Sauvignon Blanc Day with 2010 Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Apparently today is "Sauvignon Blanc Day", though if it is, the buzz hasn't been nearly as potent as last September's Cabernet Day or the Chardonnay Day of a few months ago. Hell, it hasn't been as talked about as "Merlot Day", when I got to taste and tweet about an awesome merlot from Cana's Feast. The premise behind these "_____ Day" events is to taste and talk about the featured varietal by using social media. On Twitter, users will add the "#SauvBlanc" or "SauvignonBlanc" hashtag to their tweets. This makes it easy to search for the tweeps (Twitter users) who are participating.

That didn't stop me from trying to participate, though my tasting notes and general writing style might be a bit lacking. The past two nights have seen me do overnight shifts at work, where I go in at 8pm and leave sometime between 4am and 5am. Maybe I need to start looking for other jobs! Anyone?

I opened a bottle of 2010 Stoneleigh Marlborough sauvignon blanc this afternoon while in the midst of a sleep deprived daze. This was a sample and I have been meaning to taste it for a few weeks now, "Sauvignon Blanc Day" gave me a perfect excuse. But really, do I ever need an excuse to open wine? Of course not!

The Stoneleigh comes in at 13.0% alcohol, a normal amount for New Zealand and other New World sauvignon blancs but higher than Bordeaux or Loire sauvignon blancs.

Right away the 2010 Stoneleigh smells a lot like other examples from New Zealand. The strongest scent was a grassy, herbal note. Underneath that were hints of stone fruit and a tropical aroma reminiscent of freshly sliced passion fruit. While the herbs dominate, those sweeter fruit flavors help buttress the bouquet, preventing it from descending into the hell that is overly acidic sauvignon blanc aromas.

Remember in the previous paragraph when I likened overly acidic sauvigon blanch to hell? If you like riper, more fruit oriented sauvignon blancs like St. Supery, or the JAQK "Charmed" bottling, stop reading. The 2010 Stoneleigh sauvignon blanc is an acid monster, bone dry in a there-goes-my-tooth-enamel-wait-what's-that-pain kind of way. If you successfully navigate past the acidity you're rewarded with beautifully balanced herb and tropical fruit notes with even a touch of minerality. Actually quite good, but the acidity kicks around so much that my palate, at least, felt like it needed to take a break and have some Gatorade.

I actually enjoyed this wine a lot, it's more acidic than something like a Parducci sauvignon blanc but that's what I expect out of New Zealand. Whenever I taste an acid monster, I'm reminded that sauvignon blanc does love to be paired with food, and this is a great sushi wine, or something with pasta. That acidity cuts right through rich sauces and cheese. My pairing was macaroni and cheese, one of my favorite comfort foods ever, and the wine's acidity cut through the rich cheesy goodness, keeping the meal harmoniously balanced.

For about $17 (found on wine.com), you get a top-notch New Zealand sauvignon blanc, kudos go to Stoneleigh for making a tasty wine in a tough year. B+. BUY recommendation.

This wine was a media sample for review purposes.

Beau Carufel

JAQK Comes Back With Sauvignon Blanc, It's Charmed!

Another wine from JAQK Cellars, who've produced a cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and a merlot that I have loved (and reviewed) already. The bottle of chardonnay they sent me turned out to be corked unfortunately, so that will not be reviewed. I say that not to blame the wine maker or winery, merely to point out the single biggest problem with cork closures.

The 2008 JAQK "Charmed" Sauvignon Blanc though, was delightful and much appreciated by my dinner guests last week. Since I cooked a hearty chicken and tomato dish, I chose a red wine to pair with it but needed a white wine to appease my friends Karen and Sabina. This was sitting in my wine fridge and I had wanted a chance to open it since last month, the result was wonderful.

To go down a different path for a moment, I really admire the JAQK Cellars packaging. Their labels are great to look at and unconventional, yet remain easy to decipher. For the non-wine-geek, making sense of all the letters and numbers on a label is intimidating and may lead to choosing generic, bland wines. I'm not saying that a flashy label makes up for shitty juice though, just that a fun but legible way to tell consumers what's in the bottle remains something the wine industry needs to work on. Honestly, what the hell does a bounding kangaroo tell me about what's inside the bottle?

Getting back on track, I tasted the sauvignon blanc at about 58 degrees F and made my tasting notes, then chilled it for my two friends. I'll also explain my impressions after the wine spent 30 minutes in an ice bucket and I tasted it again.

Bright tropical fruit and citrus on the nose, the subtlest hints of perfume and a dash of oak too. Smooth and crisp, I hit on guava, nectarine and grapefruit flavors along with a tiny bit of vanilla manifesting as a richer, deeper note on the finish. I liked the balance struck between a fresh, vibrant style and a lusher, more fleshy style. According to the JAQK website, their 2008 Charmed spent six months in oak, sur lie. Lees are leftover (dead) yeast cells and bits of grape skins, seeds and stems that float around in the wine after fermentation. If you leave the wine unfined, the intent is to give it a fleshier mouth-feel and texture, generally speaking of course. In some cases, this is done with sauvignon blanc to balance out the varietal's naturally high acidity. There was no malo-lactic fermentation on the 2008 JAQK Charmed, meaning that there was no buttery or buttered popcorn flavor to be found, much to my delight. While I do enjoy some malo-lactic treatment, in my opinion it's far overused in California.

Tasted after being chilled for 30 minutes, the acidity was much more pronounced, in addition to a stronger citrus and guava note, the perfume though had disappeared. I was still able to make out a bit of oak on the finish but that wasn't distracting and enhanced the experience.

My friends Karen and Sabina really enjoyed this wine, and used words like "bright", "dry", "fruity", and "really good!" to describe it. I asked them to guess the suggested retail price and both of them said "about $20". Since they aren't wine drinkers, I suspect they tried to game me since they know a bit about what I pay for wine. Then again the JAQK Charmed Sauvignon Blanc is listed at $19 but I've found it for a low as $13, which turns it into a QPR monster.

My friends and I enjoyed the wine, food, and conversation. They even tasted my red selections but found them to be "bitter", "strong", "rough"..Music to my wine-geek ears I suppose! Considering the JAQK offering, it's an easy B+ from me and if you see it, pick up a bottle or two. Some suggested pairings would be chicken and pasta, turkey burgers, pesto pizza and your loved ones.

This wine was a media sample.

Beau Carufel

Back (again) to JAQK, I AM Drinking this $!%&'ing Merlot!

The market for premium merlot doesn't seem to be a big one, but there are some amazing examples available. Names like Selene, Leonetti, and Whitehall Lane remind us that Miles was dreadfully wrong to write off merlot. On the other hand, if you've had the supermarket-plonk merlot, it's hard to find fault in his proclamation.

Wine lovers should forever remain open-minded, especially with it comes to their tasting habits. While you or I may not like a particular varietal in one instance, perhaps trying that same varietal again but from a different producer or region will yield a differnet result. So then, the example I present is with merlot, a much-maligned grape, yet one that is found in some of the greatest wines in the world from Bordeaux to California and back.

I tasted another offering from JAQK Cellars after having previously tasted a syrah and a cabernet sauvignon from them in January. This is their Bone Dance Merlot, continuing the theme of gaming related labels. The name refers to a pair of dice bouncing across a table, since dice were traditionally made of bone. I'd urge you to check out the links to those previous reviews to get a sense of the quality that JAQK Cellars is attaining.

 

Here again I am making a conscious effort to look at hte color of the Bone Dance and compare it to other merlots I have had. There's a wall of purple in the center of my glass, opaque and solid looking. As I look towards the edges though, the wine's color lightens towards a nearly violet hue.

I waited patiently for an hour before smelling and tasting, to try to maintain some kind of systemic consistency to my reviews. The first two things I smelled were vanilla and blueberries, like a blueberry cream tarte fresh out of the oven. Both were strong, what I would call the primary aromas. Secondary aromas, those that I can discern but are more nuanced would be hints of chocolate and black currant. There is a bit of alcoholic heat that distracts, which to me is somewhat disappointing. Still the JAQK Bone Dance has a positively luxurious nose, one that showcases a lot of what can make merlot a superb wine.

The flavors surprised me, as did the structure. I was able to taste the vanilla oak and some mixed berry jam quite easily. Hiding in there were a more dark chocolate flavor and some firm tannins. Texturally the tannins weaved a nice tapestry throughout the wine, even lending some body to the finish. Unfortunately, the finish was a bit abrupt for me, I wished for something with more carry-through. Interestingly I detected a bit of a raspberry puree note right as the wine tapered off, like the kind of puree you'd get on top of a dark chocolate dessert. This pleased me, being an avowed fan of raspberries.

For a suggested retail of $25, the Bone Dance doesn't blow you out of the water but it is very well put together. Texturally interesting wine, great tannin and some wonderful aromatics. A couple of things, the alcoholic tickle on the nose and the too-abrupt finish left me wishing this wine lived up to its potential though. Still, you could do a lot worse, especially at the price point. The 2007 JAQK Cellars Bone Dance Merlot shows how good merlot can be and is a well-priced wine. I thought for a while and ended up giving the wine a B. For you points-lovers, I would give this an 84 points. Not bad wine at all, perhaps just needs some more time in bottle.

This was a media sample from the winery.

Beau Carufel

Surprise In a Glass, 2006 Waterstone Cabernet

You might be thinking "great, like the world needs another $25 Napa Valley cabernet"..There is no fault in such sentiment, because the market is awash with wines around this price. Unfortunately, a lot of those wines have quality issues, leaving the drinker disappointed. The flip side is that the economic downturn has reduced prices on wine (and grapes) allowing the wine drinker more choice at his or her desired price level.

Critics are gushing over the 2007 vintage up in Napa and Sonoma, well Bob Parker and Jim Laube are at least. Wines from that vintage don't seem to have much trouble moving, especially when the (sadly ignorant) consumer sees a 92 point Parker or Wine Speculator Spectator score. This is all relative to price and market segment, of course. Don't want any anal retentive readers frothing at the mouth just yet! A compelling argument against the "points are dead!!!!" crowd not withstanding.

A few weeks back I was sent a sample of 2006 Waterstone Cabernet Sauvignon, from Napa Valley. This isn't pure cabernet though, with 17% merlot and 4% cabernet franc rounding out the blend. While the alcohol varies from 14.5%-14.9% depending on whether you look at the bottle or the website, that's still too high in my opinion. My now-familiar refrain about lower alcohol levels is old hat, yet I will gladly continue to shout it from the rooftops.

(img via: http://www.brix26.com/images/products/waterstone_2006_cab.jpg)

Great cabernet color in my glass, very dark ruby that gets a touch pale at the outer edges. There isn't anything crazy or unique about the color, which might as well be taken as a good sign. That said, I've resolved to get better at examining color since red wines seem to me to be varying shades of purple or garnet/ruby, without much variation. Then again, such a generic color profile might be more indicative of the wines I've been drinking lately.

With that little evaluation out of the way I can focus on what this 2006 cabernet smells like. Lots of cedar, earth, sweet berries and some hints of baking chocolate slathered onto an oak plank. I like the complexity and effect of a few primary scents that tend to dominate, yet are in fact restrained by the secondary aromas.

A taste brings a rollicking good time with big tannins making the entrance, paving the way for herbs, cassis, a plummy vanilla note, and oak. Nice finish too, doesn't last too long and is only marred by some alcoholic heat that tickles the back of my throat. The 2006 Waterstone is one of the more food-friendly cabernets that I have tasted lately. Wonderful body across the entire range of flavors, I honestly believe the only knock against this wine is that alcoholic finish.

At a suggested retail of $26, the 2006 Waterstone is not bad at all and drinks a lot better than some $50+ cabs I have tasted in the past year. When I searched around on google, I was able to find this wine for less than $20, which makes it a real keeper. I'd like to pick up another bottle and taste it against some other Napa cabernets like the 2007 Franciscan, 2007 Chateau St. Jean, and 2007 JAQK Cellars. Seeing how a slightly-under-the-radar wine like this would do is the kind of thing that gets wine geeks all tingly. I give this wine a B and a BUY recommendation. Deliciously tasty juice at a very affordable price. I wish these guys much success down the road. Decant or open three hours before serving to let that alcohol blow off and then enjoy!

This wine was a media sample.

Beau Carufel

Back to JAQK With 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon

In my previous blog post, I talked about JAQK Cellars, a relative newcomer to the California wine scene. With winemaker Craig MacLean producing some delicious wines, and a talented winery team, I think these guys and gals will be doing some great things in the near future. So tonight we have another tasty wine from JAQK Cellars, their 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

2006 JAQK Cellars 22 Black Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Great color, reminds me of a dark ruby and seems to whisper "watch how classy I will be". Smoke, aromas like a fresh baked berry pie and even a touch of earth weave impressive complexity for the olfactory sense. Up to this point, I am enjoying myself thoroughly while only using sight and smell. Occurrences such as this are rare and to be enjoyed, savored even. I'm reminded how a wine can subtly seduce us by enticing various senses, teasing them even. The first sip brings mouth-filling tannin, black currant, blueberry and oak that finishes a bit abruptly. So far that is my only gripe, I wish for a more elegant finish, one that matches the approach we get from 22 Black. My second sip discovers some hints of tobacco and leather, even a touch of black cherry but again with the too-short finish.

Since the JAQK 22 Black (I love typing that!) is 84% cabernet sauvignon, 14% merlot and 2% syrah, trying to pin down a specific flavor profile isn't something I'm trying to do while tasting this wine. While there are elements here of traditional Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, the addition of merlot brings some riper fruit and the syrah perhaps adds depth through the mid-palate in the form of a tobacco and spice flavor.

Wine is personal to each of us though, and while I respect those who enjoy a quick exit by a wine, I wish for more. Still, the 2006 JAQK 22 Black is a delicious wine, one that I would love to buy and serve to my friends. For pairing, I think braised short ribs or a bone-in New York strip (medium rare please) would match up almost perfectly. This is a wonderful example of wine made by someone who knows what they are doing. B+ and a BUY recommendation. For $27, this costs exactly what it tastes like. If you, gentle reader, happen to see 22 Black for less than the suggested retail price, buy a bottle and let me know what you think.

Beau Carufel

Stacking the Deck with JAQK Cellars Syrah

New labels seem to pop up every week. When I first started in the wine business, about nine years ago, this phenomenon was rare and seemingly relegated to the high end, cult Napa cabernet labels. Back then, every six months brought a new, $100+ bottle sourced from the apparently inexhaustible supply of cabernet sauvignon grapes Napa Valley produces.

I think it's a fair summation to say that I became skeptical of these "amazing" new producers who "expressed the soul of cabernet sauvignon" through "meticulous vine management and vinification techniques". In other words, it all starts to sound like the same shit. Fast forward a few years, the real estate bubble bursts and the money propping up the new, lacking-of-track-record labels evaporated like the value of a San Diego duplex. Grapes are now everywhere, you throw a stone in Northern California and you hit grape vines (and probably a vineyard owner/manager too!). Hundreds of new labels are popping up, at lower prices but equally good quality as before. Vintners aren't going to let a little Global Financial Crisis change the way they make wines and the fruit is still grown by the same vineyard managers in the same vineyards.

My point is much more brief than the rant you have just read through. There are a lot of grapes available and a lot of very talented winemakers looking to turn those grapes into delicious wine. One of those winemakers is Craig MacLean. Crag has produced award winning wines at places like Cain Vineyards and Spring Mountain Vineyards, so he obviously knows how to make great wine. His latest project, which I just recently became aware of, is JAQK Cellars.

Last week I was invited to a tasting of wines from JAQK Cellars down at the Wine Bank in downtown San Diego. While prior commitments prevented me from attending, David Dees, their national sales representative was able to leave me some samples to taste. I'll be featuring each of the six wines in this blog and talking about why I think, as new labels go, the JAQK Cellars wines are the real deal.

2007 JAQK Cellars Soldiers of Fortune Syrah Napa Valley - Opaque purple at it's center, light at the edges and with some elegant legs. Some wines have stage presence in the glass, this is one of those wines. Stick your nose in the glass, earth, spice box, graham cracker come back at your face! A touch of heat tickles the nostrils and at 15.1%, the JAQK is potent! Syrah, when done correctly, exhibits grippy but integrated tannins instead of super creamy vanilla oak. See Washington state for good examples, and see this 2007 Soldiers of Fortune too. I bet another five years in the bottle would be great, the tannins would soften and allow some fruit to come out. As it stands, the palate is dominated by dark chocolate, dried black cherry, earth, and crushed pepper. I'm digging how everything goes down, there's a ripeness yet a complexity in harmony here. Absolutely solid juice. A- and a BUY recommendation. Check the $43 SRP but find it for less with research!

Beau Carufel