Last weekend a few of us got together to taste through as many of the local 2007 Cabernets as we could lay our hands on. The event was organised by Paul and Stef Romero of Stefania Wine, who were curious how their wines would stand up against similar wines from the region. The answer? Very well.

The wines were served in groups of three. Most of the people were not trying to take notes, so Wes Barton and myself soon found ourselves behind the rest of the group. As such the notes are somewhat brief, and are in the order the wines were poured. As far as I'm aware none of the wines were decanted or aired prior to pouring.

Our overall impression was that 2007 resulted in some very nice wines indeed. The group favourite was the
the Martin Ranch Dos Rios Vineyard, which was showing particularly well right now. Ridge Monte Bello and Mount Eden Estate did well as you might expect, despite being very young, and the Stefania Santa Cruz Mountains was just outside the top three.

2007 Mount Eden Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nice complex nose - initially cassis, mint and smoke with some mushroom emerging. That mushroom and cassis showed up again on the palate, with drying tannins on the finish. Good depth, and lots of structure.

2007 Cooper Garrod George's Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose was sweeter than #1, with sherbert and bramble.Fruity with bramble and boysenberry, plenty of tannin
eucalyptus coming out time.

2007 Chaine d'Or, Santa Cruz Mountains
Aromas of raw meat and dust.Tight, dry. grippy tannins - clearly needed air. Noticeable green pepper note, with some nice brambly fruit.

2007 Kathryn Kennedy 'Small Lot', Santa Cruz Mountains
Soft nose with nice black and red fruits. Smooth fruit - redcurrant and blackcurrant. I was thinking Saratoga or Santa Clara Valley.

2007 Ridge Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bright berry nose - blackberry and blackcurrant. Lots of blackcurrant cordial, tannin and - particularly - oak. Way too young.

2007 Martin Ranch Thérèse Vineyards Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Very perfumed nose, sweet smooth fruit, drying tannins. (By this point I was way behind, so my notes started getting terser.)

2007 P•M Staiger, Santa Cruz Mountains
Smoky, brambly nose. Smooth, sweet fruit. While enjoyable, this seemed the least complex of all the wines poured.

2007 La Honda Lonehawk Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Hint of volatile actidity on the nose? Lots of bramble and blackcurrant fruit, and lots of chewy tannin. I was guessing the Kennedy Small Lot.

2007 Stefania, Santa Cruz Mountains
Interesting nose; for some reason it made me think of a toilet puck. Structured berry fruit and lots of mouth-coating tannin. Needs time, but should be great.

2007 Ahlgren Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose of barnyard and herbs, with the alcohol showing, but on the palate there was sweet redcurrant, turning oaky on the finish.

2007 Stefania Uvas Creek Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Earthy and ripe plum. Lots of sweet peppery blackcurrant fruit, tannin and earth.

2007 Woodside Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose dominated by smoky oak. Rather intense with hints of graphite and spice backed by smooth tannins.

2007 Thomas Fogarty, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose showed smoked sausage. Smooth, sweet cassis; I wouldn't age this, it's good now. I think this was the least expensive wine in the lineup, having been found at Sunnyvale Costco for under $20.

2007 Domaine Eden, Santa Cruz Mountains
Elegant, feminine, light. There's smooth red fruit and bright acidity. I guessed Cooper Garrod, so was only a couple of miles out.

2007 House Family Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose is earthy and smoky. Seemed very tannic; there's some good black fruit there but it needs time.

2007 Ridge Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Rich nose showing caramel and eucalyptus. Light with some bright black fruits but decent structure.

2007 Martin Ranch Thérèse Vineyards Dos Rios Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Nose made me think of breakfast cereal. Lots of sweet caramel and black fruit, with nice chewy tannins. Quite the crowd pleaser.

2007 Creekview Vineyards, Santa Clara Valley
Nose of black fruit and eucalyptus; good intensity but very tannic at the moment.

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The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association runs an annual Commercial Wine Competition, open to all of its members. This year's competition was held last Monday at Ma Maison restaurant in Aptos, and I was  invited to be a judge. The judging panel is made up of both trade professionals - restauranteurs, sommeliers, wine buyers etc., and consumers.

Judging Table. 8 judges each tasting a different set of wines.

I arrived in Aptos at 9:30 and was greeted by the chilly grey morning skies that help to make the western side of the mountain such a great place to grow Pinot Noir. I signed in at the main desk and was assigned Flight #5 - Pinot Noirs. When everyone had arrived we were led into the restaurant and told to sit at any table, in front of our particular number.

Each table had 8 judges, with every judge tasting a different flight. The purpose of this is so that you can talk to your fellow judges without worrying about affecting the results. The wines were laid out on the table in front of us, with each glass labelled only with a 4 digit code number. We were also given a sample of a white wine (a rather pleasant New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at a guess) as an introduction.

The organisers gave some basic instructions on evaluating the wine. We were to score on the 100 point scale, with 90+ indicating a gold medal, 85-89 indicating silver and 80-85 indicating bronze. We were advised that around 20-25% of wines typically fall into the Gold category and around half fall into the Silver category. Very few get no medal at all. This seemed reasonable; in my personal scoring system anything below 85 isn't worth buying, anything below 80 is not worth drinking. On this scale 70-79 is supposed to indicate an 'average' wine, so I take that to indicate the mass of sub-$5 supermarket plonk.

As with most blind tastings the wines were poured in the same order for everyone. I typically go through the wines in order and smell them, to get a first impression. I then taste them in an order based on those impressions; if a wine seems odd or unbalanced I'll leave it until last. After tasting them all I'll go through them again to confirm my decisions.

The first flight. Each wine is identified by a 4 digit code number

The first flight was fairly straightforward. There were 7 wines, 2 of which I gave Gold scores to. They turned out to be 2008 Clos LaChance Santa Cruz Mountains and 2008 Sonnet Muns Vineyard. I gave good marks to the 2008 Domenico Santa Cruz Mountains and 2008 Black Ridge Estate.

The second flight had one wine that I found particularly unusual. It had almost overpowering notes of white pepper and spice. After trying it a couple of times I decided that it worked and awarded it a Gold - it turned out to be the 2008 Beauregard Santa Cruz Mountains. Another Gold went to the 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard Branciforte Creek, and an honourable mention to the 2008 Ahlgren Veranda Vineyard.

The final flight was unusual in that the first and last wines seemed very strange; I left them until the end and declared them both to be not medal worthy. My favourite turned out to be the 2008 Woodside Estate, with 2008 Muccigrosso and 2009 Soquel Estate also scraping Golds.

We then had a pause while the administrators tallied up the scores to determine the top 10 wines. While we were waiting there were some snacks including some delicious rillettes on mini croissants.

Finally the top 10 wines were revealed. We were told the variety in each case, and they were presented in order of lightest to heaviest, so I sampled them in that order. I was suprised to see that the winning Pinot Noir was not on my tasting list. It turned out that there were so many entrants that a fourth flight of Pinots had been given to a different set of judges, who had also been tasting the 'mixed' reds and blends. Frankly I wasn't overly impressed by their choice; there seemed to be a lot of sulphur evident, with the nose showing struck match and the fruit muted.

One of the judges analysing a wine.

Picking a favourite from 10 completely diverse wines is tough; ranking them in order is tougher still. Of the reds I particularly liked the Cabernet Sauvignon which was revealed to be the 2007 Woodside Estate; they also were awarded the best Zinfandel. I correctly guessed that the Petite Sirah was from Sones, though I thought it was probably from French Camp. The Soquel Chardonnay was very good and well balanced, and the dessert wine - a 2004 Angelica from Picchetti - was in a class of its own in more ways than one.

But in the end the top award went to Martin Ranch for their delicious 2009 Thérèse Vineyards Malbec. What's even more impressive is that Martin Ranch also scooped the top honour last year for their 2007 Lester Family Vineyard Syrah. Congratulations to Dan and Thérèse Martin!

Top 10 wines (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA unless noted)
2009 Martin Ranch Thérèse Vineyards Malbec Santa Clara Valley, Dos Ninas Vineyard
2010 Soquel Chardonnay, Ben Lomond Mountain, Meyley Vineyard
2009 Black Ridge Viognier
2007 Byington Pinot Noir Block 4
2008 Martin Ranch JD Hurley Merlot, Santa Clara Valley
2008 Sones Petite Sirah, Lodi
2008 Bargetto Syrah, Nelson Vineyard
2007 Woodside Cabernet Estate
2007 Woodside Zinfandel Estate
2004 Picchetti Angelica of Chardonnay

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As you've no doubt noticed, the blog has had to take something of a holiday over the past few months due to family and work pressures. But that doesn't mean I haven't been drinking some great local wines. Here's a roundup of some highlights over the past few weeks in no particular order.

2006 McHenry "Swan Clones" Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
A little known gem from the Bonny Doon area. I believe that technically the vineyards lie within the Ben Lomond Mountain sub-AVA, though it carries the SCM appellation. Interesting nose, with lots of forest floor and earthy funk. On the palate there's great cherry flavours and some savoury "umami" notes, and a medium length finish. Only about 150 cases made, but terrific value at around $26. 91+

2009 Martin Ranch "JD Hurley" Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Clara Valley
My tastes in Sauvignon Blanc typically run to the more acidic New Zealand and Sancerre styles, but this was really good on a hot autumn night. Nose shows apricot and lime; on the palate it's soft and creamy with light acidity and citrus flavours, and some caramel on the finish. Apparently it contains some Semillon. 88

2007 Sarah's Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Clara Valley
Nose is earthy and smoky, with dried herb and dried cranberry notes. Great flavours of cranberry and cherry. 90

2006 Fernwood Cellars "Small Vineyard Selection" Merlot
The fruit for this wine is sourced from a number of private vineyards in Los Altos, Saratoga & Monte Sereno. On the nose it's rather old world; lots of earthiness and underbrush, with some black fruit. But in the mouth it's got plenty of new world sweet fruit. 89

2007 Aver Family Vineyards "Hope"
A Rhone blend, with around 1/3 Petite Sirah (which technically isn't a Rhone grape, but the Rhone Rangers have claimed it as one of theirs). Good nose of blueberry, cranberry, dried herbs and pine. Flavours of blueberry, gooseberry and white pepper. Tannins are marked but not excessive. Benefited from an hour in a decanter. 90+

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Congratulations to Sycamore Creek, who got Best Red Wine/Double Gold for the 2007 Mosaico as well as a Double Gold for their 2007 Uvas Valley Cabernet at the 2010 West Coast Wine competition. Out of 1400 wines only 14 Double Golds were awarded, so to win two of them is a remarkable achievement.

Full results are here. Other local winners include:

Clos LaChance:
Silver - 2007 Merlot, Central Coast
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Central Coast
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Central Coast

Dancing Creek:
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Merlot, Santa Cruz Mountains

Martin Ranch:
Silver - 2006 JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2006 Therese Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2009 JD Hurley Sauvignon Blanc, Arroyo Seco
Bronze - 2007 JD Hurley Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Santa Clara Valley

Jason/Stephens
Silver - 2006 Dorcich Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2006 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2006 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2006 Merlot, Santa Clara Valley

Kings Mountain Vineyard
Bronze - 2005 Meritage, Santa Cruz Mountains

La Rusticana d'Orsa:
Bronze - 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains

Loma Prieta:
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Saveria Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bronze - 2008 Pinot Noir, Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains

Pietra Santa:
Gold - 2005 Vache Red Blend, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Pinot Grigio, Cienega Valley
Silver - 2008 Chardonnay, Dunne Ranch, Pacheco Pass
Silver - 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 Chardonnay Signature Collection, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2006 Sangiovese, Cienega Valley
Bronze - 2007 zinfandel, Central Coast
Bronze - NV Sacred Stone, Central Coast

Poetic Cellars:
Silver - 2005 Petite Sirah, Livermore Valley
Bronze - 2007 Ballad, Livermore Valley

Sycamore Creek
Best Red, Double Gold - 2007 Mosaico, Santa Clara Valley
Double Gold - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Valley Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Cabernet Franc, Santa Clara Valley
Silver - 2007 Malbec, Santa Clara Valley
Bronze - 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey

Vine Hill:
Gold - 2007 Cumbre Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Silver - 2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

Windy Oaks:
Bronze - 2007 Pinot Noir 'Diane's Block', Santa Cruz Mountains

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While the east coast has been shivering under a blanket of snow, over here in California it's been an early spring time. We had several gloriously sunny days last week - then the weekend came and with it the rain. Hardly ideal conditions to visit a vineyard, but some of the wineries of Santa Clara Valley are only open one weekend a month.

Martin Ranch is located near the end of Redwood Retreat Road. The ranch and its estate vineyard sit astride the 600' contour which normally marks the border between the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley AVAs, but when the application was drawn up it specifically included the Redwood Retreat area, along with the noted Bates Ranch just a few hundred yards away.

The estate vineyards were first planted by Dan and Thérèse Martin in 1993. Most of the early crops were sold to Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard under the name "Harvest Moon", but the Martins kept back a small amount. Then in 2002 they began producing wine commercially and swiftly grew to around 3500 cases, with additional fruit being purchased from some local Santa Clara Valley vineyards.

Though the Martins work together they maintain two distinct labels aiming to reflect their individual personalities; JD Hurley (named after Dan's favorite uncle) and Thérèse Vineyards.

Weather permitting, the winery is an ideal family destination; there's a play area at the back and ample picnic space. They offer a generous 35% discount on any wines purchased for immediate consumption.

The tasting fee is $10 for 6 wines. There was also a flight of 2oz pours of three other wines for $8. On this occasion Dan was also offering barrel tasting of three forthcoming wine club releases.

2008 JD Hurley Chardonnay, Santa Clara Valley
The last time I tried this wine I got a distinctly cider-y (as in "hard cider") quality to it, that I wasn't keen on. This time I didn't get that at all. Instead the nose shows crisp lemon and vanilla. It's tart and lightweight, with flavours of lemon curd and green apple, and not too oaky. 88

2006 JD Hurley Merlot, Santa Clara Valley
Sweet fruity nose; blueberry and smoke. Lots of rich black fruit and plums. 89

2005 JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Toasty oak and blackberry nose. Initially dry and tannic; a little thin with some black fruit and an astringent finish. 85

2006 Thérèse Vineyards Sangiovese, Santa Clara Valley
Bright redcurrants on the nose. Lovely rich fruit, good structure, tannins showing on the finish. Very nice. 91

2007 Thérèse Vineyards Syrah, Lester Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Very floral nose, with raspberry and redcurrant notes. Tight and tart with flavours of blueberry and chocolate. Good acidity and a medium length finish. Seems very young; should come together with time. 88+

2005 Thérèse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Dos Rios Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
The Dos Rios Vineyard is located at the entrance to Redwood Retreat Road, just off Watsonville Road. It's less than 4 miles from the winery, but on the other side of the AVA boundary.
Light berry nose. Lovely rich fruit; blackcurrant and blackberry. Smooth, with fine tannins and a long finish. 92

2006 Thérèse Vineyards Petite Sirah, Madeline Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley
The Madeline Vineyard is located off Day Road.
Nice nose - floral with some black fruit. Dry blackberry flavours, quite a lot of tannin and acidity. However there was a slightly medicinal note that I found offputting. 86

Then three barrel samples:

2009 "Cabbiolo" Rose
This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo. The Cabernet is estate fruit - two rows that always ripen later than the rest and this year didn't quite achieved full maturity. The Nebbiolo came from another vineyard and had large berries with a low skin-to-juice ratio. Some juice was taken after the first day (a method known in France as saignée) and blended to make this wine.
Light pink colour. Floral, with strawberry and earth notes. Still slightly effervescent from the malolactic fermentation; light, sweet fruit (though bone dry) with mineral notes. Fairly simple but pleasant nontheless - a nice summer wine. 85-87

2008 Grenache, Santa Clara Valley
From a new, as yet un-named vineyard at the junction of Sunnyside and Watsonville Roads. This is the first vintage from these vines. The nose was fairly faint, which was not helped by being cold, but the flavours were amazingly rich; lots of redcurrant fruit and a long finish. Very impressive for a first vintage; one to watch. 92-94

2008 Malbec
I confess that between the Grenache and my kids distracting me this one didn't get much attention. I failed to note the AVA and simply wrote that it had a deep colour, a rich, plummy nose and was fairly light and dry. 88-90

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The SCMWA held a trade tasting in San Francisco today. A couple of dozen great wineries pouring their current releases for buyers, distributors, restauranteurs and writers. It would be difficult enough to try all the wines without taking notes; at every table there's an old friend to catch up with. Many apologies to everyone whose wines I didn't get to taste.

These are more impressions than proper tasting notes. Overall the quality was excellent, with hardly any signs of over-manipulation.

2007 Black Ridge Viognier, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lychee, mango and tropical fruit nose. Touch of residual sugar, flavours of apricot and mango. A great pairing for spicy food. 90
2007 Black Ridge Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Heavy, black cherry nose. Rich, spicy cherry fruit. Medium, tannic finish. Needs a year. 91+

2007 Clos LaChance Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Black cherry nose. Smooth, rich cherry fruit, some spice. Light on the tannin and acidity. Drink now. 89
2007 Clos LaChance "Buff Bellied Hummingbird" Zinfandel, Central Coast
Smoky, ripe raspberry nose. Intense, concentrated dark raspberry fruit. Good structure too. 91 This would be good value anyway, but apparently Safeway have it on offer for $12 right now. Back up the van!
2006 Clos LaChance "Lila's Cuvee", Estate
Rhone blend. Smoky, meaty and earthy nose. Well structured, with good fruit backed by mushroom and earth notes. Needs a year or two. 90+
2006 Clos LaChance Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate
Soft blackcurrant fruit, fine tannins and a smooth finish. 90

2007 Heart O' The Mountain Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Tart cranberry and cherry nose. Rich concentrated fruit, kirschwasser on the finish. 90+
2006 Heart O' The Mountain Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Dusty oak, cherry. Nice sweet fruit, seemed more balanced and integrated. Drink or hold. Think I'm in the minority in preferring the 2006, to drink now at least. 91

2001 Kathryn Kennedy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely rich warm, nose, complex currant notes. Wow. Intense fruit, nicely integrated. Seriously delicious now but will hold. 96
2005 Kathryn Kennedy Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Fainter nose than the 2001, black fruits. Good fruit but not as integrated. Lots of structure. Less intense than 01 but perhaps more elegant. Needs time. 94+
2006 Kathryn Kennedy Small Lot Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Sourced from 10 different vineyards from Woodside to Morgan Hill.
Soft, rich berry fruit on the nose. Smooth blackcurrant fruit, nice oak, good acidity, quickish finish. 91

2006 La Honda Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Cabernet Sauvignon 57% Sangiovese 43%
Light nose, some black fruit. Light bodied and earthy. The tannin has calmed since I last tasted it, but it still needs time. 86
2006 La Honda Cabernet Sauvignon, Chalk Hill
Blackberry and dusty oak on the nose. Big, rich, ripe blackberry/blackcurrant flavours. Long tannic finish. Give it at least another year. 92
2006 La Honda Meritage, Chalk Hill
Nice floral, black fruit nose. Good blackcurrant fruit, less tannin than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Drinking well now. 91
2007 La Honda Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Unlike 2006 all the fruit went into one blend. I think it's a good decision.
Cherry Cola on the nose. Big ripe fruit, cherry and cranberry. Needs time. 90+

2008 Martella Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey
Fermented in steel, aged sur lie for 5 months.
Citrus nose, grapefruit, lemon and fig. Bright and fruity, mandarin pear and peach. 90
2006 Martella Grenache
Ripe, porty nose. Ripe, tart fruit (acid added?). Notes of liquorice. 85
2007 Martella "Hammer" Syrah
Earth, black fruit on the nose. Lots of tannins, liquorice again, bitter finish. 87
2008 Martella Zinfandel
Initial mushroom nose blew off to reveal floral, rose petal nose. Some residual sugar. Sweet raspberry, low acid, tannic finish. 85

2008 Martin Ranch JD Hurley Chardonnay
Cidery nose. Vanilla cream and smooth apple. Cidery finish. 86
2006 Martin Ranch JD Hurley Merlot, Santa Clara Valley
Oak, smooth plum fruit. 88
2006 Martin Ranch JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Earthy berry nose. Good acidity, nice fruit, tart finish. 88
2006 Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard Syrah, Santa Clara Valley
Earth, smoke and black fruit. Lovely fruit, nice acidity, crisp finish with white pepper 91
2005 Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Shy, earthy nose. Dense blackcurrant fruit, lot of tannin. Needs 3+ years in the cellar. 90+
2006 Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard Sangiovese, Santa Clara Valley
Lots of earth and sweet oak. Nice red fruit, red currant, earth, smoke, liquorice 91
2007 Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard Zinfandel, Amador
12% petite Sirah. Around 0.5% residual sugar.
Sweet raspberry syrup nose. Sweet raspberry, decent structure 87

2007 Mount Eden Saratoga Cuvee Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Made from declassified estate fruit as well as some from managed vineyards.
Peaches, pears and vanilla on the nose. Rich, sweet fruit, nice oak - not too heavy. Good tart finish. 91
2006 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lighter nose than the Saratoga Cuvee, showing some caramel. Bright fruit, green apple. Not really showing much right now. Long finish though. Great potential. 90++
2007 Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Huge nose - cherry, raspberry and oak. Full bodied - rich cherry spice, orange peel and so much more. Long, lingering finish. Could be better than the awesome 2005. Buy this and cellar it. 96+
2007 Mount Eden Saratoga Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Always a good value. Nice dusty, blackcurrant nose. Good berry fruit, nice balance. 89
2006 Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains
Another 2006 with a light nose. Seems to be a feature of the vintage.
Elegant and structured, but way too young. There's a big wall of tannin around the fruit. Hard to rate at this stage; 89++++

2008 Odonata Chardonnay, Peter Martin Ray Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Toast, fig and apple pie on the nose. Rich pear, peach and apricot. Toasted brioche on the finish. 92
2008 Odonata Grenache
Raspberry/cherry pie on the nose and again on the palate. Spice, raspberry, shows some oak. 91
2007 Odonata Malbec
Tart blackberry nose. Orange, blackberry, toast and clove. Good acidity. 90
2007 Odonata Durif, McDowell Valley
Nice black fruit. Spicy. Good tannin control. 90

2007 Sarah's Vineyard Old Vine Grenache, Santa Clara Valley
Interesting smoky, meaty nose. Medium bodied. Rich, concentrated fruit, light tannin. Very tasty 91

2008 Storrs Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Apple and vanilla nose. Flavours of green apple and tropical fruit. 89
2006 Storrs Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains
Spicy, with cinnamon, clove and dried cranberry nose. Sweet cranberry fruit and white pepper, but there's bitter tannin on the finish. 88+ if the bitterness goes with time.
2006 Storrs "Two Creek" Rhone blend, Santa Clara Valley
Savoury, gamey, roasted meat nose. Rich and full bodied. Sweet, dark fruit; intense and concentrated. Medium finish. Good tannins. Great value at around $25 92
2005 Storrs "Lion Oaks" Zinfandel, Santa Clara Valley
Spice, black pepper, raspberry nose. Another wine with intense, concentrated, sweet fruit. Long finish. 92
2005 Storrs Petite Sirah
Nose shows barnyard, some tart black fruit. Lots of tannin, but not too much and there's fruit to support it. 89

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The Redwood Retreat Valley is in the south west corner of the Santa Clara Valley AVA on the border of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA; while the appellation boundaries generally follow the 600' contour at this point it dips to include the valley into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Dan & Thérèse Martin planted Cabernet Sauvignon in 1993 and began making small amounts of wine in 1997. Initially the grapes were sold to Ahlgren, River Run and SCMV under the name Harvest Moon Vineyard; they later bonded as Martin Ranch Winery. Their first commercial release was in 2002 with the introduction of labels J.D. Hurley and Thérèse Vineyards wines. Dan is the primary winemaker for the J.D Hurley label.

The 2005 Merlot opens with an earthy, forest floor nose, with some floral and cocoa notes. On the palate there's initially a lot of acidity, but looking beyond that there is good black fruit, chocolate and a little smoke. The tannins are soft, with a medium length finish. Grows on you. 87. Listed at $20, the winery has it on closeout this month for $120 per case.

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Tw more wineries have taken their first steps in blogging. Certainly Ridge should need no introduction; Martin Ranch may be known to you as Harvest Moon Vineyard - the winery is on Redwood Retreat Road in Gilroy and makes some great wines including Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

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Congratulations to some of our local women winemakers who won medals in the 2009 National Womens Wine Competition.

Bargetto
2006 Reserve Merlot, Santa Cruz Mountains (Silver)

Creekview Vineyards
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Clara Valley (Silver)
2007 Chardonnay, Santa Clara Valley (Bronze)

La Rusticana d 'Orsa
2005 Santa Cruz Mountains (Silver)

Martin Ranch
2005 JD Hurley Cabernet Sauvignon, SCM(Silver)
2005 JD Hurley Merlot, Santa Clara Valley (Silver)
2005 Therese Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Silver)
2005 Therese Vineyards Estate Cabernet Franc(Bronze)
2005 Therese Vineyards Syrah, Lester Family Vineyard, SCM (Bronze)

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A couple of months ago I was invited to a blind tasting of mostly Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernets and Cab blends that was being run by a market research company on behalf of a local winery. I had a suspicion who the client might be, but no idea what wines were being poured or the order.

The event was held in a lovely, historic house high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The land was part of the original parcel bought by John and George Jarvis. There were six tasters in all from various backgrounds; some with winemaking connections (both professionally and amateur), others just enthusiasts.

The first six wines were all Cabernets. We were asked to evaluate them silently and score them out of 20, then discuss them as a group. (I don't normally assign scores to wines; I'd rather just try to rank them in order of preference.) The second flight covered blends; there were four Bordeaux/Meritage blends and two "Super Tuscan" Cabernet/Sangiovese blends. In the end it was remarkably difficult to decide between some of them, but a lot of fun.

It was subsequently confirmed that the tasting had been organised for La Honda Winery, to try out a few of their forthcoming releases. I think they should be very pleased by the results.

In the first flight, two of the six Cabernets were from La Honda and both were voted in the top three. All but one of the wines in the flight were from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The 2006 La Honda Chalk Hill Cabernet from Sonoma came top. It was significantly darker than most of the others. The nose showed bright fruit; blackberry and blackcurrant, with hints of mint, menthol and eucalyptus. I got more of the same on the palate, with liquorice on the finish. A very nice wine.

In second place was the 2004 Martin Ranch Therese Vineyards Estate Cabernet. I've tried this a couple of times and have been impressed. It had a floral nose, with some orange peel and perhaps a hint of aldehyde. Plenty of tannin and spice - nutmeg and cinnamon - but not showing much fruit at this stage. Needs time.

The 2006 Lone Hawk Vineyard Cabernet came in third. This had a faint nose of cedar and raisins. On the palate there were dusty tannins and nice acidity. It too seemed tight; not showing much fruit, and had a medium length finish.

The second flight had four Meritage/Bordeaux blends (including a surprisingly weak showing by a local wine that I've tried before and have in my cellar. I'll reserve further comment on that until I've had chance to try it again).

Voting on this flight was very mixed; a wine that one person rated the highest would be rated the lowest by the next person. The overall winner turned out to be a 2004 Byington Alliage. I used to drink Alliage quite often when it was $15-$20 and made from Sonoma fruit; these days it carries the Paso Robles appellation and costs closer to $30. It had an oaky, floral nose with a little heat from the alcohol. The palate showed sweet cherry and plum fruit with vanilla and decent finish.

The final two wines compared an Italian Cabernet/Sangiovese blend with one from La Honda's own vineyard. It was an unusual comparison; the Italian was all smoke, earth, underbrush and stone with tannin and acidity; a complete contrast to every other wine of the night; perhaps for that reason only I gave it the edge, even though I'm not normally a fan of Italian wines. The La Honda on the other hand had bright redcurrant, blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, some oak and again plenty of acidity. This is a very young vineyard and it'll certainly be interesting to see how it goes on as the vines gain maturity.

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Vino Locale is a small wine bar and wine shop in Palo Alto. It's at 431 Kipling, just opposite Zibibbo restaurant. As the name suggests, they emphasise local ingredients and focus on local wineries. They also organise regular tastings; last week Therese Martin of Martin Ranch was pouring. It was a blazing hot Thursday afternoon and we were outside in the shade. I met up with some of the usual suspects and we tasted five of the Martin Ranch wines. Since I've misplaced my notes, this is from memory. As usual Therese was charming and we had some interesting discussions on the recent crazy weather conditions while sipping the wines.

The first was a pleasant Rose of Cabernet Franc. This was the first time the Martins had made a rose; apparently the fruit wasn't looking ripe enough for a full red so they decided to give it a go. It works; the wine is bone dry and very refreshing for a hot summer afternoon. It's also reasonably priced at under $13.

The second wine was a very nice Merlot. Very easy drinking, good fruit. I liked it.

Next was a Syrah. I've commented before that I do like Martin Ranch Syrah but I think it needs a couple of years in the cellar and since I have no room for the larger bottle I'll just have to try to pick up older vintages at retail.

The fourth wine was a Cabernet Sauvignon. A good example of the softer, smoother wines that valley fruit tends to produce. Like the Merlot this was easy drinking now but would certainly benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar.

The last wine was a Petite Sirah. I'm still on the fence regarding Petite Sirah as a varietal; when young I find it hard and tannic, not particularly distinctive beyond that, and thus difficult to pair with food. I've yet to taste any good examples of older vintages by any producers. I think its best use is a blending grape, particularly with Zinfandel. Anyway, this was a typical example; some good black fruits and pepper but a lot of tannin.

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I've said many times that Santa Clara Valley AVA doesn't get the respect that it deserves. It suffers from the twin curses of obscurity and notoriety; most wine drinkers don't know about it and many that do are only familiar with the low-end wines and almond champagne that used to be the majority of production.

But Santa Clara Valley is undergoing a renaissance. New wineries are emerging that are serious about quality and are producing wines that easily as good as those coming out of some of the better known appellations. I recently attended a trade-only tasting in Los Gatos organised by the SCMWA and got to try three of Santa Clara Valley's best wineries.



The winery that is doing most right now to set the benchmark on what can be done with Santa Clara Valley fruit is probably Martin Ranch. Located in the foothills at the southern tip of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation, husband and wife team Dan and Thérèse Martin have two distinct labels; Thérèse Vineyards and JD Hurley.

The JD Hurley wines are made by Dan. I tasted an interesting rose - a fine summer sipper made from Cabernet Franc - the 2007 Rosa Seca ($13); a big, rich, chocolatey 2005 Merlot ($20); a dry but fruity 2006 Zinfandel ($23) and a very nice 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon with a nose of violets that's drinking just great.

The Thérèse Vineyards 2005 Syrah ($25) is very good indeed; a level above the 2004, though sadly still in those annoying oversized bottles. The 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) is a huge, chewy monster that deserves at least 3-5 years in the cellar.



Established in 1992, Clos LaChance is one of the area's larger wineries, with annual production in the 60,000 to 80,000 case range and distribution in about 15 states. Most of the fruit is sourced from the estate vineyard, with some coming from small private vineyards that are installed and maintained by the winery.

The "entry level" wines are known as the "Hummingbird" series - each wine is named after a different kind of bird. The aim seems to be on a wine that shows the typicity of the varietal and is ready to drink straight away without need for cellaring. Although the estate is in the Santa Clara Valley these wines carry the Central Coast appellation presumably because that name is more familiar to buyers outside the area - the curse of obscurity I mentioned earlier.

The 2004 "Violet-Crowned" Merlot showed the typical Merlot characteristic of plums; the 2005 "Buff-Bellied" Zinfandel had the usual spice with a white-pepper finish and the 2005 "Black-Chinned" Syrah had smoky spice and currants. What they may lack in complexity they make up for in value; although the RRP is around $18 they can often be found in stores like Safeway for less than half that figure.



Depending on how you measure, Sarah's Vineyard on Hecker Pass Highway is either the youngest or the oldest of the three wineries.
Originally established by Marilyn Sarah Clark in 1978, it gained a small but loyal following with a reputation for ageable, austere Chardonnays. She retired in 2001 and the winery was purchased by Tim Slater.

The 2006 Estate Chardonnay ($25) continues that tradition, showing good minerality and lemon. The 2005 Merlot ($25) had a nose of cooked plums and a surprisingly mineral finish, like a mouthful of river stones. The 2005 Pinot Noir ($27) showed cherry and spice, while the earthy 2004 Syrah ($25) cried out for a gamey accompanient.

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