To age or not to age?

Obviously the title of this post refers to ageing wine.

Over the past month, I have gone through about half of my wine collection. Mainly because a lot of what I opened was past its prime. There were nights when I would open three bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley just to find one that was drinkable. It was very disappointing to learn that so many of these wines—which I was told would improve with age when I purchased them—did not live up to my expectations.

But it wasn’t all disappointing. The 2006 Crocker &Starr St. Helena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (purchased in 2009; $90/bottle) was incredible and well-worth the wait! A sexy stunner with loads of blackberry, black currant, mocha, and black licorice. The palate was silky smooth with well-integrated tannins. I recently tasted the 2008 vintage of this wine, which I probably will enjoy a year from now—if I can wait that long!

The 2007 Lava Vine Pritchard Hill [St. Helena] Cabernet Sauvignon ($110/bottle) was good. But when I purchased this wine in 2010, I recall it being full-bodied with firm tannins and gobs of dark fruit. After two years in the cellar, the tannins had broken down considerably and it negatively impacted the mouthfeel of the wine. It had a medium weight with a short finish and predominant spice notes. It was drinkable, but I prefer how this wine tasted two years ago.

Other wines that I wish I had opened sooner include the 2005 Volker Eisele Vineyards “Terzetto” and the 2004 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon. I recall these wines as fruit-forward and balanced upon release, but when opened recently, they expressed non-fruit savory flavors of black olive, dried herbs, and earth.

I opened three bottles of the 2006 Ghost Block last month and each bottle was particularly underwhelming. But the current vintage is delicious and lush, which tells me it’s just not a good candidate for cellaring. I sold this wine at Napa Wine Company in 2009 and we assured our customers that the Ghost Block would improve with 3-5 years of age. I thought this sales pitch about ageing potential referred to the release date (which, for the 2006 vintage was May 2009); I realize now that it would have been more accurate to tell people to enjoy this wine within 2 years of the release date or 3-5 years from the vintage date. How confusing!

It would be unfair to say that it’s not worth it to age expensive wines [because I’ve had some great experiences with older wines, like the 1998 Honig Cab, the 2001 ZD Cab], but I have a new stance on the practice. If you like a wine when you taste it, don’t worry about whether it could improve with ageing. If you like it as is, drink it within 1-2 years! (That’s my plan.)

I think our culture places too much value on the “if” and “when” aspect of cellaring wine, and overlooks the fact that if we really like the wine upon release, then it makes sense that perhaps we won’t enjoy the wine anymore three years later. In fact, we could very well not like the wine after three years. And thus, the downside of ageing—pouring those once-beautiful $65+ wines down the drain.

If you are sitting on bottles of 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2007 Napa Cab, I would suggest opening them soon. And let me know what you think. Do you agree that these Napa Valley vintages are now ready to drink?

Cabernet deserves more than one day

After attending the Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland during August 17-21, I was rather “wined” out. But that didn’t last long. This past week, I started jonesing for something full-bodied and rich—it also happened to be #CabernetDay this past Thursday.

In the month of August, I tasted quite a few Cabernet Sauvignons that I didn’t get the chance to blog about. Here’s a re-cap of the highlights…

2010 Nadia Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Barbara, $35/bottle): blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The palate expresses sweet blackberry jam and vanilla with hints of clove and tobacco. Solid tannin and structure, though young and tightly coiled. Aged 20 months in 100% new French oak. For the price, this wine is made extremely well. It shows great potential and it will most likely improve within 6 months to 1 year or more. This bottle was received as a sample courtesy of Laetitia Vineyards for review purposes.

2008 Ehler’s Estate One-Twenty over Eighty (Napa Valley, $45/bottle): smells like boysenberry jam with a hint of white pepper and tar. On the palate, this Cabernet Sauvignon delivers jammy, mouth-filling flavors of blackberry pie, toast, dusty cocoa, and vanilla. The wine finished with notes of lavender and tobacco. It was probably one of my favorite wines this last month; I wish I had another bottle to drink tonight!

2007 Hartwell Misté Hill Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, $49/bottle): black currant, tar, black licorice, and roasted coffee. Velvety mouthfeel. I was told on a recent visit to the Hartwell Estate that this wine is designed to be enjoyed within 1-2 years of release. This particular vintage is starting to lose its freshness and the fruit flavors are fading, but it’s still drinkable. The 2008 vintage is drinking beautifully (as I’m sure th current vintage [2009] is as well!).

2007 Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley, $63/bottle): a delicious organically grown wine with cherry cola, exotic spice, mocha, and the faintest whisper of blueberry pie. Very aromatic and concentrated in the glass. Ready to drink. 

2008 Tamber Bey Deux Cheveux Vineyard Yountville “Rabicano” (Napa Valley, $48/bottle): Bordeaux-style blend with flavors of cherry cola, blueberry, pomegranate and clove. Very dark in the glass with rich and refined tannins. This wine could definitely hold for another 1-2 years.

2003 Divot Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, price N/A): this wine showed it’s age in the glass; it was transparent with a brown rim. I was surprised that it smelled of sweet berries. Unfortunately, one sip convinced me that this wine was past its prime. The aromatics were misleading; the palate was a savory mix of dried herbs, earth, and mushroom.

2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($41/bottle). In case you missed it, please read Tuesday’s blog post for a full review of this amazing wine.

On a sidenote, if you happen to be in the Tiburon neighborhood in Marin on a Sunday or Monday, please come visit me at Prima Palate (soon tobe Main Street Wine Bar). I have also been hired to manage the wine bar’s social media marketing efforts [yes, that is a shameless self-plug for my freelance/consulting business]. Thank you reading Sip Swirl Savor and cheers!

Sauvignon Blanc: Top 5 for Summertime Sipping

With this hot weather, I can't get enough Sauvignon Blanc!

My preferred style of Sauvignon Blanc is usually aged "sur lie", which provides a nice creaminess and slightly subdues the level of acid. I prefer to taste tropical fruit flavors and citrus notes. When a wine has descriptors such as fresh-cut grass or wet stone or racy acidity, I'm usually not a fan of it.

In case you missed my previous posts about various Sauvignon Blancs that I have particularly enjoyed, here's a recap of my favorites:

1. 2011 Captûre Tradition Sauvignon Blanc 

2. 2011 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc

3. 2011 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc

4. 2011 Hartwell Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

5. 2010 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc

I was surprised to see that I have not previously blogged about Number #5. I have visited Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena several times; in fact, I enjoyed a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc ($18/bottle) last month.

Blended with 8% Semillon, it has a floral bouquet and good acidity with honeydew and citrus flavors. It's terrific with sushi. Cheers!

The Vineyard Experience at Crocker & Starr

If you asked me today what my top ten favorite wines are, three from Crocker & Starr would definitely make the list.

My friend, Julie, and I received a warm welcome by winemaker Pam Starr at the Crocker & Starr Estate in St. Helena yesterday. We began the unique 'Vineyard Experience' on the porch of the farmhouse with a taste of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc.

I have always loved the Crocker & Starr SB ($32/bottle). Made from organically grown grapes sourced from the Crocker Vineyard and the Hyde Las Trancas Vineyard in Oak Knoll, this wine is medium-bodied, fresh, and fruit-forward. It is aged sur lies, 96% stainless steel barrels and 4% new French oak barrels, which adds a wonderful creaminess to the mouthfeel and intensity to the flavors. Floral aromas with white peach, guava and citrus. Finishes clean with brilliant acidity.

In yesterday's 85+ degree temperatures, this wine was wonderfully refreshing!

Wine glass in hand, we walked from the porch to the edge of the vineyard. You can really hear the passion in Pam's voice as she talks about pruning and vineyard management, clones, and soil types. It was both fascinating and inspiring!

Eager to get out of the sun, we settled at the long walnut table (big enough to seat at least 8 people or more) under the arbor to taste the Estate red wines.

I have been enjoying Pam's wines for about three years now, and they remain consistently delicious year-to-year. As usual, the red wines were outstanding.

The 2009 Cab Franc smells like blueberry pie right out of the oven. The palate offers layers of sweet blueberry, cherry cola, herbs and baking spices (particularly cinnamon and cardamom). Luscious mouthfeel with dry, velvety tannins. The wine ends with lingering flavors of tobacco leaf and cocoa. This wine will age well but is very drinkable now. ($62/bottle, less than 500 cases)

The 2008 Stone Place Cabernet Sauvignon is dark, powerful, and concentrated. This 100% Cab shows rich, black fruit aromas. Blackberry jam and dark chocolate flavors are backed by firm tannins and hints of baking spice. Black licorice and sweet vanilla linger on the palate. Absolutely delicious! Aged in barrel for 20 months, 80% new French oak. I was actually shocked by how well this wine is showing upon release; but it definitely has the potential to improve over the next 10+ years. ($90/bottle, less than 500 cases)

Tours and tastings are available daily by appointment only. Definitely worth visiting! (photo below: Julie and I posing near a vintage wine press)

And I strongly recommend the Prime Rib French Dip sandwich at the Rutherford Grill afterwards. Mmmmmm.....

P.S. Pam also makes super-small amounts of wine specifically for the Crocker & Starr Casali Wine Club (the Malbec is amazing!) and she is the winemaking genius behind the Bridesmaid wines. A second label that she produces with Drew Nieman, the Bridesmaid Bordeaux-style blends are affordable and ready-to-drink. Perfect for summer!

White Wine du Jour

It sounds like all I drink is Sauvignon Blanc. But just wait until the weather cools...

After a brutally boring meeting that began late this morning and lasted more than 90 minutes, I suggested to my manager that we treat ourselves to lunch somewhere. Feeling celebratory for really no reason at all, we decided on Bouchon, an upscale French Bistro in neighboring Yountville. Although I frequent the Bouchon Bakery more often than not (best coffee in the Napa Valley, I swear!), I have only been to Bouchon, the restaurant, once--and it was for dinner about two weeks ago. It was a very pleasant experience, and going for lunch there sounded perfect. We grabbed a bottle of 2008 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc and were on our way.

Stepping inside Bouchon is like arriving in Paris for the first time. It is both whimsical and serious--seriously French, that is. They serve the same menu for both lunch and dinner, but although I was somewhat familiar with the typical bistro offerings, it was still a difficult decision. The halibut seemed to be speaking to me right off the paper menu, but so did the moules frites, and the tartine du jour (an open-faced steak sandwich dressed with caramelized onions and roquefort)--it all had me salivating.

As I applied a thick layer of butter to the fresh "epi" baguette from next door, the server popped the cork on our bottle of wine. This is a Sauvignon Blanc unlike any other I've tried. Surprisingly, it is 100% SB, a blend of fruit from Charlie Crocker's St. Helena vineyard and the Hyde Las Trancas Vineyard in Napa. The "Starr" part of the label is Pam Starr, the winemaker; I love supporting female winemakers, especially when they make kick-ass wines. The Crocker & Starr Cab Franc definitely deserves an honorable mention.

The intricate and profound bouquet give some inclination to the wine's complexity. Asian pear and baked Granny Smith apple aromas lead to a medium-plus body of honey, tart green apple, Meyer lemon, spice, and balanced acidity. There is a subtle floral character to this wine as well as a minerality that reminds you that, yes, this is Sauvignon Blanc.

As I mentioned yesterday, supposedly there are 396 wineries in the Napa Valley, but, to my knowledge, this figure does not include producers that make their wine at custom-crush facilities or wineries represented in collective tasting rooms. Crocker & Starr wines are made at a custom crush facility in Oakville and can be purchased at Cult Wine Central or Acme Fine Wines.

I was in heaven from about 12:30 to 2 pm today. I savored every last sip of this wine and polished off my plate of seared halibut, fresh heirloom tomatoes, and the frites of my dining companions. Now, if only we had brought a bottle of Dolce for the cheese plate!