Review of New Californian Wines

Review of New Californian Wines Hello everybody welcome to Wine Library TV I am your host Gary Vaynerchuk and this my friends is the thunder show a.k.a the internet’s most passionate wine program and today we go with what California recently released. You know wines that are just kind of hitting the market or maybe had been out for a little bit but new wines for wine library that have big press from California notes, it’s Thanksgiving Mott, you guys it’s Thanksgiving week and I thought you know we need to go a little Americana and you know to be honest with you I just want to taste these wines because they're hot. They're wines that I have great respect for, have been a long time friend and follower and buyer of trilogy I started buying them from the 91 vintage I mean 16 vintages get old, getting real. That hurts, and then two wines from Louis, Remy Louis famous driver now makes some of the most sought after wine. And as a matter of fact, Mott give me the big ass glass I'm going to taste this. what we were thinking about -- get this out, this is the big ass glass kind of episode and so first and foremost I hope everybody has a tremendous Thanksgiving I'm going to be airing the Thanksgiving episode tomorrow for you because a lot of people were asking for Wednesday night so put that up for them 5, 6, 7 PM on Wednesday night I was taking taste along with me on Thursday as many of you like to do and that’s that. Let’s start this episode with a very interesting wine, merlot Luna, 2006 merlot 100% merlot aged for 20 months in oak sourced mainly from Howell Mountain and Stagecoach renewed that and a little bit from Carneros this wine really fascinates me for a couple of reasons, one it is $16.00 so it’s very well priced compares to the $40.00, $54.00 and $74.00 wines that we have on this episode. Two, I think we've all been together one time now and I'm always passionate about wine it’s not tasty cases. Young Dave a little shout out for you Young Dave. Now first thing I smell is crap face this smells like there is a forest fire I truly feel like Smokey the bear is going to come out and going to be like hey kids I'm like are you kidding me right now? Luna merlot this is pretty darn the oak monster is in full effect 20 months shows, this is heavily oaked on the nose and you get all the kind of you new ones in that, nutmeg a little vanilla kind of thing going on. There's a black cherry coming through. Wow this is oaky, this is almost I'm comfortable I feel like I'm comfortable, let’s give it a whirl, wow. The wine’s raveling a little bit on the pallet. Good and firm structure, really nice taste. I really like this cranberry component that’s kind of bouncing on the initial flavor profile it is oaky I mean and there's clearly the vanilla and the citer kind of thing going on little citer box thick viscous. Nice tannins, well made actually well structured. It’s a little too oaky for my pallet but that shouldn’t keep you guys away I think a lot of people would enjoy this wine and I guess one of the episodes people talk about the styles they like and the wines they like and I know there's a lot of people work into different styles and a lot of California love and I think there's a lot of people here who would enjoy this. In general, this is a fairly descent wine too oaky for my pallet but I like it. I mean for me this is an 88 point wine, it’s a nice solid wine 16 bucks and good showing for a solid bottle of merlot and you know nothing to sheek a stick at not my cup of tea to all base of individual pallet with respect for it being well made and structured just not exciting enough to over power the really heavy reliance on the oakiness of this wine is having that bothers me a little bit. So not that great to start the show but let’s see what we can rally here. Flora Springs Trilogy 2007 74% cabernet, 21% merlot and 5% petit verdot 93 points Robert Parker 40 American dollars so I like this back to basic style because the last four wines that’s really bad for basics. That was the original kind of number at some level. So let’s see what Trilogy has got and how it’s bringing it. It’s got this great nose route. So very Bordeaux like on the nose maybe that’s the petit verdot there's a lot less oak coming through on the nose which is enticing. Little sprouts kind of thing going on. Little red fruit, black fruit, I like it on the nose. This is kind of appealing nice job Floral Springs. This is good, very dark pretty firm tannins. Almost like blueberry pie with a kick, really nice, delicious firm tannins. This is actually better than how I thought it’s going to be. It’s a little Bordeaux like it’s extremely balanced while still having a beautiful California sensibility, great fruit just this beautiful luscious almost like very delicious blackberries, I'm a big fan. It’s got just great, great flavors. I'm a huge fan of it good fruit, yeah I think Parker nailed it, this is a big wine. I'm going to score it 93 points and it blew me away. One of the better California red blends I've had in a long time. I like this a lot. This is a very interesting wine, I'm a pretty big fan in the past. It’s the Lewis Alec’s Blend this is the 2008 Lewis Cellars Alec’s Blend 74% syrah 18% merlot and 8% cabernet so predominantly a syrah based wine as you can tell by the bottle shape I'm really interested to see what happens here. I've been a long time fan of Alec’s Blend, let’s see what's going on here sniffy sniff. Very ripe raspberry flavors coming through actually big fruit very juicy only a thousand cases produced of this wine. It smells nice actually. Big red fruit almost pomegranate like really nice, very vibrant you’ll smell the sunshine let’s give it a whirl. First initial thought it’s much like the first wine it’s a little oaky for me. It’s a little more oaky and it’s extremely young, 2008 red wine of this caliber and pedigree Calibree caliber and pedigree together in one. So you know very young from the line of the calibree and so you’ve got to give it the benefit of doubt but the oak is coming across pretty aggressively. I’d like to see it come down over subsequent age in the cellar. And I think that would happen and it’s probably worth going to go that being said it does bother me a little bit into this moment. Nice wine I dramatically prefer the Trilogy over the Lewis. I'm going to score it 89 points. Let’s move on to another Lewis wine and this is their signature wine at some level I guess. This is the 2008 cabernet from Napa 100% cabernet Hillside Vineyards in Calistoga and Oak Knoll 2,000 cases produced. This wine is $74.00 and is rated 93 points by the wine spectator. 74 is a great number. Let’s give it a sniffy sniff. Big fruit, very focused dark black fruit plum is the first thing that comes to mind a little cedar, nice nose, great focus not as over bearing as the Alec’s Blend with the oak. This is much more integrated a little kyoushiness. Let’s give it a whirl. I should do more shows with a lot of wines from the winery because I'm very far with the Lewis I've met a lot of their wine tastings. This is a throwback wine as a matter of fact, this reminds me of the 1991 and 1995 vintage California cabernets. All of a sudden I'm starting to kind of come back especially the high quality Napa cab and this wine is singing to me. And this is not a makeup score by any stretch of imagination because I think you guys know I really don’t care. My responsibility is to you and I love the Lewis’ but they're going to do just fine you know even if I score this a one on my little, little, little tiny wine show. So spectacular stuff, I'm going to score this wine 95 points. I think this is one of the better wines we've had in the show this year and it’s late we’re in until late November early December and I really like this, this wine is really, really good. Go out and find this, this will be widely available in my opinion in top restaurants. Question of the day, California, California, California what's your California wine of the moment and if you don’t have one and I've been pushing this show to try wines outside of California. If you do have a wine at the moment from California though I want that as a B, what is your favorite all time California wine at the moment? Was there ever a time you were just addicted like a crack head to Silver Oak or Chateau Montelena or Rod, or you know insignia I like to know that. That’s what I like to know. Let’s look in for like some awkward silence just for kicks and giggles. You with a little bit of me we’re changing the wine world.