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Mad Dogs & Englishmen Jumilla Monastrell 2005

It was Noel Coward who penned the lampoon tune in 1932 what shares the name of this wine. The irreverant wit Coward was adept at poking fun at the snobbery of British aristocracy.

"At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done, But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun."

Mad Dogs & Englishmen the wine is another of the "wine-antisnob" Peter Click's imports, this one from Jumilla Spain. Jumilla is hot and dry, the kind of place where at midday one would be well advised to retreat and take a siesta. There Monastrell is the thing, a grape also known as Mourvedre. The 2005 vintage of Mad Dogs is half Monastrell (from 30-year-old un-grafted vines), plus 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Shiraz, barrel-aged.

Excellent value ($9). Closure: Neocork. Alcohol content: 14%.

Style: Fruit-forward, youthful and boldly seasoned, minerally.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby, translucent. Aromas: Cassis, loganberry and chocolate. Medium-bodied with moderate young tannins, the plethora of raspy fruit layers nicely over cocoa, white pepper and gravel. The finish is warm and dry as Noel Coward's wit.

Comment: Here's a no fuss way to hot the nail on the head with a Spanish red. Juxtapose it with filet mignon, medium rare.

Clean Slate Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Qba Riesling 2005

A German Riesling, specifically a Piesporter Goldtropchen was the first wine that I actually liked. That was 25 years ago. Fast forward to today and it's rare that I partake of the Mosel or the Rhine. The best German wines have gotten out of sight expensive and there are plenty of uninteresting ones to avoid. But this one is aptly named; a good place to start or start over.

Clean Slate is a partnership effort of Seattle-based Click Wine Group and Moselland of Bernkastel-Kues Germany. It is 100% Riesling and technically classified as Qualitätswein/QbA (pronounced kval-ee-TAYTS-vine), German for “quality wine". A QbA must come from one of the 13 designated wine areas in Germany, but it is the base level of estate quality and chaptalization (adding sugar before fermentation) is allowed when grapes do not get ripe enough on their own. QbA is the level below Qualitätswein mit Prädikat or QmP, which is further categorized with predicated levels including Kabinett, Spätlese, and so on.

Peter Click (Click Wine Group founder) has taken the typical confusing German wine label and simplified it considerably with this offering. Yet with the help of Winemaker Mathias Krämer, they deliver some real quality in the bottle. Clean Slate even took "Double Gold" Best Riesling at the 2006 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Excellent value ($11). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 10.5%.

Style: Light, bright fruit, no oak, off-dry, minerally.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale straw with a greenish tint. Aromas: Apricot, lemon drop and slate/mineral. Light on the tongue, there is a slight sweetness balanced by essential acidity, and the stone fruit and honey flavors are downright pretty in the juicy clean finish.

Comment: A good wine to sip earlier in the day than most.

K Vintners The Creator Walla Walla 2003

The fetching label etching featuring "K" vintner Charles Smith on the front, the white plastic sealing "wax" and the heavyweight bottle with its deep punt get your attention. Now that your mind is focused on the wine inside you might see the creator and the origin, Hallelujah!

K Vintners' proprietor Smith managed rock bands in Europe before settling in Walla Walla to make his signature wines. In addition to the cultish Creator, he makes the very popular "House Wine" Red blend which sells for about $10.

The aesthetic works for me. I like black and white, red wine, not to mention the Walla Walla vibe.

The Creator 2003 is 60% En Cerise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Seven Hills Vineyard Syrah.

Very nice value ($40). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%.

Style: Complex, earthy dark fruit and spice with some oak.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep purple eggplant, opaque. Aromas: Sweet spicy blackcurrant preserve is joined by earth and coffee. There's plenty of body but it's smooth to the touch and just lightly tart. The dark fruit lingers as a modicum of oak spice evolves in the resonating finish.

Comment: If I could afford to I would open this one frequently.

Taj of Cork & Demon Wine Blog got some great pictures of Charles and K Vintners along with a "must check out" interview last May. Go check it out.

Winewaves reviewed House Wine last year.

Rosenblum Santa Barbara Base Camp Syrah 2003

Some of the best Syrah comes from Santa Barbara County, and the "closeout" sale price on this Rosenblum beauty makes it extra attractive, a "no-brainer".

The Base Camp Vineyards are located in Los Olivios and produce grapes with plenty of sugar to make a big wine. Base Camp Syrah 2003 saw 18 months in 6/10 French, 4/10 American, 6/10 new oak. The wine has softened a bit after 19 months in the bottle, making it perfect now. Cases produced: 4041.

Outstanding value ($15, closeout). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14.9%.

Style: Fruit forward, lush with some oak spice.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby with a slight haze, semi-opaque. Aromas; Sweet spicy plum, blackberry and black raspberry. Soft-spoken and medium to full bodied, the rich oak spiced dark fruit flavors and roasted herbal notes echo nicely in the fruit-filled finish.

Chalone Monterey County Pinot Noir 2005

Complex enough to hold your interest for a few bottles, everything about this Chalone offering is on target, the flavor, texture and under-$15 price.

Winemaker Dan Karlsen reports Monterey County Pinot Noir 2005 has a small amount of Petite Sirah included for aded weight. Cases produced: 70,000.

Excellent value ($14). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%

Style: Red fruit and exotic spice, light and smooth.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Bright garnet, translucent. Aromas: Strawberry, red currant, leather, hints of clove and nutmeg. The mouthfeel is soft, velvety smooth and lightly tart. Red currant and clove flavors lead to a dry finish that liberates a hint of oak.

Victor Hugo Paso Robles Zinfandel 2005

Victor Hugo Roberts, proprietor of Victor Hugo Winery, is no relation to THE Victor Hugo, considered perhaps the best French poet, a dramatist, novelist, and a political activist of the 19th century, the author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

The modern day Roberts' Paso Robles vineyard and winery has grown over the past 20+ years to about 80 acres.

Victor Hugo Paso Robles Zinfandel 2005 is all estate fruit, aged 14 months in American oak. A poetic 799 cases were produced.

Very nice value ($20). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 15.2%.

Style: Lush, fruit-forward with some oak spice.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep dark cranberry with a purple haze, semi-opaque. Aromas: Loganberry, blackberry, dried cherry, raisin, spice and cocoa. Medium-to-full bodied with lots of backbone and flesh, the lush raspy dark fruit are sweetly flavored but dry and dusty, well integrated with oak, and the finish lingers warmly.

Comment: Paso Robles is for Hedonists. Enjoy with "Chateaubriand or nothing", or with loganberry and brie rolled in pastry, dipped in dark chocolate.

R. H. Phillips Night Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2005

Here's a wine paradox. It's easier to find a great deal on a Chardonnay than a Sauvignon Blanc, even though the latter is much less likely to see any costly oak. Vincor's R. H. Phillips Winery does an admirable job with their Night Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Dunnigan Hills, delivering a 1.5 Liter bottle at about the 750 ml. price.

Dunnigan Hills is over the Coast Range from Calistoga, some 30 miles East. The climate is warmer during the day so harvest takes place at night.

Excellent value: $13/1.5 Liter. Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 12.5%.

Style: Vibrant, citrusy, crisp and light.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale golden straw. Aromas: Quince, lime, cold blossoms, sage/grass. Light-bodied and nicely tart, the citrusy herbal flavors are refreshing in the clean dry finish which also shows a slight glint of flint.

Comment: Two for the price of one plus a dollar.

Rebel Wine Co. The Show Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

The Three Thieves, a.k.a. Charles Bieler, Joel Gott, and Roger Scommenga (a.k.a. Scommes), the guys who brought us those clever 1-Liter jugs, made a 50/50 deal with Trinchero Family Estates about two years ago forming the Rebel Wine Company. The goal of these odd bedfellows was to "liberate premium eclectic wine". Trinchero, parent of Sutter Home, needed some rebellious outsider thinking and the Thieves gained access to Trinchero's reach and bank. The venture came honky tonkin' to Nashville's Hatch Show Print for inspiration and "The Show" was born.

This California Cabernet is good, really. In fact, it could be the favorite house pour down at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge or any down home joint, like my house. But the genius of the offering is the genuineness communicated by the use of Hatch Show Print's archival letterpress graphics.

Hatch Show Print, founded in 1879 by brothers Charles and William Hatch, is now part of The Country Music Hall of Fame. Hatch has filled venues for many decades with their straightforward posters, each turned out by hand on crank presses, each inked with an artistic touch, each unique and expressive. In its first heyday, Hatch promoted circuses and traveling shows, country products like sausage and bread, jazz greats Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, the one-and-only B. B. King, and the stars of the Grand Ole Opry. Today, Hatch is busier than ever thanks to energetic fearless leader Jim Sherraden who breathed new life into the enterprise starting in the 1980's.

Countless companies and individuals now line up for a piece of the genuine character that’s cranked out down on lower Broadway. From Willie Nelson's upcoming new album cover, to posters for rock bands like Springstein to Coldplay to The Strokes, to Jack Daniels ads, to wedding invitations, to wine labels, Hatch is in demand.

Pictured above: Jim Sherraden and Brad Vetter

The Three Thieves tapped Hatch's young letterpress print artist Brad Vetter to design the three labels for The Show Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Vetter has been with Hatch about 2 years and previously designed a Three Thieves Jug poster, so he was enlisted once again. The Thieves' Charles Bieler had an idea of what he wanted and designer Vetter provided four outstanding alternatives. Three went forward, including his and my favorite, the one with the green parallax stripes behind the bucking bronco. Vetter, already a master of the medium, drew all the graphics from the existing archives of woodblocks and type at Hatch.

Technically speaking, The Show 2005 Cab is 80% Cabernet, the vast majority from Monterey and Paso Robles with a smidgen from Napa, plus 8% Merlot from Monterey, 6% Cab Franc from Napa, 3% Petite Sirah from Dry Creek and 3% Petite Verdot from Napa. The 10,000 cases produced saw French and American oak prior to bottling.

Excellent value ($15). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%.

Style: Lush, fruit forward, with some oak spice.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby with a purple tint, translucent. Aromas: Black cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla, sweet tobacco and hints of sage flowers. Spicy, moderately tart and medium-bodied, the mouth filling dried red to black fruit and spicy oak flavors lead to a bucking good finish.

Comment: The only watch out is the classy heavyweight bottle. You might think there is still some wine left in it and find yourself empty handed.

Be sure and stop in at Hatch Show Print on your next trip to Nashville, or pop the cork on a bottle of The Show and drop in to the Hatch website for a one-of-a-kind show poster or a monoprint signed by Jim Sherraden himself.

The Show even has a "MySpace" page.

Clarence Dillon Clarendelle Red Bordeaux 2003

A friend once gifted me a bottle of 1989 Haut-Brion and I must admit it was over my head, aristocratic, too complex for words, and at up to $1000/bottle I certainly couldn't have afforded it. Very recently, another friend gifted me this lovely bottle related to Haut-Brion, and this one really fits.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg has gone modern while paying due homage to his great-grandfather Clarence Dillon by introducing his line of negociant Bordeaux wines. The name Clarendelle derives from the name Clarence Dillon and the term Claret, with a nod to the femininity of its native France.

Clarence Dillon Clarendelle Red Bordeaux 2003 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Excellent value ($20). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Complex, new and old worldly, lightly floral, and elegantly fruity.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby with a purple edge, translucent. Aromas: Intense black cherry, black currant and berry, vanilla, floral notes and hints of cedar. Medium-bodied and well-structured with low to moderate acidity, the red to black fruit, cocoa and cedary notes finish with gravelly minerality.

Comment: Prince Robert is spot on with this consumer-friendly Bordeaux. Pair it with a rich pasta dish.

Chateau De Combebelle St. Chinian Changes Hands

The new Combebelle label pictured above came to Winewaves from Catherine Wallace. Catherine and partner Patrick Keohane bought Domaine de Combebelle in December 2005. Winewaves reviewed the 2000 vintage of Combebelle's Syrah-Grenache in January, 2007, and incorrectly attributed current ownership of the property to Robert Eden. Eden was owner at the time that wine was made.

Wallace and Keohane are continuing with the 10 year history of biodynamics on the property. They will release a new Vin De Pays Rose in May of this year, and a white wine from contract grown fruit soon after. Current plans also include planting Roussanne and Marsanne in 2008 as well as Cinsault and Carignan in the future.

In describing their purchase of the property from Robert Eden, Wallace states, "I am living my dream of one day owning a vineyard in France and making wines in a region I fell in love with many years ago now! I knew from a fairly young age (8 or 9 years old) that I would one day become a vigneronne and a Master of Wine.  I have succeeded with the former and am working on the latter!"

Wallace is the principal winemaker and favors an approach which expresses the unique terroir. Wallace and Keohane are currently in talks with stateside importers to bring their new label to the U.S. soon. A summary of the change of ownership as provided by Wallace may be downloaded by clicking here.

The previous Robert Eden label is pictured (right - click the image for a larger version), or click here view the recent review of the 2000 vintage Combebelle Syrah Grenache.