Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. This remarkable site enjoys a cooling lake effect due to its close proximity to water. Its 2,000-foot altitude and clean, traffic-free air allow the sun to bathe its fifteen clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in high UV, resulting in brilliant color, firm tannins and rich fruit aromas. Clone 10 is slow to ripen and holds surprising acidity and is characterized by back cherry, cocoa, and sweet anise aromas. The vineyard’s stony volcanic soil imparts energetic mineral energy and surprising longevity. Accordingly, the wine was allowed 60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak which developed seductive tobacco nuances greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
The structure and framework is firm, while the entry and mid-palate delight with a rich, generous base wine of soft round tannins and a sweet core of cassis.
After an initial release in 2010, we elected to hold back six barrels for additional aging totaling 78 months in neutral cooperage, which greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history. Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit.
Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites. Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2013 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon - $90 = 28.12%
Greetings, O Casematies! Good to be together once more.
Today we have the special privilege to consider the first WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon ever, and the first of that variety since the legendary 2006 Lodi Cab Sauv. This of course is not counting the four vintages of Crucible (1999, 2004, 2005, and 2007), which while admittedly 100% Cabernet Sauvignon vary in price from $275 to $1,000, and are thus on a higher floor of the sales tower than our $50 regular offering.
Of course, there’s nothing regular about it. That’s because I very rarely get my hands on Diamond Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite that 2/3rd of Diamond Ridge Vineyards is planted to 15 clones of CS, these are always snapped up by Napa wineries, so I mostly just get to make the Cab Franc, Merlot and Petite Sirah.
I should mention that the picture of this wine you see is obviously photoshopped. I would never put CS in a burgundy bottle. We’ll work on a better picture for y’all.
As always, I want to be utterly transparent and to answer as many of your questions as possible, hopefully helping you to connect the dots between aesthetics and enological practices.
I am working on my lab rat report right now but note that the winery tasting notes above contain some erroneous information about a previous 2010 release. Sandra sent an updated copy of the spec sheet to me but unfortunately I do not currently have access to it as I am out of town working on my laptop for the first time in over a year and apparently unable to remember the correct password to my email account where that document was sent. Pretty sure it is actually the same as above with just the last paragraph of the tasting notes deleted.
Chip, you’re right. My bad. Here are the corrected notes:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Clone 15 and Clone 4
Diamond Ridge Vineyards, Clearlake
Harvested 12 October
24.9 Brix
Fermentation techniques:
Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum
7.5 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips
14-day maceration
Elevage details:
Four weeks microbüllage pre-ML
60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak
Alcohol sweet spot at 14.5%
pH 3.73 at bottling
Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. This remarkable site enjoys a cooling lake effect due to its close proximity to water. Its 2,000-foot altitude and clean, traffic-free air allow the sun bathe its fifteen clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in high UV, resulting in brilliant color, firm tannins and rich fruit aromas. Clone 15 is characterized by rich black cherry aromas and substantial tannins, while Clone 4 contributes finesse and brightness.
The vineyard’s stony volcanic soil imparts energetic mineral energy and surprising longevity. Accordingly, the wine was allowed 60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak which developed seductive tobacco nuances greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
The mouth possesses a rich, generous core of black cherry and a lively mineral finish. Tannin structure, once quite hard, has evolved to a pleasant roundness: velvety on the back palate but still with a firm grip up front, indicating both drinkability and further aging potential of perhaps a decade but entirely enjoyable right now.
While certainly a peppered steak would be suitable, you really must try it with grilled duck breast.
@woopdedoo Actually the conversion to alcohol is 0.59 - 0.61, which gives you 14.7 - 15.2%. Besides the stylistic problems (hot nose, bitter finish), color and flavor don’t extract properly at those levels, so in all candor, I water the musts to 23.0 and get about 13.7%, with richer wine,however counter-intuitive that seems.
In California’s dry air, however, water evaporates through the barrel skin preferentially to alcohol, resulting in a 4%/year shrinkage in the volume and about 0.2% alcohol increase per year, alas.
This happened to the 2010 Cab Franc, which was divided into two lots, one with 30 months more aging. I like both wines, but the Lot 1 has more elegance and the Lot 2 more richness.
If I had a cave, the retained humidity would cause the opposite effect and lower the alcohol during aging and also produce less concentration (less loss). I guess I should start digging.
Always a treat to receive a bottle, well, excepting for those ‘difficult’ ones, not the case this time with some
WineSmith 2013 Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon
OK, disclosure; Over the years I’ve purchased over 18 cases of WineSmith/Penny Farthing branded bottles. I enjoy tasting, and drinking, what Clark does. Those Penny Farthings were QPR beyond even that other QPR brand we so enjoy. Not always conventional, at times quite thought provoking, and he’s most always up for a lively discussion.
This bottle arrived earlier this week, so I had a few days to let it settle out a bit. Had intended to pull the cork Friday, but that got deferred until Saturday morning.
Quality natural 45mm cork came out easily; minimal penetration of only 1 ~ 1.5 mm and with no apparent sediment suggests recent bottling. Initial sips on Saturday suggested a decant; base neck fill left overnight uncorked on counter. Sunday tasting notes with neutral crackers, as Japanese curry just didn’t seem appropriate.
Appearance/Clarity: Bright, clear, not brilliant perhaps due to recent shipment.
Color: Appropriate for CS, Medium ruby to dark core, hint of garnet, no browning at rim.
Aroma and Bouquet: Clearly a Cab, fresh sweet dark berry and tree fruits, cassis, cherry; spice. At warmer temperatures alcohol present, diminishes with a bit of chill. See below.
Total Acidity: at room temperature, 21~22 in SoCal today, seemed a bit sharp, slightly chilled to ~17 was the remedy for this and the alcohol.
Sweetness: No apparent RS. Minimal sweetness seems entirely fruit driven.
Body: Medium, not highly extracted and clearly not at all thin.
Flavor: Moderately complex, and consistently changing with temperature and exposure; I’d expect nothing less from Clark.
Bitterness: None
Astringency: Appropriate for age; present, pleasant and well integrated. Oak/vanilla present and balanced; not dominant.
General Quality: A well crafted offer from Clark. Complex and varied enough to keep you coming back for additional sips. Good, but still surprisingly fresh, fruits dominated by cassis and dark cherry with other non-descript berry beginning to show some nice development.
Seems like this should cellar well for years, and, with a generous decant, is ready for today.
This really is just what you’d expect from Clark, a nice bottle to enjoy and/or discuss with friends.
Tomorrow; yes, Flannery meat for tomorrow and the extended notes version…
I was thrilled to receive a bottle of Clark Smith’s latest Cabernet Sauvignon release to sample for Casemates. Even more thrilled that it arrived before the offer went live!
Full disclosure; I am a fan-boy of Clark’s wines. While I have certainly enjoyed some of his wines more than others, I have never had a WineSmith wine or Pennyfarthing wine or Two Jakes wine that I didn’t enjoy and some of them have been downright transcendent (his 2007 RRV Pinot and 2010 Roman Reserve Cab Franc come to mind).
That said, let’s get on to the 2013 Cab Sauv…
Look: Deep, dense ruby, almost purple in the glass. Good clarity with slow running legs and 1/16" translucent meniscus.
Smell: The nose changed over time with air. At first it was tart cherry with a hint of allspice. After some time in the glass, it evolved into a deeper cherry scent with a hint of menthol and light oak.
Taste: Initially tart with bright cherry and that buzzy minerality that is Clark’s trademark. The minerality carries through the mid-palate and leads to some light spice and mild tannins on the finish. Shouldered the bottle with that first taste and left it uncorked.
Revisited an hour later to find that the tartness had dissipated to some extent, revealing a deeper, Bing cherry flavor profile. Also getting some currant and a general red fruit vibe. The minerality is still prominent and the spice is starting to show up in the mid-palate and carry through the finish which has gone from medium to medium+. I just cheated and looked at the pH. Surprised it’s as high as 3.73 as the wine seems fairly acidic but it’s that minerality at work.
Got some skillet meatballs with pomodoro sauce, ricotta and parmesan cheese and toast points from room service. The meatballs brought out more of the spice and it was a very nice pairing. This wine was tasty on its own but really shined when paired with food.
Having one last glass as I type this and the wine continues to evolve. The cherry notes deepen further, bordering on black cherry. The spice notes continue to show up sooner and last longer, while the minerality stays constant. This is not a typical CA Cabernet Sauvignon by any means but it is quite nice. Lighter and more nimble than the big bold fruit/oak bombs that are typical of New World style Cabs. The tannins have become more noticeable but are still relatively mild.
Overall, I would say that this wine is still very primary and will no doubt change over time in the cellar seeing as how it changed so much over a few hours in one night once opened. It was bottled so recently that it has barely had a chance to stain the cork. Still, it is very approachable now and will likely cellar for many years as I have found that Clark’s special brand of winemaking magic imparts not only instant approachability, but also great longevity.
Being on the lighter side, this might be more of a Pinot lovers’ Cab. Anyway you slice it, it’s another winner in my book. SIWBM be damned, I would like to go in on a case with my NE Ohio 'mates. I can buy or “chipgreen” in but either way, I must have some more!
@chipgreen
Interesting how similar we both perceived this as well.
I should have mentioned the minerality as well, but the Davis template had me forgetting to do so.
This has a more than decently long finish as well; gotta be close to a minute or better.
@rjquillin
Agreed, many similarities. I still have some insecurities when it comes to offering up detailed tasting notes despite having done so dozens of times, so it’s always nice to have additional affirmation, although some variations are always to be expected!
@chipgreen@Boatman72@pjmartin I’d be more than happy to share with the NE OH gang. Since you are traveling if it would be easier for you Chip I can make the buy.
@Boatman72@chipgreen@mrn1@msten I want to say no, but this is probably something to get. I don’t need more than 2 bottles, and if need be can be forced to stay away.
@klezman@radiolysis@rjquillin
I grabbed a case and would like to keep at least half, so if anyone is up in the LA area and would like a couple bottles, let me know!
@funnywontons@klezman@radiolysis
Funnywontons is up close to you, and I think wanted at least six and you three? Leaves three or fewer unclaimed, for now.
Radiolysis down here with me wanting three and I can easily off a few, or more, here at work leaving me with less than six, which is ok. If I find more interest here, I can help with unclaimed from up there.
Funnywontons is up close to you, and I think wanted at least six and you three? Leaves three or fewer unclaimed, for now.
This is for the case you mentioned purchasing that I was referencing.
Did I mess it up?
Klez was looking for some bottles, and you two are both LA-ish, more or less.
@klezman@radiolysis@rjquillin
Looks like the case will be delivered today, I’ll try and pick it up from Walgreens on my way home from work. Who was I splitting with again? I’m in the SGV area of LA, for reference.
Before I begin my Rat Report, I’d like to give a HUGE shout out and thank you to Ariana at WCC!! I had some concerns with the 1st bottle of WineSmith 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon that I received on Friday, March 15th. Ariana, the Casemate Goddess and Bearer of Great News, was able to ship another bottle to me this past Saturday. Thank you Ariana, Dave, and any others behind the scenes that worked their magic!
So the 2nd bottle arrived mid-Saturday and I let it sit to recover from the long journey to the cool weather of NEO. I pulled the cork at 1 pm Sunday and sampled it three more times during the day. The cork looked great with a light stain were it should be. I did a very small pour to give it a quick evaluation.
Appearance: The wine had a nice garnet color and was slightly translucent to outside light. The swirl showed nice long legs about 1/2” apart.
Aroma: I immediately picked up dark cherry, spice, and a little alcohol.
Taste: Initially and through mid-palate, I got a slightly sour/tart dark cherry profile with spice, minerality, and a long finish of spice and light alcohol.
3 pm Sample: I always like to let a bottle of dry red wine breathe for 1 to 2 hours, especially if it’s been corked for a while. The aroma was the same as the 1st sample.
Taste: I picked spice before the dark cherry this time and maybe a hint of cranberry with light alcohol. On the long finish, I noticed spice, light alcohol and light tannins.
4 pm Sample: This was the best sampling so far! The wine was showing the same characteristics, but all the nuances started to come together and I thought I noticed a hint of vanilla before the long finish.
7 pm Sample: Time for some wine and ribeye steak! I thought this wine would pair well with a nicely grilled medium rare ribeye dusted with Montreal Steak Seasoning.
The steak and seasoning seemed to mute the fruit somewhat, but I thought the wine and steak complemented each other nicely! The steak brought out a little tobacco that I didn’t taste earlier, along with the earlier spice and alcohol. The long finish was the same as earlier sampling. When I mention alcohol, it has always been at a very nice level!!
I have saved some wine for today, Monday. I’ve found over the years that a good bottle of wine seems better on day two, then until it’s consumed. Since my wife and daughter don’t drink wine, a bottle can last several days. My son, HopHeadB likes wine and IPAs so I hope he shows up today to provide some input. That’s it for now!
Appearance: Was same as yesterday.
Smell: Today the wine shows more spice and alcohol with hints of dark cherry and tobacco.
Taste: Initially a quick presence of sweet cherry; Mid Palate showed spice, acidity, minerality; Finish showed “loooong” spice and alcohol. Very light tobacco throughout!
This is the offer I have waited for since wine.woot shut down and CaseMates started. How does this compare to the 2006 Lodi? (Sandra said Clark served it all at his wedding, except for the last two she sold me. I held out as long as I could, but they were so good.)
@mgowhoo@SoSmellyAir@winesmith
Clark could answer this a lot better than I can but I would say that the 2013 Lake County Cab is a little lighter with less prominent oak and tannin structure, at least at this point in its development. With 5 years in neutral oak, I don’t believe the oak infuence will change much although the tannins will likely continue to develop as will the general flavor profile.
@chipgreen@mgowhoo@SoSmellyAir I agree. The Lodi Cab enjoyed 96 months in old wood and is now quite mature, utterly smooth and full of tertiary aromas. The '13 will get there and beyond, but it will take a long while - at least a decade. When it does, I expect it will be a better wine than the Lodi, but I treasure our three remaining bottles of the '06, which needs to be drunk soon.
I had a bottle of this last week, and absolutely loved it. Here are the notes I posted on CellarTracker:
P&P, swirled a bit for some air. Like many of Clark’s wines, this is extremely expressive on the nose, very aeromatic with ripe fruit, spice and a bit of oaky perfume that I would not mind just savoring indefinitely. This is a wine that I breathe in before I sip every time I lift the glass.
Color is dark purple but with some transparency. It looks a bit thin but doesn’t taste that way.
Wonderfully smooth and balanced, with a long finish that hangs on until it’s time for the next sip.
I really like this and can’t wait to see how it’s changed on night two. I think this will probably continue to evolve over the next couple of years but it’s drinking beautifully now in my book.
And I’m putting my money where my mouth is by ordering more!
By the way, a big thanks to Clark and the winery for allowing me to taste the wine. It was the highlight of my week, and the wine was equally good on night two. It didn’t have as much of the wonderful aromatics (I DO know how to spell that word, despite my error above) but was even more full and expressive with lots of that black cherry and just a hint of oak.
I will let the bottles I ordered sit in my cellar for at least a couple more years to see how they develop.
I’m a former Winewooter that followed the group over to Casemates. I am super excited to see that I was chosen as a Rat. I am also excited that this is a WineSmith wine because I’ve never had any of his wines before despite enjoying his previous postings. I should say up front that my wife does not like Cabs but wanted to participate in tasting this one.
Upon pouring into a glass, the first thing I noticed was the very vibrant red color of the wine. I called it ruby. My wife thought garnet. Regardless, its really a pretty wine – no browns in the color, just pure red. Initial smell is dominantly cherries – probably black cherries – with raspberry, and maybe leather. Taste largely mirrored the smell – dominant cherry, raspberry and maybe anise on the finish??? Tannins are here but I don’t think they are overwhelming or off putting. I didn’t notice the alcohol. Wife says this is one of the best tasting Cabs that she has had and would drink this again.
We are vegetarians so not ideal for Cab. We tried it with a sautéed mushroom, onion and green pepper pizza (we were going for something meaty). We thought these worked really well together. Tried it with some aged cheddar cheese and that was very good as well. It didn’t hold up well to 70% dark chocolate bar though – the wine literally disappeared.
Day 2 I enjoyed it with some cheese and crackers while watching some basketball. Wine still brings the cherries and maybe a little red plum. Oak shows up in the finish today. Alcohol is also more present.
Overall, I (we) enjoyed the wine. There is a lot more cherry fruit than I expected and the tannins weren’t as challenging as in some other Cabs. It paired nicely with our vegetarian food options.
I was really excited to be a lab rat for a Wine Smith offering. I have had the Cabernet Franc a couple of times and a friends, which I really enjoyed. This Cabernet Sauvignon did not disappoint! It had complex flavor with a bit of fruitiness and the typical green peppery overtones, and lots of spicyness, oakiness and overall warmth. After it got some air it warmed up and I got some more fruitiness and the tobacco flavor. It went well with the very spicy Thai takeout we had for dinner, and my husband who typically doesn’t like wine with spicy food really enjoyed it. While I think I prefer the Cabernet Franc to this, I think this would also be nice to have around for a bit of a bolder profile to accompany more robustly flavored food. I’m going to let my friend know this is available and we’ll probably split a case – this is a great price!
BTW, this is my second time being a lab rat, and I’m VERY impressed with the new process (an email letting me to know to expect the wine so someone can sign for it, info about when to post, some notes from the winery). Great work! I’m really pleased to see all the labrats coming out early here and with the same excitement as me!
It’s been a while since I was involved in a split, but any of the folks in the western Chicago suburbs interested? I’ll post in the Chicago thread as well.
I was a bit surprised when I tried to use the Casemates Glass credit from Meh and the form said it was invalid. I was about to contact support, but I had the idea to review my recent orders and found that I had already used all 4. Oh well…
@warpedrotors The case I ordered has been spoken for, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find some others interested in splitting up another case. Maybe adding a new note at the end of the main topic here will catch some eyes.
I was planning on it at reading WineSmith, but the above confirmed it for me. Now to drink up while I wait for this to ship so I’ve space to store it. (c=
@mwfielder I replied on FB, but depending which you see first…
I’ll take 6-8 depending on any other comers. I have free shipping and can order if you don’t.
Any folks near Broomfield CO interested in splitting this case? I’m tempted to buy a full case just for myself, but half wouldn’t stress my wallet or cellar as much
@dmyers314 So much interest! mgowhoo got in first to split the case. But it seems like among the others interested you should be able to put together another case …
@dmyers314@knlprez
I would be in for several bottles, if someone orders…not averse to driving to pick up. @knlprez and I already have an exchange to make at some point! I live in south Denver.
2013 Winesmith Cabernet Sauvignon; Lake County; abv 14.5%
Day 1, PnP, 57F. Initial 2oz pour. Color is fairly standard dark ruby for Cab, maybe a touch lighter. Fragrant nose right off the bat showing hi toned red fruit and no noticeable heat with hints of leather and tobacco. On the palate the front entry is dominated by cran fruit. Medium+ acid, medium (-) tannin. A bit hollow on the mid palate initially and there is a lingering spice note (white pepper/clove) that starts at the back end of the mid palate through the finish. As this initial pour warmed a bit and opened up the spice note became more prominent while the cran notes up front remained constant. Acid has a nice minerality to it, leaning more towards soil than sea, if that makes sense.
After 15 minutes the tannin is picking up a bit to medium/medium+ with the spice note kicking up even more.
1 hour open, new pour from bottle. Nose is similar to initial pour, but more restrained and there is something more subtle coming through, hard to place, but perhaps sage. Paired with grass fed burgers for dinner and it did nicely as it has a solid acid level to cut through and clear the palate. Not an ideal pairing, but went fairly well despite the beef dominating a bit. Replaced cork, no gas, will revisit tomorrow.
Day 2, 25 hours open, 63F. Nose today has less intensity and has shifted more from the red toned fruit to the herbal side with sage and tarragon accompanied by wet leather. Palate is still showing cran up front, maybe a hint more to the raspberry side and also has picked up some tannin heft. The spice note has come down a notch but it is still very much present. Nice long finish of 60 seconds plus. Recorked for a day 3 revisit.
This is an enjoyable wine that has plenty of acid and tannin structure to go for the long term. My tasting echoed some components of others labrats, but my experience was leaning far more toward the cran side than dark fruit and had a very strong spice kick from mid palate through finish. Again, this is mostly primary right now, but should age well. The hollow mid palate that I pointed out is actually a positive for me, very similar to how I perceived the crucible bottlings. It creates a void that allows other components like minerality and oak nuances to fill.
@trifecta I agree about the hollowness. Wish I could come up with a better word. Some wines impress with their presence, but the greatest wines have this seductive hollowness that allows you not just to stand beside and admire the generosity but rather to enter into the wine and have it dance all around you. Albarino has this quality, and the best Burgundies. Maynard Amerine called it the “come hither.”
I also am very happy with the leathery barrel bouquet this wine has recently developed. I expect that to increase over the next decade or so.
You’re right about the sage. We have lots of high altitude droughty chaparral herbs in Lake County that impart something similar to the garrigue you see in Provence.
@trifecta@winesmith
Scott Harvey likes to call wine with a hollow mid-palate a “doughnut wine”.
I did notice this initially but felt that the wine started to knit together as it was open longer. The minerality kept it going from the entry to the finish though, even at first. It was almost like the entry had its own finish. Agree about the cranberry notes too, again more at first when there was a little more tartness to the flavor profile.
@pjmartin Even with my spreadsheet it’s hard to keep track of all the wine going back and forth. I guess we can blame @winedavid49 for that…and the great wine at great prices too!!!
Hey, not meaning to damper all of the enthusiasm here…however…this wine is an autobuy for many folks here and we have a gazillion rats. On more obscure wines that could use some rats, no bottles go out. Not sure on how all this works behind the scenes, but just a casual observation
@kaolis It’s a fair point. Casemates has been getting better about instructing the Rats on how much time they have, circulating tech sheets and so forth, so the situation should improve.
WineSmith is also privileged to have accumulated over the years reviewers that understand what I am trying to do, thus the conversation is more Eurocentric, concerning minerality, structure, longevity and drinking window than the usual California-centric discussions about wines of impact and aggressiveness which knock your socks off.
Accordingly, we send out additional samples to these folks to see how we’re doing. It’s particularly helpful when we haven’t released a varietal in many years (or never!) Wait until we show you Petit Manseng and Norton later in the year!
@winesmith Thanks for the insight. Although another observation is that a few of the rats have an admitted slant on their opinions (which you mention) Which is all good, I really don’t mean this as a negative toward you or your wines, strictly a Casemates observation.
All that aside, me being one that doesn’t have 18 cases of your wine in my cellar, I’m in on a split for two bottles of this I believe…my very first bottles of your wine, as none of have ever passed my lips. Excited to try. And fwiw I’m an old world guy, because, well, I’m old…ha!
Hey, gotta start somewhere right?
Cheers!
@winesmith
I’d love to be a rat for those wines! I’ve even had Petit Manseng before, although both were dessert wines from SW France. Are you making a dessert wine out of it, or something more akin to an Albarino or somewhere in between?
I think we also tasted a lot of Norton when we sampled between Asheville and Charlotte, NC a few years ago.
@kaolis
You can bet that the trusted palates here (chipgreen, trifecta, boatman72, and Ron certainly count in that category) won’t pull any punches. It’s about a fair evaluation rather than trying to sell, and that’s what they do. I don’t usually disclose in my rat reports whether I’m buying or not - it’s not relevant. Everybody has different tastes, after all…
But I completely agree with your point on more rats for obscure offerings. And the more a trusted palate can chime in, the more convincing it will be. Otherwise how do you know how to evaluate the evaluator?
@kaolis@winesmith
Both Chip and I have been long time WS customers, thanks to woot!.
This association however does not, hopefully, influence my rattage comments. I call 'em like I taste 'em.
I’ve had difficult reviews, flawed wines/bottles; those are easy, call them as such. I’ve had bottles I found lacking, and call them as such as well. I’ve had bottles I just didn’t care for; not in my wheelhouse.
Again, I do my best to be objective. I’ve had bottles from respected producers that just didn’t live up to what we expect; those are difficult, but, again, you get an honest assessment.
Clark can be a bit different, and doesn’t always hit the mark, he is almost always interesting; think Roman. No producer is infallible.
I too, am an old world kind of guy, but continue searching for what I like. The search produces gems, and plonk. Such is life. I was a bit late to WW, but transitioned to CM, with it’s bumps.
Great community here. I’ve learned a lot and met true friends I’d not otherwise become acquainted with.
I would like to know a bit more about the choice of chips to accompany those ancient barrels…
In for 3. Wish I could find a ‘casemate’ in Vt.! Might be worth placing this order just for the Casemate ‘order name’…“frightening-hairy-toucan”.
I have loved everything I’ve tried from Clark. Just had my last bottle of Pennyfarthing Chard this weekend, was great with the smoked salmon I just made. I haven’t had a lot of Cab Franc, but I went in on a case of the 2010 and my wife and I were amazed by how good that is!
Thank you Clark!
@OrcasLance This is bigger than the Meritage, which is principally Merlot and Cab Franc. I like them both - the Meritage has more development of that sexy leathery note, so approaching its best, while the Cab Sauv is mostly primary flavors and just beginning to develop the tertiary notes. It’s a better wine down the road, but the Meritage is more interesting at present.
@winesmith Hey Clark! Thanks for posting this video- what a beautiful vineyard, and really great to hear Jake talking about the grapes, terroir, etc. I’ve had this Cabernet and really enjoyed it! In for a case.
I got a whispered inquiry about the oak chips I mentioned in the tech sheet. A little perspective on my philosophy.
The trees the French fashion into barrels are over 200 years old, and were planted by Napoleon as the source of a future navy. They are treasures. When we make them into barrels, discarding the bark and the heartwood, we are only able to use about 25% of the wood for staves with which to construct a piece of watertight fine oak furniture.
Traditionally, the remaining 75% is discarded or burned. Most winemakers think of their barrels primarily as sources of oak flavor, and secondarily as sources of slow oxygenation.
Common winemaking practice all over the world is to use a barrel for three years, then once depleted of desirable flavors, discard it and buy new. This is a disgrace.
My French guru Patrick Ducournau decided in the 1990s to uncouple these two functions. He developed a process for creating chips which could supply flavor extractives such as vanilla, clove, toasted almond, and espresso by air-curing and toasting chips in a variety of flavor profiles the same way coffee or malt are toasted in rotating drums under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity and time.
The result is a far more consistent and reliable source of flavor. Read more. My favorite of these chips is the air-cured untoasted “Bois Frais” chip which doesn’t impart oak flavor but acts to assist extraction and adds anti-oxidative power to the wine. I throw a lot of these into the fermenter. They are also part of the secret of Faux Chablis’s structure and longevity.
Meanwhile, the older my barrels get, the less raw tannin they contain. It takes over ten years to deplete this pithy tannin from deep in the stave. I don’t own any barrels that are less than 20 years old, and I hope for them to outlive me.
It breaks my heart to see perfectly beautiful, sound barrels discarded in their thousands, simply for show. When I walk into an established winery with stacks of thousands of brand new barrels, I think about their predecessors that were sacrificed and the impeding fate they will soon experience, and it makes me physically ill.
This is just one small example of how wineries prioritize image over substance. I find telling it like it is way more fun.
@winesmith Super interesting. Thanks again, Clark! I like the decoupling and modularization of things that serve distinct functions. Everything feels just a bit more optimized.
Indeed. Certainly my most important market because of the wondrous geek population, savvy and openness that you’ve created through the forum structure and tireless ingenuity.
This is a place where I feel understood and appreciated. More important, this is how I feed my family. A boo-boo here and there is what happens when passionate people are playing full out.
The Petit Manseng I mentioned is done in a Jurançon dessert wine style with 8% R.S. and 12% alcohol. It’s amazingly delicious. This is a very strange grape that holds amazing acidity while sugaring up without botrytis. This was picked at 31 brix with pH of 2.9 and a TA of 12 g/L! A bit of acacia wood aging and voilá!
It will come in a special 375-ml silk-screened bottle I’m working with Monvera to design. Excellent stocking stuffer or company gift choice sure to please.
Clark is a master winemaker. We are fortunate to get this offering. I cherish his wines as I would cherish any of Peter’s or Scott’s wines, and, as such, probably keep them too long in my cellar. So … another case!
Tasting Notes
Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. This remarkable site enjoys a cooling lake effect due to its close proximity to water. Its 2,000-foot altitude and clean, traffic-free air allow the sun to bathe its fifteen clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in high UV, resulting in brilliant color, firm tannins and rich fruit aromas. Clone 10 is slow to ripen and holds surprising acidity and is characterized by back cherry, cocoa, and sweet anise aromas. The vineyard’s stony volcanic soil imparts energetic mineral energy and surprising longevity. Accordingly, the wine was allowed 60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak which developed seductive tobacco nuances greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
The structure and framework is firm, while the entry and mid-palate delight with a rich, generous base wine of soft round tannins and a sweet core of cassis.
After an initial release in 2010, we elected to hold back six barrels for additional aging totaling 78 months in neutral cooperage, which greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$637.50/case (including shipping) at WineSmith Cellars
About The Winery
Winery: WineSmith Cellars
Owner: Clark Smith
Founded: 1993
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy and all things French and observed first hand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history. Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibility for California fruit.
Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites. Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
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, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, April 18th - Monday, April 22nd
WineSmith Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
3 bottles for $79.99 $26.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $229.99 $19.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2013 WineSmith Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2013 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon - $90 = 28.12%
Greetings, O Casematies! Good to be together once more.
Today we have the special privilege to consider the first WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon ever, and the first of that variety since the legendary 2006 Lodi Cab Sauv. This of course is not counting the four vintages of Crucible (1999, 2004, 2005, and 2007), which while admittedly 100% Cabernet Sauvignon vary in price from $275 to $1,000, and are thus on a higher floor of the sales tower than our $50 regular offering.
Of course, there’s nothing regular about it. That’s because I very rarely get my hands on Diamond Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Despite that 2/3rd of Diamond Ridge Vineyards is planted to 15 clones of CS, these are always snapped up by Napa wineries, so I mostly just get to make the Cab Franc, Merlot and Petite Sirah.
I should mention that the picture of this wine you see is obviously photoshopped. I would never put CS in a burgundy bottle. We’ll work on a better picture for y’all.
As always, I want to be utterly transparent and to answer as many of your questions as possible, hopefully helping you to connect the dots between aesthetics and enological practices.
Rats??
I am working on my lab rat report right now but note that the winery tasting notes above contain some erroneous information about a previous 2010 release. Sandra sent an updated copy of the spec sheet to me but unfortunately I do not currently have access to it as I am out of town working on my laptop for the first time in over a year and apparently unable to remember the correct password to my email account where that document was sent. Pretty sure it is actually the same as above with just the last paragraph of the tasting notes deleted.
@chipgreen long forward to your notes!
Chip, you’re right. My bad. Here are the corrected notes:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Clone 15 and Clone 4
Diamond Ridge Vineyards, Clearlake
Harvested 12 October
24.9 Brix
Fermentation techniques:
Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum
7.5 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips
14-day maceration
Elevage details:
Four weeks microbüllage pre-ML
60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak
Alcohol sweet spot at 14.5%
pH 3.73 at bottling
Diamond Ridge Vineyards is located at the southeast corner of Clear Lake in Lake County. This remarkable site enjoys a cooling lake effect due to its close proximity to water. Its 2,000-foot altitude and clean, traffic-free air allow the sun bathe its fifteen clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in high UV, resulting in brilliant color, firm tannins and rich fruit aromas. Clone 15 is characterized by rich black cherry aromas and substantial tannins, while Clone 4 contributes finesse and brightness.
The vineyard’s stony volcanic soil imparts energetic mineral energy and surprising longevity. Accordingly, the wine was allowed 60 months in 20-year old neutral French oak which developed seductive tobacco nuances greatly enhanced its complexity, adding elements of mysterious and intriguing “come hither” aromatics.
The mouth possesses a rich, generous core of black cherry and a lively mineral finish. Tannin structure, once quite hard, has evolved to a pleasant roundness: velvety on the back palate but still with a firm grip up front, indicating both drinkability and further aging potential of perhaps a decade but entirely enjoyable right now.
While certainly a peppered steak would be suitable, you really must try it with grilled duck breast.
@winesmith Hi Clark - I am a little surprised at 14.5 alc. when you picked at 24.9 brix - I would expect more like 13 - 13.5. Thoughts?
@woopdedoo Actually the conversion to alcohol is 0.59 - 0.61, which gives you 14.7 - 15.2%. Besides the stylistic problems (hot nose, bitter finish), color and flavor don’t extract properly at those levels, so in all candor, I water the musts to 23.0 and get about 13.7%, with richer wine,however counter-intuitive that seems.
In California’s dry air, however, water evaporates through the barrel skin preferentially to alcohol, resulting in a 4%/year shrinkage in the volume and about 0.2% alcohol increase per year, alas.
This happened to the 2010 Cab Franc, which was divided into two lots, one with 30 months more aging. I like both wines, but the Lot 1 has more elegance and the Lot 2 more richness.
If I had a cave, the retained humidity would cause the opposite effect and lower the alcohol during aging and also produce less concentration (less loss). I guess I should start digging.
@winesmith Dig away! Thanks for the info - always a learning process.
Here’s the real McCoy.
/giphy audible-low-tick
Woo hoo! A Rat bottle!
Oops, wrong site…
Always a treat to receive a bottle, well, excepting for those ‘difficult’ ones, not the case this time with some
WineSmith 2013 Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon
OK, disclosure; Over the years I’ve purchased over 18 cases of WineSmith/Penny Farthing branded bottles. I enjoy tasting, and drinking, what Clark does. Those Penny Farthings were QPR beyond even that other QPR brand we so enjoy. Not always conventional, at times quite thought provoking, and he’s most always up for a lively discussion.
This bottle arrived earlier this week, so I had a few days to let it settle out a bit. Had intended to pull the cork Friday, but that got deferred until Saturday morning.
Quality natural 45mm cork came out easily; minimal penetration of only 1 ~ 1.5 mm and with no apparent sediment suggests recent bottling. Initial sips on Saturday suggested a decant; base neck fill left overnight uncorked on counter. Sunday tasting notes with neutral crackers, as Japanese curry just didn’t seem appropriate.
Appearance/Clarity: Bright, clear, not brilliant perhaps due to recent shipment.
Color: Appropriate for CS, Medium ruby to dark core, hint of garnet, no browning at rim.
Aroma and Bouquet: Clearly a Cab, fresh sweet dark berry and tree fruits, cassis, cherry; spice. At warmer temperatures alcohol present, diminishes with a bit of chill. See below.
Total Acidity: at room temperature, 21~22 in SoCal today, seemed a bit sharp, slightly chilled to ~17 was the remedy for this and the alcohol.
Sweetness: No apparent RS. Minimal sweetness seems entirely fruit driven.
Body: Medium, not highly extracted and clearly not at all thin.
Flavor: Moderately complex, and consistently changing with temperature and exposure; I’d expect nothing less from Clark.
Bitterness: None
Astringency: Appropriate for age; present, pleasant and well integrated. Oak/vanilla present and balanced; not dominant.
General Quality: A well crafted offer from Clark. Complex and varied enough to keep you coming back for additional sips. Good, but still surprisingly fresh, fruits dominated by cassis and dark cherry with other non-descript berry beginning to show some nice development.
Seems like this should cellar well for years, and, with a generous decant, is ready for today.
This really is just what you’d expect from Clark, a nice bottle to enjoy and/or discuss with friends.
Tomorrow; yes, Flannery meat for tomorrow and the extended notes version…
@rjquillin
Hah! I like how we both had similar disclaimers.
Nice notes as always, Mr. Q.
@rjquillin @winesmith
Just did the math. 17 cases. Approximately 14.5 WineSmith (including PennyFarthing) and 2.5 cases of Two Jakes.
@rjquillin @winesmith
Oh yeah… plus a case of Diamond Ridge Vineyards before the change to Two Jakes!
2013 WineSmith Cabernet Sauvignon
I was thrilled to receive a bottle of Clark Smith’s latest Cabernet Sauvignon release to sample for Casemates. Even more thrilled that it arrived before the offer went live!
Full disclosure; I am a fan-boy of Clark’s wines. While I have certainly enjoyed some of his wines more than others, I have never had a WineSmith wine or Pennyfarthing wine or Two Jakes wine that I didn’t enjoy and some of them have been downright transcendent (his 2007 RRV Pinot and 2010 Roman Reserve Cab Franc come to mind).
That said, let’s get on to the 2013 Cab Sauv…
Look: Deep, dense ruby, almost purple in the glass. Good clarity with slow running legs and 1/16" translucent meniscus.
Smell: The nose changed over time with air. At first it was tart cherry with a hint of allspice. After some time in the glass, it evolved into a deeper cherry scent with a hint of menthol and light oak.
Taste: Initially tart with bright cherry and that buzzy minerality that is Clark’s trademark. The minerality carries through the mid-palate and leads to some light spice and mild tannins on the finish. Shouldered the bottle with that first taste and left it uncorked.
Revisited an hour later to find that the tartness had dissipated to some extent, revealing a deeper, Bing cherry flavor profile. Also getting some currant and a general red fruit vibe. The minerality is still prominent and the spice is starting to show up in the mid-palate and carry through the finish which has gone from medium to medium+. I just cheated and looked at the pH. Surprised it’s as high as 3.73 as the wine seems fairly acidic but it’s that minerality at work.
Got some skillet meatballs with pomodoro sauce, ricotta and parmesan cheese and toast points from room service. The meatballs brought out more of the spice and it was a very nice pairing. This wine was tasty on its own but really shined when paired with food.
Having one last glass as I type this and the wine continues to evolve. The cherry notes deepen further, bordering on black cherry. The spice notes continue to show up sooner and last longer, while the minerality stays constant. This is not a typical CA Cabernet Sauvignon by any means but it is quite nice. Lighter and more nimble than the big bold fruit/oak bombs that are typical of New World style Cabs. The tannins have become more noticeable but are still relatively mild.
Overall, I would say that this wine is still very primary and will no doubt change over time in the cellar seeing as how it changed so much over a few hours in one night once opened. It was bottled so recently that it has barely had a chance to stain the cork. Still, it is very approachable now and will likely cellar for many years as I have found that Clark’s special brand of winemaking magic imparts not only instant approachability, but also great longevity.
Being on the lighter side, this might be more of a Pinot lovers’ Cab. Anyway you slice it, it’s another winner in my book. SIWBM be damned, I would like to go in on a case with my NE Ohio 'mates. I can buy or “chipgreen” in but either way, I must have some more!
@chipgreen
Interesting how similar we both perceived this as well.
I should have mentioned the minerality as well, but the Davis template had me forgetting to do so.
This has a more than decently long finish as well; gotta be close to a minute or better.
@rjquillin
Agreed, many similarities. I still have some insecurities when it comes to offering up detailed tasting notes despite having done so dozens of times, so it’s always nice to have additional affirmation, although some variations are always to be expected!
@chipgreen @Boatman72 @pjmartin I’d be more than happy to share with the NE OH gang. Since you are traveling if it would be easier for you Chip I can make the buy.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @pjmartin would be happy to be considered in a split.
@Boatman72 @chipgreen @mrn1 @msten I want to say no, but this is probably something to get. I don’t need more than 2 bottles, and if need be can be forced to stay away.
I’d take a three pack if any San Diegans mind sharing.
@radiolysis
I’m good for three or four, or five.
Let’s see if we can get some additional interest and I’ll pull the trigger.
@radiolysis @rjquillin I’m good for 3 or 4
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin
I grabbed a case and would like to keep at least half, so if anyone is up in the LA area and would like a couple bottles, let me know!
@funnywontons @klezman @radiolysis
Case ordered for the San Diego contingent.
@funnywontons @radiolysis @rjquillin Two cases on order, it seems. How is the split working?
@funnywontons @klezman @radiolysis
Funnywontons is up close to you, and I think wanted at least six and you three? Leaves three or fewer unclaimed, for now.
Radiolysis down here with me wanting three and I can easily off a few, or more, here at work leaving me with less than six, which is ok. If I find more interest here, I can help with unclaimed from up there.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin
I bought my own case! So add half-ish of that case into the available pool.
@funnywontons @klezman @radiolysis
This is for the case you mentioned purchasing that I was referencing.
Did I mess it up?
Klez was looking for some bottles, and you two are both LA-ish, more or less.
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin
Oh my mistake! You had it right. Carry on!
@funnywontons @radiolysis @rjquillin So I’m taking 3 or 4 from funnywontons?
@klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin
Looks like the case will be delivered today, I’ll try and pick it up from Walgreens on my way home from work. Who was I splitting with again? I’m in the SGV area of LA, for reference.
@funnywontons @klezman @radiolysis
I think Klez wanted 3 leaving 3 from your case unclaimed, excepting whispers you may have received.
I think radiolysis was getting three from my case, and I have 5 listed for me, leaving 4 I’m not sure of.
@funnywontons @radiolysis @rjquillin
Yup, I’m good for 3 or 4. Just let me know.
@funnywontons @klezman @radiolysis @rjquillin I’ll be in SoCal area near the end of June, any 4 unclaimed, I will take.
@klezman
Case is in hand! Let me know when works for you to meet up!
@TechnoViking
I’m happy to hold the bottles for you until then! Just let me know when and where!
Before I begin my Rat Report, I’d like to give a HUGE shout out and thank you to Ariana at WCC!! I had some concerns with the 1st bottle of WineSmith 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon that I received on Friday, March 15th. Ariana, the Casemate Goddess and Bearer of Great News, was able to ship another bottle to me this past Saturday. Thank you Ariana, Dave, and any others behind the scenes that worked their magic!
So the 2nd bottle arrived mid-Saturday and I let it sit to recover from the long journey to the cool weather of NEO. I pulled the cork at 1 pm Sunday and sampled it three more times during the day. The cork looked great with a light stain were it should be. I did a very small pour to give it a quick evaluation.
Appearance: The wine had a nice garnet color and was slightly translucent to outside light. The swirl showed nice long legs about 1/2” apart.
Aroma: I immediately picked up dark cherry, spice, and a little alcohol.
Taste: Initially and through mid-palate, I got a slightly sour/tart dark cherry profile with spice, minerality, and a long finish of spice and light alcohol.
3 pm Sample: I always like to let a bottle of dry red wine breathe for 1 to 2 hours, especially if it’s been corked for a while. The aroma was the same as the 1st sample.
Taste: I picked spice before the dark cherry this time and maybe a hint of cranberry with light alcohol. On the long finish, I noticed spice, light alcohol and light tannins.
4 pm Sample: This was the best sampling so far! The wine was showing the same characteristics, but all the nuances started to come together and I thought I noticed a hint of vanilla before the long finish.
7 pm Sample: Time for some wine and ribeye steak! I thought this wine would pair well with a nicely grilled medium rare ribeye dusted with Montreal Steak Seasoning.
The steak and seasoning seemed to mute the fruit somewhat, but I thought the wine and steak complemented each other nicely! The steak brought out a little tobacco that I didn’t taste earlier, along with the earlier spice and alcohol. The long finish was the same as earlier sampling. When I mention alcohol, it has always been at a very nice level!!
I have saved some wine for today, Monday. I’ve found over the years that a good bottle of wine seems better on day two, then until it’s consumed. Since my wife and daughter don’t drink wine, a bottle can last several days. My son, HopHeadB likes wine and IPAs so I hope he shows up today to provide some input. That’s it for now!
@Boatman72 2nd Day Tasting……
Appearance: Was same as yesterday.
Smell: Today the wine shows more spice and alcohol with hints of dark cherry and tobacco.
Taste: Initially a quick presence of sweet cherry; Mid Palate showed spice, acidity, minerality; Finish showed “loooong” spice and alcohol. Very light tobacco throughout!
That’s it folks!
This is the offer I have waited for since wine.woot shut down and CaseMates started. How does this compare to the 2006 Lodi? (Sandra said Clark served it all at his wedding, except for the last two she sold me. I held out as long as I could, but they were so good.)
@SoSmellyAir i’m really curious about this as well. That was one of my favorite bottles ever…
For some reason the Crucibles I’ve had were never in the same ballpark as the Lodi cab (I might just be a $50 drinker and not a $250+ drinker)
@mgowhoo @SoSmellyAir @winesmith
Clark could answer this a lot better than I can but I would say that the 2013 Lake County Cab is a little lighter with less prominent oak and tannin structure, at least at this point in its development. With 5 years in neutral oak, I don’t believe the oak infuence will change much although the tannins will likely continue to develop as will the general flavor profile.
@chipgreen @mgowhoo @SoSmellyAir I agree. The Lodi Cab enjoyed 96 months in old wood and is now quite mature, utterly smooth and full of tertiary aromas. The '13 will get there and beyond, but it will take a long while - at least a decade. When it does, I expect it will be a better wine than the Lodi, but I treasure our three remaining bottles of the '06, which needs to be drunk soon.
I had a bottle of this last week, and absolutely loved it. Here are the notes I posted on CellarTracker:
P&P, swirled a bit for some air. Like many of Clark’s wines, this is extremely expressive on the nose, very aeromatic with ripe fruit, spice and a bit of oaky perfume that I would not mind just savoring indefinitely. This is a wine that I breathe in before I sip every time I lift the glass.
Color is dark purple but with some transparency. It looks a bit thin but doesn’t taste that way.
Wonderfully smooth and balanced, with a long finish that hangs on until it’s time for the next sip.
I really like this and can’t wait to see how it’s changed on night two. I think this will probably continue to evolve over the next couple of years but it’s drinking beautifully now in my book.
And I’m putting my money where my mouth is by ordering more!
By the way, a big thanks to Clark and the winery for allowing me to taste the wine. It was the highlight of my week, and the wine was equally good on night two. It didn’t have as much of the wonderful aromatics (I DO know how to spell that word, despite my error above) but was even more full and expressive with lots of that black cherry and just a hint of oak.
I will let the bottles I ordered sit in my cellar for at least a couple more years to see how they develop.
Central NY folks… @NatasG @domels … I have really enjoyed some Winesmith, and would love 4 or 6 of these.
@FritzCat Hi FritzCat, I would be in for 4…lets see if we can get a 3rd. Also adding @ecanada This sounds very tasty!
@ecanada @NatasG If you buy, I’ll take 4 or 6, but a third would be nice. Thanks. I did enjoy his Mokelumne River Cab, and the his Cab Franc.
@ecanada @FritzCat @NatasG Hi, I’m in Central NY too, the Utica area. The wine sounds great, I’d be in for 4.
@FritzCat @tklempay OK, I will place an order with my VMP free shipping!
@FritzCat @NatasG @tklempay thanks all for the inclusion but i’ll pass on this one. Enjoy!
I’m a former Winewooter that followed the group over to Casemates. I am super excited to see that I was chosen as a Rat. I am also excited that this is a WineSmith wine because I’ve never had any of his wines before despite enjoying his previous postings. I should say up front that my wife does not like Cabs but wanted to participate in tasting this one.
Upon pouring into a glass, the first thing I noticed was the very vibrant red color of the wine. I called it ruby. My wife thought garnet. Regardless, its really a pretty wine – no browns in the color, just pure red. Initial smell is dominantly cherries – probably black cherries – with raspberry, and maybe leather. Taste largely mirrored the smell – dominant cherry, raspberry and maybe anise on the finish??? Tannins are here but I don’t think they are overwhelming or off putting. I didn’t notice the alcohol. Wife says this is one of the best tasting Cabs that she has had and would drink this again.
We are vegetarians so not ideal for Cab. We tried it with a sautéed mushroom, onion and green pepper pizza (we were going for something meaty). We thought these worked really well together. Tried it with some aged cheddar cheese and that was very good as well. It didn’t hold up well to 70% dark chocolate bar though – the wine literally disappeared.
Day 2 I enjoyed it with some cheese and crackers while watching some basketball. Wine still brings the cherries and maybe a little red plum. Oak shows up in the finish today. Alcohol is also more present.
Overall, I (we) enjoyed the wine. There is a lot more cherry fruit than I expected and the tannins weren’t as challenging as in some other Cabs. It paired nicely with our vegetarian food options.
I was really excited to be a lab rat for a Wine Smith offering. I have had the Cabernet Franc a couple of times and a friends, which I really enjoyed. This Cabernet Sauvignon did not disappoint! It had complex flavor with a bit of fruitiness and the typical green peppery overtones, and lots of spicyness, oakiness and overall warmth. After it got some air it warmed up and I got some more fruitiness and the tobacco flavor. It went well with the very spicy Thai takeout we had for dinner, and my husband who typically doesn’t like wine with spicy food really enjoyed it. While I think I prefer the Cabernet Franc to this, I think this would also be nice to have around for a bit of a bolder profile to accompany more robustly flavored food. I’m going to let my friend know this is available and we’ll probably split a case – this is a great price!
BTW, this is my second time being a lab rat, and I’m VERY impressed with the new process (an email letting me to know to expect the wine so someone can sign for it, info about when to post, some notes from the winery). Great work! I’m really pleased to see all the labrats coming out early here and with the same excitement as me!
/giphy dazzling-grandiose-sneeze
It’s been a while since I was involved in a split, but any of the folks in the western Chicago suburbs interested? I’ll post in the Chicago thread as well.
One case heading my way.
/giphy cultured-woolly-map
I was a bit surprised when I tried to use the Casemates Glass credit from Meh and the form said it was invalid. I was about to contact support, but I had the idea to review my recent orders and found that I had already used all 4. Oh well…
@Mark_L I’d be interested in a few bottles. South side of Chicago, but I work on the north side and end up in the western suburbs sometimes.
@warpedrotors The case I ordered has been spoken for, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find some others interested in splitting up another case. Maybe adding a new note at the end of the main topic here will catch some eyes.
Houston folks I picked up a case of this and willing to share 6 bottles in any split.
@deadlyapp I’ll take 3 off your hands
@deadlyapp i will take the other 3 if still up for grab
@deadlyapp @modfalk anyone interested in the current tannat offering ?
@modfalk @tnguyencase I’ve already got a 3 way split going on a case I ordered. Good luck!
@tnguyencase check the whispers in this conversation
I’ll happily take 3
I was planning on it at reading WineSmith, but the above confirmed it for me. Now to drink up while I wait for this to ship so I’ve space to store it.
(c=
@drhellknow Exactly my experience!
Any DFW casematers want to go in for 2-4 way split?
@mwfielder I replied on FB, but depending which you see first…
I’ll take 6-8 depending on any other comers. I have free shipping and can order if you don’t.
@mwfielder if you don’t get a chance to see/reply tonight, I may just order first thing in the morning to try and get it before it sells out…
@bent80 Just saw it! Either way, I’ll split with you and whoever else wants. You can buy or me; I have free shipping as well.
@mwfielder
I pulled the trigger
/giphy boring-fittest-rum
@bent80 Sounds good! Let me (and anyone else who wants in) know when you get the goodies and we’ll coordinate.
I live in Arizona. Only a few more more weeks until it will be too hot to ship wine to me for a LabRat report!
Just sayin.
Any SE MI folks want get this and to sell me 4-6?
@jrbw3 Thinking about it. Only have 1 bottle from previous mixed order.
@jrbw3 @kasandrae OK, got a case and willing to share
@jrbw3 @ttboy23 bought my own case
thanks!!!
Any folks near Broomfield CO interested in splitting this case? I’m tempted to buy a full case just for myself, but half wouldn’t stress my wallet or cellar as much
@dmyers314 I will take half and I live in Broomfield. I will send a whisper.
@bolligra @dmyers314 I’d take a couple bottles if there’s any left. If not, no biggie!
@dmyers314 Darn, late to this party… but live in CO Spgs & would love to split a case and meet somewhere between here & Broomfield for the handoff…
@dmyers314 So much interest! mgowhoo got in first to split the case. But it seems like among the others interested you should be able to put together another case …
@dmyers314 @knlprez
I would be in for several bottles, if someone orders…not averse to driving to pick up. @knlprez and I already have an exchange to make at some point! I live in south Denver.
/giphy disastrous-cranky-mars
Grabbed a case. SoCal mates let me know if you want a few bottles!
/giphy flaky-necrotic-elf
In for a case!
/giphy mortal-unpopular-ketchup
@winesmith @winedavid49
With all the rats, will there be enough to go around?
2013 Winesmith Cabernet Sauvignon; Lake County; abv 14.5%
Day 1, PnP, 57F. Initial 2oz pour. Color is fairly standard dark ruby for Cab, maybe a touch lighter. Fragrant nose right off the bat showing hi toned red fruit and no noticeable heat with hints of leather and tobacco. On the palate the front entry is dominated by cran fruit. Medium+ acid, medium (-) tannin. A bit hollow on the mid palate initially and there is a lingering spice note (white pepper/clove) that starts at the back end of the mid palate through the finish. As this initial pour warmed a bit and opened up the spice note became more prominent while the cran notes up front remained constant. Acid has a nice minerality to it, leaning more towards soil than sea, if that makes sense.
After 15 minutes the tannin is picking up a bit to medium/medium+ with the spice note kicking up even more.
1 hour open, new pour from bottle. Nose is similar to initial pour, but more restrained and there is something more subtle coming through, hard to place, but perhaps sage. Paired with grass fed burgers for dinner and it did nicely as it has a solid acid level to cut through and clear the palate. Not an ideal pairing, but went fairly well despite the beef dominating a bit. Replaced cork, no gas, will revisit tomorrow.
Day 2, 25 hours open, 63F. Nose today has less intensity and has shifted more from the red toned fruit to the herbal side with sage and tarragon accompanied by wet leather. Palate is still showing cran up front, maybe a hint more to the raspberry side and also has picked up some tannin heft. The spice note has come down a notch but it is still very much present. Nice long finish of 60 seconds plus. Recorked for a day 3 revisit.
This is an enjoyable wine that has plenty of acid and tannin structure to go for the long term. My tasting echoed some components of others labrats, but my experience was leaning far more toward the cran side than dark fruit and had a very strong spice kick from mid palate through finish. Again, this is mostly primary right now, but should age well. The hollow mid palate that I pointed out is actually a positive for me, very similar to how I perceived the crucible bottlings. It creates a void that allows other components like minerality and oak nuances to fill.
@trifecta I agree about the hollowness. Wish I could come up with a better word. Some wines impress with their presence, but the greatest wines have this seductive hollowness that allows you not just to stand beside and admire the generosity but rather to enter into the wine and have it dance all around you. Albarino has this quality, and the best Burgundies. Maynard Amerine called it the “come hither.”
I also am very happy with the leathery barrel bouquet this wine has recently developed. I expect that to increase over the next decade or so.
You’re right about the sage. We have lots of high altitude droughty chaparral herbs in Lake County that impart something similar to the garrigue you see in Provence.
@trifecta @winesmith
Scott Harvey likes to call wine with a hollow mid-palate a “doughnut wine”.
I did notice this initially but felt that the wine started to knit together as it was open longer. The minerality kept it going from the entry to the finish though, even at first. It was almost like the entry had its own finish. Agree about the cranberry notes too, again more at first when there was a little more tartness to the flavor profile.
I never met a Clark Smith I didn’t love, in for a case.
/giphy feisty-dazzle-hornet
No NH
@chipgenn @pjmartin@msten A case on it’s way for us to split!
@mrn1
Much thanks! We need to hookup soon after that arrives, I am starting to lose track!
@chipgreen @mrn1 Leoni shipping notice last night. Plenty to swap out soon.
and with that you have forced me to create a spreadsheet so that I can see the list of outstanding swaps.
@pjmartin Even with my spreadsheet it’s hard to keep track of all the wine going back and forth. I guess we can blame @winedavid49 for that…and the great wine at great prices too!!!
@mrn1
Hey, who is this chipgenn character?
@chipgreen @mrn1 Probably some Genn-Xer.
@chipgreen Sorry about that!!!
Hey, not meaning to damper all of the enthusiasm here…however…this wine is an autobuy for many folks here and we have a gazillion rats. On more obscure wines that could use some rats, no bottles go out. Not sure on how all this works behind the scenes, but just a casual observation
@kaolis guessing wine Smith decides how many he wants to send out and he was feeling generous
@kaolis It’s a fair point. Casemates has been getting better about instructing the Rats on how much time they have, circulating tech sheets and so forth, so the situation should improve.
WineSmith is also privileged to have accumulated over the years reviewers that understand what I am trying to do, thus the conversation is more Eurocentric, concerning minerality, structure, longevity and drinking window than the usual California-centric discussions about wines of impact and aggressiveness which knock your socks off.
Accordingly, we send out additional samples to these folks to see how we’re doing. It’s particularly helpful when we haven’t released a varietal in many years (or never!) Wait until we show you Petit Manseng and Norton later in the year!
@winesmith Thanks for the insight. Although another observation is that a few of the rats have an admitted slant on their opinions (which you mention) Which is all good, I really don’t mean this as a negative toward you or your wines, strictly a Casemates observation.
All that aside, me being one that doesn’t have 18 cases of your wine in my cellar, I’m in on a split for two bottles of this I believe…my very first bottles of your wine, as none of have ever passed my lips. Excited to try. And fwiw I’m an old world guy, because, well, I’m old…ha!
Hey, gotta start somewhere right?
Cheers!
@winesmith
I’d love to be a rat for those wines! I’ve even had Petit Manseng before, although both were dessert wines from SW France. Are you making a dessert wine out of it, or something more akin to an Albarino or somewhere in between?
I think we also tasted a lot of Norton when we sampled between Asheville and Charlotte, NC a few years ago.
@kaolis
You can bet that the trusted palates here (chipgreen, trifecta, boatman72, and Ron certainly count in that category) won’t pull any punches. It’s about a fair evaluation rather than trying to sell, and that’s what they do. I don’t usually disclose in my rat reports whether I’m buying or not - it’s not relevant. Everybody has different tastes, after all…
But I completely agree with your point on more rats for obscure offerings. And the more a trusted palate can chime in, the more convincing it will be. Otherwise how do you know how to evaluate the evaluator?
@kaolis @winesmith
Both Chip and I have been long time WS customers, thanks to woot!.
This association however does not, hopefully, influence my rattage comments. I call 'em like I taste 'em.
I’ve had difficult reviews, flawed wines/bottles; those are easy, call them as such. I’ve had bottles I found lacking, and call them as such as well. I’ve had bottles I just didn’t care for; not in my wheelhouse.
Again, I do my best to be objective. I’ve had bottles from respected producers that just didn’t live up to what we expect; those are difficult, but, again, you get an honest assessment.
Clark can be a bit different, and doesn’t always hit the mark, he is almost always interesting; think Roman. No producer is infallible.
I too, am an old world kind of guy, but continue searching for what I like. The search produces gems, and plonk. Such is life. I was a bit late to WW, but transitioned to CM, with it’s bumps.
Great community here. I’ve learned a lot and met true friends I’d not otherwise become acquainted with.
I would like to know a bit more about the choice of chips to accompany those ancient barrels…
In for a case! Keeping 6. Anyone in South Fla want to share the other half or part of it?
In for 3. Wish I could find a ‘casemate’ in Vt.! Might be worth placing this order just for the Casemate ‘order name’…“frightening-hairy-toucan”.
I have loved everything I’ve tried from Clark. Just had my last bottle of Pennyfarthing Chard this weekend, was great with the smoked salmon I just made. I haven’t had a lot of Cab Franc, but I went in on a case of the 2010 and my wife and I were amazed by how good that is!
Thank you Clark!
Any Seattle folks fancy a split?
Any Buffalo-WNY folks interested in a split or a few?
@catcoland Definitely, if there’s any left. I’ll be involuntarily AFK for the next 7+ hours, though.
@ddeuddeg Case is ordered.
/giphy slick-wary-wine
Just ordered 3 … still have my 2013 Meritage (2 bottles) - can’t wait for this!
@OrcasLance This is bigger than the Meritage, which is principally Merlot and Cab Franc. I like them both - the Meritage has more development of that sexy leathery note, so approaching its best, while the Cab Sauv is mostly primary flavors and just beginning to develop the tertiary notes. It’s a better wine down the road, but the Meritage is more interesting at present.
@winesmith The Meritage has been a delight! I’m a Cab drinker at first blush, so I look forward to these!
This Woot Winer and Casematers would love to get a chance at LabRatting! Stand by for a review of this Cab!
Here’s a clip featuring Jake Stephens explaining the unique virtues of Diamond Ridge Vineyards
@winesmith Hey Clark! Thanks for posting this video- what a beautiful vineyard, and really great to hear Jake talking about the grapes, terroir, etc. I’ve had this Cabernet and really enjoyed it! In for a case.
/giphy placid-wayward-maple
/giphy placid-wayward-maple
/giphy placid-wayward-maple
@Vince247 Now that’s the kind of Maple Leaf image I’m in for!
Go Leafs go!
I got a whispered inquiry about the oak chips I mentioned in the tech sheet. A little perspective on my philosophy.
The trees the French fashion into barrels are over 200 years old, and were planted by Napoleon as the source of a future navy. They are treasures. When we make them into barrels, discarding the bark and the heartwood, we are only able to use about 25% of the wood for staves with which to construct a piece of watertight fine oak furniture.
Traditionally, the remaining 75% is discarded or burned. Most winemakers think of their barrels primarily as sources of oak flavor, and secondarily as sources of slow oxygenation.
Common winemaking practice all over the world is to use a barrel for three years, then once depleted of desirable flavors, discard it and buy new. This is a disgrace.
My French guru Patrick Ducournau decided in the 1990s to uncouple these two functions. He developed a process for creating chips which could supply flavor extractives such as vanilla, clove, toasted almond, and espresso by air-curing and toasting chips in a variety of flavor profiles the same way coffee or malt are toasted in rotating drums under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity and time.
The result is a far more consistent and reliable source of flavor. Read more. My favorite of these chips is the air-cured untoasted “Bois Frais” chip which doesn’t impart oak flavor but acts to assist extraction and adds anti-oxidative power to the wine. I throw a lot of these into the fermenter. They are also part of the secret of Faux Chablis’s structure and longevity.
Meanwhile, the older my barrels get, the less raw tannin they contain. It takes over ten years to deplete this pithy tannin from deep in the stave. I don’t own any barrels that are less than 20 years old, and I hope for them to outlive me.
It breaks my heart to see perfectly beautiful, sound barrels discarded in their thousands, simply for show. When I walk into an established winery with stacks of thousands of brand new barrels, I think about their predecessors that were sacrificed and the impeding fate they will soon experience, and it makes me physically ill.
This is just one small example of how wineries prioritize image over substance. I find telling it like it is way more fun.
@winesmith
@winesmith Thanks Clark.
@winesmith Super interesting. Thanks again, Clark! I like the decoupling and modularization of things that serve distinct functions. Everything feels just a bit more optimized.
/giphy microscopic-relaxed-button
/giphy powdery-worldly-grasshopper
Anyone in the Nashville area interested in a 6/6 split?
“It’s Charles Smith. Need we say more?”
Is Charles related in any way to Clark?
@kls_in_MD just a flat out mistake. we apologized to Clark.
@Winedavid49 Stuff happens! On this site, usually REALLY GOOD stuff. Cheers.
@kls_in_MD @Winedavid49
Indeed. Certainly my most important market because of the wondrous geek population, savvy and openness that you’ve created through the forum structure and tireless ingenuity.
This is a place where I feel understood and appreciated. More important, this is how I feed my family. A boo-boo here and there is what happens when passionate people are playing full out.
And besides, I assure you I’ve been called worse!
@kls_in_MD Not to be confused with Charles Shaw …
/giphy husky-tampered-soup
The Petit Manseng I mentioned is done in a Jurançon dessert wine style with 8% R.S. and 12% alcohol. It’s amazingly delicious. This is a very strange grape that holds amazing acidity while sugaring up without botrytis. This was picked at 31 brix with pH of 2.9 and a TA of 12 g/L! A bit of acacia wood aging and voilá!
It will come in a special 375-ml silk-screened bottle I’m working with Monvera to design. Excellent stocking stuffer or company gift choice sure to please.
@winesmith Can’t wait!!
@winesmith Sounds great! I wish I still had some of those Jurançon (or Vic-Bilh) remaining for a side-by-side.
Clark is a master winemaker. We are fortunate to get this offering. I cherish his wines as I would cherish any of Peter’s or Scott’s wines, and, as such, probably keep them too long in my cellar. So … another case!
I’m late to the party I know but any other CMH / Central Ohio peeps interested in a split?
/giphy stingy-abiding-house
Never go wrong with Clark! Where do I find storage???
Anybody in Portland, OR wanting to split part of a case?