x
St. Clement Vineyards, Mount Veeder, 2007. Progeny Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon Black fruit driven: cassis and ripe blackberry on the nose with lighter notes of fuji apple and lavender. On the palate the wine is spicy, with black fruit edging to ripe plum skin, dark chocolate, and chocolate covered cherries. The tannins are smooth on the front palate but gripping on the back. 97% new French oak. One tank fermentation (5 tons). 1000ft elevation, 225 cases produced. St. Clement Vineyards, Diamond Mountain, 2007. Armstrong Vineyard. Cabernet SauvignonImmediately I detect that Diamond Mountain is much less fruit forward than the Veeder, but the flavors are darker. Roasted coffee, black cherry, and herbs are prominent. This wine is brooding with abundance of front-palate fruit tannins. 65% new oak. 800-1200ft elevation. Lokoya, Spring Mountain, 2007. Spring Mtn Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon.This wine is a gorgeous ruby color. For flavors, red fruit first, hints of cherry blossom and plums. The acid is wonderful, playing against the tannins but keeping the dark fruit lively. This is dark, vanillin, chewy and thick, like flavorful dredge at the bottom of the coffee mug. Lots of minerality and earthiness, like black rocks and leather.  The tannin is HUGE here, but it speaks to its location and the ageability of the bottle. Unfined, Unfiltered. 1600ft in elevation. 250 cases produced. La Jota “Heritage Release”, 2007. Howell Mountain. Cabernet Sauvignon. I love when I can taste two wines and know they are from the same winemaker. This bottle of Howell Mountain fruit is full of herbaceous black fruit, like black currant with anise and eucalyptus smoothing out to blackberry and prune preserves over toast. This wine is spice spice spicy! High tannins with a full, broad coat over the entire palate. Incredibly complex and age worthy. 500 cases produced. Sequoia Grove, Atlas Peak, 2007. Stagecoach Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon. Red fruit comes up again first, like cherry compote and raspberry yogurt, high tones of maraschino then into blackberry pie. The fruit is lush with tannins that are gripping at first but the soften in seconds, bringing out chocolate and vanilla notes. Karl Lawrence Cellars, Napa Valley, 2007. Cabernet Sauvignon. (76% Gary Morison Vnyd, Rutherford; 9% To Kalon Vnyd, Oakville; 8% Herb Lamb Vnyd, Howell Mtn; 7% Dr Crane Vnyd, Saint Helena)This is a wonderful Napa Valley blend where the winemaker has decided to use some Howell Mountain fruit as a seasoning element, to spice up the valley floor vineyards (some of the very best floor vineyards). A wonderful balance of the valley floor richness and mountain spice- tons of lavender and black pepper, chocolate and mint, and a melange of ripe red and black fruits. Plush and ready to drink. The ABV is 14.4% with no trace of heat. Wonderfully balanced and beautiful. Every wine here showed so beautifully, there wasn’t a ‘lesser’ amongst the group. Each of these were standouts and beautifully showcased their Mountain Home. If I could only purchase ONE of these marvelous bottles, after much deliberation and self-argument, I would choose the Lokoya Spring Mountain. I think the unfined and unfiltered element gives it a structure and depth that is thought-provoking. I would love to pull this out of the cellar in 10 years and try it again. So Deep. So Spring Mountain. Or maybe its just because winemaker Chris Carpenter is also a former Chicagoan. Go Bears. Of course, I would like all of these in my cellar. Maybe one day when I’m getting paid to blog, I will make that dream come true! (Thanks to winemakers Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, La Jota), Danielle Cyrot (St. Clement), and Michael Karl Trujillo (Sequoia Grove, Karl Lawrence Cellars) for the tasting and info, and of course to Food & Wine Magazine’s executive editor Ray Isle for hosting.)
  • St. Clement Vineyards, Mount Veeder, 2007. Progeny Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon
     Black fruit driven: cassis and ripe blackberry on the nose with lighter notes of fuji apple and lavender. On the palate the wine is spicy, with black fruit edging to ripe plum skin, dark chocolate, and chocolate covered cherries. The tannins are smooth on the front palate but gripping on the back. 97% new French oak. One tank fermentation (5 tons). 1000ft elevation, 225 cases produced.
  • St. Clement Vineyards, Diamond Mountain, 2007. Armstrong Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon
    Immediately I detect that Diamond Mountain is much less fruit forward than the Veeder, but the flavors are darker. Roasted coffee, black cherry, and herbs are prominent. This wine is brooding with abundance of front-palate fruit tannins. 65% new oak. 800-1200ft elevation.
  • Lokoya, Spring Mountain, 2007. Spring Mtn Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon.
    This wine is a gorgeous ruby color. For flavors, red fruit first, hints of cherry blossom and plums. The acid is wonderful, playing against the tannins but keeping the dark fruit lively. This is dark, vanillin, chewy and thick, like flavorful dredge at the bottom of the coffee mug. Lots of minerality and earthiness, like black rocks and leather.  The tannin is HUGE here, but it speaks to its location and the ageability of the bottle. Unfined, Unfiltered. 1600ft in elevation. 250 cases produced.
  • La Jota “Heritage Release”, 2007. Howell Mountain. Cabernet Sauvignon.
    I love when I can taste two wines and know they are from the same winemaker. This bottle of Howell Mountain fruit is full of herbaceous black fruit, like black currant with anise and eucalyptus smoothing out to blackberry and prune preserves over toast. This wine is spice spice spicy! High tannins with a full, broad coat over the entire palate. Incredibly complex and age worthy. 500 cases produced.
  • Sequoia Grove, Atlas Peak, 2007. Stagecoach Vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon.
    Red fruit comes up again first, like cherry compote and raspberry yogurt, high tones of maraschino then into blackberry pie. The fruit is lush with tannins that are gripping at first but the soften in seconds, bringing out chocolate and vanilla notes.
  • Karl Lawrence Cellars, Napa Valley, 2007. Cabernet Sauvignon.
    (76% Gary Morison Vnyd, Rutherford; 9% To Kalon Vnyd, Oakville; 8% Herb Lamb Vnyd, Howell Mtn; 7% Dr Crane Vnyd, Saint Helena)
    This is a wonderful Napa Valley blend where the winemaker has decided to use some Howell Mountain fruit as a seasoning element, to spice up the valley floor vineyards (some of the very best floor vineyards). A wonderful balance of the valley floor richness and mountain spice- tons of lavender and black pepper, chocolate and mint, and a melange of ripe red and black fruits. Plush and ready to drink. The ABV is 14.4% with no trace of heat. Wonderfully balanced and beautiful.

Every wine here showed so beautifully, there wasn’t a ‘lesser’ amongst the group. Each of these were standouts and beautifully showcased their Mountain Home. If I could only purchase ONE of these marvelous bottles, after much deliberation and self-argument, I would choose the Lokoya Spring Mountain. I think the unfined and unfiltered element gives it a structure and depth that is thought-provoking. I would love to pull this out of the cellar in 10 years and try it again. So Deep. So Spring Mountain. Or maybe its just because winemaker Chris Carpenter is also a former Chicagoan. Go Bears.

Of course, I would like all of these in my cellar. Maybe one day when I’m getting paid to blog, I will make that dream come true!

(Thanks to winemakers Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, La Jota), Danielle Cyrot (St. Clement), and Michael Karl Trujillo (Sequoia Grove, Karl Lawrence Cellars) for the tasting and info, and of course to Food & Wine Magazine’s executive editor Ray Isle for hosting.)

Posted 3 months ago (20 November '11)