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Shawn Reynolds
2005 Giadomella Zinfandel (Russian River, California)
2005 Gia Domella Zinfandel (Russian River) $24.99
“Crimson tartrate crystals coat the inside of the cork, lending a sort of Xmas cookie appearance. Like a slowly loping cat, curiosity leads me to lick my finger, dab it on the crystals, and return the finger, replete with its new passengers, to my mouth…nothing. I’m not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t the complete absence of flavor. Disinterested in the sparkly cork I splash some wine into my glass. The nose offers a bushel of fleshy red fruit, spice and rhubarb accompanied by a gentle whiff of alcohol. Ample body and loads of berry on the palate, a pleasant bitter edge balances out near-sweet tropical punch notes. Albeit brief, the finish is smooth and tasty. For those who still enjoy a nice Zinfandel, and I remain in this constituency, this is a really fun wine.”
93 Points, Steve Rayman (B-21’s Director of Wine) & 90 Points Wine Enthusiast
91 Points, Shawn Reynolds
Staff Selection, May 2010
Mountain high, flavor deep. Chappellet: Bordeaux with altitude.
There are many arguments for mountain fruit. The Chappellets and their wines are among the most winning, as any one who has met Donn, Molly or Cyril on tasting visits to Florida.
Maybe because they have lived so long high above the Napa floor, 1200 feet up on Pritchard Hill, going their own, apparently happy way.
2007 Chappellet Mt. Cuvee (Napa) $21.99
It’s tough terroir that gives a classic full-five Bordeaux blend an extra twist - elegant, wines with great intensity and greater complexity and depth according to B-21’s Shawn Reynolds. Our California dreamer rates the 2007 Mountain Cuvee a 92 and calls it one of the states best buys. It’s 51% Cab, 46% Merlot, the rest Malbec, Cab Franc and the essential Petit Verdot, “This wine brims with complex and vivid, mouth-filling fruit flavors… plum, fig, and cherry cola with a lingering strawberry essence on the finish.”
- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler
2006 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, California)
2006 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) $29.99
“I first tasted Sequoia Grove’s 2004 Reserve Cabernet at Mark Stitt’s going away party; a staff favorite that night, it was quick to disappear. Recently I ventured into the winery’s entry level 2006 Cabernet and discovered a subtle yet complex, incredibly smooth and finely-tuned wine. Near-perfect tannins carry intense plum and blackberry, cracked peppercorns and a dash of cinnamon, drifting off into a soft, elegant finish. This well-built Cab slowly unwound over an hour or so, respiring gracefully without becoming at all jammy or syrupy. Sequoia Grove crushes berries from its Rutherford Bench estate vineyards as well as those of highly-regarded Napa growers from St. Helena to Atlas Peak Hills. This union of hand-selected grapes from the reaches of Napa Valley lavishes us with one of the best $30 California Cabs on the market.”
92+ Points, Shawn Reynolds
Staff Selection, April 2010
2005 Robert Foley Claret
2005 Robert Foley Claret
40 miles due north of San Pablo Bay in Napa County lies the sleepy town of Angwin, California. A short jaunt up the meandering stretch of Summit Lake Drive, nestled inside gently-treed clearings, stands Robert Foley’s Howell Mountain wine facility. After decades of crafting for others the highly acclaimed Switchback Ridge, Hourglass, Paloma, School House, and Engel Family wines, Foley sets off on his own with his first crush facility and cave. “Here I can make the best wines possible,” Foley stresses. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Foley’s chosen terroir features mountainous, well-drained soils draped over high elevations, a combination proven to concentrate aromas, flavors, color, and density. Foley’s goal is to create the most expressive wines conceivable using traditional techniques and hands-on care. “As one might expect from Robert Foley,” Robert Parker avers, “these are all massive wines, opaque purple in color, and filled with personality and concentration.”
2005 Robert Foley Claret $124.99
“Saturated bright ruby color. Liqueur-like aromas of black cherry, raspberry and mocha; high-toned in a positive way. A sweet, powerful fruit bomb on the palate, with perfectly integrated acidity giving shape and grip to the dark berry and cherry flavors. Firm underlying minerality contributes to the wine’s very fresh impression. Finishes with terrific aromatic persistence.” 93 points, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 08
“A gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, spring flowers, and sweet black cherries emerges from the full-bodied, opulent 2005 Claret. Revealing more concentration, sweeter tannins, and more nuances and complexity than the 2006, this elegant beauty can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years.
Now that the highly talented Robert Foley is no longer the full-time winemaker at Pride Mountain Vineyards, he appears to be focusing on his own label as well as consulting for other wineries.” 92 points, Wine Advocate # 180 Dec 2008
2007 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
2007 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley (Reg: 19.99 On sale for limited time: $15.99)
Founded in 1875, St. Helena’s Beringer Vineyards is the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley and a member of the National Register for Historic Places. “As you drive over the mountain from St. Helena,” winemaker Laurie Hook begins, “the valley opens up before your eyes and you immediately feel transported to another time, where things are slower and more rustic.” In an effort to preserve the nuances of particular areas of Knights Valley, Hook vinifies and ages each group of berries individually. She then extends the maceration period, providing a lushness on the palate supported by enhanced tannins. This lengthened maceration also accounts for the wine’s insanely deep purple hue and chunky nose of dark fruit and candied apples. Hook ages her wines in French Nevers oak for 13 months before blending with a touch of Merlot and Cab Franc to lift the mid-palate and refine the finish. Her efforts pay off in a flawless Cabernet bursting with dark berries and leather as a touch of smoke gently wafts over the top. The quality of this wine and the fact that we are nearly $6 below the national average makes this incredible California value a no brainer.
90 Points, Shawn Reynolds
Staff Selection, March 2010
2005 Marietta Angeli Cuvee (Alexander Valley, California)
2005 Marietta Angeli Cuvee (Alexander Valley) - 24.99
“A proprietary blend of Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Carignane, Marietta’s Angeli Cuvee is a fruit lover’s dream. Out of the bottle it’s nearly pitch black and crazy dense, so much that you might consider eating it with a fork. The Cuvee’s near 16% alcohol content is ideal soul kindling for a chilly February evening. Though not at all sweet, it opens up with a hail of intense fruit. The experience is reminiscent of childhood, tiny fingers stained red from tearing through a bowl of perfectly ripe Bing cherries. Over the course of a couple hours it evolves on the palate, unwinding into one of the juiciest stand-alone reds of recent memory. Absolutely delicious…”
93 Points, Shawn Reynolds
February 2010
97-point Sonoma Coast Pinot en route
Sequana Pinot Noir Sundawg Ridge - 54.99
I had the opportunity to taste the 2007 Sequana Pinot Noir Sundawg Ridge last night and it was fantastic. The bottle I sampled was about 6 hours old, but didn’t seem to have diminished in the least. If it had, the prospect of trying a fresh bottle is pretty compelling. We secured the remaining 6 cases from the supplier and will shoot an email offer shortly.
~Shawn
“Light plum in color, looks might deceive you into thinking this wine is thin, but thin it is not. Elegant, dry, incredibly smooth, and lush with soft tannins this estate-grown and bottled, single-vineyard designate drips with deep, red fruit. It’s one of the best American Pinots I’ve had yet. Absolutely brilliant…” 95 points, Shawn Reynolds, B-21
“This distinctive Pinot Noir…is totally dry and silky and firm in acidity, yet soft in fine tannins. You might call it noble. It’s eruptive in cherries, sweet smoky bacon, raspberry granola and oaky sandalwood. Gorgeous, seductive and brilliant, a truly great Pinot Noir that’s impeccable now. ” - Steve Heimoff, 97 Points | The Wine Enthusiast
2007 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
2007 Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon ($11.99)
A seamless amalgamation of Martini’s various Sonoma vineyards, the 2007 Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet exemplifies balance and grace. As purple swirled around my glass, ripe, dark berries, fresh asparagus, mint and toasted oak rushed to my nose. On the palate, a mildly tannic, surprisingly complex and balanced Cabernet had the cajones to stand up to wines considerably more expensive. I leaned back into my chair to hear other opinions. Bob jabbed at a broiled crab cake and gruffly muttered the word “pedigree” over and over. I couldn’t agree more. This is another shining example of the stellar 2007 California Cabernets coming down the pike, but with one distinct difference: it’s only $12… We finished the bottle – a rarity at a tasting – and all agreed that this wine is special…the little engine that could. In a world of 90+ Cabernets that start at $25 and accelerate well into the hundreds, this is truly a white tiger. Go ahead and prove us wrong. At this price you can’t afford NOT to.
90+ Points, Shawn Reynolds
January 2010
What in God’s Name is Vermouth?
“The proper union of gin and vermouth is a great and sudden glory; it is one of the happiest marriages on earth, and one of the shortest lived.”
- Bernard DeVoto, Harper’s Magazine
Stock Vermouth is available in-store at B-21 for $4.99/liter (both dry and sweet)
So what is vermouth? In short, it’s a fortified wine to which herbs and spices are added. Does that clear things up? Not likely, so let’s define it further. A fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled beverage, most often brandy, is added. The original reason for fortifying wines was to preserve them since ethanol is a natural antiseptic. Other fortified wines include port, sherry, and marsala.
The word vermouth is an adaptation of the German Wermut or Wermuth, which translates to wormwood, an herb used in the distillation of absinthe. Wormwood was added to libations during the time of Pythagorus to ward off intestinal worms. Vermouth was ultimately named so by Antonio Benedetto Carpano of Turin, Italy; Carpano is also credited with the propagation of sweet vermouth in the late 18th century. With that in mind, many refer to Italian vermouth as sweet and/or rosso. Joseph Noilly bears responsibility for the creation of the dry or French style of vermouth in 1813.
Vermouth may be used in place of wine when cooking and is preferred by many due to its stability, in that its quality does not diminish as quickly as that of wine. In cocktails, vermouth acts as a moderating agent to decrease the alcohol percentage and lend mild herbal notes, altering a drink’s character without moving the flavor t0o far in one direction or another as do juices and other mixers. Vermouth experienced heavy usage in the late 19th century, when, in contrast with today’s ratios, fledgling martinis and Manhattans contained twice as much vermouth as they did gin or whiskey. The current trend shies from such generous pours. Historian David Wondrich suggests that “bartenders are taught to treat it like toxic waste.” This cocktail paradigm shift occurred in the 20th century by figures such as Winston Churchill, who purportedly bowed in the direction of France while making martinis. I tended bar many moons ago and a dry martini is widely understood to contain no vermouth at all.
Now you might be curious… where would I find vermouth at B-21? It’s on the south end of the scotch aisle… for now.
~Shawn Reynolds, B21 California Correspondent
So What’s the Proper Temperature for Wines?
True Fabrications Wine Thermometer ($8.99)
You may have heard someone speak of chilling red wine before drinking. Is that appropriate? If so, how long should you chill it and why? The flavor of a wine directly correlates to its temperature. If you get a wine too cold it greatly diminishes the aroma and zest, creating a situation more akin to cold water. Conversely, if a wine is served too warm, it releases alcohol vapors evident on the palate.
So how did we come to chilling reds and letting whites warm? Well, many moons ago, prior to the advent of climate controlled cellars and central heat and air, room temperature in European castles was in the low 60s and cellars were about 55. Technology today provides stable room temperature, usually in the mid- to high-70s, a jump of 10-20 degrees.
One now needs to plan ahead when it comes to wine temperatures. If there is any question as to how cool your wine should be, err on the cold side and allow the wine to warm in your glass. Typically, red wines should chill in the refrigerator for about forty five minutes or in a bucket of ice and water for ten minutes. This cooling highlights the fruit and decreases the presence of tannins. With white wines remember that they should be chilled, not frozen; remove them from the refrigerator 30 minutes or so prior to serving. Champagne, sparkling, and dessert wines are the exceptions; colder temps keep bubbles lively and create a sharper taste, while lessening the presence of alcohol on the palate.
So that’s the 411 on wine temps in 300 words or less. Now go put a bottle of red in the frig and see for yourself.
~Shawn Reynolds, B-21 California Correspondent