Jepson Estate Red 2003

Jepson Vineyards
Mendocino
California
Alc. 14.5%
from the California Wine Club
approx. $10
Red Rhone blend

The Little Wooden guy appreciates a good QPR as much as the next guy. Is this great? No. Is it far better than most $10 bottles? Abso-friggin-lutely.

Night One

At first this was disappointing. The nose was sour and boring. However, after about 20 minutes it started to really come around. The nose was mostly red- cherries, strawberries, and cranberry juice. There were also some blueberries, cedar, and a distinct (and very pleasant) lingering after-scent of roses.

Cranberries were more obvious on the palate, with cherries and blueberries. The same rose and cedar were there, too. Tannins were soft, acid mild. Mouth feel was a bit thin and there wasn't much of a mid-palate. The finish was short, too. Basically, this was a good up-front quaffer that fell off quickly- about what you would expect at this price point. What makes it better, though, is the lovely combination of scents and flavors on the initial attack. Those distinguish this wine from most other similarly priced California blends.

Night Two

I did not take detailed notes on Night Two. There was no reason to. Simply stated, this fell down on Night Two. It was just, well, boring.

Conclusion? This is a competent reasonably-priced effort that will neither rock your world nor offend your senses.

2005 Stevenot Cabernet Sauvignon

The Wooden Guy was impressed. This wine came from California Wine Club. Through the Club it was a mere $15.99, a great price for any Cali cab.

Night One

The nose was complex, showing blackcurrant, menthol and cedar. On the palate it was equally interesting, opening with blackcurrant and cigar box, yielding to a midpalate of cranbery and vanilla, before finishing sweet with brown sugar and vanilla. Tannins were drying, a bit harsh, but this is a very new cab. Wait to Night Two to judge this part of the wine.

Night Two

The nose is much rounder and softer now, offering much fuller odors. The blackcurrant still leads, followed by vanilla and a touch of nutmeg.

On the palate the mouth feel is far more full, the flavors darker and richer. Blackcurrants and joined by stwed plums, with a midpalate of cedar and blackberries, then vanilla and a sweet brown sugar finish. Tannins softened considerably, with only a memory of leather, rather than strong lingering leather, on the finish.

Sunstone Syrah 2005

Santa Barbara County
California
14.1% alcohol

The Big Wooden Guy is disappointed. Very disappointed.

The bottlenotes:

Perched on terraces overlooking the Santa Ynez river, Sunstone Vineyards and Winery is home to 77 acres of Bordeaux and Rhone style varietals. Grown using sustainable farming practices respecting our environment and neighbors, Sunstone grapes produce wines of superior quality and flavor. Our wines represent distinct varietal character unique to our terroir and Satna Barbara County wine country.

The nose- Australia meets France. Big jammy fruit alongside earth and herbs. The fruit is blueberry pie filling with a little blackberry added to the mix. Oak is prevalent, showing up as vanilla with a molasses shadow. A bit of mushrooms and earth, along with a tin hint of sage save it from being just a fruit bomb.

Fruit is blacker on the palate, leaning far more toward blackberry and plum than the blueberies on the nose. Blackberries, plum, black pepper start out the attack. Some very tart wild cherries, wild strawberries and then vanilla add to the blend, the black fruit fading as the red increases. Vanilla and oak, some showing up as brown sugar, make a sweet, too sweet, finish. Tannins are smooth and soft.

Night Two

This absolutely died from one night to the next. It was not particularly oxidized, it just, well, sucked. I took one sip, then another, and quit. It was, frankly, too bad to suffer through a second night tasting.

I did not love it. Can you tell?

Stevenot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Sierra Foothills
California

The Little Wooden Guy is not pleased.

Night One

The nose is very classic California Cabernet. Blackcurrants, plums and spice. Vanilla is evident but not overpowering. There is also a touch of tobacco and cedar. It is a very nice nose, one you can revel in for a long time before even taking the first sip.

The fruit is more red than black on the palate. Cherries and baking spice are out front, tannins are mild and very smooth. It is surprisingly acidic and bright.

It will be interesting to see how this holds up up on the second night, given the low tannin content and high acid in a Cabernet.

Night Two

Funky, just funky. The nose on Night Two is green pepper and spoiled milk. Through that you can smell a little cinammon and black fruit.

On the palate, a ton of graphite and raw tobacco leaf overpower the red and black fruit. The bright acidity from Night One is gone, replaced with drying tannins. The mouth feel is thin.

No, I did not find this to be a wonderful wine. The promise of the nose on Night One was not met by the nose or the palate on Night Two.

Buttonwood Farm Merlot 2003

Santa Ynez Valley, California
85% Merlot
15% Cabernet Franc
13.7% alcohol

The Big Wooden Guy likes it. Also, we got a frog to keep the goldfish company.

From the bottlenotes:

Merlot...full bodied and supple with a spicy disposition. Take her to dinner with lamb, beef, pork or duck.

The first thing you notice on the nose is leaf tobacco and earth, a bit of a surprise in this Santa Ynez Valley Merlot. The 15% Cabernet Franc announces its presence with enthusiasm. Blackcurrant is the predominant fruit.

Blackcurrant and tobacco open the palate. They are very quickly replaced by cocoa and dark cherries, then some earthy mushrooms. It is all just slightly peppery, very pleasant. Tannins were soft and mouth-coating. Finish was surprisingly long.

So far, on Night One, this was a surprisingly good Merlot.

Night Two

Tobacco and blackcurrants are still strong on the nose. If you really stick your nose in a big glass and wait, you might catch a hint of blueberry in the background.

This wine has barely changed from Night One. Blackcurrant and tobacco stay on the palate a bit longer, then it goes straight to mushrooms and pepper, skipping the sweet cocoa and cherry midpalate. Tannins actually seem just a bit firmer, a soft but real backbone. Finish is still long.

This is really a very good wine, a surprisingly complex merlot for under $20.

I just noticed something interesting- I tried this very same wine, from the same shipment from California Wine Club, in June, and I hated it. It was not a matter of just being in a different mood, either. I remember that other bottle and it was just plain bad. It tasted terribly fake, chemical, and plainly gritty. Given the gross inconsistency between the two bottles I can not possibly recommend buying this, even though the second bottle was very good.

Groom Shiraz 2004

Barossa Valley, South Australia
$34.98 in Indianapolis
13.03% alcohol
Maturation: 15 months, 100% American oak hogsheads
(25% new, 60% 1-year old, 15% 2-year old)

The little guy in the picture just loved this wine.

From the winemaker:

Overall, the 2004 vintage in Australia proved to be quite a challenge for winemakers and viticulturists. A roller-coaster ride, in fact. After the drought conditions of 2003 the high winter rainfall that followed was most welcome. We were off to a great start, and our hopes soared. In contrast, December, mid-season for vine growth, was the hottest we had seen in 10 years. January brought mild, windy weather but was followed by searing heat in February. Thankfully toward the end of the month the heat wave broke, and the rest of the vintage saw cool, sunny days that allowed the fruit to ripen slowly under much more gentle conditions. Harvest itself was late, well into April.

The 2004 Shiraz typifies our desire to allow the vineyard and the climatic conditions of the year to be expressed in the resultant wine. This wine is deep and rich in color, interestingly exhibiting characters of white and black peppercorn, classic characteristics of Shiraz grown in cooler climates. This is representative, along with slightly lower p/h and alcohol content, of the mild, cool finish to the season. The wine is earthy with plum undertones and has beautiful, natural acidity evident on the finish. This is a delicious food friendly wine that will age for many years. Enjoy!

FIRST NIGHT

The color was deep garnet. The nose gave up dark cherries and plums, pepper and nutmeg. It was wonderfully promising, offering a suggestion of a well-balanced wine. it kept that promise, too, opening with cherries, plums, vanilla and white pepper, then caramel and blackberry. It was fruity, but a strong backbone of smooth tannins and good acidity gave it great balance.

SECOND NIGHT

I did not put the bottle back in the cellar between night one and night two, so the second night was tasted at room temperature. The nose on night two was plums and raspberries. The palate opened with blueberry, plums and vanilla, with a midpalate of black fruit and a bit of oak. Tannins were even softer than the night before, even silky, and the backbone was still firm enough to balance the sweetness.

This wine was not cheap, at $34 a bottle, but I would put this up against any $50-$75 big name Australian shiraz, and have another bottle left to drink later. Maybe the key was a mere 25% new oak, rather than the 100% new oak of the big blowsy fruit bombs floating over from the land down under these days.

Steltzner Vineyards Claret 2005

Napa Valley
14.2 alcohol

Are you puzzled about the difference from one vintage to another? Have you read the advice 'in France buy vintage, in America buy maker'? Try the 2004 and this 2005 together and you will reach a different conclusion. You will react like the little guy in the picture, pushing the '05 away.

Blackberries and vegetation, plus a touch of vanilla, were the only aromas a faint nose would surrender. The palate was not quite as stingy, opening with chocolate-covered cherries, some strawberry, then raspberry and vanilla. This was fruit and little else, lacking balance. The tannins were gritty and the finish a bit sour. The 2005 lacked the elegance or balance of the 2004.

Maybe it will be better tomorrow night.

Another second-night turn-around, and a good one.

The nose was far more open, happily sending up waves of fresh aromas, starting with strong prune just as the Vacuu-Vin was opened, plus some pine. Soon the stronger prune gave way to blackcurrant and a background of menthol and mint. What a difference from the night before, just huge.

The palate, too, was completely different. It opened with a big mouthfull of fruit- prune, blackcurrant and blackberries, then the menthol and pine from the nose appeared. The finish was smooth, tart with black fruit. The gritty tannins from the night before had simply disappeared, leaving smooth slightly drying tannins to offer a supporting backbone.

The little guy in the picture was wrong. He should not have pushed it away. He should just have given it a year or two in the cellar.

Buttonwood Merlot 2003

Nehi Grape Soda in a new leather wine skin.

Buttonwood Farms
Santa Ynez Valley
alcohol 13.%
85% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc
from the California Wine Club

From the label:

Merlot... full bodied and supple witha spicy disposition. Take her to dinner with lamb, beef, pork or duck.

Folks, that's a bad sign. When the winemaker has to pretend the wine is a girl, and says it goes with everything, well, it's probably not a girl you want to date, and it might not go with anything.

This was purple, new wine purple. It was also shy, not giving up much but a slight chemical smell the first half hour out of the bottle. Even an hour after a glass was poured alcohol drove the nose (I wonder if the 13.7% is accurate). Finally, if you managed to dodge between the chemical and alcohol, there were some green olives and some vegetation.

The palate was better, overwhelmingly spicy with blackpepper, nutmeg and green peppers. Some cherry was there, too, but gritty dry tannins were distracting.

Will this get better overnight? Come back for the second episode and we will find out together.

Second night and I have never before been more perfectly confident in my description of a wine than I am this one, but it ain't pretty. I mentioned a chemical smell last night but I could not put my finger on what it was. Tonight it was clearer. It was the chemical/fake fruit smell, and taste, of artificially flavored grape soda. This also had strident tannins. This wine es EXACTLY what you would get if you put flat Nehi Grape Soda in a new leather wine skin. That's it, I have nothing else to add. Flat Nehi Grape Soda in new leather wine skin.