A SELECTION OF WINEMAKERS TASTING NOTES

What follows is a selection of tasting notes from a few wineries.  It is meant to convey how these winemakers view their wines.  Many of you may not relate to their choice of words, but looked at as an art form, they can take on a meaning of their own.  You perhaps would not use these words to describe a wine, as the tasting experience is a very personal one.  Don’t let their words bother you.  If one of these, or any others in this web site intrigue you, look them up using the “Find Blended Wines” feature. Go to the winery’s web site to get more information about the winery and the wines they offer.  Then, purchase them directly from the winery, or find a retail source to purchase them.  Finally, enjoy a tasting with friends and/or family and describe them with your own, much-easier-to-understand words.  In reality, even your tasting friends may not understand your choice of words. That’s O.K.  It’s a personal thing.  You know what you mean.  You know what you like.  That’s all that matters.

2003 Odyssey (Arger-Martucci)

“We call this wine ODYSSEY because each vintage takes us on a journey to blend the finest fruit from our Odyssey Vineyard located 1,350 feet above the valley floor.

The 2003 is comprised of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot, and 1% Syrah.  It is blended to express the essence of our vineyards on Atlas Peak.  The texture is rich, giving a wonderful “mouth feel.”  While not one of the varietals dominates the flavor, one still has the impression of Napa Valley Cabernet.  There are “layers” of flavors, with black cherry predominating while nuances of white pepper, chocolate and cinnamon are present.  This is a great example of the winemaker’s “art” of blending varietals to make the sum add up to more than the “parts.”  While very approachable now, we believe this wine will easily age for 8 to 10 years with its tannin structure.”

Sunny (Artiste)

“A blend of 70% racy Sauvignon Blanc and 30% voluptuous Viognier, this is the white to drink through the tale end of the hot season, and you’ll love every sip of it (‘till you & your guests realize the bottle’s empty, of course).

Sauvignon Blanc is fascinating in that in some areas of the world it produces wines with aromas and flavors revolving around the grass and herb end of the spectrum, while in other parts of the world its all about fruit, sometimes citrus, sometimes tropical, and always vibrant. No matter where it’s grown, though, it almost always carries with it its signature zing of acidity, making it a great wine to pair with food and a refreshing companion in warm weather.

Sunny capitalizes on Sauvignon Blanc’s capabilities by striking a beautiful balance between the two ends of its flavor spectrum, and the Viognier adds its perfumed aromas and exotically luscious mouthfeel to form a wonderful balance with the vibrant Sauvignon Blanc.

The first swirl hints at the fascinating duality of pairing these two starkly different varietals together as it delivers a wallop of green apple, meyer lemon, and summer meadow aromas with underlying notes of straw, toasted hazelnuts, and a hint of lychees.

At first taste you’d swear this wine is an extrovert, but it has a luscious, complex core of Viognier riding that wave of electrifying Sauvignon Blanc fruit and acidity. The straightforward citrus and apple fruit on the nose are there on the palate, too, but there’s an unmistakable honey-like richness along with an alter ego of tropical scents, gunflint, and herbs.

The wine’s wonderful acidity means its not as easily overpowered by acidic foods like vinaigrettes, making Sunny a great dinner choice as it can pair beautifully with both a salad and the entrée that follows it. A Greek-style dinner with a combination of citrus and herb flavors is a perfect fit (stop by the winery for an unbeatable meal recipe including our Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad, grilled chicken kabobs with Meyer-lemon and herb marinade, and citrus-shallot basmati rice pilaf).

So throw on your flip flops, fire up the grill, and invite some friends over for some crisp white wine relief on a hot summer day.”

2005 Sonnet (Bell Wine Cellars)

“Our Sonnetteis deep ruby in color, and has rich, ripe cherry, cassis and blackberry fruit aromas. Firm tannins and sweet oak combine with a gentle hint of pepper and spice to yield a full-bodied wine. Rich and luscious on the palate, the wine has excellent balance and a rich, long, lingering finish that will continue to develop with additional bottle age.”

Family Cuvee (Black Cat Vineyards)

“Delightful aromas of ripe cherry, plum, blackberry, vanilla. Concentrated flavors of black fruit, cocoa and a hint of black pepper with a silky lingering finish.”

2004 Chaos Theory Napa Valley Cabernet/Zinfandel Blend (Brown Estate Vineyards)

“This wine is exciting from the moment it livens up your glass with brilliant ruby color and sapphire undertones. The fragrant nose has mocha java cocoa powder, toasted vanilla, and rich dark fruit with a hint of lavender. Vigorous and long with great depth, this wine is densely layered with flavors of cassis, bittersweet chocolate shavings, blackberry fruit, burnt sugar, subtle cedar and a final zest of kumquat. This iconoclastic wine is forward and expressive, with an edgy newness. It blends the best of both worlds: the cabernet component is present in the structure and tannins and intense dark fruit, providing a dramatic frame for the exuberant, lush zinfandel component. The result is a vivacious yet seamlessly balanced wine that delivers a unique palate experience.”

2004 Cain Five (Cain Vineyard and Winery

“2004 is a classic Cain Five—in the mold of the 1991 and 1994 vintages, but more refined. As with all vintages, the 2004 is all about the weather: at bloom and during ripening. In 2004, we had a poor bloom in our mountain-top vineyard, resulting in a yield smaller than our normal 1.5 tons per acre. The final blend incorporated more Merlot and less Petit Verdot than in some previous years. This was a natural reflection of the gentle, moderate ripening conditions. There was less heat than in the warmest vintages, which, in turn, gave us good concentration along with deeper and “sweeter” tannins.

The 2004 Cain Five epitomizes the character of the Cain Vineyard: freshness and vibrancy are the keys. Aromas of citrus and Douglas-fir overlay the black currant and black cherry of our mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The palate is juicy, sweet, and mouth-watering. As always, we blend to achieve balance and continuity on the palate, followed by a long finish. While this wine drinks beautifully today, I expect the 2004 to age gracefully over the next ten years.

Our winemaking is simple: We believe that red wine is a partial extraction of the grape. Our goal is to get what we want and to leave the rest behind. At Cain, this means hand picking, gentle destemming, native-yeast fermentation, and manual pressing. The wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, is blended early, is racked barrel-to-barrel, is egg-white fined, and is bottled without filtration.”

Marlstone (Clos du Bois)

“Since its introduction in 1978, Marlstone has been recognized as one of Sonoma County's premier Bordeaux-style wines. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Vedot, winemaker Erik Olsen sources the fruit from throughout the Alexander Valley, allowing him to hand pick the best lots of each varietal to isolate for the Marlstone program. The production of Marlstone is restricted to ensure the wine fully expresses Erik's vision for this special blend.

Crafted in the traditional style of the wines of Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon makes up the backbone of the Marlstone blend. Final varietal percentages are based on the wine's overall character and vary from vintage to vintage at the winemaker's discretion.

Marlstone is smooth and balanced, with intense, concentrated fruit and aromas of cherry, cedar, tobacco and black olives. Enjoyable upon release, Marlstone can be further aged for up to 15 years after release, developing the rich complexity of a truly collectible wine.”