The New York Wine and Food Society John Gilman, View from the Cellar Guest Speaker. Artisanal Cheese Center. Old School California Wine Tasting

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The New York Wine and Food Society John Gilman, View from the Cellar Guest Speaker Artisanal Cheese Center Old School California Wine Tasting Thursday, December 13 th Event #1160 Reception: 2009

1 The New York Wine and Food Society John Gilman, View from the Cellar Guest Speaker Artisanal Cheese Center Old School California Wine Tasting Thursday, December 13 th Event #1160 Reception: 2009 Schramsberg, Blanc de Blanc, North Coast Flight #1: 2006 Stony Hill Chardonnay, Napa 1994/1991 Stony Hill Chardonnay, Napa Flight #2: 2007 Heitz Martha s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa-Oakville 2005 Corison Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Bench

2 Flight #3: 2001 Corison Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Bench 2001 Dominus, Napa 2001 Heitz Martha s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa-Oakville 2004 Schramsberg Brut Reserve, North Coast Flight #4: 1996 Mount Eden Reserve Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains 1987 Dominus, Napa Flight #5: 1977 Stag s Leap Wine Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 Stag s Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon

3 Acknowledgements Jennifer Brown, Public Relations Director, Wilson Daniels, Schramsberg 2009 and Sara McCrea, Owner Stony Hill Vineyard Stony Hill. Kathleen Heitz Myers, President, Heitz Wine Cellars. Cathy Corison, Owner Corison Winery and 2005 Corison. Christian Moueix, Owner, Dominus Dominus. Jeffrey and Elle Patterson Owners, Andrea Kyle, Direct to Consumer, Mount Eden Vineyards. Max McCalman, Artisanal Cheese Center, mmccalman@artisanalcheese.com John Gilman, View from the Cellar The support of the people and wineries listed above made this tasting possible. If you have enjoyed the wines served this evening, recent release vintages and some library wines are available directly from the vineyard websites. Please mention the Wine & Food Society Tasting if you order.

4 John Gilman John Gilman is the author of View From the Cellar, an electronic bi-monthly newsletter that deals extensively with the world s great traditional wines. Prior to launching his newsletter in January of 2006, John spent twenty-five years in the wine business essentially wearing every hat in the trade working as a merchant, sommelier, importer, rare wine broker and consultant. Holding a degree in Political Science and History from the University of Massachusetts, John is an unabashed fan of terroir and believes that wines reach their ultimate expression when they reflect transparently their place of origin, and that regions that heretofore have not been renowned for their terroirs simply have chosen to focus on cellar techniques to define their wines, rather than searching out the unique voices of their own soils and microclimates. His political training is not always greatly in evidence when confronted with wines that place zero emphasis on terroir. John s first wine loves were Bordeaux and California Cabernet, though much of the latter half of his career in the trade found him dealing primarily with the wines of Burgundy, Germany and Piedmont. When not on the road tasting, John can usually be found on a tennis court (clay or grass courts exclusively- as noble terroirs extend beyond the world of wine) or with a guitar in his hand doing his best to make Bob Dylan sound like one of the great singers of his generation. He resides in the New York metropolitan area.

Farming: Dry farmed Age of Vines: 13-16 years Appellation: Napa Valley Varietal: Chardonnay Grapes: 100% grown at Stony Hill Vineyard Harvest Date: 8/21/2001-9/5/2001 Fermentation Time: 2 weeks in 5

7 Farming: Dry farmed Age of Vines: years Appellation: Napa Valley Varietal: Chardonnay Grapes: 100% grown at Stony Hill Vineyard Harvest Date: 8/21/2001-9/5/2001 Fermentation Time: 2 weeks in 5 to 25-year-old barrels Fermentation Temp: 60 degrees Aging Time: 10 months in old French oak barrels Filtering: Filtered to inhibit malolactic fermentation Bottling Date: 6/12/ /2002 Total Acidity:.7% Residual Sugar: dry Alcohol: 13% Production: 2,958 cases in 750 ml bottles; 154 cases in 1.5L bottles Release Date: November 2003

8 2005 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon The 2005 Corison Cabernet is classic and refined with great bones. September that year was unseasonably chilly and harvest was a full month later than normal. Time on the vine allowed the development of the full range of flavors that Cabernet can achieve (red and blue fruits grading into the darker, purple and black notes) at moderate alcohol. Cold nights promoted great natural acidity. Inviting aromas jump out of the glass. Cherry pie, complete with allspice, nutmeg and cardamom, dominates the aromas and flavors with hints of plum, cassis, lavender and dark chocolate chiming in. The overall impression is warm and engaging. - Cathy Corison

Heitz Wine Cellars 2001 "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Notes This is an exciting wine from the Oakville appellation with a track record dating back to its first vintage in 1966.

9 Heitz Wine Cellars 2001 "Martha's Vineyard" Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Notes This is an exciting wine from the Oakville appellation with a track record dating back to its first vintage in There is nothing like a Martha s Vineyard Cabernet tried and true it is a remarkable treasure from the Napa Valley. Swirl it, and take pleasure in the distinctive and enduring minty aroma that is so characteristic of this celebrated proprietary clone. Technical Notes Varietal: Appellation: Vineyard: Oak Aging: Residual Sugar: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Oakville Martha s 3- ½ years. 2- ½ in American Oak Tanks and 1 year in French Limozin barrels Dry Alcohol: 14.2%

10 2001 was characterized by an early bloom and long growing season that yielded grapes of exceptional maturity. The low rainfall brought stress to the vines, contributing to the intensity and complexity of the fruit. The 2001 vintage has a dark ruby color with a luxuriant nose of licorice, exotic spices, Bing cherries and an essence of roses. This wine has the unique ability to be rich and complex while possessing a smooth and silky texture. The evolution of flavor develops like a crescendo into an intense finish of cloves and aromatic cassis. The 2001 blend includes 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. This elegant wine is truly a classic, and will benefit from years of aging. We recommend decanting the wine prior to serving, to allow it to develop its full potential. This is especially important when serving young Dominus wines. Vintage Summary: Well below-average rainfall characterized the winter, with the last precipitation on April 20, April got underway with a freeze on the 3 rd, requiring diligent use of frost protection equipment. The remainder of the spring was warm and saw rapid growth and development of the vines. Bloom started in early May, well ahead of schedule. All indications pointed to a very good vintage. Moderately warm summer months provided conditions for slow maturation and even ripening. The cool month of September allowed the fruit to continue to mature slowly, which gave us the time to pay attention to even the smallest detail in each vineyard block. BEGINNING DATE OF HARVEST: September 15 FINAL DATE OF HARVEST: October 13 PERCENTAGE OF NEW BARRELS: 40% TIME IN BARREL: 18 months BOTTLING DATE: August LITER CASES PRODUCED: 7000 RELEASE DATE: September 2004

The 1987 Dominus Estate is the fifth vintage produced by the John Daniel Society made solely from grapes grown at their Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, California.

11 The 1987 Dominus Estate is the fifth vintage produced by the John Daniel Society made solely from grapes grown at their Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, California. The blend of the 1987 Dominus Estate is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Merlot. Winter rainfall for the 1987 season was 50% of average. The very warm early summer and moderate late summer resulted in fruit with fully developed varietal character and excellent acid balance. Note: with almost the identical blend as 1986, we have a completely different wine proof that classical winemaking, i.e., single vineyard, non intervening winemaking, and no acidification allows the vintage to express itself through the wine. The 1987 Dominus Estate has a deep ruby color and a rich nose reminiscent of cassis and vanilla, with a silky texture, excellent balance and a long elegant finish. Christian Moueix recommends decanting this wine before serving to allow it to develop its full potential. The label portrait for the 1987 vintage was done by the Israeli artist Avigdor Arikha. Vintage Summary: Seasonal rainfall was quite low at inches (normal inches); 10 inches in February and March, which is almost identical to the rainfall pattern of A very warm early summer was followed by a moderate late summer. There were 16 days over 100 degrees and 26 days over 95 degrees. BEGINNING DATE OF HARVEST: September 4 FINAL DATE OF HARVEST: September 17 PERCENTAGE OF NEW BARRELS: 25% TIME IN BARREL: 14 months BOTTLING DATE: July LITER CASES PRODUCED: 6500

Tasting Notes at Release 10/1999: Much has been said in the annals of wine writing about the grip and integrity of old vine wine. On the objective side the sacrifice in yield is substantial. From 3.

12 Tasting Notes at Release 10/1999: Much has been said in the annals of wine writing about the grip and integrity of old vine wine. On the objective side the sacrifice in yield is substantial. From 3.9 acres of Cabernet wines, we yielded 3.6 tons of grapes, less than one tone per acre. Off the charts in the world of viticulture, from this ridiculous equation comes a wine of unrelenting force and character. No amount of cutting-edge winemaking is needed here, just the careful, clean middle path and let the vineyard speak for itself. The 1996 is a massive wine from a vintage characterized by ripeness. It is deep and mysterious in the nose with nuances of earth, olive, chocolate and briar. Expansive mid-palate flavors of licorice, black cherry and sweet oak are framed by tannins that suggests five to ten years of development ahead. Produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon planted over forty years ago on their own roots and fermented in small open-top fermentors, this wine was aged twenty-two months in new French Chateau Frere barrels with light egg-white fining prior to bottling. Profound and rare, this bottling will reward any serious collector of California Cabernet Sauvignon. Total: 301 cases

PRIEST RANCH WINES ESTATE FARMED WINES OF UNCOMMON QUALITY AND CHARACTER

PRIEST RANCH WINES ESTATE FARMED WINES OF UNCOMMON QUALITY AND CHARACTER Priest Ranch embodies the essence of Napa Valley, from the trailblazing mindset of its establishing pioneers to today s spirit of