AJ McClellan
We love it when winemakers come into Graileys to regale us with their stories and impress us with their wines; however Robert Kamen is unique even in a world full of the most eccentric people I have ever met. As the screenwriter for box office hits such as Karate Kid 1-3, Gladiator, The Fifth Element, The Transporter 1-3, Taken, and several others Robert is a fantastic story teller, entertaining the whole room for a good hour telling us about his life and how he came to make wine – everything from building an illegal road with a bulldozer to his vineyard catching on fire because of neglected trees and a power line. Robert has lead a very interesting life and if you ever have the opportunity I highly recommend stopping by and having a chat with him, it is an experience you will not soon forget.
The members warmed up the room before Robert’s arrival with a few bottles out of their lockers.
2006 Abiouness Sangiovese – it is so hard to make great Sangiovese in the new world, but Abiouness pulls it off miraculously. Dusty cherries topped off with crème fraiche and sprinkled with shaved milk chocolate and dried popery.
1994 Opus One – This epic wine was slightly past its optimal drinking point in my opinion. The fruit had faded a little too much and the oak was the only thing left to hold the wine together. That being said there was still the classic cassis, dark cherry, smoke, and cedar that I always associate with Opus One. The wine was still drinking quite well; I just think it would have been better a couple of years earlier.
2006 Favia Cerro Sur – Black tea and black berries immediately waft out of the glass. Upon closer inspection you can gather nuances of cedar, toast, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, clove, and vanilla. The mouth feel of this wine always impresses me, like drinking velvet. The wine coats you mouth and fills every nook and cranny with powerful fruit and spice, even after you swallow you feel like you have a mouthful of wine. This wine is as powerful as a bull yet as graceful as a ballerina… huh, now I have this strange image of a bull in a tutu, weird…..
After Robert’s arrival the room hushed and he proceeded to tell us about his life, his film writing career, and his adventures as a winemaker.
2006 Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon – Have you ever seen the old Batman TV show? 
In big bold letters was all I could see for a brief moment after sipping this wine, then small cherries and plums danced around my head like stars. After my taste buds became acclimated to the ginormous fruit I started to pick out the more subtle flavors of chocolate, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cigar box. This was an extremely fun wine that was a pleasure to drink.
2006 Kamen Syrah – Slightly more refined than the Cabernet but still packing a punch. Dark fruits and bitter chocolate with slight bacon fat and purple flowers on the nose. The palate was massive with huge tobacco, tar, leather, and juicy dark fruit.
We try not to let winemakers leave without a taste of the old and rare from our cellar. On this occasion Simon pulled a couple of bottles of Rhone from the back – just to make Dave jealous.
1980 Jaboulet La Chapelle – We opened two bottles of the 1980 La Chapelle, both were great but the second was even better than the first. Big forest floor with classic tar, saddle leather, smoked game, cedar, spiced plum, and bacon fat. I am sure that after an hour in the decanter this wine would have exploded but we manage to consume both bottles almost as quickly as I could pour the wine.
1995 Reserve des Celestins – This is an extremely rare Chateauneuf du Pape that was a real treat. Old leather shoes and ripe candied plums on the nose mixing for an interesting aroma. The palate was very dry with bramble, smoke, leather, tar, game, and crushed rose petals.
1975 Notarpanaro Rosso Del Salento – We tasted this bottle a couple of days ago and it blew our minds. So the expectations were high for this one. While not as crazy as the last bottle we tried, this little Italian that could was not too shabby. Dried leaves, roasted plums, and burnt tobacco on the nose with a hint of vanilla and rubber on the back. The palate was singing with a crisp acidity, mushrooms, blueberries, lavender, and exotic spices. This is a truly unique wine with a story to tell in the glass.