Today we take a brief detour from California to France. I attended the Union des Grands Crus Tasting of 2009 Bordeaux on Saturday, January 21 at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco. It was a consumer tasting sponsored by K&L Wines. The tasting environment was good. The temperature was ideal and, though the event was sold out, it was not excessively crowded. It was a three-hour tasting

More than 100 chateaux participated, but most of the top names were not in attendance. I had not expected to see the First Growths. However, many who attended in the past, including Leoville Las-Cases, Pontet-Canet, Ducru Beaucaillou, Cos d’Estournel, Palmer, Angelus were not their either. Nonetheless, there was an excellent array of wines. I sampled 45 myself.

About the Vintage

The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux has been widely celebrated for it’s quality, particularly that of the red wines. That has driven or more accurately, encouraged upper echelon chateaux to drive, prices very high. There has been hand-wringing (or glee, depending on one’s perspective) over the very recent set-backs for Bordeaux in the Asian market that caused “the bottom to fall out of values.” However, “value” has long been understood to mean “going price for investment wines” rather than “fair price for drinking wines.”

The good news for you and I is that great vintages bring great values. And now I do mean bargains. Over the past decade, top growths produced very fine, age-worthy wines virtually every year. However, many fourth, fifth and unclassified growths only excel in the best of vintages. 2009 was such a year and there are many excellent wines and genuine bargains to be had from that vintage of Bordeaux.

Even in 2009 though, Bordeaux was still Bordeaux. One might think, from reading popular magazines and newsletters, that the wines for this vintage ooze fruit and bear more resemblance to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon than traditional Bordeaux. That is not the case. The wines are clearly recognizable as Bordeaux, distinct to their districts and lean far more toward savory than sweet.

It is true, though, that the wines are much less austere than in some years. Finding fruit takes little imagination. Drinkability will take little cellaring. Wine from a Chateau that normally requires 10 or more years of age will be ready in five or less. Many of the wines will age well but are ready to drink tonight.

My Favorites

There were a lot of excellent wines at the tasting. These are the ones that made me ask, “do I really need to go on with the tasting or can I just stand here and drink this all afternoon?” They are listed here in order by my degree of obsession.

Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere (St. Emilion): Plummy red fruit, violets, spice, dry tobacco and coffee. Full-bodied for Bordeaux with plenty of fine powdery tannins that give the wine structure for aging but silky accessibility now.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc (Pessac-Leognan): Yes, 2009 was a red wine vintage but, “wow.” Fabulously fragrant with white peach, wood and spice.

Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Blanc (Pessac-Leognan): A beautiful wine with white peach, light wood, delicate tangerine, vanilla and herb.

Chateau Leoville Poyferre (Saint-Julien): A very pretty nose with cocoa, soft wood, gentle dark fruit, and earthy spice. Very fine, chalky tannins let the flavors through. Elegant and lovely.

Very Highly Recommended 2009 Bordeaux (alphabetically by region)

Chateau La Lagune (Haut Medoc): 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot. Cherry, cassis, dusty huckleberry and cream. Substantial and drying by fine-grained tannins. Best 2015 - 2025.

Chateau Lascombes (Margaux): Woody incense, warm dark fruit, dry leaves and mocha with fine powdery tannins.

Chateau Lynch-Bages (Pauillac): Fig, black currant, graphite and earthy wood. Pretty with an elegant nose but structured palate of earthy spice with dominant, chalky tannins. Best after 2018.

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac): Exotic, earthy spice, tobacco and black fruit. Light-grained tannins on the palate with forest floor and coconut flavors.

Chateau Phelan Segur (Saint-Estephe): A leafy forest in Summer, earth, spice, and dried meat. Heavy, powdery tannins clamp down on the palate. Best after 2016.

Highly Recommended 2009 Bordeaux (alphabetically by region)

Pessac-Leognan

Domaine de Chevalier Rouge: Aromatic wood, black fruit and espresso on the nose. Light-grained tannins and mineral on the palate.

Chateau Haut-Bailly: Earthy spice, blackberry and cocoa nip. Grainy tannins. This one’s all about structure right now.

Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion Blanc: White peach and tropical fruit. Lovely.

Chateau Latour-Martillac: Spicy black fruit and game. Light-grained tannins. Very approachable. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.

Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere Rouge: Dusty black currant and black cherry aromatics. Just enough structure with juicy cherry fruit and cocoa on the palate.

Chateau Pape Clement: Roasted meat, black cherry and bay leaf. Creamy with very fine powdery tannins that pull it up a bit short right now.

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge: Exotic gamey spice and wild black fruit. Roundish but with lightly drying tannins. Ready now.

St. Emilion Grand Cru

Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot: Sandalwood, woody perfume and soft black fruit. Powdery tannins. Warming but very tasty.

Chateau-Figeac: Black currant, violets, herb, graphite and coffee. Lean with chalky tannins. More tannin than fruit at the moment, give it some time.

Clos Fourtet: Mixed black and red fruit, spice and wood. Velvety palate, warming.

Chateau Larmande: Earthy spice, old leather and tobacco aromatics. Chalky tannins and mineral on the palate. It’s all about the nose right now, but will loosen up with a few years cellaring.

Pomerol

Chateau Petit-Village: Nose of black currant, spice and oak. The palate surprises with polished tannins and chocolate-covered cherries. Ready to go, but will cellar.

Moulis-en-Medoc

Chateau Chasse-Spleen: Tight nose with exotic spice. Drying tannins matched by plenty of acidity. Restrained by very nice. Hold for three years.

Chateau Poujeaux: Dense berry fruit, graphite and powdery tannins.

Haut Medoc

Chateau Beaumont: Rare roast beef, spice and coffee. At about $19/bottle, this is another great value from Beaumont.

Chateau Belgrave: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Cassis, spice and wood with a silky attack and medium-plus tannins. Very nice.

Chateau Cantemerle: Beautiful black fruit, spice and aromatic woods. Light, chalky tannins and good acidity. Highly Recommended+.

Chateau Citran: Spicy blackberry, black cherry and leather. Lightly drying, fine-grained tannins.

Chateau Coufran: Red cherry, spice, violets and forest floor. Fine, powdery but drying tannins. A very nice effort and really good value.

Margaux

Chateau Desmirail: Earthy, woody spice and gamey, dark fruit. Chalky tannins and good acidity.

Chateau du Tertre: Subtle, lovely nose of woodsy cologne, dark fruit, incense, sandalwood and spice. Medium-plus powdery tannins. Powerful yet nuanced.

Chateau Kirwan: Juicy, cocoa-covered cherries. Round on the palate with soft tannins.

Saint-Julien

Chateau Beycheville: Gamey coffee and cherry. Powdery tannins. Interesting, should develop well in the glass.

Chateau Leoville Barton: Leathery spice, cedar and blackberry. Strong tannins. Best 2018 - 2030.

Chateau Talbot: Earthy spice, black fruit and forest floor with prominent, powdery tannins.

Pauillac

Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse: Cherries, dark flowers and mint with plenty of chalky tannins. Best after 2015.

Chateau Pichon-Longueville (Baron): Tight with red fruit, pretty wood and cocoa. Very chalky, drying tannins. Best from 2018.

For even more detailed coverage of the tasting, see this article by Richard Jennings. Don’t be startled if there are a few points of substantial divergence between our reviews. A number of people at the tasting remarked on very noticeable bottle variation That’s not unexpected with Bordeaux. In addition, most wines were not decanted and just a few minutes of air in a half-empty bottle can open these young wines up quite a bit. The Canon La Gaffeliere is one example. Richard found it closed. Ten minutes later, it welcomed me with open arms.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2012 NorCal Wine. Photo of Chateau La Tour from Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande by Fred Swan. All rights reserved.

I was going to title this article, “New Year’s Resolution: Drink More Bubbly.” But I didn’t want you to get the idea that you should wait until New Year’s Eve to start. As you have no doubt heard many times already, sparkling wine is not just for special occasions. It’s an excellent aperitif, palate cleanser, food wine and a wine for celebrations.

Part of this versatility is because there are so many different styles of sparkling wine, even from California producers. Lumping them all together just because they are effervescent doesn’t make a lot of sense. Below are 23 California sparkling wines I have enjoyed recently. I’ve included more information on food pairing than usual to help highlight their differences.

All wines below are non-vintage unless otherwise stated. They are listed in alphabetical order by winery and then in ascending order by price.

Domaine Chandon

Domaine Chandon Reserve Pinot Noir Rosé, $30
There is 14% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier in this softly salmon-colored wine. Having spent just three years on lees in the bottle, fruit dominates on the nose and palate: strawberry, red cherry, raspberry, citrus and yellow apple. I could see it with anything from cold chicken to an onion tart or a salmon-skin handroll. Highly Recommended.

Domaine Chandon Sparkling Red, $30
This unusually dark, bold and richly-fruited sparkling wine is made from Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. It offers loads of black cherry and blackberry with accents of spice. Serve it at your big holiday meal alongside the baked ham and turkey. Or, if you’ll be going the Chinese restaurant route, pair this wine with the Peking duck. Recommended.

Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut, $40
Etoile is what Domaine Chandon calls their top-end sparkling wines. The Brut is non-vintage and the winemaker has a free hand with vineyard and varietal selection too. It always spends at least five years aging sur lie in bottle. The current release is 48% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir and 6% Pinot Meunier. The long aging time is expressed clearly on nose and palate with flavors of cookie dough, toast, almond, honey and Christmas spice. Acidity is moderated by the aging, but the wine will still cut through light cream sauces on chicken breast or white fish. I’d drink it on it’s own though to fully enjoy it’s complexity. Highly Recommended.

Domaine Chandon Etoile Rosé, $50
The Etoile Rosé is made by adding a few drams of still Pinot Noir during final blending. This gives the wine a pretty pink color, despite the blend actually having 1% less Pinot Noir than the Etoile Brut. The Rosé also gains body and red fruit accents that play nicely with the Christmas spice. The wine has enough power and fruit to work with duck or pork. I’d like to try it with stuffed quail. Highly Recommended.

Domaine Chandon Etoile Tete de Cuvée 2001, $100
Unlike Domaine Chandon’s other Etoile wines, their Tete de Cuvée is a vintage wine. The 2001 is dominated by Pinot Noir (66% with 33% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Meunier). It aged on lees in bottle for more than seven years. It’s loaded with marzipan, red fruit, dried citrus peel, five spice, and more. It will be a conversation piece by itself, but also try it with firm white cheeses, baked ham or a tender veal chop. Highly Recommended+.

Gloria Ferrer

Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut, $20
The Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut is blended from Carneros fruit harvested from more than 40 different vineyards. Greater than 90% of this wine is Pinot Noir, but it’s character still leans heavily toward green apple, citrus and pear. It’s a solid, all-around sparkling wine that is fine on it’s own or served with a range of light fare including poultry, shellfish, and cheese. It’s excellent with California rolls. Recommended.

Gloria Ferrer VA de VI, $22
Gloria Ferrer VA de VI differs from traditional Champagne-style sparkling wines in that there is Muscat blended in with the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This wine is sweeter than the others in this article, but not cloyingly so. And the Muscat gives this wine lovely floral and peach accents to go with the ripe fruit flavors which include apple, red cherry, and sweet lemon. Serve this wine for dessert alone or with creamy items such as cannoli or creme brulée. Highly Recommended.

2007 Gloria Ferrer Brut Rosé, $42
The percentage of Pinot Noir in this wine is almost identical to that of the Sonoma Brut, but in this case 25% of the Pinot Noir gets a couple days of cold maceration. This results in the shimmering copper color, but also flavors of fresh red berries and watermelon along with the citrus. This is a good wine for tapas-style appetizers including mild sausage, grilled shrimp, and fried potatoes with aioli. Also try it at breakfast with lox and bagels. Highly Recommended.

Mumm Napa Valley

Mumm Napa “Brut Prestige,” $22
Mumm Napa Valley’s “entry level” sparkling wine is 45% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir with the balance made up by Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. It’s fruit-centric with medium-sized bubbles and aromas of lemon and apples. The palate is refreshing with flavors of green apple and lemon/lime culminating in a clean, pleasingly tart finish. Mumm Napa’s Brut Prestige is like a Swiss army knife. Keep one on hand and you’re ready for just about any occasion, though the wine is too dry to work with desserts. Recommended.

Mumm Napa Brut Rosé, $24
A pretty wine with plenty of small, fast bubbles and the pale color of poached salmon, the Mumm Napa Brut Rosé nose offers raspberry, strawberry, sweet cream and light touches of toast and earth. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied with pleasant mousse and flavors of toast, raspberry, red apple and dusty strawberry. This is a very enjoyable sparkler well-suited to drinking on it’s own or being paired with light, savory appetizers or main courses of salmon, chicken, turkey or ham. Highly Recommended.

Mumm Napa Cuvée M, $22
The Cuvée M is a mouth-filling sparkling wine with aromas and flavors of toast, pear, apple, citrus, cream and baking spice. It’s a good choice for people who prefer some softness in their sparkling wines. The rich body and noticeable sweetness give it a lot of pairing flexibility. Match it in the morning with a breakfast blintz, a mildly spicy Thai coconut curry at lunch, King Crab or lobster for dinner, popcorn with your movie, and cannoli for dessert. Recommended+.

2007 Mumm Napa Blanc de Blancs, $36
Steady streams of small bubbles rise quickly through this pale wine which has a delicate nose of lemon pith and yeast. On the palate are lively acidity and laser-like flavors of lemon and green apple candy with a hint of toast. Try it with toro at the sushi bar or filet of sole in a light cream or butter sauce at your favorite French restaurant. A few years in your cellar will soften the wine slightly while allowing more complexity to emerge. Highly Recommended.

Mumm Napa Brut Reserve, $36
Mumm Napa’s Brut Reserve is a round, tasty wine that leads with toast and spice. The creamy palate adds baked apple and pear. If you can resist drinking it all before the food arrives, the wine’s body and its sturdier flavors will allow it to hold up a wide variety of seafood but also heavy white meats such as pork chops. Highly Recommended.

Mumm Napa 2003 DVX, $60
Mumm Napa’s tete de cuvée is DVX, named after their founding winemaker Guy Deveaux. It’s always a 50-50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It spends roughly six years aging on lees in the bottle. Everything about this wine speaks to its high quality, from the tiny bubbles to the creamy mousse and rich autolytic flavors. There are toast, yellow apple, strawberry and cream on the nose. The palate has heft for a dry sparkling wine, but also very good acidity along with flavors of biscuit, lemon, brie cheese and strawberry. The finish is long and racy with lingering green apple and citrus. Pair it with a special evening. Highly Recommended+.

Mumm Napa Santana Brut, $45
This wine differs from many wines with celebrity tie-ins in two significant ways. First, Carlos Santana genuinely has a hand in making the product. He collaborates in selecting the dosage to arrive at a wine that is to his palate. Second, it’s really good wine. As a bonus, some proceeds from sales of the wine go to his charitable Milagro Foundation. The Santana Brut is at the sweet end of the brut spectrum, giving it creamy approachability and flexibility when it comes to food. The complex nose and palate include flavors of green and red apple, cherry, vanilla and fresh-baked bread. This will be a good choice for slightly spicy foods. Also try it with ceviche. Highly Recommended.

Mumm Napa Brut Reserve Rosé, $36
The first ever release of a Brut Reserve Rosé from Mumm Napa is a pretty, salmon-colored wine made the same way as the best sparkling rosé from Champagne. A small portion of still Pinot Noir wine, made from grapes that are allowed to ripen longer than they would for typical sparkling, is added during final blending. This boosts both color and intensity of fresh red fruit flavors. The wine has ample acidity but also a roundness and body that will make it a good partner for duck. Look for flavors of strawberry, red apple, raspberry and toast. Highly Recommended.

Roederer Estate

Roederer Estate Brut, ~ $20
Roederer Estate Brut is very consistent from year to year and it’s character clearly reflects the winemaking style. The wine is always around 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, undergoes little, if any, malolactic fermentation and about two years of bottle aging on lees and is quite dry. The result is a precise and palate-cleansing wine taut flavors of green apple, pear and tart stonefruit with traces of spice and toasted nuts. It’s at its best with food though it’s also appropriate as a crisp aperitif. that has both protein and creaminess, such as soft, creamy cheese or poached fish or chicken breast with a buttery sauce. Highly Recommended.

Roederer Estate Brut Rosé, ~ $20
The Roederer Estate Brut Rosé is made similarly to the non-rosé Brut with no-malolactic fermentation, two years on lees, and a dryish dosage. But, this wine is 60% Pinot Noir, a small portion of which is red wine added just before secondary fermentation. This gives the wine a very pretty coppery color and fine notes of red fruit. However, it’s still a more austere wine than many sparkling rosés. Serve it with appetizers such as chicken liver pate, stuffed mushrooms or mild white cheeses. For main courses, consider a juicy roast chicken or poached salmon. Highly Recommended.

Roederer Estate L’Ermitage 2002, ~ $40
Roederer Estate’s tete de cuvée see extended bottle age on the lees for complexity and softening, but the dosage is also made from still wine of the vintage that has been barrel-aged for five years. It is a complex and elegant wine with aspects of baked apple, pie crust, fresh bread and a light dusting of vanilla and spice. Roederer Estate L’Ermitage is excellent on its own or with moderately light savory dishes such as game hen, roast turkey breast or grilled swordfish. Highly Recommended+.

Schramsberg

2007 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, $36
The 2007 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs is light and fresh with a strong core of acidity carrying flavors of lemon rind, green apple with a hint of cream. Serve it with roasted dungeness crab or soft French cheeses. Highly Recommended.

When your love of wine and sunny weather inspires you to pack up and move to California wine country, you'll need a hand moving all your stuff — and wine. Consider this California moving company, one of our sponsors, when making your plans. 

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2011 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.

Saturday, I served as one of the judges for the 10th annual Pinot Noir Shootout finals put on by Affairs of the Vine. There were three panels of judges, each evaluating 32 wines over four flights. There were 96 wines in all. Most of the wines were from California, but not all. Theoretically, they could be from anywhere.

The Shootout is a well-organized, multi-stage evaluation of wines. A very large number of wines are submitted but, unlike most wine fair situations, the wines go through several judging stages over two or more months. This means judges don’t have to wade through hundreds of wines in just one or two days. Every wine that makes the finals has successfully passed at least two prior evaluations.

My personal experience in the finals suggests that this vetting was successful. From a qualitative standpoint, the wines fell into a narrow band in my view; roughlty 87 to 93 points. There was only one wine in the 32 that I rated significantly lower. That could well have been an issue with the particular bottle. (It definitely wasn’t corked though.)

One of the nice things about the Pinot Noir Shootout is that many of the wines involved are not regularly reviewed by mainstream wine magazines. Some are only available winery-direct, in person of through the online stores.

Below are the 12 wines I rated most highly from my group of 32, in alphabetical order by winery. The overall winners from the 96 wines will be published at Affairs of the Vines when all results have been tabulated. But, if you’re looking for a new Pinot Noir to try for a holiday meal, consider those I’ve listed here.

2007 Anderson Oaks Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, $30
Speaking of small wineries, Lee Anderson's primary business is real estate as you'll see from the website. But he also has a listing for this pretty wine with delicate flavors and a lightly creamy texture. Notes of rose, dark flowers, cocoa, cedar and red cherry. Charming, ready for immediate move in.

2009 Bargetto Reserve Pinot Noir Regan Estate Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains, $40
A very good wine with exotic aromas and flavors pine forest, mandarin orange and tea mixed with attractive red cherry, vanilla and marshmallow. Well-balanced, good concentration.

2007 Barney & Kel (KB Cellars) Pinot Noir Russian River, $28
Cherry, dill frond, citrus zest, berries and spice on aromas are followed by a richly-bodied and supple palate. Black cherry, dark spice and oak flavors. A pleasure to drink, seemingly impossible to find. If you're in Santa Rosa, ask around.

2009 Cubanismo Vineyards “Rumba” Pinot Noir Amity-Eola Hills, Willamette Valley, $21
Rose petal, tea and strawberry aromas. Medium body and well-balanced acidity, alcohol and intensity. Flavors of tea, orange and cranberry. Medium-plus length.

2008 Elkhorn Peak Pinot Noir Elkhorn Peak Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley, $34
The vineyard is in Jamieson Canyon, due north (across the highway and well up the hill from) the Chardonnay Golf Club. Spicy berries and slightly jammy red cherry with vanilla, oak and chocolate accents. A good drink with prominent tannins that will match up well with a juicy duck breast or beef filet.

2008 Estancia Estates Reserve Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands, $31
Pretty aromas of strawberry, vanilla, cherry and pot pourri spice. Satisfying palate weight and flavors of cherry and cedar.

2009 Ferrari-Carano Pinot Noir Sky High Ranch, Mendocino Ridge
Very long and juicy, with chewy tannins and a plethora of red fruit flavors. Pine, herb and dust add interest.

2008 Heart O’ The Mountain Pinot Noir 667 Clone, Single Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, $52
A friendly, lightly sweet wine with maraschino cherry, vanilla, fennel and fig on the nose and raspberry jam with cocoa on the palate. A crowd-pleaser from this small, Santa Cruz Mountains winery.

2009 Hearthstone Vineyard and Winery Pinot Noir Hearthstone Estate Vineyard, Paso Robles, $38
Yes, Pinot Noir from Paso Robles. It's been grown in the Adelaida District since 1964. This one has a very dark Pinot nose: black cherry, cola and dusty earth. Grippy tannins lead to restrained flavors, mostly cherry, vanilla, cocoa and toasty oak. A good wine for seared pork belly.

2009 Sharp Cellars Pinot Noir Keenan’s Cove, Sonoma Coast, $48
Toasted oak, toasted marshmallow, black cherry and dried orange peel on the nose. Rich, almost creamy body, with concentrated flavors of cherry, raspberry, oak and caramel. Very long finish. A decadent Pinot.

2009 Ventana Pinot Noir Ventana Vineyard, Arroyo Seco, $29
Garnet tones made this wine look older than it is. The delicate aromatics also showed development: dried fruit, cola, driftwood and sarsparilla. Medium body with good acidity and balance. Light, jammy red fruit, vanilla, cocoa and dusty wood on the palate.

Follow NorCalWine on Twitter for breaking wine news, information on events and more. Become a fan and join the NorCal Wine community on Facebook. Also check out our comprehensive Northern California winery listings. They are very useful for planning a tasting trip or just getting in touch with a winery.

This article is original to NorCalWine.com. Copyright 2011 NorCal Wine. All rights reserved.

I attended the “Best of 2008 California Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting” at KL Wines in Redwood City on Friday. It wasn't a controlled, lab-like environment, but the overall tasting conditions were good and certainly sufficient for gaining reliable quick impressions of the wines.

All of the wines were good. Some were truly outstanding. Every wine showed typical characteristics of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon including some type of black fruit, chocolate and oak flavors. Retail prices ranged from $74.99 up to $249.99.

Despite their similarities, there were many distinctive nuances on the nose and palate. The most striking differentiators were texture and perceived levels of alcohol. Tannins were prominent in all of the wines but ranged from silky powder to chalk to grainy. Stated alcohol levels ranged from 14.1% up to 15.1%, but I believe some vintners made thorough use of the 1.5% fudge factor allowed by TTB regulations.

My overall impressions of the 2008 vintage in Napa Valley have not changed from other recent tastings. Upon my first sampling of 2008’s early in the year, many wines were brash and robustly structured. They didn’t show a lot of nuance. However, within the past four months or so, most have resolved enough of their tannins to allow many more flavors to blossom. Most of those I’ve tasted can be enjoyed now, but all will reward time in the cellar.

The following wines are listed in their tasting order, which was set by K & L.

2008 Ramey “Pededgral” Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
A bold wine with plenty of black currant, black cherry and oak flavors complemented by spice and touches of dried coconut and dark chocolate powder. It is full-bodied with fine powdery tannins. Drink now through 2021. 15% alcohol, $149.99. Highly Recommended.

2008 Quintessa Napa Valley
Pale pigmented legs foreshadow this wine’s relatively disciplined black cherry and chocolate nose. Flavors of oak and cherry are framed by lightly drying medium-plus tannins. The palate starts out round but sharpens leading to a somewhat tart finish. Drink now through 2020. 14.2% alcohol, $129.00. Recommended.

2008 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Relatively closed on the nose with hints of eucalyptus herb and sour cherry. In contrast, the palate is round with sweet cherry and chocolate flavors and medium-plus grainy tannins. Warming finish. 14.8% alcohol, $74.99. Drink now through 2016. Recommended.

2008 Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
Full-bodied and distinctive with aromas of tobacco, oak and black cherry. A powerful wine with plenty of chalky tannins balanced by deep flavors of black cherry, chocolate, oak and spice. 14.9% alcohol, $175.00. Drink now through 2024. Very Highly Recommended.

2008 Opus One Napa Valley
Very dark ruby in the glass, the 2008 Opus One has bold aromas of deeply toasted oak, black cherry and dusty earth plus an interesting note of peppery leather. The palate shows good balance between alcohol, depth of fruit and acidity. The chalky, drying tannins stick out slightly but will fall into step after two or three years in the cellar. The very attractive flavors include black cherry, powdery dark chocolate, dusty wood and coconut. 14.5% alcohol, $199.00. Best from 2013 through 2026. Very Highly Recommended.

2008 BV Georges de Latour Napa Valley
Reticent aromas of oak, cherry and chocolate. Flavors echo the nose but have greater intensity while adding cocoa nib and charred wood. Medium-plus body with very drying light-grained tannins. Of all the wines at the tasting, this one struck me as the one most in need to cellar time. 15.1% alcohol, $79.99. Best from 2016 to 20201. Highly Recommended.

2008 Phillip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The 2008 Togni offers considerable complexity and ripeness. Baked black cherry, tobacco, raisin, blackberry, carob and earthy spice are found on the nose and in the palate. The wine is full-bodied with chalky, grainy tannins and considerable warmth. Alcohol not declared, $84.99. Drink now through 2026. Highly Recommended.

2008 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon, Beckstoffer To-Kalon, Napa Valley
The 2008 Paul Hobbs with fruit from the acclaimed Beckstoffer To-Kalon vineyard is a powerhouse. The nose is sweet oak, coconut, vanilla, red cherry and black currant. The palate follows through on those flavors while rich, powdery tannins provide structure and carry the wine on to a very long finish. Warming. 14.9% alcohol, $249.99. Best 2014 through 2030. Very Highly Recommended.

2008 O’Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
O’Shaughnessy’s 2008 effort is a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon that does not demand extensive cellar time or decanting. Charming blackberry, dark spice and sweet oak aromas are followed by delightfully balanced acidity, intensity of fruit, alcohol and structure on the full-bodied palate. The tannins are powdery and, like the wine overall, graceful. A thoroughly yummy wine and easily the day’s best value. 14.8% alcohol, $74.99. Now through 2028. Very Highly Recommended.

2008 Cliff Lede “Poetry” Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District
The 2008 Poetry from Cliff Lede is opaque ruby with black currant and blackberry set against a background of oak. It’s full-bodied with robust chalky tannins. The attack is nice with black fruit, woody spice and oak. Barrel notes strengthen into the long, warming finish. 14.9%, $144.99. Now through 2020. Highly Recommended.

2008 Merryvale “Profile” Napa Valley
An engaging nose of gamey spice, roast beef and black fruit. The full-bodied palate features integrated black fruit flavors, carried by tannins that evolve slowly from velvet to chalk. A delicious wine now that will be even better with a little time to unwind. 14.8% alcohol, $139.99. Best 2013 through 2019. Very Highly Recommended.

2008 Dominus Napa Valley
A tremendous wine. The 2008 Dominus is more immediately accessible than some recent vintages I’ve tasted upon release, yet is built to last. The nose is classic Cabernet Sauvignon with black currant, currant leaf, spice and fig. The palate achieves nearly perfect balance. Rich, powdery tannins offer rough silk texture and flavors that match the nose but persist through a very long finish. 14.1% alcohol, $179.00. Drink now through 2031+. Highest Recommendation.

2008 Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley
Deeply-colored ruby in the glass with a striking nose of dark chocolate, toasted brown spice, oak and blackberry. The full-bodied palate reveals black fruit, dark chocolate, cedar and spice on chalky tannins. A rich and textured wine of great balance with an extremely long finish. 14.% alcohol, $159.99. Drink now through 2026. Very Highly Recommended.

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