Ron Siegel Radio Wine Club – June Selections

This month’s Estate selections:As before, since we have wine club members who are White / White, this month we will have 2 white wines and one red for the Estate Selection …

b Wise Wisdom – Red Blend, Sonoma Valley 2010

Our take on this wine …
We found this wine to be a very bright and fun red blend in that “Prisoner” style. Certainly comparable in terms of flavors and quality for around half the price of Prisoner.

Tasting Notes …
This delicious red blend from all Estate-grown fruit is an exciting introduction to the wines of B Wise Vineyards.

Bright and brambly red raspberry and black cherry with black pepper, sweet vanilla and mocha.

Soft and chocolately in the mouth with a lively fruit filled finish. Touches of spice and mineral linger on the palate. A tasty, easy drinking wine for every day and all occasions.

Composition: Zinfandel 30% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 20% Syrah 20%

Levendi Sweeney Ranch Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2010

Our take on this wine …
Classic California style Chardonnay, firm oak and a buttery, creamy texture. Enough acidity to avoid the flabby Chard trap.

Winemaker
Alison Green Doran

Appellation
Sweeney Ranch Vineyard, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

Vineyard Notes
Elevation 200-300 Feet Soil Type Gravelly Clay Loam

Composition 100% Chardonnay, Single Vineyard

Vintage Details
Overall, 2010 was a cool year, but the summer ended with a series of hot days. The weather became cool again with another small sequence of hot weather right at the end of September. The grapes were harvested on October 22 prior more wet weather.

Oak Aging 14 Months, 100% French Oak, 40% New

Tasting Notes
Beautifully ripe apple with a hint of caramel and oak spice, filled in with lemon chiffon notes. Caramelized apple and lemon vanilla cream flavors on the palate, with the texture gracefully balanced between a rich center and a crisp finish.

Technical Notes
Alcohol 14.5% by volume
pH 3.6
Total Acidity 5.9 grams/Liter
Malolactic 100%

Cases Produced 1,500

Canella Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG
(2nd White Wine for Estate Club)

Our take on this wine …
A beautiful, clean and dry Prosecco. Very refreshing on one of our hot summer afternoons.

Tasting Notes:
The Canella “Prosecco di Conegliano D.O.C.G. Millesimato” is made from grapes grown the hills between the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The “Prosecco di Conegliano D.O.C.G. Millesimato” vintage blend is the result of selecting the best batches of the year shown on the label, and therefore this Prosecco the best expression of the typical characteristics that make Prosecco a unique sparkling wine: the splendid straw yellow colour and subtle perlage, the fruity bouquet and crisp yet smooth floral flavours that leave a joyful sensation of balance in the mouth. Serve at temperature of 8-10° C.

This month’s Reserve selections:

Rubicon at Inglenook “CASK” Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2009

Our take …
OK, do not mistake the brand Inglenook for cheap, bad wine anymore. Francis Ford Coppola made the very daring move to rebrand the iconic “Rubicon Estate” as Inglenook, now that he has reunited the original estate. This is a typically huge wine in a classic Napa Cabernet style. This wine needs some decanting time.

From the Winery …
Winemaker’s notes: Pronounced aromas of dried cherries, coffee and fine tobacco precede rich flavors of black fruits and hints of licorice and spice. The weight, density and concentration of the fruit coupled with this vintage’s textured tannin layers will allow this vintage to develop additional complexity for years to come. Two hours of decanting is recommended before drinking. 2009 is a perfect vintage for collectors.

Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot

Alcohol by volume: 14.8%

Critical Acclaim: “The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask shows a little more finesse than the 2010, with better balance between the fruit and tannin. Sweet red berries, mocha, flowers and mint are some of the many notes that emerge as this nuanced, silky Cabernet opens up over time. There is still plenty of 2009 structure, but it is nicely balanced. The 2009 Cask needs to be cellared or decanted for a few hours in order for all of the elements to come together. This is a lovely showing. 90 Points The Wine Advocate

Abiouness Stanly Ranch, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2009

Our take on this wine …
This is another solid, small production wine out of the famous Stanley Ranch in Carneros. Classic Carneros style Pinot with big red fruits and just enough earth tones to remind you that this is a Pinot.

From the Winery …
“Once again we were blessed with a pretty spectacular growing season. A relatively wet Spring gave way to a mild, temperate growing spell and the little clusters started to form beautifully. The crop load was larger than in 2008, but the quality remained high, and by harvest time the grapes were balanced and delicious.

This was only the second year I picked various different clones to make the Stanly Ranch bottling. After the 2007 harvest when they pulled my old vines out of the ground, I had to walk the ranch and find a mix of clones to make this special wine. I learned about the different characteristics of each clone during the crush of 2008, so this year I had a better idea of how many tons of each block to pick. It’s somewhat like a chef in the kitchen- a little of this spice, some more of another, finish with a touch of salt. Voila!

It was the middle of the night as usual and we were under the lights of the trucks picking 114, 777, and a little Pommard clone. When the grapes arrived at the winery I kept each clone separate. After destemming they were dumped into open topped bins and left to cold soak. About 5 days later, they were taken outside to start warming the yeasts so the fermentation kicked off naturally as planned. My favorite job came next- a week of manual punch downs and foot stomping to extract just the right amount of color and tannin. Once the wine went dry, the free run was pumped into separate barrels and all the must went into the press together. The malo-lactic fermentation occurred without inoculation and the wine aged about 11 months before bottling. Ripe raspberries, hints of plum pie and cassis are on the nose and in the palate as well. You will find those characteristic earthy, mushroomy, forest floor notes reminding you that, in fact, you are at Stanly Ranch and you would like just one more sip.

217 cases bottled

Nicole Abiouness, Owner/Winemaker”