by | March 25, 2010

Starrs in Graileys – Crocker & Starr

AJ McClellan

Pam Starr came into town yesterday to taste our members and us on her wines. Everyone was blown away, especially myself. All of her wines were very well structured and completely in balance. Everything that we tried was spot on and in perfect harmony.

Pam was the winemaker for Spottswoode form 1992 to 1997, after which she started Crocker & Starr as well as coming on as consulting winemaker for Garric Cellars and Adastra. Pam was an absolute delight to be around, regaling the room with endless stories regarding everything from her winemaking experiences to stories about her dog and the wines she had tried the night before.

Above Dlynn Proctor and Pam Starr

We tasted two different labels from Pam. First were her Bridesmaid wines, a joint venture between Pam Starr and Drew Neiman. Each year, Pam and Drew contact fellow rock star winemakers in the Valley in search of small lots and unique barrels of wine.  As those in the wine business know, not all wine made goes into a final blend, and there is often excess juice — so what better to do with it than blend it up?  As master mixologists, Pam and Drew create red and white blends from some of the most revered Napa Valley vineyards, whose sources are known only to them.

2007 Bridesmaid White Wine – This blend of 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc was fresh and complex, tasting like sweet honeydew melon, ripe peaches, and apricot with a touch of cream.  There is a wonderful mineral quality, fresh milled flowers, and a lively acidity that gives the wine an effortless balance.

2005 Bridesmaid Red Wine – A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Franc, this wine’s very dark color portends the deep, rich, concentrated flavors that include black cherry, mulberry, cola, nutmeg and black licorice.

Next we tasted Pams pride and joy, Crocker & Starr. Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr established Crocker & Starr on 100 acres near St. Helena that has been uninterrupted farmland since the 1870s (the old Dowdell estate).  Charlie and Pam pride themselves on the fact that the vineyards at Crocker & Starr are organically and sustainably farmed.

2008 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc – Bright lemon / lime zest with notes of grapefruit and white peaches up front and subtle layers of tropical fruit lingering in the background. There is a fabulous minerality of cobble and limestone on this wine, giving it a life of its own and an ever so light touch of vanilla on the finish.

2006 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc – Big jammy nose of blueberry, black cherries, allspice, dark chocolate, tobacco, and freshly bloomed violets. With a texture of velvet and tannins of silk this wine is seamless with the richness of chocolate sin cake. The palate is as complex as the nose offering freshly roasted coffee and grounds and dark chocolate; the fruit is ripe and full without being overpowering. This is a great value wine.

2007 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc – Lighter than the 2006 but with great potential. This wine had a floral bouquet of purple flowers and red roses with a backing of sugared plums and roasted prunes. There was more milk chocolate than dark chocolate but the mouth feel was still velvety and easygoing. Good tannin structure with a balanced body; overall a well constructed wine.

2006 Crocker & Starr Stone Place Cabernet Sauvignon – Black cherries, dark chocolate, brown sugar, and truffles all rolled into one delicious wine and sealed with super smooth tannins and a crisp acidity. This is a great wine that is extremely well put together and has a fantastic depth and complexity. This was the first bottle to go during our tasting, and for good reason.

Most of the wines mentioned above are available for sale. If you are interested in purchasing some vino please click here.

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by | March 23, 2010

Beautiful Wine on a Beautiful Day Part I

AJ McClellan

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining, and the last breath of winter had extinguished itself in one last blizzard. We gathered around the table ready to open some great bottles in celebration of the coming spring. Once the first bottle hit the table we knew it was going to be an epic night.

1989 Meo Camuzet Vosne Romanee Aux Brulees – Cooked red raspberries with a slight a slight toast on nose. The palate was very expressive with melted red liquorish, caramel popcorn, tart bing cherry, and dried crumbled tobacco. The wine finished with black berry cobbler and mushrooms. Very complex with a long lasting finish, the perfect way to start an evening.

1970 Latour – One of our good friends, Whiskey Wade, brought this bottle for us to try out of his personal cellar. As I cut away the foil from the bottle I realized with horror that the cork had already fallen through and was bobbing on top of the wine at the top of the bottle. We had no idea how this could have happened but there was only one way to find out if the wine was still good. As I was elected the guinea pig I poured myself a small taste and cautiously nosed the wine. Black olives, peat, dirt, and barnyard exploded out of the glass making me feel like I needed a shower – the wine was perfect. Pure silk on the palate and a absolute delight to drink. I still don’t know how the cork could have fallen through but it had allowed the wine to breath and it was drinking perfectly.

The Horror!

1979 Guigal La Landonne – It has been quoted by several reliable sources that Wade has one of the best palates in town. After opening his 79 La Landonne I asked him what his thoughts were, this is what he had to say – The nose offers pretty, elegant violets with black pepper, complimenting the aromas before it hits the palate. This wine shares such a wonderful style of decadent dried cherries with sweet cassis and black licorice tar. The finish lasts for a long while bringing a smile to your face.

Whiskey Wade

1994 Guigal La Turque – After Wade impressed me with his tasting notes of the La Landonne I asked his opinion of the La Turque, this is what he had to say – While sitting at the table with amazing wines that make your heart skip a beat the 1994 La Turque was poured into my glass. The nose was filled with rich saturated oils and butter peanut fats. The wine hits the palate with great intensity full of coffee grains and rhubarb followed by a deep dark chocolate complimenting the wine and giving it a brilliant finish.

1997 Ornellaia – Reminding me of a great Cajun Gumbo with a thousand different ingredients perfectly blended to make a superb dish. Spicy plum perfectly mixed with soft dusty cherry, black currant, purple flowers, roasted duck, tobacco, tar, and leather. Excellent balance with soft tannins and a slight hint of wood spice on the finish.

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by | March 23, 2010

Beautiful Wine on a Beautiful Day Part II

AJ McClellan

1994 Beaucastel Homage a Jacques Perrin – This was my first time trying the 100% Grenache by Beaucastel, and it was truly a unique wine. You might think I’m crazy but the first thing I got when I stuck my nose in the glass was a mouthful of honey roasted cheerios followed by roasted fig, sweet honey, wheat, dried violets, gravel, and roasted blueberries. The palate was soft but full of flavor with a great finish of dusty soil. This was a truly unique wine the likes of which I have never experienced before.

1977 Penfolds Grange – After the Old World extravaganza it was time to try a legend from the New World, and how did the Grange hold up against the competition you might ask? After letting it sit in my glass for quite some time this bad boy to open up to a brilliant presentation of fruit and floral decadence. Baked cherry spice pie with cinnamon, dill, coconut, and big vanilla up front. As always the Grange gave off a subtle floral display of mint and eucalyptus with peppermint, pine needles, big plum, fig, cedar, and dry dusty rock face. Big in the mouth but with an acidity that was surprising for a wine from down under.

1990 Meo Camuzet Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru –The nose is full of nutmeg, spice, vanilla, ginger, with a hint of dill. On the first sip the palate explodes with big red chewing gum big cinnamon and nutmeg coating the entirety of my mouth. After chewing through the spice you make it to an elegant cranberry and red liquorish with a slight hint of what seems to be crushed autumn leaves combined with the scent of soft mud and muscular fruit blend perfectly and melt in the mouth. With a finish that lasts for ages this is a brilliant wine!

1959 Latour – The 1990 Meo Camuzet was brilliant and from there I could not think of a better place to go. That is until one of our members decided he wanted old Bordeaux. I opened the 59 ever so carefully holding my breath hoping that this bottle would have survived its 50 year trek to our table intact. I popped the cork and poured a taste, stewed cranberries, burnt toffee, roasted coffee, cigar box, dry black currant, dry plum, roasted meats, and a stony minerality all on the sniff. I had to take a moment to dissect what I had just experienced and another moment to put it into words. After tasting this wine I was in heaven with a finish lasting as long as I could wait to take another sip of wine and a complexity that could take Socrates a lifetime to unwind.

1989 Rieussec – We celebrated the 59 Latour with a delicious bottle of Sauternes. Apricot, honey blossoms, light caramel, orange rind, honeysuckle, candied pear, lemon rind, and orange sorbet. Need I say more? This was the perfect end to a great night!

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by | March 16, 2010

Golden Bollocks Night Out Part I

AJ McClellan

When Dave is in town it is always a mixed blessing. On the one hand we never get any work done, but on the other hand we always have a lot of fun! This trip was like any other – no work, all play, and we managed to get especially rowdy this time around.

1982 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – Dave was on a kick today and he decided it would be fun to blind us on the wines that we tried. The Mondavi was first up, with a nose that immediately reminded all of us of Bordeaux. Dave thought he had pulled a fast one. However, once you get to the palate of this wine there is no mistaking it for New World. With candied cranberries, mint, and eucalyptus up front and roasted vanilla bean on the back, the wine finished with iron and steel and screamed of old Cali Cab. I called it 85 but alas I was 3 years off.

1997 San Leonardo – Disappointed with how easily we had called his first wine, Dave poured the second with a slight smirk, knowing that we would never be able to guess this 95 point Italian wine from Trentino. Unbeknownst to Dave, we had tried this wine two weeks earlier and as soon as we picked it up we knew exactly what it was. Big bell pepper and jalapeño up front, with a back of freshly cut grass. If there was fruit in the wine I could not find it under all the greenness. We promptly dumped it out after telling Dave exactly what it was. How this got 95 points from Wine Spectator I will never know.

1997 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny – After receiving a slight razzing over his previous selections, Dave decided to bring out the big guns. After blinding this wine we all were thrown for a loop. With a lightness in the glass but devoid of complexity (and given the quality of Dave’s previous two wines) we all thought this was a medium quality Grenache based wine from the Cote du Rhone. With cranberry, blackberry, a slight mushroomy component, dark chocolate, and hints of game we all thought we were spot on. After revealing the bottle, however, we all were stunned. In hindsight I can see how it could be Burgundy but the quality Vogue is known for simply was not there, possibly due to the poor year of 1997 or possibly just a bad bottle. That’s the problem with Burgundy; it’s always a shot in the dark if you will get a mind blowing bottle or a very disappointing one.

After three strikes Dave earned the title of Golden Bollocks and we decided to go out to eat.

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by | March 16, 2010

Golden Bollocks Night Out Part II

AJ McClellan

Dave was ready to redeem himself and pulled two more bottles for us to blind while at dinner. We decided not to let Dave have all the fun and pulled a bottle for him to blind, too.


2006 Perrot Minot Gevrey Chamberton – We let Dave blind this one first. He got very close, calling it a new Pinot Noir, although I think the bright raspberries, cherries, and ripe plum with burnt popcorn and a slight smoke on the back made it all too easy for Dave to guess what it was. The wine was very complex with lively acidity and a long finish; this bottle is an absolute delight to drink.
1983 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage – Now it was time to get down and dirty and try to figure out what Dave had poured us. Right after this wine hit the glass it gave off some roasted notes, resembling a wine that had seen some heat. We all looked at Dave, ready to give him a hard time for yet another cruddy bottle, but then the roasted notes blew off and revealed an excellent little wine. Light red berries on the nose with forest floor and compost jumping out of the glass paired with light game notes and big smoke. We had this with a smoked quail and antelope chili served over corn bread; it was a match made in heaven. The big smoke and gamey notes gave this wine away almost instantly. I called it 83 La Chapelle Hermitage.
1970 Chateau Bouscaut – This was the most difficult wine of the evening for me to blind. There was plenty of compost and funk to indicate Bordeaux, but there was also a good amount of fruit and the telltale iron minerality that always says old Cali Cab. After contemplating what wine I was drinking with a seared tenderloin and hedgehog mushrooms, D and I finally decided to call it Cali Cab. Simon went the other way and called it Right Bank Bordeaux. As Dave revealed the bottle, happy that he finally got us to miss one of the wines, D explained that the iron minerality came from the gravely soil in Graves.

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by | March 16, 2010

Pahlmeyer Tasting

AJ McClellan

Dave Landis, the regional sales manager for Pahlmeyer, came in today to taste us on his lineup of Pahlmeyer, which has always held a special place in my heart. Pahlmeyer started its rise to fame under the control of legendary wine maker Randy Dunn, receiving a surprising 94 points from Robert Parker for its first vintage in 1986. After Randy left, another legend stepped up to take his place – Helen Turley. Under Helen’s guidance the vineyard become even more prestigious due to her rigorous standards for vineyard control and grape quality. Now Pahlmeyer is being directed by Erin Green, who has been Helen’s protégé since 1985, before she came to Pahlmeyer, and has continued her legacy of producing fantastic wines for us all to enjoy.

2007 Pahlmeyer Napa Chardonnay – Big green pear up front with a soft, rich butter in the background. Crisp green apple, orange peel, and citrus on the palate with a touch of popcorn on the back reminding me of a great Meursault. A surprisingly nice minerality on the finish and while the wine has gone through a significant amount of malolactic fermentation it has managed to keep a crisp acidity that keeps the wine in balance.

2006 Pahlmeyer Jayson Pinot Noir – Red raspberry cobbler and ripe red cherries up front, with a slight spice lingering on the back of the nose. Explosive on the palate with bramble, big spicy cherry, lavender, cinnamon, and sandal wood, and extremely expressive with a very aggressive mid-palate. Finish of cherry pith, plum extract, and a slight stemminess that adds a pleasant complexity.

2006 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red – Black raspberries and blackcurrant, with a dark brooding spice of clove, anise, and cinnamon intermingled with a slight back of cranberries. Tobacco, leather, clove, nutmeg, cigar box, and roasted blueberries on the palate, with a dose of barnyard giving the wine a earthy Old World feel.

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by | March 11, 2010

If I Had A Nickel For Every Time Someone Told Me They Liked Nickel & Nickel…

AJ McClellan

2007 Nickel & Nickel Searby – Honeysuckle blossoms and honeyed pears with white flowers and a slight lemon zest. Classic Russian River chardonnay with lively acidity and a long lasting finish.

2007 Nickel & Nickel Far Niente – Crisp and clean with Asian pear and green apple up front. Slight stemmy quality and slate like minerality adding complexity to the wine.

2006 Nickel & Nickel Branding Iron – Deep purple in the glass with purple flowers and granite. The palate gives me the impression of a grassy knoll with juicy black cherry, plums, and boysenberry finishing with a crushed rock minerality.

2006 Nickel & Nickel Sullenger – Roasted strawberries with jammy blue fruits and cooked plums up front. Bigger tannin structure  than the Branding Iron but still very smooth on the palate. Slight stemmy quality coming from the whole berry fermentation.

2006 Nickel & Nickel Vogt – Biggest of the lineup with tar, leather, black berries, and a slight barnyard note on the very back. Very complex on the palate with layers of black liquorish, damp dirt, and black fruits.

2007 Nickel & Nickel Far Niente – Violet purple in the glass with sweet red cherries, raspberries, plums, and red roses on the nose. Surprisingly supple mouth feel with velvety tannins blanketing my palate with a plethora of fruit and rocking them to sleep with a rocky minerality backed by chocolate, red currant, and liquorish.

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by | March 10, 2010

San Felice on a Perfect Day

AJ McClellan

A slight rain started our day, but after the sun came out we opened the doors to discover a beautiful day sitting at a perfect 75 degrees. In walked the importers of San Felice to taste us on their library release of 1997 wines. How could the day get any better?

1997 San Felice Vigorello – Big funk on the nose with barnyard and forest floor. The palate was massive with huge dusty cherry, crumbled chocolate, and prune. Loads of earth with black liquorish and crushed stone on the finish. Black currant and spice with wet earth and layers of earthy minerality.

1997 San Felice Poggio Rosso – Ripe blueberries and ripe plums up front with an underlying forest floor and spice. Lavender and red roses add floral complexity and a great earthy minerality finishes the wine out. Chewy tannins and a long finish tell a tale of quality.

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by | March 9, 2010

2006 Domaine Vrignaud 1er Fourchaume

AJ McClellan

Simon and I tried this wine today, and after we took the first sip all we could do was smile. Chablis is a hard to get right but when you find that bottle it will leave a lifelong impression on you, this is one such wine.

2006 Domaine Vrignaud 1er Fourchaume – Green apple, green pear, and citrus on the nose with the unmistakable smell of seashells and gun flint. The palate is Clean and crisp with a tropical fruit medley and limestone minerality. Perfect for the upcoming summer months with its razor like acidity and long smooth finish.

Fourchaume is the most well  renowned Primer Cru of Chablis lying just north of the majority of the Grand Cru Vineyards along the same hillside, Fourchaume receives the same treatment as the Grand Cru Vineyards and for good reason. The Vrignaud family started growing their wine in 1955 in their Fourchaume Vineyards, from there they spread out and purchased a plot of land in the Grand Cru AOC of Blanchot. As a small family the Vrignaud’s grow all their own grapes and make the wine themselves, you can tell in the end product that someone took care of this wine from start to finish.

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by | March 8, 2010

Nothing to brighten a rainy day like a 1979 Chateau Margaux

AJ McClellan

One of our members stopped by looking for something delicious to pass the time with. After rooting around in the cellar he decided that nothing brightens a rainy day like a 1979 Chateau Margaux.

1979 Chateau Margaux - Fall and Autumn on the nose with barnyard and fresh forest floor after a rain. Loads of spice with cherry cobbler red delicious Washington apple on the palate and a little bit of walnut and spicy vanilla bean. Coffee grounds and espresso with dry fall leaves on the finish. Great balance and a long lasting finish.

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