We give him 80 points! He left out “this wine is corked!”

Click image to enlarge.

I first tried the 2008 versions of these two Spanish reds from Verasol about a year ago. I liked those then, but when I tried to find out more about the producer, there was precious little information available on the Interweb. Not much has changed during the ensuing months, as this is still the only brief blurb I can find:

“Verasol searches up-and-coming regions around Spain to find old vines with native grapes. The wines are vinified by the well-known and highly respected winemaker Pedro Sarrion. All the wines are raised and aged in tank so the native varietals and the soil from the region can speak loudly. They represent great values.”

The wines are imported by the excellent José Pastor Selections, whose mission is an admirable one:

“We believe the best wines are made in the vineyard. Since the founding of JPS, we have searched both established and up-and-coming regions throughout Spain to find producers who respect their land by using the most natural means possible, often practicing organic farming. For many of our growers, this is how their ancestors made wine long before it became popular. Our producers emphasize Spain’s indigenous grape varietals and above all else, work with their land to handcraft honest wines with a sense of place. To this end, they use indigenous yeast during fermentation, and oak treatment and filtering is kept to a minimum. These are the guiding principles we use to seek out new producers, and as Spain’s diverse terroir continues to be uncovered, we look forward to discovering and bringing our customers many more new fascinating and unknown wines.”

JPS’ website could use some upgrading, but I’ve had no complaints on any of the wines in their portfolio that I’ve tasted, distributed here in southeastern Michigan by our friends at Signature Selections Wine Company, in Auburn Hills. Here are my impressions of two we’ve tried in the last week.

2009 Verasol Tn Tempranillo Navarra, 13.5% alc., $11.99: Clean, dark garnet color, with bone dry black currant, earth and mineral character; as it opens with air, a solid core of fairly ripe fruit becomes more evident, but this is by no means a fruit bomb. Full bodied, with ample structure for three-to-five years in the cellar, and good length on the finish. This should benefit with those three-to-five years, but this is good now when paired with a delicious grilled organic grass-fed flat iron steak. Excellent value for what’s in the bottle. Find this wine

2009 Verasol MCS Monsatrell Jumilla, 14% alc., $11.99: Deep and dark in color, and big and brawny on the palate, with an earthy black currant and black plum personality shaded with almost coal dust-like minerality. Even fuller bodied and more seriously structured than the Tempranillo, this big wine wants some cellar time, maybe as much as five or even ten years. Grilled meats will tame it some now, but patience is advised; another excellent value here. Find this wine

Both of these were purchased at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, while that deelish  C. Roy flat iron steak came from the Western Market, in Ferndale. I find it quite refreshing to find wines of this quality and price point that also show such potential for aging, making it relatively painless to put down a case or three for future consumption. I plan on investigating more selections from José Pastor in the very near future, so stay tuned.

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

2006 Hillebrand Estates Showcase Sparkling Riesling Niagara Peninsula VQA, 12% alc., $35.00 Can.: Clean, medium color, with a fine, very active bead and ample mousse; bone dry, showing excellent varietal typicity, all Granny Smith green apple, with chalky mineral undertones. Medium body plus, with good acidity and good length. A fine little sparkler from Niagara wine country. Find this wine

The grilled lamb chops screamed for something Rhone-ish, and we accordingly pulled corks from both the 2009 Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge that we reported on a few weeks ago and a fine Syrah, made by Joe Davis.

2005 Arcadian Westerly Vineyard Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, 14.7% alc.: Clean, dark color; exudes a pretty perfume of well integrated oak and dark plums and berries that carries over onto the palate with a subtle green streak that adds, rather than detracts to the appeal. Sleeker than the Esprit, yet full bodied and well-structured for several more years in the cellar; nice length on the finish. Three thumbs up on this one. Find this wine

Chef Kerr knows how much Kim and this taster love Chateauneuf du Pape, and indeed, he shares our enthusiasm, so he brought along two specimens, each with more than two decades under their belts.

1988 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf du Pape, 13.5% alc.: Stil a clean, dark garnet color, with nary a hint of brick; beautiful secondary action on both the nose and palate, offering earthy mushroom, leather, green and black olives and some nice black fruit still lingering in the background. Classic mature Chateauneuf du Pape character; full bodied, yet sleek, and still structured for some years yet of delightful drinking . Find this wine

1990 M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf Du Pape La Bernadine, 14% alc.: While I’ve never been a big fan of La Bernadine, I have to admit that this one offers more to like about it than otherwise. Slightly rusty dark garnet in color, it has a slightly sewery note that is a minimal distraction from the earthy mushroom character. Chef Kerr coos, “It’s easy, it’s so smooth,” and adds impressions of “a nice core of Grenache fruit still here” and “tarry prune.” A creditable Chateauneuf du Pape, and then some. Find this wine

Of course, it’s the rare occasion that we get together that we don’t pull a cork from at least one Mr. Ridge, and this time, we pulled two!

1996 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma, 75% Zinfandel, 17% Carignan, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro, 14.9% alc.: About this one, our last bottle (we’d been holding off since 2006), CZ remarked, “Very special stuff here; old school, new school, and in-between. So spicy, lots of black pepper and burnt caramel.” The wine still shows clean, dark garnet color, and offers classic Draper perfume, with deep, rich black and red fruit (75/25%, according to Kerr). Alan adds impressions of “black raspberry, white pepper, leather, mineral and coal dust.” Classic Mr. Ridge, with plenty of life left in it. Find this wine

2003 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma, 76% Zinfandel; 18% Carignane; 6% Petite Sirah, $30, 14.6% alc.: Another one that we last reviewed in 2006, this clean dark garnet Geezer delivers well-mannered Draper perfume and is still firmly in its early-to-mid stages of development. Having said that, the ’03 Ridge Zin blends were pretty wines right from the get-go, and this one is no exception. Deep, dark and dense, yet sleek and sultry at the same time, this wants more time, but is a joy to drink now with a little time in the glass. CZ offers impressions of “black raspberry, super mineral, stony chalk and creamy oak,” and we all agreed that this is what Mr. Ridge is all about. Find this wine

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

Click image to enlarge

From the Quick-but-by-no-means-Dirty Dept.:

2009 Cuvee des 3 Messes Basses Ventoux, 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 14.5% alc., 1.5 L, $16.99: This hearty southern Rhône red from our good friends at J et R Selections/Wines of Distinction in Bloomfield Hills, MI is an out-and-out QPR All Star, delivering more pleasure than it seems one has the right to expect these days for so few dollars. Clean garnet in color, with modest aromatics that only hint at the rich dark plum and berry flavors shaded with some leather and underscored with a solid anchor or earth; subtle hints of violet and licorice add to the appeal. Full bodied, with structure to take it two years or so down the road, but I doubt that 10 cases would make it into 2013 at our house. This deserves serious consideration, nay, this will BE our house red for the coming several months. Find this wine

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

2009 Cornerstone Oregon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 13.9% alc., $50.00: Clean ruby garnet color; black cherry aromatics shaded with earth and mushroom follow through nicely on the palate, with oak influence well in the background. Medium-to-medium full bodied, with good intensity of flavor, smooth texture and deceptive structure that should take it several years down the road. A wine of class, substance and appeal, this is some very nice Pinot Noir indeed. Sourced from five Willamette Valley AVAs; Eola Hills (37%), Yamhill-Carlton (21%), Chehalem Mountain (21%), Ribbon Ridge (13%) and Dundee Hills (8%). 14 months in French oak barrels, 60% of which were new. Find this wine

As previously reported, the Stepping Stone line strives to offer high quality at lower prices than wines with the Cornerstone label, and the following two selections succeed completely in that regard.

2009 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5% alc., $35.00: Clean, dark color; effusive ripe black currant and black cherry made even more attractive with a judicious kiss of sweet oak and a subtle briary note lurking underneath. Flavors echo and expand, being rich and expressive; full bodied, with a smooth, velvety texture that belies substantial structure for at least a few years in the cellar. Satisfying and harmonious, this is a winner. Sourced from 5 outstanding vineyard sites, including Wooden Valley, Oakville, Coombsville and Carneros. Find this wine

2009 Stepping Stone by Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Franc, 14.25% alc., $35.00: Clean, dark color; attractive aromatics of black cherry, black currant, blackberry and a kiss of sweet oak not quite as bold as the CS, but still quite inviting. Flavors follow through on the palate very nicely, with great balance; full bodied, yet almost sleek, with deceptive structure and a smooth demeanor. Like the CS, so tasty already, but with the guts to go for at least a few years in the cellar, maybe as much as five, or even ten. Between this and the Cab Sauv., these may be the most immediately likeable, if not the best, Stepping Stone reds we’ve tried to date. Sourced from the Carneros vineyards of Southern Napa, where, due to the moderating influences of the San Pablo and San Francisco Bays, the growing season starts earlier, but extends longer than most inland areas. Find this wine

Cornerstone has added a red blend to its flagship Napa and Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings, and it is indeed every bit as impressive as those two.

2009 The Cornerstone Napa Valley Red Wine, 14.9% alc., SRP $125: Deep, dark color, not quite opaque; mostly toasty oak on the nose, fleshing out on the palate with more of the same over a dense core of black currant and blackberry fruit. At this point, the toast from the oak tends to dominate this full bodied Bordeaux blend, but with its significant structure, there should be plenty of time for it to integrate. It does open with air, showing more and more sweet, lovely fruit, but, really, at this point, this one is all about potential, which it has a ton of. If you have to pull the cork on one now, I’d suggest giving it an hour in a decanter, but best to give it five years and more in the cellar to see what this baby is going to evolve into. I have a feeling that the wait will be well worth it. Deep, dense and intense. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, Davis Oakville Station, Oakville, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, Talcott Vineyard, St. Helena, 2.5% Merlot, Stewart Ranch Vineyard, Carneros. Find this wine

Finally, the aforementioned Napa and Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons are as good, if not even better, than anything we’ve had the good fortune to try from Cornerstone.

2009 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.9% alc., SRP $60: Clean, dense, dark color, with lovely aromatics of rich, ripe black currant, blackberry and black cherry, graced with a perfect kiss of sweet oak; these impressions echo and expand on the palate, with slightly drying tannins on the finish and subtle earth underneath it all. Sleek, full bodied and structured for several years in the cellar, and yet, so tasty already. There’s no fat on this baby, it’s all good! Find this wine

2009 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, 14.9% alc., SRP $75: Clean, dark color; deeper, darker and more intense than the Napa bottling, with less obvious oak and serious structure that requires years in the cellar. Full bodied, with deep, dark black currant/cassis and earth flavors and aromas, this needs some time in a decanter and grilled red meat to even be approachable now, but a good ten years in the cellar will serve it best. The Napa is a charmer; this one’s a bruiser with a long life ahead of it. Find this wine

Based on these five wines, it’s pretty easy for us to say that Cornerstone just keeps getting better and better!

Jim Cowan Photo by Chris Witkowski - click to enlarge

The 2012 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year’s tasting notes may be found here.

January 16, Winter Whites, etc

Florida “winters,” warm as they are, often suggest white/pink wine and lighter meals. For those rare days when we hit the 40’s, we break out the reds. By the predominance of white/pink noted below, you can pretty much guess how mild our January has been.

Red:

2010 Achaval Ferrer, Malbec Mendoza:
14.5% alcohol; a big wine, quite concentrated, round, rich and bordering on overdone, but it is saved by the absence of apparent oak and a fairly complex flavor profile. Not a wine for anything but the rarest steak; not even assorted cheeses paired well. About $15.

So, on another day, I grilled a porterhouse (rare) and tried again; good pairing. There is an aroma that I think smells like wet nori but is probably oak related; it’s not unpleasant but unusual; the wine seems to lose some of its weight and richness and gain complexity with the steak. And it’s a more balanced pairing. No doubt, this wine was made for rare beef. Thanks Tom. Find this wine

(Aside: For the style of wine this is, it is well executed. But this is not a style of wine that I have much use for as I eat very little rare beef and find this kind of wine overwhelming in its absence.)

2008 Calluna Vineyards, Calluna Estate:
14.9% alcohol; a blend of 35% cab. sauvignon, 32% merlot, 18% malbec, 12% cab. franc, 3% petit verdot, from the Chalk Hill AVA; too much new oak at this young age but considerable spice on the nose and palate sourced therefrom; concentrated, rich and weighty but has plenty of acidity, plush tannins, some complexity, and good sustain. We had this with a red-sauced pasta with egg plant and chicken sausage and it went very well. But by itself, this is simply too young and big for me. No overt evidence of the alcohol but identifiably CA. Decant and have with food unless you like ‘em BIG. About $50. Find this wine

(Aside: In the rarified world of CA Cabernet, $50 is well under the norm. But $50 doesn’t sound inexpensive to me. Everything is relative, I suppose, but when I think of what else I can buy with that much money . . .)

Pink:

2010 Dom. Fontanyl, Côtes de Provence Rosé:
13% alcohol and a bottle that is similar to Dom. Ott; pale salmon color; strawberry and mineral nose; much the same in the mouth, bone dry with good cut and a touch of bitters at the end; clean finish. Fleshes out as it warms but never gets heavy. Pleasant with cheese and crackers on a warm winter’s day here in the sunshine state. About $13. Find this wine

White:

2010 Salandini Pilastri, Pecorino Offida:
13.5% alcohol, from the Marche; smells and tastes a great deal like Greco; its rich and oily but has a bitter note that keeps it from becoming cloying, even refrigerator cold this has weight and concentration. Went well with pasta primavera. About $13. Find this wine

2010 De Angelis, Lucrima Christi del Vesuvio:
13.5% alcohol and 60/40 caprettone/falanghina; white fruit and flower aromas; sappy flavors of white peach nectar (unsweet), resin and citrus; dry, intense, concentrated texture, good cut and quite persistent; a touch bitter on the finish. More complexity than expected and it becomes even more so as it warms in the glass; I like this and will buy it again. Good with white pizza but a pairing to remember with Caesar salad (and I eat a lot of Caesar salad). About $18. Find this wine

2010 Taburno, Fiano:
13% alcohol; a distinct vanilla note comes through with a touch mineral and clear white fruit scents; rich, almost full bodied in the mouth with an oily texture and plenty of cut to keep it in balance; medium finish. A big, concentrated wine with intensity. Not something I want to have a lot of but certainly attention getting; better, very cold. About $20. Find this wine

2009 Knoll, Grüner Veltliner Federspiel;
12% alcohol; smells of unripe pineapple, flowers, sassafras, warm rocks; medium weight, excellent cut, flavors follow the nose with concentration, intensity and balance, some mouth-watering jalapeño hints; excellent sustain and balance on the finish. Perfect counter-point to a salad with Russian dressing and toasted English muffin. About as precise and correct a Grüner as one could ask for but with an intensity and breadth that gives one a glimpse of what the grape can do at its best. About $22. Find this wine

(Aside: There are a few (very few) labels in the wine world that I will buy without consideration to vintage, appellation or pradikat; this is one of them. I have purchased wines from this producer for over twenty years and have yet to be disappointed. From the sonorous and powerful Schutt Vineyard rieslings to this charming and yet still arresting federspiel grüner, I have yet to run across a bottle that has not thrilled. Some more than others, I grant, but up and down the line-up, nobody does it better, year in, year out.
A label (despite its Baroque visage) to be trusted; and that is extraordinary.)

Best, Jim

January 4th, 2012 – Snake Farm

Ray Wylie Hubbard once noted that he shouldn’t ever write a song that he doesn’t want to sing regularly for the rest of his life (eg. “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mothers”). Equally, one should never make a wine one doesn’t want to drink almost as often. I have been pouring my wines for lots of different folks (in hopes of selling) and I always seem to come home with partials; hence my point.

However, when we are not finishing up the leftovers, we have had a few other wines to try:

A N/V Robert Moncuit, Champagne was nice for new year’s but it isn’t anything I’d buy again at $40. The 2010 Zenato, Lugana was acceptable, but just; the 2009 Drouhin, St. Veran a touch too oaky; a bottle of the 2009 Erath, Pinot Noir was a bit thin; the 2009 Edna Valley, Pinot Noir was pedestrian; and the latest incarnation of the N/V Gazela, Vinho Verde was too sweet. On the other hand, the 2009 Wild Horse, Pinot Noir was very charming; a bottle of the 2010 Taburno, Falinghina was rich and full flavored; the 2009 Poderi Dicarlo, Ribolla was complex and delicious (for $13) and the 2009 Rocca Felice, Nebbiolo (at $16) was so good a I bought a case.

Find Robert Moncuit Champagne
Find Zenato Lugana
Find Drouhin St. Veran
Find Erath Pinot Noir
Find Edna Valley Pinot Noir
Find Gazela Vinho Verde
Find Wild Horse Pinot Noir
Find Taburno Falinghina
Find Poderi Dicarlo Ribolla
Find Rocca Felice Nebbiolo

However, the most soulful and captivating wine I have been drinking lately (several bottles in the last two months) is the 2010 Carballo, Bujariego, La Palma from the Canary Islands (a Jose Pastor Selection). This wine with seafood and even shell fish is about as good as one could hope for; light, crisp, remarkably complex, saline and fresh. I can’t remember what this cost (I got it thru Selection Massale) but I think it was about $15. That is a hell of a QPR. Find this wine

BTW, Ray also notes that he likes singing his newer songs (eg. Choctaw Bingo; Screw You, We’re from Texas; Cooler-n-Hell; etc.). Good thing Diane and I like what I make, too.

Best, Jim
CowanCellars.com

SOMM Documentary Trailer 1 from Forgotten Man Films on Vimeo.

Somm is the story of four Sommeliers attempting to pass the Prestigious Master Sommelier Exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. The exam covers literally anything having to do with the entire world of wine and that is just the beginning. Access to the Court Of Master Sommeliers has always been strictly regulated and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam…. Until now. How much do you know about wine?

The grapes for both the white and red Esprit de Beaucastel bottlings are grown on Tablas Creek’s 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

2009 Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc Paso Robles, 62% Roussanne, 26% Grenache Blanc, 12% Picpoul Blanc, 13.5% alc., $40.00 SRP: Clean medium straw to pale gold in color; expressive aromas of white tree fruit, especially peaches, with some apricot in support. Generous flavors echo with some underlying minerality. Full-bodied, rich, ripe and slightly oily, with excellent acids and length. As stated, this is quite approachable, but really, it would be a shame not to give it several years in the cellar to develop into all it can be, which is to say, a very fine white Rhone blend. Find this wine

We were joined by our colleague and partner-in-crime, Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan when we pulled the cork from the red blend.

2009 Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge Paso Robles, 40% Mourvèdre, 27% Grenache, 28% Syrah, and 5% Counoise, 14.5% alc., $55.00 SRP: Upon his first sip of this, Chef Kerr observes, “Obviously a young wine, but so good!” Clean and dark in color, with effusive aromatics of a perfumed cornucopia of red and black plums and berries, echoing and expanding on the palate with hints of earth underneath. Alan adds an impression of blood, and Kim mentions some iron. Full bodied, with a nice, long finish and a creamy smooth texture that belies the substantial structure that should take it ten years down the road and beyond. Alan adds, “Fleshy, juicy Grenache is very forward; the oak is barely noticeable. The only thing missing is the terroir.” I’m not sure I agree on that final point, as this does show more and more earth and mineral character as it opens, but whatever the case, this is a ravishing wine, even at so tender an age. Patience will definitely be rewarded. Find this wine

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

Alan Kerr (aka Canadian Zinfan)

2002 Wyncroft Lake Michigan Shore Chardonnay Avonlea Vineyard, $35, 14.8% alc.: The years have not been kind to this wine since we first tasted it in 2006, if this bottle is any indication. Rich golden color; full bodied, with good acids and length, but the pineapple, pear and butterscotch flavors and aromas are overwhelmed by way too much oak (1/3 new, 1/3 one year and 1/3 two year old Allier). This was actually better in ’06, but the oak is so out of balance that we didn’t finish the bottle. Hopefully, this was an off bottle, as we’ve had other Wyncroft Chards of similar age that performed MUCH better than this one. Find this wine

2007 Shady Lane Leelanau Cabernet Franc, 12.9% alc., $16.50: We brought this bottle home from our visit to the Estate a few years ago, and I’m happy to report that it’s holding up nicely. Clean, dark color, with a nice core of black fruit shaded with undertones of forest floor, earth and underbrush. Medium-full bodied, with good structure and length, this can go for at least a few more years in the cellar. Good cool climate Cab Franc from northern Michigan. Find this wine

2007 Tawse Twenty Mile Bench VQA Cabernet Franc David’s Block, 13.5% alc.: One of Chef Kerr’s contributions, this clean, dark colored wine offers a kiss of oak over deep, dark fruit on a full bodied frame; shows good varietal character, with good structure, depth and length. Perhaps a little more oak here than I care for, but an undeniably good Cab Franc that’s in no danger of fading anytime soon. The ’08 sells for $47.95 Can. at the winery, so this was probably in that general price range as well. For the record, we stop in at Tawse whenever we find ourselves in Niagara wine country.  Find this wine

2007 Circa Leelanau Cabernet Franc, 13.5% alc., $29.00: Another one we brought home from our Leelanau adventures of a few years ago, this shows clean, dark color and offers pretty black currant and blackberry character with just a hint of greenness to it, but not to the detriment of the wine’s appeal. Full bodied and a little tart, with good structure and length. Find this wine

2007 Stratus Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA Cabernet Franc, 12% alc., $38 Can.: Clean, dark color, with a kiss of grainy oak over deep, dark, slightly tart black fruit; full bodied and well structured, with good length. This could be a little more generous for the money, but not a bad wine by any means, and a visit to the tasting room and winery is a must when in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Find this wine

All in all, an interesting and enjoyable lineup of wines, and while they all demonstrate that northern Michigan and Niagara have made great strides with this particular variety, I think that both regions can and will continue to improve in coming years. I found it particularly interesting that the Shady Lane held its own against the more expensive bottles; it was by no means the best of the bunch, but it hung right in there with the other three, which has to count for something.

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.