On Saturday, March 11, we tasted 10 wines from the 2007 vintage and shared them with a crowd of about about 35-40 guest in our tasting room.
The 2007 vintage lineup included the following:
- Ramey “Hudson vineyard” Chardonnay, Carneros
- Walter Hansel “Cahill Lane” Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
- Lioco “Carneros” Pinot Noir
- Paul Lato “Sine Cera” Fiddlestix Vineyard
- Page Proprietary Red, Napa Valley
- Trespass “Rendezvous ” Cabernet blend, St. Helena, Napa
- Ramian “Chapter 7” Cabernet Blend, Mt Veeder Napa
- Kamen “Estate” Cabernet, Sonoma
- Coho “SummitVine” Diamond Mt, Napa
- Malk “Estate” Stag’s Leap, Napa
All the wines showed well and everyone had different favorites. The vintage didn’t fail nor show lackluster after a decade in my temperature-controlled wine cellar.
The “winners” if we were to crown them, were the following:
Coho & Kamen Cabernet: both of these showed gusto, great body and flavor with ample “mountain” tannins. I’d say both wines could be drunk till 2020-22.
Trespass Rendezvous: this estate grown Cabernet blend (FYI next door to Spottswoode), benefited from a good 90 minute decanting before we served it, or it might have been a bit too tannic if we didn’t. The blackstone fruit was still as gorgeous as upon its release a good 8 years ago!
Paul Lato Pinot Noir: the Fiddlestix is always an early ripening vineyard source. This wine reminded me of a great Burgundy. Not as bold as Paul’s other Pinots, but a Well-crafted gem at the hands of one of best winemakers in California.
Ramey Chardonnay: the Hudson Ranch would be a Premiere Cru if it was in Burgundy, and that wine was probably the crown jewel of the tasting, surprising everyone. No one believed a California Chardonnay could age this nicely!
Not to take away from the other wines, as Hansel Cahill Lane still had good fruit, with a slight hint of oxidation.
The Lioco might have been a little tired, but was still liked by everyone.
The Page, Malk, and Ramian still have a lifespan of about 3-5 years left; Ramian even a little longer, for those who still have some of these wines in their cellar. The Malk showed some leathery, tobacco flavors alongside its nice dark berry fruit. The Page was very silky, courtesy of the large dose of Merlot in this blend. The Ramian was still “in-your-face” bold, intense mountain grown fruit that wowed everyone and was agreed upon that it would drink well for another 5-8 years.
The next vintage perspective will have to wait a few years – 2009 and 2010 vintage will be on the docket. In the mean time, be sure to take a look at the current vintages from each of these winners and I am certain that you will not be disappointed!
Happy Sipping!
Your Patron Saint of (soft) Tannins.
St. Frank
