In January, our COVID Wine Pod partners invited us over to celebrate their daughter receiving a final job offer in Washington DC. After appropriately celebrating with Champagne, a mystery wine appeared.
First, we did a proper toast with real Champagne. Then, we played Mystery Wine.
One of our favorite games to play in the pandemic has been Guess the Mystery Wine. This wine had already been decanted, no label in sight. We guessed New World. It was very familiar on the nose, but we couldn’t place it. It didn’t taste like a Cabernet Sauvignon – more like a Zinfandel, Syrah, or Petite Sirah. My guess was Petite Sirah. Our host’s better half guessed Syrah – bingo, she was right! A Law Estate Syrah from Paso Robles!
AboutLaw Vineyards: “We are committed to making exceptional wines through sustainable and organic farming practices with minimal inputs. Located above Peachy Canyon Road on the west side of Paso Robles, the vineyard is one of the highest in the area at 1,600 to 1,900 feet. It is planted in high density, small-lot blocks. The extreme slopes, limestone soils, and multiple aspects create the distinct canvas and palette from which we work.”
About the 2017 Intrepidfrom the winery: “The Intrepid’s dense purple juice presents an alluring nose of brown sugar, fleshy, dark fruits, black pepper, violets and baked blueberry pie. It maintains a sense of finesse, through the balance of course tannins, juicy acidity and mid palate weight. Despite all the decadence it offers, it never seems over the top; a humble extrovert if you will. It stays flawlessly balanced, has a lively, ample texture, and delivers a moreish finish. Not just for the Northern Rhône crowd, it’s a brilliant representation of this terroir that will keep for years.” Jeb Dunnuck rated this wine 98 points!
93 Points – Wine Enthusiast: “Those seeking wines of tremendous power and unctuous oak will enjoy this booming bottling, which was aged in 71% new barrels and begins with aromas of milk chocolate, cassis, maple butter and purple flowers. It’s thick and lush on the palate, where caramelized black-fruit, creamy cappuccino and bold baking-spice flavors go big.” Matt Kettmann, 5/2021
My Review: Very dark and dense ruby in the glass. Black fruit, cardamom and vanilla on the nose. Intense dark fruit and cassis on the finish, with a touch of menthol and a lot of vanilla on the end, representing its high alcohol content. Still a bit more like a Petite Sirah to me! We enjoyed this wine. January 2022
You can purchase Law wines from the winery on line or at their tasting room. Check it out here. Tastings are daily except Wednesdays from 10-4, by reservation only.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
When I reduced my posts to once a week and started hitting the tasting rooms, I didn’t realize how far behind I might get! I’ve decided to present some of these single wines tasted from August to November over the next few weeks to close out 2021. Today I am presenting 7 of them from outside Monterey County, in the order of tasting date. Next week I’ll have a collection of Monterey County wines/wineries to close out 2021. Starting in January, I’ll be back to winery tastings with the occasional one-off wines.
PLease share this blog with your family and friends – the more the merrier! If you have not yet subscribed to my weekly blog, you can enter your email at the very bottom right of this page – then confirm it from your email. I promise no selling of your address, just my weekly post delivered straight to you. And I encourage your comments – maybe you know a winery I should check out. Also, feel free to share back what local wines you are enjoying!
2015 Donati The Immigrant, Paicines, San Benito County, 14.5% ABV, $35 (#555*)
From the Donati Family Vineyard Website: “Albino Donati immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1907. Just like many others who came to America, he arrived with a commitment to create a better life for his family. His hard work, determination, and perserverance have created footsteps for our family to follow for generations. The creation of “The Immigrant” is in honor of his legacy.”
Wine Enthusiast – 89 points: This bottling is very shy on the nose, offering tight boysenberry and wet gravel aromas with patience. The palate is a bit flat as well, but eventually delivers flavors of baked cherry and baking spice, held together by tense tannins. MATT KETTMANN 12/2018
My Review: Ruby in the glass. Mellow berries on the nose. Very smooth on the palate, nice berries, cedar and mint. This is one of those super smooth reds I could just keep drinking. I would have given it a much higher score – in the 92-point range. August 2021
2019 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Central Coast, 13.5% ABV, $16 (#556*)
Wine class chose the varietal Cinsault, intending a foreign wine. I found this Bonny Doon wine at Whole Foods in Washington DC. My notes say I paid $23 for it, but it is generally available for less than that!
Winemaker’s Notes from the bottle: “In 1954 the mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape was quite perturbed and apprehensive that UFOs are flying cigars might do damage to their vineyards. So right thinking man all, they passed a legal ordinance prohibiting such landings. The ordinance has worked well, as there have been no such landings since the adoption of this far sighted legislation. The stellar composition of our cigar Volant call flying cigar” contains 56% Grenache 30% since so 13% Sarah and 1% petite Sirah.”
Wine Enthusiast – 93 points & Best Buy: A delicate color in the glass, this blend of 56% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 13% Syrah and 1% Petite Sirah pops with bright raspberry, crushed rock, turned earth and lilac aromas on the nose. The palate is tense with rocky edges and yet zesty with pomegranate and strawberry flavors. MATT KETTMANN
My Review: Ruby, somewhat translucent in the glass. A little sulfur on the nose upon opening. Cherry and leather on the palate. Nice on a hot DC evening. August 2021
2017 DeRose Dry Farmed Zinfandel, Cedolini Vineyard, Cienega Valley, San Benito County, 15.1% ABV, $45 (#557*)
My Review: Beautiful ruby in the glass. Berry jam and crab (shellfish) on the nose. Berry pie on the palate – it’s a berry-o-rama in the mouth, chalky, slightly sweet, slightly ripe or cooked, with a peppery finish. September 2021
A DC friend (Scott Gudes) brought this wine from his very first wine tasting in Paso Robles! We had it with our dinner at Poppy Hall – very nice.
From the label: “David Bailey planted this vineyard on the old family property on Peachey Canyon Road. This is a head pruned, dry farmed vineyard. This wine is 100% Zinfandel – old time Paso baby! Yeahh! It is all you might expect and then just a wee bit more.”
My Review: Purple in the glass. Jammy and spicy on the nose. Juicy and smooth on the palate. Opened up nicely to dark berries with an even darker, intense fruit finish.October 2021
2015 Trinitas Old Vines Petite Sirah, Contra Costa County, 16.2% ABV, $36 (#559*)
I love a good Petite Sirah and found this for $18 at Costco!
From the Trinitas Website: “This is by no means elegant, its rather a massive hulking bruiser of a wine! In fact, this might be the most decadently textured dry red wine we’ve ever made. Which doesn’t surprise us. 2015 was not only the third year of the drought, but also the vines we source from in Contra Costa County are mainly planted in sandy soils, so they are well drained and receive much more heat. Trust us, this all shows in the wine! This deep, dark-purple elixir has skyrocketing aromas of baked blueberries, blackberries, and toasted vanilla. With just one sip, its heavenly texture completely saturates the palate with baked berry cobbler and vanilla bean flavors that are lifted by dusty tannins as it trails off into a very persistent finish. This is so opulent, juicy, and scrumptious, that it’s nearly impossible to resist. Which is probably why Wine Enthusiast awarded it 93 points and Editor’s Choice!”
My Review: Inky in the glass with aromas of smooth dark berries. Very dark blueberry and blackberry fruit on the palate with cassis and black currant on the finish. Very smooth. Great value for the flavor – I would buy this again!October 2021
2017 Turley Zinfandel, Duarte Vineyard, Contra Costa County, 15.3% ABV, $33 (#560*)
From the Turley website: “This wine is an homage to Joe Duarte, a prominent grape grower in Contra Costa who first introduced Turley to the incredible vineyards of the area. The wine is comprised of fruit from the turn-of-the-century Evangehlo, Mori, and Salvador vineyards, planted between 1890 and 1960.Thanks to the sandy soils and impressive age of the vines, the wine has some of the softest, silkiest tannins we’ve ever seen in a Zinfandel.”
My Review: Very dark ruby in color. Smoke and plum on the nose. Jammy brambleberry with spice on the palate. A spicy finish with a touch of tobacco. If you stumble on a Turley Duarte, pick it up – I usually recommend decanting Turley wines. October 2021
2015 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley,13.5% ABV, $45 (#561*)
The Ojai Vineyard Tasting Notes: “Aromas come on with many of the usual suspects from Bien Nacido—cured meat, purple flowers, rock dust—but also a concentrated fruity exuberance that tilts toward liqueur. It drinks with that same balance, coming on with an lavish blanket of dark fruits before gaining pitch and lengthening into a smoky savory beauty, closing out late with those cool-climate notes of herby tapenade, wood smoke and peppery meat crust. The forward feel will have many drink this sooner than later, but for peak rapture age this for several years, at least.” 97 points- Jeb Dunnuck!!
My Review: Berry blast on the nose, followed by some menthol and leather. Super delicious on the palate. Spice on the finish. We followed the Vineyard Aging Recommendations, opening this one before the 2012 Syrah, which is still not ready! We served this with Thanksgiving leftovers. I loved this wine – probably one of the best Syrahs I have recently consumed.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
A mystery wine was opened during our chilly December happy hour with our COVID wine tribe, warmed by the flames of their fire pit. We guessed New World, but couldn’t hone in on the varietal (not one we normally taste). It was revealed to be a Tannat, for which I have a fondness. I mean, it is a palindrome, after all – perhaps the only wine that is one.
We were first exposed to Tablas Creek wines at the MacArthur Beverages annual Red Barrel Tasting charity event in Washington, DC. When we couldn’t get to California to go wine tasting, MacArthur’s brought the wineries to us. Tablas Creek was one of the few Central Coast wines we could buy in its shop back then.
About Tablas Creek from its website: “Tablas Creek is a pioneer of California’s Rhone movement. Founded in 1989, it is the culmination of a friendship between two of the international wine community’s leading families dating back to 1967: the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands. After a four-year search, the partners chose Paso Robles, California, for its many similarities to the southern Rhone, and began the lengthy process of importing vine cuttings, building a grapevine nursery, and creating an estate vineyard from scratch.” Their blends include the flagship Esprit de Tablas red and Esprit de Tablas Blanc (modeled on the Chateau de Beaucastel red and white), the Cotes de Tablas red and Cotes de Tablas Blanc (a Californian take on Rhône classics), and Patelin de Tablas red and Patelin de Tablas Blanc (a “neighborhood” wine made from 8-12 of Paso Robles’ top Rhône-style vineyards).
It was hard for us to guess the varietal of this “mystery wine!”
About the 2017 Tannat: “The Tablas Creek Vineyard 2017 Tannat is Tablas Creek’s sixteenth bottling of this traditional varietal from South-West France, known principally in the Pyrenees foothills appellation of Madiran, but originally native to the Basque region. Tannat typically has intense fruit, spice, and tannins that produce wines capable of long aging.”
My Review: Leathery on the nose, New World on the palate, juicy and strong. We liked this wine. December 2020
You can buy this wine from the winery at the link above.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
A friend of mine put me in touch with the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society. How wonderful to meet (virtually) like-minded wine aficionados! In August, they hosted a virtual wine tasting of Daou wines. It was a great event, presented by Daniel Daou himself and showcasing three of their wines.
Three terrific DAOU wines presented by Daniel Daou!
About Daniel Daou: “Daniel’s winemaking vision had one very singular focus-creating the highest possible quality Cabernet and Bordeaux wines. This mission had a critical ingredient-the Calcareous Clay soils of Bordeaux. For Daniel, there is no greater truth than the fact that great wine is made in the vineyard. His extreme focus on every detail-from the proper soil, to his proprietary planting structure that creates “total vine balance” his exacting, almost extreme, winegrowing philosophy allows for the grapes to arrive to the winery in the perfect condition to create wines that continue to rival the best in the world…Daniel was one of the first to bring Cabernet clones to Paso Robles that deliver the highest possible quality-clones from the iconic regions of the world such as Bordeaux and Napa.”
A high-end Sauvignon Blanc made in a unique process.
Winemaker Notes: “The 2019 DAOU Estate Sauvignon Blanc exemplifies how this classic Bordeaux variety excels on DAOU Mountain. The chalky soils of DAOU Mountain give this wine loads of minerality on the palate while concentrated aromas of stone fruits, guava, kiwi and citrus blossom travel through the glass to enrich your nose. A touch of Sémillon works in harmony with the Sauvignon Blanc, adding complexity and dimension. Full-bodied yet balanced, this wine provides for a complete experience with an impressively long finish.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Review – 92 Points: “The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc contains 19% Sémillon and was aged seven months in 50% new French oak. The nose opens with poached pears scents accented by beeswax, lychee, grapefruit and flowers. The medium-bodied palate has a great balance of bright fruit character and phenolic texture, and it finishes with good freshness and length.” Erin Brooks, October 2020
My Review: Pale in color (leaning toward green) with pear on the nose. Pear and bitter grapefruit on the palate with a tart finish. This is a pretty complex Sauvignon Blanc, a product of a unique process which Daniel Daou described in some detail to the group. It is not your every day Sauvignon Blanc. August 2020
A terrific example of a fine, high quality Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winemaker Notes: “The 2018 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a shining example of world-class Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. This wine’s magnificent nose is quintessential Cabernet Sauvignon, offering scents of dark chocolate, licorice, blackberries and cured meats with a touch of cedar. The palate delivers an explosion of fresh, dark berry fruits. Flavors of blackberry, juicy black cherry, cassis and cocoa are underscored by lovely accents of blueberry and raspberry. A silky palate is nicely integrated with hints of toasty oak, graphite, mineral and forest floor. Ripe fruits and exotic spices linger on a generous, full-bodied finish that promises excellent age-worthiness.”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Review – 91-93 Points: “The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. It is still in barrel and will age about 18 months in 50% new French oak. The nose opens with tar, cassis and gentle blue fruit touches with notes of dried herbs, milk chocolate and coffee beans. The medium to full-bodied palate is lushly fruited but very fresh, with lifted herbal character, bright freshness and a firm but very finely grained structure, finishing long.” Erin Brooks, October 2020
My Review: Garnet in color, almost purple. Dark jammy fruit on the nose. Very smooth and juicy, balanced and pleasant. August 2020
2017 DAOU Bodyguard, Paso Robles AVA, 14.7% ABV, $40 (#199*)
Winemaker Notes (previously captured from their website): “The 2017 DAOU Bodyguard is a sleek yet powerful blend of Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah, displaying both opulence and structure. The 2017 vintage presents fragrant fruit aromas of blackberry, raspberry, currant and crème de cassis. Notes of cocoa, coffee, dark chocolate, licorice and sweet cherry pipe tobacco are rounded out with whispers of truffle, toffee, mocha and menthol. A juicy, fleshy palate offers bright, generous flavors of cherry, cranberry, strawberry and blueberry tinged with black raspberry and tamarind—all supported by underlying accents of dusty leather, pencil shavings, cigar box and crushed herbs. An elegantly styled and beautifully structured finish reverberates with focused energy, vibrant berry fruit and ripe, polished tannins.”
Wine Enthusiast Review – 92 Points: “In yet another stylishly packaged and powerful blend from the Daou brothers, this bottling combines hearty coffee, kirsch and pumice aromas with toasty vanilla and caramel on the nose. The tannic structure is soft and polished yet firm enough to uphold black-cherry, toffee and caramel flavors, which are bolstered by a black-rock minerality that lingers in the background.” Matt Kettmann, March 2020
My Review: Inky purple in color, bold flavors on the palate – really opened up into a delicious, big wine in the style I like. This is a great combination of 60% Petite Verdot and 40% Petite Sirah. August 2020
You can buy DAOU wines from their website or from retailers primarily in California and New York, with a few retailers in Michigan and Florida. They have special holiday items and packages here. DAOU is open for wine tasting with food pairings – learn more and reserve your spot here.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
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