St. Supery was (and still is) one of my absolute favorite Vineyards & Tasting Rooms to visit in Napa Valley. They simply just do everything right. As soon as you walk in the doors though, you get that ‘welcome home’ feeling and its as if you always knew them.
We tasted through their lineup, and quickly became wine club members. While I knew of St. Supery before we visited them, I don’t think that we were living in CA at the time we visited. Once we did though, we’d visit whenever we went to the Valley, and made sure that all of our guests got to experience it as well. We even became friendly with some of the tasting room team, some of whom are still there today (Becca!).
I love the fact that they offer almost every major varietal, along with the higher end Dollarhide Vineyard wines, and of course – my good friends Elu and Virtu (the Bordeaux blends). I started collecting Elu’s, so that I could have a vertical to taste thru one day. I currently own a 1996 -> present bottle of each, and am planning a tasting party so that we can go thru them all at once…but that’s a different post.
I have a few of the ‘03 and ‘04 St. Supery Cabernets, and they are both wonderful in their own right, however they are drastically different. Personally, the ‘03 is more my style NOW, but as the ‘04 softens over time it may take the crown. It’s a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot.
There are 2 primary differences between the two – the ‘04 has a strong (almost overpowering) oaky nose and flavor, and the ‘03 seems more balanced. The ‘03 has a nicely nuanced cola nose, with a hint of dijon mustard to it. The oak on the ‘03 is more vanilla than anything else, and it allows the fruit to shine thru.
The tannins are beautiful, just beautiful. They layer in between the fruit perfectly, and just TAKE OVER right when they should and carry on and on and on. As for the main star between the oak and tannins – the fruit – there are no complaints here either. The fruit is black cherry and blueberry on the nose, and a nice depth of cassis, plum, and anise. They are a little lighter than I would ideally prefer – but given everything else this has going on, adding in thick luscious fruit would just triple the price and everything needs a weakness (if you want to call it that).
All in all, this is a fantastic wine, and worth way more than it’s $30-35 price point.
Make no mistake, I LOVE St. Supery wines, and the ‘03 doesn’t disappoint. In fact, in impresses at every turn. Kudos to St. Supery for making quintessential Napa Valley wines which consistently outperform their competitors and over-deliver at their price point.
I essentially ‘fell in love’ with wine via the 1999 Rosemount Estates Diamond Label (Red) Shiraz. I swore that the ‘99 was so much better than the current vintage at the time (which I think was 2001), and it may have been, but what mattered to me was that I THOUGHT it was.
I think that what really happened was that it created a challenge for me to FIND a 1999, which was essentially impossible b/c it was such a high volume wine and the internet (at least for wine) hadn’t evolved yet to support a search. Either way, it created an appreciation for me on trying, finding, and collecting wine which certainly hasn’t subsided!
As my tastes evolved, I began to appreciate (and afford) some of the higher end Rosemount wines – Mudgee, Balmoral, GSM, etc. I loved them all, but eventually my tastes turned domestic – primarily to California. Most likely b/c of the powerful, fruit forward, high alcohol styles at both are known for. (And yes, I know that this makes me less than a ‘well rounded’ wine lover b/c I prefer the smash-you-over-the-head wines. I’m ok with that.)
So the other day, I came across a bottle of ‘06 Rosemount GSM, and figured – what the hell? I’m glad I did.
This isn’t the smashmouth ball-breaker you can depend on getting from Australian wines, but that’s a good thing. Given that it’s a GSM – which is short for ‘Grenache – Syrah (Shiraz) – Mourvedre’, it is originally a Rhone blend from the Rhone Valley in France, and that means BALANCE FIRST. Rosemount is true to the style, while layering in some of the terroir and style that is also true to Australia. I also think that the McLaren Vale is less ‘intrusive’ as the Barossa or other super hot areas of Australia.
This is a soft, supple wine, whose tannins take over mid way thru and finish the job. Slightly oaky, but in a way that bridges the fruit to the finish perfectly. Supple blueberry fruits, married with a nice spice balance that ranges from cinnamon to nutmeg. It’s actually a very beautiful blend between the two.
There is certainly a looong finish, and there is an odd convergence of a watery weight, with a big fruity/tannic ending. I’d actually like to see a little more density of weight or viscosity (b/c that’s what I prefer) but this certainly does a fine job in it’s own right. I think that this is why i didn’t realize that the alcohol was as high as it is – 14.5%.
If there was one thing that I WOULD change about this wine, it’s the bottle. There is some weird “circle turning into a square’ thing that all of the Rosemount bottles do at the base, which I think is reserved more for gimmicky wines in the $8-10 range. Granted they sell most of their wine in that same range, there is no need to use it in the higher end wines. It cheapens them.
Short of that nit-pick, the 2006 Rosemount GSM is a nice, well rounded alternative to either a big bad Shiraz -OR- a reserved Rhone blend. It holds its own against both, and plenty of other red blends that it could be compared to. Enjoy!
As I have said in the past, there is a special place in my liver for Nickel & Nickel.
About Nickel & Nickel
We ’stumbled’ upon Nickel & Nickel by driving past them about 100 times, and then finally after seeing them profiled on “In Wine Country” tv show, we gave them a call. Man am I glad that we did. They are just simply something special.
Established in 1997 by the late Gil Nickel, who started the famous Far Niente Winery, and his nephew Erik Nickel – who managed the restoration of the historic Queen-Anne Style Sullenger farm house at the center of the main property in Oakville. I won’t gush endlessly about them much more, but it is important to understand what sets N&N apart, beyond quality and plain awesomeness.
N&N focuses on single vineyard, single varietal wines. This means that unlike the other 99% of the wine that comes from CA or even the Napa Valley, there is ZERO blending that occurs. Everything comes from ONE vineyard location, and is ONE varietal (ie Cabernet Sauvignon). They don’t truck in grapes from the central coast to ‘cut’ their wines with, and no adding in other types of grapes to balance a wine out. These wines truly represent what the varietal and the location have to offer.
Merlot
Merlot is a funny thing. It’s velvety smooth, fruity with decent tannins, and overall a super-approachable wine. Merlot suffer(ed) from 2 problems, and now has 3.
- Merlot is TOO approachable and friendly. It doesn’t have any distinguishing characteristics beyond “everyone’s best friend”.
- Merlot isn’t Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Miles, the arrogant prick, from “Sideways”.
After “Sideways” came out, an endless parade of purple-toothed drunken morons stumbled into tasting room after tasting room, quoting the movie Sideways about how they are ‘not drinking a f*cking Merlot’. So witty.
When you enter into the “beginning” of Napa Valley, into the Oak Knoll district, one of the first wineries you see is Trefethen. In an attempt to curb the wit, Trefethen erected a sign that states “Clearly, Miles had not yet tasted Napa Valley Merlot!”
Needless to say, if they had tasted this Merlot, even the drunkards would know the difference.
Howell Mountain
God Dammit, I love Howell Mountain. The wines that come off this mountain are huge, extracted, and powerful.
Howell Mountain is located in the Vaca Mountains on the northeast side of Napa Valley and overlooks the town of St. Helena, California. Most vineyards in the Howell Mountain AVA are planted between 1,400 feet (430 m) and 2,200 feet (670 m) above sea level, well above the elevations in Napa Valley that are most affected by the cool fog and winds from San Pablo Bay.
From the ground up, soil can have as much of an effect on the variety and intensity of grapes as the weather. This is clearly evident on Howell Mountain, where there are two main soil types. The first consists of decomposed volcanic ash, called “tufa”, and the second is red clay that is high in iron. Because both soil types are nutrient poor, they stress the vines, producing intense wines from small clusters and berries. In the end, the altitude, and thin, rocky, and dry soil conditions create wines with firm structure, incredible varietal intensity, and excellent aging properties.
Tasting Notes:
The 2006 Vogt Merlot is richer than its predecessor. The sweet, briary fruits and currant flavors mix with the earth and tobacco notes that are typical of this site. This wine was aged in a bit more French oak than the 2005 and the cedar and vanilla offer a nice complement to the fruit. Its Howell Mountain roots are definitely present as this wine has a thick, coating mouthfeel from start to finish. Although you can enjoy this wine today, it is sure to evolve and develop for those with a little patience.