Tasting No. 177 – May 23, 2016 – Wines from California | Club del Vino

California Vineyards

1. Presenters and Participants

Wines presenters: Peter Lapera, Ricardo Zabaleta

Participants: Members: Mario Aguilar, Marcello Averburg, Jorge Claro, Ruth Connolly, Clara Estrada, Jaime Estupiñán, Jorge Garcia-Garcia, Peter Lapera, , Orlando Mason, John Redwood, Lucía Redwood, Alfonso Sanchez, Jairo Sanchez, Ricardo Zavaleta, German Zincke.

Guests: Pedro Belli, Maria Claudia y Agilson Perazza

Type of Tasting: Blind

2. The Wines

The wines are varietal and purpose of this tasting would be for the participants to find out and distinguish the varieties in each wine. The the red wines would be served at the same time to allow comparison.

2014 Seven Rings, (White Undisclosed Variety), Monterrey County
2013 Zinfandel, Sobon Estate Reserva
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lavendi, Sweetwater Ranch, Napa Valley
2013 La Crema, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

3. The Menu:

Seafood Salad
Eggplant Parmesan
Fungi Risotto
Grilled Steak and fries
Dessert/Coffee

4. Information on the Wines

(The information below has been compiled from varios internet sources) .

2014 Seven Rings, Chardonnay, Monterrey County

The Wine. Bright apple and pear flavors are woven together with the wine’s oaky, buttery profile. Medium-bodied with additional traces of vanilla, it finishes with a radiant crispness that effortlessly balances the upfront fruit.

2013 Zinfandel, Sobon Estate Reserva

The Wine. Aromas of blackberry, cocoa and mulberry. The wine is rich and beautifully balanced, with flavors of ripe plum, berry, and chocolate.

The Winery. The Sobon Estate winery started in 1989 when Leon and Shirley Sobon bought each other a second winery for their 30th wedding anniversary present. They purchased the historic D’Agostini Winery, one of the oldest in the state. This winery has been designated as California State Historic Landmark #762.

This site was chosen not only for its historical winery, but also for its vineyards and vineyard land. The old vine Zinfandel was retained, and the other vineyards replanted with the best varieties and clones. The Sobon Estate label launched the estate line of wines for the Sobon Family — the best wines from their own grapes. These include Rhone varietals, vineyard designated Zinfandels, and dessert wines.

Read More about Sobone winery and wines here: http://sobonwine.com/

Experts Rating: WE 89 Pts.

CV Members Rating: 90 Pts.

Price: $25

2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lavendi, Sweetwater Ranch, Napa Valley

The Wine: Sage and white pepper notes on the nose with beautiful wild plum aromas. Bright flavors of big black cherry and chapparal bounce around on a base of mountain tannin and solid natural acidity. This wine is 100% Atlas Peak fruit with two years on French Oak Barrels. 500 cases produced.

The Winery: Levendi is a family owned, boutique winery located in Napa Valley, California. The Gianulias family has a strong Greek tradition of private winemaking dating back for centuries. Since 1926, on American and Napa Valley soil, they have propagated, refined and developed special handcrafted vintages to share with family and friends.

Levendi concentrates on 100% varietal wines with the focus being Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon; in addition they typically will not blend multiple varietals into the same wine. They make two Chardonnays – the Red Hen Vineyard from the Wente clone which is known for its very small concentrated fruit and the other from Cold Creek on the Sonoma side of Carneros.

See more about Lavendi here: http://www.levendiwinery.com/

Experts Rating: WE 92 Pts

CV Members Rating: 91 Pts.

Price: $53

2013 Pinot Noir, La Crema, Sonoma Coast

La-Crema-Pinot-Noir The Wine: This is an impressive wine at the price and production level, a great go-to for multiple occasions. It delivers earthy, candied strawberry around a light, bright core, remaining soft and smooth in texture and intensity, finishing with a tease of milk chocolate.

The Winery: La Crema was founded in 1979 and quickly established itself as a pioneer for intensely flavored Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from cool climate. Continuing this tradition, La Crema pursues the ultimate expression of the Russian River Valley, Carneros and Anderson Valley by handcrafting wines of distinctive flavor which achieve elegance and balance. The La Crema Winery itself is not open to the public, however we encourage you to visit our beautiful new Tasting Room located in Healdsburg, California – the heart of Sonoma County Wine Country. – Description from John Andrews

Read more: http://www.snooth.com/winery/la-crema-winery-healdsburg/#ixzz48pNxqfKN

and at : http://www.lacrema.com/

Experts Rating: RP 92 Pts.

CV Members Rating: 88 Pts.

Price: $20

4. CV members Rating

Best Rated: 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lavendi, Sweetwater Ranch, Napa Valley

Best value for Money: 2013 Zinfandel, Sobon Reserve

See detailed evaluation here: Summary of Tasting Scores Summary of Tasting Scores California177

5. Technical Notes

Read about history of California wines in this note prepared by Peter Lapera: Historia2.Vinos de California Peter

and this overview prepared by Jairo Sancheez: CaliforniaWine – Jairo