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Winegeek
San Francisco
Grape Puncher
Posts:774
 | | 05/01/2005 2:08 PM |
| This year's Taste of Oakville was held at Opus One last Monday. It's always one of my two favorite tastings of the year (the other is the mid-winter barrel auction - Napa Valley Premiere).
My favorite wines: '02 Screaming Eagle (a little more extract than usual, not quite as silky/elegant, but still has those wonderfully pure fruit flavors and an impossibly long finish. Classy.); '01 Bond St. Eden (big, rich, loads of sweet French oak); '01 Oakford Vineyards Estate (this property used to make really good wines wines but went into a serious funk. Evidently it was sold four or five years ago and the new owners first brought in Marco diGuilio and now Mark Aubert to oversee the winemaking. This wine was great and this is a winery to keep your eyes on.); '95 Dalla Valle (surprisingly mature with that sweet patina of age in both the color and the nose and absolutely delicious.); '01 Dalla Valle (deep fruit with a hint of mint julep in the nose. Big, rich and structured but with perfect balance. The immense raw material here has soaked up all the oak - this is a stunning wine.); '02 Detert Family Cabernet Sauvignon (at their open house last year this was all structure - elbows and angles - while the cabernet franc was singing. The roles were reversed today - the franc needs some time but this was showing extremely well - big berries and classic Oakville cab.); '00 Harlan (this seemed subdued next to some of the other wines and was surprisingly approachable. Not Harlan at it's best but still awfully good wine.)
Other wines tasted: '02 Rudd Oakville Estate (too much oak showing today and on the dry side. This won't be released until October so maybe it will come together before then.); '02 Bond Vecina (the nose is a bit stuffy/closed and the wine comes across as unfocused/diffuse in the mouth. Judgement reserved.); '02 Hoope's Cabernet Sauvignon (I'd never heard of these guys before but this was pretty impressive except for a little heat in the finish.); '01 Joseph Phelps Backus (I didn't like this very much. The nose was subdued, the wine seemed to lack focus and precision and there are some seriously aggressive tannins that clamp down in the finish.); '01 Emilio's Terrace (spearmint nose, subdued flavors.); '02 Stanton (lots of spice and bright berries. Quite good with lovely balance.); '02 Tamber Bay Cabernet Sauvignon (yet another new winery - I think their vineyards are on the valley floor, just north of Yountville. They hired Thomas Brown as their winemaker and he did a bang up job. The nose is spicy with traces of menthol and mint. There are minty/blueberry flavors and nice mouthfeel. At $40-$45 it would be an no-brainer/buy all you can but I think they want $75 for it.); '02 Plumpjack Estate (high toned nose showing a touch of VA. Big, thick and structured with chalky tannins. This needs serious cellar time but if I'm right about the VA that could be a problem.); '01 Opus One (nice nose - very fruit forward and pure California. The flavors, however, have the traditional Opus saddle leather and barnyard and are quite dry.)
Richard
[Full discloure: I'm a retailer and have had/do have/will have some of these wines on my shelves.] | | | |
| David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2284
| | 05/01/2005 3:35 PM |
| | Thanks for the notes. I really like wines from Oakville. | | | |
| love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts:12349
| | 05/01/2005 3:50 PM |
| winegeek: thanks for the notes. A few things, if I may:
01 Dalla Valle: I was not very impressed with this vintage. I think it is a very good bottle of wine, just not ~$100.00 worth. I would love the 01 DV @ about ~$45.00-$55.00.
02 Rudd Oakville Estate: This is available in NJ already. Sounds like you have mixed feelings about this wine. I heard good things about it & want to buy 4 bottles. Guess only time will tell?!? (as you mention yourself).
02 Tamber Bay Cabernet Sauvignon: you seem to be high on it. And, we know what Thomas Brown is capable of producing. Will this hit retail or one should sign up on the Mailing List?
Thanks, winegeek. A very valuable post. | | | |
| Winegeek
San Francisco
Grape Puncher
Posts:774
| | 05/01/2005 4:21 PM |
| This is the fourth time I've had the '01 Dalla Valle and it was by far the best showing. I've always liked it but found it kind of monolithic - lacking that extra dimension that's the difference between a very good bottle of wine and a great bottle of wine. This time it was singing. Perhaps Mia had decanted the wine prior to the tasting or maybe it's just coming into it's own.
With regards to the Rudd, they were very clear that the wine they were pouring wasn't going to be released until October so I guess it must have been the '02 Oakville Estate Proprietary Red. (They've either done a bad job of differentiating their two red wines or I'm just stupid - I can never seem to get it right.)
I did like the Tamber Bey (and I do think Thomas Brown is a terrific winemaker) but I'd want to taste it again before buying any - as I said $75 seemed a little steep to me. They only made about 150 cases so buying it from their website (www.tamberbey.com) may be the best way to get some.
Richard | | | |
| love_cab_chard
Master of Wine
Posts:12349
| | 05/01/2005 5:49 PM |
| Re, Rudd: Ahh, yes, there are 2 wines that they make that are very similar in name. Confuses the heck out of me also (to this day). I do think it is the "other" bottling... We discussed it before here that they really have to do a better job so that people can tell the difference between the 2 bottlings.
Re, Tamber Bey: Re-reading your post, I made a mistake. I thought you wrote that it is $45.00 but tastes like $75.00. It's the vice versa, my fault. Sorry. | | | |
| David Sullivan
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2276
| | 05/01/2005 6:18 PM |
| From:
GEORGE STARKE | Up and Down the Wine Roads
The second big event was the annual "Taste of Oakville," which was on Monday at the Nickel and Nickel Winery, a perfect venue for tasting wines on a sunny spring afternoon. The Oakville appellation is famous for its outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons, which may be one of the greatest growing areas for that variety in the valley, make that the state, or, for that matter, the country. However, Merlots, Sangioveses and other varieties are also produced in minor amounts in the Oakville appellation. The tasting was restricted to members of the trade and the media. Thirty wineries in the Oakville appellation poured their 2000 and 2001 elixirs. Included were some of the valley's cult wines: Harland Estate, Dalle Valle Vineyards and Screaming Eagle (a magnum of the latter sold at the Festa Primavera live auction two nights before for $8,000!). Guests eagerly thrust their glasses for a sip of those enologic treasures. | | | |
| David Sullivan
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2276
| | 05/01/2005 6:19 PM |
| Quote:
The tasting was restricted to members of the trade and the media.
How do I get a Press pass???? | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts:12891
| | 05/07/2005 1:40 PM |
| WG,
i have just 1 95 dalla valle left, do you think i should open it soon? also how long would you let the 2001 rest before popping one? | | | |
| Winegeek
San Francisco
Grape Puncher
Posts:774
| | 05/09/2005 4:53 PM |
| AI,
I'd drink the '95 in the next two or three years. If I only had a bottle or two of the '01 I probably wouldn't touch them for 5+ years. If I had three (or more) bottles, though, I'd open one up in another year or two just for fun.
Richard | | | |
| Flubis
Grape Picker
Posts:16
| | 05/22/2005 3:28 AM |
| | Hello all, I too like Oakville wines and this seemed a good thread to jump in on. Has anyone tried the 2001 or 2002 Lokoya ? | | | |
| Elkiholic
New Hampshire
Grape Fermenter
Posts:462
| | 05/24/2005 3:49 PM |
| | Website lists the cab at $50... have to buy a 6-pack, however. $40 for out of CA overnite shipping is very attractive..... | |
Mike Coutu
Addicted to Wine | |
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