Cuvaison
Château Poujeaux
Moulis en Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend 2007
Cuvaison
Estate Grown Carneros Pinot Noir 2014
まー普通
オークの香りはいいかな
3.3.2018 — 6 years ago
Cuvaison
Spire Pinot Noir 2013
Starts like a great CA Pinot Noir but melds into a superb Burgundian wine. Bright, rich, elegant but not over bearing.
Wow! — 7 years ago
Cuvaison
Carneros Syrah 2006
Sour fruits on the nose, gripping tannin and plenty of life in there. Funky and awesome — 8 years ago
Cuvaison
Napa Valley Merlot 2003
Aging well. Great wine with our steak last night. Ready to drink now. — 9 years ago
Cuvaison
Marin County Cabernet Sauvignon 1974
Predominantly 1974 with a touch of fruit from 1973. Old school, and still needed time. Early Togni Magic. Marin County grapes - how about that!! — 9 years ago
Ramey Wine Cellars
Platt Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012
“This is a powerful Pinot Noir that demonstrates excellent depth along with a rich, velvety texture that is balanced by a wonderful touch of acidity. The finish is silky and persistent with wild berries and spices attacking your palate. An excellent debut for David Ramey's first Pinot Noir.”
- International Wine Report
The cuvaison (time on skins) extends for a full three weeks, resulting in a more structured Pinot than many current California examples. This is a Pinot that will reward cellaring. Aging on fine lees, with malolactic in barrel, incorporates the oak, making the 15 months spent in one-year-old barrels (previously used for Chardonnay) barely noticeable. As with all of our wines, the Pinot Noir undergoes native yeast and malolactic fermentations. — 10 years ago
Cuvaison
S Block Chardonnay 2010
Favorite Chardonnay of all time. — 11 years ago
Cuvaison
Carneros Cuvée Brut Pinot Noir Chardonnay Rosé 2015
This was a vintage sparkler they made 20 barrels of using methode champenoise. It’s 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir aged en tirage for 2 years before release and dosaged at 9g/L. It’s a nice round sparkler showing the brightness of the red fruit with enough acidity to keep the whole package very fresh. Good now in it’s youth, but should gain a little complexity as the red fruit does back over the next couple years. — 5 years ago
Cuvaison
Carneros Merlot 1997
Was not expecting this to be good still but pleasantly surprised. Going to let this one continue to open up throughout the evening. — 6 years ago
Château Larcis Ducasse
Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2003
I’m opening my last bottle of the 03 Larcis Ducasse after recently reading a couple of professional write ups about the wines fruit fading and to drink up. I did not find that to be the case w/ my last bottle. I found the wine to be around it’s peak form with another 5 years plus ahead. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The body is medium full. Tannins are 75-80% resolved. The length, structure, tension & balance are right where I’d expect them to be and are quite enjoyable. The palate is very similar to the nose. Menthol, eucalyptus, ripe; dark cherries, cherries, blackberries, plum, poached & candied strawberries, notes of blue fruits, black raspberries, cherry cola, touch herbaceous; sage & bay leaf, limestone & rich, moist, black, turned earth, crushed dry rocks, dry & very grippy, edgy minerals, Montecristo cigar, graphite, dry soil/clay with dry & fresh dark florals. The acidity is lovely and the long finish is well balanced with an even tug of war between fruit & earth with the dry earth dominate on the long set. Photos of; of their great southern exposed sunny hillside vineyard, the old craved stone entrance and Nicolas Thienpont & Stephane Derenoncourt. Producer notes & history...Chateau Larcis Ducasse began during the days of the ancient Romans, who valued the best hillside vineyards in the area. The early part of the modern era for Larcis Ducasse begins in 1893, when Henri Raba bought the Saint Emilion vineyard. After Henri Raba passed away in 1925, his wife and son Andre Raba continued managing Larcis Ducasse. His niece, Helene Gratiot Alphandery, inherited the property in 1941. She managed Chateau Larcis Ducasse until 1990. Then her son, Jacques-Olivier Gratiot took control of the property after she passed away and he remains in charge today. Chateau Larcis Ducasse remains the property of the Gratiot Alphandery family today. Prior to 2003, it had been years since the wines of Chateau Larcis Ducasse were prized by Bordeaux wine lovers. The wine had fallen out of favor, due to a lack of attention and effort. That changed in 2002 when they hired Saint Emilion consultants, Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt to turn things around and manage the estate. One of the first improvements at the property suggested by them was to create a new drainage system. The next step was to change harvesting practices. Prior to 2002, the grapes were often picked too early and over a very short duration of 2 to 3 days. Now, the harvest takes place when the fruit is ripe and picking can take as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Starting with the 2005 vintage, all work in the vineyards moved to 100% organic farming methods. The 10.85 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Larcis Ducasse is planted to 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc. This shows a slight change in the vineyard, as more Cabernet Franc has been added to the plantings since 2003. The vineyard is located just around the bend in the road from Chateau Pavie. In fact, their vines but up against each other. They are surrounded by more good producers. To the south, is Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere and La Gaffeliere, and as you move north, Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau Pavie. The terroir of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is a mixture of soils. The vines on the top of plateau and the slopes have a south facing exposure. At the higher elevations on the plateau, the terroir is limestone, clay and chalk soils. As you travel further down the slopes towards the terraces, the terroir is a blend of chalky limestone, marl, sand, silt and clay soil. At the base of the slopes, you find sand and clay soils. On average the vines are 35 years of age. While the older plantings were done at a vine density of 6,600 vines per hectare, as the vineyard continues to be slowly replanted, the vine density is increasing with each subsequent replanting. The new plantings are being done at 7,500 vines per hectare. They are also using budwood obtained through selection massale. The yields are kept low at Larcis Ducasse. In 2009, the effective yields were only 25 hectoliters per hectare.To produce the wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse, the grapes are whole berry fermented. The fruit is transported by gravity flow into traditional, cement tanks for fermentation. Cuvaison takes between 25-28 days. There are no pump overs. Pigeages are conducted during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The wine of Chateau Larcis Ducasse is then aged in 67% new, French oak barrels, which are mixed in size, between standard barrels and 500 liter French, oak casks. The wine is then aged for an average of 18 to 20 months in barrel before bottling. The production averages close to 4,000 cases depending on what the vintage gives. — 6 years ago
Trader Joe's
Reserve Platinum Napa Valley Pinot Noir 2014
Nice fruit forward wine. Very light hints of strawberry and pepper. Nice wine for $15 my sources tell me the 2014 vintage may be of Cuvaison winery in Carneros — 7 years ago
Cuvaison
Estate Selection Pinot Noir 2012
The only 2 things that will keep us warm tonight. Ironbridge knows their Pinots. This would make the list of top 3. — 9 years ago
Cuvaison
Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Mt. Veeder fruit! Perfect for ribeye! — 11 years ago
Philip Togni Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
One of my favorite Napa producers & vintages from Philip Togni.
On the nose, ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, fresh tobacco leaf, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets.
The body is, round, ruby, lush & full. The structure, tension, length have just tipped to the very beginnings of the waning stage but, the balance is incredible. Ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, chalky volcanic minerals with some grit, crushed dry rocks, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, tobacco with ash, soft leather, saddle-wood, some underbrush, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets. The round acidity is near perfect. The long, round, ripe, ruby, lush, well balanced finish sings on the palate for minutes.
Photos of, the Philip Togni vineyard, cellar staff-Salvador Sanchez, Philip Togni and his daughter Lisa and their barrel room.
Producer notes and history...Philip Togni was born in England and earned a degree (the Dipome National d’Oenologie) at the University of Bordeaux under Emile Peynaud. World famous Winemaker & mega Wine Consultant Michel Rolland also studied under Emile.
After his studies, Philip Togni moved to the Napa Valley in 1959. His first job was planting vines at Mayacamas.
In his career, he has been the Winemaker for Chalone, Chappellet, Cuvaison, Gallo, Inglenook and Sterling before starting his own winery.
Philip Togni was the Winemaker at Chapellet when they made one of the top wines from the 1960’s, the legendary 1969 Chapellet.
Philip Togni Vineyards were founded in 1975 when he purchased 25 acres atop Spring Mountain at an elevation of 2,000 feet. It took until 1981 to plant the vineyard. Sadly, he had to replant in the early 1990’s due to phylloxera.
The winery released its first vintage in 1983, a Sauvignon Blanc. However, he no longer produces white wine.
It took a few more years until the first Cabernet Sauvignon wines were produced at the estate. The debut vintage for Philip Togni Cabernet was the 1985 vintage. The initial vintages of Philip Togni were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Philip Togni does not produce wines with high alcohol. A style from Napa that is sorely missed by me.
The style of his wines are Left bank. Left Bank wines had a big influence on his winemaking and the estate. However, if you have ever spent time looking at his labels for alcohol levels, they’re nowhere to be found.
During the 1980’s, the BATF allowed wineries to state that their wine had the alcoholic strength of a table wine, which was around 7% to 14%. For wineries that had not requested to change their labels, those wineries were not forced to provide specific percent of alcohol. If their labels remain unchanged from their label during the 1980’s, they were only required to state the wine as table wine.
The vineyard contains rocky and clay soils at 2,000 feet. Like Howell Mountain, the vineyard is well above the fog line, which allows for more sunlight and riper fruit.
The Estate is planted to 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.
Philip Togni makes three wines:
Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged in 40% new, French oak barrels for an average of 20 months before bottling.
Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, powerful, tannic when wine young. PT requires longer cellar time. It’s made from ripe mountain fruit that can easily take a 10 to 20 year to fully mature. And trust me, it is closer to 20 years of aging before it’s ready to drink.
Philip Togni also produces a second wine called “Tanbark Hill.” It’s named after a prominent hill near the Estate. Tanbark Hill is a 3 1/2-acre parcel of young vines. A very good second wine for less money.
The third wine is Philip Togni Ca’ and is sweet red dessert wine that is produced from the grape, Black Hamburgh. This grape was popular in the Napa Valley before Prohibition. Black Hamburgh is also know as Black Muscat. It is a grape variety derived from the crossing of the Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria by R. Snow of Bedforshire, England in 1850, according to my studies.
Philip Togni remains a family Winery. The estate is managed by Philip Togni (in his 90’s), his wife Brigitta Togni and their daughter Lisa Togni. In time, it is expected that Lisa Togni will take over the estate.
— 6 years ago
Cuvaison
Two Estates Red Blend 2013
Just delicious! Will be ordering much more. — 6 years ago
Cuvaison
Arcilla Napa Valley Red Blend 2014
Shared with Friends in Page, AZ and it was a hit! — 7 years ago
Cuvaison
Solitaire Carneros Sauvignon Blanc 2015
So great for summer on the patio — 7 years ago
Cuvaison
Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2015
Always a great Rose of Pinot Noir. Great color and flavors. — 8 years ago
Cuvaison
Estate Grown Carneros Syrah 2012
I promised myself I wasn't going to write tasting notes about this wine, but I couldn't help myself. The 2012 Cuvaison Syrah expresses concentrated dark berry flavors right out of the gate. This wine is textured and lush on the palate. The fruit lingers on the finish, the curtain call being a burst of peppery spice. — 9 years ago
Brandlin
Estate Grown Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Compliments of Cuvaison — 10 years ago
Cuvaison
Espiritu Port Blend 2008
Great desert wine. — 11 years ago
Cuvaison
Cabernet Sauvignon 1989
Kept a library of bottles from various special evenings: this is one of them - Specially selected for Caroline and David Gilbey (ROFL) — 11 years ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
First, let me say the 07 Bordeaux vintage was largely frowned upon by professional critics. When I tasted it upon release, I had some doubts. However, I have said many times, in all difficult vintages anywhere, there are still producers that made good wine. Especially, if you give them time to evolve in bottle. This 07 has blossomed with 10 years in bottle and an absolutely perfect steak wine.
The nose reveals; smoldering ambers, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, ripe blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, black plum, floral blueberries, dark fruit liqueur, leather, cedar to saddle-wood, dark rich soils, stones, anise, graphite, old cigar with ash, hints of mushroom, steeped tea, fresh & withering red & dark floral bouquet.
The body is beautiful with; rich, round, velvety, smooth, tarry tannins. This 07 Poujeaux is in top form with plenty of life left ahead...another 7-10years easily. The structure, tension, length and balance are nicely knitted together. It glides effortlessly over the palate. A combination of dark currants & cassis. Ripe blackberries, black cherries, black raspberries, bright cherries, baked strawberries, black plum, floral blueberries, dark fruit liqueur, dark chocolate, mocha bar, vanilla, clove, dark spice, leather, cedar to saddle-wood, dark rich soils, stones, smoldering ambers, dry crushed rocks, dry clay, limestone minerals, dry brush, anise, graphite, old cigar with ash, touch of pepper, hints of mushroom, steeped tea, beautifully, fragrant, violets, lavender, fresh & withering red & dark floral bouquet. The acidity is nicely balanced in the wine. The finish without the steak shows dusty, grainy tannins, good balance in fruit & earth, elegant, ripe fruit and persistent on the palate.
Photos of, the unassuming Chateau Poujeaux by Bordeaux standards, the rootstock & soil structure of the Poujeaux terroir, Cellar with concrete tanks & large oak vats and a wide shot of the Estate.
Producer history and notes...Chateau Poujeaux’s history can be traced back to the 16th Century. At that time, the owner of Chateau Latour, Gaston De L’Isle, owned the estate. Over the centuries, Chateau Poujeaux, like numerous Bordeaux estates has been the property of a multitude of owners.
In fact, the owner of Chateau Beychevelle Marquis François Etienne de Brassier was one of owners. Over the centuries, Chateau Poujeaux was bought, sold, split up and divided. It was not until 1921, when the Theil family became the owners of the property that all the previously divided sections were brought back together again.
The modern era for Chateau Poujeaux began more recently. It started in 2008, when Jean Theil sold Chateau Poujeaux to the Cuvelier family, who were already owners of Clos Fourtet in St. Emilion. Once the Cuvelier family purchased, Mathieu Cuvelier took charge and things changed for the better.
The winemaking facilities were modernized and the farming technique used in the vineyards of Chateau Poujeaux were also changed.
They reduced yields and began picking later, giving them riper fruit. They also moved to an organic vineyard management approach and are looking at biodynamic farming as well. All of this work in the vineyards have helped push the wine quality of the estate. You only need to open and taste some their newer vintages. You’ll notice the improvement in fruit quality and the winemaking practices.
The 68 hectare Moulis vineyard of Chateau Poujeaux is planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The terroir is gravel based soils, typical of the area as show in the above photo. The average age of the vines is close to 35 years, although some vines are older.
The debut vintage under the Cuvelier family was the 2008. At Chateau Poujeaux, they are practicing serious vineyard management with the help of Stéphane Derenoncourt, who works with numerous Bordeaux Winemakers on both banks, including the Cuvelier’s property in St. Emilion, Clos Fourtet.
Chateau Poujeaux, fruit is whole berry fermented in a combination of small stainless steel vats, oak barrels and cement tanks with a 25-day cuvaison. Chateau Poujeaux is aged in about 40% new, French oak barrels for an average of 12 months. On average, Chateau Poujeaux produces close to 25,000 cases per year. — 5 years ago