Indie Winemakers Featured Wine – Calcareous Vineyards

Featured Wine Of The Week – 2005 Clacareous Vineyards Syrah

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• 2008 Double Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
• 2008 Double Gold, Central Coast Wine Competition
• 2008 Gold Medal, 94 pts., BTI World Wine Competition

 

About The Featured Wine

The 2005 Syrah was produced from Kiler Canyon Vineyard, a small single vineyard located on the Westside of Paso Robles. The vineyard is dedicated to Rhone varietals and is planted to specific clones of Syrah and Viognier.

Summary of Tasting Event

This 2005 Syrah was tasted on Oct 10, 2008 by a panel of 7 tasters in a blind tasting format. The winery suggests it be paired with BBQ meat or spicy meat. Carne Guisada con Papas (meat & potatoes) is our suggested pairing for this wine. The recipie is on the website.

This was the groups’ favorite wine of the evening. We were all impressed with the full-bodied nature of the wine. More importantly, the bigness did not impact the smoothness of this wine. Look out Hermitage, this has the makings of another “Bottle Shock” story.

We noted classic Syrah characteristics with concentrated flavors of black fruits, raspberry and black pepper. There are subtle oak influences on this wine. A long finish.

To read more, go to Indie Winemaker’s Website.

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Heitz’s Midsummer Cellars – 2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2005 Vintage Cab was tasted on May 3, 2008 by a panel of 8 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Short Ribs with Tagliatelle.  To summarize our tasting notes:

What a stunning Cab. This wine lives up to the famous Heitz name. The outstanding fruit comes through the nose with dark berries, some cherry aromas and a bit of earth/dusty cedar. The palate has lots of layers with focused fruit and a luxurious, mid-palate feel. Great tannin and acid balance really shined with the food. Enjoyable now, but will mature nicely for up to 10 years.

You may read the full description at Indie Winemaker’s Website.

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Écluse Ensemble – Bordeaux style red wine

This 2005 Paso Robles Ensemble from Écluse was tasted on March 22, 2008 by a panel of 5 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Skirt Steak with Chimichurri.

A blend of four of the five Bordeaux grapes, this luxuriant and seductive red is stuffed with fruit, but has the depth and structure to age superbly. All tasters noted how the wine came together nicely in the finish.

We noted a slight dark fruit aroma on the nose. The flavor profile leaned to the fruity side with cherries and plumb noted. The texture is smooth and very approachable now – the fruit is focused and substancial without being overpowering.

The winery suggested we pair Skirt Steak with Chimichurri sauce with this Bordeaux blend. The wine was smooth and well rounded enough to balance the Chimichurri sauce of the skirt steak. This food pairing works especially well in a pot luck BBQ party setting.

To read more, go to Indie Winemaker’s Website.

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