Brent Null
Roseville, CA
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2193
 | | 02/14/2004 5:44 PM |
| I had the pleasure of spending the day with Vitis Vinifera and DJ Hombre yesterday. We hit the Shenandoah Valley for some Zin and Syrah tastings. Here is a list of places we hit:
Villa Toscano
- 2002 Rapsodia - 5 whites blend (Chadonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Semillon) Nice, light and fruity. Somewhat sweet.
- 2001 Shenandoah Valley Zinfandel - Their standard fair Zin.
- 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Some folks over here should not try and make Cab.
- 2001 Syrah - Not as good as I have had in the past.
- 2001 Fox Creek Zinfandel - Jammy and spicy and yummy! A definite buy!
Bella Piazza - this is the NEW sister winery to Villa Toscano. They have different vineyard sources for their grapes, but the wine is made at Villa Toscano.
- 2002 Sangiovese - Very nice effort. Strawberry yumminess with some spice.
- 2001 Zinfandel - I actually liked this better than Villa Toscano's standard Shenandoah Valley Zin.
- 2002 Barbera - Very Zin like in character but with the acid. A buy.
- 2002 Cabernet Franc - Decent effort. Very perfumy nose! More bottle time is necessary to see if this will hold up.
- 2002 Shiraz - Very Aussie like Shiraz. Deep, dark purple with tons of spice. A buy.
Domaine de la Terre Rouge
- 2001 Terre Rouge Enigma
- 2001 Terre Rouge Tete-a-tete
- 2000 Terre Rouge Mourvedre
- 2001 Terre Rouge Syrah
- 1999 Terre Rouge Syrah - Sentinal Oak, Pyramid Block
- 1998 Easton Merlot
- 1998 Easton Zinfandel
- 2000 Easton Cabernet Sauvignon
Renwood Winery
- 2002 Viognier - Excellent!
- 2001 Old Vine Zinfandel
- 2001 Fiddletown Zinfandel
- 2001 Grandmere Zinfandel
- 2001 D'Agostini Bros. Zinfandel
- 2001 Grandpere Zinfadnel
- 2001 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel
The Zins from Renwood get better and better every time I drink them. Their 2001 Zins have a bit more tannin structure than in previous vintages which makes for some Zins that can age a little longer. My pick here was the Fiddletown and the Grandpere (made from 137 year old vines!!!)
Amador Foothills Winery
- 2000 Carignane
- 2001 Clockspring Zinfandel
- 2000 Ferrero Vineyard Zinfandel
- 2001 Esola Vineyard Zinfandel
- 2001 Sangiovese Barrel Select
- 2000 Sangiovese Grand Reserve
- 2000 Syrah
I enjoyed the 2001 Clockspring Zin and 2001 Esola Vineyards Zin very much!
Dobra Zemlja
- 2001 Viognier - Great nose, grainy on the palate.
- NV - Milan's Ruz (a blend of the 3 reds they produce - Syrah, Zin, Sangiovese)
- 2002 Syrah
- 2001 Zinfandel
- 2001 Sangiovese
I was very disappointed this go around at DZ. Not the quality I have had there in the past.
Cedarville Vineyards
- 2002 Viognier
- 2002 Zinfandel (NOT YET RELEASED) All I can say is...OH MY GOD!!!
- 2001 Syrah
- 2002 Syrah (NOT YET RELEASED) Another WOWZA!
- 2001 Petite Sirah - A great Petite. Has that deep, dense ink color with none of the bitter tannins you might expect over here.
- 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon - His best Cab to date!
Jonathan and Susan are doing something that most other producers in this area are not doing and that is producing a consistent, quality line up from every varietal they produce. You cannot go wrong with any wines from Cedarville.
Windwalker Vineyard
- 2002 Viognier - Very nice!
- 2000 Barbera - This is what they are known for and it doesn't disappoint. This also had a very Zin-jammy-like nose with balanced acidity.
- 2001 Zinfandel
- 2001 Sangiovese
- 2001 Merlot
- 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Windwalker had a fire last year and lost a lot of inventory including their entire Library selection. But they have bounced back and have a new tasting room and some good wines to pour. Their Lady in Red which is their Meritage is one to get! Won't be released until March.
All in all it was a great day, with (of course) Cedarville as the highlight of the day. My wine of the day would have to be the yet-to-be-released 2002 Zinfandel. | | | |
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DJ Hombre
Napa Valley, California
Barrel Filler
Posts:1365
| | 02/14/2004 6:03 PM |
| Yes... yesterday was a day of barnstormin the backwoods of California. Lots of cows! I wanted to pull over at one point and tip one over.
Cedarville rocked my jock. Definatly one of my favorite wineries now.
Again, Brent... thank ya for giving me a introducin me to Amador Wines! | | | |
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Tim
Barrel Filler
Posts:1465
| | 02/17/2004 9:22 AM |
| Too bad about the Dobra, he has made some knockout wines in the past. Note you didn't have much to say about Terra Rouge either, I used to love their mourvedre. Also sorry to hear Cedarville made another kickass syrah, my checkbook will hate that...  | | | |
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Brent Null
Roseville, CA
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2193
| | 02/17/2004 7:40 PM |
| | Here are somePICTURES of our trip. | | | |
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Al HooKoo
Las Vegas, NV
Barrel Filler
Posts:1339
| | 02/17/2004 7:50 PM |
| Hey Brent,
Which was the best Syrah you had all day? | | | |
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Brent Null
Roseville, CA
Barrel Sampler
Posts:2193
| | 02/17/2004 7:59 PM |
| | The yet to be released 2002 Cedarville Syrah was INCREDIBLE!!! | | | |
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DJ Hombre
Napa Valley, California
Barrel Filler
Posts:1365
| | 02/18/2004 12:01 AM |
| The `02 Cedarville was amazing. I plan on getting a good amount.  | | | |
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Budman
Master of Wine
Posts:11841
| | 02/18/2004 2:03 AM |
| | Great photos Brent. Can't wait to get back to wine country!!! | | | |
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David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15713
| | 02/18/2004 2:33 AM |
| | Post deleted by davidn | | | |
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Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts:13672
| | 02/18/2004 3:15 AM |
| | nice to see vitis sporting his Avs jersey | |
www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
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DJ Hombre
Napa Valley, California
Barrel Filler
Posts:1365
| | 02/18/2004 3:53 AM |
| | yeah, vitis was quite proud of the Av's slaughter of St Louis the night before. | | | |
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jaimetown
DC area
Wine Bottler
Posts:3430
| | 02/18/2004 4:50 PM |
| | Love those old-school Avs uniforms. | | | |
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