Two Henrys Brewing Co.
E. Guigal
La Mouline Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2004
A bottle I contributed during a trip to Napa’s Premiere Napa Valley week. This was opened at Torc, alongside a ‘97 Leflaive Les Pucelles, ‘11 Leroy Blagny, ‘89 La Chappelle and two young Napa cabs from Simon Estate. La Mouline is always my favorite due to the amount of co-ferment with Viognier.
Deserving of a 1-2hr decant, this got about an hour open in bottle by the time we got to it. I opened the ‘04 La Turque just a few weeks prior, so I had a reference point to work with. Heady aromatics, as expected…dark potpurri, spice, mesquite and mocha. On the palate, the youthful bacon-fat of Cote Rotie was gone and had channeled the classical tangy barbecue profile alongside black olive, peppered red and black berry fruit, and smoked meat at the finish. Whereas the LaTurque was almost Burgundian in profile (elegant, light), this was somewhere in-between the “bigger” LaLandonne and LaTurque…big, but balanced, likely due to vintage. Aromatics and finish here were standouts. Open now with a quick decant or hold another few years. — 2 years ago
Enfield Wine Co.
Haynes Vineyard Syrah 2014
As expected from Enfield, this oozes class and balance. Not as austere as true Sonoma Coast, and not as sauvage as the northern Rhône, this has pretty ripe black and blue fruits while still possessing all of the beautiful floral, smoky, meaty, peppery elements you’d expect from top notch Syrah. Tannins are resolved and acid plays a leading role, keeping this fresh and exciting. Enjoyed over two nights with Szechuan (and Szechuan leftovers). Perhaps a bit subtle for the food, but still delicious. — 6 years ago
Château Brane-Cantenac
Grand Cru Classé en 1855 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2005
This is the first 2005 I’ve opened that was truly impressive this young. It’s untypical for most Margauxs. Bright mid red fruits on the palate with elegance and dripping acidity. Impressive bottling!!! Wish that I had bought a case in futures vs. four bottles. FYI, I never buy more than 6 bottles of almost anything.
The nose reveals, ripe; dark cherries, blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, strawberries, cherries, baked plum, high glass blue fruit hues, dry cranberries and pomegranate. Vanilla, light cinnamon, hint of clove, dash of nutmeg, pinch of white pepper, very dark, rich soil, limestone, pee gravel, cherry cola, fruit tea, black/red licorice, dry top soil/clay, a faint whiff of mint, some red fruit liqueur notes, bright red florals, blue flowers and fresh dark and fresh slightly withering florals.
The body is medium to just barely pushing full. The tannins are well rounded, soft and a bit dusty. The wine gently glides beautifully over the palate. The red fruits shine. Dark cherries, strawberries, cherries, pomegranate, blackberries, black raspberries, plum and blue fruit hues on the long set. Vanilla, light cinnamon, hint of clove, dash of nutmeg, very dark, rich soil, limestone minerals, pea gravel, some crushed dry rock powder, cherry cola, dark fruit tea, black/red licorice, dry top soil/clay, a faint whiff of mint, some red fruit liqueur notes, used leather, saddle-wood to light cedar, light cigar with ash, bright red florals, blue flowers and fresh dark and fresh slightly withering florals. The acidity is like a rain shower. The structure, length, tension and balance are magnificent. The long, elegant, well balanced, polished finish is delicious and goes on and on. This wine has really hit its stride, yet will continue to improve for another 10 years and perhaps beyond. After two hours in the the decanter, the wine put on weight and showed more dark fruits on the long palate set.
Photos of, Chateau Brane Cantenac, Owner Henri Lurton, field-hand doing the back breaking work of picking and their oak vat room.
Producer history and notes...Chateau Brane Cantenac started out in the early 17th century. At the time, the small estate was known as Domaine Guilhem Hosten. The vineyards and estate was developed by the owner in the late 1700’s by the Gorce family.
Their wine was so highly regarded back then, it was one of the more expensive wines in all of Bordeaux, selling for almost as much money as Brane Mouton. This is interesting because of who went on to buy the vineyard in the 1800’s.
The Baron of Brane, also known as “Napoleon of the Vineyards”, purchased the chateau in 1833. At the time of the sale, the estate was called Chateau Gorce-Guy. To get the funds to purchase the Margaux vineyard, the Baron sold what is now called Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which was at the time of the sale, known as Chateau Brane-Mouton.
In 1838, the Baron renamed property, taking his name and the name of the sector where the vineyards were located, calling it Chateau Brane Cantenac. The chateau later passed to the Roy family, who were well-known in the Margaux as they owned Chateau d’Issan as well.
Jumping to the next century, in 1920, the Societe des Grands Crus de France, a group of merchants and growers that owned several chateaux located in the Medoc including; Chateau Margaux, Chateau Giscours, and Chateau Lagrange in St. Julien, purchased Chateau Brane Cantenac.
Five years later, M. Recapet and his son-in-law, François Lurton, took over Brane Cantenac along with Chateau Margaux. Lucien Lurton (the son of François Lurton) inherited Brane Cantenac in 1956.
Today, the estate is still in the hands of the Lurton family. Brane Cantenac is currently owned and more than ably managed by the capable, Henri Lurton.
After being given the responsibility of managing Brane Cantenac, it was under the direction of Henri Lurton that large portions of the vineyard were replanted. Vine densities were increased, the drainage systems were improved and the plantings were also, slowly changed to their current plantings.
The 75 hectare vineyard of Brane Cantenac is planted to 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Carmenere and .5% Petit Verdot. Carmenere was used for the first time in the 2011 vintage. The Petit Verdot was planted in 2008. 2017 is the first vintage where Petit Verdot was added to the blend.
The 75 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Brane Cantenac is essentially unchanged since it earned Second Growth status in the 1855 Classification of the Medoc.
At least that is the case with the 45 hectares used to produce the Grand Vin of Brane Cantenac. Those 45 hectares are planted close to and surrounding the chateau. Those vines are located just in front of the Cantenac plateau and are the best terroir that Brane Cantenac owns. This parcel is the heart and soul of their wine.
They have other parcels, which are further inland, but much of those grapes are placed into their second wine. Those additional hectares can be divided into 3 main sections.
Behind the chateau, they have 15 hectares of vines on gravel and sandy soils. They have 10 hectares across the road with sand, gravel and iron and a 13 hectare parcel with gravelly clay called Notton, which is used for their second wine. More than vineyards, the property maintains beautifully, manicured gardens and verdant parkland.
Today, more than 25% of Brane Cantenac is farmed using organic farming techniques. It is expected that over time, the amount of hectares farmed with organic methods will be increased. 12 of those hectares are farmed using biodynamic techniques as well.
3 hectares of vines they own in the Haut Medoc appellation are planted to white Bordeaux wine varietals due to the the cooler terroir in that part of the appellation. The soils are gravelly clay. The vines are planted to 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon.
Chateau Brane Cantenac is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, traditional, 22 oak vats, 18 concrete tanks and 20 stainless steel vats that vary in size from 40 hectoliters all the way up to 200 hectoliters, which allows for parcel by parcel vinification.
40% of the fermentation takes place in the oak vats. The oldest vines are vinified in vats that are selected to allow for separate parcel by parcel vinification.
The younger vines are vinified more often together in the same vats. However, the Carmenere and Petit Verdot are entirely micro-vinified, meaning that those grapes are completely vinified in their own barrels, using micro-vinification techniques. This takes place with the Carmenere and Petit Verdot because the amount of grapes produced is so small. Some vats of Brane Cantenac can be co-inoculated, meaning they go though alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation simultaneously.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak tanks and barrels. The majority of the Grand Vin goes through malolactic in barrel. The wine of Brane Cantenac is aged in an average of 60% new, French oak barrels for 17 months before bottling. The initial 2 months of aging is done with the wine on its lees, which adds more depth to the wine.
There is a second wine, Le Baron de Brane. The use of a second wine at Brane Cantenac is not new. In fact, previously, the second wine went under the name of Chateau Notton, which took its name from one of the main parcels where the grapes were planted. There is a third wine, Margaux de Brane, which is usually Merlot dominated.
Production of Chateau Brane Cantenac is about 11,000 cases per year depending on weather conditions. — 8 years ago
Bedrock Wine Co.
Weill A Way Vineyard Exposition Two Syrah 2013
#AgedWineTuesday
Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Strong nose and full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate and elegant with nice complexity.
Showing black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, cedar, tobacco leaf, coffee, cola, dark chocolates, herbs, peppercorn, mediterranean spices and light earth.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a gorgeous Syrah from Sonoma County. Rich and fruit forward. Smooth and powerful, yet elegant.
This 13 year old Single Vineyard Syrah is drinking very much like a Napa Merlot, which is so interesting.
Beautiful right out of the bottle, and so much better after 30 minutes of airtime. The high alcohol is nicely integrated by now, so watch out.
Robert Parker 100 points.
Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.
A great sipping wine that paired nicely with food too.
A blend of 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier.
93 points
$160. — 2 months ago
E. Guigal
La Turque Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2004
Opened as part of a 2-day tasting with Alex Macdonald while he was in town. Day two was a small group of us with killer wines (2010 Chave Hermitage, mag of ‘02 Krug, Selosse Substance, 1996 Latour, 2003 Mouton, 1992 Dominus).
Quick one hour double decant to prep this beauty. While La Mouline is my favorite, La Turque still incorporates the co-ferment with Viognier. 93 Syrah/7 Viognier.
Beautiful translucent ruby in the glass. As I get with certain Cote Rotie wines (especially Guigal), barbecue and bacon fat can be overwhelming when young, but this has channeled a really balanced profile. Aromatic notes of smoked meat, cherry liqueur, and espresso. Beautifully rich yet elegant on the palate. Great nerve of acidity with a finish sporting plenty of tannin to carry this a while. Black peppered raspberries, black fruit on the palate with a little bacon and a hint of sweet/tangy barbecue sauce note (delicious). Enjoy now with a short decant or hold another 5yrs. — 2 years ago
Enfield Wine Co.
Waterhorse Ridge Fort Ross-Seaview Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Cool climate cab. Delicious. One bottle became two. — 6 years ago
Palmer & Co
Brut Reserve Champagne Blend
Palm frond, light olive essence, smoky-sweet petrol resonance over poppyseed pastry, rhubarb-wild strawberry cream, lemon custard, and palmyra. Lemon lime zippy while racing across the tongue, with grapefruit zest, lime zest and raspberry sizzle. Gorgeous and lean. Two palms up! #palmerandco #palmerandcochampagne #champagne #bubbles #Reims #àreims #brutchampagne #brutreserve — 6 years ago
Enfield Wine Co.
Pretty Horses California Tempranillo Graciano 2017
A nice wine. Smooth, good tannins. Opened up two! — 6 years ago
Craft wine Co.
Minimus RedWhitePink Willamette Valley Rosé Blend 2016
On the Lawn at Tanglewood this afternoon with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Our conductor Andris Nelsons is leading GERSHWIN (Piano Concerto in F), GERSHWIN (Variations on “I Got Rhythm,” for piano and orchestra) and STRAVINSKY (Petrushka) with the amazing Jean-Yves Thibaude as the piano soloist on the two first works presented today. Jean-Yves is by far among our favorite pianists to grace the Koussevitzky Shed stage, so graceful, yet poignant!
Hot days call for cool wines, today there are some fun ones planned for sharing.
Very interesting, almost like a wine version of a kriek lambic, yum yum!
@Carla Hine Thanks for sharing! — 7 years ago
Produttori del Barbaresco
Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2009
Light app tonight for dinner. Burrata, roasted garlic, two different cherry tomatoes picked tonight from the garden, pesto sauce, olive oil and Tondo balsamic vinegar. The only balsamic to use. Found it in Tuscany years ago and it’s all we use. You can order it on Amazon but, not inexpensive. All over, crostini’s drizzled with smoked olive oil. Soooo good!
The nose reveals, sweet & sour dark cherries, dark berry mix, stewed dark plum, blue fruit hues, touch of baked strawberries, tomato with leaf, sweet tarry notes, limestone minerals, dark rich soil, light baking spices and dark & blue fresh florals.
The body is medium full. Soft, round, tannins 70% resolved. The structure, length, tension has hit a high point. Ripe; sweet & sour dark cherries, dark berry mix, stewed dark plum, blue fruit hues and a touch of baked strawberries. Tomato with leaf, sweet tarry notes, on the long decant, add malt & light caramel, used leather, saddle-wood/cedar, limestone minerals, dark rich soil, medium dark spice, light baking spices and dark & blue fresh florals. The acidity is nice. The finish is good, balanced and lasts minutes.
Photos of, the tasting room at Produttori which is just under and to the right of the clock tower in the arial photo, arial view of the hilltop town of Barbaresco and our delicious small plate.
Producer note...Produttori is the third largest co-op in all of Europe. Be that they are a co-op, they still make some exceptional wines as well as great QPR wines. 🇮🇹 — 8 years ago
Realm Cellars
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
One of the wines I supplied for an annual lunch hosting (co-host this time). I was really hesitant to open this given the fanfare of this specific wine, but also how DrCrane can be an in-between wine for me (so explosive young, shut down at 5-10yrs, re-open 10+). Decanted two-three hours.
Classic deep purple-black DrCrane in the glass. Aromatics are immediate with ripe blue and black fruits, baking spices, mocha and graphite. Just a little bit of high-toned EA to make it pop, along with this roasted character I always get from DrCrane wines. Opulent and polished in every way on the palate, this is a tidal wave of flavor with no hard edges. It’s a towering wine in the sense of so much concentration and depth on the mid-palate, but it’s so incredibly polished at the finish…almost shockingly so. The ripe fruits and the dark chocolate linger longer than any Napa cab I can remember. Iron first in a velvet glove.
No need to worry, these are open for business. Plenty of structure to carry a while, but this window seems like it was made for how this wine is drinking now. — a year ago
Two Worlds Wine Co.
Lúuma Oak Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon
Very drinkable at Love & Salt — 4 years ago
Two Pitchers Brewing Co
Radler - Grapefruit and Blood Orange
Hendricks Wines
Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2014
Charles strikes again.
I said weeks ago, I’d rather drink Charles Hendricks Pinot in futures @ $75 vs. the 09 Marcassin we had two weeks back @ $150+ winery or $225+ on the secondary market. This 14, while still young, proves that point and will only continue to get better.
It’s about as luxurious as Ca Pinot gets. Just supple, soft & elegant as body gets. Candied, floral fruits of ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, lean purple fruits, dry cranberries, strawberries, plums, delicate but darks spices, cinnamon stick, vanillin, nutmeg & touch clove, salted caramel, mocha powder, limestone & grey volcanics, dry crushed rocks hints of peppered grilled meats, fresh & dry tobacco, dry stems/twigs, sage dominated dry Provence herbs, splash of mint/eucalyptus, tree sap with bright candied, fresh & slightly withering florals of; dark, red, purple, blue set in a field of violets & some lavender. The acidity is perfect. The long finish is; extremely well balanced & polished, elegant, fresh, just the right amount of candied with a long, dark spice finish in the long set.
The 14 really started to excel after an hour plus in the decanter.
Photos of; the outside of the Hope & Grace tasting room in downtown Yountville where you will find Charles Hendricks wines. He makes Hope & Grace wines as well. One of my favorite paintings that used to sit behind their tasting bar but, is now in Charles house. It is very Pollock like! Winemaker/Co-owner Charles Hendricks and a vineyard in region of the Santa Lucia Highlands. — 6 years ago
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon by La Jota is a seductive blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8.5% Cabernet Franc, 7.5% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot which was aged for 22 months in 65% new French oak prior to bottling. Needing more than a two hour decant at this juncture, the wine takes on glorious creme de cassis, Turkish coffee, blueberry cordial and wild thyme aromatics. The palate shows marvelous complexly and range. Black tea, blueberry compote, mocha and blackberry pie flavors all beautifully mingle in the glass. Rich and layered, this hedonistic effort will cellar marvelously for decades. Be sure to give this at least a two hour decant if enjoying in its youth. Drink 2020-2045- 95 — 7 years ago
Maison La Belle Vie
Petit Verdot
Drinking local in the Grand Valley AVA (Palisade CO). Such a fun place to visit....wineries on bike, exceptionally lazy today so electric assisted (like a golf cart on two wheels). Colorado has a lot of mediocre wine but Petite Verdot has been an exception. Dark fruit, oaked, old world feel. Surprising. — 8 years ago
romo
Expositions 1 & 2 wildly different. 1 is dense young and pure CA while 2 co-ferment is likely past peak and sparse. - at Guille’s — a month ago