Surprise wine at this tasting last week. Dark purple to black color. On the nose, youthful but developing, medium+ intensity, blackberry, black currant, plum, leather glove, cedar, bark, violets, some oak, with no earth to speak to. On the palate, dry, dark and brooding, medium+ tannins, medium intensity, fig and plum emerged, along with cigar box, balanced very dark flavored wine, with a good finish on it. A little spendy for me, but I feel this would compete well in it’s price point on a restaurant menu.
2005 Whitman Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla
2007 Feraud Brunel Chateauneuf de Pape
Ruby color. On the nose, youthful, earthy, medium+ intensity, dried herbs, meaty, raspberry, strawberry, perfume, red licorice, clove, mushroom, hay, with moderate oak. On the palate, dry, meaty, gamey, chocolate, strawberry, with good spice, mineral, medium tannins, medium acidity, very nice balance, good depth and complexity, and a solid finish. There was an intriguing component to this wine, from a vintage that is supposed to rock, this wine delivers I must have more.
2005 Hundred Acre “Ark Vineyard” Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Purple garnet color. On the nose, youthful, massive intensity, we smelled this wine for ten minutes before tasting, very layered and complex, blackberry, black cherry, fig, currant, smoke, violets, graham cracker, espresso, with moderate oak, and no earth to speak to. On the palate, dry, medium intensity, rich and luxurious mouth feel, medium tannins, medium acidity, beautiful balance, with a delicious candy bar meets “smores” spice fulled finish. We were all left with that why can’t every wine taste this good feeling.
2007 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc Walla Walla
Pretty purple garnet color. On the nose, youthful, medium+ intensity, plum, raspberry, blackberry, leather, spice, tobacco, dried herbs, subtle oak, with faint dusty character. On the palate, dry, medium intensity, elegant, with silky tannins, very rich mouth feel, with very good balance of fruit and spices, on a long finish. This wine could be best Cabernet Franc in the state.
2006 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Dark Purple color. On the nose, youthful, medium intensity, black currant, fig, stewed fruit, wet tobacco, some oak, and no earth. On the palate, dry, medium intensity, medium tannin, medium+ acidity, not all that balanced, dark and brooding black fruit, perhaps going through an awkward time in it’s evolution.
2005 Hartford Court Four Hearts Chardonnay Russian River Valley
I forgot how killer this winery was, and how well their whites aged. Golden color. On the nose, youthful, medium+ intensity, apple, pear, soil, mineral, earth, butterscotch, caramel, with heavy layers of oak, and some earth too. On the palate, dry, serious weight, very layered, medium acidity, honey, flint, flowers, apples, toffee, awesome body, awesome depth, with a solid finish.
2005 Five Star Cellars Stellar Walla Walla
Purple garnet color. On the nose, youthful but moving toward development, medium+ intensity, layered in a pretty massive amount of luxurious oak, with equally massive black cherry, black plum, violet, leather, spice box, with no earth to speak to. On the palate, dry, medium+ intensity, very balanced, at first I thought this wine was very oaky, then so many layers emerged, with silky tannins, and perfect acidity, with a pretty finish. This bottle was sent back by some schmohawk that said it was not big enough. We enjoyed it plenty, thank you!
2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
I had this out of a magnum, about 3 hours after decantion. Dark purple color. On the nose, muted, couldn’t smell a thing. the room was kind of cold so I left the room with the glass and left it for twenty minutes. After the temperature raised, big change, on the nose, medium intensity, caramel, brooding black cherry, spice, lots of oak, with no earth to speak to. On the palate, dry, medium intensity, medium tannin, cocoa, toffee, coffee, caramel, with moderate finish. You wouldn’t get a 100 point score from me, maybe Parker had a different wine than I did