Eve's Wine 101

Michael Perlis: Clavo Cellars (Part 2) with Friends

by

 

It was Saturday afternoon, and we were wrapping up our visit to Paso Robles. The previous day, we had spent much of the afternoon with Neil Roberts of Clavo Cellars,

tasting through the wines he had in barrel. It was now time for our last stop of the weekend, visiting the Clavo tasting room in Templeton, which is just south of Paso Robles, to taste through the current releases that Neil was offering.

When we got there, Neil was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, he was in the back, and came out to greet us and, with the help of his assistant, tasted us through his current lineup.

Also fortunately, I saved this sheet from the tasting room. These were the wines listed on it:
2009 Viognier
2009 Albarino
2009 Grenache Blanc
2009 Vermentino
2007 Propietary Blend [a Bordeaux-style blend]
2006 Syrah
2006 Zinfandel
2008 Petite Sirah
2007 Dessert Wine [Zinfandel]

Neil also brought out some 2007 vintages of the Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.

They do a very cool thing in the Clavo tasting room. I love drinking wine all by itself as well as with meals. It is good to be reminded how wine complements food when the proper pairings are taken into account. For example, the Viognier was paired with wasabi beans, the Albarino with yogurt-covered raisins, and the Vermentino with lemon shortbread.

As I’ve mentioned, I am really impressed with Neil’s white wines, some of the best in Paso, I think. The Viognier is especially good; I enjoy Viognier, but it seems that a lot of them out there have a touch of residual sugar. Not this one! I also highly recommend the Vermentino. Of the reds, the Petite is always a favorite of mine. I also thought the 2007 Zinfandel was outstanding.

I want to thank Neil for being such a gracious host and being so generous with both his time and his wine. I’m pretty sure all of us signed up for his wine club. This was a great way to finish up our trip to Paso.

I’d also like to thank our friends for allowing me to drag them around to all these appointments: Donna and Roger Green, Gloria and Larry Stahly, Carey Babcock and Mike Ortiz. And of course, thank you to my wonderful wife Karen for putting up with all of this.

Finally, you probably noticed a lack of photographs in this series. Our good friend Robert “Shipwreck Bob” Schwemmer was unable to accompany us this time around. He is a photographer extraordinaire as well as a true gentleman. Rather than trying to fill in for his absence, I just decided to pass on including pics this time.  We missed you Bobby!

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  “It is common practice for wine industry workers, wine writers and winery club members [and members of their party] to receive complimentary tastings and discounted purchases. Unless it is otherwise noted, it should be presumed that this is the case.”

 

Wine Ratings: Wines from my recent wine appreciation class led by The Cellar’s DiMaggio Washington

by

Part 1: Old world

09 Domaine de la Quilla, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie – Loire Valley, France

Color – clear, pale yellow.

Aroma – grapefruit, lemon, hints of honeydew.

Taste – high acid, lemon, stainless steel, green apples, nice viscosity.

Finish – mid length.

Conclusion – DiMaggio suggested a pairing of cold seafood salad.  86 Eve pts.

 

08 Domaine Fouassier L’Etourneau, Rosé – Sancerre, Loire Valley, France

Color – clear, pretty peach.

Aroma – strawberry, floral notes, possibly something vegetal like green bell pepper.

Taste – low to medium acidity, floral notes common with French rosé, palest hint of lemon, nice viscosity, slightly tart, dry.

Finish – mid to long.

Conclusion – You guys know I prefer French rosé to American…

 

09 Domaine Laroque (100% Cab Franc) – Bordeaux, France

Color – ruby with a dark edge.

Aroma – mushroom, cherry jam, black pepper.

Taste – dry, medium tannins, nicely developed, balanced fruit.

Conclusion – DiMaggio suggested a grilled steak…

 

08 Poderi Foglia Conca Bianco, Falanghina – Campania, Italy

Color – clear, palest yellow.

Aroma – crisp, pineapple.

Taste – sweet, pale honey, grassy, mild acid, similar to a Sauvignon Blanc.

Finish – short to medium length.

Conclusion – DiMaggio suggested a seafood pairing.  I liked trying a new varietal!

 

07 Tenuta Bichi Borghesi, Chianti Colli Senesi – Chianti, Italy

Color – dark ruby.

Aroma – mushroomy, vegetal, black pepper, with a hint of mint.

Taste – high acid (to go with tomato-based food per DiMaggio), dry, balanced, tannic, dark red cherries.

 

09 Domaine Andre Brunel, Grenache – Vin de Pays du Vaucluse, France

Color – Ruby.

Aroma – ripe/bright cherries, pine, some vegetal notes.

Taste – similar to Beaujolais Nouveau, nice bowl of cherries, with some dryness.

Finish – medium.

 

09 Vina Del Val, Tempranillo – Ribera del Duero, Spain

Color – dark garnet

Aroma – coffee grounds, somewhat vegetal.

Taste – dry, tannic, rich berries, chewy.

Finish – medium length.

 

09 Hugl Weine, Gruner Veltliner – Weinveirtel, Austria

Color – clear, pale hay.

Aroma – green apple, DiMaggio detected white peach.

Taste – acidity throughout, lemon.

Finish – short.

Conclusion – DiMaggio said to ask for his salad from the chef at The Cellar: Mango, kiwi, shrimp, avocado…and I…didn’t want to toss this one out!

 

Part 2: New world

08 Shotfire, Shiraz – Barossa Valley, Australia

Color – dark burgundy, opaque.

Aroma – dark cherry, blueberry, wet wood, pale toast.

Taste – nice tannins, black fruit, dry, smooth, black pepper, blueberry, blackberry.

Finish – medium.

Conclusion – good to drink now, wanted a charcuterie plate, 92 Eve pts.

 

2010 Huia, Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough region, New Zealand

Color – clear, very light, almost like water.

Aroma – pear, lemon, flinty and, what DiMaggio described as an accepted descriptor of “cat piss”.  (Detecting cat piss isn’t bad by the way, but this sure turned off the class!)

Taste – high acid, strong lemon, unripe apples.

Finish – short.

Conclusion – I needed food to counterbalance the brightness of the wine, but it was pretty darn good alone.

 

08 Santa Carolina Reserva di Familia, Carmenere – Rapel Valley, Chile

Color – dark garnet, opaque.

Aroma – light cherry, dusty, black peppercorns, mushrooms.

Taste – dry, very tannic – which overpowered the fruit that was showing.

Finish – medium finish.

Conclusion – I didn’t love this one, bet it would be better with steak.

 

08 Fleur du Cap, Chenin Blanc – Stellenbosch, S. Africa

Color – clear, pale gold.

Aroma – little bit of butter, flinty, unripe white peaches, stemmy?

Taste – high minerality and acid, nice apple and peach fruit.

Finish – short but nice.

Conclusion – General class consensus, including me, liked.

 

09 Hedges, CMS (cab, merlot, syrah blend) – Columbia Valley, Washington

Color – Clear deep ruby/garnet

Aroma – dirt, berries, stemmy, something vegetal.

Taste – light body, lighter fruits, some cherry, strawberry, nice mouthfeel.

Finish – short.

Conclusion – Good now, drink now, nice with a summer picnic, bought some. 92 Eve pts.

 

07 Patricia Green Cellars, Estate Pinot Noir – Yamhill County, Oregon

Color – clear, pale garnet.

Aroma – bright cherry, stemmy, mint, maybe some bell pepper.

Taste – acidic, tannic, dry, pale fruit.

Finish – short.

Conclusion – Not for me.

 

07 Rombauer Merlot, Carneros, Napa Valley, California

Color – clear, ruby.

Aroma – vegetal, wet wood, nice red berry fruits.

Taste – dry, red berry repeated.

Finish – short.

Conclusion – too light, but it was almost the end of the day, might have had a little palate fatigue.

 

06 Bear Cave Cellars, Syrah – Paso Robles, California

Color – dark plum, opaque.

Aroma – black pepper, pungent fruit, vegetal/mushroomy.

Taste – dry and tannic.

Finish – medium.

Conclusion – Last wine of the day and all I could think was, “Need food!”

This post ran rather long for me, so go to my facebook for the photos if you want more: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1455706632#!/media/set/?set=a.1930420107618.113910.1455706632  And if you want to take a class with DiMaggio call 661- 799-7979.

Diane Ghilardi: Edna Valley Bike/Wine Tour

by

Our group of 10 friends all raved about our Edna Valley half day bike tour through Edna Valley. With perfect weather to accompany us, Central Coast Outdoors provided the perfect day of great hybrid bikes, helmets, safety, winery recommendations and delicious gourmet lunch.

With a 9am pick up at our hotel in San Luis Obispo, John and Mandy brought us out to Baileyana/Tangent to start our 10 mile loop. We could have ridden longer and set our route, but being the first time, and not being avid cyclists, we thought it best to be conservative. However, at the end, we would have loved to go on and on.

April in wine country revealed lots of green rolling hills, budding grapevines and gorgeous wildflowers. It was peaceful and easy to feel like you were not in California anymore. Our first stop was Chamisal, with wonderful pinot noirs (and heavy pours!) We were sure enjoying the pinots, and it helped loosen us up for the next leg of our ride. After some nice, gradual (easy) hills we rode over to Kynsi, where we enjoyed the perfect weather, sipped a great variety of wines and relaxed at the picnic table. Kynsi is most notably known for their pinot noirs and syrahs, but we liked a cuvee they currently have called “Hutash.” Third stop was Saucelito Canyon, where we really liked the tempranillo and several zins. Lastly, back over to Baileyana for lunch and our last wines to taste.

The lunch that Central Coast Outdoors provided was excellent, with smoked salmon and turkey, homemade tabouleh, an exceptionally good pear,walnut and gorganzola salad.
buy amoxicillin UK https://www.calmandgentledentalcare.co.uk/wp-content/languages/new/uk/amoxicillin.html no prescription

For dessert – Brown Butter Cookies! Simply delicious!

All of us agreed that the value for this trip ($79) was really great. John and Mandy were attentive and thorough in providing every last detail, including leg straps for long pants, map cases on the handlebars, gel seat covers if you wanted them, and tips to make it a perfect day. They really get it. Call John over at Central Coast Outdoors. Tell him Diane Ghilardi sent you. He’s already helping us plan our next one!  www.centralcoastoutdoors.com.

Michael Perlis Re-discovers: Castoro Cellars

by

It was Saturday morning. The Turley party was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM, but once again it was 10:00 and I was thirsty.

Fortunately, Castoro Cellars opens at 10:00 and it was right down the road.

As I mentioned in the article that began this series, Castoro was the first winery we ever visited in Paso Robles. We just happened to pass the sign at the right time coming down the 101 from Monterey.

Castoro is what you expect in a tasting room.  Large wine bar, friendly staff, lots of wine being poured, and a bunch of stuff in the gift shop.

But Castoro is more than what meets the eye.

While the tasting room is on Highway 46 West right off the 101, the actual winery that Niels Udsen and his wife Bimmer founded is in San Miguel. Niels, for reasons I have yet to determine, was long ago nicknamed “Beaver”, which is the source of the name of the winery [translated into Italian] as well as their slogan “dam fine wine”. In addition to the wine made for Castoro, the Udsens also operate a custom crush facility and a mobile bottling line, which enables smaller wineries to take advantage of these services.

At the tasting room, Castoro offers a wide range of wines, including:
Chardonnay
Fume [Sauvignon] Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir
Barbera
Cabernet Sauvignon
Zinfandel

They also make a tasty Bordeaux blend, and annually they produce an anniversary blend that includes several of the grapes they work with. Our first visit to Castoro way back when, we purchased the 10th anniversary blend, and this time they were pouring Venti Cinque Anni 2006, their 25th anniversary blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

This visit, we were especially fond of their 2008 Primitivo, which they refer to as a Zinfandel made in an Italian style.

You don’t often hear a lot about Castoro Cellars when people give you their recommendations of wineries to visit in Paso Robles. I think you should stop by.

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  “It is common practice for wine industry workers, wine writers and winery club members [and members of their party] to receive complimentary tastings and discounted purchases. Unless it is otherwise noted, it should be presumed that this is the case.”

Michael Perlis Discovers: Zeppelin Winery

by

Zeppelin Winery ( http://www.zeppelinwinery.com) owns no vineyards. In fact, it doesn’t have a physical winery and definitely not a tasting room.

Yet, winemaker Stillman Brown manages to make some delicious wines, when he is not consulting for other wineries or posting on Facebook.

So, that is why our small caravan drove up Vineyard Drive and deep into Peachy Canyon to meet with Stillman [also known as Swilly Idle] at a vineyard / winery he is working with the Gill family to develop.

I think my companions thought I had finally lost it, as we kept driving and driving, looking for the landmarks that Stillman had provided so we would know we had not lost our way. But, despite the fears of my fellow travelers, Stillman’s directions were perfect, and as we made a final turn we saw him and his car parked right where he said he would be.

Stillman greeted us warmly and showed us around the vineyard property he was in the process of developing for one of his clients.

Then we went back to his car and he opened the trunk. Feeling like we were involved in some illicit activity, I helped him to pass around the glasses [only one had a stray lipstick mark] and he opened the bottles he had brought with him. Two of the wines were from his winery – his Cabernet Sauvignon and his Syrah. I was especially partial to his Syrah. In addition, he gave us a taste of the wine he was working on for the owners of the property we were visiting – a hugely powerful Syrah, 17.5% alcohol, yet with no heat and incredible fruit and balance.

[I also recently had a bottle of the 2009 Black Zeppelin, which is a Petite Sirah – a monster of a wine that needs more age but opened up nicely with about half an hour in the decanter.]

Stillman also shared with us his background, some of which I already knew. I recalled that he was winemaker co-founder of the old Jory Winery back in the 1980s – I have fond memories of a bottle of their Black Hand. Stillman actually produced his first Red Zeppelin while at Jory, as a tongue-in-cheek parody of Randall Grahm’s Bonny Doon Cigare Volant. When his partner in Jory retired, Stillman continued Zeppelin as his own label.

Perhaps best described as “interesting”, Stillman’s Facebook page says a lot about him, most of which I’ll leave to anyone willing to brave being his Facebook Friend to uncover. According to his page, Stillman attended UC Berkeley as a poli sci major and he’s been a self-unemployed winemaker since 1984.

While posting on Facebook seems to be Swilly’s primary occupation these days, somehow he manages to occasionally be a consulting winemaker for several wineries, play in his band Elvis Died For Your Sins, throw epic parties [such as the upcoming-as-I-write-this Wet Zeppelin III, which is scheduled for May 4th through 8th in San Luis Obispo County]. He also manages to fit in time to make his own great Zeppelin Wines. I am looking forward to future releases, but am really looking forward to more of that 17.5% Syrah!

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  “It is common practice for wine industry workers, wine writers and winery club members [and members of their party] to receive complimentary tastings and discounted purchases. Unless it is otherwise noted, it should be presumed that this is the case.”

Michael Perlis discovers: Cypher Winery

by

It’s getting a little confusing in Paso Robles. When I tell people we are going to Cypher Winery, I get blank stares until I tell them it used to be Four Vines. Then everyone nods.

Four Vines always kind of seemed to me like two wineries anyway. First, there were the Four Vines wines, very good well priced Zinfandels, Syrahs and of course the Naked Chardonnay. But, much as I enjoyed these wines, they weren’t the reason I was in the wine club [known as the Four Vines Incident]. I was in it for the so-called Freakshow wines, awesome hedonistic Rhone-inspired blends, as well as Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Tempranillo, with names like Anarchy, Loco, Peasant, Phoenix, Monarchy, Cypher and ZinBitch.

So, I wasn’t too surprised that the Four Vines label was sold and the Freakshow wines [and Paso Robles tasting room] would go on under the name Cypher Winery. I was also excited to hear that they were going to be replacing the Four Vines wines with additional premium bottlings of Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and other varietals as well.

Upon entering the Cypher tasting room, the first thing I notice are the amazing red glass chandeliers. Then, I asked to see Nicole, as we had scheduled the barrel tasting experience for our group of friends. Nicole allowed us to whet our palates with a taste of the Naked Chardonnay, then herded us through a side door into a darkened room with another red chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As our eyes adjusted to the reduced lighting, we saw that there were three piles of barrels in the room, and our experience began.

Each pile of barrels represented a different varietal – Zinfandel [from the Dusi vineyard], Syrah and Mourvedre. The barrels themselves were examples of barrels sourced from different parts of the world – France, Hungary and America.

We got to sample wines from all the barrels, getting to compare how the different barrels impact the wine. Then, we got to try our hand at blending the three varietals together, getting to make the decisions of which barrels to use for each varietal. This definitely created a lot of conversation and sharing within the group. And in case you think this is an odd combination, this is what Cypher’s Anarchy consists of, which is often my favorite wine of the lineup, depending on what day of the week it is.

We finally finished the barrel tasting experience and strolled back to the bar in the tasting room to taste some of the latest releases:
Anarchy [as mentioned above, a blend of Zinfandel, Mourvedre, and Syrah].
Heretic [Petite Sirah].
Peasant [Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Counoise, and Tannat].
Loco [Tempranillo].
Monarchy [Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Tempranillo].
Phoenix [Syrah].

I enjoyed all the wines, but that day I was especially fond of the Phoenix, so I purchased a 3-pack of it.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds for Cypher.

http://cypherwinery.com/

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  “It is common practice for wine industry workers, wine writers and winery club members [and members of their party] to receive complimentary tastings and discounted purchases. Unless it is otherwise noted, it should be presumed that this is the case.”

Michael Perlis Reports: What’s in a name?

by

Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines
www.edwardsellers.com

As I mentioned in my previous article, for some time I’ve been a fan of the Rhone varietals coming out of Paso Robles, along with the Zinfandels. These days, the big focus is the Rhone varietals, which may prove to be what Paso becomes primarily known for, although I will always have a soft spot for their Zins.

Red Rhone varietals are typically –
Syrah
Grenache
Mourvèdre
Counoise
Cinsault

White Rhones are often –
Viognier
Roussanne
Marsanne
Grenache Blanc

There are others as well. Blends are also common.

They are called Rhone varietals because the grapes were originally grown in the Rhone Valley of France.

We made an unscheduled stop at Edward Sellers on Friday morning. We had an 11:00 AM appointment at Cypher Winery, but it was 10:15 and I was ready to start tasting. I recalled passing the new Edward Sellers tasting room the previous day and noting their 10:00 AM opening time, so we piled into the car and headed over.

I always thought Ed Sellers has a great name for being in the wine business. However, I always thought he should call the winery Edward Sellers Cellars. But, I digress.

Edward Sellers Vineyards and Wines used to have a tasting room in downtown Paso Robles.  In September 2010 they closed the downtown tasting room and opened their new tasting room on Highway 46 West. This is where we started our day of tasting at 10:30 in the morning.

I’ve met Ed at various tastings, but this was my first visit to the new tasting room. Unfortunately, Ed wasn’t there that morning [the risk of unscheduled visits] but we did get to meet two lovely ladies – Ed’s wife Dani and tasting room staff member Sarah.

Admittedly, I didn’t allow nearly enough time to taste through their delicious wines, so I kind of rushed things. But I’ve always been especially a fan of Ed’s Syrah-based wines, and this time my favorite was the 2007 Syrah Sélectionnée.

Also, in talking with Sarah about out plans for the day, I found it interesting that one of our appointments later in the day was with the gentlemen who manages their vineyard, Neil Roberts, but that’s a whole other story.

We were running late, and the friends we were meeting at Cypher were texting us, so it was time to go. Next time, I would like to spend more time at Edward Sellers Cellars, um I mean Edward Sellars Vineyards and Wines.

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.

Underground Eberle Tour

by

What a treat to tour caves at least at one winery in Paso Robles last week.  Got us out of the rain, AND SNOW, and allowed us to imagine that we were dining at an exclusive candlelit wine dinner or an intimate wedding.  Rows seemed endless, barrels calling out to us with their vintage years and types of oak, the perfect place to start a day of wine tasting.  And our host?  The winemaker at Eberle Winery: Ben Mayo.
11893877_10153681006533706_6708674012645560285_o
“Here at Eberle we are ‘own-rooted’ as opposed to using root stalk.  We also focus more on quality and less on production.  I look over 19 vineyards – in all directions – amounting to 3 tons per acre,” Ben began. “Then we sample the grapes that we produce ourselves –  not grape selections from farmers, but our own.  It’s very hands-on for the three of us: me, my assistant and our cellar rat.”
As Ben spoke he led us down below the tasting room, first to the winemaking area where some equipment – that is used outside – had to be covered up to protect it from the weather.  Inside we saw the usual suspects: Gleaming stainless steel tanks.
But then he led us a little deeper.  Into the caves they had built to house the bazillions of wine aging in oak barrels.  I wished and wished that he had a wine thief handy for an impromptu barrel tasting, but alas, it was my first winery of the day, and I was too shy to ask!
No matter, after we found our way out of the caves, Ben led us back to the tasting room.  We had about  a dozen, and these are the ones I could recall:
2009 Viognier Mill Road Vineyard
The colors and aromatics from the 2009 vintage are exceptional. A cold, dry winter led to a normal bud-break in March, with bloom and fruit set following shortly
thereafter. During the summer, tight clusters formed with small and even berry sizing. Canopy development was ample, protecting the clusters from sunburn
throughout the summer season. A heat spike in early September brought fruit into the perfect physiological ripeness, readying the clusters for harvest.  The 2009 vintage is the result of a stellar growing and ripening season.These wines are remarkably well-balanced, displaying concentrated fruit, intense flavor profiles and vivid color extraction.  One of the best vintages from the Paso Robles Appellation yet!
Eve: Floral aromas, as well as some grass and lemon, the taste had a nice honey against the acid, nice long finish.
2008 Cotes-du-Robles Blanc (We had 07 too but not the white – nice!)
The 2008 growing season was challenging to say the least. A cool and relatively dry winter led to bud break in mid-March. An unexpected frost in late spring followed by high winds caused “shatter”resulting in smaller berries and lighter yields. Warm temperatures during the summer with cool evenings brought along veraison at the normally expected time frame of mid-July. However, the latter part of September and early October brought cooler than normal conditions, slowing down ripening of the berries, while allowing more hang time on the vines. The 2008 growing season was challenging to say the least, but the result of this vintage are
wines that display well developed flavor profiles with balanced acidity.
Eve: Sweet yet tangy with some acid and a nice finish.
07 Sangiovese
The 2007 growing season while unique, has turned out to bean exceptional vintage for the Paso Robles wine growing region. Below average rain fall in the winter with warmer than normal temps encouraged an early bud break in the spring. Warm days and cool nights throughout summer brought early season varietals in at normal harvest times. However, a drop in temperature in late September delayed harvest for mid to late season varietals, increasing hang time and allowing fruit to come to the perfect flavor maturity. Overall, while crop yields were lighter for 2007, the result was a well-balanced, high quality vintage that displays concentrated fruit, intense flavor profiles and vivid color extraction.
Eve: Nice mushroom aroma and ripe black fruit taste.  My notes are falling away here, palate fatigue so soon?  Say it isn’t so!

2007 Zinfandel, Steinbeck/Wine Bush

Eberle 2007 Zinfandel showcases two of Paso Robles finest Zinfandel vineyards, the reputable Steinbeck Vineyard and the Wine-Bush Vineyard.  The Steinbeck Vineyard contributes layers of sweet briar fruit with hints of earth and minerality, while the Wine Bush Vineyard contributes depth of color and jammy flavors of ripe blackberry, red raspberry with a peppery finish. 

Eve: Very traditional Zin nose and a nice balance.  All in my party agreed it was the best we tasted ! 

08 Syrah Steinbeck
The 2008 growing season was challenging to say the least. A cool and relatively dry winter led to bud break in mid-March. An unexpected frost in late Spring followed by high winds caused “shatter”resulting in smaller berries and lighter yields. Warm  temperatures during the summer with cool evenings brought along verasion at the normally expected time frame of mid-July. However, the latter part of Fall, brought cooler than normal conditions, slowing down ripening of berries but allowing more hang time on the vines. While 2008 was a challenging year, the resulting vintage displays well developed flavor profiles with adequate tannins and balanced acidity.
Eve: Some grass, gaminess, nice dry finish.
03 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The growing season for 2003 began with a cool and wet spring, but warmed up mid-summer. A heat spell lasted through the months of May and June, which created some set and bloom issues. The remainder of the ripening season held ideal temperatures with warm days and cool nights. Although overall yields from harvest were lower from the smaller fruit clusters produced, quality of the berries was exceptional.
Eve: Exceptional. White pepper, perfect jam qualities and a nice, long, finish.  Ben said that 2010 will also be a good Cabernet year for Eberle as their Cabs, “age beautifully.”  (Full disclosure, I paid for the Zins.)