WTN: The Dorks review California Reds

[Jenise]

Notes from a monthly blind tasting.

2013 Kendall-Jackson Merlot Grand Réserve Sonoma County
Dan's. It's so easy to brush off KJ as mass market plonk, but here's an immaculately balanced merlot with good flavor and typicity of grape and place. Alcohol logs in at 14.5 but honestly, it doesn't show. I don't buy KJ wines, but sipping this blind with a bunch of geeks wherein my expectations are generally above the marketplace this sells at earned some respect--it's not amazing or exactly what I love in wine, but as Dale Williams often points out, at parties where non-geeks show up with all kinds of industrial plonk I'd be grateful for wines this good. Tasting this was the kind of reminder we perhaps all need from time to time that brands like KJ have a place in the world. Good.

2011 Neyers Mourvedre Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County
Vic's. Light body, red fruit, nice but lacking any varietal typicity. Served blind wherein we knew only that one of the pair (the wine following) WASN'T California, the only thing we were sure about was that this wasn't the Californian. Wrong. Okay.

2009 Kiona Mourvedre Red Mountain
Vic's. Zinny, coconut nose, obvious American oak, perfumey, nail polish, red apple skin, seems younger than the previous wine which was actually two years older. Okay.

2005 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel Mancini Ranch Russian River Valley
Mine. Classic feminine, aged Swan zinfandel made a great impression on the group not previously exposed to the wonders of Swan's elegant, anti-monster style of zinfandel. Good acidity and time gave it a Nebbiolo-ish body with cloves, roses, Tang, and tea notes. Very good.

2012 Joseph Jewell Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Mark's. Medium bodied, even-handed, pure and polished with cherry, spice and no noticeable oak. Loved the alcohol numbers: 13.95. Not an ager but nice at $30ish retail. Good.

2011 County Line Syrah Russian River Valley
Tim's. A second label for Radio Coteau. Floral nose with cherry, a little tar and white pepper instantly suggest syrah. Notably pure and pretty. Everyone likes. Very good.

2013 Harrington Secateur California Red Blend
Chelsea's. At every tasting there seems to be one wine that comes out of left field and makes everyone go WHAA-AAT? This was that wine. Dark and dense in color. Initial funk blows off, revealing a beautiful, expressive, crunchy, pomegranate-y blend of complex goodness that made me immediately guess Thackrey. I was wrong, but I was close in spirit: medium to full bodied, it's a weirdly wonderful blend of teroldego, nebbiolo, pinot noir, charbono, trosseau, carignan and a few other things. And it's only $21??? Exceptional value; must buy some. Excellent.

2012 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Mine. Huge aromas, Grand Cru-level concentration. So developed in flavor everything thinks it's 3-5 years older. Plums, cherries, sassafras, pie crust, spice. WOTN for most. Outstanding.

2012 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains
Bart's. Cool climate and minerally pinot fruit with a streak of fire roasted red bell pepper. Has that schist-y thing around the tannins that I love in Santa Cruz mountains wines. Excellent.

2012 Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Mark's. Vitamins and plums, nicely structured and balanced. Big legs--suggests higher alcohol but I don't taste it. Very good wine. But at a difference of just $16 wholesale, it's completely blown out of the water by:

2010 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain Concept The Benchland Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Gabe's. Deep, deep aromas/flavors of black cherry, tobacco graphite, eucalyptus bark, black olives and iron rust. Awesome structure; Bordeaux-ish. Enchanting, compelling, sexy. THIS is why California cabernets will always own my heart (and I live in Washington). Outstanding.

2001 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley
Tim's. Dried red fruit, mint, and spice. No primary fruit left and teetering toward necrotic, but interesting.

2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty El Dorado County
Mine. Seriously tarry with roast ham and underbrush. Remarkable, spot-on Cote-Rotie flavors in an American wine that could actually pass in a blind of Northern Rhones. Don't have other bottles to compare it to but most likely at peak now. Blew everyone away. Several WOTN votes. Excellent.

Great notes, thanks -- you've made me want to go dig out an old (01) Swan Zin I appear to have in a box somewhere and see how it's doing! (Frati Vyd.)

ESJ sounds intriguing!!!

You know what, I've brought two ESJ's to your lunches, and neither showed the way I expected them to. So I take this one to someone else's tasting and voila, it's ALL there. Sorry!

The KJ Grand Reserve line which is a step up from their Vintners Reserve(VR) line, has been a surprisingly good source of reliable wines at a decent price point, especially the chards, ..Will also confess to having ordered a glass or more of their VR chard when all else fails re a restaurant.wine wine list
Shame about the Neyers wine, Evangelho Vyd is a pretty good source of fruit

I objected to the KJ terminology at a tasting given by them at our local US wine society. I stood up and asked if it was accurate that given their terminology (Vintner's Reserve = basic wine, Grand Reserve = better wine) didn't the term 'reserve' simply indicate any wine they hadn't poured down the drain. He finally admitted that was the case but wasn't happy about it.

Aside from that, I have even bought the odd bit of their wine - some have been very decent.

[Jenise]

The KJ Grand Reserve line which is a step up from their Vintners Reserve(VR) line, has been a surprisingly good source of reliable wines at a decent price point, especially the chards, ..Will also confess to having ordered a glass or more of their VR chard when all else fails re a restaurant.wine wine list.

Shame about the Neyers wine, Evangelho Vyd is a pretty good source of fruit

The Neyers might have suffered a little travel shock, I think it arrived by bicycle. In fact, there are three in this group who often arrive by bicycle. And what doesn't come by bike comes by Prius (unless you're me). This IS Bellingham, after all.

[Jenise]

I objected to the KJ terminology at a tasting given by them at our local US wine society. I stood up and asked if it was accurate that given their terminology (Vintner's Reserve = basic wine, Grand Reserve = better wine) didn't the term 'reserve' simply indicate any wine they hadn't poured down the drain. He finally admitted that was the case but wasn't happy about it.

Aside from that, I have even bought the odd bit of their wine - some have been very decent.

Oh, their abuse of the word 'Reserve' is reprehensible. They singled handled took all meaning out of the word. But the wines can be good. They seem to tune well to the marketplace, too; I know they've cleaned up the chardonnay, reduced the RS and oak influence in recent years as the mass market palate showed signs of changing.

[David M. Bueker]

It's been said before, but I will say it again, 2001 ESJs are rocking right now!

Might seek out the KJ Cab Gr Reserve.

I'm pretty certain I never had the Joseph Swan Mancini Ranch Zinfandel from 2005 but the 2007 vintage of that wine was one of my favorite Zins ever along with a few Ridge Lytton Springs or Geyserville and a Scherrer Old and Mature Zinfandel.