Wine lacking character

Dr. Debs discussed the identify theft of wines here highlighting the tastes of three wines not matching the characteristics of varietals indicated. Although the wines discussed in that post were all imperfect, at least they were enjoyable. However, what about wines ‘lacking character', wines that taste like a solution mixture of grape concentrate and flavor enhancers with alcohol injected that make you say ‘blah’? I am sure many of you have encountered such wines in the past.

This is precisely the case of the 2004 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon. While it is a drinkable plonk, it is nowhere close to a Cabernet Sauvignon that can clearly identify its character in a blind tasting.

ABV: 14.5%; Price $7-$10 (readily available nationwide)

Tasting Notes:

Color: Dark garnet, almost blackish.

Nose: Initial smell of disinfectant from a hospital. Fruit is quite muted. As wine opens, aroma is dominated by raisin with notes of burnt tobacco.

Palate: Fairly one dimensional, dominated by extracted black currant flavor. Mild tannins emerged after 15 minutes in the glass. Very low acidity, not much structure and quite alcoholic.

Body: Medium to full, soft but quite creamy.

Finish: Short with black fruit as primary flavor.

Comments:
I have tasted the Paddock Shiraz from the same producer and thought it has a good QPR value. At this price point, there are wines of much better quality and more precise varietal characteristics than the '04 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon out there.

Many factors contribute to a wine's character. The grapes of this Cab is source from the Breede River Valley appellation (as in the Shiraz). Why does the Shiraz smell/taste better than the Cab? Is it due to the ripeness of the fruit... Is it because the Cab has higher residual sugar / lower acid content? (Shiraz: RS 2.6 g/l, Acid 5.9 g/l; Cab: RS 3.9. Acid 5.5 g/l)... Is it related to different winemaking techniques? Or is this wine plainly not up to par?

Who knows?

WBW #34: Washington State Cabernet - 2004 Pitch

The theme for WBW 34, hosted by Catie, is Washington State Cabernet, especially from the Walla Walla Valley Appellation. I have to admit that my knowledge of Washington State wine is limited, let alone wines from the Walla Walla region.

Browsing through a lot of wine stores in NYC, there are plenty of wines from Columbia Valley, but rarely would I came across one from Walla Walla. If I find one from that region, it rarely fits my budget. Well, my luck changed last week when I found this wine, 2004 Pitch Cabernet Sauvignon from Astor Wines at $13 full retail.

The 2004 Pitch is made up of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot & 25% Syrah. 14.4% abv. Not only is this wine not 100% cabernet Sauvignon, it a wine made with grapes grown outside of the Walla Walla appellation. However, the back label says 'Bottled by Dusted Valley Vintners, Walla Walla WA'. Well, a wine made with grapes sourced from Columbia Valley and bottled at Walla Walla? This should satisfy Catie's theme for this WBW.

Tasting Notes

Color: Dark Garnet with purple hue.

Nose: Big Cherry and oak at first; also yielding hints vanilla after wine opens.

Palate: A real fruit bomb. Full of dark berries - cassis and cherries. Integrated with notes of vanilla and oak. Angular and slightly thin.

Body: Medium.

Finish: Medium, sweetness of fruit with hint of chocolate. A mild touch of tannins.

Comment: Match this wine with a grilled shell steak and portebella mushroom, not particularly a great match but it works. It would match better with a rich pasta dish or grilled pork chop with apple sauce. As far as QPR is concerned, even at $13, I can find wines of better QPR out there.

Solevenian, American and French medley

This past Wednesday, my wonderful bartender friend Steve at Cafe Mae Mae is bidding farewell to the cafe and embark on a new career with the hospitality industry in France. To say Bon Voyage to Steve, I decided to stop by this charming cafe to have a drink with him.

Little did I know beforehand that by the time I left that place, I was treated with a medley of Solevenian Cabernet Sauvignon, American Fume Blanc, French Liquer Fabrique and finally a specialty drink called 'Escape' that is quite fitting for a nice sendoff for Steve. Not to mentioned a taste of the heavenly chocolate cake as dessert.

Wine tasted:
2004 Santomas Koper Cabernet Sauvignon, Slovenia
2005 Grgich Hills Cellar Fume Blanc, Napa Valley
NV L. Garnier Liqueur Fabriquee Par Les Peres Chartreux

2004 Santomas Koper Cabernet Sauvignon, Ludvik Nazarij Glavina Cellars, Slovenia

This table wine grade cabernet sauvignon is produced by the Ludvik Nazarij Cellars sourcing grapes from Koper, a sub-region of Primorje (meaning "near the sea"). The average age of the vines are fairly young, generally around 10 years old.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Dark ruby.

Nose: Typical cab - Currant, vanilla and toasty oak and a touch of heat.

Palate: Tannins quite soft, fairly well integrated. Quite smooth and balanced. Not particularly big and rather straight forward. The nose follows through to the palate yielding consistent notes of currant, vanilla and faint herbs.

Body: Medium.

Finish: Short but clean, tannins does not obscure the aftertaste.

Comment: What a pleasant surprise. This wine is 13.5% abv. Retail price is about $12 but it is hard to find in the US. Would definitely try again.

2005 Grgich Hills Cellar Fume Blanc, Napa Valley

Grgich Hills Cellar is built in partnership of Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a Croatian immigrant, Austin Hills and his sister, Mary Lee Strebl in 1977. The heart of the vineyard is located in Rutherford, Napa Valley. The grapes of this Fume Blanc is sourced from the American Canyon/Carneros area vineyards.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Golden straw.
Nose: Grassy, pear and toasty.
Palate: Rich and very balanced. Taste of grapefruit, vanilla and subtle oak. Zesty acidity.

Body: Full

Finish: Clean and crisp.

Comment: 14.2% abv. Fermented in 50% stainless steel, 50% 3-year-old French oak. Retail price is about $30 in NYC.

NV L. Garnier Liqueur Fabriquee Par Les Peres Chartreux VEP

Chartreuse (Chartreux) is a French liqueur composed of distilled wine alcohol flavored with extracts of 130 herbs and flowers. The liqueur is named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery where it is produced, which in turn is named after the Chartreuse Mountains, the region in France where the monastery is located.

With almost 400 years of history, Chartreuse is one of the oldest and most mysterious spirits still available. Only three monks from the order know the secret recipe, each hold one third of that recipe and all have taken a vow of silence, so the secret recipe is kept safely. The liqueur was originally created as an "Elixir of Long Life" in 1605 by Peres Chartreux. The formula was perfected over the years and by 1737 the liqueur was released to the world in a form that is close to what we drink today.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Golden yellow.
Nose: Initial rush of alcohol, followed by juniper, pine and exotic herbs after the liqueur warms up in the snifter.
Palate: Rich and very smooth. Layers of pine, juniper, herbs and slightly floral; hint of sweetness at the backend.
Body: Full.
Finish: Ridiculously long and savoury.

Comment: 54% abv. Retail price is about $100 in NYC. A nice after dinner drink.

2004 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine represents the first Californian cab I really drank in 2007. For the longest time, I have shied away from new world cab and concentrated on wines from left bank Bordeaux and Languedoc regions. Time for a change!

Ordered this Cabernet over lunch at a local wine bar for $10 by the glass. At a restaurant for a cab of this quality, it is really a good deal. Retail price at time of writing should be around $26-$30.

According to the producer, 2004 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon is 97% Cabernet and 3% Petit Verdot. The fruit of this wine comes from both Rutherford and local Napa Valley vineyards. Each vineyard block was harvested and made into an individual lot representing that block. The wines were pressed off the skins from 10 to 23 days after crushing. Blending generally takes place between January and April of the year following harvest and the wine is aged for 18 months in American oak barrels with 1/3 new wood.

Tasting notes:

Color: Dark ruby.

Nose: Fairly closed. Mostly currant and hints of vanilla.

Palate: Velvety and smooth with layers of warm dark fruit. Relatively thin at first. With air, the wine gains weight, Supple tannins begin to creep out. Other flavors also become more evident: cedar, spice possibly some leather. Very balanced but not a whole of of depth or complexity.

Body: Medium to full. Supple tannins.

Finish: Medium long. Notes of chocolate.

Comments:
According to the winemaker, 2004 was one of the earliest harvests in Napa Valley history. This wine already show signs of maturity and should peak in 2-3 years. If properly stored, it should drink well for 5 to 8 years after that. Buy 1 to lay down is not a bad idea.