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A to Z Wineworks Night & Day Oregon Red 2005

There is a Samuel Johnson quote on the back label that states, "The fact of twilight does not mean you cannot tell day from night." The choice of this obscure yet provocative and timely bite of wisdom from 300+ years ago would have to make you curious about what's in the bottle. It's a fair sight better than the reading on the back label of most bottles, or anything I could write. As they said in the 70's, "heavy, man". One would have to expect a deep wine experience to justify that line.

You won't be disappointed. There isn't a lot of buzz about wines from the Rogue Valley and surrounding area in southern Oregon. This part of the country is really out there. You can still get lost here, or perhaps you might "find yourself". A to Z Wineworks might have called this wine "Lost & Found", but "Night & Day" works fine. The points are, this is a well made Bordeaux-style blend and it's one that makes you think, maybe too much. This isn't a wine for mindless consumption.

A to Z Night & Day 2005 is 33% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, plus 6% Syrah, 6% Grenache, 6% Sangiovese, 2% Nebbiolo and 2% Tempranillo. The minor components stray from the Bordeaux theme, but tireless blending is a mark of the A to Z Wineworks. Often this skill is put to use assembling lots of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, in search of synergy. Fortunately, they have not stopped with these better known Oregon grapes.

You might go on and on trying to describe this one, just as you might keep thinking about that Dr. Johnson quote on the back label. I'll say the aromas run the gamut of berries, from black to red, and there's tobacco and oregano in there with the fruit. The black is the base note, and the red is the melody. As you keep sniffing it, you pick up subtle wood spice, the atmosphere. On the tongue the intensity increases, there is pepper, and dusty cocoa tannins carry the mixed berry liqueur flavors through a rocky finish.

What did Dr. Johnson mean? I'm not sure, so how about another easier to get quote of his. "Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others."

Price: $15 (Nashville). Closure: Screw cap. Alcohol content: 13.9%.

Château Candale Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2005

Wine making dates back 1800 years in Saint-Emilion, yet there seems to be plenty of controversy these days about the wine from here. Who are the top chateaux and who are not? This is the subject of a 2006 classification and more recently, a contrary court ruling earlier this year. Then, there is continuing talk about garagistes, rogue vintners who are known to make wine "out of a garage", willing to clash with gustatory traditions, and not shy about their asking prices.

Chateau De Candale is the second Adams French Vineyards 2005 Bordeaux I've tasted and reviewed here on Winewaves. I like Ch. Lagarosse, and I like Candale even more. In describing this wine, start at the end and work your way back to the beginning. The finish is lengthy and grows on you, and that's what you're probably looking for when spending $35 for a bottle. In this price range, length counts. The fruit eventually disappears, but the rocks stay on your tongue more than long enough to text your friends about it.

This is not an overly alcoholic wine, nor is it a fruit bomb. This is a fruit symphony in a major key, performed in such a way to make you stop and listen, an arresting presentation. There is a modernity to the way you are moved by this wine, a sense that the credit isn't all due to the grapes and the soil they spring from. Can you taste the conductor of this symphony?

Working back to the beginning, the texture is polished, and the flavors are layered. You taste a wealth of cherry and red berry flavors, from tart juice to dried fruit, demonstrating excellent balance, This comes on the heels of beautiful perfumed aromas of cherries, red currants, gentle cinnamon-like spice and a number of other essences that together bring to mind fine aged bourbon whiskey. There is a slight haze to the dark ruby color.

The blend is 80/20 Merlot/Cabernet Franc. Aging was 20+ months in reportedly all new French oak barrels. Less than 800 cases were produced.

Robert Parker says Saint-Emilion rates 99 points for the 2005 vintage. Most people will be looking for the big names that can be cellared for years or even decades. Here is a sensational buy for those like myself who are less patient and want to know what all the buzz is about now.

Price: $35 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Château Lagarosse Premières Côtes De Bordeaux 2005

The 1980's were a good time to be discovering wine. Napa was just beginning to focus on the classic worldly varietals and turn out competitive product. (And there were no traffic jams or limousines to interfere with your quest.)  Washington State was in the hands of Mom and Pops, just a curiosity. No one had heard of Merlot. Riesling was important. And the old world was where the sophistication was. Back then, for the average American, wine was just beginning to transition from Mateus, Lancer's and Boone's Farm, to Bordeaux, Spätlese, Mondavi, and Lytton Springs. Robert Parker struck a chord with his book about Bordeaux, touting the 1982 vintage and whetting everyone's appetite. You could actually buy a label that said Pauillac, Margaux, Graves, St-Julien or St-Estèphe, starting at less than $20. Once upon a time, I bought this respectable Pauillac, Château Batailley 1982, for under $16.

Now, when someone who is the age I was in 1985, comes into the store looking to buy a Bordeaux, curious, wanting to know the differences between the left and right banks, they usually go away empty handed. For $20, you just can't buy a label from a well known appellation. You have to pony up $50 and up, or look to the suburbs of Bordeaux, so to speak. Neither is all that satisfying an alternative. Your research begs you to compare a Pauillac to a Pomerol, to see the what difference the soil, the grape and the proximity to the river makes, but you question if that knowledge is worth a couple of hundred dollars.

Still there are bargains to be had, if you can look past the old world to the new, and Château Lagarosse is on that list. "A group of American investors", called Adams French Vineyards, purchased and have been renovating a group of Château to create a solid portfolio of approachable Bordeaux. The well-known and already well-exposed Michel Rolland is part of the management team of this endeavor, and he is putting his stamp on each bottle.

Château Lagarosse is located in Premières Côtes De Bordeaux, which is south of the high end appellations, but not too far from Saint-Èmilion. Château Lagarosse is chiefly Merlot, as you might expect. The exact blend is listed as 80% Merlot, with 10% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This is Merlot with a French twist, a decidedly bigger personality than the typical California Merlot. At the finish line, this is Merlot that engenders respect for Merlot.

Expect a very aromatic nose, big on berries and almost candy-like, with flavors that run deeper, more towards cassis, black cherry and lots of rocks. Bordeaux wines run the gamut of styles, and some are really over my head. This one is nicely heady, makes you think, but stays accessible. There is plenty of tannic structure there. Robert Parker has assessed the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux with an overall 95 rating, one of the best in recent times. This wine is a testament to the quality of the vintage. You could probably even cellar it a while, but don't forget about it!

Price: $16 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

When In Boise, El Dorado, or Alberta...

For years I brought wine with me when traveling by air. It's been a year since the rule went into effect prohibiting bringing a bottle of wine through security, and my tactics have adapted. As soon as we get where we're going, I'm bottle shopping. I feel I've hit the trifecta when I find a convenient grocery with nice fresh fruit offerings, a Starbucks inside, and a well stocked wine department.

Recent trips have turned up some notable local quaffs that make the grade and don't cost a lot. They're not Opus One, but it would be a shame to pay a lot for a "road bottle" since usually I only get halfway through it (alright, two-thirds) before going to bed. The next day I'm on to the next place. If a road bottle has a screw cap, all the better since corkscrews are a no-go in carry-on baggage and not all hotels have one available. Fortunately it's still okay to bring wine glasses on board and I'm never without my Reidel "O"s which occupy the center slot in my padded camera and laptop case.

Here are some local finds from the latter half of August.
Boise, Idaho: Sawtooth Winery 2005 Skyline Red. ($10 at Safeway, Screw Cap, 14.5% Alcohol). Think of a stout glass of berry-ish coffee-esque wine. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Syrah, 10% Merlot and 5% Primitive (Zin-like cousin). Aging was 6 months in oak barrels. Rustic with dusty tannins, the coffee roaster aromas frame black cherry, berry and vanilla oak flavors.
El Dorado (Placerville), California: Boeger Winery Hangtown Red Lot #34. ($10 at the Winery or Safeway, Real cork, 14.1% Alcohol). Definitely a guy's wine, what with the wild west motif and sensibilities, it's the kind of wine I could be happy with if I had to pick only one. The deep cherry fruit is ample, there's comforting oak spice plus a little tobacco note like that sweet loose variety that makes you wish you smoked a pipe. Expressive and dusty, you get a mild hit of tannins and a warm finish. Then you're ready to be tucked in for the night. The blend changes from lot to lot but the San Francisco Chronicle states this lot is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Tempranillo.
Calgary, Alberta: Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2004 Okanagan Valley Cabernet Merlot. ($15 CDN at Howie's, Screw Cap, 14.7% Alcohol). Released a year ago, the texture is smooth and you get a nice combination of bright red fruit, oak spice and Canadian forest earthiness. Nicely tart, it was the perfect partner for the takeout burger I grabbed at a place called Joey's Tomato. The blend is 63% Cabernet Franc (not Sauvignon as you might expect) and 37% Merlot.
Grand Island, Nebraska: I don't have a clue. I arrived too late and somebody will have to tell me where the wine is.

My recent trips to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and California allowed me copious opportunities for picture taking. As usual, the pictures I missed were better than the ones I got, but you can view the slide shows from those trips now.
The Sturgis slide show can be seen at http://www.gusset.com, by clicking here.
The California Wine slide show can be seen at http://www.frugalmacdoogal.com.

Here's another wine tip. Good friend Ed Young does a monthly wine letter for Frugal MacDoogal's, the Nashville and Charlotte area wine and spirits retailer whose website and email program I manage. This month he assembled a nice group of humorous and familiar wine and spirits quotes. Be sure to check them out (http://www.frugalmacdoogal.com).

Tangley Oaks Napa Lot 7 Merlot 2003

Forgive me, but if Jesus turned water into wine, I'm thinking he may have produced a really good second label like Tangley Oaks Lot 7 Merlot (2003) from Rutherford Hill. After all, Jesus was making wine for a large group (a marriage), he didn't have a lot of cash in hand, and who did he need to impress with a fancy first label? And as everyone down south knows, Jesus saves. Seriously, here is a great example of how to get a gorgeous quaffable for minutiae of crowns.

Tangley Oaks is the name of the gracious English manor home originally built for the meat packing Armour family 90 years ago. The Terlato family owns it now and it is the centerpiece of the family's Rutherford Hill Wine Estate. The same name appears on this Merlot that costs some $10 less than the winery's first label juice of very similar quality.

Outstanding value ($15). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14.2%.

Style: Fruit forward, moderate oak spice, some complexity, polished tannins.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby. Aromas: Nice sweet oak spice overlays cherry berry lushness and hints of expresso and tea. The ripe fruit is round and bountiful, well balanced with the oak and tartness, and the tannins are smooth and polished. The finish begs another sip.

Comment: Think of it as an awesome glass of Napa rather than a glass of Merlot and you'll see the true value inherent in the bottle. "Lord Jesus this is good!".

St. Francis Sonoma County RED 2004

St. Francis is known for Merlot, and in this offering they pony up some great juice in a blended format that has a lot to offer any empty wine glass. Cleverly their blend is simply RED, and each case features twelve different labels sporting variations on "splats" of red wine.

This year's RED blend is 60% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc and 4% Zinfandel, all 100% is Sonoma County grown fruit according to Winemaker Tom Mackey.

Outstanding value ($11). Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Style: Fruit-forward with just a bit of earthiness, with some oak spice, dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep purple ruby, translucent. Aromas: Sweet spicy oak notes overlay dried cherry, redcurrant and loganberry liqueur, backed by earthy forest notes. Medium-bodied and dusty dry; the spicy fruity flavors are balanced by enough structure and an earthiness that work together in a charismatic finish.

Comment: I've got friends in Merlot places.

Hahn Central Coast Meritage 2005

The 2005 harvest was late and great all up and down the California winegrowing coast. Almost everywhere it looked like vineyards on Viagra, with abundant fruit lasting with incredible hang time and producing lots of sweet juice. In capable hands those grapes produced equally arousing wines capable of bringing a smile to any wino with a heartbeat.

Adam LaZarre reports Hahn Central Coast Merlot Meritage is a blend centered on Merlot but encompassing significant minor portions of Malbec (15%), Petit Verdot (13%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The lots were aged an average of 11 months employing a complex algorithm of new, 1-year-old and neutral French oak barrels.

Outstanding value ($14, sale price). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Style: Fruit forward, lush, with some oak spice.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep dark purple ruby, translucent. Aromas: A full spectrum of red to black fruit framed by background notes of cassia spice and cedary oak. The mouth feel is medium bodied, softly tannic and lightly tart. Loads of voluptuous plummy black cherry, loganberry, blueberry, cassis and cola flavors are accompanied by a brush of caramelized oak in the warm dry finish.

Comment: This new world Bordeaux blend is "hot to go right now"; there's no need to wait on it. If you find it under $20 like I did, don't hesitate.

Winewaves recently reviewed Hahn's new brand, Cycles Gladiator (Syrah 2005). Hahn, with the trio of Nicholas Hahn, Bell Leigon and Adam LaZarre, is a modern wine "tour de force".

Red Diamond Washington Merlot 2003

Put out by Stimson Lane,  the parent company of Chateau Ste. Michelle and Erath, Red Diamond's current release is a bountiful and well-crafted Merlot that is hard to touch for the price.

Winemaker Juan Muñoz Oca reports the composition of Red Diamond Merlot 2003 is 94% Merlot and 6% Cab Franc, aged in French and American oak barrels. Oca is from Mendoza and is best known for his generous Columbia Crest reds.

Excellent value ($9). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Style: Fruit forward, lush, with some oak spice.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep cranberry ruby with a slight haze, semi-opaque. Aromas: Cherry, black cherry, plum, redcurrant, and sweet pie spice. Medium bodied, lightly tart with soft tannins, plenty of jammy red fruit is layered over oak spice that evolves in the polished dry finish.

Comment: Keep it a secret. No, on second thought let your friends in on it.

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.

Firestone Central Coast Merlot 2004

Paul Giamatti's "Sideways" character "Miles" exclaimed "I'm not drinking Merlot"; forgive me if I do. Andrew Firestone and his associates are turning out a complex Merlot from Sideways country (Central Coast) that tastes like good Bordeaux, at a fraction of the cost.

Firestone is hosting a wine dinner in Nashville on the ides of March (the 15th) in conjunction with the Nashville Predators Wine Tasting Festival at Gaylord Entertainment Center. (There are still tickets available as of this posting.)

Firestone Central Coast Merlot 2004 was sourced from both estate vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley and contract growers in Paso Robles. Aging averaged 16 months in mostly French oak, with some American and Hungarian barrels added. The blend includes 7% Cabernet Franc.

Excellent value: ($12). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Style: Complex yet fruit forward; in other words a "right bank Bordeaux" styled wine with new world sensibilities.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep cranberry with purple edges and a slight haze. Aromas: Cherry, plum, raspberry, hints of vanilla, toffee, menthol tobacco and earth. Medium-bodied and well structured red fruit and supporting roasted sweet red pepper and cedary oak tones lead to a buttoned-down warm dry finish.

Comment: This is Merlot!