for another 5-10 years depending on how you enjoy them. Stewed, candied & baked fruits of; blackberries, black plum, black cherry extract, black raspberries deep blue fruits, purple fruit blend, haunting raspberries with poached strawberries as it sets. Loads of baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Dark spice with good palate heat, dark chocolate, sweet tarriness, mocha, caramel, walnut shells, anise to black licorice, steeped, dark fruit teas, mint/eucalyptus, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, slightly, moist clay, pronounced, fine volcanic minerals, leather, tobacco, graphite, used charcoal, dark liqueur and cola, dry herbs with dark, red, blue, purple, fresh & withering flowers accented with lavender. The acidity is round & exquisite. The long finish is; well balanced fruit & earth, very complexity, rich, delicious and persists endlessly.
Photos of; Stephanie Jones Bailey, Rick and Elaine Jones, Estate view, their Cabernet fruit close to harvest and vineyard staff managing fruit clusters & leafing.
Producer notes...they were founded in 1996. Jones Family Vineyards specializes in estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Thomas Rivers Brown makes their wines, two Cabernet wines...Jones Family Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and The Sisters. TRB also makes an extremely limited production of aged Sauvignon Blanc that is cellared for over 3 years in barrel and bottle.
Jones Family has ten acres of south facing vineyards that lie 600 to 800 feet off the valley floor, resting above the fog line, an ideal altitude for growing Cabernet in the Napa Valley area.
@Paul T- Huntington Beach FYI. — 5 years ago
Château Musar
Bekaa Valley Obaideh Merwah 2005
I was the only one in our group who thought this was fu@king amazing, but that doesn't really surprise me - both rich and light in its feet and a lovely assemblage of honey and earth. — 10 years ago
Felton Road
Block 5 Pinot Noir 2014
Just an outstanding Pinot Noir from Nigel. Everything I expect and more from an amazing region for Pinot Noir.
If you make it to Queenstown, drive out to Central Otago for the vistas & two or three tasting appointments. These photos are from our visit and what would be their early fall. It’s God’s country.
Central Otago has the warm days, cool nights, soil structure and the long growing season that is perfect for Pinot Noir grapes.
The nose shows ripe, candied, floral; black cherries, baked plum, blue fruits, raspberries, blackberries, black raspberries, poached strawberries, cranberries, pomegranate, mixed berry fruit cola, soft spices, mix of red & black licorice, limestone powder, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, smokiness, understated, fresh tobacco, crushed volcanic powder, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, light cinnamon, lightly grilled meats with bright florals of; red, dark, blue, purple flowers framed in a field of violets.
The palate is complex, lush, lively and light on its feet. It’s flat out stunningly gorgeous! Wine candy. Ripe, candied, floral; black cherries, baked plum, blue fruits, raspberries, blackberries, black raspberries, poached strawberries, cranberries, pomegranate, mixed berry fruit cola, soft, dark spices with just the right shade of palate heat, mix of red & black licorice, limestone powder, dry crushed rocks, stones, dry top soils, cherry kirsch liqueur notes, smokiness, understated, fresh pipe tobacco, crushed volcanic powder, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, light cinnamon, lightly grilled meats with bright florals of; red, dark, blue, purple flowers framed in a field of violets. If you are an acid head like me, the acidity is one of the reasons you love the wine. It’s like a cool, gentle river. The long finish last minutes. It is a tremendous, glorious balance of fruit and earth that slides into mid minerals & dark spice.
If you haven’t heard or only thought about this producer’s wines, you owe it to yourself to buy a bottle & see firsthand how incredible they are, both Chardonnay & Pinot. I’ve had other more expensive Pinot Noirs that were not as good as this 2014.
Photos of; my Q&A walk the property with owner and winemaker Nigel Greening, concrete tanks, open top fermenters and their beautiful early fall vistas from the property. — 5 years ago
Charles Smith
Sixto Frenchman Hills Chardonnay 2013
Wow, has this wine evolved brilliantly since we had it in their Walla Walla Tasting Room.
The name Sixto, if I remember correctly, is a guitarist that Charles has great fondness.
The nose is ripe & vibrant. Loads of green & golden apple, Meyer lemon, overripe pineapple, lime candy, mixture of lighter tropical fruits, salted caramel, butterscotch, graham cracker, crème, light butter notes, vanillin, honeysuckle, white spice, herbal quality, beautiful volcanic minerals, spring flowers, yellow lilies and fruit blossoms.
The body is rich, round & thick. It sings on the palate. Loads of green & golden apple, Meyer lemon, overripe pineapple, lime candy, caramelized pear, mixture of lighter tropical fruits, stone fruits, salted caramel, crème, light butter notes, vanillin, honeysuckle, beeswax, honeycomb, marmalade, butterscotch as it warms & opens, some brown sugar/molasses, white spice with some palate heat, herbal quality, limestone/sandstone, soft but, a good presence of woodiness, beautiful volcanic minerals, spring flowers, yellow lilies, mixed greens and fruit blossoms. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; rich, ripe, lush, well balanced fruit & earth with layered textures and persists endlessly. Beautifully, complex Chardonnay that is drinking at its peak with some good years ahead @ under $30 when I purchased it.
Vineyard notes...Frenchman Hills was planted in 1998 and is about a 30-minute drive north of the Wahluke Slope, which is one of the warmest areas in the Columbia Valley. However, the Frenchman Hills Vineyard is a cooler site, partly because of its higher elevation at 1650 feet. It also does not easily frost. The limestone and broken basalt soils at the top of the vineyard were not affected by the Missoula Flood that ravaged much of Eastern Washington some 12,000 years ago. Because of the slightly cooler aspect, grapes hang longer without accumulating excessive sugar and still managing to retain beautiful acidity.
Photos of our visit to their downtown Walla Walla Tasting Room.
— 5 years ago
Château Lynch-Moussas
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
Whenever I have a really older bottle of wine, I think, what was I doing in this case 1989?
About this time of year, I was walking into Candlestick Park for the Bay Bridge World Series while this wine was fermenting. I was walking through the parking lot when the 89 earthquake hit. It was like Godzilla was a Gopher tunneling under my feet. The stadium erupted with a resounding cheer. Earthquake during the World Series...yeah! It wasn’t until an hour later that hard reality set in.
This Chateau Lynch-Moussas is a recent direct purchase from the Negotiant. 89 was a pretty good Bordeaux year. So, why not see how a 5th Growth producer wine evolved over 30 years. It’s a treat to enjoy wine with this much age.
While Lynch-Mousses has improved vastly in more recent vintages, back in the day, they made some nice wines but, not great. This wine shows beauty & elegance but, it lacks fundamental elements of high quality. However, its fruit and structure have held up nicely over the years.
The nose reveals a fair amount of; barnyard, mushrooms, ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & strawberries on the edges of the glass. Black plum skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, black earth, stones, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals.
The body is still full and round. The fruits are still ripe & slightly candied. The wine is still holding an interesting drinking window, it’s on the decline. While that sounds not good, I find them in this phase infinitely more interesting. Ripe; blackberries dark currants, dark cherries, black raspberries & some strawberries. Black plum with skin, dark chocolate, raspberry cola, mocha, caramel, clove, nutmeg, burnt cinnamon, vanillin, tarriness, graphite, leather, old tobacco, dark spice, dry herbs, dark, rich, forest floor, mushrooms, stones, touch of limestone minerals & crush rocks, dry brush, steeped tea with withering red & dark florals with violets. The acidity is round & excellent. The long finish is; rich, ripe, well balanced & intergraded with long drier but, very floral persistence.
Excellent with our steaks. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead with excellent storage. I also miss the 12-13% ABV of the 80’s Bordeaux’s.
Photos of; the entrance view of Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Count Jean-Baptiste Lynch of Ireland and Chateau founded in the 1800’s, the owner/operator since 1961 - Emile Casteja and their barrel room.
— 5 years ago
Bouchard Père et Fils
Le Corton Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2015
Our first on 2015 red Burgundy, so why go half measures! Feet first, here we come. Hitting the decanter I get a sour cherry nose with smokey grape seed, very intriguing. Mouth is light on the barrel notes, nice black cherry and earth/mineral flavors. Paired quite well with cider-braised, then smoked duck breast with new (dug one day ago) potatoes. Not sure which, but either the Burgundy or the duck brought a tear to my eye, both were absolutely amazing. — 7 years ago
Bio-Weingut H. u. M. Hofer
Zweigelt Rosé 2014
If lovage grew at the feet of groves of tangerines and we sat beneath these quenching our thirst eating balled watermelon dressed in lime zest and spearmint. Organic to boot! Among my very favorite rosés to date in 2015. An absolute delight tasted on a Flower Day. — 9 years ago
Jay Kline
It was Father’s Day and I had decided on grilled rack of lamb for dinner so I selected this bottle of 2011 Chateau Musar rouge from our cellar. According to Musar’s records, the 2011 vintage was one of the most challenging since the early 1990’s. It was ultimately a late-maturing vintage with harvest taking place on October 13th, the latest since the 1983 vintage!
I decanted this bottle about eight hours prior to dinner. It should be noted that immediately upon opening, the bouquet was strikingly gorgeous with powerful aromatics that were obvious from several feet away and this trait carried through until dinner time.
In the glass, the wine presents a deep garnet color. Slightly turbid with a near opaque core. On the nose, black plums, blackberries, cassis, tobacco, organic earth, exotic spices, leather, spiced meat, and pomegranate. I detect a touch of VA as well. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the nose with an added bit of red rope licorice. Lovely, long, savory…amazing. This was a brilliant compliment to the lamb (which was served with beets and goat cheese and fattoush) and everything I wanted in a Musar tonight. Drinking well now with a hefty decant and I expect well cellared examples to drink well past 2035. — a year ago