First new wines:
Met Michael Karl Trujillo, President/Winemaker of Sequoia Grove and his own private label, Karl Lawrence Cellars, in Walnut Creek on Thursday, July 24th at Artisan Wine Bar. I tried his 2005 Napa Valley Cab first: Three Appellations, great nose then fades after time but still good. Deep purple color, leather, dark cherry and coffee smells. Good food wine, nice balance. Only 1,500 cases made with 80% already gone.
Also tried the 2001 Reserve but it's long gone. Rich, full with Howell Mountain flavors.
Afterwards, owner Lena of Artisan, had me try the following:
Lionheart 2006 Syrah, Santa Barbara: cranberry, strawberry nose with lush, lighter and fruity mouth feel. It's good but way above many folks price point of $40 a bottle.
Donkey & Goat MSG (Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache equals MSG) 313 2006: made in Berkeley??? I do believe. Small label. Roses, flowery almost hint of perfume nose but not overpowering. Tart, dry taste. Big seller by the glass at Artisan.
Cafaro 2004 Emily Elizabeth Vineyard, Napa, Merlot: at $22 a bottle, the nice price. Earthy, dusty, dirt with strong hint of cola/coffee nose. Woodsy, kind of dry with not much fruit but very workable.
White: Walter Hansel 2006 Russian River Valley, Hansel Family Vineyards, Chardonnay: better than the '05. Lots of Pineapple, Guava, tropical flavors, crisp and acidic with an oak, dry taste. I liked it...a lot.
No notes but tasted Old Press Syrah, Paso Robles, at Lark Creek Inn. Very good. Also July is half-price bottle month so great opportunities to try some wine you might not think are worth it at full price. Group next to us had two bottles of Merry Edwards Pinot. Serious juice.
Weather: hazy and warmer today. Lots of smoke filtering in from the north. Fog increases over the weekend for cooler conditions. Warm to hot inland today then cooler.
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2 comments:
The opportunity to try three different vintages of Karl Lawrence cabernet (1999, 2001 Reserve and 2005) was a great experience. Though they were all great wines, I liked the 2005 the most.
All of them had a nice long finish. Nice cabernet.
I also had the chance to try Old Press Syrah. Though I am generally not drawn to this varietal, this particular Syrah was impressive and a pleasant surprise for me.
I enjoyed the Old Press Syrah as well. Syrah is not high on my list since there's been an overkill on production but this was a nice wine.
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