Wine Bazar

As you likely know, I make it my business to keep my eye on new California wineries, especially in Napa and Sonoma, as much as I can given the fact that I do a lot of other things besides write about wine. Whenever possible, I like to taste the first releases from these wineries. They are not always fantastic - some are good, some show potential, and some simply need to be written off as first efforts and retried again later. That’s the thing about wines, just because they’re not good now, that doesn’t mean they won’t be later, and, of course, vice versa.

It’s quite rare, however, for the very first vintage of a wine to knock my socks off. But when I got my first taste of Blackbird Vineyards out of the barrel a couple of years ago, I quite literally couldn’t bring myself to spit it out. I was immediately in love. And how delightful (and against all odds) that the best Napa wine I had tasted in many months was a Merlot.

Blackbird proprietor Michael Polenske is used to beating the odds unexpectedly. By all accounts he never should have gotten into wine in the first place. Spending one’s teens and early twenties in a fraternity at Chico State generally favors the the cultivation of a strong affinity for beer and bikinis rather than fine wine. But in between his finance classes, thanks in part to a roommate who turned him on to wine, he dabbled in the wine curriculum and spent weekends exploring Napa Valley visiting what were becoming his favorite wineries.

When he graduated from college, Polenske again took an unexpected turn, getting into the pragmatic financial planning industry just as everyone in that industry was moving towards more active money management. Polenske had the bright idea that he could do financial planning for people in the wine business, and so managed to find a firm in the Midwest that was willing to give him Napa and Sonoma as a territory. In addition to the territory of his choice, they also asked him if he’d be willing to cover the zip code 94025 as well.

It turned out that there wasn’t much interest in wine country, but Polenske found quite a lot of both interest and money in that other little zip code, which happened to be Atherton, California, and for which he found himself the sole representative in his company. Through a lot of trial and error, a ton of cold calling, and a significant amount of elbow grease, Polenske spent 10 years building a sizable book of business in Silicon Valley, learning more about and continuing to fall deeper in love with wine in the process.

And then one day, relatively out of the blue, JP Morgan called and offered him a job as a private banker. Like a small town kid picked up out of high school by the Major Leagues, Polenske walked starry eyed into his first day at work, sat down next to his colleagues with their Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, and GSB diplomas on their desks, and when no one showed up to tell him how to do his job, he just did what he knew how to do. He started making calls.

At the time, the average JP Morgan banker brought on between seven and nine new clients per year. At the end of his first year Polenske had 35, a figure so shocking at the time, that executives at the highest levels of the company told his manager to get him on a global conference call so they could demand an explanation. Based on that call JP Morgan changed its approach to new client acquisition, and it wasn’t long before Polenske was in charge of the San Francisco office, and beginning to dabble in his other interests, including antiques (he would eventually go on to own Patina Atelier Antiques in San Francisco).

As Polenske’s star continued to rise in the financial services world, he kept his eye on Napa, thinking that someday it might be nice to build a lifestyle business. But each time he nearly got to the point of buying some land, another job opportunity would come along, and he’d be swept up into running a new company, division, or fund.

After years of almost buying vineyards, Polenske eventually decided to scrap the idea, and instead simply settle for a house on a hill in Napa with a pool. He ended up with a couple of houses on the flats, and a 10 acre vineyard. These things tend to happen in the valley.

Napa has a way of turning people into winemakers overnight simply because they stumble on the right piece of property. Polenske’s acquisition, as you might expect, was a little more strategic than that. Call it a compulsion to seek out the undervalued parts of the market, or just call it instinct, but Polenske found himself staring at a Merlot vineyard that was selling fruit to prominent buyers who were making 90 point wines from it, yet the prices they were paying for the fruit were below market rates. Never mind that Merlot was on the down and out. Polenske saw the raw ingredients for the perfect boutique wine brand, and his idle fantasies about building a lifestyle business instead of another hedge fund began to crystallize. The vineyard was named Blackbird, and when Polenske found out that in French Patois, Merlot means “little blackbird” the key turned in the lock and everything fell into place.

Today, with the help of winemaker Sarah Gott and winegrower Aaron Pott, Polenske farms the 10 acre estate vineyard to produce several wines under the Blackbird label (after initially launching the brand with a single “Proprietary Red”). That wine, now called “Illustration,” has been joined by “Paramour,” “Contrarian,” and “Arise,” (all varying blends except the Arise which is 100% Merlot). The winery also now produces a rosé called “Arriviste.”

The 2006 Illustration contains 86% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate’s 12 year old vines in Napa’s Oak Knoll District. After meticulous sorting and careful crushing and fermentation, the wine ages for 20 months in French oak barrels of which 70% are new and 30% are older. The wine is bottled completely unfined and unfiltered. 1,195 cases are made.

I′ve been watching the Blackbird brand evolve, and tasting the wines along the way and I continue to be thrilled with them. I don’t personally buy many Napa wines on release, but Blackbird is most certainly one of them.

Full disclosure: I received this wine as a press sample.

Tasting Notes:
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose of cocoa powder and cherries. In the mouth it is gorgeously smooth with bright cherry cola, chocolate, and juicy bing cherry flavors that dance on a lively bed of acidity. Velvety tannins sneak around the edges with a hint of sweetness and then pirouette slowly in the back of the throat for minutes. Fantastic.

Food Pairing:
Extremely food friendly because of its juicy acidity, this wine will pair well with a lot of foods. I’d enjoy it with a spiced, grilled rack of lamb.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: $90

This wine available for purchase on the internet.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Who ever heard of a non-profit winery? The first time the folks at Ehlers Estate told me they were, I laughed. But somehow it’s true — amidst the glitz and glamour of Napa, there is a small winery that feeds all its profits back into the cardiovascular research foundation that owns it. There is, of course, a story behind this most unusual of affairs.

The Ehlers estate was established in 1886 by Bernard Ehlers, who erected a winery building and carved his name in the stone above the doorway. Ehlers purchased the estate for $7,000 in gold coin from an aspiring vintner who went bankrupt fighting the phylloxera infestation that devastated most Napa vintners near the turn of the century. Ehlers planted the estate and ran it as an operational winery until 1901 when he passed away, leaving it to his wife, Anna. The estate changed hands several times over the next decades, but was worked constantly as a vineyard, even during prohibition (albeit surreptitiously). From 1958 to 1980 the land was split up and sold to several Napa wineries and landowners.

In 1987, Jean and Sylviane Leducq, who were embarking on a journey to pursue their passion for the wines of Bordeaux, began buying up these separate parcels of land as they came on the market. Eventually even the original stone winery building, and its adjacent land were purchased, reunifying the original estate.

With a complete working winery planted through the years with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot, the Leducqs went about making wines inspired by Bordeaux. Then, in 1996 they donated the winery wholesale to the Leducq foundation, a non-profit entity devoted to supporting cardiovascular research around the world.

Presumably the winery operates as a profit center for the foundation, which I think is a pretty cool idea, especially since it appears that the foundation is interested in making sure that the winery produces quality product. So interested, in fact that after several years of organic farming, they have made the move to fully biodynamic viticulture and winemaking.

These time consuming and detailed oriented activities in the vineyard and cellar are done under the guiding hand of the young Rudy Zuidema whose resume includes familiar Napa names like Beaulieu Vineyards, St. Clement Vineyards, Cuvaison Winery, Honig, and Robert Craig Wine Cellars, as well as Wirra Wirra vineyards in Western Australia.

I’ve watched Ehlers estate closely for the past three years, and made extra effort to taste their wines as the winery increased its efforts and expenditures towards pushing their already high quality wines to the next level. With pleasure, I can say that the winery has hit its stride and is firing on all cylinders, if you′ll excuse the mixed metaphor. The wines show a level of craft and confidence that is admirable, they are packaged under a beautifully executed brand, and most importantly, they are damn tasty. I highly recommend people seeking them out, either online or by visiting their tasting room in St. Helena, which is somewhere that I usually send anyone who asks where to visit in Napa.

Full disclosure: I received these wines as press samples.

CURRENT RELEASES:

2007 Ehlers Estate Sauvignon Blanc, St. Helena, Napa
Pale gold with greenish highlights in the glass, this wine smells of unripe and green apples. In the mouth it is bruight and juicy with acidity, ripe green apple and citrus fruit, and altogether everything you want from a Sauvignon Blanc. Score: 9. Cost: $25. Where to buy?

2005 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa
Dark ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cedar, pipe tobacco and black cherry fruit. The body of the wine, supple and softly textured with tannin, carries primarily black cherry flavors. Deeper more resonant flavors of tobacco and wet dirt emerge as the wine lingers in a long finish. Lovely. Score: 9.25. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

2005 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Franc, St. Helena, Napa
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cherry, wet leather, and plum flavors. In the mouth it is super juicy with black cherry and plum flavors that swim smoothly across the palate into a finish that has hints of the floral. Score: 9. Cost: $45.Where to buy?

2005 Ehlers Estate Merlot, St. Helena, Napa
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of forest floor and dried cherries. In the mouth it is all black plum and chocolate, with lovely faint tannins that grab the edge of the tongue and hold it lovingly but firmly. A nice finish brings in flavors of candied orange peel. Score: 9.25. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

2005 Ehlers Estate “1886″ Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa
Inky garnet in color, this wine has a nose of cherries, rose petals, and vanilla. In the mouth it is bright and bold with cherry, plum, and spicy incense flavors that have a lavender edge to them. The tannins are fine and smooth, and the wine has a nice long finish. It betrays the quality of being quite young at this point, and will likely improve with age. Score: 9. Cost: $95. Where to buy?

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

I went to South Africa to learn about its wines. This meant understanding first hand what the country’s wine regions and winemakers were capable of, and by implication, how they stacked up against the rest of the world.

My main activity in pursuit of this goal consisted of tasting hundreds and hundreds of wines at Cape Wine 2008, the biannual trade show of South African wine.

After about 10 hours of doing nothing but tasting wines, I had learned a thing or two about South African wine, the wine regions, and the various styles of wine currently being made throughout the country. I had also tasted some very good wine, a few excellent wines, but sadly, none that thoroughly wowed me. This realization itself was part of my ongoing education, as much as it was a slight disappointment that after traveling so far, the country did not seem to make truly world-class wines that could compete with the best from other countries.

But then I tasted the wines made by a young winemaker named Eben Sadie, and everything changed.

Eben Sadie got his start in winemaking in his early twenties, apprenticing at various producers before eventually signing on in 1998 to be the winemaker for a new label called Spice Route, headed by veteran wine producer Charles Back. Even by then, Sadie had already begun a quest to understand wine as deeply as he could, a quest that would take him to most of the major wine regions of the world to taste and work, and would eventually have him leave Spice Route in 2001 to start his own label.

Or more accurately, to start five different labels.

Sadie learned a lot of things in the roughly 8 years he spent intensely absorbing the wines and winemaking traditions of everywhere from Burgundy to Napa to Rioja, but perhaps none of the lessons he learned was so profound as what he says was his own realization that terroir really mattered. “Most winemakers get in the way of the wine. This is wrong. We need to remove as many things as possible to allow the grapes and the soil to say what they want to say,” he said to me over a glass of his wine at a dinner party in Cape Town. “I’m trying to get rid of everything.”

Indeed, Sadie’s winemaking could be described as either ancient or primitive or both, depending on your point of view. Of course these days, we have another word for that sort of winemaking: visionary. Most of the truly visionary winemakers of the world are all a little…. whacko, in the best possible way, if you get my meaning. Sadie sounds more like a philosopher poet than a winemaker, always a little drunk with passion about wine.

In addition to being Biodynamically produced, Sadie’s wines are handcrafted to an extreme — from the meticulous vineyard management of incredibly small yields, to the hand harvesting in tiny boxes, to the use of small, open-topped wooden fermenters, cement vats, and only the power of gravity in the cellar. The electricity to control the temperature of fermentation is the most modern piece of technology in the cellar. The grapes are pressed with a hand-cranked basket press, just as they are punched down by hand during the fermentation process.

Sadie also told me that he is in the process of eliminating all new wood in his cellar, again because, as he put it, “why would you add flavor to the wine? I want my wine to taste like wine, not wood.” His wines are aged in the cement vats and large 200, 300, and 500 liter ancient oak barrels, as well as some smaller “neutral” barrels that he reuses every year.

Per the requirements for Biodynamic production (though it’s clear Sadie would be doing it anyway, even if there were no such thing as Biodynamic certification) the wines are never fined or filtered, and are only fermented using native yeasts.

Sadie tends to age his varietals separately and then blend after about 12-18 months of aging, let the wine rest, and then put it into bottles for another period of aging.

When I met Sadie in South Africa he was slightly distracted, as harvest was approaching in the Northern Hemisphere. Why would he care? Because one of his wines is made in Spain.

Sadie Family Wines (comprised of three employees: Eben, his brother, and his sister) owns two different wineries and six different wine labels in two different hemispheres. In South Africa, Sadie produces three different wines: Columella, a southern Rhone blend, Palladius, an unusual white blend, and two wines named Sequillo, two more red and white Rhone blends. In Spain, Sadie produces three Priorat wines under the Dit al Terra, Arbossar, and Terroir Limit labels.

When I asked him about why all the different labels, he shrugged, smiled and said, “they are all different wines.”

While the wines are, indeed all different, the thread that links them together (at least all the South African ones I tried) is a rich complexity, and an incredible sense of authenticity.

Without a doubt, Eben Sadie’s wines were the finest I tasted during my entire trip to South Africa. But it is not enough to simply say they were better than every other South African wine I tasted, because this does not give them enough credit on their own. These wines are truly phenomenal — individual, quirky, passionate, and deeply satisfying. I cannot recommend them highly enough. And thankfully they are all available in the United States.

TASTING NOTES:

2007 Sequillo Cellars White Blend, Swartland, South Africa
Light gold in the glass, this unusual blend of Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Roussanne has a surprising nose of white peaches, star fruit, and greenish tropical fruit aromas that are tough to pin down. In the mouth the wine is nothing short of gorgeous. Lovely, silky texture carries flavors of peaches and honeysuckle that are balanced perfectly with a mineral acidity so that the whole wine resonates through a long finish that leaves a simple, lowercase, “wow″ at the end of my scribbled notes from the day. Score: 9.5. Cost: $25. Where to buy?

2005 Sequillo Cellars Red Blend, Swartland, South Africa
Inky garnet in color, this blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre has a beautiful dark nose of mulberry, earth, and cassis aromas. In the mouth it is the wine equivalent of Valentino in his prime — utterly seductive, dark, and just exotic enough to be mysterious. Rich, textured, complex flavors of cassis, mulberry, and other dark fruits, juicy with great acidity, linger into a long finish where the faintest hint of tannins emerge, but only for those paying close attention. And it’s hard to pay attention when all this wine makes you want to do is swallow, swallow, and swallow some more. Score: 9.5. Cost: $25. Where to buy?

2007 Sadie Family Wines “Palladius″ White Blend, Western Cape, South Africa
Light gold in color, this wine has a nose of wet granite, clover honey, and lemon blossom scents. In the mouth it is angular and explosively bright with juicy lemon-flavored acidity and lean mineral qualities that mellow into cold cream and soft texture as the wine finishes lovely and long. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $65. Where to buy?

2006 Columella Rhone Blend, Western Cape, South Africa
Dark ruby in the glass, this blend of Syrah and Mourvedre has a nose of bright cassis, blackberry, and grape aromas. In the mouth it is…there’s no other way to put it….rockin’ with flavor: cassis, blackberry, black cherry, and other rich ripe dark fruits swirl in a concoction that is shot through with a dry minerality and deep complex texture that evokes some of the best wines of the Northern Rhone. If I am reading my sloppy tasting note correctly, I believe the finish was described in the moment as “hot damn.” Score: 9.5. Cost: $80. Where to buy?

NOTE: the 2006 Columella and 2007 Palladius have yet to be released in the USA but will likely find their way here in the next 6 months or so.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

During my week in South Africa, I had a lot of educational experiences that involved serious spates of tasting, but perhaps one of the most insightful involved my attendance at the Cape Winemakers Guild pre-auction tasting.

South Africa sports (to my knowledge) a rather unique organization known as the Cape Winemakers Guild. Started 25 years ago by eight South African winemakers, this association has been, and continues to be, the “who’s who” of the country’s winemaking talent.

The CWG has as its mission to simply advance South African winemaking to the highest possible levels of quality and international recognition. Membership is by invitation only (to be approved by a two-thirds margin) and all members must have been making “outstanding” wine for 5 years. Interestingly, membership resides with the individual winemaker, not with their current employer or estate.

For the past 23 years, the organization has been holding an auction of wines made by members as a promotional event, as well as to raise money for charity. These wines are not just ordinary releases, however. They are special lots of wine made exclusively for the auction, often in small quantities, and are generally assumed to be the very best effort of the winemaker in a given year.

The wines for each year’s auction are selected by the members of the Guild in a completely blind tasting, and must meet a minimum level of quality (as judged by the tasters) in order to be included.

Every year the Guild holds a limited-seating tasting the day before the public auction to give journalists, prospective bidders, and other members of the South African wine industry the opportunity to taste the wines.

This tasting itself is quite impressive, as the wines are poured for all 200 or so attendees by the winemakers themselves, and each is given a minute or two to speak about their wine. The wines are poured expertly and with a ruthless efficiency that would make even the strictest of restaurant sommeliers proud.

Here are my tasting notes for all 37 of the auction wines presented in 2008. My commentary on the wines as a group follows after the notes.

TASTING NOTES:

2004 Simonsig “Cuvee Chene″ Methode Cap Classique Brut, Stellenbosch
Pale gold in the glass with medium fine bubbles, this wine has a nose of freshly baked brioche. In the mouth the wine has great acid balance and flavors of tasty lemon zest, pears, and a general zippy juicyness. A smooth velvety mousse and a nice finish add to the package. 100% Chardonnay. 9

2008 Hidden Valley Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Stellenbosch
Pale, nearly colorless in the glass with green highlights, this wine has a bright nose of passionfruit, star fruit, and green apples. In the mouth it is smooth and herbal, with a nice body, but perhaps a little lacking in acidity for me. Pleasant passion fruit flavors and a nice tangerine finish rescue it from utter flabbiness. Between 8.5 and 9

2008 Land’s End Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, Cape Agulhas, Elim
Palest gold in the glass, this wine has a nice nose of mineral green apple and rainwater. In the mouth it is cool and glassy with herbal, cut grass, cucumber, and green apple flavors. Nicely balanced, with a good mouthfeel, but perhaps slightly less acid than I would like. Between 8.5 and 9

2008 Steenberg “The White Savage” White Blend, Constantia
Pale green-gold in the glass, this wine smells of fried lotus root and green herbs. Yes it’s a little odd, but that’s what it smelled like. In the mouth it is smooth, delicious, with waxy qualities, and primary flavors of tangerine, pear, and daikon radish. Moderate finish. 9

2008 Nitida “Decorus″ Sauvignon Blanc, Durbanville
Palest green-gold in the glass, this wine smells of cut green grass, rainwater, and star fruit. In the mouth it is bright with acidity, and offers gorgeous star fruit and gooseberry flavors. Classic in profile with a long finish, there’s nothing not to love. Between 9 and 9.5

2007 Teddy Hall Chenin Blanc Auction Reserve, Stellenbosch
Light gold in color, this wine has a nose of bright poached pear and butter pastry aromas. In the mouth it is fresh and bright in the mouth with buttered pastry, poached pear, and delicate honeysuckle flavors. Nice long finish. Slightly overwrought, but delicious. 9

2007 Hartenberg Estate Auction Weisser Riesling, Stellenbosch
Light green gold in the glass, the wine has a bright nose of lemon juice and pineapple aromas. In the mouth it offers pineapple flavors, a nice body that has a fresh, clear quality, and a hint of waxiness on the long finish. Between 8.5 and 9

2007 De Grendel “Koetshuis” Semillon, Durbanville
Palest gold in the glass, this wine has a nose of old paper, dried kelp, and cashews. In the mouth it is bright and fresh, with very tart crabapple and unripe pear flavors. Very fresh, bright, and delicious. 9

2007 Cederberg Private Cellar Semillon, Cederberg
Pale green-gold in the glass, this wine has a nose of green nettles, brazil nuts, and balsa wood. In the mouth it is fresh and bright with lemon and grapefruit flavors and a balsa wood finish, long, bright, refreshing. Unusual and very nice. Between 9 and 9.5

2006 Flagstone “Weather Girl″ White Blend, Western Cape
Near colorless in the glass with a hint of green, this wine has a nose of star fruit and unripe pears. In the mouth it is thick and smooth with nice green apple flavors and a hint of herbs. Has a delicious juiciness and texture that is compelling. Between 9 and 9.5

2007 Ataraxia Chardonnay, Elgin
Light yellow-gold in color, this wine has a nose of cold cream and buttered white toast. In the mouth it is beautifully mineral, with buttery flavors that do not overwhelm a core of lemon curd, bright acidity and grapefruit juice on the finish. Lovely. Between 9 and 9.5

2007 Jordan Chardonnay Reserve, Stellenbosch
Light yellow-gold in the glass, this wine has a nose of sarsaparilla, lemon juice and cold cream aromas. In the mouth it is quite mineral in quality, underneath gorgeous, thick juicy, cold cream, rainwater, and lemon zest flavors. There′s a unique quality to this wine that is hard to put a finger on. Excellent. Between 9 and 9.5

2005 Vriesenhof Pinot Noir, Stellenbosch
Light ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose of smoked meats and cranberry aromas. In the mouth it has caramel, oregano dried cranberries, umami, and a loamy quality. The body of the wine has great acid balance, poise and redcurrant on the finish. Somehow wine ends up being even juicier after the swallow. Definitely the best South African Pinot Noir I have had. 9.5

2007 De Grendel “Op Die Berg” Pinot Noir, Durbanville
Light ruby in color, this wine has a nose of fresh raspberries and cut raspberry leaves. In the mouth it is bright with raspberry and black raspberry flavors, hints of herbs on the finish, great acid and a beautiful texture. 9

2005 De Trafford “Perspective” Red Wine, Stellenbosch
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of cherry with a hint of nuts and green bell pepper. In the mouth it is bright, and gorgeous with great acids. It possesses a very Loire-like, Cabernet Franc focused quality, and gorgeous explosive flavors of mulberry, cherry, cola, and a long, long finish. Between 9 and 9.5

2005 A.A. Badenhorst Auction Blend Red Wine, Stellenbosch
Dark ruby in color, this wine has a nose of chocolate and black cherries. In the mouth it is slightly green in the tannins, with black cherry, hints of old wood, and a nice long finish. Between 8.5 and 9

2006 Jordan “Sophia″ Bordeaux Blend, Stellenbosch
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of hazelnut skins, and forest floor aromas. In the mouth it is nutty, with earthy, cherry flavors, nice dusty tannins, and a pleasant nutty quality on the finish. 9.

2006 Thelema Auction Reserve Bordeaux Blend, Simonsberg Ward
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a nice nose of cedar, eucalyptus, and cherry aromas. In the mouth the eucalyptus quality continues with cherry, soft velvet tannins, plum and hints of cocoa powder on the finish. Nice. 9.

2006 Glen Carlou CWG Auction Reserve Red Wine (1.5 Liter), Paarl
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of cassis and black cherry aromas. In the mouth it is smooth with leathery tannins and nice acids supporting primary flavors of cassis and black cherries. While it gets off to a great start, the wine leaves me wanting a little something more. 8.5

2004 Waterford Estate Auction Reserve Red Wine, Stellenbosch
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of spicy meats and blackberries. In the mouth it is juicy with black and blue fruits, and tacky tannins that creep up on the finish carrying flavors of orange peel and teriyaki sauce. A blend of Shiraz and Mourvedre. Between 8.5 and 9

2005 Solo “The Guildsman” Cabernet / Shiraz, Stellenbosch
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of wet felt and forest floor. In the mouth it has a flavor of wet leaves, nuts, and dried black cherries. The wine has a dried fruit character with a bit of bitter earthiness - more than I’d want. — which lasts into the finish. 8.5

2006 Engelbrecht Els CWG Cabernet / Shiraz / Merlot, Stellenbosch
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of mulberry and cassis - dark and inviting. In the mouth it is juicy with cherry and boysenberry flavors supported by leathery tannins. Nicely balanced with lovely fruit and a nice finish make this an excellent wine. Between 9 and 9.5

2006 Kaapzicht Cape Blend Auction Reserve, Bottelary
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine has a nose of chocolate and cherry and coffee aromas. In the mouth it is oaky with sawdust and cherry flavors surrounded by leathery drying tannins. The wine has a long finish but overall seems a bit parched, like it is missing some juice. 8.5

2006 Beyerskloof Cape Blend, Stellenbosch
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of pound cake and hints of molasses. In the mouth it is lightly tannic with flavors of cherry, mulberry, and plum, and a somewhat abrasive finish that tastes like chewing on a plum pit. Between 8.5 and 9

2005 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve, Stellenbosch
Medium ruby in color, this wine has a nose of vanilla, oak, and bright cherry flavors. In the mouth it offers bright cherry fruit with a lot of oak (too much for my taste) plus cedar and vanilla flavors. The bright cherry fruit manages to supersede the oak, but not enough. Between 8.5 and 9

2005 Kumkani “Cradle Hill” Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch
Medium to dark ruby in the glass, this wine has a deep nose of forest floor, black cherry, and tobacco aromas. In the mouth it is lean and clean with primary flavors of tobacco, espresso, and cherry, all of which meld and linger with faint tannins in a nice finish. 9.

2006 Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve, Stellenbosch
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of green bell pepper, cherry, and toasted oak. In the mouth it is smoky, with espresso, cherry, and oak flavors that linger into the finish with aromas of warm felt blankets. Quite distinctive. Between 8.5 and 9.

2005 Boekenhoutskloof Auction Reserve Syrah, Coastal Region
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine has a nose of bright blackberry aromas. In the mouth it is all bright blackberry juice explosion, all the time. Super juicy, delicious, with a long juicy finish. Uncomplicated but incredibly yummy without being simplistic or uni-dimensional. Between 9 and 9.5

2005 Graham Beck “The Catalyst” Syrah, Robertson
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of smoked meats and cassis. In the mouth it is high toned and a bit alcohol driven, with a driven, bitter finish that has suggestions of Brettanomyces taint. Wouldn’t drink again. Not Rated.

2006 Saronsberg “Dewaldt Heys” Shiraz/Viognier, Coastal Region
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a sweet blackberry and cassis nose with hints of the floral. In the mouth it is glassy and slick and beautifully juicy sweet. Primary flavors of cassis, blackberry and black plum fruit dominate, and the wine feels long, linear and smooth going down. Super juicy. Between 9 and 9.5

NV Luddite Wild Hoar Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Coastal Region
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of black licorice and black pepper aromas. In the mouth it has very pretty velvet tannins, nice blackberry, blueberry, and hints of black cherry flavors. Spicy black peppery and licorice on the finish. The winemaker accidentally used slightly more of a previous vintage to blend than he though, which forced the wine to be labeled as a Non Vintage. Between 9 and 9.5

2006 Cederberg “Teen Die Hoog” Shiraz, Cederberg
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of salty air and blackberry aromas that is mysterious and compelling. In the mouth it is spicy and big and round, with lovely, bright blackberry and black pepper flavors, velvet tannins and a long finish. Likely the best South African Shiraz I have had. 9.5

2006 Saronsberg “Die Erf” Shiraz, Coastal Region
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of sweet oak and blackberry pie. In the mouth it is bright juicy blackberry explosion with some heat on the finish, silky, slippery body, and zippy fruit. It’s hard not to love. Between 9 and 9.5

2006 Beyerskloof Pinotage, Stellenbosch
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a bright, pungent nose of cherry, cinnamon, and spice. In the mouth it is juicy, spicy, and beautifully textured with high toned notes of cinnamon and cherry. The wine has great acidity, long length in the mouth and a lovely finish that brings in notes of redcurrant. Likely the best Pinotage I have ever had. Between 9 and 9.5

2002 Graham Beck “1001 Nights” Muscat de Frontignan, Robertson
Light gold in the glass, this wine has a nose of molasses and honey and apricots. In the mouth it is thick like the love child of lava and a Victoria’s Secret teddy, with flavors of honey, apricots, and an unbelievably loooong finish of coffee. Gorgeous. 9.5.

2006 Boplaas Auction Cape Vintage Reserve Port, Western Cape
Inky garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of tea, brandy, and blackberry. In the mouth it is blackberry pie, blueberry, and some odd tea flavor than runs through the finish. Not to my taste. Between 7.5 and 8

1996 Boplaas 12-Year-Old Potstill Brandy Auction Reserve, Calitzdorp
100% Colombard brandy. Aged in the barrel of 12 years. What can I say, I’m not a brandy fan. The nose is bitter and astringent with a heavy note of alcohol and leather. In the mouth it is sharp and unpleasant to my taste buds, but the finish is effortless and long with bright creamy vanilla flavors. Brandy lovers swooned for this, but I’m a philistine in their crowd. Don’t pay any attention to what I think about it. I’m only writing a tasting note because I want every wine to have a tasting note. Not Rated.

THOUGHTS ON THE BEST WINES IN SOUTH AFRICA
It’s hard to argue that these wines represent anything other than the very best that South Africa has to offer. Apart from a couple dozen specific producers, these wines are the only ones that have gotten any recent critical acclaim (the Spectator’s James Molesworth and Stephen Tanzer both reviewed these wines in advance of the auction). The CWG ostensibly represents the best winemakers in the country (even if they do say so themselves) and the auction should provide a window into the height of their talents.

Assuming this is true, then what can I say about South African wine? Well, I’ll tell you what a friend of mine will surely say if I don’t say it first. If these are supposed to be the very very best wines in the country from its best producers, then it’s quite telling that my scores aren’t above 9.5. This particular friend would say something along the lines of “damn disappointing.” And he′d partially be right.

If South Africa is trying to compete at the top level of the global wine market, then it’s hard not to admit that a similar exercise (the top winemakers in the country making the best wines) in most other wine regions around the world would most likely have yielded a few scores closer to 10 on my scale.

But as true as that is, I still have a lot of enthusiasm for South African wines, and in particular for a number of the wines above, which were truly excellent. These wines represented a top level of quality compared to hundreds of other wines I tasted last week, and deserve the recognition and pride that they generate. And should you take price into account, they are unbelievable values compared to almost any other wine region around the world.

As a teaser for more to come, however, I will say that this particular group of wines did not contain what I consider to be the very best South African wines that I tasted on my trip. You’ll have to come back over the next few days to see what those were.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Greetings from Cape Town, South Africa! I’ve come down to the Cape Winelands to dive deep into South African wine in a way that isn’t possible in the United States. In most wine stores I’m lucky to find a handful of South African wines at most, and forget about restaurants, which often just have a single representative wine on their list, if anything at all.

So I’m here under the imposing shadow of Table Mountain to attend Cape Wine 08, the biannual South African wine convention — their equivalent of VinItaly or VinExpo. I’ll be visiting a few wine producers, having a few meals, attending a couple of seminars, but mostly I’m going to be doing one thing, and one thing only: tasting as much South African wine as I can.

At least, as much as my jet lag will let me. It hasn′t kicked in yet, but I expect it to in about 24 hours, so while I′m able to be rested, I′ve gotten started on my explorations.

My first event of the week was a lunch sponsored by the winemakers of the Simonsberg Ward of the Stellenbosch District. The South African wine regions take some time to get one’s head (and one’s tongue) around. Those familiar with California wine appellations will find the best analog to the Districts and Wards in the relationship between say, the Central Coast appellation and the specific AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) like Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande Valley. In South Africa, the Stellenbosch District represents the larger wine region, while the Wards are the equivalents of our AVAs.

The Simonsberg Ward takes its name from its primary geographical feature, Simonsberg Mountain, which nicely separates the Stellenbosch and Paarl wine districts, much as the Mayacamas mountains separate California’s Napa and Sonoma counties.

Simonsberg Ward is home to a mere 15 wine producers, most of whom focus on growing Bordeaux varietals and blended wines on the sloping, rocky hillsides that ring the craggy mountain.

After tasting a couple nice Sauvignon Blancs on the patio (with little space for me to take notes) we moved into a restaurant for lunch and tasting wines. Here are my notes from the wines I tasted. I found the wines competently made and varietally true, and some had great personalities. In addition to standard Bordeaux blends, some of the red blends in the area also contain Syrah as well as Pinotage, South Africa’s signature cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

I believe that I may have missed one or two wines on offer, but I plan on seeking them out at the convention tomorrow.

TASTING NOTES:

2004 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Inky ruby in color this wine has an intense nose of espresso and black cherry aromas. In the mouth it is soft and rich with flavors of cherry, plum, wet earth, and a spicy cedar note that seems to ride on the back of the suede-like tannins. Nice finish. Score: around 9. Cost: $27. Where to buy?

2000 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Inky Garnet in the glass, this wine smells of cedar and sawdust with a hint of red fruit lying underneath. In the mouth it is lean and taut with flavors of cherry, sawdust, and caramel, and light, dusty tannins. The fruit has dried somewhat but has not been replaced by more interesting secondary aromas and flavors. Score: around 8.5. Cost: n/a

2006 Warwick Estate “Trilogy” Red Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of cassis and black cherry. In the mouth it is medium bodied with nice, smooth tannins that wrap around flavors of black cherry, and then on the finish, sweet cocoa. Pleasant but not amazing. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $??

2004 Tokara Cabernet Sauvignon, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of earth, leather, and tobacco aromas. On the palate it offers a straightforward combination of cherry, spices, and a heavy helping of oak and vanilla, that ends up being the lasting impression of the wine. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $??

2005 Rustenberg “John X. Merriman” Bordeaux Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in color, this wine has a remarkably savory nose of mixed herbs and what I′ll call “tree bark″ aromas. In the mouth it centers on cherry flavors with a good helping of oak and dried herbs, and some unfortunate alcoholic heat towards the finish. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $20. Where to buy?

2004 Deleheim “Grand Reserve” Bordeaux Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine smells of a very pretty concoction of cherry, mint, and leather aromas. In the mouth the leather quality persists both in flavor as well as the texture of its grippy tannins. The primary fruit is a bright cherry that mixes with a nice minerality that lingers in the finish. Very Bordeaux in style. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2007 Laibach “The Ladybird” Bordeaux Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in color, this wine has a promising nose of mocha and hazelnut aromas. In the mouth, however, it leaves something to be desired. All the flavor sensations seem to be at the top of the mouth, as this high-toned wine slides by the palate without engaging it, leaving very pretty aromas of cassis and oak but not much body to show for them. Score: around 8. Cost: $??

1995 Kanonkop “Paul Sauer” Red Wine, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a leathery nose, as if it brushed by a saddle shop on the way to the barrel. In the mouth it is smooth and lean, with sandalwood, and very soft cherry aromas that mix with incense qualities that show the wines age quite prettily. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: n/a

2004 Kanonkop “Paul Sauer” Red Wine, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Inky garnet in the glass this wine has a powerful nose of dark cherry, espresso, and tobacco aromas. In the mouth it is round, lush and juicy with cherry and black cherry aromas that are nicely balanced with earthier, mineral complexity. Velvety tannins trace through this perfectly dry, poised wine that feels like a river of cherry silk in the mouth. A gorgeous finish rounds out this absolutely top notch wine. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: ??.

2005 Le Bonheur “Prima” Red Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium garnet in color, this wine has a bright cherry smell, and primarily cherry flavors in the mouth. The wine shows a bit too much of the green bell pepper characteristic that is common sometimes in Cabernet Sauvignon for my taste. For those who are not put off by such flavors (which are a lot of people) this is a straightforward wine. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $14.Where to buy?

2005 Uitkyk “Carlonet″ Cabernet Sauvignon, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium ruby in the glass this wine has a promising nose of cherry, leather, and earth aromas. In the mouth it offers a core of cherry fruit with lots of earth tones that somewhat overwhelm the fruit. These darker notes, combined with the drying tannins make for a wine that seems more bitter than it should be. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: $??

2005 Quoin Rock Syrah, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a pretty nose of cassis and floral aromas. In the mouth it has, classic, strong blackberry flavors, and an unusual touch of chocolate before it heads to a finish that brings in tones of violets. Score: around 8.5. Cost: ??

2004 Morgonhof Estate Red Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium to dark ruby in color, this wine has a wonderfully earthy nose. In the mouth it offers rich black cherry flavors with a nice spicy black pepper quality that tends a little towards the bitter side as the wine finishes. Score: around 8.5. Cost: ??

2005 Remhoogte Red Cape Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium ruby in the glass, this wine has an odd nose of aromas that seem both vegetal as well as gamey while at the same time being neither. In the mouth it is smooth and soft on the tongue with dried fruit characteristics of prunes, figs, and chocolate, with an undercurrent of the vegetal, that I attribute to the including of Pinotage in this blend of Cabernet and Merlot. Score: around 8. Cost: ??.

2005 Knorhoek “Pantere” Red Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium garnet in color, this wine has a nose of cassis and wet earth aromas that are quite inviting. On the palate, the wine is a nice balance between rich earth tones of mud and leather and fresh cherry fruit. Nice texture and acid make it easy to drink. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: ??.

2005 Laibach “Widow’s Block” Cabernet Sauvignon, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine grabs your attention the moment the earthy, cherry aromas hit your nose. By the time you′ve got even just a little bit of the wine in your mouth you are tasting chocolate and cherries, bouncy with juicy acidity. And by the time the velvet tannins snake their way around your tongue and the wine is finishing beautifully, you already know you′re going to take another sip. Score: around 9. Cost: ??

2005 Muratie “Ansela vin de cab” Red Blend, Simonsberg Ward, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Medium garnet in color, this wine has a pungent nose of chocolate and smoky aromas. In the mouth that smoky quality persists quite strongly, incorporating woody, cherry flavors into a lean angular body. Quite distinctive, but not utterly compelling. Score: between 8 and 8.5. Cost: ??

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

One of the greatest, though imminently forgivable, crimes perpetrated by a large number of even the most knowledgeable wine lovers consists of the tendency to consume great wines before they have had the opportunity to fully develop. Sometimes referred to as “infanticide,” this practice varies in its levels of extremity depending on the category of wine.

In my opinion, perhaps the most slighted of all categories in this respect is California Pinot Noir. While it may not have the aging potential of Burgundy (though we don’t really know for sure — no one has been making really serious Pinot Noir in the state for the 50 years it would take to find out) California Pinot can age beautifully over two decades, a fate that it is unfortunately only rarely allowed to achieve.

I only started aging California Pinots beginning with the 1996 vintage, and only a bottle or two survived to recent years to shame me into the realization I had drunk many far too early. But I had the good fortune to purchase a portion of an acquaintance’s collection of old California Pinot a few years ago, and I have been reveling in my exploration of these older wines, of which this particular bottle is one.

Walter Hansel made himself a good living in the late 1970s as the owner of a number of car dealerships in Sonoma County, where he made his home. As a lifelong wine lover with a good deal of property in the Russian River Valley appellation, it was an easy choice as to what to do with some extra savings. Hansel’s vineyard plantings began in 1978, and were increased in fits and starts over the years to the present holdings of about 65 acres down the road from names like Kistler and Dehlinger. From the first plantings, the grapes were sold to surrounding vintners while the family made small amounts of wine for themselves.

Sadly, Walter Hansel died in 1996, the same year he and his son Stephen had decided to commercially release wine for the first time. That year the winery produced a mere 70 cases of estate Pinot Noir, which this bottle was a member.

After taking over the winery from his father, Stephen was mentored in his initial explorations as a winegrower and winemaker by friend Tom Rochioli, who knew a thing or two about growing Burgundian varietals in the Russian River Valley. With Rochioli’s help, Hansel carefully grew the estate with plantings of specific clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay matched to the three soil types that pervaded the family’s vineyards.

The estate continues to produce small lots of mostly single vineyard designated wines in quantities between 100 and 800 cases. The fruit for all the wines is carefully hand-harvested before or at dawn, and rigorously sorted in the field, and then again at the winery. The clusters of fruit are destemmed, sorted again, and undergo a cold soak before beginning fermentation. After that point, very little is done to the wine — it ferments with natural yeasts in open top fermenters, and is aged in various French oak barrels that vary in age from new to two years in age.

It was a distinct pleasure to revisit the first vintage of what has become a quiet member of the upper echelon of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir producers. The wine remains a great testament to the man whose name it bears.

Tasting Notes:
Light ruby in color, fading slightly to pink at the edges, this wine has a heady nose of hibiscus, raspberry, and hints of smoked meats. In the mouth the wine is beautifully structured with excellent acidity, velvet texture, and light tannins that merge with an overall earthy quality. The primary flavors on the palate are rooibos, wet dirt, raspberry, and exotic spices which linger into a finish that is literally minutes long. Outstanding, easily could age for another 5 to 10 years, and a slap in the face for those who think that California Pinot Noir has a short lifespan.

Food Pairing:
We drank this wine with a simple dinner of roast pork tenderloin and sauteed rainbow chard.

Overall Score: around 9.5

How Much?: unknown

This wine is nearly impossible to find except in the collections of those who were fortunate enough to take a gamble on the winery’s first vintage. If you ever see a bottle, snap it up.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

There’s something really cool about seeing a young winery start to hit its stride. I’ve only seen a few newborn calves and foals in their first moments after birth as they learn to use their spindly legs, but it’s hard not to feel a sense of pride when after a few minutes, they go galloping around in circles.

I was first introduced to Gargiulo Vineyards at a wine bar in San Francisco a couple of years ago. I just happened to stop by for a drink, and April Gargiulo was on hand, pouring what was then her family’s second release to a hip crowd of San Francisco wine lovers. At the time, I wasn’t blown away by the wines — they were somewhat awkward, and didn’t fully hang together — but April seemed very serious about what they were doing. It was also clear that the family had made a serious investment in their vineyards in the heart of Oakville, so I’ve been keeping tabs on the winery over the last few years, and watched them go from their awkward first steps in the market to where they are now, a consistently excellent producer.

Gargiulo Vineyards was started in 1992 when Jeff Gargiulo and his wife Valerie purchased a 40 acre vineyard in Oakville called Money Road Ranch. Like many of the new vineyards owners in Napa, the Gargiulos come to their new occupation by way of a lifelong dream. Jeff has worked in the agricultural business his whole life, but always thought that one day he might have an opportunity to merge his own love of wine with his work on the business side of agriculture. It was only a matter of time before the right property came along, and suddenly the Gargiulos were in the vineyard business.

The first task of that new occupation was the replanting and re-engineering of the vineyard, with new rootstocks and planting grids and trellis systems, a process which took three years. The resulting vineyard is mostly Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Pinot Grigio.

The vines weren’t ready for prime time for another four years, and for the first couple of years after that, the Gargiulos sold their fruit to local producers while they fine tuned their operations. In that time the family purchased another piece of property at Oakville crossroads, sandwiched in between Rudd and Screaming Eagle. Needless to say, it’s a prime piece of real estate, and one of the few south-facing sloped vineyards in the Oakville appellation. The Gargiulo’s named this vineyard OVX, and planted it with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot.

In 2000 the family felt ready to produce their own wines from the Money Road Ranch vineyard, and have slowly ramped up production, as they build their own winery facility which is due to open this fall. Starting in 2004, the family also began harvesting and bottling wine from the OVX vineyard, the potential of which is perhaps best captured in this bottle of wine.

Made up of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot, the wine can legally be called a Cabernet, and is indeed labeled as such, but it drinks more like the Bordeaux-style blend that it is. This is the inaugural vintage for this particular single vineyard bottling, which looks to be slated to become the winery’s flagship wine. Only 250 cases will be made each year.

Named after a favorite jazz chord, the wine is made by the estate’s winemaker Kristof Anderson who has been with Gargiulo since 2003. Kristof’s resume includes stints as winemaker at Lewis Cellars, Del Dotto, and at Saddleback Cellars.

The G Major Seven Study is made from the best blocks of each grape variety in the family’s OVX vineyard. The entire vineyard is farmed with deficit irrigation and a combination of sustainable soil management practices and organic farming, and these blocks yield approximately two and a half tons of fruit per acre. The wine spends 19 months in French oak (90% new) before bottling.

This is the finest wine I have tasted from Gargiulo, but based on this single bottle, I expect to taste many more.

Full disclosure: I received these wines as a press sample

Tasting Notes:
Inky garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of cherry, tobacco, and earth aromas singed with a hint of burnt vanilla. In the mouth it is smooth, full, and rich with spicy sandalwood and cherry flavors that are propped up by deeper notes of wet dirt and tobacco. Faint faint tannins dance at the periphery of the palate as the wine finishes long and as beautiful as its namesake.

Food Pairing:
This wine would be a great accompaniment to this venison daube with cumin and coriander.

Overall Score: between 9 and 9.5

How Much?: $125

This wine is generally sold to mailing list members and a few select retailers. It is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

In the wine world, the grapes matter. Move past the varietal surface of wine consumption, and you’ll quickly descend into a world where the qualities of a given wine (say, Russian River Pinot Noir) are discussed in terms of how Dijon clone 667 grapes do on Riparia Gloire rootstock.

In the world of sake, a lot of things matter, from the water, to the yeast, to the Koji mold — and of course, the rice. To say that rice is to sake as grapes are to wine is not entirely accurate. For instance, the primary differences in how two different sakes taste is rarely attributable to the strain of rice used (holding all other variables in sake making constant, but changing the type of rice will result in a subtly different flavor profile — though this is rarely done). Those readers with more sake familiarity know that the majority of all sake, and almost the entirety of ginjo and daiginjo grade sake is made with just a single strain of rice known as Yamadanishiki.

So generally when discussing the differences between sakes, or even regional styles of sake, rice is not the first thing to enter the conversation. Having said that, there are some regional variations in the rice that brewers tend to use, and there are those breweries that go out of their way to make sake with specific varieties of rice in order to achieve specific flavor profiles.

If there is another rice strain that ever tends to cross the lips of even the more novice sake aficionados, it is the Omachi rice variety. Omachi is particularly interesting, not just because it is used by less than 30% of the breweries in Japan according to some sources, but because it is the oldest known “pure” strain of rice in Japan. While all the other rice varieties for sake have been hybridized over the years, Omachi has been cultivated without hybridization since it was discovered in 1859 in the small village deep in Okayama Prefecture whose name it now bears.

For some reason, most likely the accident of natural selection, Omachi rice does not hybridize well. Many have tried and failed over the years, so Omachi remains a bit of a spinster in the world of rice — a strong personality with virtually no offspring (there are only three successful hybrids, and those took a lot of work). Nineteenth century Japanese farmers had no need to hybridize it, however, so it didn′t bother them a bit — indeed, at one point it was apparently one of the most popular varieties of table rice in the country.

But when mechanical harvesting replaced hand harvesting of rice, Omachi fell out of favor because its long, thick stalks and irregular clusters of grains made it difficult for the early harvesting machines.

Today it remains a bit of a novelty in the sake making world, though some select brewers have begun to take it quite seriously as a source for top grade sake.

One of those breweries is Minogawa Shuzo, based in Niigata prefecture. Founded in 1827 this brewery produces a number of artisan sakes, all made proudly with water from the underground currents of the Shinano River. Pulled from the brewery’s well at a depth of 295 feet below the surface of the earth, this water is unusually soft in character which leads, or so master brewer Masayuki Tanaka claims, to the particularly smooth quality of its sake.

Though some breweries use the Omachi rice for sake, very few use it to make a daiginjo class sake, so this particular sake is quite unusual and special for that fact alone. Per the standards for daiginjo class, a full 60% of the mass of each rice kernel has been polished away.

While Minogawa Shuzo produces a number of sakes, only a couple of their products are imported to the US. This sake comes in both 720ml and 180ml bottles, and the 180ml is particularly attractive with its light blue, hand blown glass

Tasting Notes:
Colorless in the glass this sake has a nose of pastry cream and the smell of good quality jasmine rice just as you lift the lid off the rice cooker. In the mouth it has excellent balance with a nice acidity, and very clean flavors of rainwater, floral essences, and a deeper, earthy and mineral quality which lingers powerfully into a remarkably long finish for a sake. Perhaps most strikingly this sake has a texture that makes me swoon, deeply silky and horribly sexy.

Food Pairing:
I recommend this sake with fish, noodle and egg dishes. It can stand up to sturdier and fattier foods quite well.

Overall Score: between 9.5 and 10

How Much?: $80 for 720ml, $18 for 180ml

This sake is available for purchase on the Internet.

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Levi Reiss)

Say what you want about the state of America, I know of no other place where it remains so imminently possible to realize your dreams. These days it takes a lot of money to do it, but this country is still one of the easiest places to decide that you want to achieve something, and then set out to do it.

This is especially true in the wine business which, despite being a far cry from the pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps success stories that typify the American Dream, continues to support those who decide to take their strongest passions and turn them into a reality.

The cynical might say that it is easy for rich people to live out their fantasies, but if you know anything about making wine, you know that there’s a lot of hard work involved, and especially so if you’re going to produce something good, rather than just a bottle with your name on it.

In fact, it’s hard enough to do that when people who simply dive in because they love wine manage to make something fantastic, it’s quite a surprise. Sort of like deciding you′re going to open a restaurant because you love food and getting a Michelin star or two. But while not commonplace, it certainly is a possibility in the wine world. Just ask Ken and Akiko Freeman.

Freeman Vineyard and Winery was born of Ken and Akiko’s mutual love of food and wine. The two met at a fateful garden party when the boat that Ken was crewing on was driven to port by a looming hurricane, and their love at first sight was soon cemented by their discovery that great Burgundy numbered in both their lists of the best things in life.

Their life together over the next 10 years revolved around three things: school (Ken would return for his MBA, while Akiko went back for a Masters in Art History), wine travel (to as many wine producing regions as they could manage), and business (all this while Ken brought the Discovery channel to Asia).

Returning to California in 1997 for Ken to take a job at CNET, the two decided that they wanted to set down roots in all senses of the word. As the Internet bubble swelled, Ken and Akiko began the hunt for a place to call home and a place to make their own wine. In 2001 they purchased a small winery in the town of Sebastopol in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Their goal was to simply make the best damn Pinot Noir they could.

And after having watched (and tasted) their efforts for the last few years since their initial vintage, I’d have to say they’re getting close. Close enough for it to not make much difference if they ever really meet their final goal, because the wines are consistently excellent.

Freeman Vineyards and Winery is a classic example of what I call an “estate-less winery,” a model that was popularized in the old world by the negociants of France, and which is gradually proving incredibly successful here in California. The Freemans own no vineyards (yet), only a winemaking facility and cellar. They purchase long term contracts for grapes with growers that let them be extremely hands-on with the vineyard management. Together with a contract winemaker, assistant winemaker, vineyard manager, and a small team of friends and family, they make small quantities of wine that bear the unmistakable signature of diligent and tender care just as they do the flavors of the soil they come from.

Freeman makes around 5,400 cases of mostly Pinot Noir from a couple of single vineyard sites around the Russian River valley, as well as a top cuvee named after Akiko that is their flagship wine each year. They also produce a Sonoma Coast designated Pinot Noir, and more recently a Chardonnay.

The winemaking regimen at Freeman, handled by winemaker Ed Kurtzmann (formerly of Chalone, Testarossa, and currently his own label, August West), is what you might expect from an artisan Pinot Noir producer. The grapes are babied in from the vineyard by hand, de-stemmed and fermented without crushing in small lots, and then mixed with the fermenting juice (”punched down”) several times per day by hand as the fermentation proceeds. The wines spend at least 11 months in French oak before spending another six in bottle before release.

The crown jewel of the Freeman portfolio for me has always been Akiko’s cuvee, which is a blend of “best-barrel” fruit from many vineyard sites and always embodies the best qualities of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Full disclosure: I received these wines as press samples.

TASTING NOTES:

2006 Freeman Vineyards and Winery Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine has a bright, horsey nose that combines cranberry, plum, and faint barnyard aromas into a pleasing whole. In the mouth it is soft and velvety with pleasant but not resonant flavors of cranberry and cherry. Soft, even plush tannins guide the wine to a decent finish with hints of herbs. Good acidity plus tannins says to me that this wine will age well. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

2006 Freeman Vineyards and Winery Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Light garnet in color, this wine smells of cranberries, herbs, and wet tree bark. In the mouth it has a beautiful texture and a dark loamy quality that is arresting even as bright acids dance on the palate. The primary flavors of cranberry and herbs are nicely balanced with this earthy quality, and remain so through a nice finish. Score: around 9. Cost: $45. Where to buy?

2006 Freeman Vineyards and Winery “Ryo-fu” Chadonnay, Russian River Valley
Light to medium gold in the glass, this wine smells of buttered popcorn in the best possible way. In the mouth that same bright buttered, almost savory flavor persists with a silky texture, only to be cut, slashed, and dazzled by a tempest of citrus zest and lemon curd that bounce on through a long, intense finish. Ryo-fu means “cold wind” in Japanese. Score: around 9. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

2006 Freeman Vineyards and Winery “Keefer Ranch” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine has a rich plum and pomegranate set of aromas that creep out of the glass to take hold of your senses with a velvet vise grip. In the mouth its initial impression is of intensity — smooth, silky and bursting with tart cherry and pomegranate flavors that are beautifully balanced with acidity and fine grained tannins. Hints of sandalwood and crabapple emerge on the long finish. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $40. Where to buy?

2006 Freeman “Akiko’s Cuvee” Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
Light garnet in the glass, this wine has a pungent nose that, with the right memory, might instantly transport you to a misty ridge above the pacific with aromas of cedar and sea air mixed with redcurrant and cranberry. In the mouth it is soft — baby bottom soft — with bright, juicy flavors of cranberry, cherry, and amidst the nicely balanced acids and tannins, the faint traces of exotic spices that linger for a while, quietly. Score: betwe