Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Tasting Notes
Diamond Ridge is located in a sunny high altitude site with rocky granitic soils which force Cabernet Franc to put its energy into pushing its roots down into the rock, resulting in a lively mineral energy in the wine’s finish. These conditions develop good color and firm but refined tannins which impart amazing age-worthiness.
Because of its proximity to Clear Lake, the site is also blessed with a “lake effect” – a daily visit from the cooling breezes off this deep body of water, largest in the State. The consequence is that the plum and cinnamon aromas the grape develops are conserved. The combination of rich fruit aromatics, firm tannin structure and lively minerality make this among the most complete and collectible expressions of Cabernet Franc in the New World. William Younger’s “Gods, Men and Wine” offers compelling evidence that the 1,000 year Roman winemaking tradition did not involve sulfites, and we have been exploring with this ancient winemaking tradition since 2001, finding it well suited to high altitude Cab Franc from volcanic soils.
These wines seem to take care of themselves very well without added preservatives, offering up incredibly intricate aromatics full of mystery and soul. The difference reminds us of the extra flavor dimensionality one finds in the great unpasteurized French cheeses.
Remarkably stable, these wines require extensive barrel age and reward further cellaring. You will want to decant and breathe prior to serving, and will improve for several days after opening. Although suitable for current consumption with pork and cherries or grilled duck breast, this is really a collector’s wine which will benefit substantially from a few years in the cellar.
Specs
2010 Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Vintage: 2010
Appellation: Lake County, California
Varietals: 78% Cabernet Franc (Clone 1, Estate vineyard) and 22% Merlot (Clone 181, Estate vineyard)
My name is Jacob S. Stephens III, but everyone calls me Jake. I represent the third generation in our family to embrace the life of a farmer, following in the footsteps of my grandfather Jacob, and my father Jake II.
In early 1990, an old family friend suggested that we look into the California vineyard business, specifically high-end wine grapes. After considerable time and investigation, we settled on our first property, just south of Sacramento near the then small town of Elk Grove. Through hard work and good fortune, these vineyards proved to be of excellent character, with our grapes being purchased by a number of well-known wineries in the Sonoma Valley.
In 1998, we applied what we’d learned about the business and went looking for a great undiscovered site, finding it at last in the mountains of the North Coast. Lake County, to be exact, where we planted Diamond Ridge Vineyard.
In the stern, rocky soils at Diamond Ridge Vineyards, high yields are not an option. Therefore the mantra of Diamond Ridge can be summed up in one word ~ quality. We grow top quality grapes because we have to. Distinctive wines reflect perfectly the environment in which they are grown, because grapes are delicate vessels which drink in the vineyard site’s attributes and carry the stamp of that place. Our ace in the hole is that our site allows us to grow fruit of comparable and sometimes superior attributes compared to our downhill neighbor Napa County, at a fraction of the cost of land, the principle driver of grape price.
Our unique combination of sought-after characteristics and reasonable prices results in tremendous value which is the key to our success. Our winery customers have come to rely on us to provide intense fruit aromas, color, minerality and tremendous palate energy, and these qualities have become our stock and trade.
2010 Cab Franc
2012 Cab Franc
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
4 bottles for $99.99 $25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc - $100 = 33.32%
Hi Everybody. Great to be back among my Casemates homies. This is the venue where I get to be fully groked for the whacky projects I undertake.
Most of you know my work with Diamond Ridge Vineyards, and I’ve gone over its virtues many times. These two vintages represent perhaps the most interesting project of my career – the making of sulfite-free wines as the Romans did.
These are not your mother’s conventional red wines. They are indescribably complex, ever changing, long ageing, often requiring considerable breathing, and I’m talking about a week. Nevertheless, you’ll see even at first opening exactly what I mean by mineral energy in the finish. The combination of the volcanic soils of their origins and the microbial party that occurs during five years’ neutral French oak aging somehow creates explosive liveliness.
Aromatics are like the weather in Boston. As the old joke goes: “Don’t like the weather in Boston? Just wait a minute.”
Please have a look at my blague post. I’m eager for your comments and questions.
@mrn1
Ironically, you still have 3 of the 2012 for me from last year! The smaller allotment was the same price but the case price on today’s offer is less than it was then ($16.67/bottle vs. $20). You are a shrewd negotiator!
@winesmith@Winedavid49 I have very few of the 2012 left. I have been saving them for special occasions. The 2012 is simply amazing. Of course I am in for the max. Lovely wine. If you are on the fence, jump.
Time to teach everybody how to use my site, WhoIsClarkSmith.com. Click on Shop and go to the dropdown for reds, choosing Cab Franc. This will take you to a large listing of wines past and present. Click on the wine of interest and it will take you to a page packed with information and links to tech sheets, videos, related cooking shows, awards and so forth. Very handy.
I rarely comment on here but have been buying since the early wine.woot days. The comments and feedback section are a gem of this website, which provide meaningful and important insights. I split a case of the 2012 when it was last up. All other Two Jakes wines I’ve bought on here were excellent. The 2012 wax top cab franc was hands down the worst wine I’ve bought from casemates. It was super green beany & never improved over a 3 day period of attempts to enjoy it. I really wanted to like the wine. It repeatedly let me down. All the other friends and family that tried agreed. Each of my remaining bottles will be gifted to people that either routinely give crappy presents to others or wine neophytes for sake of discussion. This was a disappointment.
@abl838abl This is not an unusual response to this wine. I’m personally crazy about it, but it’s very unconventional. The green bean (or many say green peppercorn) certainly comes and goes along with a kaleidoscope of other flavors. Not for the faint of heart and I respect your view.
@abl838abl I couldn’t have said it better. Still have 11 bottles from the previous offering. Maybe, in a year or two, I’ll work up the courage to open another one.
@winesmith likewise! I generally love all your wines, which I’ve mainly bought here and on woot over the years. Mad respect goes to vintners that forge their own path, do so successfully & while fostering a solid appreciative/following customer base, and yet still make the time to crank out so many video guides & blog posts. One of my good friends introduced me to Wine Smith features years back. We routinely have split cases since then. Hopefully he can appreciate the 2012 better than I. There’s no accounting for taste. I’ll keep buying your other wines-
@abl838abl When I opened a bottle of 2012 from the last offer, it took over a week to really open up and taste great! This is with decanting a few hours each day with a taste and re-bottle overnight (can’t leave the decanter out with little kids). The first few days it did not taste good, but there was hints of good things to come. I don’t have notes, but forum interaction last time told me patience. It was a fun experiment with a daily tasting on how the wine slowly opened up. I likely won’t open more of the 2012s for a few years, with bottles likely stashed for a decade or more.
Two Jake 2012 Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
Lake County 14.7 ABV
PnP. Small pour into a glass, rest into the decanter for a multi day stint. Glass pour appears hazy, likely due to sediment as this was opened only hours after delivery. Color also seems a little bricked. Noise is tight, reductive/stinky, but this is not barnyard type funk. Picking up a little bit of dark cherry and wet sage. Palate initially not showing much fruit, bit of lean cherry, medium acid, medium + tannin, good weight. There is a leafy herbaceous quality to this, but not full on bell pepper style. Lean cherry, still pretty tight.
I jumped the gun with a google search on the first night and stumbled upon the youtube video of Clark that will likely get linked to this sale. His molly dooker on the decanter and suggestion at decanting a full week made me feel comfortable not transferring back into the bottle overnight.
Night 2 – 24 hours in decanter
Quite a bit of sediment gathered in the bottom of the decanter. Glass pour much clearer today. Put together a sampler of fresh herbs from the garden. Rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano just as a backdrop to better place what I’m picking up. Herbal sampler
Nose is still a bit tight and funky/musty smelling. Closest hit was the slightly damp sage. On the palate tonight it is driving acid, good grip, tart lean bing cherry, lots of mineral “buzz”. Lasting finish with woody rosemary and white pepper undertones. Drinking pretty well with good balance and nice weight. Not tons of fruit but there is a lot going on here. No signs of oxidation so I’ll leave this in the decanter for one more day.
Night 3 – 48 hours in the decanter
At hour 44 I stuck my nose in the decanter and it was still pretty stuffy. Did a heft shakeup to try and help for this evenings tasting. 5 hours later poured a glass. Hazy again as I stirred everything up. Nose is far less stuffy. Again leafy wet sage, also a touch of tomato leaf, dark cherry and now getting bramble leaning toward blackberry, but freshly picked. Also some white pepper on the nose that I didn’t notice before. Palate is still acid driven, but the balance is even better tonight. Med+ tannin, minerality is very prominent and delicious, best glass pour so far. Finish has some cinnamon, white pepper, and pine. Crazy long finish at 90 seconds plus. Nice mouth feel.
Summary: After 2 days in the decanter this has opened up and become really enjoyable. If I had to judge it just on the first night PnP I would not have been a fan. This could cellar forever, but even in 20 years it will probably need at least a day in the decanter. Just know going in that this will be an act of patience and you’ll need to open it up on Tuesday for Saturday dinner.
Anything under $30 a bottle is a good deal on this for folks that enjoy a layered and complex cab franc.
Checking back in on Night 4. 72 hrs in decanter. Best glass so far. Clarity is back after sediment settled again (shakeup yesterday afternoon). Funkiness on nose is gone. Brooding plum and blackberry on the nose. Sage component still there, but less so. Palate is juicy red fruit and buzzing minerality. Finish is so spectacular on this wine. About to have this with a grass fed cheeseburger, but wanted to check in before the sale was over. Glad I went in for a case, just put yourself a bottle note in cellartracker as a reminder to decant for 3 days first! Not just open bottle, full on decanter for 3 days. Might even be better after 5, but I’m drinking up now.
Thanks for this - a really good account of what can be expected around aroma and flavor evolution in the first few days. The one unchanging element is the driving mineral buzz - this wine is the definition of what I mean by minerality.
The sediment always happens several years into making it and seems essential. We call it “the dump.” I think of it as a metamorphosis, the true wine coming out of its cocoon and shedding the chrysalis. Prior to this, I associate the wine with some earthy microbial characters that are shed as the lighter but more focused terroir expression emerges.
This vineyard’s character for CF is white cherry, and here you have its crystallization along with the droughty herbs of the area, particularly bay laurel and sage.
This is not an everyday drink. It’s high adventure, kind of the vinous equivalent of bungie jumping for both the winemaker and the consumer.
@winesmith@trifecta, was that your review on cellartracker for the 2010? You (assuming that’s you) said you were underwhelmed with it. You seem much more whelmed this time! Is the 2012 more your preference compared to the 2010, or is it maybe more a different tasting strategy? (more decanting?)
@PatrickKarcher@trifecta@winesmith
I went looking for my old report on the 2010 because trifecta’s idea was great. Back then, Clark sent two bottles to compare fresh vs open/oxygenated for a week. Truly educational and rather shocking how great that was after a week of air. It might have been on the old site because I couldn’t find the offer here!
@klezman@trifecta Do you 2012ers agree with Clark’s characterization that it’s reminiscent of a Barbaresco? Because if it’s similar to a quality good Barbaresco, then this is sure the heck a good deal.
@trifecta Never decanted a wine for long before. When leaving in a decanter for days - do you need a stopper for the top? Or, just leave in in there with the top open and exposed?
@PatrickKarcher That was indeed my review in CT for the 2010. I have not yet gone back and done a days long decanting on the 2010, but I definitely will next time. As I mentioned in my 2012 review, if I had to judge on day 1 I would not have been a fan.
@jammyt@pmarin I don’t have any sort of fancy stopper for my decanter, I just stuff a paper towel or cloth napkin in the neck. I don’t really have fruit fly issues here other than late September during blackberry rot.
@drhellknow I am fortunate to have a basement room that is a full-time cellar and pitch black. I have multiple decanters too, so waiting game can be staggered with other wines.
A tip about the wax. It’s a beeswax and not hard. Don’t waste time cutting through it. Just pretend it’s not there and it will pop right off when you pull the cork, leaving the nice purple metallicized skirt that complements the purple in the label.
Every Friday 5-6 Pacific time I host WineDown Fridays on a Zoom call - open conversation on any topic of interest. This week we’ll be celebrating the life of Steven Spurrier, who I miss dearly. To receive an invitation, register here.
@pseudogourmet98 Well, I wish I had some English Sparkling wine, which was Steven’s great love. I’m just popping the '12 Roman Reserve CF and trying it, crazy as it sounds, with some half shell oysters. Spring suggests a minerally Riesling or Corton to me.
@pupator Interested!! Although I’d rather a 2/4 split, unless you can find someone else for a three-way. Going to be in Peachtree SEVERAL times over the next 8 weeks.
I got a case of the 2012 when this was last offered and it is one of my favorite wines. It’s not at all a conventional wine; I would describe the flavor as more ‘raw’ and grapey, with all sorts of complexity that I have never before experienced. My first sip I wasn’t sure about because of how different it was, but it quickly grew on me.
This is a must buy for me, but I can absolutely understand why some folks did not find it to their liking.
@nklb Guilty. I have a case from a previous offer and with immense aeration I can sip these. But they are well beyond my palate’s pay grade. I would caution new buyers to go small initially.
So I pulled one out of ye-old-fake-cellar called one of the bedroom closets (HA!) and popped it open. Thought about taking it to the Zoom call tonight but right now it’s a slow sipper and the rest of the bottle is “airing” its wares in the corner as a week long? Plus? experiment. Similar notes on closed/young/tight on start, though on PnP I had a bit more fruit than expected but quickly tightened up, but not a long finish yet, short, fleeting on the tongue and you desire another sip knowing you likely will still be disappointed.
I’m a patient lady, extreme in some areas, very little in others, but waiting (not a trait I learned before this last year of challenge, but was already pre-existing) is NBD for me.
I consider this one of those acquired tastes; I like strong espresso or coffee with depth, I like wines that are complex and challenge me to be a more educated drinker, Guinness (which some say absolutely is an acquired taste unless you know what it tastes like in Ireland and if so then you know what we get in the US is a load of !@#$$, but I digress), meads/ciders/sours that help expect my pallet of tastes and preferences, and a job that has me on my toes. This will 110% reward the waiter but will NOT reward and possibly disappoint the casual, passive daily-drinker, or “drink all in one day” preferred individual unless you’ve let it have it’s time to metamorphosis into what it’s not yet today.
Love it now, can’t wait to love it as it drinks in the air of life.
Pictures of my now opened bottle from the last offering:
Sincerely the Fake-Lab-Rat, but Sincere Wine Bunny, BunnyMasseuse.
@bunnymasseuse@PatrickKarcher@winesmith I just wanted to say that your comments about Guinness are absolutely correct. I want to go back to Ireland just so I can drink the real stuff!
@coynedj LOL thanks a lot, now if I really am going overseas later this year I’m going to HAVE to make a Dublin stop in there!! @PatrickKarcher@winesmith
@bunnymasseuse@coynedj@PatrickKarcher@winesmith
I hit up St, James Gate years ago.
Thought it would be a few hours.
Turned into all day.
What we get here is almost Coors to what they pour there, but it’s all we can get here, so I’ll take it.
@coynedj@PatrickKarcher@rjquillin@winesmith Day 2-3 drank really well, only snagged a glass but could have finished. Popped open another bottle and it’s sitting for a week science experiment!
@chipgreen@coynedj@Mark_L@PatrickKarcher@rjquillin@winesmith I can’t open that many bottles on my own, tho I would say my curiosity is peaked. Guess when we start the Gatherings that will have to be something I plan on, a day/week/2week vertical decant of the same CF.
When I got home from dinner last night I saw that I had a package waiting*. The box had a quite familiar shape to it. Being that I had a few glasses of red wine for dinner**, I figured I would save the bottle for Friday************. What I didn’t expect though was that this wine went live on Friday and it would only be a 24 hour sale. While I work for a German-owned company*****, and Germany is known for making fantastic wines******************, I figured I would need to put this in a beer stein to get away with drinking this during working hours******.
After a few seconds wondering how many ER visits there would be each year if every bottle of wine***************** were sealed with wax, I had popped the cork and was whelmed by the aroma of the wine. My bottle was the 2012 Cabernet Franc. Even as this stein************** sits a foot and a half away from me the aroma is stunning. There’s a fair amount of sediment in the glass*************** (despite the bottle sitting for 12 hours). The muted color and the not-muted aroma remind me of prunes*******. There is a bit of sweetness in the aroma as well, no smell of alcohol, flowers, or herbs. If I search for a peppery aroma I could probably get a hint, but I could probably get a hint of it in water if I smelled a glass of it for half an hour.
The first taste is unexpected. It is dry, no tannins, perhaps a bit drier than I was expecting based on the nose. It’s also delicious and light. I wouldn’t pair this with a steak, I would pair this with food that the wine doesn’t have to fight. The longer it sat the more muted the fruit aroma became and a bell pepper aroma**************** became more pronounced. The bell pepper taste becomes more prominent too while tasting it**********. After sitting for around 2 hours the plum is back in full force. I’m looking forward to finishing this over the weekend*******************.
Footnotes
`* UPS requires a photo ID *********** to confirm the recipient is over the age of 21 and will not deliver to someone who is visibly intoxicated.
** Always drink responsibly and have a designated driver when drinking outside the home***.
*** A designated driver is not required if you are walking****.
**** You can still get arrested for walking while intoxicated.
***** Some of the shareholders may actually be Austrian, and in general Austrians do not like being called German.
****** Drinking can impair your ability to perform basic work functions. Never perform surgery or operate heavy equipment while drinking. I’d also recommend not swimming or giving a wedding toast.
******* In a good way; I like prunes and think it’s silly they renamed them dried plums. That makes me wonder******** why we don’t call raisins dried grapes.
******** How many other fruits and vegetables are there that have a different name when dried? So I did a search and realized I’m not the only one to wonder this. It seems like a currant is a type of raisin, and a dried wolfberry is called a goji berry*********. Poblano chiles are called ancho chiles when dried, chilaca chilies are called pasilla chilies, and if you dry a jalapeño it’s called a chipotle pepper.
********* But these are typically sold only dried.
********** Also in a good way.
*********** My UPS delivery guy is awesome.
************ You don’t see a lot of wine pairings with breakfast food, though wine was common at the breakfast table in Spain when I was there for a team meeting*************.
************* So I’m not in uncharted waters having a glass of wine in the morning!
************** Or wine glass, but I like to keep up the illusion.
*************** I guess I blew it here.
**************** Is bell pepper an aroma? I’m sticking to it.
***************** I couldn’t find anything on hand injuries from opening bottles of wine, but evidently in 2019 8,900 people went to the ER as a result of injuries from cutting avocados.
****************** Germany makes over 1.3 billion bottles of wine a year, making them the 8th largest wine-producing country in the world. The US is number 4, making nearly three times as much wine.
******************* Though I have my doubts the bottle will last past dinner.
@markgm I have the same beer stein! Wife’s folks picked it up during a tour of their homeland. That’s probably the ideal vessel for this idiosyncratic wine. Fantastic rat report too, by the way.
@KitMarlot I lived in Germany for 6 months and I think I found it during my last two weeks there (I had been looking for one for a long time that didn’t say “Germany” on it!).
@KitMarlot@markgm This LabRat needs to be on the @winesmith Friday Evening Zoom for SURE!!! I have visited Germany more often than I planned on in the last 6yrs, perhaps even this year if work insisted and the border allows.
@markgm A perfectly offbeat write-up for a wine that could comfortably need 1 and a 1/2 weeks to open up (per Clark himself!)! Kudos to great writing and excellent humor, along with a few Cliff Claven “little known facts”!
I am too curious about this cab frac not to be in for a case. I think my expectations are set appropriately, thanks to the Lab Rats. I’ll plan to cellar this for at least a few years, and when I open, I’ll decant for 3-4 days before drinking. Sounds crazy, but I’ll try it.
/giphy flecked-rewarded-viper
@gemeinschaft79, @winesmith, @winedavid49
Almost exactly my thought…checked the site this morning at 5, thought no way, don’t need any more, after watching the videos, and some other comments, I now have a case coming, opening one soon after arrival, then 4-5 days later a meal, or some cheese…like my cheeses
Rest will go for some long term aging…
Suggestion, For some parents with children born in 2010 or 12, might be ideal wine to purchase for a birth year wine…just don’t store it next to a furnace, or top shelf in hall closet.
Help! I need a “Decanting For Dummies” lesson.
So for this wine, I need to open it, and then decant it into the decanter. Do I use a mesh for the sediment, or stop decanting when I see sediment nearing the neck?
Then I wait a week.
Is the decanter left open the whole time?
Do I just let it sit the whole time, or am I continuously decanting into another decanter?
Do I swirl it around in the decanter?
Sorry, feeling a little lost…
@cjonczak Best part? Sounds like this wine doesn’t need stringent decanting methods, so you may find, like I plan on doing, where I will leave it either in the decanter or put back in the bottle and either air it in small breaks or just let it “free range” stay in the decanter. @winesmith can probably lend some recommendations that aren’t quite as brutally rough as mine, or some of the other regular decanting fanatics. For the record, I use the Eravino Wine Decanter Breather Carafe with lid (that allows you to go from bottle to decanter and easily back), but you can choose your weapon of choice. (No I get no $$ if you go get a similar decanter, just wanted to refer to what I use)
@cjonczak There are two reasons to decant this wine. One is for clarity. Ideally the wine is allowed to rest upright for a couple weeks so the sediment compacts, then gingerly pull the cork and placing your cellphone flashlight on the counter beneath the pour with the light shining up through the neck, you slowly pour to your decanting vessel until sediment appears, then stop. Though gritty, the sediment if very flavorful, so I generally drink the wine and then drink the dregs.
More important is aeration. You want the wine to absorb oxygen, so ideally you use a wide-bottomed flask that you do not fill. Wines can require hours to weeks in this state. Generally the older the wine the less time is ideal, but wines can surprise you, so it’s good to get the winemaker’s advice or somebody attentive who knows the wine. Sulfite-free wines take much longer than you’d think.
I just signed up for WineDown Friday @Bunnymasseusse’s recommendation. Also, grabbed a case of this I’d split off a quarter of to a fellow B’moreite. Whattya say DMV?
Finally found my rat review of the 2010, from July 2016:
Happy birthday Clark! And thank you for the opportunity to try this experiment…it was very interesting. Ron and I both had trouble making sense of this - we tried earlier over the phone, too!
2010 Two Jakes Roman Reserve Cab Franc
Experiment part 1. June 26
The wine sat in the wine cabinet since arrival a few days ago, and I took it out to warm up a bit before opening. It was cooler than room temp, probably in the 65 degree range (18-ish degrees, that is). Cork came out easily. First pour into a standard tulip-shaped glass, the colour is medium density, red-purple, no bricking. A little bit of fine sediment is evident as well.
The aromas might as well be totally new to me. It’s a potent combination of herbs and spices without a whole lot of fruit initially, but also some savoury notes. Something is a little astringent on the nose as well, but I can’t place it aside from saying it’s not alcohol, although it could be a hint of VA. It doesn’t hit the buttons for aged cheese, earth, or barnyard that I might have expected. Certainly no pyrazines that I can detect either.
First taste is savoury cassis, if that makes sense. Lively on the palate, lots of herbs I can’t place, and with that Diamond Ridge energy/minerality we all know from Clark. There are tannins, medium level, but relatively fine leaving a nice dry sensation on the tongue. Medium weight as well, with enough glycerine to enhance the viscosity in your mouth.
The finish is really long. It seemed like it vanished for a couple seconds there, but then it came back. It seems to be accentuating the herbaceous notes – something almost like pine or rosemary. Very interesting.
My first impression on the one hand is that maybe this is a bit oxidized, but it has only a passing relationship to those characteristics. No nuttiness, no bricking, and no caramel notes.
Part 2. July 2
One bottle was recorked on the counter as per instructions. The other was relatively straight out of the wine fridge at cellar temp.
Initial impression is that they are shockingly similar. The older one is more aromatic, probably due to the warmer temperature, but it has developed a pretty distinct dill pickle potato chip aroma. Second time I’ve ever smelled that in a wine. The one that’s been open has far less obvious tannin as well, which isn’t that surprising.
Over the next hour or so, alternating between the two revealed (imo) that the older bottle was opening up far more than the younger one, and was more interesting overall. Neither of them became all that fruity, and the character of the aromas and flavours didn’t change much. There was one point where I sniffed my glass poured from the older bottle and decided it had finally opened up, but still it was more that some of the funk had vanished and a little more cherry was coming through.
Left the remainder of the bottle (a little less than half) for another night. Maybe 2 weeks from now, give or take?
Does anyone else feel the 2012 is pst prime? Decanted it, taste was less than ideal. Poured the remainder into the bottle and tried again on day 2. Not any better. Thoughts?
@jpmikula
Because this Roman Reserve Cab Franc is sulfite-free, it is starving for oxygen. Clark recommends opening the bottle and allowing it to have exposure to air for a week or two. That will help allow it to open up, unlike other wines that would typically degrade due to oxidization. If you haven’t watched either of Clark’s videos at the top of this thread, I’d recommend it because they are very informative.
Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Tasting Notes
Specs
2010 Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc, Lake County
2012 Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $600/case MSRP
About The Winery
2010 Cab Franc
2012 Cab Franc
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 5 - Tuesday, Apr 6
Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
4 bottles for $99.99 $25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2010 Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
2012 Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
Two Jakes of Diamonds Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc - $100 = 33.32%
Hi Everybody. Great to be back among my Casemates homies. This is the venue where I get to be fully groked for the whacky projects I undertake.
Most of you know my work with Diamond Ridge Vineyards, and I’ve gone over its virtues many times. These two vintages represent perhaps the most interesting project of my career – the making of sulfite-free wines as the Romans did.
These are not your mother’s conventional red wines. They are indescribably complex, ever changing, long ageing, often requiring considerable breathing, and I’m talking about a week. Nevertheless, you’ll see even at first opening exactly what I mean by mineral energy in the finish. The combination of the volcanic soils of their origins and the microbial party that occurs during five years’ neutral French oak aging somehow creates explosive liveliness.
Aromatics are like the weather in Boston. As the old joke goes: “Don’t like the weather in Boston? Just wait a minute.”
Please have a look at my blague post. I’m eager for your comments and questions.
FIRST SUCKER
/giphy carbonated-knowledgeable-quicksand
@chipgreen Solo?
@mrn1
Willing to share 4 bottles, 2 of each vintage - would you like them?
@chipgreen Don’t need it but hate to pass it up. Thanks!
. 2 of each would be great!
@mrn1
Ironically, you still have 3 of the 2012 for me from last year! The smaller allotment was the same price but the case price on today’s offer is less than it was then ($16.67/bottle vs. $20). You are a shrewd negotiator!
@chipgreen Maybe in early April we should meet and swap!!!
@mrn1
Yes. Yes, we should!
I’ve got some 2012 but would like more 2010 if anybody in the area is willing to do an uneven split.
This book was my inspiration in 2001:
@winesmith@Winedavid49 I have very few of the 2012 left. I have been saving them for special occasions. The 2012 is simply amazing. Of course I am in for the max. Lovely wine. If you are on the fence, jump.
I highly recommend Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings with these wines:
@winesmith Or the movie “Platoon”?
Always great to have you here Clark!
Anyone in the Twin Cities interested in splitting a case?
@kawichris650 Ordered a case. Might be able to if a friend declines. I’ll try to find out in the morning.
@kawichris650 Me! Me! I can pick it up with the Barbera we’re already splitting.
@coynedj @kawichris650 My friend wants half. I’ll leave it up to you two to split a case. Cheers!
@kawichris650 Did you order? I guess I could order if you want - they actually ship to South Dakota!
Are the specs reversed? The 2010 says harvested in 2012.
@chipgreen @winesmith
No harvest dates listed in the tech notes on the WS site to verify and correct if necessary.
Clark, check your whispers as well.
@chipgreen
Time to teach everybody how to use my site, WhoIsClarkSmith.com. Click on Shop and go to the dropdown for reds, choosing Cab Franc. This will take you to a large listing of wines past and present. Click on the wine of interest and it will take you to a page packed with information and links to tech sheets, videos, related cooking shows, awards and so forth. Very handy.
@chipgreen @winesmith
following the link, and selecting “read more” for the '12 led me here:
When I did locate the notes I still didn’t see any harvest dates.
However the new site does look better than the old one I was still using and used to.
@rjquillin @winesmith
I ran into that as well. Click on the name of the wine, to the left of “read more”. Voila!
@chipgreen @winesmith Yup, same here.
What browser? Brave here.
@rjquillin @winesmith
Chrome
/giphy young-delightful-spoon
/giphy noxious-affordable-mole
Anyone in the KC area interested in a split here? I’m interested, and would love to split a case down the middle.
@worbx I’m definitely up for a 2 way split!
@SmittyWine Ordered.
/giphy dopey-minuscule-bulb
I rarely comment on here but have been buying since the early wine.woot days. The comments and feedback section are a gem of this website, which provide meaningful and important insights. I split a case of the 2012 when it was last up. All other Two Jakes wines I’ve bought on here were excellent. The 2012 wax top cab franc was hands down the worst wine I’ve bought from casemates. It was super green beany & never improved over a 3 day period of attempts to enjoy it. I really wanted to like the wine. It repeatedly let me down. All the other friends and family that tried agreed. Each of my remaining bottles will be gifted to people that either routinely give crappy presents to others or wine neophytes for sake of discussion. This was a disappointment.
@abl838abl This is not an unusual response to this wine. I’m personally crazy about it, but it’s very unconventional. The green bean (or many say green peppercorn) certainly comes and goes along with a kaleidoscope of other flavors. Not for the faint of heart and I respect your view.
@abl838abl I couldn’t have said it better. Still have 11 bottles from the previous offering. Maybe, in a year or two, I’ll work up the courage to open another one.
@winesmith likewise! I generally love all your wines, which I’ve mainly bought here and on woot over the years. Mad respect goes to vintners that forge their own path, do so successfully & while fostering a solid appreciative/following customer base, and yet still make the time to crank out so many video guides & blog posts. One of my good friends introduced me to Wine Smith features years back. We routinely have split cases since then. Hopefully he can appreciate the 2012 better than I.
There’s no accounting for taste. I’ll keep buying your other wines-
@abl838abl @smittypap I’m planning on waiting a decade or two personally. Eagerly splitting a case with @drhellknow because I’m a Clark Smith Slappy.
@abl838abl When I opened a bottle of 2012 from the last offer, it took over a week to really open up and taste great! This is with decanting a few hours each day with a taste and re-bottle overnight (can’t leave the decanter out with little kids). The first few days it did not taste good, but there was hints of good things to come. I don’t have notes, but forum interaction last time told me patience. It was a fun experiment with a daily tasting on how the wine slowly opened up. I likely won’t open more of the 2012s for a few years, with bottles likely stashed for a decade or more.
supreme-just-chlorine
My notes from labratting last June:
Two Jake 2012 Roman Reserve Cabernet Franc
Lake County 14.7 ABV
PnP. Small pour into a glass, rest into the decanter for a multi day stint. Glass pour appears hazy, likely due to sediment as this was opened only hours after delivery. Color also seems a little bricked. Noise is tight, reductive/stinky, but this is not barnyard type funk. Picking up a little bit of dark cherry and wet sage. Palate initially not showing much fruit, bit of lean cherry, medium acid, medium + tannin, good weight. There is a leafy herbaceous quality to this, but not full on bell pepper style. Lean cherry, still pretty tight.
I jumped the gun with a google search on the first night and stumbled upon the youtube video of Clark that will likely get linked to this sale. His molly dooker on the decanter and suggestion at decanting a full week made me feel comfortable not transferring back into the bottle overnight.
Night 2 – 24 hours in decanter
Quite a bit of sediment gathered in the bottom of the decanter. Glass pour much clearer today. Put together a sampler of fresh herbs from the garden. Rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano just as a backdrop to better place what I’m picking up. Herbal sampler
Nose is still a bit tight and funky/musty smelling. Closest hit was the slightly damp sage. On the palate tonight it is driving acid, good grip, tart lean bing cherry, lots of mineral “buzz”. Lasting finish with woody rosemary and white pepper undertones. Drinking pretty well with good balance and nice weight. Not tons of fruit but there is a lot going on here. No signs of oxidation so I’ll leave this in the decanter for one more day.
Night 3 – 48 hours in the decanter
At hour 44 I stuck my nose in the decanter and it was still pretty stuffy. Did a heft shakeup to try and help for this evenings tasting. 5 hours later poured a glass. Hazy again as I stirred everything up. Nose is far less stuffy. Again leafy wet sage, also a touch of tomato leaf, dark cherry and now getting bramble leaning toward blackberry, but freshly picked. Also some white pepper on the nose that I didn’t notice before. Palate is still acid driven, but the balance is even better tonight. Med+ tannin, minerality is very prominent and delicious, best glass pour so far. Finish has some cinnamon, white pepper, and pine. Crazy long finish at 90 seconds plus. Nice mouth feel.
Summary: After 2 days in the decanter this has opened up and become really enjoyable. If I had to judge it just on the first night PnP I would not have been a fan. This could cellar forever, but even in 20 years it will probably need at least a day in the decanter. Just know going in that this will be an act of patience and you’ll need to open it up on Tuesday for Saturday dinner.
Anything under $30 a bottle is a good deal on this for folks that enjoy a layered and complex cab franc.
Checking back in on Night 4. 72 hrs in decanter. Best glass so far. Clarity is back after sediment settled again (shakeup yesterday afternoon). Funkiness on nose is gone. Brooding plum and blackberry on the nose. Sage component still there, but less so. Palate is juicy red fruit and buzzing minerality. Finish is so spectacular on this wine. About to have this with a grass fed cheeseburger, but wanted to check in before the sale was over. Glad I went in for a case, just put yourself a bottle note in cellartracker as a reminder to decant for 3 days first! Not just open bottle, full on decanter for 3 days. Might even be better after 5, but I’m drinking up now.
@trifecta
Thanks for this - a really good account of what can be expected around aroma and flavor evolution in the first few days. The one unchanging element is the driving mineral buzz - this wine is the definition of what I mean by minerality.
The sediment always happens several years into making it and seems essential. We call it “the dump.” I think of it as a metamorphosis, the true wine coming out of its cocoon and shedding the chrysalis. Prior to this, I associate the wine with some earthy microbial characters that are shed as the lighter but more focused terroir expression emerges.
This vineyard’s character for CF is white cherry, and here you have its crystallization along with the droughty herbs of the area, particularly bay laurel and sage.
This is not an everyday drink. It’s high adventure, kind of the vinous equivalent of bungie jumping for both the winemaker and the consumer.
@winesmith @trifecta, was that your review on cellartracker for the 2010? You (assuming that’s you) said you were underwhelmed with it. You seem much more whelmed this time! Is the 2012 more your preference compared to the 2010, or is it maybe more a different tasting strategy? (more decanting?)
@PatrickKarcher @trifecta @winesmith
I went looking for my old report on the 2010 because trifecta’s idea was great. Back then, Clark sent two bottles to compare fresh vs open/oxygenated for a week. Truly educational and rather shocking how great that was after a week of air. It might have been on the old site because I couldn’t find the offer here!
@klezman @trifecta Do you 2012ers agree with Clark’s characterization that it’s reminiscent of a Barbaresco? Because if it’s similar to a quality good Barbaresco, then this is sure the heck a good deal.
@trifecta Never decanted a wine for long before. When leaving in a decanter for days - do you need a stopper for the top? Or, just leave in in there with the top open and exposed?
@jammyt @trifecta And continuing the question of decanting covered or uncovered, are fruit flies a recommended meal pairing?
@PatrickKarcher That was indeed my review in CT for the 2010. I have not yet gone back and done a days long decanting on the 2010, but I definitely will next time. As I mentioned in my 2012 review, if I had to judge on day 1 I would not have been a fan.
@jammyt @pmarin I don’t have any sort of fancy stopper for my decanter, I just stuff a paper towel or cloth napkin in the neck. I don’t really have fruit fly issues here other than late September during blackberry rot.
@trifecta The wad of paper towel is exactly what I do, along with sitting in the dark pantry. The waiting and patience… that’s the hard part.
@drhellknow I am fortunate to have a basement room that is a full-time cellar and pitch black. I have multiple decanters too, so waiting game can be staggered with other wines.
@trifecta Can anyone recommend a decanter for a newbie?
@fjp999
Perhaps @Winedavid49 can source more of these decanters?
https://www.reversewinesnob.com/decanter-insider-deal
@kawichris650 @Winedavid49 I signed up with fingers crossed! What a great price
If anyone from Denver orders and wants to split let me know! Most interested in a 2 / 4 split but willing to be flexible!
A tip about the wax. It’s a beeswax and not hard. Don’t waste time cutting through it. Just pretend it’s not there and it will pop right off when you pull the cork, leaving the nice purple metallicized skirt that complements the purple in the label.
Every Friday 5-6 Pacific time I host WineDown Fridays on a Zoom call - open conversation on any topic of interest. This week we’ll be celebrating the life of Steven Spurrier, who I miss dearly. To receive an invitation, register here.
@winesmith
As a Gator fan, you had me a little concerned about the old ball coach.
@winesmith
Perfect timing! It’s the first day of spring break (staycation). Any suggestions on what to pour?
@pseudogourmet98 Well, I wish I had some English Sparkling wine, which was Steven’s great love. I’m just popping the '12 Roman Reserve CF and trying it, crazy as it sounds, with some half shell oysters. Spring suggests a minerally Riesling or Corton to me.
If anyone in the southeast is interested in a split I’d take 3-4 bottles.
@pupator Interested!! Although I’d rather a 2/4 split, unless you can find someone else for a three-way. Going to be in Peachtree SEVERAL times over the next 8 weeks.
@pupator I’d take half to 3/4 of a split case. I’m in ATL.
@veevandyke @pinko got 2 cases for the SE group, so we can accommodate all the split requests, I think.
/giphy amusing-dull-spoon
@pinko @pupator @veevandyke Please count me in!
@pinko @pupator @winstoncharles I’m good for 4-6 bottles.
Just let me know!
Looking forward to telling my online wine tasting class they have to open and decant this two days before class!
/giphy milky-fluctuating-crook
Anyone in Las Vegas grab this case? I’d be interested in 4 of them, if available…
@TechnoViking I will be interested also in 4.
@osmercontreras I did not grab the case. Seems like if we want any we will have to go 6/6…
I got a case of the 2012 when this was last offered and it is one of my favorite wines. It’s not at all a conventional wine; I would describe the flavor as more ‘raw’ and grapey, with all sorts of complexity that I have never before experienced. My first sip I wasn’t sure about because of how different it was, but it quickly grew on me.
This is a must buy for me, but I can absolutely understand why some folks did not find it to their liking.
@nklb Guilty. I have a case from a previous offer and with immense aeration I can sip these. But they are well beyond my palate’s pay grade. I would caution new buyers to go small initially.
Any split interest in NOVA or MD?
@bunnymasseuse Yep, interest down here.
@PatrickKarcher NP! And I have some from last years order if you want more of the 2012
/giphy obtainable-wormy-writer
@PatrickKarcher @winesmith
So I pulled one out of ye-old-fake-cellar called one of the bedroom closets (HA!) and popped it open. Thought about taking it to the Zoom call tonight but right now it’s a slow sipper and the rest of the bottle is “airing” its wares in the corner as a week long? Plus? experiment. Similar notes on closed/young/tight on start, though on PnP I had a bit more fruit than expected but quickly tightened up, but not a long finish yet, short, fleeting on the tongue and you desire another sip knowing you likely will still be disappointed.
I’m a patient lady, extreme in some areas, very little in others, but waiting (not a trait I learned before this last year of challenge, but was already pre-existing) is NBD for me.
I consider this one of those acquired tastes; I like strong espresso or coffee with depth, I like wines that are complex and challenge me to be a more educated drinker, Guinness (which some say absolutely is an acquired taste unless you know what it tastes like in Ireland and if so then you know what we get in the US is a load of !@#$$, but I digress), meads/ciders/sours that help expect my pallet of tastes and preferences, and a job that has me on my toes. This will 110% reward the waiter but will NOT reward and possibly disappoint the casual, passive daily-drinker, or “drink all in one day” preferred individual unless you’ve let it have it’s time to metamorphosis into what it’s not yet today.
Love it now, can’t wait to love it as it drinks in the air of life.
Pictures of my now opened bottle from the last offering:
Sincerely the Fake-Lab-Rat, but Sincere Wine Bunny, BunnyMasseuse.
@bunnymasseuse @PatrickKarcher @winesmith I just wanted to say that your comments about Guinness are absolutely correct. I want to go back to Ireland just so I can drink the real stuff!
@coynedj LOL thanks a lot, now if I really am going overseas later this year I’m going to HAVE to make a Dublin stop in there!! @PatrickKarcher @winesmith
@bunnymasseuse @coynedj @PatrickKarcher @winesmith
I hit up St, James Gate years ago.
Thought it would be a few hours.
Turned into all day.
What we get here is almost Coors to what they pour there, but it’s all we can get here, so I’ll take it.
@coynedj @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @winesmith Day 2-3 drank really well, only snagged a glass but could have finished. Popped open another bottle and it’s sitting for a week science experiment!
@bunnymasseuse @coynedj @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @winesmith
Shouldered or full? Was that discussed at all?
@bunnymasseuse @chipgreen @coynedj @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @winesmith Sounds like another science experiment is called for!
@chipgreen @coynedj @Mark_L @PatrickKarcher @rjquillin @winesmith I can’t open that many bottles on my own, tho I would say my curiosity is peaked. Guess when we start the Gatherings that will have to be something I plan on, a day/week/2week vertical decant of the same CF.
I’m intrigued.
/giphy pushy-provacative-tub
When I got home from dinner last night I saw that I had a package waiting*. The box had a quite familiar shape to it. Being that I had a few glasses of red wine for dinner**, I figured I would save the bottle for Friday************. What I didn’t expect though was that this wine went live on Friday and it would only be a 24 hour sale. While I work for a German-owned company*****, and Germany is known for making fantastic wines******************, I figured I would need to put this in a beer stein to get away with drinking this during working hours******.
After a few seconds wondering how many ER visits there would be each year if every bottle of wine***************** were sealed with wax, I had popped the cork and was whelmed by the aroma of the wine. My bottle was the 2012 Cabernet Franc. Even as this stein************** sits a foot and a half away from me the aroma is stunning. There’s a fair amount of sediment in the glass*************** (despite the bottle sitting for 12 hours). The muted color and the not-muted aroma remind me of prunes*******. There is a bit of sweetness in the aroma as well, no smell of alcohol, flowers, or herbs. If I search for a peppery aroma I could probably get a hint, but I could probably get a hint of it in water if I smelled a glass of it for half an hour.
The first taste is unexpected. It is dry, no tannins, perhaps a bit drier than I was expecting based on the nose. It’s also delicious and light. I wouldn’t pair this with a steak, I would pair this with food that the wine doesn’t have to fight. The longer it sat the more muted the fruit aroma became and a bell pepper aroma**************** became more pronounced. The bell pepper taste becomes more prominent too while tasting it**********. After sitting for around 2 hours the plum is back in full force. I’m looking forward to finishing this over the weekend*******************.
Footnotes
`* UPS requires a photo ID *********** to confirm the recipient is over the age of 21 and will not deliver to someone who is visibly intoxicated.
** Always drink responsibly and have a designated driver when drinking outside the home***.
*** A designated driver is not required if you are walking****.
**** You can still get arrested for walking while intoxicated.
***** Some of the shareholders may actually be Austrian, and in general Austrians do not like being called German.
****** Drinking can impair your ability to perform basic work functions. Never perform surgery or operate heavy equipment while drinking. I’d also recommend not swimming or giving a wedding toast.
******* In a good way; I like prunes and think it’s silly they renamed them dried plums. That makes me wonder******** why we don’t call raisins dried grapes.
******** How many other fruits and vegetables are there that have a different name when dried? So I did a search and realized I’m not the only one to wonder this. It seems like a currant is a type of raisin, and a dried wolfberry is called a goji berry*********. Poblano chiles are called ancho chiles when dried, chilaca chilies are called pasilla chilies, and if you dry a jalapeño it’s called a chipotle pepper.
********* But these are typically sold only dried.
********** Also in a good way.
*********** My UPS delivery guy is awesome.
************ You don’t see a lot of wine pairings with breakfast food, though wine was common at the breakfast table in Spain when I was there for a team meeting*************.
************* So I’m not in uncharted waters having a glass of wine in the morning!
************** Or wine glass, but I like to keep up the illusion.
*************** I guess I blew it here.
**************** Is bell pepper an aroma? I’m sticking to it.
***************** I couldn’t find anything on hand injuries from opening bottles of wine, but evidently in 2019 8,900 people went to the ER as a result of injuries from cutting avocados.
****************** Germany makes over 1.3 billion bottles of wine a year, making them the 8th largest wine-producing country in the world. The US is number 4, making nearly three times as much wine.
******************* Though I have my doubts the bottle will last past dinner.
VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!
@markgm I absolutely love the “informative randomness” of this labrat report. Thanks!
@markgm Absolutely entertaining report - thank you.
@markgm I have the same beer stein! Wife’s folks picked it up during a tour of their homeland. That’s probably the ideal vessel for this idiosyncratic wine. Fantastic rat report too, by the way.
@KitMarlot I lived in Germany for 6 months and I think I found it during my last two weeks there (I had been looking for one for a long time that didn’t say “Germany” on it!).
@KitMarlot @markgm This LabRat needs to be on the @winesmith Friday Evening Zoom for SURE!!! I have visited Germany more often than I planned on in the last 6yrs, perhaps even this year if work insisted and the border allows.
@markgm A perfectly offbeat write-up for a wine that could comfortably need 1 and a 1/2 weeks to open up (per Clark himself!)! Kudos to great writing and excellent humor, along with a few Cliff Claven “little known facts”!
@markgm Hilarious.
Looking forward to experiencing the “definition of minerality” of this wine style. Have always been intrigued by Cabernet Franc.
/giphy crude-textual-zebra
Luckily it was just a crude Textual zebra. I’m not sure I’m prepared for a crude sexual zebra.
@pmarin just in case you were curious, looks a bit of a let down…
/giphy crude-sexual-zebra
I am too curious about this cab frac not to be in for a case. I think my expectations are set appropriately, thanks to the Lab Rats. I’ll plan to cellar this for at least a few years, and when I open, I’ll decant for 3-4 days before drinking. Sounds crazy, but I’ll try it.
/giphy flecked-rewarded-viper
@gemeinschaft79, @winesmith, @winedavid49
Almost exactly my thought…checked the site this morning at 5, thought no way, don’t need any more, after watching the videos, and some other comments, I now have a case coming, opening one soon after arrival, then 4-5 days later a meal, or some cheese…like my cheeses
Rest will go for some long term aging…
Suggestion, For some parents with children born in 2010 or 12, might be ideal wine to purchase for a birth year wine…just don’t store it next to a furnace, or top shelf in hall closet.
We have some quality rats running around this place. Remy would fit right in.
/giphy mossy-heated-chocolate
Anyone in the Raieigh-Triad area wanting to split?
Similar to many, I am on the fence here.
Any Atlanta peeps want to split?
@winstoncharles got 2 cases for a few of us to share. You’re welcome to join in (look up higher in the posts for the group)
I’ll ask once more: any SoCal folks want to part with a couple bottles of the 2010 from a case?
@klezman of course if you buy some the interested parties will make themselves known… or so I would think.
@klezman which part of socal?
@iphonebrad West LA
Help! I need a “Decanting For Dummies” lesson.
So for this wine, I need to open it, and then decant it into the decanter. Do I use a mesh for the sediment, or stop decanting when I see sediment nearing the neck?
Then I wait a week.
Is the decanter left open the whole time?
Do I just let it sit the whole time, or am I continuously decanting into another decanter?
Do I swirl it around in the decanter?
Sorry, feeling a little lost…
@cjonczak Best part? Sounds like this wine doesn’t need stringent decanting methods, so you may find, like I plan on doing, where I will leave it either in the decanter or put back in the bottle and either air it in small breaks or just let it “free range” stay in the decanter. @winesmith can probably lend some recommendations that aren’t quite as brutally rough as mine, or some of the other regular decanting fanatics. For the record, I use the Eravino Wine Decanter Breather Carafe with lid (that allows you to go from bottle to decanter and easily back), but you can choose your weapon of choice. (No I get no $$ if you go get a similar decanter, just wanted to refer to what I use)
@bunnymasseuse Thank you. That info definitely helps. And thanks for sharing which decanter you use. I’ll check it out.
@cjonczak There are two reasons to decant this wine. One is for clarity. Ideally the wine is allowed to rest upright for a couple weeks so the sediment compacts, then gingerly pull the cork and placing your cellphone flashlight on the counter beneath the pour with the light shining up through the neck, you slowly pour to your decanting vessel until sediment appears, then stop. Though gritty, the sediment if very flavorful, so I generally drink the wine and then drink the dregs.
More important is aeration. You want the wine to absorb oxygen, so ideally you use a wide-bottomed flask that you do not fill. Wines can require hours to weeks in this state. Generally the older the wine the less time is ideal, but wines can surprise you, so it’s good to get the winemaker’s advice or somebody attentive who knows the wine. Sulfite-free wines take much longer than you’d think.
@cjonczak @winesmith Is there a specific decanter you would recommend using?
@winesmith Thanks so much. I’m looking forward to trying a wine that takes a little more effort than my everyday drinkers.
/giphy minimalist-sore-wasp
/giphy irritating-stupendous-falcon
/giphy determined-dangerous-olive
Heading up to Clear Lake in a few weeks to do some camping and kayaking. Picked up a case because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do!
It occurred to me that in light of the advent of Spring, this wine might be interesting to try with Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring on WineDown Fridays.
I just signed up for WineDown Friday @Bunnymasseusse’s recommendation. Also, grabbed a case of this I’d split off a quarter of to a fellow B’moreite. Whattya say DMV?
Finally found my rat review of the 2010, from July 2016:
Happy birthday Clark! And thank you for the opportunity to try this experiment…it was very interesting. Ron and I both had trouble making sense of this - we tried earlier over the phone, too!
2010 Two Jakes Roman Reserve Cab Franc
Experiment part 1. June 26
The wine sat in the wine cabinet since arrival a few days ago, and I took it out to warm up a bit before opening. It was cooler than room temp, probably in the 65 degree range (18-ish degrees, that is). Cork came out easily. First pour into a standard tulip-shaped glass, the colour is medium density, red-purple, no bricking. A little bit of fine sediment is evident as well.
The aromas might as well be totally new to me. It’s a potent combination of herbs and spices without a whole lot of fruit initially, but also some savoury notes. Something is a little astringent on the nose as well, but I can’t place it aside from saying it’s not alcohol, although it could be a hint of VA. It doesn’t hit the buttons for aged cheese, earth, or barnyard that I might have expected. Certainly no pyrazines that I can detect either.
First taste is savoury cassis, if that makes sense. Lively on the palate, lots of herbs I can’t place, and with that Diamond Ridge energy/minerality we all know from Clark. There are tannins, medium level, but relatively fine leaving a nice dry sensation on the tongue. Medium weight as well, with enough glycerine to enhance the viscosity in your mouth.
The finish is really long. It seemed like it vanished for a couple seconds there, but then it came back. It seems to be accentuating the herbaceous notes – something almost like pine or rosemary. Very interesting.
My first impression on the one hand is that maybe this is a bit oxidized, but it has only a passing relationship to those characteristics. No nuttiness, no bricking, and no caramel notes.
Part 2. July 2
One bottle was recorked on the counter as per instructions. The other was relatively straight out of the wine fridge at cellar temp.
Initial impression is that they are shockingly similar. The older one is more aromatic, probably due to the warmer temperature, but it has developed a pretty distinct dill pickle potato chip aroma. Second time I’ve ever smelled that in a wine. The one that’s been open has far less obvious tannin as well, which isn’t that surprising.
Over the next hour or so, alternating between the two revealed (imo) that the older bottle was opening up far more than the younger one, and was more interesting overall. Neither of them became all that fruity, and the character of the aromas and flavours didn’t change much. There was one point where I sniffed my glass poured from the older bottle and decided it had finally opened up, but still it was more that some of the funk had vanished and a little more cherry was coming through.
Left the remainder of the bottle (a little less than half) for another night. Maybe 2 weeks from now, give or take?
Does anyone else feel the 2012 is pst prime? Decanted it, taste was less than ideal. Poured the remainder into the bottle and tried again on day 2. Not any better. Thoughts?
@jpmikula no issues here, just about done one decanting for a Week, started a new one…
When you say decanting for a week what does that mean? I’m a novice when it comes to decanting.
@jpmikula
Because this Roman Reserve Cab Franc is sulfite-free, it is starving for oxygen. Clark recommends opening the bottle and allowing it to have exposure to air for a week or two. That will help allow it to open up, unlike other wines that would typically degrade due to oxidization. If you haven’t watched either of Clark’s videos at the top of this thread, I’d recommend it because they are very informative.