Archive for the ‘Cult Wines’ Category
The WineCult recently attended a Blackbird Vineyards wine tasting at WineStyles in Spring,TX and their President, Paul Leary was the guest speaker. TheWineCult first learned of BlackBird Vineyards in the November 2008 issue of the Robb Report, and started our pursuit of finding, and tasting it (See previous BlackBird reviews on this site). The philosophy of Blackbird’s winemaker Aaron Pott is to make hand crafted, terroir driven, Pomerol inspired wines using Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals in the Oak Knoll District if Napa Valley California.
Posted on 2010 08, 07 by pcook
Hello, this is Paul… On a warm Texas evening 22 years ago yesterday, I married my childhood love, Carol. Tonight while hanging out with some friends, both old and new, we were happily surprised when the owner of the local Wine Styles, brought us a little anniversary present. The 2004 Hundred Acre! Wow, it is fantastic.
I’m handing the iPhone over to James to write the review.
This wine has concentrated fruit of baked blackberry, black cherry, current, and dark plum. Black pepper, Spanish cedar, mushroom, tobacco, and forest floor round out the nose.
On the pallet there is a beautiful mineral content, with a great fruit and tannin balanced full mouthful. The finish is long and thick.
Go out and find all you can afford; this wine is an excellent representation of Shiraz and hard to beat.
96 JH – after drinking it longer
95 PC – after drinking it longer 96+
97 DH
This wine is exceptional!
Okay so we have been slacker’s and posted nothing for months. It certainly isn’t because we are not drinking some really special wines. 
Recently we enjoyed a bottle of the 1995 Chateau D Y’quem for a dear friends special birthday, and man was it ever special.
Y’quem is the dessert wine that all others are judged by, and some experts say the best white wine in the entire world.
At Y’quem they proudly boast that only one glass of wine per vine is produced. The grapes are picked one by one at perfect maturity.
This garage wine project from Andy Erikson and Anie Favia is once again outstanding, and for the money is IMO one of the best red blends from all of California.
Leviathan is made by the incredibly talented husband and wife team of Andy Erickson, (Staglin, Hartwell, Favia, Ovid, Dancing Hares, Jonata, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle and Arietta), and Anie Favia (viticulturist for Abreu and Screaming Eagle). You can find many wines on this site that have been influenced by Andy and his wife Annie.
Proprietor: Leviathan Wines
Vintage: 2007
Appellation: 100% California
Varietals: 47% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Syrah, 14% Merlot
Tasting: Beautiful dark black/red in the glass. concentrated flavors of baked Cherry, blackberry, raspberry, scorched forrest floor, toasted oak, black pepper, roasted beef, coffee, and chocolate. On the palate the wine is intensely flavored, full bodied, round, with soft tannins, bright lively acidity and great balance, with a beautiful long velvety finish.
It is really hard to find a more pleasant red wine from California in the mid $40.00 range than this one. Get it and enjoy!
Rating: 93+
Tierra Roja, is very small vineyard, and a very special wine. Located in the eastern hills of Oakville, the property is surrounded by other ultra premium wineries such as Rudd, Screaming Eagle, Joseph Phelp’s Bacchus, Dalla Valle’s Maya, Plumpjack, and more. Linda Neal the proprietor has been growing grapes the Tierra Roja Vineyard since 1987. The first vintage of Tierra Roja was the 2004 vintage and was released in September of 2007 to much acclaim from those that were fortunate enough to get their hands on it. Linda Neal the owner of Tierra Roja has over 20 years of vineyard management experience and is actively involved in the vineyard doing a lot of the work herself. The winemaker for Tierra Roja is David DeSante who has a reputation for detailed planning, and execution, leaving nothing to chance.
If you are a collector of fine wine, you should seek Tierra Roja out, as it is quite memorable.
Recently tasted the 2006 Armada from Cayuse Vineyards in Walla Walla, and it blew us away. Their fifth vineyard, Armada, planted in 2001, contains 3 acres of Grenache, 3 acres of Syrah and 1 acre of Mourvedre. With four feet between vines and five feet between rows, 2178 vines were planted per acre—nearly double the standard vine quantity—and easily marks it as the highest density vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. Cayuse Vineyards is bio-dynamically farmed and even the most labor intensive tasks are performed manually.
Recently enjoyed this wonderful red blend of which most is Merlot with Paul and our wives. Since the 2003 inaugural release Blackbird Vineyards has been receiving high scores from some of the industry’s best wine critics.
Proprietor: Blackbird Vineyards
Vintage: 2006
Appellation: Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District
Varietals: 86% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon
Note: Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels of which 70% are new and 30% are older.
I read an article about the Blackbird winery in November 2008 issue of the Robb Report and had been looking for it ever since in Houston. Blackbird wines can be found at Brix Wine Bar in Houston and you can find a link to their web site in the Blogroll on the front page of this site.
Paul and I recently enjoyed the 2006 Amuse Bouche with our wives on a night out in Houston and it was spectacular. The name Amuse Bouche is a French noun meaning “amusement for the mouth”, and that it is . Each vintage is quite literally, a work of art. The 2006 bottle artwork was created by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, best known for his famous loup-garou or Blue Dog. This Pomerol-style Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend is made from some of the best grape sources in the Napa Valley. The winemaker is Heidi Barrett who Robert Parker has called “the first lady of wine.” If you have ever had a wine made by Heidi Barrett, you know that they always display impeccable balance.
Recently Paul and I enjoyed the 2005 Bressler Cabernet which is new to the Houston area, and is distributed by Red4Wine. The Winemaker is the very accomplished and respected Mia Klein, and the Vineyard Manager is David Abreau. For those that follow this site or premium wines from California, you will notice that wherever David is involved quality wine is sure to follow.
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