AJ McClellan
Yesterday was a great day, but it’s a new day and new adventures await!
We had Aaron Alger from Roth come in to taste us on his wines.
2006 Roth Cabernet Sauvignon – Very ripe cherry with a dry dirt component lingering in the back of the mouth, adding a subtle earthiness that is hard to find in new world wines. The palate spoke of tobacco, cherry pith, and vanilla with a slight tartness on the finish, indicating that this is most definitely a food wine, although I did enjoy it on its own.
2007 Roth Cabernet Sauvignon – The 2007 had more of a candied feel to the wine with a cherry cough syrup and candied maraschino cherry on the palate. The wine finished with burnt plum and a slight greenness. There was considerable wood spice, which was slightly awkward because it wasn’t able to integrate into the wine but stood out like a sore thumb. It is possible that this wine will mellow out and find its rhythm after a few years in the bottle…
2005 Lancaster Cabernet Sauvignon – Dark stone cherry with stewed plums and a light dusting of cinnamon on the nose. The palate was brighter with sour red cherry and red liquorish, and a finish of mint leaves and bell pepper. The wine was impressive with good depth and pleasant complexity.
After we tasted through the lineup Graileys members decided to treat Aaron to some wines from their personal cellar.
1988 Jaboulet Croze Hermitage Thalabert – Strong out the gate, the Jaboulet was drinking nicely; the nose was one of moldy log and funky toe with a hint of cherry that had sat out in the sun for about two days too long. The palate was one of pulled pork and cooked raspberries with roasted cranberries to complement the dish.
1990 Ridge Geyserville – Anyone who tells you that Zinfandel does not make good wine should try this bad boy. Big cinnamon and acerola cherry with a slight wood spice backing on the nose. The palate showed a cherry cider aspect that was surprising and blackberry jam finished with black pepper.
1997 Guigal La Turque – Yes I know we have been on a Guigal kick, but when the wine is this good it’s hard to keep your hands off it. Strong out of the gate as usual with black tar and dry red earth on the nose. An underlining clay, pepper, and smoke component bombarded the senses after taking the first sip. After an hour in the glass the edges started to smooth and the wine revealed peppercorns, smoked meats, cucumber, and a light toast. As always we finished the bottle far too quickly for my liking.