1994 Cristal, 1995 Chateau Gazin and 2001 Pahlmeyer

We spent last weekend at Lake Tahoe with good friends who brought a magnum of the 1995 Chateau Gazin, Pomerol, Bordeaux Blend (among others). It was opened a couple of hours prior to dinner and at first we thought the wine was a little bit off and did not particularly enjoy it. We wondered if it could have gone past it's peak. However after enjoying some champagne, 1994 Cristal Champagne, Louis Roederer, (that unfortunately according to my palate was past it's peak) we revisited and discovered a major improvement.

But first, let's back up to the 1994 Cristal Louis Roederer. It had a relatively dark straw color with a beautiful stream of small bubbles rushing up the glass. The nose showed dominent aromas of green apple, with citrus and slight caramel notes, accompanied by the traditional yeast and earth components. Our friends insisted on chocolate/mocha notes but I could not pick it up. I wish we would have opened this bottle a couple of years ago at what point I think it would have been more vivid and "refreshing". Never the less a great champagne that you don't have the opportunity to enjoy to often...

Find it at WineZap.com from $369.90.

After breathing for a little bit over 4 hours the 1995 Chateau Gazin Pomerol was starting to come into it's right. Deep ruby red in the glass with a slight brick color. The nose surprisingly vivid with fruit and berries, backed by spice and oak. The palate showing more restrained and subtle fruit with currant, cherry and raspberry, along with earth, smoke and a meaty quality. A medium to full bodied wine with refined, elegant, medium length finish. Certainly a wine that is best enjoyed with a meal. In this case a whole roasted beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, roasted beets, pureed parsnips, and a cauliflower-broccoli- spinach gratin.

Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $82.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

After the Pomerol we moved on to a 2001 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red, Napa Valley. This wine is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Aged in 100% new French Oak and the bottled unfined and unfiltered.

This wine showed massive, lush fruit on the nose with dark cherry, black raspberry, blackberry and heavy vanilla. The palate did not disappoint. Dark cherry, black currant, blackberry with earthy smoke, made us all happy. Full bodied with well integrated tannins and good acidity. This powerful wine was a great end to the evening and perfect with my Maldon and vanilla salt topped fudge brownies with vanilla bean ice cream.

Find this beauty at WineZap.com from $102. Definitely worth it's price.

Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!

Pahlmeyer and Vineyard 29

Sunday night we had dinner with good friends and had two bottles of really good wine.


We started of with a bottle of Pahlmeyer 2003 Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine. Winemaker Erin Green made this from 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot, and 0.5% Malbec.
This wine shows a dark garnet color in the glass.
On the nose, dark fruit and berries with oak and a smokey note.
The palate exudes dark plum, black cherry, black currant, and again notes of smoke. The wine is surprisingly smooth for being relatively young. Rich in fruit and full bodied, with good acidity, and velvety well integrated tannins. All this and a long beautiful finish make this a great bottle of wine.


Next up was Vineyard 29 2005 Cru Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were sourced from six vineyards across Napa Valley, hand sorted and gently processed in the full gravity flow winery. Aged 18 months in French Oak, 60% new.

This wine has a dark, ruby red/purple color in the glass. The nose screams of ripe, dark fruit and berries, dark cherry, and vanilla.

The fruit on the palate is equally lush with dark cherry, black currant, and coffee. All with a spice note. The acidity is sufficient and the tannins soft. This wine is young, but very approachable and drinks nicely. It's lush and fruity with a lengthy finish and I can't wait to revisit it in the future.

Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!

Jayson 2003 Napa Valley Red Wine

A short review on a wine we had with dinner tonight.
Jayson 2003 Napa Valley Red Wine is produced by Pahlmeyer, and is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec. It is made from the grapes/juice that is left over after producing the "big brother wine", Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red.

The wine is dark ruby red in the glass. The nose shows black cherry, plum, blackberry, and vanilla. The palate follows in it's path with black berries, oaky vanilla, and relatively smooth tannins that however shows notes of green wood. The nose is a step above the palate, which is a little thinner in the fruit at the finish then you are lead to believe.

Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $ 59.99. For the price it is a pretty decent bottle, but there are certainly better wines in that price range out there.


Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!

Cosentino 2002 M.Coz Napa Valley Meritage

This is a bottle that we got a couple of years back in our wine club member shipment from Cosentino Winery. Tonight it was time to pop it open to go with a nice Filet Mignon.

This is a unfined and unfiltered wine made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

It has an extremely dark, dense garnet color in the glass. The nose reveals dark cherry, blackberry, black currant, and vanilla. The wine is equally concentrated in fruit and berries on the palate with black cherry, blackberry, plum and black currant with some dusty earth. The tannins are plentiful and very firm. The finish is relatively long with fruit, earthiness and with a slight heat from the relatively high alcohol level (14.6%).

This is all over a very intense, although not overly ripe, wine on both nose and palate. With the firm tannins this makes for a young 2002 that I wish I would have kept my hands off another couple of years, at least... Not to say it's not a really enjoyable wine at this point in time, but you will see the benefits if you stash it in the back of your pile for 5 years or so.

My wine club member price was $90 and the winery sells it at their web site for $120 to the public. You can make an even better deal at Wine-Searcher.com where you can find it from $75.


Vote for my blog here and help me reach top 10 on The Blog Top!

Long Meadow Ranch 2004 Ranch House Red Napa Valley

The Long Meadow Ranch 2004 Ranch House Red has a very dense, dark red color in the glass with a touch of cloudiness. On the nose black cherries, spice, earth, wet stone, and a hint of sherry like aromas. On the palate again the black cherry, with red cherry, black currant, and some peppery spice. Again a hint of that sherry quality, that I am not a fan of. The fruit is at first intense but loses strength quickly and gives way to tart tannins on the medium length finish.

This is not a wine I would recommend. I do not like the sherry associations I get on the nose and palate, and the wine is not very well balanced. For $19 I can easily find a wine that fits my palate better.

Vote for my blog here and help me stay in top 10 on The Blog Top!
I have finally reached top 10 and I am now striving to reach top 5!