Even though Kurniawan–whose guilt or innocence on wine counterfeiting charges remains to be tried in federal court–was apprehended, wine fraud remains an easy crime: combine sky-high prices with an old collectible whose authenticity may be difficult to verify and willing buyers who may have more capital than wine know-how or may have little intention of ever opening the bottles anyway.

Wine counterfeiting has been around for decades and I’ve always been surprised that it doesn’t get priced in to the fine wine market (but wines sold directly from the producers do fetch a premium). Paul Chiu, a Burgundy fan in Hong Kong, tweeted to me the other day that there’s still surprisingly little discussion about counterfeiting there.

So, as the ArtInfo points out, the decline in the (young) Bordeaux index probably has more to do with shifting (more discriminating?) tastes to old wine and Burgundy since the broader Liv-Ex 100 has not fallen as sharply. “Lafite is out, and Conti is in.” Ack, if the auction market’s taste for Burgundy shifts into high gear, it could crush even a non-collector’s premier cru habit.

But with the Chinese economy slowing down, FT Alphaville suggests some cynics might point out that fewer wines are needed for bribes. Baksheesh aside, it will be interesting to see if, going forward, counterfeiting or the Chinese economic slowdown impacts fine wine prices more. But maybe there will be more buyers, such as the Stamford Management Group, which is raising $100 million for a fund to buy Bordeaux and jade antiques. And perhaps there will be more liquidity and lower spreads if SecondMarket really gets into wine.

On the eve of two simultaneously scheduled wine fairs dedicated to the proposition that everything old is new again, it's hard not to admire the enthusiasm of those taken by "natural" wine. It's hard not to notice the excitement its admirers exhibit. It's hard not to notice that many of the proponents and champions of these wines revel in the idea that they are part of a revolution that defies a stale status quo.

The kind of excitement that is now found across the global wine industry for "natural" wines is exceedingly rare. One is, if a devotee of wine, forced to take note of this movement and the devotion, curiosity, and dedication of its fans. I am.

And yet, what I know is that this "natural wine movement", for all its exciting elements, is marred by fraud, deception and misunderstanding. All this concerns me because there is a real threat that the deceptions will be taken as truth and the excitement taken as proof of their truth, particularly among those who don't know any better. The impact of this is the potential scarring of the truly authentic wines and winemakers across the globe that don't adopt the sketchy moniker of "natural" or its unsubstantiated claims.

At its heart, the "natural" wine movement is dedicated to celebrating minimal additions and minimal interventions, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The idea motivating of this celebration is that authenticity in wine is important and achieved when as little as possible stands between what grows in the vineyard and what lands in the bottle.

WHAT'S OLD IS NOT NEW AGAIN
This idea is not unique, revolutionary, nor new. It is in fact the substance of what has motivated the artisan edge of winemaking across the globe for decades. This idea has been the substance of the motivation among those winemakers that have changed the global wine industry, inspired many a wine lover to continue to seek out something new rather than something that merely lubricates the palate, and inspired new paradigms and standards adopted by winemakers across the world, including those winemaker exhibiting at "The Real Wine Fair" and "The Raw Wine Fair", both happening in London beginning Monday.

What is really interesting to note is that none of the artisan pioneers that are now emulated by those at the these two fairs ever thought to call their wine "natural". And none of the various organizers of tastings and events that highlighted and showcased the terroir-driven winemakers over the past 30 years ever thought to call their events the source of "real" wine.

Instead, these original seekers and showcasers of authenticity and terroir merely called their product "wine" and their events "wine tastings". As far as I can tell, it never occurred to these folks to label thier wines "Natural" or "Real" or "The Greatest" or "Better than all others" or "Perfect". Or maybe it did occur to them, but the idea of that kind of presumption felt a little dirty. Or maybe it occurred to them that labeling their wines "natural" would be a fraud, given that no self-respecting winemaking, wine lover, or marketer believes that the processed and manufactured product called wine is anything close to "natural".

Believing that what they are doing and championing is somehow new or revolutionary or unique, and communicating this message far and wide, is only one problem with the "natural" wine movement and those that favor it. This is a problem of hubris and shortsightedness and it it can be forgiven as this problem overtakes us all at some point. What can't be forgiven is the movement's insistent that the use of the term "natural" is benign.

EXPLOITING DECEPTION AND FRAUD
Because none of those making or marketing or enjoying these wines would even think of suggesting that the products are truly "natural", there must be something else at play. Honey is natural in its raw form. Milk from a cow is natural in its raw form. Apples are natural in their raw form. Grapes are natural in their raw form. However, when honey, milk, apples and grapes are manipulated, fermented, processed and changed into something else, like wine, they are not close to being natural. And yet, we have "natural" wine.

Douglas Wregg, the producer of "The Real Wine Fair", is a foremost champion of the wine genre. He has written extensively about his passion. Yet despite is regular protestations that "natural" wine is not in fact "natural" by anything resembling the meaning of the world, he remains devoted to the term in all its deceptive glory:

"One would have thought that wine would be natural by definition, however, there’s many a slip (or intervention) between grape and bottle, many choices that can be made, and additions and manipulations that push the final wine further from its origins. But the word natural does not mean “produced by nature without human assistance”, it is the very nature (sic) of assistance, the degree of human interference that distinguishes a natural wine from a conventional one."

Here we have a redefinition of the word "natural" meant to suit the wines and winemakers he prefers. Wregg is apparently unaware that the average person on the street, with an average intelligence and who might want to indulge in something that is truly natural might take the term "natural" as it's meant to be used and has been used for centuries. They would be deceived by Wregg and many others in the movement who apply the word "natural" in its deceptive form noted above.

Isabelle Legeron, the promoter of "The Raw Wine Fair" and another prominent champion of "natural" wine doesn't seem to get around on her website promoting the Fair to address the issue of the term "natural" as Wregg does. Instead, we are offered a "charter of quality" that defines the wines that may be showcased there. When you read through the charter you see that the wines she admits to the fair are all able to be manipulated, processed and derived. Yet, she too uses the term "natural", knowing full well that the term can't come close to describing what's in the bottles at the fair.

The point, of course, is that insisting on calling these wines "natural" is a perfect fraud that can't be justified with romantic tales of getting back to nature and combating the evils of "spoofalated" wines. Add to this the fact that there are innumerable other, yet far more accurate, terms that could be used to describe the lovely wines at these fairs. Yet the terms won't be employed.

Let me make a suggestion as to why this is the case: The fraudulent term  is more profitable.

We live in a time when more and more people are keen to examine what they put in their body. People are keen to support people that take pity on the earth by not adulterating it and ruining it. In this environment the label "natural" has become quite powerful, both as an idea and a marketing term. I suspect the movement's leaders understand that. They must. Yet when confronted with the simple fact that "natural" is a term that can't in anyway be applied to wine, they still use the powerful label.

This puts the responsible, fair minded, and honest artisan winemakers who won't adopt the term at a real disadvantage in they eyes of the consumer that believes in the potent meaning of the term "natural" and who assume that those behind the movement that truly do have the best intentions at heart would bastardize the term for profit. The use of the term "natural" is irresponsible, unfair and dishonest. That's a problem. But the real problem is that the folks that employ this term know it is being used irresponsibly, unfairly and dishonestly yet they continue to imply it. Shame on them.

DEFINING NATURAL WNE THROUGH DENIGRATION
The Natural Wine Company is a retail outfit owned by  Michael Andrews, Ross Bingham and Rebecca Pridmore. It is a modest retailer that seeks merely to introduce wine drinkers to terroir-driven wines that emphasize organic, biodynamic and wines made with grapes farmed sustainably. It is a marvelous excuse for a wine store. On their website, after explaining their motivations and experiences, they write this:

"During this same time, we fell in love with wine, and soon discovered that most wine sold in the United States contain "color enhancers," preservatives, chemical stabilizers, Mega Purple™, "oak essence," sugar, acid and the like.  In fact, there are over 200 products listed by the FDA that are permitted to be used in wine besides grapes."

It's unclear whether what is meant by this statement is that most WINE or most WINES contain the implied atrocities they describe here. But if this statement is put in line with so many other implications provided by champions of "natural" wine, then what is meant is that most WINES are to be tarred and feathered with the notion that all but "natural" wine is UN-natural. This of course isn't true.

No one disputes that many wines are highly manipulated with all sort of things and can be best described as beverages. Yet there are now thousands upon thousands of wines that don't meet this definition at all, but rather are careful efforts resulting from low intervention and a careful eye toward explaining terroir through wine. But this fact is not included in any of the implications that come out of the minds of "natural" wine's champions.

• Ms. Legeron does it this way:
"Most wines, including some Bordeaux crus classés, Champagne Grande Marques and household brands are nowadays no longer made exclusively from grapes. They are products of the agrochemical food industry.  The concept of wine's 'poetry', its artistry or romantism, or indeed its exceptionality as a product with a sense of place is becoming rarer."

•Wregg leaves the impression that all but "natural wines" are lesser entities in this way:
"Real wines taste of themselves and where they come from; they are not manipulated with chemicals and other winemaker’s tricks and tropes. They are more natural, more tasty (dare we say) and in the age of conformity and mediocrity they are probably “unreal”.

Fabio Bartelomei, a winemaker in the "natural" wine school and frequent contributor to discussions of the movement does it this way:
"I think that these are two very different worlds or markets out there (ie, the ‘natural/organic/ecological/biodynamic/macrobiotic/whatever’ wine market as opposed to ‘conventional/industrial/chemical/mass-produced/supermarket wine market), and there will always be room for both. I think it’s like for any other product: ie utility cars / sports cars, or any everyday bog-standard product / quality special product."

At MoreThanOrganic, a website promoting French "natural" wine created by Pierre Jancou, the implication that all but "natural" wine is problematic is done this way:
"Natural winemaking will always produce a better, more individual wine than conventional methods used on the same site.....A natural winemaker is a genuine artisan. Natural winemaking requires skill, patience, nerve, and hard physical labour. In most cases it brings small financial rewards. There is more money, less risk, and far less work in making wine conventionally."

Guillaume Aubert, champion of "natural" wine and part owner of the "natural" wine importer Aubert & Mascoli denigrated all other wines this way:
“The more [natural wine] you drink, the less you can drink other wines. You start reacting badly to them, coming out in rashes and swelling up from all the sulphites."

Hardy Wallace, an American winemaker, blogger, marketer and someone I admire, disparaged non-natural wines this way:
"Fortunately for the non "natural" camp, the majority of consumers buying wine today don't know about (and might not care) about the winemaking process."

At the website promoting the film, "Wine From Here," about the "natural" winemaking movement in California, the makers describe in extraordinarily naive terms what their film is about by posturing "natural" wine as something entirely new that didn't exist before and that hasn't been available to wine lover prior to the advent of "natural wine":
"Ultimately, “Wine From Here” captures the values of a new generation of wine drinkers who care about authenticity and the environment."

Ceri Smith, owner of Biondivino Wine Boutique in San Francisco and proponent of "natural" wine, implies here that the "natural" wine movement will save us all from all the other wines in the world that are spoofalated:
"when, nowadays, around the world,  there is the clutter of wine built up upon the marketing gurus and trendy expensive “label” wines – these winemakers are showing the world the beauty and elegance of  “un-spoofalated” winemaking – sans the marketing masters and bulk consistancy, these are the gems in the raw.  in a way, they are the progressive future by returning back to the past."

These are the tip of the iceberg. The proliferation of stated and implied criticisms of the rest of the wine world are so commonplace among "natural" wine champions that this form of denigration marketing is now an inherent part of the natural wine movement. But the thing is this: given the path that the "natural" wine movement has taken, the only model to separate out these wines in the marketplace is by denigrating other wines. These champions must attack in order to self define.

The only other example of this kind of Denigration Marketing I've ever seen in the wine industry is the now very rare example of Francophiles disparaging American or new world wines. This used to be much more commonplace than it is now. You see this kind of denigration marketing in politics regularly. But you haven't really seen it deployed in the wine world with any regularity, until now.

Part of this kind of negative marketing effort is driven by the very name of the movement. If their wines are "natural", what are those that are not in their club? Kinda Natural? Almost Natural? UnNatural? Whatever they are, they aren't "natural". This obvious implication of the term "Natural Wine" is often dismissed by the champions of the genre. But it can't reasonably be dismissed if you possess any fidelity to language and the meaning of words. The fact is this: By using the term "natural" you must find some way to justify its use beyond relying on the actual definition of the word, which does not apply to these wines or any wines. The only way left to create a justification for the use of the term is to define what those outside the classification are, what they are not and what they represent. In this case, what they represent isn't good. They are at least the source of rashes.

But there is more too the denigration marketing tactics of the "natural" wine champions than simply justifying their semantics. A thread moves through the "natural" wine movement that is constant: Natural winemaking is the path to authenticity; it is the formula for making wine what it really should be—the expression of a place. But if this is the case, what are we to make of the expressions provided by "non natural wines"? If they aren't natural, can they too be authentic expressions of place? Of course not. That would de-legitimize the claims of the "natural" wine champions.

Yet we know without question that wines that are filtered, that are fined, that employ cultivated yeasts, that utilize sulfur, that are not made with grapes or processes certified as organic or biodynamic do indeed possess authentic expressions of place. The examples are too numerous to name.

But you rarely see champions of "natural" wines admit this. Rather, they imply and often outright say that these wines are "Manipulated" or "commercial" or "industrial" and can't, with the same authenticity express place or terroir. They are wrong. But if they admit it, their argument for the uniqueness and blessedness of "natural" wines is largely removed. What of the movement and its claims then?

Again, the only real choice the marketers of "natural" wine have is to define their wines against all others. Marketers are in the business of propping up their products. If you are going to prop yours up by defining them against others, then the others must be lesser objects. Hence, the kind of Denigration Marketing that is too often employed by champions of "natural" wine.  It is an inherently deceptive and fraudulent way of selling wine. Shame on them.

THE THREAT OF NATURAL WINE
I am want to reiterate the danger of the natural wine movement, its disregard of convention, its fraudulent descriptions of what it is, and its unsavory marketing methods. We live in a world confronted by a great deal of "new". This "new" is so often regarded as shiny and insightful and profound. It is often, with the help of media that does not fully understand the implications of that upon which they report, understood as being better.

The viral nature of news too is important to understand here. New ideas fly across geography and cultures in an instant. Communities of believers are created in days and short weeks and are supported by tools of communications that too often and too easily spread fraudulent notions.

The idea that "natural" wine is the savior of a wine industry stuffed predominately with unauthentic, unnatural, unhealthy, and industrial wines is a few prominent articles and broadcasts away from being believed. A blog at the Huffington Post is followed by a sympathetic article by a prominent wine expert, who is then featured along with a champion of "natural" wine on a network news program, that is then reported on by the morning new shows with ideas that spread across the Twittersphere and Facebookorama in an instant. All of a sudden artisan winemakers who have been seeking and making terroir driven wines for years and who use low intervention techniques in the vineyard and cellar, but are not calling themselves "natural wineamakers," are tarred with the idea that their products are making us all sick.

This is the danger and threat of the current state of the "natural wine movement".

GETTING THE NATURAL WINE HOUSE IN ORDER
Arguing that the term "natural" is now ubiquitous is not a reason for continuing to use the fraudulent term to describe these wines. It's lazy. Continuing to denigrate other "non natural" wines because you can't imagine the impact of admitting that yours is not so different than other wines is a gross excuse for marketing. And failing to appreciate the 1000s of winemakers that laid the groundwork for your own work and who had no need or thought of calling themselves and their wines "natural" is the kind of dismissive arrogance that good people don't engage in.

The proponents of and makers of what is being called "natural" wine ought to be extraordinarily proud of the wines they love and make. Many are extraordinary and they add fuel to the long and ongoing movement to create unique, artisan wines that has been a large part of the global wine industry for decades. If they can cause excitement (and they do) among winemakers, they ought to be lauded for that...and I do laud them for that.

But if these folks don't get their house in order, they will continue to face the kind of criticism and disparagement that they read in this post and from others.

Based on feedback from ever-so-vocal-and-intelligent peeps like you, I do not supply the quiz answer directly in the post – you will need to tune back in later in the comments sectionfor the answer. I’m still on the road and just returning this week from Australia, so once again (again!) I ask only for your patience on receiving the answer (which could be delayed a few days, depending on my access to The Global Interwebs while Down Undah).

In a small homage of sort’s to last week’s focus on DLW and CO wine comes our Quiz question about a bit of CO wine history…

The Wild West Factor

The U.S. state of Colorado has a history of wine production and grape-growing dating back to the 1800s. Since 1990, the number of wineries in Colorado has increased by a factor of…?

• A. 5
• B. 10
• C. 15
• D. 20
• E. 30

Cheers – and good luck!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at Weekly Wine Quiz: The Wild West Factor from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

• Regular Retail Price: $50.00
• The Wine Spies One Day Price: $37.50
• Varietal: Merlot
• Region: California: Howell Mountain (Napa)
• Volume: 750 ml
• Alcohol %: 14.2

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

We only sell wines that we live, but when we’re really crazy about one, we issue this special alert. Today’s Merlot is nothing short of fantastic!

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: Above the Fog

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Merlot is not frequently featured here, not because we don’t love the food-fantastic varietal, but because we are so picky. Respond to Operative requests for a great Merlot by sending Agent Red to our friends at Rutherford Grove Winery. Investigate their premium Howell mountain Reserve Merlot. If the wine is superb, secure an ample allocation.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2007 Pestoni Family Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Merlot

Winemaker: Andy Pestoni

Backgrounder: Merlot, one of the primary grape varietals from Bordeaux finds an exceptional home in the Napa Valley. Napa County’s Howell Mountain AVA, established in 1984 is known for its wines of deep concentration and intensity. The higher elevation and relatively flat aspect make the location great for vineyards, and specifically Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The first vines in the Howell Mountain area were planted in the 1880s.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep ruby hues with a slightly darker core, this wine shows a pretty magenta ring at the edge of the glass. After swirling the wine, tall, skinny, widely-spaced, wine-stained tears form high up on the glass wall, before rocketing downward.

Smell – Fragrant and lush with pronounced black cherry, dusty bramble, blackberry and dried cranberry out in the lead. Swirl the wine and you’ll coax out additional aromas of boysenberry, raspberry, cracked leather, subtlest cracked pepper and a hint of fresh mint at the very back of the nose.

Feel – Soft and round at the front of the palate, the wine then introduces a soft dryness at the edges of the palate. Gradually, this dryness spreads inward, eventually drying the cheeks and lips. Soft, integrated tannins balance against the juicy bright acidity of the wine.

Taste – Sweet dried cherry, dried cranberry, strawberry and raspberry take the lead. Leather, soft oak, bramble, black pepper and shaved dark chocolate follow behind.

Finish – Very long, slightly dry and loaded with red fruit flavors that give way to leather, spice, chocolate and black pepper at the very end.

Conclusion – Ahhhh. When a Merlot is great, it is great. Today’s 2007 2007 Pestoni Family Howell Mountain Estate Reserve Merlot from Rutherford Grove Winery is, you guessed it, great. Juicy, complex, bright and delicious, this is a very food-friendly and flexible wine that will pair with almost anything. We paired our review bottles with grilled pizzas. See our recipe, below. the pairing was absolutely perfect. If you love Merlot, we’re confident that you’ll fall in love with this special, high-elevation delight from our friends at Rutherford Grove Winery.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.

These wines were samples for review or tasted at a wholesaler’s trade event.
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Ferraro-Carano Bella Luce 2011, Sonoma County. 13.4% alc. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, muscat canelli, gewurztraminer, viognier, pinot blanc, muscat giallo. Pale straw color; think apples and apples and pineapples, Asian pear and lemongrass, hints of lemon, peach and camellia; in the mouth touches of honeydew melon, more peach but spiced and macerated, honey, hay and a flirtation with fresh rosemary and its slightly resinous, tea-like quality; juicy, lush but balanced by bright acidity and limestone minerality. Quite charming. Drink through the end of 2012. Very Good+. About $16.
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Morgan Winery R&D Franscioni Vineyard Pinot Gris 2011, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County. 13.5% alc. Pale straw-gold color; yellow plums, roasted lemon, bay leaf, cloves; a whisper of oak for spice and suppleness; ginger and quince, hint of leafy fig; deft balance between crisp, sprightly acidity and an almost dense texture; ultimately light on its feet, delicate; long, dry, savory finish. 1,265 cases. Excellent. About $18, and a Great Bargain.
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Chateau Graville-Lacoste 2011, Graves, Bordeaux. 12% alc. 70% semillon, 25% sauvignon blanc, 5% muscadelle. Sleek, suave, elegant; lemon, lemon balm and limestone; very dry, touch of chalk, a little austere; nuances of thyme and tarragon, slightly grassy; quite fresh, clean and appealing yet high-toned, classy, stylish. Now through 2013. Excellent. About $20.
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Domaine de Reuilly “Les Pierres Plates” 2011, Reuilly Blanc, Loire Valley. 12.5% alc. 100% sauvignon blanc. So damned pretty, so fragrant, so lively, heaps of personality; spiced pear and lemon, hint of peach; lots of flint and limestone, some austerity on the finish but never less than fresh, vibrant and attractive. Now through 2013. Very Good+. About $20.
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Priest Ranch Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Napa Valley. 14.4% alc. Pale straw-gold; very clean and fresh, crisp and lively; lemon balm and lemongrass, hint of tangerine and orange rind; back-notes of dried thyme and tarragon; burgeoning limestone element; lovely, seductive texture, almost soft and talc-like but with superb tautness and reticence. Totally beguiling and just enough complexity. Excellent. About $26.
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According to the statistics released by several sources, including the United States Department of Agriculture as well as The Wine Institute, California (which produces 90% of American wine) indeed faces a grape shortage. These statistics arrive each year in the inboxes of wine writers and members of the trade with all the fanfare their publishers can muster, and are usually met with about as much attention and enthusiasm as an email hawking nutritional supplements.

Nonetheless, this year's statistics on the California grape crop have produced a raft of articles in the popular press, suggesting either that journalists think Americans may be more interested in the workings of the wine industry than ever before, or perhaps that writers can't resist a story that lends itself to a hyperbolic headline.... Continue reading this article on JancisRobinson.Com.

This article is my monthly column at JancisRobinson.Com, Alder on America, and is available only to subscribers of her web site. If you're not familiar with the site, I urge you to give it a try. It's only £6.99 a month or £69 per year ($11/mo or $109 a year for you Americans) and well worth the cost, especially considering you basically get free, searchable access to the Oxford Companion to Wine ($65) and the World Atlas of Wine ($50) as part of the subscription costs. Click here to sign up.

Spittoon.biz - A UK Wine Blog - We Spit... So You Can Swallow

After six generations of pressing grapes in California, the Mirassou family has only one son left who owns a wine brand: Steven Mirassou.

But he can’t legally use his own name on his bottles, despite the fact that Mirassou’s have been making wine since the mid-1800s, probably longer than any other CA winemaking family. He cannot use the family name because Gallo picked up the Mirassou brand in 2003. David Mirassou now represents that brand for Gallo, but the San Jose winery where they once made their products is long gone.

The family-name-scooped-up-by-the-big-conglomerate story that seems to be rampant in the wine world (whether you’re a Mondavi in CA or a Taylor in NY) doesn’t seem to have slowed Steven Mirassou down much, though.

After setting up shop under the Steven Kent brand (which is as far as he can go legally in terms of sticking his name on the bottles) in Livermore, along with La Rochelle winemaker Tom Stutz he’s crafting some of the most stunning – and exciting – wines in all of California…

While Livermore is home base for Mirassou’s Steven Kent Winery (and is home to the grapes that go into what are probably SKW’s best wines – more on that in a few minutes), the area isn’t the focus for their sister brand, La Rochelle.

“With La Rochelle, we’re trying to find ‘grand cru’ vineyards up and down the [CA] coast,” Steven told me when I stopped in to taste through something like 900 of their more recent releases (okay, more like 20).

SKW on the other hand, is focused on Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. According to Steven, Livermore was once the king of those plantings on the west coast: “people often forget that Livermore had the highest concentration of Bordeaux varieties in the late 1800s in California.”

If the SKW juice is any indication, it’s a tradition well worth maintaining. SKW’s reds are not cheap – the high-end goes for $100 and up per bottle – but they’re stellar examples of why people ought to be thinking of areas outside of Napa and Sonoma when it comes to world-class Bordeaux-style fine wine on the Left Coast.

While there were no clunkers in the lineup that I tasted through with Steve and Tom, there were several highlights that stood out amongst the good-looking crowd; some of this is pretty glowing, but those who know me here understand that I emphatically call it as I see it and in this case I have to call it emphatically good (and if you don’t know me by now… you will never ever know meeeee……) – deal with it, okay?

2010 La Rochelle Rosella’s Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Price: $65
Rating: B+

With all the brioche and apples this is throwing out, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was practically Blanc de Blanc Champagne (which in a way it is…). Balanced between zesty and creamy, it’s got the bustiness of CA Chard and the dance moves of its more svelte European counterparts.

2010 La Rochelle Four Sisters Vineyard Pinot Meunier (Sonoma Coast)
Price: $38
Rating: B+

A more interesting bottle of red you’re unlikely to encounter, assuming you’ve got your wine geek radar on full-blast. Spicy, herbal, and full of red berries and flowers, this is a pretty, feminine, and at turns delicate wine that has vibrant rustic and smoky edges. Interestingly, this wine was aged in oak barrels with French heads and American oak bilges (I’ve no idea if that made it more compelling or not, but it is compelling). I was like a dog at the fire hydrant with this wine, I would’ve sniffed it all day if we hadn’t had 800 other wines to taste in the lineup after it…

2009 La Rochelle Spring Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
Price: $48
Rating: A-

A stunner. For the price (which isn’t cheap), it’s actually an incredible bargain. Berry compote, citrus pith, liveliness, meat and earth and spice and flowers and a sweet jam undertone… sh*t, it’s just all the stuff I love about SC Pinot. She’s got curves people, and they are sexy curves… but the price point makes it more an Overachiever than a Sexy Beast.

2009 Steven Kent Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Livermore Valley)
Price: $60
Rating: B+

What set this wine apart for me was the spiciness; yeah there are red, tangy, food-friendly fruits, but there’s a ton of smoke and chilies and cigar action, too. A bit of meat and dried fruits add to the complexity but with all that going on it has grip and focus, too. It should unfurl into something lovely and suitable for framing in about five more years.

2008 Steven Kent Winery “Clone Thirty” Ghielmetti Vineyard Cabernet Collection (Livermore Valley)
Price: $100
Rating: A-

Not cheap. But definitely not slouching, either. The best way to explain this complex beast is to give you a dump of the tasting notes: “tar, black & red fruits, chocolate, savory, tight, a ton of both acidic and tannic structure, black and dense and deep but elegantly constructed; texturally stunning with a tea leaf finish.” If that doesn’t get you at least somewhat thirsty then I cannot help you.

2009 Steven Kent Winery Lineage (Livermore Valley)
Price: $145
Rating: A

This wine is like a drop-kick to the face where the boot sole on the end of your chin is made of cigar box spices. Probably the most “velvety” wine that SKW has out in its lineup of recent releases, there is also an insane amount of fruity and herbal complexity on the palate to go with the smoothness. Spicy Mexican-style chocolate, black licorice, cocoa, and espresso bean also show up. Give it a few years of rest and the result is going to kick some serious ass.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at What’s In A Name, Anyway? (Recent Releases From Steven Mirassou’s Not-Quite-Family-Named Brands) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

• Regular Retail Price: $55.00
• The Wine Spies One Day Price: $40.00
• Varietal: Red Blend
• Region: California: Napa Valley
• Volume: 750 ml
• Alcohol %: 14.9

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Today’s exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend is truly a fantastic wine worthy of our special designation of an exceptional wine. Pick up a few bottles, one or two to enjoy now and a couple to keep in your cellar for a special occasion or gift. 2007 is the finest vintage on record in more than a decade. With the coming wine shortage, please be sure to stockpile the great 2007s while you still can.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: The Limitless

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Send Agent Red back to B Cellars, whose spectacular wines are made by all-start winemaker and winemaking favorite, Kirk Venge. Procure every last available case of their flagship red wine, their Blend 25, a wine made from some of the finest, ultra-premium vineyards in the Napa Valley. These include Stagecoach, Gorges III, Garvey, Williamson and others. the resulting wine is their most sought-after wine in their line-up.

Mission Status: Accomplished

Current Winery: B Cellars

Wine Subject: 2007 Blend 25

Winemaker: Kirk Venge

Backgrounder: Since we first featured the fantastic blends from B Cellars a few years ago our operatives have been clamoring for us to feature another vintage! The focus at B Cellars is blending. This is evident, not only among the B Cellars team, but also among their wines. Each wine, or potion, is a unique proprietary blend that highlights the strengths of each component varietal and balances with its other varietals. Today’s delicious selection is 66% Cabernet Sauvignon and 34% Syrah. The blending of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah has become one of our most popular blends among our operatives and once you taste this wine, you’ll understand why they are so loved.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark garnet hues at the core, with concentrated color right out to the pretty burgundy edge. Wave after wave of chubby, wine-colored legs thin out as the move swiftly down the glass.

Smell – Lush blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and bramble mix with sweet spice, tobacco leaf, toasty vanilla, cured beef, black pepper and a hint of anise.

Feel – Full bodied and rich, right from the start, this wine becomes softly grippy at the center of the palate. Form there, a chewy feel seems to emanate outward, spreading a dark, mineral dryness as it grows. A lively acidity gives the wine a very balanced overall feel.

Taste – Dark and very rich, with overripe blackberry, black cherry and black plum with mocha, dried cherry, dried cranberry and cassis. As the wine opens, it reveals expanded follow-on flavors of dark chocolate, dark spice, dark tobacco leaf, dried meats and a hint of sage.

Finish – Extra long and loaded with dark, ripe fruit that takes a very long time to fade. As it fades, the wine leaves the mouth with a chewy coating of dried red and black fruit, spice, pepper and dark cocoa.

Conclusion – The 2007 B Cellars Blend 25 is a truly remarkable wine. We really enjoyed the previous vintages that we’ve featured here, but we are absolutely in love with this vintage. If you love dark, extracted, boldly delicious wines, please act quickly as this wine will sell out. We grabbed up every last case of this limited-production wine and when it is gone, it’ll be gone forever. Pair as you would a classic Napa Cabernet or a rich, fruit-driven Syrah. We paired this classy wine with a classic grilled burger, with all the fixings. This wine gets our heartiest Wine Spies recommendation!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the B Cellars Tasting Room can be seen in this satellite photo.