2002 Ruston Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ruston the only Napa Cab we have on the wine list at BONDA right now. We just like it. It has big fruit, anchored with some oak, and character which a lot of Californian wines do not seem to have and a fantastically long finish and we can sell it for $74. We are on the '04 at the restaurant, but my father-in-law still has a few bottles of the case of '02 he bought in 2006.

He grilled a ribeye, which really made the wine sing. It is still a big monster, and can sit for years, but the tannins have mellowed - lots of anise, blackberry, charred oak, with hints of earth and soil. Totally delish.

2003 Ch. St. Jean Cinq Cepages

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot from Sonoma.

A friend brought this bottle over a few weeks ago to compare to a bunch of '00 and '03 Bordeaux.

I liked this blend a lot more than I expected. Big fruit, but actually had a bit of balance. A bit too young, but tasty.

2006 Denner Vineyard Theresa

I believe this is Denner's signature white blend: 73% Roussanne and 27% Viognier. It is pretty awesome, and just gets better as it breathes and evolves. A classic Rhone blend that smells like grapes grown in limestone rich soil. Saffron on the nose and following on the palate with a full mouth feel and tart finish - hints of baby aspirin which Court agreed with.

Great example of what a talent can do to interesting grapes in Central California. I drank with wine with a chipotle spiked gazpacho with shrimp and avocado. It really tamed the spice, and the tomato really brought out an interesting depth of flavor in the blend.

Buy it if you can find it and hold onto it for a few years. Great now, but can go interesting places.

2005 Denner Vineyard Syrah

My college friend, Brian Denner, makes this Syrah for his family vineyard in Paso Robles. I have had the 2002, which was made by a different winemaker, but never one that Brian has crafted (2003 and beyond). They started growing and selling grapes, then built a state of the art winemaking facility and tasting room (only seen the pics). Brian came on after stints at Kingston Vineyards, Peachy Canyon, Williams Seylem and others.

I had this wine with Sam Kingston a few months back during a GSM Central Coast wine tasting, but wanted to write about it with a fresh palate. Jim, my father-in-law was in town two weeks ago and we cracked a bottle at BONDA. Unfortunately no Denner wine is sold in CT, but sometimes the Wine Library has it for sale.

On the nose, sweet rubber plant, windex and wild blackberry. "Definitely wild" was one of Jim's comments as he looked at the color and viscosity in the light. "Really good. Can we get any of this?" was his next comment. I have always thought Denner is a great American Syrah, with a nod to the French. New Worldish in style with big jammy fruit but more complexity than 95% of American wines.

Flavors of roasted plum, hints of fig intermingled with bitterness, mellow tannins, and an edge of baby powder. I have 1 bottle left of the 2005, and two of 2002, which I am reserving for Connecticut College graduates.

07.11.08 / 2003 Drew Syrah Rodney and Lardner Vineyard

As I have mentioned before, Drew is one of my all time favorite Syrah producers. I have been eying this 2003 for awhile, and decided to crack it a few weeks ago, jotting down some notes and stuffing them in the back pocket of a pair of pants. I put on said pants last night and found a crinkled washed envelope, with some notes scribbled on the back.

Totally awesome. Buttered blackberry. Pepper leather on the nose. Hints of allspice and clove.

If you can find any of this wine, I would recommend buying it, and drinking it. It will probably last for another 5 to 8 years, but is really good now. Oh yeah, only 80 cases were made.

Sean Thackery Pleiades XVI Old Vines

The new shipment of Pleiades for BONDA arrived today. 4 cases to start. I haven't tried it yet, so I just opened a bottle. It is a lot more expensive than the XIV, but well worth it - will be $62 or so on the list as opposed to $52.

The label is still the same:

"The object of Pleiades is to be delicious, delight the jaded, offend the snob and go well with anything red wine goes with."

Bottle in January of 2008, a very late bottling for Thackery; he gives nothing up as far as composition:

"...includes Syrah, Barbera, Carignane, Petite Syrah, Sangiovese, and Viognier to name but a few."

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know that this is my favorite wine, year after year. Each bottle is always different, always delish.

This bottle of the new vintage is lighter than the last XV I had, with a dark rust color, slightly opaque in the light. Big alcohol on the nose (probably because of its youth) with high cherry cola notes, earthy sweet pine, mint chocolate, with an earthy mushroom and coffee depth.

On the tongue, pure delight! Light and delicate at first, surprisingly medium tannins, with a roasted dark fruit, edgy coffee, thyme, and a bit of funk. I love this wine.

I originally wasn't going to open a bottle as the wine is probably travel shocked, but my father-in-law just got back and was visiting the boys. He loves Pleiades as well, he saw the case, and asked when we were going to try it. I said "Right now", and cracked the bottle.

His thoughts: "there is a certain softness, that is building Cinnamon, subtle cherry, What I love about the wine is the flow of oil that carries all the flavor. When I love a wine, that is what it has - that flow carrying the flavors".

Thanks Jim for the help in tasting the new vintage!

2005 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

New vintage of the Ramey Chard we sell at BONDA. I couldn't find a post of the 2004, but it is one of the few Cali Chards that I really like, and one of Court's favorite all time wines that is under $50.

Sweet like candy corn on the nose, with a slight alcoholic edge. On the palate, definite oak, but mellow, and not the first taste. Soft floral notes with hints of blanched almonds. An easy wine, but not as good as the 2004. Perhaps it is too young? Or an off bottle?

2006 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench

A very small production of East Bench gets made every year and rarely makes it to Connecticut. Our distributor only had a case, and offered it to me as we buy a lot of Ridge for BONDA. I liked the wine, but it was a little hot (too much alcohol) and surprisingly did not have a lot of fruit.

Jamie had stored it in his cellar, so it was a perfect temp, but wasn't like any Ridge I had from the 00's. 100% Zinfandel, it was mellow. As it opened up and warmed up a bit, the big raisiny Zin flavors came out, taming the alcohol. I think it needs more time in the bottle as the '03s and '04s from Ridge are drinking awesome now.

2006 Heller Estate Chenin Blanc

Another wine to try for BONDA. I really did not like this. Really sweet and cloying. A Chenin Blanc in the style of a heavy Australian wine. Court really liked it though and ended up drinking most of the bottle over a few nights.

06.02.08 /2005 Baileyana Chardonnay Firebreak Vineyard

So we had this Cali Chard at the Cooper's the other night. I love Edna Valley wines, and wanted to try a Chard from the Firebreak Vineyard, but I did not really like it.

Here are my notes that I typed on my iPhone: touches of oak with mellow mild vanilla. Hints of Kraft caramels, ocean breeze on the nose. Could be better, sweet like a Carneros chard.

Here is Jamie and Jim enjoying a glass waiting for the steaks to cook. Jim liked the wine a lot, and chided me for my snobery, while Jamie went back and forth, but eventually sided with me that it was too over blown without the structure needed to support that faux vanilla /carmel flavors.

2005 Radio Coteau Pinot Noir Savoy

Wow, this wine is really delish. Jamie bought me a few bottles of different vineyard designates for Xmas. This is is the second one I have opened. RC only makes about 400 cases of the Savoy, so I was pretty jazzed to try it.

It was a little hot at first, all alcohol, but after a bit fine tannins gripped the rip roaring roasted plum, fig, and earthy flavors. I usually blast California Pinots for being one dimensional, but this has soul. Not overly fruity or oaky, with a nice depth of dried quince, blackberry jam, and red currant. From the Anderson Valley, but with the heart in Ribbon Ridge.

04.12.08/ SWT 2002 Turley The White Coat

Call me Ishmael. I have bagged my whale. It all started about 7 years ago when I heard a fair amount about Helen Turley's wines. Some called them over priced, over extracted, over blown - while others called them fantastic. I had a Zin about five years ago and didn't think that much for the price. BUT I have always wanted to try The White Coat - a Rhone white blend - just have never had the opportunity to drink it. I have seen it on some wine lists, but it is hard to get a $125 wine when you don't know what it will taste like or if you will like it.

About three years ago, a couple that will remain nameless, came into the restaurant with a bottle of The White Coat. They asked if I had tried it, and I said no, but I have always wanted to. They said it was fantastic, one of their favorites. Did they offer me a taste? NO. Bastards.

Anyway, as we were trying different reds at Sam's house while his wife, Kelly, was in NYC, I saw three bottles of The White Coat in his wine fridge. When he wanted to switch up to white, he offered a bottle of the Turley and I said yes please! He said it was one of Kelly's favorites, and guess what, she arrived with a cheese plate from Murray's and was psyched to open The White Coat. The stars were in alignment.

On the nose, sticky rice, marijuana, butterscotch, sweet stink. On the tongue, big dried apricot, saffron and white raisin - maybe some wild yeast? It was like biting into a perfect danish - sort of.

From my notes: Sam loves the Turley. His notes: I am loving this wine, buy it like no tomorrow for $28! He got four bottles from WineBid - way below retail. I love this wine too. Maybe I can find some to buy for myself!

03.18.08 /RGWD Syrah Le Pousseur

This was my favorite wine of the night. It was paired with dry baby back ribs. The menu said it was accompanied by a slaw, which was not served. There was no fat on the ribs, and for such a rich wine as this Syrah, you need a bit of fat.

The wine had the characteristic Rhone stinky inky baby diaper scent, followed by roasted plums and blackberry on the palate. Randall called it an "anomalous new world wine that captures the life force". I should have taken better notes, as he rambled on about the wine and the process.

It is definitely a new world wine, but made in an old world style that you don't find in Central Coast Syrahs.

The price was right, and I bought five cases for BONDA to serve by the glass.

03.18.09 /RGWD 2006 Albarino Ca Del Sol

Albarino in California? Randall bought the Soledad Vineyard near Solinas, and realized the climate and salt air really mirrored the micro climate of Galicia. He planted the vines 7 years ago, and the '06 is his first bottling. I bought a case for the spring.

On the nose, notes of plasticy goodness. Randall called it an "acoustic version" of Albarino, a little milder than what you would find from Spain, with hints of saline and citrus in the finish. A nice, dry wine, luscious in the mid-palate.

To pair, Seared Day Boat Scallops (I don't know how local these could have been this time of year) with beets, pomello segments, micro arugula and mustard oil. The arugula and mustard oil really jazzed up the perfectly cooked scallops - one of the best dishes I have had at the Dressing Room. The pomello didn't really add anything, and the beet added nice earth tones.

03.27.08 /Chapallet Mountain Cuvee 2005

The 2004 vintage of this wine is one of my go to house wines, so I was excited to try the '05. A bit of a disappointment, but should get better over time. I can taste a wine and imagine how it will grow, or dissipate - how the tannins will mellow, alcohol will burn off, sweetness relax. But that is not always the case. That is, I cannot always imagine where it will go and if I do, it is not always a correct assessment!

57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot - but the Merlot seems to dominate as it is much sweeter than the previous vintage (which I think had Petit Verdot or Cab Franc). Also it is pretty hot with 14.6% alcohol. It smells a little generic with big black fruit and tons of oak. The Parkerization of wine. This could settle. Not an oak bomb, but very new oaky.

I was at BONDA, so I had the Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant and Tomato Timbale. The lamb complemented the wine and tamed it a bit. I bought four bottles, hoping to order more (as we went through about 10 cases of the last vintage) but I do not think there will be another order for a few months.

I wasn't floored, and that is how I need to be to put a wine on the list at BONDA.

03.22.08 /Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir 2005

Unfortunately, I did not take very accurate notes, nor a picture when I tried this wine. It is the entry level single vineyard Radio Coteau, of which they make 1740 cases - I did not write down the site, and do not have any more of this wine :(. Jamie gave me a handful of single vineyard Pinots for Xmas, and this was the first I tried, eventhough I should have waited. A Cali Pinot like this needs a little more time in bottle to calm the sweetness, alcohol and oak.

Super fruit forward with hint of rich cedar oak. Full bodied, with cherry notes on the nose. Berrylicious flavors with dark alcohol, but a little hot. Good fruit with a long finish.

The next one I open (which will be in the fall) I will take more detailed notes!

03.19.08 /2005 Skewis Pinot Noir Cuvee 115

It is always fun to try wine with an amigo, a cohort, a drinking buddy. Courtenay went to a book club meeting at the Russells, so Bill came over while I was watching Cooper to talk about a possible wine auction to benefit the Pequot Library. I opened a bottle of Skewis Pinot while we discussed the fact that people like to tell a story when they bring out a bottle of wine to open for guests.

Case in point, I told him my Skewis story. Jamie, Kevin and I plus our ladies went to Per Se last year. The guys had the tasting menu paired with a wine for each course. Each pairing was exquisite, and I feverishly wrote down each wine to see if we could get some for BONDA. Alas, none of them are sold in CT. We loved the Skewis particularly. Jamie called the winemaker to get some, but their production is so limited, that they really don't sell to that many restaurants. On a second call, Jamie convinced them to sell him a couple of bottles and he gave me two. This is my Skewis story.

Opening the wine felt a little guilty. I had been saving it for a bit, but really wanted to open it - it might have been too young, but delish all the same. It was sweet on the front end, but developed deep red fruit flavors in short order. There was a herbacious quality on the nose that smelled like marijuana. "High toned alcohol mixed with potting soil" is in my notes. That was a first impression. It was a touch hot, but turned totally awesome!

03.12.08 /2002 Nickel and Nickel John's Creek Vineyard Chardonnay

Sam brought in this wine for us to try. It was pretty subdued for a Napa Chard. I always thought Nickel and Nickel would be overdone. I have had a few, and I have found them all to be quite delightful. At first, there was a little rubbing alcohol on the nose, with hints of candy corn. Not too much oak, but soft and subtle.

Everyone agreed it was a great wine. It could have probably gone another 2 years or so, but it was good to drink that night.

02.21.08 / Barnett Tasting

We are doing a wine tasting with Barnett Family Vineyards in April at BONDA, so our distributor brought the wines by for us to try. We were familiar with their Chards, but we also tried a single vineyard Pinot Noir, single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and a reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

I have the list, but forgot at the restaurant.

They were all delish, and will provide detailed tasting notes with our food thoughts soon.

2002 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Syrah

Don't know why I chose this wine tonight. I have been saving it to have with short ribs, or steak - definitely not what is on the menu tonight: cod with cous cous. But, it has been a tradition for Cooper and I to have a bottle of Syrah when his mommy abandons us on Wednesday nights.

I have had Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sleepy Hollow, but didn't know they grew Syrah as well. Planted in 1998 with cuttings that Randall Graham (Bonny Doon) delivered from the Rhone River Valley to Sam Baldaras of Talbott. Joe Davis was offered some of the grapes and bought them to do his own exploration of Syrah. Although the heritage is unknown, Joe says "...quite interesting and the resultant fruit very delicious, reminiscent of the old world funk we like."

I am going to agree with the winemaker. I find, a perfumed nose of earth, charred vines, chocolate covered strawberries (?) - surprisingly does not reveal its alcohol one bit (13.9%). I know this sounds wonky, but it really makes me feel like I am in the Santa Lucia Highlands on a brisk spring night, watching a bonfire smoke up and trail off into the hills with the ocean breeze. Yes, wonky.

Burnt oak on the tongue with blackberry pie, thyme, pure joy with a touch of bitterness (like life, no?).  Surprisingly dry on the finish, but lingering. In the old world style, but nods to CA as well. It doesn't need food, but would probably benefit from it, as the stolen bits of Cooper's avocado are adding more depth, sweetness and high tones fruit - although that could be the oxidation?

It's times like these when I wish more Arcadian was sold in CT, as I think this was a lay around sample from Rob's New York book. I will investigate!