Super California Tasting at Wine Watch

“When things get hard to swallow, we need a bottle of Moscato”

Kendrick Lamar

Hey just a few years ago is was Metus, Riuniti and Blue Nun that were all the rage but today it looks like it’s a light fruity white called Moscato.  Cabernet Sauvignon is still king among the world’s elite wine collectors and the wines from California have taken the world by storm a few decades ago proving that they can compete with the best in all of the world with the 1976 Paris tasting where two California wines came out on top in a blind tasting including some of the top wines from both Burgundy and Bordeaux.  The California wine industry has never looked back and today the top wines of California are priced equally as high to prove there is demand for these wines all over the world.

Tonight is a study in vintage California and because we have just completed series of super Syrah tastings so in addition to the KILLER California Cabernet Sauvignon tonight we also have two of the "Cult" Syrah producers to show just how far this varietal has come in the new world. 

This is an amazing line-up of wines and the cost of experiencing all of these wines below along with a special meal prepared by Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone is less than the cost of any single bottle we have on the table this evening!!  This is a sit down pre-poured event and is limited to 15 tasters.  The fee for this tasting is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Super California Tasting at Wine WatchThursday, September 25, 20147:00 PM

Tasting Line-up:

2008 Alban Reva Syrah

(96+ Points) The 2008 Reva (Syrah) is stunningly beautiful. This is a relatively delicate, feminine Reva that impresses for its length, balance and utter purity of fruit. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint and silky, saline notes wrap around the expressive fruit on the long, polished finish. A hint of truffles adds to the wine’s sensual, totally beguiling personality. In 2008, the Reva is drop-dead gorgeous. Readers should note that, in this vintage, there is no Lorraine or Seymour’s, so the 2008 is a “super-Reva!” Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.

This is a fabulous set of wines from John and Lorraine Alban. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. As I noted last year, the whites are increasingly made in a more energetic style, not a bad thing as the fruit is already so expressive from the start. Over the years, a similar evolution has taken place with the reds. The inky, black color of the Syrahs is now gone. Today, Alban favors lengthy barrel aging for his top reds, a technique he compares to “braising” in cooking, which requires softer and gentler fermentations at the outset. Beginning around 2006, Alban started doing fewer pump overs and in general encourages longer, slower fermentations. The wines used to go into barrel with some sugar still left to ferment, while today they go in drier than in the past. Over the years, new oak levels have also come down. Most of the current releases are 2008s, a vintage Alban describes as characterized by a spring frost, drought and cloudy days with less heat and sunlight than is typically the case. Readers may want to check out my video interview with John Alban for more on current and upcoming vintages.  Wine Advocate #202, Aug 2012

2008 Sine Qua Non Syrah

(96 Points) The 2008 Syrah B-20 is a cool, inward wine graced with layers of beautifully delineated, chiseled fruit. This is a distinctly mineral, precise style relative to the more outgoing 2009, but both are striking. Floral notes add lift as the finish turns explosive with a burst of dark fruit, tar, licorice and crushed rocks. This is one of the more understated wines readers are likely to come across from Sine Qua Non. It is gorgeous when given the time to open up. The B-20 is predominantly Syrah, with 6% Grenache and 2% Viognier. About half of the Grenache was fermented with whole clusters and the wine was aged in French oak (60% new) for 26 months. The vineyard sources are 52% Eleven Confessions, 18% Cumulus, 18% Bien Nacido and 12% White Hawk. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023.

This is a breathtaking set of wines from Sine Qua Non and Manfred Krankl. It’s hard to say precisely to what degree a greater reliance on estate owned vineyards, generally cooler growing seasons over the last few years and a reduction in new oak are shaping these wines, but the bottom line is that Krankl is coaxing fruit of incomparable elegance from the sites he works with. The silkiness and polish of the tannins is breathtaking. I also had a chance to see numerous estate vineyards during my visit with Krankl and Cellar Master Jim Binns including the Cumulus vineyard that informs Krankl’s newest project, Next of Kyn, which is reviewed separately. That said, there are fewer more perfect matches than Grenache and Syrah as farmed by Krankl in the Eleven Confessions vineyard, which is located in the Santa Rita Hills, one of the cooler spots in California’s Central Coast. The wines that emerge from this site are often profound. The sheer drive for perfection and attention to detail at Sine Qua Non is something I have rarely witnessed anywhere else in the world.  Wine Advocate #196, Aug 2011

1998 Colgin Herb Lamb

(91 Points) Mature and complex, with supple yet intense herb- and dill-laced black cherry, currant and stewed plum, with shades of anise and black olive. The tannins are mellowing but still structured. Tasted from magnum.--1998 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now through 2014. 350 cases made. –JL  Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2009

1993 Abreu Madronna Ranch

(94-96 Points)  Beginning in 1993, Abreu's wines climb even higher on the qualitative ladder. In fact, I am not sure there is much further room for improvement. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon, another great wine from an often "maligned" vintage, boasts a fabulous dark purple color, as well as sweet, jammy, toasty black fruits, fruitcake, cedar, and black truffle-like smells. Packed with extract and glycerin, this is an expansive, chewy, pure Cabernet that should be cellared for another 2-3 years after its release in 1997; it will easily last until 2025. This is great stuff! In tasting through all of Abreu's commercially available wines, I was struck by how consistent in quality they are. The exceptional 1991 and 1992 have been followed by phenomenal wines in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. Most of these wines are 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc. The only exception is the 1995, which is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wines are worth owning; I am putting my money where my mouth is.  Wine Advocate #108, Dec 1996 

1993 Shafer Hillside Select

(94 Points) At the top of this estate's qualitative hierarchy are their Cabernet Sauvignons. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is an outstanding wine that is close in quality to the 1992 and 1991. The 1993 boasts an opaque purple color, as well as a sweet, smoky nose of licorice, blackcurrants, minerals, and vanillin. Huge, rich, and full-bodied, with fabulous concentration and extract, but harder tannin than the 1992 or 1994, this is a large-scaled, well-balanced, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon to drink between 2000-2020. Readers may remember my previous lavish reviews of the Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignons. These wines have always been high class, but the quality level since 1991 has pushed Shafer's Hillside Select into an elite grouping of two dozen or so California Cabernet producers. There are 2,000-2,400 cases made of these rich, ageworthy Cabernets.  Another of Napa's finest wineries, Shafer has taken full advantage of a succession of superlative vintages during the nineties, producing a powerful portfolio of brilliant wines. Since 1991, just about everything emerging from Shafer Vineyards has been high on buyers' lists. All things considered, Doug and John Shafer are at the top of their game.  Wine Advocate #108, Dec 1996

1993 Phelps insignia

(90 Points)  Although much lighter than the two top vintages of 1991 and 1992, it is a medium-bodied, soft, fully mature red exhibiting notes of Asian spices, licorice, red and black currants, and forest floor, and sweet tannin in the finish. While not likely to improve, it is capable of holding for another 5-10 years.

This was a complicated year weather-wise, with rain during the flowering, which lowered the crop size, and an unusual and irregular growing season with serious heat spikes in both August and September. Careful monitoring and selective harvesting was required. The 1993 Insignia (a 5,480-case blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot; 13.5% alcohol) was the first vintage to be aged 26 months in 100% new French oak.  eRobertParker.com #1113, Nov 2013

1975 Diamond Creek Red Rock

(84 Points) There's still a little life left in this one. Mature cedar, earth and dried currant, this wine is still very well-balanced and the flavors, while showing their age, are appealing.--1975 California Cabernet retrospective. Drink now. –JL  Wine Spectator, Issue: Web Only - 2005

1977 Ridge Montebello

One of the best Cabernet Sauvignon blends made in California this was a drought year and the wines from 1977 have incredible intensity and are still quite fresh.  (92 Points) Wine Advocate #89, Oct 1993

Menu

Black currant BBQ Salmon served over Fried mushroom Rice Cake alongside Baby Bok Choy

Cabernet Braised beef short rib served over mole Sauce with blistered carrots and cheddar cheese soufflé

The Fee for this tasting is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.