2804, 2011
Grapevine Sales Team Trip: California
I just got back from California with some of the Grapevine sales team. What a trip! We started out by heading to Point Reyes with Rich Marino from Cartlidge [...]
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Spice rack is the theme of the 2012 ROCO Pinots and this Stalker is Spice City. Whiffs of spiced tobacco and a teensy bit of cassis and plum on the nose. Black pepper and tobacco leaf with wild black plum fruit on the front palate. Then, full on briar-patch in the mouth with a bit of raspberry and honey. Succulent plum concentrate balanced by a lively backbone of acid and tannin. The finish is juicy and ends with an earthy complexity of flavors and structure. - Very dark crimson red color. Imagine late ripened blackberry juice with a pinch of boysenberry and spice in the aromatics. Elegance and power are balanced on a razor’s edge here. Ripe black cherry and boysenberry flavors dance on a bed of gravelly tannins and lively mineral acidity. Remembrances of tilled earth and feral black cherry fruit go on and on. Spice-driven center scattered with ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, cinnamon stick, and a touch of tea. Big beautiful mouth feel. This lady is strutting and shimmering her way across your taste buds. Refined and well adjusted she makes you sigh, “yes.”
- There is a wonderful brightness to the texture and palate of this wine. It is silky smooth with an incredibly long finish. A truly special wine.
- A blend of all the best Shea Vineyard has to offer. This wine has raspberry, dark cherry, plum and rose aromatics. On the palate the wine displays savory notes of clove, cinnamon, black tea and carob. It is luscious and broad, highlighted by fine-grained tannins, well-balanced acidity, and a long, mouth-watering finish.
- Rich, complex aromatics of blackberry, cassis, cocoa and coffee, a concentrated palate of dark juicy fruits and a succulent finish that goes on and on. This is a dark, brooding beauty.
- Made from Dijon clone 777, Block 5 is very expressive aromatically in the plum, raspberry, blueberry and violet spectrum. The palate is mouth-coating with impressive length and concentration. Tannins are fine-grained and silky.
- Block 7’s aromatics are classic Shea Wädenswil: blue fruited and floral with warm spice notes. The lush, savory blue fruit continues on the palate with hints of allspice and black currant. Tannins are structured and the wine is beautifully balanced. We find Block 7, in particular, responds well to cellaring.
- This wine is from a 1990 planting of Pommard Clone vines in Shea Vineyard's West Hill area. This wine is all about bright, focused, dark fruit. This Pinot is intense and has a beautiful purity of flavor. Dark garnet color. Nose of black cherries, ripe plums and fragrant spices. Palate of wild berries and fleshy tannins.
- This West Hill release is made from a blend of Wädenswil, Dijon 777, Dijon 114 and Pommard clone fruit, all sourced from different blocks on Shea Vineyard’s West Hill. The beautiful aromatics draw you in with whiffs of blueberry, red currant and raspberry. The palate surprises with concentration, silky tannins and a great finish.
- Lots of sweet open fruit on the palate, heading towards black cherries, lifted with minerality and acidity on the back end. Full bodied. Maybe slightly reductive. Big stuff, impressive on the taste.
- A Spectacular fresh floral Pinot Noir, with Morello cherry and red currant fruit, pronounced violets floral notes on the nose and a silky smooth, lingering finish.
- Color deep red. Nose more red fruited than black, with some earth and spice. On palate, gorgeous, a big structure, relatively extracted. Sweet fruit, more plum than cherry, finishes on toasty oak. Cultured tannins, good mid palate fruit weight and length. Clear Central Otago signature most tasters picked. On the reveal, Peter mentioned the US pricing, which makes this wine an incredible bargain, due to NZ pinot noir's lower profile in the US. A half to a third of the price you would pay for this region and quality in NZ.
- The wine is dark, aromatic and has great natural acidity. At this stage of development, most of its character is in a long, long finish - a good sign for the future of the wine!
- This Reserve Pinot Noir comes from a selection of Stoller's best vineyard blocks and barrels in the cellar. It is barrel aged in French oak for 10 months prior to bottling and carefully blended from individual lots to articulate the vintage. Aromas of rose petals and cinnamon stick with caramelized brown sugar pair wonderfully as the palate displays an integrated balance of cherry and golden raspberry, accented with notes of baking spice on its seamless finish.
- This luscious Pinot is impressive now for the power of its black currant, cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cola and Provençal herb flavors, with their firm backbone of acidity. It’s the kind of Pinot that dazzles from the first sip to the last, as it evolves in the glass. The tannins are sweet and gentle, but supportive enough to allow this gorgeous wine to age for six…
- The Ti Point Pinot exhibits appealing aromas of spicy cherries layered with boysenberry, chocolate, and a delicate wild herb note. Richly textured with dark berry fruit flavors and hints of thyme and warm earth. Fine silky tannins give wonderful length and fine structure.
- The Deux Verres Reserve is a floral and herbal wine with touches of red berries and hints of cherries. The soft tannins make this a food friendly wine and delicious for drinking right away or even cellaring for at least five years. Made in an Old World style, this wine is beautifully earthy and an elegant ode to our winemaker's home in Burgundy.
- This Pinot Noir is beautifully balanced with a bright red cherry nose and hints of exotic spices. It has soft, light tannins.
- A complex nose of plum, rhubarb, and wild strawberry; with hints of citrus blossom, tea, and earth. The mouth is silky; with bright flavors of cherry jam, cranberry, and sweet vanilla. Firm acidity and delicate tannins focus the palate and provide a lingering finish of spice and red fruit.
- This special wine demonstrates the power and finesse of Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. It displays aromas of dried cherry, cola, spice and smoke. Flavors of cranberry and pomegranate are complemented by notes of almond skin and minerals. Perfectly poised fruit/acid balance make this incredibly food-versatile. It is a wonderful accompaniment to roast chicken and grilled salmon, as well as almost any duck, beef or lamb preparation.
- Aromas of rich cherry and raspberry with notes of rose petal. This nicely balanced and fruit driven Pinot Noir showcases a lovely purple red color and captures the essence of this wine.