So I have a week to kill in-between jobs, figure I should go hit some tasting rooms I never been before and revisit some that I didn't spend much time with in the past.
With that, the start of 2004 Whirlwind Tour.
Monday, February 23, 2004 Diamond Oaks This is a new winery with heavy Chardonnay lineup. They are located at where the old Vichon/La Familia used to be on Oakville Grade.
2001 Silver Carneros Chardonnay Citrus nose with light pineapple. Green apple on the palate, simple.
2001 Chalk Hill Chardonnay Rather light citrus nose. Green apple with touch of cream on palate. Rounder mouth feel than the Silver Carneros bottling. Still not too interesting.
2001 Reserve Carneros Chardonnay Sweet oak with a touch of fig showing on the nose. Flavor of apricot and soft red apple on palate.
2000 Reserve Carneros Chardonnay Best showing Chardonnay out of the bunch. Fullest body of the entire lineup. Cream, fig, caramel and light toffee.
2002 Carneros Pinot Noir Nose of strawberries and red cherries. Soft red fruit on palate. Lack depth and complexity. Simple wine with touch of green.
Heitz Wine Cellars Februay is there new release month, and I believe this is the only time you can walk into their tasting room and taste the current release of Martha's Vineyard bottling. One interesting note here. They've had special label for three different vintages of Martha's Vineyard to recognize the wine's greatness, including the ever famous 1997 release. I asked the gentleman in the tasting room seeing if the 2001 vintage will be getting the same recognition, and the answer was probably not, but maybe the 2003 vintage.
2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Ruby color, typical of 2000 vintage. Five spice nose, bit green, very light body with cranberries.
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks Vineyard Nose of currant with slight heat that did not show on the palate. Good amount of black fruit on palate with a bit chalky, firm tannin.
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard Crushed blueberries with firm tannin with solid mid-palate. Definitely a wine with all the components in place to age. Would not touch this for at least another three years.
Darioush Their seemingly forever under construction new winery is scheduled to be finished by the late summer. Shaping up to be a nice showpiece, will definitely go back for visit when it's done.
1999 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon A bit weedy nose with dry cranberries. Medium fruit, rough and angular on the palate.
2000 Signature Red Table Wine A Bordeaux style blend bottling. Nose of current and light vanilla. Medium fruit, good acidity, decent weight. Showing a bit sharp with firm tannins.
2001 Signature Merlot Nose of red cherry. Spice and red fruit on palate with slightly chalky tannin.
2000 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Sweet black cherry nose. Good amount of black cherries on the palate with firm tannin. A solid 2000 Napa Cab bottling.
2001 Signature Shiraz Good fragrant black fruit nose with a hint of banana. Tight on palate, peppery with black fruit, and touch of cream. Good mid-palate weight with firm tannin. Would like to revisit this in 3-6 month, as this has not been in the bottle for very long. Top red wine of the day.
Nickel & Nickel Well folks, guess what, this place takes the top honor for the best visit of the day. This is one of the better tasting you will get to visit on Hwy 29. Friendly, courteous and pleasant, a wonderful time. Will definitely visit when the 2001 vintage is released.
2001 Suscol Ranch Chardonnay Canned pineapple showing on the nose with other ripe fruits. Creamy pear, peach, with balance of good acidity. Not over oaked in style. Long lingering finish with a touch of burned sugar. Best white wine of the day.
2000 Carpenter Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Lightest of the four Caberbet we tasted. Nose of eucalyptus and red fruit. Good acidity with red cherries, touch green.
2000 Tench Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Fragrant black berry nose. Sweet cherry entry with a touch of mushroom. Firm tannin.
2000 Sullenger Vineyard Plummy nose with a hint of caramel. Upfront sweetness, high-toned red cherry showing, a bit hollow on mid-palate.
2000 Rock Cairn Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Nice nose of fragrant blueberries. Good amount of cherries with nice hit on mid-palate. Firm tannin, good balance. fullest Cabernet of the bunch. Another top red wine of the day.
Your Darioush TNs sound identical to mine. I was very surprised, as I had tried a 1999 Shiraz on release and it was a dense, tannic monster. The current bottlings are more refined, delicate, and European in style.
highdesertwine
Posts: 1669 | Location: Victorville, California | Registered: Nov 09, 2001
We barrel tasted the '01 Darioush Syrah way back when and it was the highlight. You were fortunate to taste all those wines. Noticed the construction was lagging, maybe it's all those those Persian rugs they're waiting on.
Speaking of rugs, I realize you have red carpet and all, , but that $25 tasting fee at N&N is a little unwelcoming. Next time, we'll go with you.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 The wines tasted today is just a good notch above the Monday lineup. My wallet was happy yesterday, but not so happy today...
Kelham Vineyards This winery source most of their fruit from the estate owned vineyard in the heart of Oakville and towards the eastern mountain range. A block of Oakville hillside fruit is what they are making the 100% Reserve Cabernet with.
2002 Sauvignon Blanc Light honey citrus nose with bright grapefruit on palate. Bright acidity makes this a wonderful food wine, should pair well with most seafood dishes.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon This wine has 4% of Merlot blended back in. Nose of red cherry, cinnamon, and cloves. Red ruby in color. Red fruit on palate with firm tannin, and maybe a bit chalky. Very approachable yet ageable 2000 Napa Cab. No sign of green, good effort.
2000 Merlot 6% of Cabernet Sauvignon was blened back into this merlot. Dr. Pepper comes to mind with this cherry filled nose. Medium cherry with good acidity on palate, nice hit on mid-palate.
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Good color, dark ruby, no sign of bricking. Cherry vanilla coke nose. Medium fruit with a touch of spice, a very well made 1998 Napa Cab.
1999 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Deep ruby in color, fragrant black fruit nose. Wonderful balance of black cherry, silky tannin, and acid to give this wine great aging potential. A full body Cab with structure and complexity.
2002 Sangiovese The only wine in the lineup with purchased fruit. Will be bottled in second label. About 17% of Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with Sangiovese. Fruity nose of strawberries. Loads of jammy strawberries, cloves, covers the palate. Great upfront entry, full body and dense, but does seem a bit hollow on mid-palate. Be interesting to see if this will pull back together to fill the hole.
Twomey This is the Merlot project by Silver Oak, but have complete control of their own style of winemaking as it sees fit. Biggest different right off the bat is this is a 100% Frech Oak winery vs. 100% American Oak at Silver Oak.
2000 Merlot Nose of red cherry mixed with blackberries, and a touch of pine forest. Again, 100% French Oak, 80/20 split on new and old. Elegant blackberries, firm but not offensive tannins. Slight brown sugar on finish. A wonderful merlot with good weight and struture. For my palate, take this over the 2001 Paloma anyday.
Spring Mountain Vineyard Only recently re-opened to public by appointment only. Beautiful estate that's well worth the time to check out as one of the stops on Spring Mountain. Tasting was done in an refinished 19th Century house, just the architecture on it's own is worth the trip.
2002 Sauvignon Blanc Bright citrus nose with ruby red grapefruit and lemon/lime sorbet flavor on palate. Good weight, oak fermentation showing through. Best white wine of the day.
1987 Cabernet Sauvignon Very light sign of bricking on the outer most edge, virtually none. Fragrant plum nose with beautiful medium cherry showing through on palate and a touch of dried cranberries. Plenty of fruit and tannin left to carry this wine for at least another 3-5 years before heading downhill.
2000 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Floral high-toned cherry with anise on nose. Heavy tannin, bit chalky, bright red fruit with high acidity.
2001 Elivette (Reserve) This Reserve bottling is released way ahead of the original schedule, but I am glad it's out so I can have the chance to taste this. Dark ruby in color, currant, black fruit, cinnamon stick makes up the nose. Mixture of black fruits, cherries, berries, and plum. Definitely a more Bordeaux style wine, would not touch this again for at least a good 3-5 years. Seeing how the '87 is aging beautifully, the 2001 vintage will no doubt be a 20+ year wine.
1999 Syrah Deep bury, bordering purple in color. Peppery nose with black fruit and Indian spice. White pepper and layers of various black fruit on palate. A bit sharp, couple years of cellaring time will only benefit this wine.
pyang, At this rate will any new wineries be left to sample come fall . I am just jealous that i am not there doing the same. Thanks for the notes and sorry to hear about your wallet .
red4life
Posts: 1213 | Location: southern california | Registered: Dec 09, 2001
Great notes Pyang....I missed your call tonight as I was watching a movie. I'll give you a buzz tomorrow.
Gusbo - The '99 Heitz regular bottling is pretty nice. I had it on release, but not since then. Very "Heitz" in style. A pretty straight shooter. Don't expect to be "wowed", but if you tend to like their wine and their style, this is a solid performance (89-91 pts).
Cheers,
-DRAB
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 6822 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
amedemonet, the 85 and 87 have been showing up retail quite a bit recently. From what I understand it is a recent re-release from the winery, that the had uncovered a previously unknown stash in prestine conditions back in the caves.
Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were forced to live on nothing but food and water for days. - W. C. Fields
Posts: 4410 | Location: San Ramon, California | Registered: May 07, 2002
They happened to have couple of the '87s open that day because they had a distributor tasting earlier.
As for the '85, I would avoid those as the winery mentioned are trying to pull those back since they've gotten quite a bit of complaints about bottle variation.
Neal Family No need for further introduction here, on with the tasting notes.
2002 Chardonnay Nose of creamy vanilla, ripe fig and tropical fruits. Beautiful mixture of mineral and papaya dances on the palate. No sign of typical heavy oak Cali Chard. Long lingering finish with a hint of butterscotch and toffee.
2002 Zinfandel Loads of black cherries on the nose. Blueberry yogurt flavor coats the mouth with layering raspberries, black cherries, and black currant to follow. Soft elegant silky tannin balance out this beautiful Zin from Rutherford.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley This bottle was opened on Monday, poured about a third, gassed and put back in the fridge. Rich nose of dark chocolate and huge black fruits. Firm tannin, no sign of any heat, just layers upon layers of black fruit and strong mid-palate.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - barrel sample Brown sugar and caramel floats out from the glass. Cassis, black fruits, cocoa accompanied by firm tannin. More intensity than the 2001 bottling.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Wykoff Vineyard - barrel sample This is the vineyard source for the Rutherford bottling. Another monster wine with huge black fruit exploding from the glass. Complex layers of ripe black fruit and a bull's-eye on mid-palate. Long lingering finish of caramel and brown sugar. A beautifully balanced wine with ABSOLUTELY NO HEAT, weighing in at a whopping 16% on alcohol.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak - barrel sample Spice, anise, and black fruits on the nose. Dense heavy mixture of expensive chewy black fruits. Strong mid-palate with a long lingering finish of cocoa beans.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Estate - barrel sample Signature Howell Mountain spice with cheery and cassis, a beautiful fragrant nose. Multiple layers of black cherries and spice with touch of mineral and wet stone. Long lingering finish.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Chafen Vineyard - barrel sample Vanilla cream and black cherry ice-cream makes you want to smell this wine forever. Huge teeth gripping tannin with deep black fruits. Another wine with strong mid-palate, medium finish.
Igneous This is a new label with the first vintage being 2002. Fruit source is from Thorevilos Vineyard owned by Ric Forman & David Abreu, located on the lower part of Howell Mountain just below Viader. Nils & Kirk Venge are the winemaking team. Production level is at about 180 cases for 2002 vintage and 320 cases for 2003 vintage.
The wine is being made on Spring Mountain, worth the trip if you are in the area to schedule a visit with the mind behind this new project, Don Huckfeldt.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon - barrel sample, one year old barrel Still very young at this stage and not grapey. A floral nose with black cherries on palate
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon - barrel sample, new oak Same profile as above with obvious new oak influence.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Nose of vanilla and milk chocolate, as it sits in the glass, spice develops and gives it another dimension. Warm black fruit makes the first strike on the palate, maybe just a touch of heat. As the wine warms up a bit, the Howell Mountain signature spice begin to display itself. A very tasty wine with solid mid-palate and medium finish. Will be very interesting to follow the progress of this wine as it completes 24 month in barrels.
All the wines were outstanding, but below are my two favorites of the tasting:
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Wykoff Vineyard - theived from the barrel
Very creamy and toasty nose with an equally complex palate. Chewy chocolate interlaced with spice. I couldn't really place the spice. Perhaps it's allspice. Lots of black fruit and some tannins. Good heavy mouthfeel with an incredible finish. 95 pts.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak - theived from the barrel
This is the wine to watch! I will be very interested to see how this one evolves. It's a monster! Again, alot of chocolate and chewiness which seems to be a theme running in Neal's cabs. Gobs and gobs of plums and dark cherries with an incredibly complex midpalate. Long finish. Not as spicy as the Wykoff. 97 pts.
Thanks Gove, for theiving away for us!Yummylicious! (Is that a word?)
We had a very nice time lunching with Mark as well.
Posts: 1048 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: Dec 08, 2001
The complete information regarding Spring Mountain Tasting/Tour is available on their website, I believe it's $25 per person.
***
Golf&Zin Nut,
I may be wrong on this, but I think the general consensus is that most Zins are better when young. I would say drink most Zins within three years, five tops, and the Neal included.
Del Dotto cave girl was pulling her hair out setting up for a party of 100 doctors Friday night.
Caution, do not try this at home. This was the first stop in the morning at 11:00am, where I showed up on an empty stomach. Did not get up in time to have breakfast...
Short and brief tasting notes from the cave...
1999 Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve Light fragrant nose with cedar, light red cherries and cranberries on palate.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Pennsylvania Oak - barrel sample
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Bertranges - barrel sample Medium fruit, firm tannin.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Lot-C Colbert - barrel sample Butterscotch popcorn nose, black fruit, good mid-palate with long finish. May have to get a few of these.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Lot-D Limousin - barrel sample Nose of brown sugar, black fruit on palate and cocoa bean finish.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Lot-D Cooper Select - barrel sample Elegant black fruit with silky tannin. Another one to consider picking up.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon U-Stave - barrel sample Black fruit with anise and toffee, burned sugar finish. Got my own special 50/50 blend of this and 2002 Cabernet Franc coming.
2002 Cabernet Franc - barrel sample Loads of strawberries on the nose, jammy fruit with burned sugar finish. Soft graceful wine.
2002 Merlot Allier - barrel sample Juicy, jammy black fruit.
2001 the David - barrel sample Port like nose, not quite what I remembered.
2000 Cave Blend Chinese five spice with medium fruit.
2000 Sangiovese
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Anise, licorice, blackberries with soft tannin.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Nose of brown sugar, sweet oak, cedar and medium fruit.
I've got a question for you. How does the Neal Zin compare to other Zins in the $20s (Hendry Block 28 and 7, Seghesio Home Ranch and Old Vines, Rosenblum Carla's Vinyard, Turley Junevile, etc)?
a
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" -- W.C. Fields
I like Zin, but don't really seek them out. Off of your list, the ones I remember having for sure are the two Hendrys, and they don't come close to Neal.
There are also few other Zins I've had recently, but not in the same price range, '01 Martinelli Jackass Hill, '01 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa, '01 Outpost, '01 Storybook Mayacamas Range, '01 August Briggs, and '01 Brassfield. The only one in the group I can say is better than the Neal is the Jackass Hill.
Just one stop for the day before enjoyingwine and I went to play in a 30 people Texas Hold'em Tournament.
Buehler Vineyards This is a beautiful 300 acres hillside property situated in Conn Valley overlooking Lake Hennessey.
Not the easiest winery to get to through the twisting Howell Mountain Road, but definitely worth your drive to enjoy the wonderful hospitality at this place.
2001 Chardonnay This wine is made with purchased grapes from Russian River. Sweet nose of vanilla, cloves and light oak. Buttery ripe peach on the palate. Clean, nice weight, and a hint of oak influenced burned sugar finish.
2000 Zinfandel Estate grown fruit that will be ripped on in the near future to plant with Cabernet Sauvignon. Light fragrant nose of red fruit accompanied with flavor of dry strawberries and cranberries on the palate.
2000 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Another good 2000 vintage Napa Cab. Black cherry nose with a touch of spice. Black cherries with well integrated silky tannin rolls onto the palate. Not one bit of green in this wine, a lovely wine to drink now and over the next few years. Surely deserving it's 90pts from WS. Keep your eyes open for their 2001 Cabernet release.
Plumpjack For those of you not yet aware, Plumpjack's winemaking is now under the direction of Tony Biagi, formerly with Neal Family.
He arrived in time to take over Plumpjack's 2002 vintage as it's sitting in the tank before going into barrels. The first true vintage for Tony will be the 2003 release, which should prove to have a bit of stylistic change in the good direction.
2002 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - barrel sample Aroma of Chinese five spice. Firm tannin with black currant and spice showing through on palate.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon H Block - barrel sample A voluptuous wine even at this young age. Round soft mouthfilling black fruit. A definite stylistic change vs. the 2002.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon J Block - barrel sample This is likely to be part of the reserve blend. Heavy smoke with sweet cherry entry, lots of mineral showing.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon I Block - barrel sample This is the another lot that's likely to be part of the reserve blend.
2001 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - final blend sample Heavy aroma of clove and five spice. Pencil lead with black cherries and blackberries. A very complex wine with layers of exotic spice and black fruit. Should be a good wine to lay down for a while. Buy!
2001 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Smoke and dark fruit leaps out from the glass. Dense and chewy with mineral. A luscious wine with plenty of black fruit and some chocolate, cocoa notes. A broad shouldered wine. Stock up!
Whitehall Lane
2002 Sauvignon Blanc Ripe melon aroma. Ripe cantaloupe and honeydew with a touch of spice. A very ripe and tropical Sauv Blanc. Worth a shot.
2001 Merlot Smoky with a touch of cedar and coffee bean on the nose. Medium-dark fruit, cherry, currant and cigar box spice. Worth a shot.
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Aroma of cinnamon, cherry and clove. Firm tannin albeit a bit rough. Black cherry and exotic spice on palate. Needs time. Worth a shot.
2000 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Pencil shaving, clove and dark fruit on the nose. Firm, mouth coating tannin with black fruit hiding in the background. Good mid-palate and structure especially for a 2000 Cal Cab. Worth a shot.
, but that $25 tasting fee at N&N is a little unwelcoming. Next time, we'll go with you. 
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