Category Archives: 60 Second Reviews

60 Second Wine Review — 2011 Lynch-Bages

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Bordeaux

Published on October 8, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2011 Lynch-Bages from Pauillac.

The Geekery

For more in-depth Geekery about Lynch-Bages see my write up for their the 2017 future offer.

Compared to the near perfect vintages of 2009 and 2010, the 2011 vintage started off well with a dry and warm spring. A wet, rainy July threw a curve ball with things not quite getting back on track till September when harvest saw dry weather and warm temperatures. At Lynch-Bages, only around 66% of the harvest (from 90 ha/222.4 acres) made its way to the Grand Vin.

The 2011 vintage is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

The wine was aged for 15 months in 65% new French oak.

The Wine

Medium intensity nose. Dark fruits with blackberry and blackcurrants. With air some cured tobacco spice pops out but overall this wine is rather quiet.

The black licorice spice adds some complexity to this wine.

On the palate the flavors get a little richer but nothing close to jammy or dense. The high tannins and medium-plus acidity hold the medium-plus fruit well but contributes to a thin taste. The tobacco spice from the nose gets more pronounced and brings black licorice and espresso coffee character as well. Moderate length finish ends on the dark fruit and testifies to its youth.

The Verdict

I suspect that this 2011 Lynch-Bages is still at least 2-3 years from hitting its stride but the thinness of the mouthfeel makes me wonder how much it will still improve. The firm tannins will soften but the fruit is going to fade rather than grow in prominence. However, seeing the spice notes from the nose developing and becoming more complex on the palate is always a good sign.

Right now the 2011 average $124 a bottle. Compared to 2010 ($224) and 2009 ($198) there is some value here but nothing worth beating down the door to get.

Personally, I would be looking more to the 2012 ($119) and 2014 ($121) for value or the vastly superior 2015 vintage ($143) for the better wine at just a little bit more.

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60 Second Beer Review — New Belgium Oakspire

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Beer

Published on October 3, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the New Belgium Brewing Oakspire barrel-aged ale.

The Geekery

New Belgium Brewing was founded in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch and his wife, Kim Jordan, in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The goal of the brewery was to make Belgium-style ales and in 1996 Peter Bouckaert, a former brewmaster at Brouwerij Rodenbach in Belgium, was brought on. When Lebesch left in 2009, Kim Jordan took over management of the brewery. Bouckaert would later leave in 2017.

The Oakspire was fermented using Pale, Munich, Caramel 80, rye and roasted barley malts with ale yeast. The idea was to use a mashbill similar to high-rye bourbons. However, this is a bit different than the typical Knob Creek mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% barley with “high-rye” bourbons often having 20-35% rye.

The beer was hopped to 20 IBUs using Nugget (a “Super-Alpha” bittering hop) and HBC 472 (an experimental flavoring variety) hops.

The beer was then aged in barrels with oak “spires” and barrel char that were soaked in Knob Creek bourbon before finishing with 9% ABV.

The Beer

Medium intensity nose. Lots of sweet vanilla has it smelling almost like a cream soda. Not much whiskey character.

Plenty of vanilla but not much else with this beer.

On the palate, the beer is surprisingly light for its ABV. The vanilla carries through but the beer isn’t as sweet as the nose would hint. Noticeable malt with subtle toffee flavors. Again, the whiskey character is not showing outside of the vanilla. Short finish ends on that same one-dimensional vanilla note.

The Verdict

I usually adore Belgian strong ales and barleywines as I really dig the heft and fuller-bodied flavors from higher ABV brews such as the Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale.

However, with bourbon barrel-age beers (and wines), my experience has been more mixed such as with Goose Island Bourbon County series–often finding them underwhelming.

You can add the New Belgium Oakspire to the “mixed pile” as a rather simple brew that doesn’t offer anything exciting for $12-15 for a 6 pack.

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60 Second Wine Review — Saxum Broken Stones

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews

Published on September 30, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2015 Saxum Broken Stones from the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles.

The Geekery

Saxum Vineyards was founded in 2001 by Justin Smith and has quickly ascended to cult-status for their Rhone blends–earning numerous 100 point scores and critical acclaim. In 2010, the James Berry Vineyard Red Blend was named the #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator magazine.

While most of Saxum’s wines are single vineyard cuvees such as the James Berry Vineyard and Terry Hoage Vineyard, Broken Stones is a blend of multiple vineyards that are all farmed sustainably.

The 2015 Broken Stones is a blend of 48% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah and 1% Roussanne. The wine was aged 18-20 months in 75% new French oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Around 1100 cases were produced.

The Wine

Medium intensity nose. Rich dark fruit of blackberries, blueberries and black currants. Very sweet smelling with a little blue floral notes and baking spice like cinnamon.

The bouquet of this wine reminds me of cinnamon french toast with lots of jammy fruit.

On the palate those dark fruits come through and are quite jammy. However, the wine doesn’t taste sweet at all. Medium-plus acidity helps balance the very full-bodied fruit but it’s not quite as mouthwatering or juicy as I would hope. The medium-plus tannins are present but are very silky. That texture and mouthfeel are probably the best part. Moderate finish sticks with the big fruit and lingers with noticeable back-end heat of alcohol (15.6%).

The Verdict

This is a big, big wine that is a bit too big and jammy for my personal tastes. With the healthy dose of Syrah and Mourvedre, I was hoping for more savoriness and spice but the rich dark fruit runs the show.

At $130-150, there is certainly a premium for this mailing-list only cult producer but it is a distinctive style that will be worth it to some people–such as fans of Mollydooker’s Velvet Glove (ave $170) who would find this right in their wheelhouse.

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60 Second Wine Review — Adobe Road Bavarian Lion Cabernet Sauvignon

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews

Published on September 28, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2013 Adobe Road Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bavarian Lion Vineyard in the Knights Valley of Sonoma.

The Geekery

Adobe Road Winery was founded in 2002 by race car driver Kevin Buckler and his wife Debra.

One of the early winemakers was Franc Dusak who worked on the 2004 to 2008 vintages. He was eventually succeeded by Michael Scorsone who was winemaker at Adobe Road for seven years with Palmer Emmitt assisting him until the two left to start their joint project Emmitt-Scorsone Wines.

Prior to taking over the head winemaking duties at Adobe Road, Scorsone previously worked with Ehren Jordan at Failla and with Thomas Rivers Brown and Fred Schrader at Boars’ View.

In 2015, Garrett Martin joined Adobe Road as winemaker after stints at Joel Gott and working with Massimo and Mario Monticelli at their consulting firm.

The Bavarian Lion Vineyard in the Knights Valley is located in the shadow of Mt. Saint Helena and is owned by Pierre Ehret. The vineyard is sustainably farmed.

Among the other wineries who source fruit from Bavarian Lion is Rodney Strong Vineyards who produced a great 2 minute video that shows the vineyard and explains some of the uniqueness of the Knights Valley.

The 2013 Adobe Road Bavarian Lion Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal that spent 28 months aging in French oak (90% new). Around 350 cases were made.

The Wine

Medium intensity nose. Mix of red and dark fruits–plums and cherries–with some tobacco spice.

On the palate more red fruits carry through that are amplified by the high acidity. Medium-plus tannins hold up the medium-plus body of the fruit but overall the wine feels a bit hollow. Moderate length finish brings back the tobacco spice.

The Verdict

While I loved the 2013 Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III that I had at the 2017 Wine Spectator Grand Tour, the Bavarian Lion didn’t wow me–especially for its $80-100 price point.

It reminds me of the Silver Oak Alexander Valley with both wines needing to be priced a lot lower.

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60 Second Wine Review — Copain Syrah

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews

Published on September 24, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2007 Copain Garys’ Syrah from the Santa Lucia Highlands.

The Geekery

Copain was founded in 1999 by Wells Guthrie and Kevin McQuown. Prior to starting his winery, Guthrie served as a tasting coordinator for Wine Spectator and interned in the Rhone Valley with Michel Chapoutier as well as at Turley Wine Cellars and Helen Turley’s Marcassin.

Noted for a more restrained low alcohol style, Copain was a member of the non-profit winemaking alliance In Pursuit of Balance until the group’s dissolution in 2016.

That same year Copain was acquired by Jackson Family Wines where it is now part of a portfolio of brands that includes Byron, Cambria, Cardinale, Freemark Abbey,
Kendall Jackson, La Crema, Matanzas Creek, Mt. Brave, Murphy-Goode, Penner-Ash and Siduri.

In 2018 Ryan Zepaltas succeeded Guthrie as winemaker after previously heading the winemaking at Siduri.

Garys’ Vineyard was planted in 1997 in the St. Lucia Highlands by acclaimed growers Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni. The 50 acre vineyard is planted mostly to Pinot noir with some Syrah. In addition to Copain, other notable wineries that source fruit from Garys’ Vineyard include Testarossa, Siduri, Miner Family, Morgan Winery, Loring, Neyers, Kosta Browne, Tantara, Twomey and Franscioni’s Roar Wines.

The Wine

High intensity nose–mix of blue and blackberries, violets and lots of pepper spice.

The combination of spice and BBQ smoke gives this wine a gorgeous savoriness.

On the palate, the spice carries through and brings a smokey element like hickory BBQ. The fruit is still present with medium-plus acidity giving a mouthwatering quality. Ripe medium-plus tannins hold up the medium-plus body fruit and are quite velvety at this point. Long finish introduces some stony mineralty.

The Verdict

The cool-climate Syrahs I tasted at this year’s Hospice du Rhône rocked my world and this Copain continues the trend.

It’s very Northern Rhone-like with mouthwatering savoriness that compliments, rather than gets overwhelmed by, the dark fruit notes. At around $40-45, this is a very character-driven wine that is drinking at its peak.

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60 Second Wine Review — Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews

Published on September 22, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2017 Bedrock Ode to Lulu Old Vine Rosé.

The Geekery

Bedrock Wine Co. was founded in 2007 by Morgan Twain-Peterson–the son of Ravenswood’s founder Joel Peterson

When Morgan was five years old, he produced his first wine called Vino Bambino–a Pinot noir. Several New York restaurants including Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern, Delmonico’s, Mesa Grill and Charlie Palmer’s Aureole featured later vintages of Vino Bambino on their list.

Before starting Bedrock, Twain-Peterson worked harvest at Ravenswood, Noon Wine Cellars and Hardy’s Tintara winery in the McLaren Vale and the 5th growth Ch. Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux.

In 2013 Chris Cottrell joined Bedrock. The two also team up for a sparkling wine project called Under The Wire that features such unique wines as a sparkling old vine Zinfandel and an Oakville field blend from Napa Valley made from French Colombard, Chenin blanc, Malvasia bianca, Muscadelle, Semillon and Chardonnay.

In 2017, Twain-Peterson became a Master of Wine after completing a dissertation on old vine field blends.

The 2017 Ode to Lulu rosé is a blend of 75% old vine Mourvedre/Mataro from Bedrock Vineyard and Pagani Ranch in the Sonoma Valley with 25% Grenache from Gibson Ranch in McDowell Valley in Mendocino County. Around 1500 cases were produced.

The Wine

The white pepper spice adds gorgeous complexity to this dry rosé.

High-intensity nose–raspberry and strawberries with lots of white pepper spiciness. It almost smells like a Gruner Veltliner and Bandol had a baby.

On the palate, those reds fruits carry through with mouthwatering medium-plus acidity. Medium-bodied weight has some phenolic texture, but that doesn’t distract from the refreshing aspect of the wine. Moderate length finish brings back the white pepper spice and adds a floral note.

The Verdict

For $18-22, this is a fantastic and very character driven rosé. This can play a jack-of-all-trade role as a food pairing option.

I can certainly see this rosé shining on the Thanksgiving table which makes me very glad I have a few more bottles.

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60 Second Wine Review — Amici Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Napa Valley

Published on September 19, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2013 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain.

The Geekery

Amici Cellars was founded in 1991 by Jeff Hansen who named the winery “Amici” after the Italian word for friends.

Hansen eventually sold the winery to Bob & Celia Shepard and John Harris who remain the owners today and have expanded Amici from being a “virtual winery” produced in a custom-crush facility to an established winery with the purchase of Greg Brown’s T Vine Wines facility in 2012.

In 2010 Joel Aiken, a protege of André Tchelistcheff who spent 25 years making the BV Georges de Latour, joined Amici where he stayed until 2015 when he was succeeded by Anthony Biagi as winemaker.

Biagi, who oversaw the final blend and bottling of the 2013 wines, previously worked at Clos du Val, Duckhorn, Paraduxx, Plumpjack, Cade and Hourglass before joining the Amici team.

The 2013 Spring Mountain is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc that spent 22 months aging in 80% new French oak. Around 260 cases were made.

The Wine

Lots of rich dark fruits in this Cab.

High intensity nose–lots of rich dark fruits of blackberry, black currants and black plums. After 30 minutes of air, blue floral and Asian spice notes with fennel and savory oolong tea begin to emerge.

On the palate the richness and weight of the dark fruit still dominate–giving the wine a very weighty, full-bodied mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity goes a long way in balancing the wine and keeping the fruit tasting fresh and juicy without straying into jammy or sweet. The high tannins are very ripe but very present which suggests that this wine has a long life ahead of it still. The long finish brings back the Asian spice and savory tea components from the nose.

The Verdict

I first had this 2013 two years ago and, even though it was delicious then, it has come quite a ways.

Still quite youthful this wine more than merits it $125-150 price tag as a top shelf Napa Cab that combines hedonism with complexity.

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60 Second Wine Review — Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Napa Valley

Published on September 15, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2007 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

The Geekery

Beringer was founded in 1876 by Jacob and Frederick Beringer in St. Helena next to the Charles Krug Winery where Jacob worked as a cellar-hand.

In 1970, Beringer was bought by the Swiss firm Nestle who brought Myron Nightingale in to be winemaker. Nightingale introduced the Private Reserve line of Cabernet Sauvignon & Chardonnay in 1976 before sliding into the emeritus role with the promotion of Ed Sbragia in 1984. Sbragia served as head winemaker until 2000–when Laurie Hooks took over–before retiring as emeritus in 2008 to focus on his Sbragia Family Vineyards.

In 2015, Hooks moved to the emeritus role as Mark Beringer, the great-great-grandson of Jacob Beringer, assumed chief winemaking duties.

Today Beringer is owned by Treasury Wine Estates where it is part of a large portfolio of brands.

The 2007 Private Reserve is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from several vineyards–Bancroft Ranch, Rancho del Oso and Steinhauer Ranch on Howell Mountain, Chabot Vineyard and Home Vineyard in St. Helena, Lampyridae on Mt. Veeder and Marston Ranch on Spring Mountain. Around 9,008 cases were produced.

The Wine

Medium-plus intensity nose. Very Bordeaux-like mix of tobacco spice, earthy forest floor and floral notes.

Savory forest floor earthiness adds interest to this wine.

On the palate, dark fruits of black cherry and currant appear but the flavors are still very tertiary-driven. Medium-plus acidity maintains freshness and with the soft medium-plus tannins balances the medium-plus bodied fruit. Long finish lingers on the savory notes.

The Verdict

I’ve been rather underwhelmed with more recent vintages of the Private Reserve–especially the highly rated 2012/2013. If those wines were $60-90 they would be fine but they definitely failed to live up to the hype. Tasting this 2007 with 10+ years of age has me thinking that this is a wine that simply needs patience.

If you’re going to spend $130-150 for a new vintage, I definitely encourage holding onto it in order to get your money’s worth. Otherwise, try to find this 2007.

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60 Second Wine Review — Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Pinot noir

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Napa Valley

Published on September 12, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2014 Patz & Hall Pinot noir from the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros.

The Geekery

Patz & Hall Winery was founded in 1988 by Donald & Heather Patz, James Hall and Anne Moses. Donald & James first met when both were working at Flora Springs Winery where James was the assistant winemaker and Donald was the national sales manager.

In 2016, Patz & Hall was sold to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates which is the winemaking subsidary of the tobacco firm Altria Group (formerly Philip Morris Companies Inc.)–makers of Marlboro, Virginia Slims and the smokeless tobacco chews Copenhagen and Skoal.

In addition to Patz & Hall, Ste. Michelle/Altria also own Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (with the Antinori family), Conn Creek, Columbia Crest, Erath, 14 Hands and Spring Valley Vineyards.

The Hyde Vineyard is located on the Napa Valley side of Carneros and was first planted in 1979. Patz & Hall has been producing a single vineyard Pinot from Hyde since 1996 using fruit from two of the oldest blocks in the vineyard.

In 2014, around 1,056 cases of the Hyde Pinot was made.

Photo by Namiwoo. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-3.0

The red cranberry fruit on the nose give way to dark fruit flavors on the palate.

The Wine

Medium intensity nose–a mix of red and dark fruits with cranberry and cherry. Noticeable baking spices of cinnamon and clove.

On the palate, the dark fruit edges out the red with the cherry becoming blacker and the vanilla from the oak giving the wine medium-plus body weight to go with the firm medium tannins. The medium-plus acidity keeps the wine balanced and the fruit juicy while highlighting some subtle earthiness. The moderate-length finish brings back the baking spices.

The Verdict

While this is an enjoyable Pinot I have to admit that it is a stretch to say that it’s worth the $65-75 premium.

Perhaps it’s too young and will develop into something more? The pedigree of the vineyard and winemaking is certainly there but right now I would be a lot happier if this wine was more in the $35-45 range.

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60 Second Wine Review — Sheridan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Napa Valley

Published on September 10, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2013 Sheridan Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Geekery

Scott and Karen Greer founded Sheridan Vineyards in 1996 in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. From the first vintage release in 2000, Sheridan has received much critical acclaim–being described as one of the rising stars in Washington.

In 2012, the Greers ventured into Napa Valley to produce a Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Wilsey Vineyard in Rutherford.

Located in the northwest quadrant of the appellation next to the Beckstoeffer-Melrose vineyard and near Emmolo’s Home Ranch and Whitehall Lane’s Bommarito vineyards, the Wilsey Vineyard was purchased in 1974 by the late Gary Wilsey.

According to Richard Mendelson in his book Appellation Napa Valley, Wilsey and his wife Lanetta, along with Agustin Huneeus of Franciscan Estate, Steve Girard of Girard Winery, Dennis Groth of Groth Vineyards, Jean Phillips of Screaming Eagle and the Duncan family of Silver Oak were part of the “Anti-Benchers” faction that opposed the delineation (and even existence) of a “Rutherford Bench”.

The Wine

Right now the rich dark fruits and secondary oak dominates but this wine is not far from developing even more interesting tertiary flavors.

Medium-plus intensity nose–ripe dark fruit flavors of black plums and blackberry. Noticeable oak baking spices of clove and nutmeg as well.

On the palate those rich dark fruit flavors carry through contributing to the full-bodied weight of the wine. The mouthwatering medium-plus acidity balances the fruit well. The high tannins are very present but very ripe and smoothed by the vanilla from the oak. The long finish is still fruit-forward but starts to linger with spice and just a hint of smokey tobacco.

The Verdict

It feels like this Napa Cab is certainly on the cusp of hitting its prime. It just needs the baby fat of ripe fruit and oak to give way to more complex notes.

This wine is drinking well within its $100-130 Napa peers. However, its structure and acidity has the potential to deliver much more.