Today Katie brought home some tuna. I had already cooked some of that
multi-grain rice I rave about, and she made some spinach to go with it.
Tuna has to be grilled really rare, and I just about did it (alas, I
let it go about thirty seconds too long). But in any case, the choice
of wine was either the Gewurtz in the fridge, a Zin in the fridge, or a
trip to the basement. Of course I descended the staircase and pulled
out a Cab.

I'd done Cab Franc with tuna before, and this time decided on a 2002
Cabernet Sauvignon from Iron Horse. On opening, it had a wonderful
nose, and that nose continued throughout the entire meal, which is
unusual for the wines I drink (or the way I drink them!). It was very
soft, and a perfect balance to the tuna and the rice; it also went well
with the spinach. The tannins were soft and well balanced; the wine was
full bodied without being overwhelming, and since I'm not too good at
identifying flavors I won't waste your time with my attempt (that's why
Katie recreates the dishes we like, and not me!).

The Iron Horse Vineyards is at the far end of a long dirt road in
Sebastopol; we went with a cousin one day in May wine tasting and this
was one of our picks. The road got longer and longer, and eventually we
did find it, only to be faced with a ten dollar tasting fee (justified
by the wine steward pointing out how much wine you get to drink). Well,
I didn't go there to get drunk, and was only really interested in half
or less of their offerings, but there was no arguing. We'd've left then
and there, except that we'd come a long way. (I'd already written off a
few of our favorite wineries in the Sonoma valley for this sin). So, we
ponied up and ended up taking home a few bottles. This was one.

Looking at the bottle, it's 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc,
10% Merlot, and 1% Petit Vertot (which I've never heard of - what is it
used for??) Normally I'm a purist, but I'm gaining a new respect for
blends.

I'm pretty much the only one that drinks in our household, and when I
open a bottle I pour half into a split, and half of what's left into a
half split (I only have one of them), giving me four glasses per bottle.
I have one with my meal. Sometimes I have two. That's how I can tell
what wines I like. Interestingly, I'm not a Gewurtz fan, but I often
have two glasses of gewurtz when I have it. (We favor Navarro - others
are too sweet)

I had two of this wine. 96.0182 on the modified Parker scale, and
97.3291 for the pairing. No more ageing needed, this is ready now. Go
for it!

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

> The Iron Horse Vineyards

they make a lot of sparkling, right?

> Looking at the bottle, it's 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc,
> 10% Merlot, and 1% Petit Vertot (which I've never heard of - what is it
> used for??)

Petit verdot is one of the five blending grapes of Bdx (with CS, CF,
Merlot, and Malbec- let's asave the Carmenere arguments for another
thread). Typically added for tannin and darker color. In Bordeaux
seldom used as more than maybe 3% of blend,though Pichon-Lalande
sometimes uses more (some claim the weird green notes one sometimes get
from young PL are due to the Petit verdot)

> Normally I'm a purist, but I'm gaining a new respect for
> blends.

Just for clarity, many (most?) CalCabs include other grapes

thanks for notes, sounds worth searching for

>>The Iron Horse Vineyards
> they make a lot of sparkling, right?

Yes, they do. I'm not interested in sparkling, because since I'm the
only sot in the family, (and not much of a sot at that), when I open a
bottle of sparkling, I can't make "full use" of the contents.

> Petit verdot is...

Thanks. I wonder why they wanted to add tannins and color - the other
grapes should have plenty of it (I suppose the 2002 vintage might have
been light in this area).

> Just for clarity, many (most?) CalCabs include other grapes

I've seen that, but it doesn't seem to be prevalent, and the trend seems
to be for more purity (or for not disclosing!). Next time I'm out
there, I'll have to make a point of noticing.

> thanks for notes, sounds worth searching for

Glad the notes are helpful, amateur though they are. If you find it,
let me know what you think of it.

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose wrote:
> > Just for clarity, many (most?) CalCabs include other grapes
>
> I've seen that, but it doesn't seem to be prevalent, and the trend seems
> to be for more purity (or for not disclosing!). Next time I'm out
> there, I'll have to make a point of noticing.

Jose, I think you'll find that it is prevalent, just not neccessarily
noted on label. I checked what California wines labeled as Cabernet
Sauvignon I had. Only 1 seems to be 100% CS (BV GdlT):
Barnett Spring Mountain: CF & Merlot
Montelena Calistoga: CF & Merlot
Pine Ridge Stagsd Leap: Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec
St Clement: CF
St Jean: 10% Cab Franc
Sebastiani: CF,Merlot, and Zin!
Worthy (Axios): CF, Merlot, PV

I can't find reference one way or the other re Karl Lawrence, anyone
know?
Someone more knowledgable about CA might correct me, but my impression
is that most wines labeled CS and Merlot probably have a bit of other
grapes mixed in. Pinot Noir is usually 100%, and varietally labeled
Zins and Syrahs vary.
There's nothing wrong with blending, almost all of the greatest
Bordeaux are blends

> Jose, I think you'll find that it is prevalent, just not neccessarily
> noted on label. I checked what California wines labeled as Cabernet
> Sauvignon I had.

Where did you check? I looked on my bottles, it wasn't indicated, and I
went to a few of the winery web sites, where it was also not indicated.
Of course, I may still be under the influence of those two glasses
from last night.

Of course, blending is all part of vinting, and that's where the art is.

Jose
--
There are more ways to skin a cat than there are cats.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose,

I got mostly from winery websites (in most cases under Wines there are
links for individual bottlings, and most mention cepage or have links
to pdf tech sheets that do). I was quickly googling, and admit I didn't
neccesarily check for back vintages, so not neccessarily *exactly*
what's in my bottles. With that disclaimer, I just went and checked
most bottles I could easily reach, in most cases it's not mentioned on
the bottle (it is on the Barnett). While in cellar I also saw the
Franciscan Oakville and J. Phelps CS, neither mention other varietals
on the bottle but the Franciscan has Merlot and PV, and the Phelps
Merlot, PV, and CF. I also saw the BV Rutherford, which also has
(small) amounts of other grapes but doesn't mention on label.