2007 Stefania Haut Tubee

So it's been a whole month and a half since I have visited this wine, what can I say? This is a wine that I cannot keep my hands off of, and like all of the wines made by Paul and Stefania Romero, it just happens to be quite tasty. This seemed like the perfect bottle tonight after a long day, so it was popped and poured into a Riedel Grapes Syrah/Shiraz glass. Note that this is the first time I have used these new glasses, and figured I would give it a test drive tonight. The stem itself seems nice, and is a good daily drinker glass for a wine like this. This glass really seems to let the cherry dominate on the nose, even more than other times I have drank this wine. Was it the bottle? Or was it the glass? We may just find out in a bit if I pull out another glass for comparison sake. Popped and poured tonight, this was showing some classic dark color in the glass. Nice purple hues to it, and it looked darker than normal, but it turns out it was just the light in the room. As I said before the nose was dominated by cherry, with nice dark fruits in the background, to include some blueberry and blackberry. Nice spice on the nose, but not nearly as prevalent as other bottles. Could this be bottle variation? Doubtful, but possible. Could it be that the wine has integrated a bit in the last month and a half? Quite possibly. On the palate, the red fruits once again seemed to be a shining star, with the spice and white pepper following it closely on its heals. Some nice cherry and strawberry on the front of your palate, with the spice coming through on the mid and back palate. Nice acidity, and well integrated tannins already, but I am sure this bottle will be even better as I am sure I will not finish it tonight. On the finish, again, some pleasant white pepper shines through, very reminiscent of Stefania's Eagle Point Ranch syrah. What a pleasure this wine is to drink, and at $16 on future, who could possibly not like this wine? Very enjoyable, and just what the doctor ordered after a long day. 91 points once again. For more information and other tasting notes on this wine, please visit: http://jerseyfoodies.blogspot.com/2010/01/2007-stefania-haut-tubee.html Cheers! -F. Scott

Herb Lamb E II Cabernet Sauvignon RELEASE ALERT - February 2010

Here is the info on the latest release from Herb Lamb, cut and pasted from Herb Lamb's e-mail dated 14 FEB 2010. Unfortunately, I am going to pass on their whites as the mixed 6 packs are sold out, but the 2007 E II Cabernet is a heck of a steal at $45 per bottle. Unfortunately, these are only 2 bottle allocation, otherwise I would be ordering much more! I look forward to these in 5-10 years! Cheers! -F. Scott Although it is quiet in the vineyard and the vines are still dormant, the first six weeks of this year have been action packed! We have tasted and blended and filtered and bottled our 2009 E II Sauvignon Blanc for release in May, and put together all the packaging and press information for the 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon release . . . all under cloudy skies with almost 30 inches of rain! But this gives us hope for the 2010 vintage, so that we can continue to do what we love with healthy vines. 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon Offer You have probably heard all the excitement about the 2007 red wines coming from the Napa Valley. Well, it's true! Winemakers are calling the 2007 vintage "a classic growing season, creating perfectly balanced wines with great color, acid and concentration." We have noticed this in our vineyards as well, and were excited to realize the first fruit of our young replants in 2007. We have been removing small blocks of the 20 year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines each year to allow the replants to mature without competition, and this plan has proven to be very successful both in quality and quantity of the fruit. . Winemaker Michael Trujillo calls this wine ". . probably the most complete example of the E II Cabernet Sauvignon that we have ever bottled. It’s one of the biggest vintages of the decade; the color is phenomenal and it has brightness and freshness, with a clean acid. It’s the best of both worlds, big and lush but nicely structured to preserve the hillside fruit. . "The 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon has the plushness of the 1997 vintage and the richness of 1999. It has a solid core and big fruit flavors, but it's still approachable and juicy. It opens in the glass as it airs, showing dark, dried cherry, lots of rich cocoa, a touch of tobacco and even the richness of olive oil. Picked earlier than any previous vintage, the 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon also shows a little less alcohol. . With only 125 cases produced, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase a 2-bottle pack ($90.00) of this vintage. We know that it will sell out quickly, but suggest that you put one or two bottles away to try in a year or so, as the wine will only get better with age and aeration. We are also offering a mixed 6-pack of the 2008 E II Sauvignon Blanc and the 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon (3 each - $200.00), but quantities are very limited. We will ship your order in mid-March. . When ordering on-line, please use the password Wine (case sensitive) unless you have previously changed your password. Our shipper, Vintrust, has changed their name and contact information (Vinfillment - 644 Hanna Drive, American Canyon, CA 94503 (707) 656-4467) but they will be happy to help you schedule shipments if we are unable to accommodate your request. . If you would like to print out a physical order form, or see further information about this wine, please go to our website. Should you have any difficulty ordering, please do not hesitate to contact us for help at info@herblambvineyards.com or (707) 967-9752 . . . we'd love to hear from you. . Order your 2007 E II Cabernet Sauvignon . For Valentines Day, we were out in the garden planting everything red; a cherry tree in the orchard and strawberries and raspberries in the garden. Hopefully, the rains will slow and we'll see the sun soon, and a warm spring will herald another successful vintage in both our garden and vineyard. . If you happen to be visiting the Napa Valley this winter - when tasting rooms are empty and you can get a table at any restaurant - we'd love to have you visit. Just call! Jennifer and Herb Lamb

2007 Scarecrow - RELEASE ALERT!

With 2007 being an amazing year for California cabernet, this is one release that I am definitely looking forward to, and one that we'll purchase everything that we're offered. Just a few minutes ago, the pre-release letter hit my Inbox, and we'll be anxiously awaiting the official release of this wine. The letter is copy and pasted below. Happy snow day! Cheers! -F. Scott .

RUTHERFORD

. Dear Friends,

We release the 2007 Scarecrow this spring with great excitement. We will once again be offering the wine in stages, starting with our earliest subscribers, thereby acknowledging their steady loyalty and making Scarecrow as widely available as we can to those on the waiting list.

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Written invitations to purchase will be mailed in three phases and will include the user ID and password required to order our 2007 release. If you do not receive an offer to buy Scarecrow this year, you will remain on the waiting list for future purchase. Please remember that, as always, the wine will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Given the continued enthusiastic demand for Scarecrow and our limited case production, we respectfully remind you that those who decline a written offer will move to the end of the waiting list to allow others the opportunity to purchase.

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It has been a particularly strong year for the J.J. Cohn Estate. Our 2007 vintage has received the highest accolades, delivering on its early promise and reflecting the best of what Robert Parker has deemed “the vintage of the decade.” We are fully thrilled for and grateful to our esteemed winemaker, Celia Welch, our extraordinary vineyard manager, Mike Wolf, and all those whose talent and dedication continue to express the potential in these vines and this enchanted estate soil.

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Your outpouring of support is deeply felt and truly appreciated. Thank you for celebrating these first five vintages of Scarecrow with us. Cheers and fondest wishes for the new decade,

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MIMI DEBLASIO and BRET LOPEZ

2007 Stefania Haut Tubee

Having 100 bottles of wine in your cellar aging is one heck of a nice feat! Having 115 bottles from a single producer is downright INSANE...unless of course that producer is Stefania! Over the last few years, you have read about my love for Stefania Wine here on our blog. I first heard of Stefania from the Wine Spectator Forum, where I virtually met Paul Romero, owner and winemaker, along with his wife Stefania. Paul seemed like a great guy, and upon researching his winery, I really fell in love with Paul and Stef's story, and I had to try their wines. Unfortunately, I did not sign up for their mailing list to get in on their inaugural release of their 2005 Eaglepoint Ranch syrah, however, I did order their second offering, of their '05 Uvas Creek cabernet sauvignon. From there, the rest was history, and Paul and Stefania are crafting wines that my palate absolutely loves. Their wines are my go to wines that I really love to share with friends, and for what these wines cost, you really cannot go wrong. You have heard me say it before, and I will say it again! Go to their website, and sign up for their MAILING LIST! I think there is currently a bit of a wait, but you should get an offering within a release or two. Once you do, order all that you can. If you get these wines and don't like them, drop me an e-mail and I'll take them off of your hands. I am lucky enough to be in the top 10% of their mailing list. Quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I am in their Top 10 customers, and that is something that I can say that I am proud of. Being in their top 10%, I am offered their wines "on futures," where we get our allocation in advance at a substantial discount, and order them before they are offered to the rest of the mailing list. This not only gives me guaranteed access to the wines so long as I place the order before the deadline, but it also gives me a chance to order wines that are much smaller in production. For this I am grateful. With all of that being said, so far we have purchased 147 bottles from Stefania since October of 2007, and consumed 32 bottles to date. The rest are in the cellar aging, where they get better and better every day. That said, check them out. These are some of the best QPR (quality to price ratio) wines out there! So after a long day, I came home to a perfect winter meal that Zelda cooked, and felt the need to crack open the 2007 Stefania Haut Tubee. This wine has gotten some great press already on the Wine Spectator Forum, so I had to give it a shot. This wine also won gold at the San Francisco Chronical Wine Competition January 5th-8th, 2010 in Sonoma, CA. The 2007 Santa Cruz Mountain cabernet sauvignon also took home bronze, so kudos to Paul and Stef for some welldeserved recognition! Tonight there was no time to decant, so this wine was popped and poured. Again, classic Stefania color in the glass, with a nice purple/dark red hue reminiscent of a nice Rhone styled blend. On the nose, there are so many things going on, but what really stands out are the black fruits: blackberry, and hints of blueberry and boysenberry. There is definitely a ton of spice on the nose, but nice floral notes as well. The last thing I can get from the nose is a nice creamy caramel sweetness that is full of pleasure. On the palate, this wine if hard to figure out because there is just so much going on. There is so much fruit on the palate that it is insane. Is it really possible that this wine has been in the bottle for less than a year at his point? Surprisingly, I found more red fruits on the palate than the black fruits that I smelled on the nose. The palate reviews lush tones of raspberry, strawberry, and other red berries. There is definitely some nice spice to this wine, which I am assuming comes from the zinfandel in the blend. Finally, there are some hints of toasted cedar, and a ton of complexity, with a nice tannic backbone, and subtle acidity. For such a young wine, this is drinking very well, and it is only going to get better. I would guess that in another year, this wine is going to be amazing, and could very well be the bargain of the year in 2010. The one problem I have with this wine you may ask? Easy! A case allocation wasn't enough, and I need to get some more! All in all, another winner from Paul and Stefania, and this is one that is not going to last in the cellar long. I would truly be surprised if the case lasts through 2010 as this is drinking nicely right now! So you want to know what grapes are in the blend? Here you go: 50% Syrah, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache and Mourvedre. For a better explanation on this blend, here are some notes straight from Paul: "In 2007 I started with our home vineyard, and Millie and Kathy's vineyard as a base. That's Grenache, Syrah, Zinfandel and a tiny bit of Mourvedre. Later I added in Zinfandel from the Elandrich vineyard that was also just a few hundred pounds. When we started doing barrel testing and blending I decided to add Cabernet and Merlot from the Elandrich vineyard. Normally that goes in the SCM Cabernet blend, but I didn't want to get the Elandrch percentage over 1/6 in that blend so a barrel went to the Haut Tubee. At that point the wine was missing some backbone, so about a month later I added some Chaine d'Or Estate wine. I blended in about a 50/50 mixture of press wine and free run. That added more Cabernet, Merlot, and a tiny bit of Cab Franc and Petite Verdot. The final component was Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah. I had tried out an Ermitage barrel Bradley Brown had recommended. The barrel turned out great, but it was so different from the other barrels I decided to add it to the Haut Tubee. It added the new oak and spice flavors. Bradley thought I was nuts, he said he would have bottled the barrel on its own. I hate the idea of 'hostage' wines, and Stef and I really want to keep this as our 'anti-hostage' wine. A really good, small lot, hand made wine for $20 and you don't have to buy anything else to get it." What a great story by great people! In short, this wine is going to get better and better for the next 1-2 years, but don't be afraid to pop one now if you have a few. Currently a 90 point wine on the MJWineDrinking scale, but heading towards 91-93 with some time in the bottle! WOW! All of this for $20? Keep up the great work Paul and Stef, and keep these wines made with true love coming! Cheers!

* * *UPDATE * * *

DAY 2: Stored in the fridge overnight after a vacuum. The nose on this wine seemed to show a bit more alcohol today, however, it seemed to blow off as the glass warmed up over the course of an hour. Very strange as it is usually the opposite. As the glass warmed, the black fruits were more pronounced on the nose, with a hint of white pepper. On the palate, at first, the wine seemed to pick up more acidity over night, which I thought was odd. I figured if anything, it would mellow out a bit. The fruits again seemed to come out a bit more from last night, and you could really taste and feel the syrah influence in this wine, especially with the white pepper. Other than that, there were not a lot of changes with this wine, and I think that it is going to need a few more months in the bottle before it will really start to show it's potential. Regardless, I am not going to change the score on this wine, but I do look forward to seeing how it develops. This was vacuumed again with about a glass left, and will be revisited again tomorrow, but I am not sure that I am expecting good results.

DAY 3: WOW!!!!! This is exactly where this wine should be, and I cannot wait until this wine is like this with some age right out of the bottle. Still a bit of alocohol on the nose, but the fruit is nice, and there is a nice sweetness to it. On the palate, the red fruits are nice and lush, the heat is toned down, and there are some nice white pepper hints. The finish still has a nice acidity to it, and the tannins are mellowed. Again, the pepper seems to come through on the finish,and you really taste the syrah influence. All in all, day 3 gets this wine another point. I'm sure we'll pop another before the end of the month, and I look forward to seeing this wine develop! 91 points at day 3!

2007 Stefania Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains

Out of all of the wines that I have been dying to taste, this one may rank at the top of my list, and I finally gave into the peer pressure and popped one since I have a few of them laying around. Let me say that I will let the other 5 rest for a while in the cellar before popping another, but this wine shows some great potential, but what else do you expect from a wine hand crafted by Paul and Stef. This wine was popped and poured over the course of 3 hours, and had a nice light ruby color in the glass with lots of strawberry and floral, earthy notes on the nose. There were also hints of spice, and some nice vanilla tones which I attribute to the barrels used for this wine. On the palate, firs thing you’ll notice is that this is not your typical fruit forward pinot. I didn’t find any candied fruits on the palate whatsoever, but I did find some nice dark cherry hints that I love in pinot from this area. The acidity on this wine is nice at this point, but there is a bit of tannin, which is not overwhelming in the least, but I think it’ll settle out nicely with another year in the bottle. All in all, this wine shows some great qualities, and have potential for some serious improvement with time. For now, I would score this wine 88 points, and I could easily see it going up another 5 points or so with some aging. That said, the others will rest, and we’ll try another one in the Spring or Summer of 2011 to see where it is at. This winery shows so much promise, and I look forward to their future offerings! Cheers!

2007 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Now here is a wine that I have been dying to try since I placed my order this time last year, and it has been hard to wait this long, but I figured the wait from their arrival last March would be worth it. Needless to say, it was indeed! If I didn’t have a few more of these young babies sleeping in the cellar, I would probably be a little hesitant to pop one, but with a few more, it is always fun to try a wine in its infant stages. We have not had many ’07 pinot noir yet, and this is by far the best that we have had. Popped and poured tonight with sushi at Wasabi in Mount Lauren, NJ, this had a gorgeous dark purple ruby color in the glass. Absolutely gorgeous. We let it “decant” in the glass for a good 20 minutes as we were waiting for others to show up, and from just 2 feet away, you could smell it’s enormous nose. Tons of jammy cherries on the nose, with subtle hints of raspberry and citrus notes. There were also hints of vanilla and spice, which I attribute to the oak used on this wine. On the palate, the first glass almost seemed a bit thin and was disappointed. I drank about ½ of the glass, and refilled, and wow what a different. I have no idea why the first glass may have been so thin, but the refill was nothing at all like the first, and boy what a pleasure it was. This wine is BIG, with lots of nice fruit that I did not find over-ripe, or candied in the least. More HUGE cherry, strawberry, and raspberry notes that exploded in your mouth. At $25 a bottle, this is by far one of the best pinot noir I have had in this price range. You can tell that TRB put some heart and soul into this wine, and he really does know these grapes, and knows how to make something beautiful from them. The finish was as pleasant as pleasant can be, with a mild acidity, the perfect amount of tannin, and next to no heat at all. This bottle was really in a great place, and I look forward to the rest. One thing I will note is that there was a ton of sediment in this bottle, but it didn’t show until there was next to nothing in the bottom of my glass, and this is no worry whatsoever. All in all, a great pinot for the money that I would love to find some more of. Gorgeous and worthy of 92 points. Cheers!

2007 Antica Terra Pinot Noir

Had to source for the holidays as I vowed not to check any luggage, so swung by Craig’s shop, Premier Cru Wine Merchants in Arlington Heights, and picked up the whole Maggie Harrison lineup. If there is one time that I think drinking something early is ok, it is when I have to source when travelling. Nothing wrong with taking one for the team here when I have to source from somewhere. That said, I popped and decanted one of these on Christmas Eve for about 2 hours at cellar temp in my parents cellar. This is the first ’07 A.T. I’ve popped, and the nose had me a bit scared. Initial nose was a bit frightening with all the funk. Tons of barnyard on the nose, with faint hints of strawberry and baking spice. Thankfully, the palate showed very well for something so darn young, and this was by far the most approachable ’07 Oregon pinot I had tried, though I will admit we haven’t popped many ‘07’s at all. The palate showed some nice dark black fruits: blackberry, boysenberry, and a hint of blueberry, with some strawberry and cherry. Obviously being so young, there is still some acidity, but the tannins seemed very mellow, and I found this wine to be very approachable. Some have mentioned that they find the ’07 to be a bit candied, but I don’t taste or smell any candied fruit in the least. I will however say that this does seem to show more fruit than most Oregon pinot noir. Not sure if it is just the wine, or if it is the vintage. Touch call. Regardless, my stepfather and I put this bottle down pretty quick, and I look forward to having another on one Sunday! 89 points. Cheers!

2007 Auteur Pinot Noir "Ophelia"

For a young wine, all I can say about this is WOW! If this is this good right now, I can only imagine what it is going to be like in 3-5 years. Thankfully, we have more, so I figured this would be a great wine to bring and share with Dee tonight at Oliver - A Bistro. This is a great blend of California (15%), with the classic styles of Burgundy coming from the fruit from Oregon(85%). Nice tones of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry on the nose, along with some soily/earthy undertones, and the slightest hint of lavendar. On the palate, tons of dark fruit and dark cherry coming through, with the slightest bit of mineral. Nice acidity, and very balanced, I really look forward to trying this wine once it has a few years in the bottle. Kudos to Laura and Ken and Auteur for the great customer service, and for creating such incredible wines! Keep up the great work guys! I look forward to your orders every January! 92 points, and this will be at least 2 points better with time in the bottle! Cheers!

2007 Schmitges Rivaner Qualitätswein

Tasted this today at CoolVines Princeton. Very nice, crisp, riesling blend. This will be an awesome summer wine. All the things that I love about riesling with a toned down sweetness!

2007 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County

This wine will definitely benefit from some more time in the bottle. Picked up today locally about hearing all the rants and raves about this wine. Got it home, had it in the Avanti for a few hours, then decanted through the Vinturi, into a decanter and let it sit for a good hour and a half before consuming. Beautiful nose of raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and spice. There is still a bit of alcohol on the nose here as well, but I think that this will integrate nicely with 6 months to a year in the bottle. On the palate, a nice medium body, with hints of jammy blackberry and cherry. This some alcohol on the palate, and this wine is a bit hot, even after decanting. Tannins and spice prevalent on the palate, and more heat on the finish. Again, I think that time in the bottle is going to be everything with this wine. Still have 3 more in the cellar, and will pick some more up as it is just under $18 a bottle locally. Hell of a QPR, and looking forward to picking up a case of these soon! 88 points now, but will go well over 90 with some time in the bottle. Cheers! (

2007 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec

At less than $10, this is a hell of a QPR. Very inky and dark purple in the glass. Absolutely great color for a wine at this price range. Tons of dark fruits on the nose...plum, black cherry, and blackberry, with a weird hint of Goodyear Tire? Goodyear Tire? What the heck? On the palate, a lot of the same minus the rubber...dark plums, black cherry, chocolate, earth, and creamy vanilla...maybe from the barrel, but who knows for sure. This wine would definitely benefit from decanting as it is young, but for the money, this is a hell of a wine, and I look forward to many more. 88 points. Cheers!