The Wine Cult » Uncategorized

2006 BlackBird – “Contrarian” Red Wine

jheck — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:34:55 +0000

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.

Proprietor: Blackbird Vineyards

Vintage: 2006

Appellation: Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

Varietals: 38% Cabernet Franc, 34% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon

Note: Aged 20 months in French oak barrels of which 48% is new, and 52% is seasoned. The wine is unfilterd and unfined. The winemaker is Aaron Pott. Only 414 cases made.

Tasting: dark brooding layers of blackberries, black cherry, raspberry, black currant, cassis, followed by menthol, graphite, Spanish cedar, tobacco, cinnamon, white pepper, crushed rock, tea , vanilla, and a nice floral component. The palate is full, round and opulent, with fleshy sweet tannins impeccable balance, and an extremely long generous finish. This wine is drinking well now, but will improve with cellar time, and can be enjoyed for the next 8 to 10 years

Rating: 96 JH, 95 PC

2006 Amuse Bouche – Merlot

jheck — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:09:02 +0000

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. This web site has posted many wines made by Heidi as we are a big fan of her’s.

Vintage: 2006

Proprietor: Amuse Bouche

Varietal: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Appellation: Napa Valley, CA

Notes: About 500 cases produced.

Tasting: Blueberry, plum, cherry, dewberry, cassis, pepper, followed by Spanish cedar, chocolate cocoa powder, lavender, violets, leather, tobacco, baking spices, mushroom, hazelnut, star anise, sage, and a hint of vanilla. The 2006 Amuse Bouche is drinking incredibly well at this time with little coaxing or time needed to show it’s hedonistic personality, all it needs is a fine stem and some great company to share it with. The wine shows great length and impeccable balance. This vintage scored well by recognised wine critics, but not near what I think it deserves, but of course their ratings were completed quite some time ago.

Rating: PC 96, JH 97

2005 Bressler Vineyards – Cabernet Sauvignon

jheck — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:10:42 +0000

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.

Proprietor: Bressler Vineyards

Vintage: 2005

Varietal: 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Petite Verdot

Appelation: St Helena, CA

Notes: Aged 24 months in new French Oak. Cooperage from Taransaud, Nadalie, and Treuil. Only 527 cases of 750ml bottles produced. Released January, 2009

Tasting: Dark cherry, blackberry, raspberry, eucalyptus, menthol, dark chocolate, forrest floor, smoke, cedar, with hint of cinnamon, lavender, and toasted oak. This wine has a very concentrated palate and the tannins are silky smooth, giving way to an opulent rich mid palate, great balance, and a very generous long pleasant finish. This Cabernet has plenty of backbone and quality fruit for ageing, but is approachable and can be opened now.

Rating: PC 94, JH 95

2005 Smidge “Smitch” Shiraz

pcook — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:23:39 +0000

I had this great wine on Friday afternoon at Vintage Park in north Houston with my wife and two good friends in a business meeting( of course…while sitting outside in beautiful weather).
The color is deep garnet, little purple around the edges. The color seduces our group as we talk dull business stuff.
The nose is very fresh, has a berry component with chocolate highlights. Dark chocolate covered cherries describe the opulent characteristics of this nose. Although this wine has fairly high alcohol content, the balance is exceptional. The mouth feel is very nice, subtle, while still being full and weighty. The tannins are like satin and silk on the finish. Yes, we want more but the bottle is done and so is the meeting. Hmmm… A new cult wine?

2006 Cayuse Syrah “En Cerise”

jheck — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:55:28 +0000

Last week Paul and I really enjoyed the 2006 Cuyuse “En Cerise” Syrah. Cayuse was founded in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington in 1996 by Christophe Baron after spotting a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home.

He named his vineyard after the Cayuse, a Native American tribe whose name was taken from the French cailloux–which means, of course, rocks. Hours of back-breaking work later, Cayuse Vineyards farms six estate vineyards encompassing 53 acres: Armada, Cailloux, Coccinelle [Ladybug], En Cerise [Cherry], En Chamberlin and Horsepower.

These highly stressed vineyards average a yield of only two tons or less per acre (30 hectolitres per hectare), resulting in wines true to each vineyard’s unique terroir. Our 100% estate wines include four vineyard designated Syrahs, along with Bionic Frog Syrah, Impulsivo Tempranillo, God only Knows Grenache, Widowmaker Cabernet-Sauvignon, two Bordeaux blends named Camaspelo & Flying Pig, Viognier and Rosé.

Winery: Cayuse

Vintage: 2006

AVA: Walla Walla, Washington State

Alc: 14.6%

Notes: Very small 203 case production, even the most labor intensive tasks are done by hand. Bottled unfinned and unfiltered. Farmed bio-dynamically.

Very dark color in the stem. On the generous nose dark cherry, dark plum, fresh cracked black, bell pepper, followed by great earthy minerality, graphite, wild game, bacon fat, Cola, Sarsaparilla, burned forrest, leather, and a really cool July 4th, Black Snake component. The wine shows great balance in concentration of fruit, tannins, acidity, and at 14.6% Alc it is not hot. Big and large with an intense, solid, full and concentrated feel palate. The wonderful long generous finish continues for several minutes. This wine will improve with some rest in the cellar where the pepper will subside and spicy nuances will come through more. If you can find it with only 203 cases made, get some.

Rating: 95+ PC, 95 JH

2006 Cayuse Syrah – Cailloux Vineyard

jheck — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:45:04 +0000

Last night we went to Cellar17 and really enjoyed a bottle of highly allocated syrah from Cayuse. Cayuse was founded in the Walla Walla Valley of Washington in 1996 by Christophe Baron after spotting a plot of land that had been plowed up to reveal acres of softball-sized stones. He became ridiculously excited. This stony soil, this terroir, reminded him of vineyards he had visited in France and Spain. The difficult ground would stress the grapevines, making them produce more mature, concentrated fruit. Christophe Baron had found a new home.

Winery: Cayuse

Vintage: 2006

AVA: Walla Walla, Washington State

Varietal: Syrah, and 4% Viognier. This is the traditional style of Côte-Rôtie in northern Rhône.

Vineyard: Cailloux – 10 Acres

Notes: Very small case production, even the most labor intensive tasks are done by hand. Bottled unfinned and unfiltered. Farmed biodynamically.

Very dark color in the stem. On the generous nose blueberry, a bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, dark plum, fresh cracked black and white pepper, followed by great earthy minerality, graphite, smokey gaminess, spices, toasty oak, and leather. The wine shows great balance in concentration of fruit, tannins, and acidity, but is big and large with an intense, full and concentrated feel on the palate at the same time. The wonderful long finish continues for several minutes. IMO this wine will improve with some rest in the cellar where the pepper will subside and spicy nuances will come through more. If you can find it, get some.

Rating: 93 JH, 93 PC

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2000 Penfolds “RWT” Barossa Valley – Shiraz

jheck — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:36:00 +0000

In celebration of the US National Day of Wine Drinking on Wednesday the usual gang had a themed evening of Shiraz (Syrah) as our varietal of choice. The 2000 Penfolds “RWT” (Red Winemaking Trial), the name given to the wine internally when development work began on it in 1995 was the last wine of the night and boy did it ever shine. Harvey Steinman of Wine Spectator had a really nice article in the October 18, 2008 issue entitled “Aging Australia’s Reds” and I would have to agree that Australian Shiraz of note is very age worthy. :-)

Penfolds “Red Winemaking Trial” began in 1995 and was launched in May 2000 with the 1997 vintage.

The 2000 Penfolds RWT that we had, was opened and left in the bottle for about an hour, and then later decanted to show it fullness. RWT is made from fruit primarily selected for it’s aromatic qualities and fine texture rather than sheer intensity and power of flavor.

Winery: Penfolds

Region: Barossa Valley, Australia

Vintage: 2000 ( third vintage of RWT)

Alc: 14.0%

Notes: Aged 12 months in 60% new French Oak and 40% one-year old hogsheads. the winemaker is John Duval also the maker of Penfolds Grange the gold standard for Australian Shiraz.

Tasting: Deep dark red color in the glass still at nine years of age in the bottle. On the nose an opulent dark fruit bouquet consisting of blackberry, blueberry, dark plum, and currant, followed by black pepper, wild game, menthol, cigar box, wild mushrooms, root beer cola, black olives, eucalyptus, pencil lead, and a nice smokey essence. The wine is full-bodied, and round with nice mouth-filling weight on the palate. The tannins are smooth and integrated, but still present. The wine has impeccable balance and a very long finish that went on for several wonderful minutes.

This wine will continue to improve in the bottle for 3-5 more years IMO, and can be cellared and enjoyed until around 2020. We have two more and they will be sitting in the cellar some more

Rating: PC 94, JH 95

2007 Black Kite – “Stony Terrace” Pinot Noir

jheck — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:04:14 +0000

Paul and I received our 2007 shipment of Black Kite Cellars complete lineup late last year and we have been patiently laying them down in the cellar. The other night we broke out one of their 2007 Stony Terrace and it was drinking very well. Black Kite cellars is a family owned and run artisan producer of hand crafted, terrior driven Pinto Noir. The winery was established in 2003 and currently produces three single vineyard, block designated bottling’s. The three single vineyards Redwoods Edge, Stony Terrace, and River Turn, are each planted in four acre plots, with each displaying the diversity of their own soil types, micro climates and clone type. The Kite’s Rest is a magnificent blend of the three single vineyard offerings of which I reviewed on the site back on November last year.

Winery: Black Kite

Vintage: 2007

Vineyard: Stony Terrace

Notes: Soil type is gravel/loam, elevation is 217 feet, Pommard clone on 3309, and only 194 cases were made.

Tasting: Black cherry, black plum, forest floor, tobacco, black pepper, and dark mushroom, beautiful floral bouquet with roses being the most prominent followed by a hint of spanish cedar, chocolate, toasty oak and a nice minerality. The wine has elegant balance with with a nice weight/mouthfeel, and has a very generous clean finish. This wine is drinking well now, but IMO will continue to improve with more time in the bottle.

Rating: 92 JH

2003 Rubicon Estate Rutherford “Rubicon”

jheck — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:35:08 +0000

Paul and I enjoyed this wine with our wives and a few good friends last night at Brix wine bar in Houston, located in the new Vintage Park complex at Louetta Rd and FM 249 in Houston, TX. We had several of the wines from Rubicon last night including the Merlot, and Cask, but this was the star. Although 2003 was not an overall good vintage for California this wine is impressive and is much better than the reviews it received upon it’s release with the notoriously low scoring (IMO) ST giving it a 91. All Rubicon vineyards are hand harvested in the early morning in small bins, with the fruit being hand-sorted before the crushing. A second sorting of the must is done to remove any broken stems or leaves . The grapes are organically grown, and the wine is naturally fermented in wooden open Faransaud open-top tanks.

Wine Details:

Vintage: 2003

Winery: Rubicon Estate

Appellation: Rutherford CA

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Tasting notes: Beautiful dark garnet color in the glass. On the nose cascading dark fruit aromatics of blackberry, black cherry, dark ripe plum, and black currants. As the wine opens up aromas of Caryola, pencil lead, leather, tobacco leaf, dark mushroom, menthol, cedar box, and toasty oak come through, followed by spices of fresh black pepper, star anise, nutmeg, and a hint of vanilla bean. The nose also has that famous Rutherford dusty/rusty mineral component that I love so much. On the palate the fruit is ripe, rich, creamy, and impeccably balanced with a nice round mouth-feel. the mid palate is beautifully focused and the finish is wonderfully long and enjoyable. This wine has improved with time in the bottle and I think could be enjoyed for many more years to come.

Rating: 95 JH

1998 Williams Selyem “Rochioli River Block”

jheck — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:38:10 +0000

Last night everyone got together at Paul and Carol’s house to watch the last of the 2008 Presidential debates, and of course drink some good wine. The 1998 vintage of Williams Selyem was the first from winemaker Bob Cabral who is still making the wine for Williams Slyem today. Imagine the pressure he must have felt taking over as wine maker for a winery that already had a very strong cult following. Williams Selyem is one of the most sought after age worthy Pinot’s in all of America, and this wine was proof positive of it’s staying power, and it’s great following. Bob Cabral has a very minimal interference mindset with the fruit. He does not use pumping or filtering or any technology in the winemaking process to save time or that would compromise the quality of the final product. Bob say’s “The key to winemaking is to respect the vineyard and respect the fruit”.

Wine Details:

Winery: Williams Selyem

Vintage: 1998

Appelation: Russian River Valley CA, Rochioli River Block Vineyard

Notes: 464 cases made. The wine was cellar aged in a temperature controlled environment. the neck- fill was high. The bottle was in perfect condition.

Beautiful ruby red color with no real brown edges. On the nose, Nice mineral component, crushed rocks, smoked bacon, black tar, pencil lead, green bell pepper, dark cherries, and cranberries with a very slight hint of oak. On the palate the mouthfeel is round and smooth. The tannins are soft and integrated. The fruit, and acidity are still bright and very elegant and refreshing with a lengthy finish.

Rating: 96 JH