Obsidian Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Estate Red Hills Lake County

 

Founded in 2003, by Arpad Molnar, Peter Molnar and Michael Terrien, Tricycle Wine Company is the parent company behind two boutique wine brands – Poseidon Vineyard and Obsidian Ridge. Tricycle is unique in the wine industry in that it controls the quality of its grapes from soil-to-crush and the quality of its oak from forest-to-coopering. They import oak barrels from the Budapesti Kadar Cooperage in Tokaj, Hungary. In addition to his vineyard management duties, Peter Molnar is in charge of production at Budapesti Kadar. Alex Beloz, the winemaker, moved to California after working in Bordeaux, New Zealand and Chile.

Twenty years ago, they planted a vineyard on an old abandoned walnut orchard, 2460 feet high in the Mayacamas Mountains. They soon discovered that they were farming on a volcano, on a ridge of solid black Obsidian glass. Today, the extreme climate, altitude, and volcanics result in a wine like no other..

Since then, they have dedicated two decades to learning what makes volcanic wines unique and what is possible in this harsh environment. They learned that these wines are prized for their aromatics, acidity, and structure. They built a team of iconoclasts—each experts in their own craft—who share a strong ethos. They gained a better understanding of climate, soil, viticulture, winemaking, and hospitality.

In 2023, they mark the 50th anniversary of experience growing grapes, a tradition passed from their father who fled his native Hungary in 1956. They are the second generation building upon the work of the first, who planted our seaside Poseidon Vineyard in 1973. They returned to Hungary in 1992 to establish a cooperage in the Tokaj forest–today our wines are 100% estate, made and aged in their  Hungarian Oak barrels.

Obsidian wines are the only Cabernet Sauvignons in California (perhaps the world) aged in 100% Hungarian oak barrels. Their source forest in Tokaj is planted to the same oak species used in France, Quercus Petraea, however the trees grow more slowly due to the volcanic soils, resulting in 30% higher density of the wood. These super-tight-grain barrels are low in vanillan and relatively high in eugenol, which tends to emphasize herbal and spice components, and are toasted slowly at low temperatures to avoid imparting overt toasty notes.

What is Obsidian rock?

From Wikipedia 

Obsidian (/əbˈsɪdi.ən, ɒb-/) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.

Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, sodium, and potassium. It is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows. These flows have a high content of silica, granting them a high viscosity. The high viscosity inhibits diffusion of atoms through the lava, which inhibits the first step (nucleation) in the formation of mineral crystals. Together with rapid cooling, this results in a natural glass forming from the lava.

Obsidian is hard, brittle, and amorphous; it therefore fractures with sharp edges. In the past, it was used to manufacture cutting and piercing tools, and it has been used experimentally as surgical scalpel blades.

Wow that’s a mouth full for sure, but now you know.

OK now about the wine. The blend is different for sure it consists of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Malbec 3% Petite Sirah 2% Petit Verdot 2% Syrah.  Estate Cabernet is the signature wine of Obsidian Ridge Vineyard and embodies the complexity and wildness of the site. The structure and intensity of upper blocks is complemented by aromatics and acidity of cooler blocks. The extreme climate, altitude, and volcanics of the site result a wine with distinct volcanic character—intense color, aroma and flavor, with a freshness and minerality that typifies the site.

Nice dark hue of purple in the glass.  Aromas of  red cherries, cinnamon and spice. Flavors of plum, woven with dried oregano, are supported by a rich texture of fine, leathery tannins. Notes of star anise, cinnamon, and orange and a bit of pecan pit on the very end.  A lovely balance of everything you love in mountain California Cabernet.

Cost is $49.99 

 

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

 

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg.  Unless otherwise noted

Matias Russian River Pinot Noir

 

Matias was founded in 2008, by Brack Mountain Wine Company and is a next generation winery focused on producing hand-crafted, premium wines sourced from the best growers, offered at a fair price. The winery is located in Sebastopol, California

As a next generation wine company, they literally think about “the next generation”. Simply put, they want to leave the earth in better shape than how they found it. So at Brack Mountain Wine Company, sustainability is more than a “nice to have”...it’s a business imperative. They are committed to sustainable practices‐‐ whether in the vineyard, at the winery, in the office or on the road.

A little about the wine maker; Dan  Fitzgerald

There is a new generation of talented winemakers emerging in California, and Dan Fitzgerald is one to watch. A Northern California native, Dan lived in Europe for 13 years, which helps explain his keen interest in both Old and New World winemaking techniques.

Dan’s winemaking career began in 2002, just a few miles from Brack Mountain's Enos Vineyards, working harvest in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. Not content to wait until the next California harvest, Dan worked two hemispheres for 3 years; doing back-to-back harvests at Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley of Australia, Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa Valley, then back down under to Coldstream Hills as a leader for the 2004 vintage team. With four harvests under his belt, Dan enrolled in one of the premier Enology programs in the US, at CSU Fresno, graduating in 2007.

Dan worked at Williams-Selyem for the 2007 harvest and joined Pellegrini Family Vineyards, where he was head winemaker until coming to Brack Mountain Wine Company as a Partner to lead the winemaking.

Matias Russian River Pinot Noir

To say this is an over achiever would be the biggest understatement of the year.  Take a look at the vineyards Matias is sourced from here is a brief list

•AMARAL RANCH •ROBERT'S ROAD •KISER •LAKEVILLE VINEYARD

These are rockstar vineyards all planted pre 1990!  So the fruit for this wine has some high pedigree for sure. 

When I'm considering purchasing a Russian River Pinot,  I look for wines that have some "meat on the bone" along with richer, plusher, and more luxurious aromas and flavors. That is exactly what you get here, but you typically have to spend $50+ to get it.

It pours a deep ruby color and exudes classic scents of ripe cherry, raspberry preserves, clove, vanilla, and allspice. Equally attractive, the palate is lush, silky, long, and satisfying. All you have to do is look at the above vineyard sourcing list and see why this wine is amazing.  They do not breakdown the sites on the label but we know where they get a lot of the grapes from.  This is a killer Pinot Noir

This one costs $32.99 and by the taste should be $50!   I won’t tell if you don’t!

 

Cheers,

 

The Villages Wino

 

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg.  Unless otherwise noted

Melka Paderewski Vineyard Majestique Paso Robles

 

 

Well what a find here.  In case you didn’t know Philip Melka is the leading winemaking consultant in Napa right now.  Everything he touched turns into a 95+ rating.  He was born in Bordeaux.  He studied geology, advancing toward a Masters in Agronomy and Enology at the University of Bordeaux.  His first jobs in the USA were with Dominus and Ridge.  Then in 1995 he founded his consulting company and worked with such great wines as Lail Vineyards, Seavey Vineyard, and Constant Diamond Mountain.  Then he decided to make his own wines in 1996 and they say the rest say is history. 

As a sidebar here all of the labels have only his eyes staring back at you.  But the color of the eyes changes on every different bottle.  I have emailed the winery to see if there is a reason and will report back if they answer. 

Well I found this bottle and had to try it.  It Christmas time so what the heck right.  I can’t leave all my money to my son!  More on that below.

Let’s talk about the fabulous glass of wine.  The wine is from Paso Robles one of my favorite areas.  This one a Rhone Blend 42% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre, 18% Whole Cluster

As I have stated here before I love Rhone wines!  This one is very special for sure.

The color deep dark purple. The nose is so creamy it’s very unusual for sure.  Then it turns to soft flowers like Violets or Lilacs. Then the berries take over mostly red raspberries, strawberries. The nose is just amazing.  I could smell this wine all evening.  Then the first taste; so smooth, with balanced tannins, nice spice and great finesse over all. The finish is all over your month.  It leaves you really wanting the next sip.  This is simply a killer wine. 

 

As  I said above this on is a date night wine for sure.  But if you partner loves great wine you will really impress them with this jewel.  I know mine was blown away.  Expect to pay about $70.  I got mine for $67.99.  Well worth the splurge for the experience for sure.  

 

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

 

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg.  Unless otherwise noted. 

Domaine Gerard Tremblay Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume 2020

 

The French have a saying about the different levels of Chablis.

“Petit Chablis is for drinking with strangers, Chablis you open when friends come round, Premier Cru is for when you have family and Grand Cru is for you to share with just your partner… or when they have gone to bed.”

Chablis is all about purity and simplicity after all – one region, one grape and, by and large, some general rules on Vinification that do not differ nearly as much between winemakers as other, more diverse, wine regions, but by and large the main distinctions begin and end in the vineyard; the differences in Chablis are all about soil and slope.

This is, after all, a chilly part of France that we are talking about, that has harsh winters, can too often see frost in April and hail at all times. To give you an idea of how harsh the weather can be – between 1950 and 1960 Chablis had just three harvests, and one side of the most premium Grand Cru slope was a ski run!!

So now you know!  Today we are drinking a Premier Cru from Domaine Temblay 2022.

A 5 generation family estate, but Gerard Tremblay took over the Domaine when it was only 30 acres, and now it 100 acres as it is now, with 30 acres of first crus. Gerard has really taken the family’s reputation to a whole new level in a short time. His emphasis is on the vineyards and classical winemaking that allows the terroir and the grapes to express themselves through the wine.

The color is a slight green tinge in the glass. Cool notes on the nose and palate - just a hint of lanolin and some green apple characters. Plenty of concentration on the palate though with acidity and a fine stony finish adding lots of drive and complexity. A classy and distinctive Fourchaume.  This is Chardonnay at its finest.  I love Burgundy wines and this one doesn’t disappoint for sure.

This wine was $55

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

 

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg.  Unless otherwise noted

Javi Revert Sensal

 

Saw this wine and had to give it a try.  The label was what really intrigued me.  Then I looked into the wine/winery.

Javi Revert makes his home in Valencia Spain, which is located in the on the eastern coast about mid-way down the east coast. 

Javier Revert is a young, enthusiastic, traditionalist winemaker at Celler del Roure. He uses indigenous varieties and yeasts, whole clusters, stone lagars, and aging in amphorae were made easy because all these things were present at this traditional estate.

While visiting his grandfather in 2014, Javi mentioned his work in recovering old vines of indigenous varieties for Celler del Roure. His grandfather mentioned that just such a vineyard existed near the village – one Javi’s great-grandfather planted in 1948. Named Pla del Micalet, this north-facing, terraced site is surrounded by forest and scrubland at an elevation of 710-730m with poor sandy and chalky soils, resembling the albariza of Jerez.  Exposed to the wind, sheltered from the heat of the day, and quickly cooling at night, Javi can harvest up to a month after his neighbors only a few kilometers away on the valley floor, yet his wines are lower in alcohol and higher in acidity. Farming is strictly organic but not currently certified. His vineyard work is manual, including harvest. Fermentations are with indigenous yeasts and entirely in neutral vessels – seasoned French oak, demi-johns, or amphorae. The reds have varying amounts of whole clusters depending on the vintage and variety.

Javi is truly an up and coming star in the Spanish wine making industry.  With his family traditions and history the future of the winery is in great hands.

This wine is a master piece!  Made from a blend of Monastrell, Bonicaire, Arcos and Garnacha. The wine is deep and bold.  The color deep purple with a slight glycerin edge, the nose of Blackberry, Black Pepper, Cocoa, and Tobacco.  Take the first sip and wow the fruit is front and center then the other elements of Cocoa and black pepper show up.  All cleaned up by a beautifully blanket of acidity. 

Now this one isn’t cheap for sure but if you’re feeling like a splurge pick this up.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Cost $46.00

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg unless otherwise noted

 

Noah River Pinot Noir

 

*

Ok I love this wine!!  It cost $20.  It so over delivers for the price.  This wine drinks well north of $25.00.

The wine is made by a guy named Jamie Whetstone.  A true wine country guy.  Wild Crazy and super talented.

 Jamey Whetstone was born and raised in South Carolina, and lived in Charleston before moving out to Napa in 1996. “I bused tables and washed dishes at my grandmother Marguerite’s restaurant in Georgetown, SC during the summers beginning at age 10. She taught me the importance of Southern Hospitality and the art of being present”

Once in Napa, he found himself captivated by the community, lifestyle, and culture of wine country, and quickly began to grow roots. By 1998, he had begun his winemaking education at Turley Wine Cellars, where he would remain in his apprenticeship until 2005.

During that time, he spent a summer sabbatical working for the Seysses family at Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis. “Christophe Morin & Jacques Seyssess gave me a crash course in farming Pinot Noir in Burgundy, and the importance of family. Jacques once said to me ‘If it comes down to making 1000 less cases of wine in exchange for being at all your kids' games – do that.’”

“My first job and lucky break in the wine industry was driving a tractor and pruning old vine zinfandel for Larry Turley. Under the direction of Ehren Jordan (Failla Wines), I garnered a ground level education in farming along with a few life lessons

The Noah River brand has 3 wines, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet.  All are over deliverers for sure.  The wife loved the Chardonnay and the sister loves the Cabernet.

The pinot is simply a great drinking wine.  Works with food, works with app.s, works all on its own.  Solid garnet color in the glass.  Nose of ripe berries, cola, a little earth.  In the mouth full and balanced.  Fruity yet not sweet a hard task.  Smooth and so drinkable.

 

Buy his one by the case!!!!

Cost $20

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

* The wine tasted and reviewed was a 2021.  The label above shows 2018

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop in Leesburg unless otherwise noted

 

Building Bridges Rogue Valley Tempranillo

 

This wine is a Naked Wines selection.  My sister and her husband shared this wine with us at dinner the other night. 

First a little bit about the winemaker Scott Steingraber. 

After having a wine moment with an Oregon Cabernet Sauvignon, Scott and his family went all in in 2006 – never looking back – buying a ranch in Rogue Valley where they planted vineyards from scratch. Scott’s made wine from different areas for over 25 years – but Southern Oregon’s warmest and driest region won his heart. There, he can make his beloved Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties – his way. The Rogue Valley isn’t Oregon Pinot country – it’s something new – and spectacular.

Now a little about the Rouge Valley in Oregon. 

Nestled in the southern-most reaches of Oregon, riding the border of California and comprised of 3 adjacent river valleys is the Rogue Valley AVA (a sub-appellation of the Southern Oregon AVA).  The area was originally planted by European settlers in the mid-1800s with the first official winery being Valley View Winery opened in 1873 by one of the regions pioneers in wine, Peter Britt.  Sadly, when prohibition went into effect, Rogue Valley was all but lost to memory until 1968 when an Oregon State University professor planted an experimental vineyard to great success and the area was essentially rediscovered.  Rogue Valley was established quite sometime after its revitalization, acquiring recognized AVA status in 1991.

With a large designated land area of a little over 1.1 million acres, only 87 vineyards are currently established with around 2,300 acres under vine (0.2% of total area).  There are only 33 wineries in the whole region to date.  Suffice to say, it is still a “small” region, excluding the size of the designated AVA boundaries.

Now the wine;

Rich red fruit with notes of smoke and pepper, coco and chocolate hints.  Very nice on the palette.  And I nice acisty to finish leaving you wanting another sip it paired well with the our dinner of T-Bone steaks and pasta. Absolutely delicious!

If you want this one look up Naked Wines and give it a try!

 

 

This wine was shared with me by my sister. 

Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

 

I was at dinner with friends last night.  One them shared this amazing bottle of pinot noir with the table.  So I decided to do a little research into it and share it here with you.  Here is what I found out about Flowers.

Joan and Walt Flowers, purchased the flagship property, Camp Meeting Ridge, in 1989 and the first vine went into the ground in 1991. Located just two miles from the Pacific Ocean, our Camp Meeting Ridge estate consists of 321 acres with 18 acres planted to Chardonnay and only 11 acres of Pinot Noir. Elevations range from 1,150 to 1,450 feet, positioning the vineyard above the coastal fog layer, thus allowing generous amounts of sunshine during the growing season. Planted in 1998, Sea View Ridge Vineyard is perched upon Smith Ridge, higher and closer to the ocean than Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard. Sea View has unobstructed views of the rugged coastline, green valleys, and surrounding mountains. Elevations range from 1,400 to 1,800 feet — well above the ocean fog layers that cool the vineyard from below. Like Camp Meeting Ridge, Sea View contains a large amount of land (327 acres), but only 43 acres are under vine.

The current winemaker is Chantal Forthun, she has led the winemaking team at Flowers Vineyards & Winery since 2012. Using minimal intervention in the winery, Chantal and her team’s goal is to create wines with true site expression.

All harvesting is done by hand, using 100% native fermentation, and crafting wine with minimal intervention. Our unwavering commitment to creating distinctive wines that capture the spirit of the Sonoma Coast has been the bedrock of our success, and will continue to guide us for years to come.

Recently Flowers was sold to Huneeus Vineyards owners of several wineries like, Quintessa, Benton Lane, The Prisoner and Faust to name a few.

Ok,  now let’s talk about this wine.  It blew me away.  What a great Pinot Noir.  I love Sonoma Coast fruit.  It always seems to jump out of the glass. Moderately light reddish-purple color in the glass the nose here is lots of cherries and baking spices.  It almost smells warm if that’s possible! On the palette it is smooth and juicy.  Elegant acidity helps finish making you want another taste.  Really good.  I so enjoyed this wine!!  

Thank you, Steve my friend that shared it with me, may we never drink worst together!!

Almost all of this was found on the Flowers and Huneeus websites, except for the tasting notes which are mine.

Retail should be around $50

 

This wine was shared by a friend at dinner and I’m sure Two Old Hags can acquire it.

Goros Monasrtell - Syrah

I love Monastrell or Mourvedre they are the same grape.  Much like Pinot Grigio – Pinot Gris and Fume Blanc, Syrah Shiraz.  Anyway you get the point. Mourvedre is a blender in a favorite of mine GSM from either the Rhone Valley or Australia.  Here are a few fun facts about the grape before we talk about the Goros.

Mourvèdre/Monastrell is one of the oldest wines and it seems it was introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians over two thousand years ago. Originally the area around Valencia was the center for this wine but the cultivation of the wine expanded over time into France, in particular, Provence and the Rhone. Mourvèdre vines were devastated by the ‘Phylloxera’ pandemic which encouraged the vine cultivations to be moved to America and Australia.

Mourvèdre is a full-bodied red wine made from the distinctive black grapes. It is grown in France, particularly in the southern Rhone valley where the warmer climate suits this grape. In Spain, the variety is known as Monastrell while in the USA and Australia the wine is called, Mataro. While Mourvèdre is available as a single varietal wine it plays a pivotal role in blending with Syrah, Cinsault, and Grenache.

OK.  This wine is simply delicious!! What a great drinker.  Plenty of fruit and great mouth feel, full bodied and impressive.  Tons of raspberries here, showing tannins which are soft and nice.  Not like ones from the Rhone which present stronger tannins and blackberry flavors. The Syrah adds some backbone to the blend.  This one is a keeper for sure.

This one will set you back $20 but the old Wino thinks it worth a twenty dollar bill for sure. You might even want to pick up a few bottles once you have tasted this one.

 

Cheers,

The Villages Wino

 

All wines available at Two Old Hags wine shop unless otherwise noted