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2013 Pinot Noir, BV Coastal Estates

The 2013 Pinot Noir from Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates lasted several nights at our place, which says several things about a wine. Usually it means a bottle that we opened on a weeknight. It can also be a more tannic red, particularly a Bordeaux or Malbec that needed some extra time, or even a wine that just didn’t stick the landing for one reason or another. In this instance, however, it was that the wine was opened on a night prior to a long work trip. If you’re a reader who also knows the joys–and poor night’s sleep–of an early morning flight, you know what I’m talking about here.

2013 Pinot Noir, BV Coastal Estates, Rutherford, California, USA.

2013 Pinot Noir, Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates, Rutherford, California, USA.

BV has been producing wine for more than 100 years, and the Latour name has long enjoyed a strong reputation for its Cabernet Sauvignons. A quick bit of research revealed that its founder Georges de Latour even sold wine to the Catholic Church during Prohibition (the only working Napa winery during that dark period of U.S. history), and his viniculturist Andre Tchelistcheff developed the first “cult” Cab in the first half of the 20th century. So you know they know grapes and how to get things done with a bang in the wine business.

Alas, this is not one of those smart-sounding Latour Private Reserve Cabernets but rather the 2013 BV Pinot Noir. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. As a matter of fact it was nice and smooth, and a bit more of a cherry finish than a strawberry taste. I rushed through the pre-trip glass, and was too tired upon returning to make better notes of its profile. I do know that I finished off this 2013 vintage with some pepperoni pizza, and that the wine was enjoyable.

This is how the Beaulieu team describes the 2013: “Classic in style, our Pinot Noir is elegant and graceful, showing intense varietal character over a soft, supple profile. Fresh cherries and summer plums open the aromas. On the palate, the fruit gains complexity and depth, adding subtle layers of leather and forest floor. French oak stitches the bright fruit together, leaving just a hint vanilla.”

Forest floor? Missed that. I’m interested in another bottle of this, particularly a Friday night bottle, but even more so one of the Latour Cabs! I’ll be ready with my signature any time the good folks at BV decide they want to ship one to this humble writer.

 

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2012 The Mariner, Dry Creek Valley

This Bordeaux-style red blend is produced by Dry Creek Valley Vineyard, a family-owned winery in northern Sonoma Valley. It’s been in the Stare family since 1972 when, inspired by trips to the Loire Valley, founder David Stare purchased an old prune orchard in Dry Creek Valley and started planting grape vines that would become his family’s winery. Today they produce single-vineyard wines, reds and whites in their “signature” series, and this Mariner–which I received as a special birthday gift.

The 2012 vintage has had accolades from various reviewers, and you can find them scattered throughout the web. If you’re still reading here on Notes, though, you’re less interested in numeric scoring or some high-brow critic’s take on this 2012 meritage. You’re looking for a “real world” analysis and I’m happy to share.

2012 The Mariner, Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma, California, USA.

2012 The Mariner, Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma, California, USA.

The first thing you should know is that the 2012 The Mariner accompanied our steak dinner on this Memorial Day weekend. My wife and I had an opportunity to slow down from the usual pace of the week, and we used it to great advantage. Our steaks were seasoned with a special home-made “proprietary” blend of spiced salt and smelled of sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. The steaks set for perhaps an hour, and we thought The Mariner would be a great complement, given its own hints of spice and blueberry smells. We also had corn fresh from the cob and a killer potato salad that tied the summer meal together–quite a platform on which to display The Mariner.

Here’s how the Stare family shares its summary of this delicious 2012 red blend: “The wine displays high-toned perfume aromas of rose petal, cranberry, blueberry and oregano. Several more minutes reveal hints of wild sage, allspice and dark cherry characters. The palate is full and rich with mouthfilling complexity carrying notes of espresso, sweet vanilla, anise and dark fruit tones. The tannins are smooth and supple providing balance and sophistication.” I wholeheartedly support their fruit flavors, but I am not sure the tannin profile is quite accurately posed. Even after allowing the bottle to breathe for some time, my wife noted its sharper scent on the nose and, though I thought it less pronounced in tasting, it is definitely still present (is that from the Malbec?). Not sure if aging the bottle for a longer period or perhaps decanting would bring it more in line with the winemaker’s original intentions?

The 2012 is a red blend consisting of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, and its is aged for 20 months in French oak (50% new oak). It is very easy drinking and would be great to have another at some point in the future. The meal was fantastic, and the wine was really damn good too–there’s not a drop of this left after our Sunday dinner.

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2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvigon

Nice and smooth, this 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County’s Rodney Strong vineyard. It packs in fragrant, juicy smells of blueberry and blackberry, and perhaps even a bit of chocolate too. Rich, ruby, and red it tumbles into your glass, filled with promises that are effectively delivered as you make your way into the bottle.

2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvigon, Sonoma County, California, USA.

2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvigon, Sonoma County, California, USA.

This 2012 is very easy to drink; its even balance is an interesting contrast to the Bordeaux-style red that followed this Cab later in the holiday weekend. The Strong was served with hors d’oeuvres and one of my favorite pasta dishes–penne with salt and butter–and some garlic bread. It’s a mouthful unto itself, a juicy Cabernet that, at times, almost seems more like a Merlot than a California Cab. Really a nice, smooth beverage.

This one is a gift from my friend, and he went the extra mile to read through several Notes Of Note for my recent favorites and tendencies as he picked a drink to bring along for the evening. The 2012 Rodney Strong is a good one at that. Good research and an even better beverage! Thanks pal, and looking forward to your next visit.

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2012 Sterling Vintner’s Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

House guests always mean good things for a wine blog, as there’s nothing like splitting a fun bottle with friends and family. So here we are, warm May evening, sharing the 2012 Sterling Vintner’s Collection and some great conversation—my wife, my oldest friend in the world (we’ve been childhood friends, high school classmates and teammates, and college roommates) for more than three decades, and me.

2012 Sterling Vintner's Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California, USA.

2012 Sterling Vintner’s Collection Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California, USA.

I’ve never had the Sterling before, but when we finished a couple Sam Adams (and yes a Miller Lite too, those of you who know) and were turning our thoughts to dinner, it seemed like a great pick to go alongside some killer pork chops. The meat had been marinating in the fridge all afternoon in a spicy mustard sauce that worked its way into the pork while it sizzled up on the grill. A salad of mixed greens, fresh mushrooms, and crushed pepper, seasoned with a light vinaigrette, provided an enjoyable cool to the hot main course. On another such occasion I might have gone with a Zinfandel for this meal but was pleased overall by the Cabernet.

It has deep flavors, blackberry and cherry in particular, that gives sustenance and substance to this wine. Really liked those flavors, and am pleased to share with you too that the Sterling works in some quiet vanilla and some enjoyable spice scents. Great value. This 2012 has a lot of the characteristics that you’ll see me remark about in other good Cabs, and I’d be more than willing to bring it back to our table again soon.

We’ll be looking forward to another visit soon, one where we can enjoy time laughing, drinking delicious adult beverages, and LIG moments together. Thanks to the Sterling for being a good part of this one.

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2013 Ruffino Prosecco

We’ve got our first houseguests in the new place tonight; a special welcome to Jackie, Colin, and Brooke! Thanks for stopping over on your way home from Florida, and hope that you enjoy the visit as much as we do. Grapes are only for the adults on this trip, and we’re going to stay in white country tonight. No reds, no blushes…but whites both sparkling and flat are fair game. So keep your arms inside the vehicle at all times, people, the car is leaving the station now and headed for Italy.

2013 Ruffino Prosecco, Italy.

2013 Ruffino Prosecco, Italy.

Our first stop is the 2013 Ruffino Prosecco named above. On a hot summer night this sparkling Italian is a refreshing way to finish up a long car trip or a long day at the office. We poured in our favorite champagne flutes and chased away our thirst and our fatigue. That’s easy to do when you’re seeing good friends, and we were soon all smiles as we caught up with each others’ lives and watched the kids color their color books and our driveway. Much merriment in the new house tonight!

I found the Ruffino to be nice and crisp. It’s very even-toned, and I would definitely say you have notes of pear and apple in this sparkling wine. It’s not too sweet, and it is not too harsh. Thirsty as I was, I found the Ruffino to cleanse my palate and a nice complement to the hors d’oeuvres—the cheeses, turkey pepperoni, and fresh veggies. All three adults seemed to dig into this wine, and it was soon exhausted and time to turn our sites to the next stop—the Avanti.

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2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 Hands Winery

I’ve dropped the ball almost entirely here for the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, produced by the team at 14 Hands Winery. I’m positive that I had this 2013 vintage on May 8 because I have the date/timestamp both in my iCloud photos and my Vivino app, but I am very lacking in other relevant details about this tasting experience.

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 Hands, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA.

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 14 Hands, Columbia Valley, Washington, USA.

I didn’t note the food accompanying the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, and I didn’t jot down anything significant regarding its smell, its taste, or its color. Based on the photo here it seems as though the 2013 has good depth and a rich, deep color but that’s less helpful if you’re looking to NotesOfNote as a resource for your upcoming wine selection. I can confirm that 14 Hands Winery is located in the Columbia Valley AVA, and its winemaker offers, “14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon is a bright, juicy red featuring aromas of blueberries and currants with subtle hints of dried herbs. Red berry flavors are complemented by a touch of spicy oak and accentuated by refined tannins.”

Those following Notes recognize that I usually affirm or redirect tasting notes from the winemaker, but here I can do neither and apologize to readers for the lacking post. On the plus side, it does mean that I have to have another go at the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from 14 Hands in order to do this wine right. So at least there’s that?

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2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello

Dinner with clients and educators in the Windy City as we prepare to lead an all-day training course tomorrow at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago. Yes that is a fantastic tuna tartar, mushrooms, and a smear of something creamy–squash? potato?–on my plate. I’m not sure in hindsight but know I absolutely crushed it like a viking and left only the faintest hint of dressing on my plate. Old friends and new spent a few relaxing hours together at this restaurant…

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello, Galicia, Spain.

2011 Bodegas Avanthia Godello, Galicia, Spain.

…As an accompanying beverage, we selected the 2011 Avanthia Godello–my first of this varietal. It’s been rated well by experts, but we were the most important critics on this particular evening. This Godello, which is aged in French Oak barrels for seven months, did not disappoint in the slightest.

Located in the mountains of Spain next to El Barco de Valdeorras in the province of Galicia, this winery brings a bright, minerally white to the table in the 2011 Acanthi Godello. I know that you often hear the wine bourgeois talk about “terroir” when referring to grapes, and this is one of those occasions when I agree with them. You can almost picture the soil where these grapes were growing as you sip contentedly. The vines were planted in 1975 nearly 1,500 feet above sea level in soil consisting of slate and quartz.

According to the winemaker, “The 35-year-old vines are grafted from the gnarled 300-year-old Godello vine planted by monks but now resides in the courtyard of the present-day winery.” Sounds cool, doesn’t it? The wine steward was very happy with our choice when we selected this 2011 Avanthia, and I was too when having it with my tuna dinner. Fun to research, and even more enjoyable to drink.