Tasting Notes 8/23/13

NCWC SPECIAL EVENT TASTING 8/23/13

GRAHAM BECK BRUT
This South African beauty shows tangerine, spicy oak and a hint of exotic fruits on the nose. Fruity and harmonious, http://www.northcountywinecompany.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2561&action=trash&_wpnonce=843ab834fewith a yeasty complexity adding depth to the fairly dense, harmonious middle palate. Though filled with sweet fruit, it finishes dry and crisp, with good length. No shortage of flavor here! 89 points Stephen Tanzer. $12.97

FRANK FAMILY CHARDONNAY 2011
The Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine named Frank Family the 2012 Winery of The Year. Their Chard is a consistent favorite; the 2011 smells like pineapple upside down cake with pastry crust and toasted hazelnut. With its buttery, rich texture, baked apple and quince fruit and toasty spice, this is quintessential Cali Chard, with a little extra acidic lift thanks to the cool 2011 vintage. 90 points Wine Spectator. The 2012 displays its signature volume and length, with ripe peachy and tropical citrus fruit aromas and flavors, a lush and creamy midpalate, and layers of toasty oak spice. Both vintages are Napa Valley classics. $29.97

IF YOU SEE KAY 2010
Kay smells amazing; she’s soft, creamy, juicy, rich, and powerful all at the same time. A dark and brooding wine, hints of imminent danger, ripe with confidence and purpose; on a mission. She’s more than a mouthful, but never wasteful – like handfuls of juicy ripe blackberries dripping from your hands, so perfectly ripe that you have to go back again and again for another taste. 90 points Jim Tobin. $17.97

CHATEAU PIBRAN PAUILLAC 2009
Pause to enjoy the expressive aromas of currant, spices, licorice, coffee and tobacco leaf. Then taste; it’s sweet and lush, with very ripe cherry and dark berry fruit flavors complicated by roasted herbs. Not hugely deep, but harmonious acidity intensifies and enlivens the middle palate. This nicely high-pitched Bordeaux should give early pleasure and evolve gracefully over the next 10 to 12 years. 93 points James Suckling. $39.97

CAYMUS CABERNET 2011
On the palate, this Cabernet is rich with sweet, ripe tannins, expanding to a greater breadth of refined textures. The flavor profile includes dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, mocha, leather, brown spice, cedar, vanilla and sweet licorice. The stand out qualities of this wine are its balance, supple texture, approachable grip and earthy notes. $69.97

MOLLYDOOKER BLUE EYED BOY SHIRAZ 2011
And then there is Mollydooker. This showstopper is “dark and rich, supple and silky, brimming with blackberry and black cherry flavors that show a hint of pomegranate as the finish wraps gently around the fruit. This has a wonderful open texture to let the flavors sing.” And sing they do! “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” all at once. 92 points Wine Spectator. $49.97