California Gems Tasting at Wine Watch 7pm

"Away with you, water, destruction of wine!"
Catullus

Tonight we have a selection of some of the best small producers from California.  All of these wines are part of the Gems portfolio from Southern Wine and Spirits.  This division was the brain child of the late Jimmy Mancbach.  Jimmy was a good friend and had his finger on the pulse of what was new and exciting from the next up and coming small boutique producers from California, Oregon and Washington.  Some of the wineries that will be here are: Amapola Creek from Richard Arrowood, Pali, Daedalus, Dutton Goldfield, Schweiger and more...  Wine Watch catering will be making a few things to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this tasting is $45, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Gems Tasting at Wine Watch
Wednesday, October 13th
7pm

Jonata Estate - Armand de Maigret

This is a new venture from the folks that own screaming eagle.  The Santa Ynez Valley is quickly becoming known for being the spot for Bordeaux varietals in Southern California. 

Jonata Todos 2006
Price: $52.50    Sale $46.20      Case $536

(95-97 Points) The 2006 El Corazon de Jonata (39% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Sangiovese, and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Viognier) is a 1,000-case cuvee that will be bottled in a few months. Profound, sexy aromas of smoked duck, soy, blackberries, pepper, and a hint of spring flowers are followed by an exotic, full-bodied, voluptuously textured wine bursting with complexity and richness. A subtle smoky, meaty component is present in the deep, dark blackberry flavors. Long, rich, and pure, this stunning 2006 should drink beautifully for 10-15+ years.

This remarkable Santa Ynez estate is under the same ownership as Napa Valley’s Screaming Eagle winery. While well-known Bordeaux consultant, Michel Rolland, and Screaming Eagle’s winemaker, Andy Erickson, play important roles at Jonata, the people most responsible for the quality of the wines are owners Charles Banks, Stan Kroenke, and winemaker Matt Dees. Jonata’s debut vintage, the 2004s, were somewhat of a work in progress, but the 2005s convincingly established what compelling wines were about to emerge. The 2006s and a handful of 2007 barrel samples I tasted suggest this is one of California’s most exciting new wineries. What they are accomplishing with Bordeaux varietals is mind-boggling. I have included these cuvees since some of the blends include Rhone varietals.  Wine Advocate # 177,  June 2008

The Paring White Blend 2007
Price: $22.25    Sale $19.58      Case $227

Very similar to a white bordeaux melon and green figs on the nose with notes of flinty minerally apricots and peaches also coming out very interesting bouquet changing quickly.  Big and juicy on the tongue with lots of apricot like fruit and a nice amount of refreshing acidity holding things together very big and a long finish with tangerine like citrus notes.  finish 40+            Excellent

The Paring Red Blend 2005
Price: $27         Sale $23.76      Case $275

Black plum and black cherry currant berry fruit with fresh plowed black earth and some toasty oak spice espresso.  A big but elegant wine with bitter chocolate and dark spices with currant and cassis berry fruit lots of tobacco like spice on the finish.  Finish 40+          Excellent

The Paring Pinot Noir 2008
Price: $27         Sale $23.76      Case $275

From two vineyards Sanford & Benedict and Amarosa, a good amount of black raspberry like fruit notes of dried tobacco spice and light smoky notes.  Bright and fresh on the tongue with zesty all-spice and black raspberry fruit a refreshing style with nice spice but also has great freshness and exotic floral perfume spice on the finish.  Finish 45+ Excellent

  
Amapola Creek - Eileen McLemore

A new project from Richard Arrowood located on a western slope of the Mayacamas range, which rises between the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, a stream flows each spring, its banks covered with the California poppy, our state flower. Amapola is Spanish for poppy. Amapola Creek runs through our land and lends its name to our winery.

Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma 2005
Price: $64.50    Sale $56.76      Case $658

Quality is more important than yields at Amapola. That commitment shows in this Cabernet Sauvignon, made exclusively with fruit from their estate vines. After painstaking organic farming, they dropped half of their crop to make a wine of power and perfect ripeness from very limited yields. The wine was aged for 18 months in a combination of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels. This dense, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon displays a wealth of intense black cherry, blackberry, currant and cassis aromas. Silky and seamless on the palate, the wine reveals complex layers of luscious black fruit flavors that meld with oak nuances and polished, ripe tannins throughout a remarkably persistent finish.

Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rossa Sonoma 2005
Price: $33         Sale $29.04      Case $337

The 2005 Zinfandel’s unique character derives from four-plus decades of winemaking expertise combined with the mountain terroir of historic Monte Rosso Vineyard and its famous red soils. These 115-year-old vines yield a mere one to one-and-a-half tons per acre. Their distinctive fruit is enhanced by the mineral-rich, well-drained, decomposed volcanic ash soils and by the cooling breezes of San Pablo Bay. The high elevation of the vineyard exposes the fruit to additional sunlight, ensuring consistent ripening. Tight 8x8-foot vine spacing, diligent pruning and dry farming techniques also concentrate the flavors of Monte Rosso grapes
  

Pali Wine Company - Gary White

In 2005, entrepreneurs Tim Perr and Scott Knight pooled their resources and their passions to found a winery dedicated to producing small lots of artisan Pinot Noir that they loved to drink.

They established a state-of-the-art winery and tasting room in the town of Lompoc, CA and named the winery "Pali" after our hometown Pacific Palisades on the coast just west of Los Angeles. Today, Pali Wine Co. produces a Cuvee series of wines defined by their appellation of origin and named for different neighborhoods in the Pacific Palisades. They also produce a very limited amount of vineyard-designate wines.

Their goal is to make wines that speak well of their origin and their varietal, and to bring those wines to the consumer at the best price they can without compromising quality. While Pinot Noir remains their first love and a significant part of our production, they also produce a few other varietals when they have the opportunity to make a wine they think is worthy of sharing.

Pali Wine Co. Riviera Blend Sonoma Coast 2008
Price: $21         Sale $18.48      Case $214

(88 Points) Firm, ripe, rich and concentrated, with earthy wild berry, spice, raspberry and plum-scented fruit that's intense and complex. Drink now through 2015. 2,000 cases made. -JL  Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2010

Pali Wine Co. Fiddlestix Vineyard Santa Rita Hills 2007
Price: $53.25    Sale $46.86      Case $543

(88 Points)  Complex and full-bodied, with a subtle mix of earth, lavender, dried blueberry and sage notes that give this dusty tannins. Drink now through 2012. 110 cases made. -JL  Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2009

Pali Wine Co. Shea Vineyard Oregon 2007
Price: $53.25    Sale $46.86      Case $543

(87 Points)  Firm, tannic and focused, with licorice-scented blackberry and smoke flavors that push through the tannins on the long, savory finish. Best from 2011 through 2015. 60 cases made. -HS Wine Spectator Issue: Web Only - 2009

Pali Wine Co. Turner Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills 2007
Price: $53.25    Sale $46.86      Case $543

Wine Watch Review: Dried herbs and oriental spices on the nose with red cherry pie like fruit and notes of fresh earth truffle.  Excellent structure here with layers of sweet ripe cherry fruit and exotic spice and lots of tannins through the finish, a bit Pommard like in that respect.  Finish 45+          Excellent +

  
Daedalus Cellars  - Pam Walden

Daedalus Cellars (DAY-de-lus) is a small, winery located in Dundee, the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley.  They source from some of the state's best and oldest vineyards and handle the fruit minimally and carefully to create balanced wines with complex fruit and elegant structure.  Their obsession is Pinot Noir, though they also passionately produce Pinot Gris, Syrah, Dry and Sweet Riesling, Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner.

Daedalus Pinot Noir Labyrinth Willamette Valley 2007
Price: $50.25    Sale $44.22      Case $513

Elegant and complex old-vine fruit from Maresh and Murto vineyards blended to create the blend that is the pinnacle of our Pinot Noir production. The wine maintains the focused fruit flavors, powerful structure and fleshy mouthfeel that have come to characterize this wine. 690 six-packs produced.

Daedalus Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2007
Price: $30.50    Sale $26.84      Case $311

Blend of several exceptional Willamette Valley vineyards produced a wine that is particularly elegagant with typical whole-cluster spiciness, strong minerality and beautifully balanced acidity. 1440 cases produced.
  

Dutton-Goldfield - John Schulz

Dutton-Goldfield Winery began with a handshake in a vineyard in 1998, when longtime colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them-to craft wines that express the personalities of their cool-climate vineyards, and which they'd enjoy drinking at their own dinner tables.

A fifth-generation farmer, Steve grew up with a love of driving tractors, and without any doubt about his future career. His father, Warren Dutton, had begun growing grapes in the western reaches of Russian River Valley in the mid-1960s, at a time when most people thought the area was too cool to grow fruit for quality still wine. Steve started working with his father when he was five years old, and joined Dutton Ranch full-time in 1987. Today, along with his mother and brother, he manages the family business, which has grown from its original 35-acre home shop vineyard to over 80 separate vineyards comprising more than 1,000 acres throughout western Russian River Valley.

After graduating from Boston's Brandeis University, Dan headed west to begin a career in research chemistry, with a few detours for skiing and hiking on the way. Always an outdoor enthusiast, the life of lab work was quickly replaced with a dream of winemaking when his brother turned him on to the 1969 Burgundies. Dan entered the University of California at Davis, graduating with an M.S. in Enology in 1986. He gained knowledge on the job with stints at Robert Mondavi Winery and Schramsberg as well as winemaking in Portugal for two years. He found his passion in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first as the winemaker at the Burgundian-focused La Crema Winery, and then at Hartford Court, which was created under his direction. Dan's appreciation for the beauty of the extraordinary landscape around our home is reflected in his winemaking.

Dutton Goldfield Chardonnay Dutton Ranch 2007
Price: $38.25    Sale $33.66      Case $390

(91 Points) Well-structured, with rich layers of creamy fig, melon and apricot, gaining depth and complexity on the long finish. Drink now through 2011. 3,981 cases made. -JL  Wine Spectator Issue: Jun 30, 2009

Dutton Goldfield Chardonnay Rued Vineyard 2007
Price: $51         Sale $44.88      Case $520

From a 40-year old vineyard in the heart of Green Valley, Rued provides us truly unique fruit with its combination of old Wente and chardonnay-musque selection vines. The warm early season combined with the long cool fall in 2007 provided exceptional ripening that brought out the concentration of the Rued Vineyard Chardonnay. In addition to the guava, pear and citrus fruit at the core of this wine, the mineral elements and solid but luscious structure were heightened by the wonderful 2007 growing season. In the nose, ripe pear, tangerine and guava are surrounded by butter cream and flinty mineral elements. In the mouth, it is truly packed and opulent; citrus, pear and candy apple are supported by solid acid and a cleansing phenolic element that is so often a part of great Chardonnay. The 2007 is a wine built for aging, but is certainly a great pairing for stone crab, lobster bisque or any flavorful fowl dishes that you are enjoying tonight. 453 cases produced.

Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch 2007
Price: $42         Sale $36.96      Case $428

(90 Points)  Starts out delicate and fragrant, with wild berry, raspberry and black cherry aromas, yet builds intensity, depth and complexity, revealing its depth of concentration. Drink now through 2013. 4,194 cases made. -JL  Wine Spectator Issue: Aug 31, 2009

Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir Devil's Gulch 2008
Price: $60         Sale $52.80      Case $612

Wines that are truly affecting are the ones most difficult to write about, and the 2007 Devil's Gulch is a prime example. Its combination of density, complexity, lively brightness, and at the same time brooding depth, defies normal product sheet verbiage. One's first look at this wine in the glass portends the story: While absurdly deep in color for Pinot it is also vibrant and almost crimson in hue. In the nose, the defining wild berry and touch of peat that declare Devil's Gulch jump out, but each sniff brings different nuances: from cardamom to wild cherry to violets. In the mouth, the freshness that comes from great acid balance and moderate alcohol carries the dense wild blackberry fruit and sweetly resolved tannins through the long supple finish. This is a wine that will complement foods from simple cheese plates to complex rabbit, mushroom and risotto dishes. No doubt this special offering has a long life ahead of it, if one has the willpower (or stash) to hold on to some. 325 cases produced.

Schweiger Vineyards - Alicia Green

Schweiger Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain 2005  $34.00
Price: $51         Sale $44.88      Case $520

A distinct mountain fruit bouquet on the nose with notes of black pepper spice, fresh plowed earth, lots of mineral notes cigar box spice and cedar notes.  A big and chewy wine with a lot of red currant berry fruit with big tannins and a lot of fresh earth mineral notes, excellent balanced acidity and a long complex finish.  Finish 45+      Excellent +

Schweiger Merlot Napa 2005
List $39            Sale $34.32      Case $398

This vineyard is located directly across from the Paloma Winery who earned the coveted #1 spot in the Wine Spectator's illustrious top 100.  Andy Schweiger planted the Paloma Vineyard.  This is one of my favorite wines from Schewiger, a big style of Merlot but still has the elegance and finesse that is Merlot.

Schweiger Sauvignon Blanc Uboldi Vineyards 2007
Price: $21.75    Sale $19.14      Case $222

A nice hand of fresh cut grass and green herbs and pink grapefruit citrus with melon fruit.  Kind of a cross between New Zealand and Napa Valley style.  Bright and fresh with zesty citrus on the tongue and a nice hand of fresh herbs coming through on the finish but the melon like fruit also showing through on the finish, light wet stone like mineral notes.  Finish 35+ Very Good

Menu

Cheese Plate:

Shrimp Ceviche with herbed toast points

Jamon wrapped mission figs and balsamic glaze

Veal and smoked mozzarella Meatballs with porcini tomato sauce