2008 and 2007 from Futo Wines

This is an impressive estate!

Many years ago, I bought the wines of Oakford Vineyards. At that time I didn’t know exactly where it was, but friends in the valley told me it was the neighbor of Harlan Estate and that the wines were made by Heidi Peterson Barret. For me, that was just the right information to make me buy the wines. And I did.

They were good, sometimes not (like 2000), but sometime immensely impressive (especially the 2001 vintage, which ironically enough was the last one). I tried to call them to see them, to learn more. Nothing happened, no replies, never. On my regular visits at their neighbor vineyards Bond Estates and Harlan Estate, I passed by their gate that said “Oakford Vineyard – not open to public”, so I gave up.

Well, I didn’t. I continued, and finally a certain Joshua Lowell answered my calls, and told me the estate had been sold. Okay, “wait and see”, I thought.

And I did. On May 12, I did my first visit at the estate. And it’s so easy to summarize it: “WOW!”

Texan business man Tom Futo is the new owner – hence the new name Futo Wines. He bought the property in 2002. Immediately he started to replant the vineyards, and – which is extremely important it you should be able to make a world class wine – build a winery. In California, there’s a trend for winemaker to rent space in so called custom crush wineries, but that’s not the final solution. Numbers of winemakers have told me over the years all the problems involved with that, such as the pump isn’t available until tomorrow, you can only use the tank for 12 days (so no cold soak, fermentation and post maceration – please choose either one of that), and limited space for again. The first vintages from 2004 (not sold until quite recently, because it due to its richness didn’t fit in the program, until clients more or less asked for it), until 2007 were made at Laird Family Winery, on of the largest custom crush facilities in Napa Valley. The choice was fully natural – the first winemaker was Mark Aubert, who made his own wines down there.

Since 2008 the winemaker is the young and extremely talented Jason Exposto. So why him? Why didn’t owner Tom and manager Joshua opt for one of the true stars in the valley? Why didn’t they hold on to the heroic Mark Aubert, or hire Andy Erickson, Philippe Melka or Heidi Peterson Barrett (again)? Well, after meeting the young Jason, I know!

Why opt for what is already known as rthe best, when you can surprise with the next generation of superstar winemakers?

Not that Jason is an untested winemaker – his track record is quite impressive. After working in New Zealand and Western Australia, he moved to California where he worked with superstars David Abreu and St-Emilion winemaker Stépahne Derenoncourt (an exceptional vigneron, modernist and hero) in is efforts in Napa Valley, so there’s nothing rookie or interesting about him. He may be young, but he knows for sure what has to be done.

The Futo estate covers only 5.25 hectares of vines, all planted to Bordeaux varietals, but spread out over 24 vineyard lots stretching over 800 meters from north to south on the east facing slopes of Mayacamas Range, touching Harlan Estate (next to) and Stelling Vineyard and the even more famous Martha’s Vineyard below.


2008 Futo / 96 p
This is a blend of 70 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 30 percent Cabernet Franc, a grape that really thrives in its high, sunny and well exposed lot high up on the mountain. After a rigorous sorting, the grapes are fully destemmed and the juice is then fermented in stainless steel tanks of four tons, thereafter transferred into mostly brand new French oak barrels from the cooper Taransaud (“They are the best, and the most consistent in quality”, Joshua says), among them a quite impressive amount of the ultra premium barrels T5, for which the oak staves have been air dried for at least five years. In these barrels, the wine may rest for somewhere between 18 and 20 months.
Color is purple and dark, almost opaque. Joshua decanted the wine almost two hours before I came, which has to be taken into consideration (that was certainly a smart move), so it had started (not more than that) to open up a bit. Already 15 centimeters above the glass, the beauty tried to seduce me, the aroma was loads with dark berries, a touch of vanilla and sweetness from the oak, but also more elegant nuances of graphite and cedar tree. I was surprised how Bordeaux like (vintages 2000, 2003 and 2005 in Bordeaux that is) this wine was.
On the palate its medium to full bodied, in no way too much or too rich, there’s too much sophistication in the construction of true flavors in this wine for that. Slowly it opens, little by little, to reveal its true glory, dark and densely concentrated fruit, mostly cassis and blackberries, but with no sweet notes. Also, there’s much more complexity to it, cedar tree and graphite mostly, but also a fine note of walnuts. And it’s damn delicious! On the palate, there’s first a silky sweetness, then the more serious texture and structure will take over, and the overall impression will be an almost impeccable balance with just a touch of alcohol warmth before the tannins, the slightly sweetish but by no means obvious oak flavor comes through, followed by a tickling minerality and long, very fine finnish.
Even though the wine hade been decanted for a while, and that’s neccisary when served young, it continued to open up and evolve in the glass during the hour I had it there.
Drink it 2012-2032

2007 Futo / 96-97 p
I didn’t taste the wine side by side, but the the the after each other. The 2007 shares a lot of the characteristics of the 2008 (therefore most of the tasting notes would have looked the same) with a young and dark, almost opaque purple color. It was decented one hour before it was tasted, as was the 2008, so in that sense the tasting conditions was equal. This wine had a slightly greater and more aromatic nose with dark berries such as blueberries and cassis, but also a peppery spiciness and a hint of walnuts. It was a bit closed on the nose, but it opened up just lovely with the time in the glass, but even after that, it’s well structured with a lingering minerality and acitidy that makes a great balance to the rich and almost silki textured fruit body. It’s not only the densely packed but yet so elegant nose that makes this wine so great, all the way from the first sip through the midpalate to the lingering aftertaste is built on intensity and balance. Drinking it today, I recommend decanting at least one hour prior to pouring it.
Drink it 2012-2032

2008 Continuum – a new golden era of Mondavi is born

In the world of movies, it’s almost always the first in a series of movies that’s the best – the sequel is normally not as well written and made. In this case, I find the continuation of the fabulous story of Robert Mondavi to be absolutely stunning! Not that I wasn’t impressed and touched by the finest wines from Robert Mondavi Winery and the original story of Robert Mondavi – his achievements ranks among the greatest in the history of wine!
Sadly, the glory of the Mondavi dynasty faded a bit towards the end (I still liked the best wines from Napa Valley), especially towards the mid 1990s when the company grew too much and in some way lost its focus, while Napa Valley as a whole took giant steps forward and saw that boom that Robert Mondavi always talked about – decades earlier.

The very minute I heard the family lost control over their company, and was bought out by the giant Constellation Brands, my first thought was that it wouldn’t take long before something new would come out from the Mondavi family. Just doing nothing isn’t, as far as I know, something that’s in the genes of a Mondavi.

But how does one move from there?

Constellation Brands had bought out the family in 2004, Robert and his daughter Marcia and winemaking son Tim moved fast. Already 2005 they made their first new wine, then from fruit sourced from the famous To Kalon Vineyard, adjacent to their formed estate in Oakville. They called the wine Continuum, which is a brilliant name, for it is a continuation of the heritage started already with Cesare Mondavi, now nearly a century ago.

The Mondavi family managed to purchase a fantastic property with 70 hectares of land at 400 to 490 meters of altitude on Pritchard Hill, 16.60 hectares of it already planted to vines in 1991 and 1996 (those grapes went into the wine Versant). After they have bought this property in 2008, they started to clear land and plant new vineyard lots in 2010. Today the Cloud View Vineyard, the new name of the vineyard, covers a total of 24.30 hectares.

It’s a challenge to farm the land up here, the soil is poor and well drained, it actually have pretty much the same structure as the llicorella soil in Priorat in Spain – it’s a very stony, reddish volcanic soil. In the past it wasn’t considered to be suitable for growing grapes, since yields rarely exceeds 20-24 hectoliters per hectare, but modern winegrowers who makes wines from these low yielding vines just love the structure, the mineral notes and the intensity of flavors in grapes grown in these poor conditions. However, the hard work and the small yields will result in high wine prices. That’s intelligible and just fair. Great wines will never come cheap. (And why should they?)
Next month, the construction of the estate winery will start – caves will be excavated into the mountainside for a barrel cellar with even temperatures, connected to the winery which will have four rooms with wooden fermentation vats (like those at Robert Mondavi Winery, but smaller). I can only guess that the small details in the wine will be even finer tuned with this. Today the wines are custom crushed at the Trinchero family winery.

The view from the vineyard atop of Pritchard Hill is magnificent. A clear day you may see all the way to San Francisco. Not that the view is the reason for climbing the mountain, the true treasure is the wine made up here.

2008 Continuum / 95-97 p
This is a blend of 71 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 17 percent Cabernet and small portions of Petit Verdot and Merlot. In this vintage, some 70 percent of the fruits comes from the estate vineyards – so for the first time since the inaugural vintage (2005) we are able to get a pretaste on what eventually will be one of the finest wines in the valley (or more accurate, above the valley). When the vineyards are mature, the blend will most likely consist of around 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and a greater proportion of Cabernet Franc Franc (which thrives in the reddish volcanic soil here).
Without doubts, Tim Mondavi is a great winemaker. Small yields, a strict selection of grapes, a few days of cold soak to enhance the flavors and reduce the amount of bitterness from the skins and seeds, and then a natural fermentation with a cuvaison of around 30-35 days. Then the wine is transferred into brand new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and around 20 months of ageing. The result is stunning!
Color is very dark, purple and almost opaque. Already above the glass, the aromas are rich and very intense, loaded with cassis and dark cherries, with a note reminiscent of violets, and in the background there’s a very complex addition of the stony soil (it’s just like someone stood outside the window, and hammers on rocks). That stony quality will follow on the palate, and in combination with the lively acidity it creates an energy that’s just amazing. It’s like the wine dances on your tongue. I can’t help falling for this – in all possible ways the wine speaks of its origin, and Tim Mondavi have just added his skills to steward that, without interfering. This is a wine of true terroir!Although there’s enough sweetness from the ripe fruit to be charming, there’s also a firm and very serious tannic structure not to be ignored. I’d recommend an hour or two in the decanter, or even a few more years in the cellar before you pop the cork. A not to daring guess is that this wine will into something extremely complex and Bordeaux like with ageing.
Style wise I’d call this a neo-classic wine. It offers everything you like from Napa Valley, without being over the top or to ripe or alcoholic. By the way, I didn’t even think about the alcohol when I tasted the wine. Almost 2 000 cases were made – still the wine is hard to find. But it’s well worth trying ...
Drink it 2014-2032.

Second release of Ovid

I was totally blown away byt the inaugural 2005 vintage of the estate wine from Ovid in Napa Valley. Since then, I’ve tasted both the 2005 and the 2006 vintages on several occasions. Every time, tasted open or blind, my impression stands – Ovid is a great site for vines, and a truly impressive wine. This second vintage is a blend of 43 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 41 percent Cabernet Franc (which thrives just perfectly in the reddish volcanic soil and high altitude on Pritchard Hill). The rest is a balance of Merlot and Petit Verdot.

The team behind this outstanding winery is owners Dana Johnson and Mark Nelson, and the superstar trio of winemaker Andy Erickson, viticulturist David Abreu and consultant Michel Rollad.

2006 Ovid / 95 p

This baby is so young, color is dark purple and almost opaque. On the nose it’s initially a bit closed, although it’s packed with dark, ripe and an almost sweet cassis and cherry fruit – but it is massive in the way that the deliscious and fragrant aromas of violets, sour cherries and the stony minerialty of the volcanic soil is almost totally covered. Therefore, I let the wine sit in the decanter for another hour, and then two hours, to open up and reveal those finer notes. The oak is there, sweetish and slightly toasted, but still very well integrated. To achieve that, you need the highest quality of fruit and barrels, and the wisdom to use the oak in a smart way. I think that Andy Erickson does that. One could easily expect this wine to be heavy and sweet on the palate, and of course it’s rich and very intense, the with a lively to fresh acidity, huge but ripe tannins, and a thickeling saltiness of minerality, I find the overall impression to be extraordinary well balansced and elegant. The fruit is at first somehow sweetish, with both blackberries and cassis, but the sweetness is held back a bit, and even the oak is extremely well in tune with all other components. Balance is the key word here. It’s an impressive wine with a very promising life, which if kept in a good way will evolve to give pleasure for another 10-15 years, and for those who enjoys fully mature wines, even longer that that. Decanting is recommended, at least the two hours I did at first, but even when I tasted the wine the day after, it was very enjoyable – the fruit was the a bit more elegant with lovely notes of black currants and sour cherries. Drink it 2014-2031.

New wines from Alienor

Denis Malbec, former winemaker at Château Latour and since 2000 with his Swedish wife May-Britt vintner in Napa Valley, started to make wines under the Alienor label in 2005. Their red cuvée is a very good and highly recommended interpretation of red bordeauxs, and since based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc, it’s more towards the St Emilion style than the Médoc.
I’ve been writing about these wines before, but here are some new efforts well worth looking for. Both the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2008 La Roseraie are inaurugal releases, and in the pipeline there’s a dark red wine of Syrah and a sweet late harvest of Sauvignon Blanc. Both these wines are still in barrel when this report was written.

2009 Sauvignon Blanc / 88 p
This is the first vintage of the sauvignon, made of the Clone 1 from an organically block planted in 1998 on eroded alluvial soils at 400 meters of altitude in Vindrem Vineyard in Kelseyville in Lake County. Approximately a third of the juice is fermented in small steel drums, the rest in brand new French oak barrels. Denis Malbec told me he had to use new oak for this inaugural vintage, but in the future, there will be a third each of new oak, neutral oak and steel drums. There was no malolactic, so the acitiy is very fresh, but it is balanced by a fine texture, which to a certain extent was enhanced by some bâtonnage during the three months of oak ageing that took place. Color is pale straw and the nose is bright and intense with notes of grapefruit, some passion fruit and just a dash of the oak. It’s not too far away from white Bordeaux. I’d love to see this wine in the coming few years, as I expect it to evolve into a more complex taste just with another year in the bottle. Serve it at 12 degrees to oysters, elegant fish dishes, pan fried or grilled white fish with lemon, or just because it’s so good and refreshing. Only 133 cases were made of this wine.
Drink it 2011-2016.

2008 La Roseraie / 85 p
This rosé, also an inaugural vintage, is made with the saignée method by bleeding of the juice of equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and oinly two percent of Petit Verdot) after just a few hours of maceration from the fermentation of their 2008 Alienor Grand Vin. Again, grapes are sourced from vineyards in Lake County. The pink colored juice was fermented in neutral French oak barrels with commercial yeast and then kept in the oak for around one year, and during the ageing there was some bâtonnage. It’s a very classic rosé, pale pink in a typical French style, and the nose is quite elegant but also a bit closed. For sure there are notes of the oak, as well as texture and just some tannins and bitterness thereof, so I guess this is not everyones rosé. However, I find it attractive in it’s classical, well structured and somehow complex style, but I rather drink it with food (pasta, grilled fish or seafood, greens and cheeses) that having in on its own. Serve it a 12-14 degres.
Drink it 2011-2014.

2008 Alienor Grand Vin / 90-91 p
As the 2007 vintage, this is more or less a blend of 49 percent each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a splash of Petit Verdot. Five to seven days of cold soak, then the fermentation takes place in five ton stainless steel fermentes for two weeks with regular pump over. After little more than two weeks of postmaceration, the wine was barreled in French oak barrels, 70 percent new, and kept there for 22 months. It’s still a very young wine, driven by its rich and slightly sweet fruit and the spicy oak, but underneath that, there are those fine notes of lead pencil I found in the previous vintages, and I really like that. It would benefit from some more years of bottle age, or if drinking it today, a good hour or two of decanting. Also on the palate, it’s a bit closed, of course, and although the tannins are huge, they are mature and in no way aggressive, dry or bitter. They just hold the fruit back, today. Keeping the wine in the mouth for a minute, one more easily can take notice of the great and very much Bordeaux like qualities there is in the wine, and that’s very promosing.
Drink it 2013-2023.

Cabernet Franc from Jonata

When Jonata was founded in 2004 by Charles Banks and Stanley Kroenke (they also bought the famous Screaming Eagle one year later), not everyone was too excited. Up until then, Santa Barbara County was a quiet wine region with few superstars (Brewer-Clifton and Sine-Qua-Non belongs to them), and those great wine companies that existed, had a quite low profile. With Jonata, a taste of Napa Valley came to this part of the Californian wine country. Not that the winery itself is "Napa Valley fancy", it’s not - Jonata lives in a warehouse in Buellton previous used by Richard Sanford. However, the ambition to make super premium wines sure is related to Napa Valley. And with all that, the Napa Valley prices came to Santa Barbara County.

From 36.50 hectares of vines on their ranch in Ballard Canyon, the Jonata team with winemaker Matt Dees and consultant Andy Erickson crafts a range of rich, intense and very serious red wines. El Desafio de Jonata is based on Cabernet Sauvignon, La Sangre de Jonata is a pure syrah, the stunning La Fuerza de Jonata is made from one hundred percent Petit Verdot and La Tierra de Jonata is based on Sangiovese, and performs really well!
Then there is a wonderful wine based on Cabernet Franc, El Alma the Jonata. There is no justice in comparing French wines of Cabernet Franc with those of California. Everything except the grape variety itself is different, which is completely natural since both climate and soils are very different from those in Loire Valley of France. Then, of course, winemaking is totally different.
I love the labels of Jonata, but they are not too easy to read for those who are not familiar with their wines. You have to be sharp-sighted to read the name of each particular wine, as well as the vintage. But it looks good. It’s a better idea to read the back labels, where the information one looks for is. But the best you can do, it so open the bottles and the wines speak for themselves.

2006 El Alma de Jonata / 92-94 p
Of all franc wines I have tasted from California, this is normally one of the best and most elegant, and it delivers what I look for in this vintage as well. There is four percent Cabernet Sauvignon and one tiny percent of Merlot in the blend, and as expected from high aiming Jonata, the wine is raised in brand new French barrels for almost two years. You’ll never find the fresh grassiness or currant leaves qualities as in the elegant wines of central Loire, but there is a dash of something greenish and very elegant in the dark fruit. Not knowing this wine is made of Cabernet Franc, some tasters would probably use descriptions such as “cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon”, och “not perfectly ripe Cabernet Sauvignon”, but the truth is that it’s neither cool climate or unripe. It’s just a beautiful example of a richer style of ripe Cabernet Franc, from a relatively warm climate.
The variety signature of black currants is here, the sweet vanilla flavors from the oak as well. On the palate it is medium bodied with a lovely intensity of ripe and somehow sweetish but really not too sweet fruit, still young a bit firm, but with ripe and almost sweet tannins. The slight bitterness found in the aftertaste, comes from the barrels and will diminish over the coming years. I recommend decanting the wine at least one hour prior to serving it – I did, and it worked out pretty well.
Drink it 2011-2021.

Elegance from Robert Sinskey Vineyards

The 61 hectare family estate of wife and husband Maria and Robert Sinskey is since 2001 organically farmed, and since 2007 fully biodynamical. “It didn’t make sense to put poisonous chemicals in the vineyards where ourchildren are running and playing around”, Robert says and adds that the vines also suffered from the unhelthy treatment. Together with his winemaker Jeff Virnig, he travelled to Burgundy to visit vignerons working their vineyard fully natural and even biodynamical, like Jacques Seysses at Domaine Dujac and Dominique Lafon at Domaine Comtes des Lafon. This really made him understand the importance of farming his vineyards completely natural.
At Robert Sinskey Vineyards, the annual production reaches 25 000 cases the most, and the wine list includes a few whites of Alsatian grapes and Chardonnay, as well as a quintet of Pinot Noir wines, and seven reds of Bordelaise grape varieties. The style leans more toward the European palate than the typical American.

2008 Abraxas Vin de Terroir / 83-84 p
This is a quite unusual blend of 49 percent Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), 22 percent Gewürztraminer, 20 percent Riesling and 9 percent Pinot Blanc. All grapes come from Sinskey’s biodynamical farmed Seintilla Sonoma Vineyard in Carneros. After a slow and gentle pressing, the juice is cold settled in stainless steel tanks, in which also the fermentation later takes place. Not all batches undergoes malolactic fermentation, hence the very fresh and lively acidity. Color is pale straw, the nose clean and delightful with notes of lemon peels, almonds and white flowers, and just a whisper of rose hips from the Gewürztraminer content. There’s also a touch of butter and a dash of fresh grounded black pepper which I believe comes from the Pinot Grigio component. On the palate, it’s fruity and finely textured, but dry and quite crisp with just a slight bitterness in the good, but relatively short aftertaste.
So, is everything perfectly enjoyable with this wine? Well, taken into consideration this is a quite ordinary wine style, there is not very much to complain about – but there is a moment where the alcohol is a bit significant. It’s just slightly a bit too high at its 14.1 percent to be in perfect balance with the fruit. Still, it’s very drinkable and good.
Drink it over the next year.

2005 Cabernet Franc Vandal Vineyard / 91 p
Cabernet Franc is one of the most underrated grape varieties in the world, and a part from a (far too) few wines and some villages in the Loire Valley, it’s rarely seen as a varietal wine. In Californian there are some 1 425 hectares planted – not very much compared to the 30 384 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon or 19 134 hectares of Merlot planted. In this wine, the cuvée consists of 75 percent is Cabernet Franc and 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, all grapes from the Vandal Vineyard in the northern part of Carneros. The wine is brought up during 18-20 months in French oak barrels, a third new. Color is still youthful, and so is the nose – pure, fresh, vibrant, loads of cassis, very fine notes of fresh grass just as expected of Cabernet Franc, also that lovely fine tuned nuance of cedar and Dominican cigars that is so complex. The palate is as well composed, not big, not great, but just fine. Tannins are ripe and very well integrated in the fresh cassis fruit, acidity lively but not fresh, there are some notes of lead pencils (which makes the wine quite Bordeaux like) and the oak very well tuned.
I really like this wine today, especially after 30 minutes (or more) in a decanter, yet it is a wine that will evolve beautifully in the coming years.
Drink it 2010-2025.

The 2005 Experiment No K 1.5 from Ovid

Planted by David Abreu and Andy Erickson in 2000, the Ovid Vineyard on Pritchard Hill in Napa Valley is a source of some of the greatest wines in Napa Valley. How much I would love to jump 20 years into the future, to taste what will to come from this great site with more age of the vines. Even today, from just five year old vines, the wines are profound!
Since 2005, the first vintage at Ovid, winemaker Andy Erickson has crafted some experimental wines (one in 2005, and two in 2006) from grapes that didn’t fit the cuvée of the premium wine. These so called experimental wines also shows the greatness of this vineyard.

2005 Experiment No K 1.5 / 91 -92
This lovely wine is a blend of 73.5 percent Cabernet Franc, 21.9 percent Petit Verdot, and just s splash of Merlot (3.5 percent) and Cabernet Sauvignon (1.1 percent). All grapes are harvested in the vineyards of Ovid, up at Pritchard Hill. It’s not really a second label to the magnificent Ovid, although the experiment wines are made from grapes not used for the top wine, it’s definitely a wine with its own personality.
At first when poured into my Bordeaux shaped glass från Riedel, and even decanted almost two hours earlier, it was youthful, a bit closed and also quite oaky and fiery from its (as told on the label) 14.5 percent of alcohol. These negative notes disappeared after a while, and paved the way for a great nose, stuffed with dark ripe berries like cassis and blueberries, a kind of floral notes also to be found in the Ovid bottling, and also lovely nuances of grilled red bell pepper and just a hint of grass. On the palate, it’s rich and silky, the mineral notes that derives from the poor, red volcanic soil adds complexity in the relatively long taste, and as in the nose, it’s packed with dark ripe berries, yet elegant.
Drink it 2010-2020.

Justification 2007 of Justin Vineyards

Western Paso Robles is a great wine region. It has been called the Tuscany of California, and everyone who has travelled the region, understands why. The Santa Lucia Mountain range makes the western border of the wine growing region, and from there the rolling hills with its vineyards create a myriad of unique climate zones for the wine growers. It’s really a very good and interesting wine region.

Here, you’ll find famous wineries such as Tablas Creek Vineyards, Denner Vineyards, Booker Vineyard, Adelaida Cellers, Saxum … and Justin Vineyards. The latter was founded already in 1981, two years before Paso Robles gained its status as AVA. At that time, only a dozen wineries were in business. Today, they are close to 200!
Over the years, Justin Vineyard has grown into a full scale operation with 27 hectares of vines and a total production of 45 000 cases per year. Their most famous wine is the fabulous meritage Isosceles, made of approximately 80-85 per cent of Cabernet Sauvignon with a balance of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. It’s a great wine, especially with some years of bottle age. I’ll get back to that wine in the future.
One of my favorites from Justin is the Justification, a blend obviously inspired by the great wine of Château Cheval Blanc in St-Emilion; two thirds of Cabernet Franc and one third Merlot, raised in French and some American oak barrels for 18 months.

2007 Justificaton / 92 p
I had this wine next to the great but still very young 2006 Isosceles, and I have to admit I preferred the Justification. Not at first, but after a while in the glass. It’s of course also very young, dark purple colored and intense, with a cassis scented and slightly grassy nose. I found it to be surprisingly open to be a 2007, and it was very elegant. The oak is well integrated, it’s just a hint of vanilla there, and on the palate it’s rich and fruit driven with lovely notes of cassis and blackberries, not sweet, just lush and silky, yet with a fine texture and perfectly ripe tannins. I followed the evolution of the wine for over three hours, and over time, it became even more elegant, silky and complex, even Bordeaux like. It’s a beautiful wine, and looking at the price ($62-68), it’s a stunning best buy.
Drink it 2010-2022.

Alienor 2005, 2006 and 2007

Former winemaker of Château Latour, Denis Malbec, and his Swedish wife May-Britt, has since 2001 made wines in California. Most of their time, they make and blend wines as consultants for their customers, among them the top notch Kapcsándy Family Wines in Yountville and Blankiet Estate (since January this year).
Under their own label Notre Vin, they make some exquisite wines at one of their customers winery in Sonoma, the well structured and intensely fruity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the even better but far too expensive Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Their Pinot Noir Clos Madeleine from Sonoma Coast is good, but lacks finesse and intensity.
They also make a very interesting wine from grapes sources in Kelseyville in Lake County, called Alienor. The Merlot is planted in 1993 in the Roster Vineyard, the Cabernet Franc from a suitcase clone from Bordeaux in 1999, and the Petit Verdot a Quercus Ranch in 2002. Depending on the vintage, the cuvée varies a lot. These are the first three vintages. Harvest is done by hand, followed by a careful sorting process, light crush and a five to seven day long cold soak. Fermentation is taken place in small stainless steel tanks with regular remontage. The cuvaison stretches over three weeks, and thereafter the wine is transferred into small French oak barrels, of which 60 per cent are new, for malolactic fermentation and 20-22 months of ageing.

2005 Alienor / 90-91 p
In this inaugural vintage, Cabernet Franc counted for 96 per cent of the blend, with a balance of Merlot and a tiny per cent of Petit Verdot. It’s really a St-Emilion look-alike, and it’s damn good. The nose is medium intense, quite classic and very elegant with notes of cedar, and with a complex touch of consommé. Tannins are surprisingly silky, yet they add a fine structure to the fine tuned fruit, and the aftertaste lingers for a minute. It’s a beauty.
Drink it 2010-2016.

2006 Alienor / 89 p
The 2006 vintage were made of 92 per cent Merlot, which explains why this is the softer wine of the trio. You’ll find some slightly sweet fruit qualities and less complexity in this vintage, which is more California styled (of course, it’s from California), rather than classic. Also, tannins are softer. It’s good, but not great.
Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

2007 Alienor / 91-92 p
Of the trio, this was the perfect blend, equal parts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and just one per cent of Petit Verdot made up the cuvée. Again, there are a lot of Bordeaux-like qualities on the nose and on the palate, with a delightful grassiness as well as cassis and blackberries, and just a small hint of the oak and coffee. On the palate, it’s well balanced, intense and youthfully fruit forward, yet with a great portion of finesse, and the tannic structure is mature, well integrated and fine. For 65 dollars, it’s a catch! Only 225 cases were made.
Drink it 2010-2020.