Week 6 Virtual Tasting Series for Charity - Big Red Wines for Kids' Kloset program of (914) Cares JAN 3-10

Theme: BRW - Big Red Wines

Charity: My designated charity this year is Kids’ Closet (https://www.914cares.org/kids-kloset/), which provides clothing and related items for young children in Westchester County. Although we have some of the wealthiest communities in the United States, we also have some very poor ones, with 35% of the public school children qualifying for reduced price school lunch. We just sponsored a Secret Santa program for a class of young kids in Brooklyn where the kids were asked to write letters to us telling us one thing that they needed and one thing that they wanted. Warm coats, winter boots and sweaters made regular appearances in the letters. Without being overly political, I think it’s horrible that we have children without warm clothes in the winter in a place that snows.

Format: It’s time to put on your Big Boy pants and drink some real wine instead of that wimpy stuff from The Loire. If I can drink a Pierre Breton Cabernet Franc, I expect that Alf will drink Saxum. In order to avoid confusion by the Burgheads who think that left bank Bordeaux is a BRW, I will be more explicit than in past years and specify wines and winemakers that qualify. Other wines will be considered on a case by case basis. So here is the list of acceptable wineries and winemakers.

Any wine made by, or for which any of the following people were consultants, or the designated wineries:

Thomas Rivers Brown (Rivers Marie, Schrader or Outpost BEFORE the sale to the evil empire, etc.)
Phillipe Cambie (Clos St. Jean and others)
Justin Strider Smith (Saxum)
Mike Smith (Myriad, Quivet)
Manfred Krankl (SQN)
Marc Aubert (Aubert)
Christophe Baron (Cayuse, No Girls)
MacDonald (Graeme)
Mike Officer (Carlisle)
Chris Cottrell (Bedrock) - Yeah, I know MTW is the principal winemaker, but Chris is from Staten Island and his mother went to elementary school with one of my colleagues, so he gets the mention.
Scarecrow (Celia Welch)
Bevan Cellars (Russel Bevan - BUT only the red wines!!)

Other wineries and winemakers will be considered on a case by case basis.

$5 for a serious tasting note and an extra $5 for a photo of you drinking it.

Special challenge awards:

  1. I will buy a complete winter coat for a kid who really needs it in exchange for a posted video of Alf drinking an entire bottle of Saxum. Dead time in between glasses may be edited out.

  2. I’ll think of some more later, but I wanted to get a jump on letting Alf prepare the video.

Bevan wines OK for the challenge?

A worthy cause, I’m in.

His conversations aren’t THAT bad…

I’m going to check my stash to see if I have any of these. My guess is that I do, and this sounds like a good time to open that bottle.

Yes, sorry, of course. I own a bunch and was going to list them but forgot.

How about bigger Pinots than TRB from the other Brown?

  • 2016 Cirq Pinot Noir Bootlegger’s Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/2/2020)
    Paul brought this which quickly put a smile on my face because the gang had tasted this wine from a shiner at the winery. This is a big red wine, for pinot noir, but not overtly sweet. Yeah, it’s ripe, fruity, and delicious with rounded tannins and light oak note. Difficult not to enjoy this wine while chatting away the evening with friends.

Posted from CellarTracker

We really enjoyed a 2005 Araujo Estate CS. Pop and pour. Good from the start. But really opened with decant. Nice mouth feel and layers. Good to go for at least several years.

2015 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (1/3/2020)
Consistent with past experiences, this is a big wine, but it does not show heat or heaviness. It’s soft, supple, and sort of glides down. If I regularly drank wine as a cocktail this is the sort of wine I would want. Of course I would end up asleep before dinner, but probably with a smile on my face.

Not my usual cup of tea, but once in a while this is just what the wine geek ordered.

Posted from CellarTracker

Bump. Come on boys and girls. I went out yesterday and bought a kid’s size winter coat with a quilted removable vest and a knit cap to give away in the hopes that Alf will take the Saxum challenge. Tonight I’m making Shitake Mushroom Beef Stew with organic German Red Garlic from Hood River, Oregon, which will be a perfect accompaniment to a big red wine.

Better odds of Alf pouring it over his head than down his gullet.

I’ll find something to open this week that qualifies.

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2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel


Always amazed at the value of the basic Bedrock zin. Last of my 2014’s. Intoxicating nose of red berries, spice, mocha, and organic earth. Similar flavors on the palate, with also a touch of menthol. This wine has opened up nicely with a few years sideways, with some of the tannic structure having softened while maintaining its bright acidity. No harm in keeping these another 2-3 years, but drinking great currently.

Cheers, Jay and thanks for donating to this cause

I found a bottle from the Philippe Cambie / Michel Gassier collaboration Les Halos de Jupiter at Total Wine.

2016 Les Halos de Jupiter Vacqueyras
This wine did not have me at hello. No smile or friendly pat on the shoulder; instead a stern expression and a firm, standoffish handshake. Dense dark purple-red. Gravel on the nose. Taste is deep, dry, almost vegetal fruit stirred in gravel sauce. Finishing dryly spicy, slightly burnt, and a bit tart. I decided to taste the wine over a few days to see if it might become friendlier. I drank it alone and even tried to meet it more than halfway by pairing with an extra pepperoni pizza one night and with a cheese plate that included cured meat and olive tapenade tonight. The wine by the end was giving me more of its fruit, blended with some kind of dry, spicy, stony taste that was different to me but very appealing. There is a long aftertaste. This is a wine that asked me to sit back and think about it. Maybe I opened this wine too young, or should have aerated longer right from the start, but based on my tasting over a few days, I think that this wine has promise.

I was a little surprised at how this wine showed so slowly, because Philippe himself is actually a pretty gregarious guy. It took a little while . . . but we are good now!
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2012 Sine Qua Non Stock Syrah: Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red/purple to rim. Vibrant nose of blackberries and plums, some oak and spice. Full body, lush layered ripe fruit but not sweet, good balance, flavors follow the nose, no excess oak or alcohol, a little tannin evident on a long finish. Should drink well for another decade or more. A delight on its own and matched with grilled ribeye. Outstanding.

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Since most of you are wimping out, I decided to post one of my own. With shitake and oyster mushroom beef stew.

  • 2017 Cayuse Flying Pig - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (1/5/2020)
    Just a baby. Decanted for an hour and then followed for two more. Each sip is better than the previous one. This is what a left bank Bordeaux would taste like if only they had enough sun to ripen the grapes. Excellent craftsmanship with balance even at a young age. Tannin is manageable. Not really fruit driven at this stage of development. A bit of almost Barolo violet on the nose. The palate has a bit of chocolate, dark brooding red fruit and a very smooth presentation shockingly lacking in rough edges despite its youth. ABV is 14.1%, which is far from excessive even though more than a left bank wine.

Why is it called Flying Pig? Because the winemaker, Christophe Baron, was asked when he would make a cabernet in Washington State and his response, predictable for a Frenchman who grew up in Champagne and trained in Burgundy, said, “When Pigs Fly.” I’m guess that in 10 years this will be a 95+ point wine. It’s my first Flying Pig and I’ve never had an old one, so I can’t be sure.

I opened this for my own wine challenge on Wineberserkers. Every year, Frank Murray III starts a wine challenge in which each of us chooses a theme for a week, others drink wine to the theme, and the challenger must donate to charity for each TN posted on the theme. FMIII starts and then a handful of us follow. My charity this year is Kids Kloset, a local program to provide clothes to underprivileged kids in the area. My theme is Big Red Wines and Flying Pig definitely qualifies. Check out Wineberserkers.com under the caption “Week 6 Virtual Tasting Series for Charity - Big Red Wines for Kids’ Kloset Program of (914) Cares JAN 3-10” for more details. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I did not know the story on this wine but just read it on their website. I suppose if people insist on pinot noir, then they have to be either Rivers Marie, Aubert or something from Kosta Browne, and since Kosta Browne sold out, then something made by Browne (spelled correctly) will qualify.

2017 Rivers Marie Occidental Ridge Pinot Noir - 90
This is a cab drinkers pinot. It’s really a matter of style preference. The level of stem inclusion and oak along with time in barrel is more than my personal preference. The balance was skewed toward a oak and deep profile with some spice and pepper at the end. Significant stem inclusion. It packs a little heat. Feels like a 14.3 to 14.5 although range is lower on the bottle. Dark and blue and black brooding fruits like blueberry and sour plum on taste. It is a heavier style of pinot. Very opaque dark wine color on entry and throughout.

Would recommend 2+ years for the oak tannins to integrate. Does create a bit of a pucker after tasting. Mouth feel is fine until the end when the tannins build up on the palate. Perhaps there’s bottle variation. Otherwise, I don’t get the higher ratings on CT and AG. I have had other 95’s and this doesn’t compare. Perhaps will give it another few years and try again.

I’m looking through my cellar to see what might qualify. How about any of:
Turley? Once & Future? Petite Sirah? Ty Caton?

2014 Mending Wall Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark fruit (cassis, plum, blueberry), earth, and smoke, with some minerals, spice, licorice, hints of herbs, cedar, and a streak of sweet red cherry fruit over it. Juicy acidity, fine, lightly grippy tannins, and a medium-long finish. Medium bodied. 14.5%, no hint of warmth. Delicious TRB wine. It’s drinking really well right now, though a few years wouldn’t hurt.

92 points

I’m flexible. Most people would agree that Turley, at least before Teagan took over as winemaker, qualify as Big Red Wines.