Although most wine experts confine their expertise to the European Vitis vinifera varieties, there are almost 100 other Vitis species, some of which make very good wine.
Dr. Norton was a 19th century breeder who crossed a wild Virginia Vitis aestivalis with an unknown parent to produce one of the most respected and widely produced reds in the U.S., with over 500 wineries offering examples.
Though rarely planted in California, Clarksburg’s long, warm summers are perfect for developing full ripe flavors and softening its considerable acidity. Its deep purple color, rich blueberry flavor and dense yet incredibly soft tannins have great curb appeal. This is Clark’s wife RuthE.’s favorite WineSmith offering.
Its dense, soft body owes to a high degree of unfermentable polysaccharides similar to the unfermentable starches in microbrew beer.
It’s good to be an American. Amaze your friends and strut with some barbeque. The color is a crazy deep shade of purple. Don’t get it on your clothes!
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Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: 100% Norton
Appellation: Heringer Estate Vineyards, Yolo County
Harvested: 17 October 2019, 25.0 Brix
Fermentation techniques: Nothing fancy. This wine makes itself! Anchor NT 112 yeast inoculum, 7 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips, Stops with 1.5% remaining unfermentables
Elevage details: 3 weeks microbüllage pre ML,18 months in 20-year old neutral French oak
Alcohol: 12.9%
TA: 6.3 g/L
pH: 3.48 at bottling
Production: 67 cases
2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage, Humboldt County
Tasting Notes
Our first release from the Pierce family’s extraordinary Ishi Pishi vineyard near Hoopla in northern Humboldt County. Pat and Joachim Pierce are talented organic growers skilled in grapes and other crops. The vineyard is nestled in a sheltered clearing surrounded by forested mountains with a rich red clayey loam soil that produces full ripeness at low brix. Their skills and the site’s perfect characteristics produce wines of unrivaled density and integrity that preserve themselves without sulfites, and in time produce wines of astonishing complexity and depth that age well.
We vinified the field blend without sulfites, stabilized the structure with discreet doses of oxygen, barreled down in neutral wood, and ignored it for more than five years where a complex microbial equilibrium was established. What emerged is an indescribably alluring wine that seductively pulls you into the glass. The organic practices impart a minerally palate energy to the finish.
The wine remains fresh and purple, and will repay extensive further cellaring. Delicious now or in two decades. Recommended with steak
porcini, ripe époisse cheese or duck fois gras.
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Specs
Vintage: 2014
Varietals: 61% Merlot; 19% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Petit Verdot; 5% Malbec; 3% Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Ishi Pishi Vineyard, Humboldt County
Organically grown – no herbicides or pesticides
Harvested 1 November 2014, 21.2 Brix
Fermentation techniques: Roman-style: No added sulfites, Anchor NT, 112 yeast inoculum, 10 g.L Bois Frais Alliers chips, 14-day maceration
Elevage details: Six weeks microbüllage pre ML, 57 months in 20-year, old neutral French oak
Alcohol: 12.8%
pH: 3.80 at bottling
Production: 87 cases
2019 WineSmith Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
I have a hard time getting my French gurus to take Zinfandel seriously. They don’t judge a wine by the fruity aromatics, which abound in many California Zins. They want the wine to behave itself in the mouth. Because Zinfandel ripens unevenly, with green berries and raisins on the same cluster, its texture is brash and grainy.
The exception is Dry Creek Valley, which always delivers classic Bordelaise elegant tannin structure worthy of the finest Super Tuscan. The venerable Grist Vineyard is the acknowledged jewel in the DCV Zin crown, and we are vastly fortunate to have been granted access to a couple tons from our friend and colleague Woody Hambrecht.
Nobody disputes that this is the best wine we made in 2019. We picked a relatively low brix, co-fermented with Petite Sirah for its co-extraction properties (thank you Paul Draper for this trick). The wine pretty much made itself.
This result is indescribably delicious. Intense raspberries with oak toast accents lead to explosive fruit in the mouth, stylish texture, and a long, minerally finish unmarred by alcohol. You just want to hug yourself. Classy stuff. Unlike most “clown-style” impact Zins on the market today, this wine will age wonderfully for several decades, acquiring in the process some sexy aromatics like old Riesling does.
I like it with grilled sausages or rigatoni with a pancetta/gorgonzola sauce. It’s also wonderful with classic Bordeaux dishes like Tornadoes Chateau Figeac (fillet mignon with artichoke hearts, truffle, and bearnaise). Check out my cooking show, Gracious Living in the Time of Corona, for other recipes.
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Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: 90% Zinfandel & 10% Petite Sirah
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Grist Vineyard, first planted in 1869
Elevage details: Micro-oxygenated pre-ML at 90 mg/L/month, Malolactic fermentation in barrel, Neutral French oak aged 16 months
Alcohol: 13.8%
pH: 3.45 at bottling
TA: 5.9 g/L
Production: 153 cases
2018 WineSmith Petite Verdot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Petit Verdot is the ink of Bordeaux. Though an essential element of their blends, rarely is it employed at more than 2%. At this level, it imparts lush, refined tannins without overpowering the blend. At higher proportions, it obscures complexity and nuance, offering little aromatic interest of its own.
Steve Hill’s wonderful Hidden Spring Vineyard in northern Sonoma County, just south of the hamlet of Asti, reliably produces that rarest of treasures – a stand-alone Petit Verdot. Surely this is a testament to the site’s full sun and the great drainage of its rocky soil, which allow the fruit to fully ripen, overcoming its high natural acidity and permitting the aromas of considerable interest to develop.
Most WineSmith wines are harvested at lower brix than many California winemakers choose. This is an exception. We require some desiccation to achieve a fine result, and because of its unbelievably dense color, there is no danger of dryness. We then replace that water for a balanced wine that extracts well.
The resulting dense, oily tannins support seductive aromas of cassis, licorice, and tar. The wine is somehow both understated and
powerfully seductive, like the roll of a timpani that you feel more than hear.
This vintage was released ahead of the 2017 due to its surprising early drinkability. Enjoy with grilled rib steak or duck breast.
Watch a Tasting Video about this Wine
Specs
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 100% Petit Verdot
Appellation: Hidden Springs Vineyard, Alexander Valley AVA
Harvested 17 October 2018, 27.7 Brix
Fermentation techniques: Diluted with water to 23.5 Brix, ICV D-80 yeast, 7.5 g/L untoasted Alliers chips, 14-day maceration
Elevage details: Three weeks microbüllage pre-ML, 29 months in neutral French oak
Alcohol: sweet spot at 13.14%
pH: 3.80 at bottling
Production: 153 cases
What’s Included
4-bottles:
1x 2014 2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage, Humboldt County
1x 2019 WineSmith Norton
1x 2019 WineSmith Zinfandel
1x 2018 WineSmith Petite Verdot
Case:
3x 2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage, Humboldt County
Postmodern winemaking is the practical art of connecting the human soul to the soul of a place by rendering its grapes into liquid music. Our object is to deliver wines of classic balance and structural integrity which develop soulful profundity and graceful longevity through sustainable farming in living soil and a skilled hand in the cellar.
Through WineSmith’s four decades, we have forged lasting relationships with dedicated growers who share our commitment to living soil, vine balance, sustainable farming and correct ripeness. We work with a large and growing band of colleagues throughout the world who share the philosophy of excellence articulated in Postmodern Winemaking, Rethinking the Modern Science of an Ancient Craft – a school of cuisine that utilizes tools old and new to allow nature to work its magic.
We aspire to explore traditions beyond the mainstream such as sulfite-free winemaking and other experimental winemaking techniques as well as applying European aesthetics in the New World to lesser-known varietal oddities and sometimes obscure Old World practices. Our wines are always intriguing, never boring, and sometimes even impossible. There is a message in every bottle.
About Clark Smith:
I’ve been in the wine business since 1972 when I dropped out of MIT and got a job in an Oakland, California wine shop. I completed the BS and MS programs at UC Davis, built R.H. Phillips in the ’90s, and founded Vinovation in 1992, providing high-tech services and consulting for over a thousand wineries, originally centered around the reverse osmosis VA and alcohol adjustment techniques I invented.
In 1984 I began teaching a short course at UC Davis called Fundamentals of Wine Chemistry, which continued for 24 years and was one of their most popular courses, attended by everyone from home winemakers to seasoned professionals. In the early ’90s, I began to see cracks in the theories I’d been taught at school and began to focus on French winemaking aesthetics and techniques. I felt I was making really good white wines and terrible reds, and this led me on a journey to rediscover what red wine itself actually is.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I’m excited to be among you, particularly with this unique offer. I’ve been with WineDavid’s crew for many years and perhaps fifty sales, but this is the first time we’ve trotted out out top reserve wines in a sampler four-pack.
We’ve had logistics problems getting out Lab Rat samples, so we won’t hear from them until halfway through the offer at the earliest. Thus I have a request.
Some of you will already be familiar with the 2019 Grist Vineyard Zinfandel and 2018 Petit Verdot from prior offers. If so, please post your notes from past experience.
@winesmith hi Clark! I’m one of those lab rats waiting to see what shows up (if anything).
Enjoyed the Petit Verdot enough that I bought more from you directly. Haven’t had the Norton yet.
@winesmith I’m also a rat waiting on a bottle, but I bought a similar mix to this one in the past so I’m excited to see what I get! I also have one bottle of the Unicorn left that may get opened soon…
@scenicready The Unicorn was a really great project and will be missed, unlikely to be repeated. I managed to save 10 bottles for myself and I really want to see what happens to it in terms of bottle bouquet over a few years, but I don’t like my chances of resisting temptation until that happens.
@scenicready That being said, the Humboldt 2014 Meritage is right now the very essence of profound bottle bouquet at this very moment. For those of you who (like me in my youth) are uncertain what the big deal is all about, treat yourself to this wine. All shall thus be revealed.
@winesmith How does the 2019 Norton compare to the 2017 Norton that was in an earlier (11/9/19) offering?
When I received that case, I tried the wines and was very unimpressed with the 2017 Norton. But I just opened one of the remaining bottles and it is luscious, velvet on the tongue, developing into a pleasantly acidic tart berry (red currant?) flavor, and finishing with a long reprise of the smooth, velvety feel and a pleasant darker berry (mulberry?) flavor. Is it typical of Nortons to change a lot with just a few years of age?
@DickL Yes, that seems to be how it goes. The acid needs time to integrate. I learned that lesson with the 2017 (our first vintage), and now we wait an extra year for them to mellow just as you describe.
In for just a 4-pack due to extremely limited storage space, but it was interesting having NM be the only highlighted state on the map for a few moments.
If anyone on the Missouri side of Kansas City wants to be a ‘mate, I’d love to get some from you. I’d pick up a full case for myself, if I were able to.
@winesmith@worbx@dirtdoctor I can order wine for you and have it shipped to my office in Missouri. I have free shipping too. Not sure when the wine will be shipped but I’ll be out of town until Nov 28 to Dec 10. We can meet when I return from my trip. Just let me know.
Usually not much out in the stratosphere on these wines (however I’m sure Clark uses ozone somehow right??) but Reverse Wine Snob offered up the 2019 Zinfandel Grist this past July, 3-pack $75:
“A strong, enticing dark berry fruit aroma leads the way on the 2019 Winesmith Dry Creek Valley Grist Vineyard Zinfandel and is joined by wonderful, savory touches of licorice, spice, and even some dried herbs and balsamic. It almost smells like an aged Rioja!
Tasting reveals a dry, savory and utterly delicious Zin. Full of deep flavors, it is beautifully balanced with just 13.5% alcohol has no heat at all (as opposed to many other big and over the top Zins pushing 16% alcohol). Add in a smooth and silky mouthfeel, gorgeous structure and wonderfully integrated spice to go with the dark berry, brambly fruit and this is really something special.
It ends dry, a bit grippy and extremely long with lasting spice notes and even a little minerality. It’s so terribly drinkable right now it hurts but according to Clark this can age for “several decades”. Good luck resisting it for that long! We did manage to save a bit to taste on day 2 and it was just as good.”
Note the specs say 100% Zinfandel, but Clark mentions cofermented with Petite Sirah, and rws mentions this too with the mix being 90/10.
10% Petite Sirah is correct. It’s cofermented because Zin lacks the monomeric diphenols necessary to form extractive co-pigmentation colloids. (This only works at low ABV.)
This is a trick I learned from Paul Draper. I like his York Creek PS so well that I asked him why he only rarely releases it. He said he puts some in every Zin he makes, and there’s seldom any left over for a varietal bottling.
@kaolis Actually, I’m not a big fan of ozone. My controll of microbial bad actors like Brett and Acetobacter focuses on nurturing a microbiome rich in beneficials which out-compete the bad guys. This is a very tricky business which doesn’t work everywhere, but we have been blessed with a cellar that favors the good guys that deprive the bad guys of essential micronutrients and also produce profound bottle bouquet, the sulfite-free Humboldt Meritage being a great case in point.
In my view, Brett is an opportunistic pathogen – i.e. a hospital disease caused by draconian sanitation procedures like ozone, Velcorin and excessive SO2 that knock out the beneficials. Sulfite-free wines seldom exhibit Brett characteristics.
@winesmith Do the monomeric diphenols from the PS help increase the extraction of color or monomeric tannins or something? (Sorry if I’m talking absolute nonsense, I have no chemistry background so a lot of this is about the same as me picking up the rules of FTL in a sci-fi show).
I’m working my way through your book and between that and today’s offering, it’s connecting with some other things I’ve learned - like I know that you get much darker Pinot if you coferment it with 3% chardonnay, which was explained to me as being a product of “cofactors and copigmentations” - again, something I have accepted as the over-my-head explanation for something I’ve seen in action, so is the thing with PS and Zin similar?
(Also, while I’m asking questions, are any of the wines on offer today a good example of what you were talking about w/r/t wines needing to have a bit of a reductive phase/awkward teenage period? I have been struggling a bit more to accept it but I’d love to try one that’s proof in action).
Anthocyanins (monomeric color by definition) are hydrophobic and thus cannot extract into red must except at the level of a light rose. They also have positive charges, so they can’t ring-stack on their own. They need an uncharged monomeric phenol to sandwich between them in a one-to-one ratio. Zinfandel is lacking in these, but PS has boatloads, especially when a touch under-ripe, so we ferment them together. Aromatic white skins have high monomeric phenols as well, so Viognier, Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc and some Chardonnays are good copigmenters.
The PV and especially the Humboldt Merritage are definitely closed and reductive when first opened, and can benefit from a day to a week of aerative decanting and breathing.
@winesmith thank you! This stuff is endlessly fascinating. I definitely have your class bookmarked for when I’m finally putting this year’s harvest to bed. Do you think you’ll offer it in person again at some point?
@winesmith also, hmm, on varietals and monomeric phenols, is this something that varies a lot with terroir/etc? Or is it more clone dependant? I got some zin grapes this year from Roger King over in Suisun this year, and the wine is fairly similar in flavor/brix/acids/vine age but much much lighter in color than the wine I was making from Zin I was getting over in southern Napa , so I’ve been wondering.
@novium Well, of course. These characteristics vary from place to place, season to season, reflect farming methods such as water availability and canopy manipulation harvest maturity as well as (as we have been discussing) the co-facters employed during fermentation, which might include PS or Alicanta Bouchet as well as untoasted, well cured oak chips.
Roger is a darned good farmer. There may be a lot more color than is visible at this age, as monomeric anthocyanin is only about 20% visible at wine pH. Try acidifying a sample to pH 2. If you have some 25% sulfuric or phosphoric acid lying around, add 5 mls to 50 mls of wine and you’ll be shocked at how much color you really have.
@novium Never say never. I’m 71 and it’s getting hard on my body to stand up for 16 hours. That said, I’m presenting on Part 1 on June 1st and Part 2 on June 4th wrapped around the Winemaker Magazine Annual Meeting on June 2-3 in Eugene Oregon next summer.
I can’t imagine why anybody would prefer the in-person class. It’s like drinking from a firehose for 16 hours plus there isn’t time for all the material. I do include a password to the online version as part of your enrollment so you can use it as a reference. It’s broken into 100 short episodes that you can review at leisure. Check it out at www.modernwinechemistry.com.
I had the PV & Norton in a previous offer, here are my notes from those:
2018 WineSmith Petit Verdot, Hidden Spring Vineyard, Alexander Valley
Big, opaque purple, slow legs Nose of cherry, pepper, spice, some jamminess (reminded me of a zin), vanilla, every time I smell it I get something new Huge moisture pulling tannins on first taste, a hint of alcohol, and a finish of jolly rancher (?!??)
After 30 mins a softer entry, the jolly rancher is gone, but not a lot of evolution 2nd day the nose picked up some shingles/slate, taste picked up the tar, smooth dark cherry, and some currant. A bit of a bitter finish.
2018 WineSmith Norton, Heringer Estate Vineyards, Yolo County
Strangely some tiny bubbles form when you swirl it in the glass Nose smells like Petite Sirah, big dark fruit, I wish I could drown myself in the glass it smells so good Taste is a little less pronounced, some astringency on the finish, mild to medium tannins, but not much layering. Not quite as nice at the Verdot.
30 minutes in glass, similar taste but a bit of pruny fruit. Much nicer entry, some perception of sweetness (but it’s not sweet), some pepper and brambles, again reminds me a bit of a zin.
2nd day hasn’t picked up a ton, tannins are completely resolved, a bit of oakiness / vanilla / cedar and opens up to be much more luscious.
These were nice, and I hadn’t expected a completely random 6 pack so I’ll have to think a bit more now. I’d peg the pricing at 20-25 a bottle CM price so the price looks spot on.
Due to Hurricane Ian and damage to our condo in Florida I’m not in a position to buy or store any wine right now…otherwise, I’d be all over this and buy a box.
2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage
Hey Everyone! My bottle has come in! I received the Meritage and I went ahead and opened it as soon as I got it home so I could get this rattage up as soon as possible!
First sniffs: I get a lot dark fruit hitting my nose especially some currant and some creaminess that I have decided to call caramel. I pour some into a glass and swirl it around to get some air and I am still pulling lots of fruit, that caramelly smell and now something close to allspice and the back end, but not too heavy.
Looks: The color is very deep and reads as a muddy ruby in the light (in a good way).
First sips: I was expecting a lot of fruit from the smell and I was wrong! It feels light on the mouth, but still has some heft and the tannins immediately coat my tongue, but they don’t take over my entire mouth. I do get some dark fruit without the sugar and it is very herbaceous at the end. I am not picking up any spice at all, though. I let it sit for a bit since I rushed it open and tried it again and the taste stays pretty much the same. This wine is bold enough to stand up to heavy meals while still feeling a little delicate (light? gentle? subtle?). I can see a red lover sipping on this just because.
Overall, I like this wine and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, this would be a welcome addition to the table. I wish I had something rich and fatty to eat with right now. I can imagine having a pasta dish with a heavy, cream sauce or a nice steak and potatoes with this wine. The tannins and flavors in the wine will help clean the palate without overwhelming the mouth. Well, looks like I need to make an adjustment for dinner tonight!
@scenicready Believe it or not, this wine will evolve and improve all the way to Thanksgiving. You could consider just putting the cork back in and checking it out in a week. Sufite-free wines do that.
2019 Winesmith Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, Grist Vineyard
arrived late this afternoon off the UPS truck. I let the bottle settle for a couple of hours and decanted for 15-minutes.
The color is leaner than opaque, more like a slightly unripe black cherry. On the palate this wine bursts with a big hit of cranberry, balsamic vinegar, cedar wood, with a big acid backbone.
The wine has an herbal complexity with a medium length finish and imparts all red fruits, including a dose of raspberry.
The producer mentions that this is age-able “for decades” and given the backbone I’d imagine one indeed could age this for a while, though it’s currently drinking very young.
I’m impressed with the French styling of this wine, no recipe winemaking here with over extracted fruit or added residual sugar. This is a strong effort with a neutral oak aging program. This Zinfandel really screams out to be enjoyed with food. I’d pair a flank steak or mushroom pasta. I’d avoid red sauce as the acidity may not match well with the backbone of this wine.
I’ll check back in to provide some other notes in a couple of hours. I think this should have had at least a couple hour decant before enjoying, given it’s age. For those looking for a quality, well-made Zinfandel, from a fantastic location (Italians settled in the Dry Creek Valley and it has a history of fine expressions of the Primitivo (Zinfandel) grape!
@lastgoodbye After a few hours of decant, the wine has softened a bit, has a really nice bouquet on the nose now, and has offered more of a red earth and mineral complexity and a more lengthy finish. I actually think this Zinfandel would be a perfect Thanksgiving wine, if you can give it a decant. It should also reward those with the patience to put this away for a couple of years. All-in-all, a quality wine from a fantastic region.
@lastgoodbye Check out my recipe for keto-friendly gorgonzola sauce pasta on my cooking show “Gracious Living In the Time of Corona” that I invented for this wine.
@lastgoodbye A balanced, well structured, Zinfandel does magical things in the cellar. They age like Rieslings, acquiring a sexy bouquet of bay leaf and petrol. The '68 Deaver Vineyard and the '72 Clos du Val are still very much alive today - really wonderful wines. It’s such a shame that most Zins have migrated to this hot, jammy style that doesn’t age worth beans.
@InVinoVeritas <pendant> That’s not a centaur. Centaurs (if they existed) would have the head of a man and the body of a horse. I think that’s more properly a minotaur </penant>
It’s seriously good, like makes me rethink petit Verdot good. My only previous pv was a Pahlmeyer pv and that was really bad. Super green and undrinkable to me.
This was nothing like that. I just opened it and it’s amazing. Initial aroma was dark brambly fruits and no alcohol. This quickly gave way to a light tar smell. Just a hint like your neighbor way down the street was roofing. It’s enjoyable though.
Onto the early sips with no food, it’s tannic and acidic but not in a bad way. The tannins dry the tongue slightly but not so much screaming I need another 5 years to even be approached. The acid is mouth watering and screams for some fat. (I’m about to cook some white tailed deer backstrap) I’m getting dark cherries and a slight taste of that tar, which is again a good thing. There’s a zip that I guess is that Clark minerality.
I’ll come back after dinner but suffice to say this is good.
@sdfreedive after dinner report.
Nose is more dark fruits less tar. It went decently with the deer but I think a fattier cut would have been more ideal. Flavor wise the cherry is still as is the grippy tar. Good wine now interesting to see where it goes in a few years, I’m intrigued to see if the tannins settle even more.
@sdfreedive What a wonderful descriptor: “like your neighbor way down the street is roofing.” That is exactly what this wine’s nuance is like, and I’m definitely going to steal it!
@ScottHarveyWine Hi Scott! Thanks for chiming in. I’m really curious what you make of the Grist Vineyard Zin, which is in a style similar to your Mountain selection. Let me know when you crack it.
I bought 2 cases of the 2013 Meritage when it was offered here a few years ago; should have bought 3, everybody loved it.
I’ve also had the PV in the last year (not sure what year it was bottled), it was big, inky and delicious. I don’t keep notes, but if pressed I would say it reminded me of a great PS without the grape-iness. Definitely no green-pepper, vegetative notes, that I recall.
The '13 Lake County Meritage is a lovely wine, but it’s nothing compared to the '14 Humboldt Meritage we’re offering here, which is much denser and extremely profound. It’s not quite Crucible, but very close.
I have enjoyed every Winesmith purchase to date, going back to the Faux Chablis that changed my wife’s and my understanding of what wine could be. Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately, as we see it), we have three children in really good colleges, and $25/bottle wine is out of our reach…until May, when our daughter graduates (and she already has a job lined up!!!). So, regretfully, this is a pass. Good thing I have a couple of bottles of previous Norton and Meritage offerings, as well as a couple of Two Jakes non-sulfite wine. Oh, and a bottle of Winesmith sparkling wine that we saved for that graduation
In for a case, probably will regret not getting 2.
Enjoyed the mixed red case(s) the wines were delicious. I keep an empty bottle of the WS Malbec on my cute little display next to the White Hall Lane between the Iron Horse and Quintessa.
2019 WineSmith Norton, Yolo County
Tasting Notes
Specs
2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage, Humboldt County
Tasting Notes
Specs
2019 WineSmith Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2018 WineSmith Petite Verdot, Alexander Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$600/Case for 3x 2014 WineSmith Meritage + 3x 2019 WineSmith Norton + 3x 2019 WineSmith Zinfandel + 3x 2018 WineSmith Petite Verdot at WineSmith Wines
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 5 - Thursday, Dec 8
WineSmith Majestic Red Mix
4 bottles for $109.99 $27.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $289.99 $24.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Norton
2014 Meritage
2019 Zinfandel
2018 Petite Verdot
Greetings, my casemates homies!
I’m excited to be among you, particularly with this unique offer. I’ve been with WineDavid’s crew for many years and perhaps fifty sales, but this is the first time we’ve trotted out out top reserve wines in a sampler four-pack.
We’ve had logistics problems getting out Lab Rat samples, so we won’t hear from them until halfway through the offer at the earliest. Thus I have a request.
Some of you will already be familiar with the 2019 Grist Vineyard Zinfandel and 2018 Petit Verdot from prior offers. If so, please post your notes from past experience.
Gratefully,
Clark
@winesmith hi Clark! I’m one of those lab rats waiting to see what shows up (if anything).
Enjoyed the Petit Verdot enough that I bought more from you directly. Haven’t had the Norton yet.
@klezman All I can tell you is that if you liked the 2018 Norton, you’ll love the 2019. Very similar style and a little richer.
@winesmith I’m also a rat waiting on a bottle, but I bought a similar mix to this one in the past so I’m excited to see what I get! I also have one bottle of the Unicorn left that may get opened soon…
@scenicready The Unicorn was a really great project and will be missed, unlikely to be repeated. I managed to save 10 bottles for myself and I really want to see what happens to it in terms of bottle bouquet over a few years, but I don’t like my chances of resisting temptation until that happens.
@scenicready That being said, the Humboldt 2014 Meritage is right now the very essence of profound bottle bouquet at this very moment. For those of you who (like me in my youth) are uncertain what the big deal is all about, treat yourself to this wine. All shall thus be revealed.
@winesmith How does the 2019 Norton compare to the 2017 Norton that was in an earlier (11/9/19) offering?
When I received that case, I tried the wines and was very unimpressed with the 2017 Norton. But I just opened one of the remaining bottles and it is luscious, velvet on the tongue, developing into a pleasantly acidic tart berry (red currant?) flavor, and finishing with a long reprise of the smooth, velvety feel and a pleasant darker berry (mulberry?) flavor. Is it typical of Nortons to change a lot with just a few years of age?
@DickL Yes, that seems to be how it goes. The acid needs time to integrate. I learned that lesson with the 2017 (our first vintage), and now we wait an extra year for them to mellow just as you describe.
In for just a 4-pack due to extremely limited storage space, but it was interesting having NM be the only highlighted state on the map for a few moments.
No shipping to KS this time? I’ve had several other Winesmith orders in the past.
Indeed! @winesmith say it ain’t so!
If anyone on the Missouri side of Kansas City wants to be a ‘mate, I’d love to get some from you. I’d pick up a full case for myself, if I were able to.
@winesmith @worbx @dirtdoctor I can order wine for you and have it shipped to my office in Missouri. I have free shipping too. Not sure when the wine will be shipped but I’ll be out of town until Nov 28 to Dec 10. We can meet when I return from my trip. Just let me know.
@JamesinKC I’m in! I’d love it if you’d be willing to order a full case for me. Thank you for the offer!
@worbx Grabbed a case for you. I’ll let you know when it arrives.
@JamesinKC thank you much, sir!
@worbx I’m back from vacation. Text me and we’ll figure out a place to meet up. My cell is 415-320-0407. Thanks!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings).
WineSmith Majestic Red Mix - $40 = 12.12%
Usually not much out in the stratosphere on these wines (however I’m sure Clark uses ozone somehow right??) but Reverse Wine Snob offered up the 2019 Zinfandel Grist this past July, 3-pack $75:
“A strong, enticing dark berry fruit aroma leads the way on the 2019 Winesmith Dry Creek Valley Grist Vineyard Zinfandel and is joined by wonderful, savory touches of licorice, spice, and even some dried herbs and balsamic. It almost smells like an aged Rioja!
Tasting reveals a dry, savory and utterly delicious Zin. Full of deep flavors, it is beautifully balanced with just 13.5% alcohol has no heat at all (as opposed to many other big and over the top Zins pushing 16% alcohol). Add in a smooth and silky mouthfeel, gorgeous structure and wonderfully integrated spice to go with the dark berry, brambly fruit and this is really something special.
It ends dry, a bit grippy and extremely long with lasting spice notes and even a little minerality. It’s so terribly drinkable right now it hurts but according to Clark this can age for “several decades”. Good luck resisting it for that long! We did manage to save a bit to taste on day 2 and it was just as good.”
Note the specs say 100% Zinfandel, but Clark mentions cofermented with Petite Sirah, and rws mentions this too with the mix being 90/10.
Previous offer with zin and petit verdot notes
fwiw
@kaolis
10% Petite Sirah is correct. It’s cofermented because Zin lacks the monomeric diphenols necessary to form extractive co-pigmentation colloids. (This only works at low ABV.)
This is a trick I learned from Paul Draper. I like his York Creek PS so well that I asked him why he only rarely releases it. He said he puts some in every Zin he makes, and there’s seldom any left over for a varietal bottling.
@kaolis Actually, I’m not a big fan of ozone. My controll of microbial bad actors like Brett and Acetobacter focuses on nurturing a microbiome rich in beneficials which out-compete the bad guys. This is a very tricky business which doesn’t work everywhere, but we have been blessed with a cellar that favors the good guys that deprive the bad guys of essential micronutrients and also produce profound bottle bouquet, the sulfite-free Humboldt Meritage being a great case in point.
In my view, Brett is an opportunistic pathogen – i.e. a hospital disease caused by draconian sanitation procedures like ozone, Velcorin and excessive SO2 that knock out the beneficials. Sulfite-free wines seldom exhibit Brett characteristics.
@kaolis @winesmith This explanation of sulfite-free made me buy
@winesmith Do the monomeric diphenols from the PS help increase the extraction of color or monomeric tannins or something? (Sorry if I’m talking absolute nonsense, I have no chemistry background so a lot of this is about the same as me picking up the rules of FTL in a sci-fi show).
I’m working my way through your book and between that and today’s offering, it’s connecting with some other things I’ve learned - like I know that you get much darker Pinot if you coferment it with 3% chardonnay, which was explained to me as being a product of “cofactors and copigmentations” - again, something I have accepted as the over-my-head explanation for something I’ve seen in action, so is the thing with PS and Zin similar?
(Also, while I’m asking questions, are any of the wines on offer today a good example of what you were talking about w/r/t wines needing to have a bit of a reductive phase/awkward teenage period? I have been struggling a bit more to accept it but I’d love to try one that’s proof in action).
@novium
Anthocyanins (monomeric color by definition) are hydrophobic and thus cannot extract into red must except at the level of a light rose. They also have positive charges, so they can’t ring-stack on their own. They need an uncharged monomeric phenol to sandwich between them in a one-to-one ratio. Zinfandel is lacking in these, but PS has boatloads, especially when a touch under-ripe, so we ferment them together. Aromatic white skins have high monomeric phenols as well, so Viognier, Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc and some Chardonnays are good copigmenters.
The PV and especially the Humboldt Merritage are definitely closed and reductive when first opened, and can benefit from a day to a week of aerative decanting and breathing.
@novium If you’d like to improve your game, you might be interested in my online class,
Winemaking Fun-damentals Made Easy.
@winesmith thank you! This stuff is endlessly fascinating. I definitely have your class bookmarked for when I’m finally putting this year’s harvest to bed. Do you think you’ll offer it in person again at some point?
@winesmith also, hmm, on varietals and monomeric phenols, is this something that varies a lot with terroir/etc? Or is it more clone dependant? I got some zin grapes this year from Roger King over in Suisun this year, and the wine is fairly similar in flavor/brix/acids/vine age but much much lighter in color than the wine I was making from Zin I was getting over in southern Napa , so I’ve been wondering.
@novium Well, of course. These characteristics vary from place to place, season to season, reflect farming methods such as water availability and canopy manipulation harvest maturity as well as (as we have been discussing) the co-facters employed during fermentation, which might include PS or Alicanta Bouchet as well as untoasted, well cured oak chips.
Roger is a darned good farmer. There may be a lot more color than is visible at this age, as monomeric anthocyanin is only about 20% visible at wine pH. Try acidifying a sample to pH 2. If you have some 25% sulfuric or phosphoric acid lying around, add 5 mls to 50 mls of wine and you’ll be shocked at how much color you really have.
@novium Never say never. I’m 71 and it’s getting hard on my body to stand up for 16 hours. That said, I’m presenting on Part 1 on June 1st and Part 2 on June 4th wrapped around the Winemaker Magazine Annual Meeting on June 2-3 in Eugene Oregon next summer.
I can’t imagine why anybody would prefer the in-person class. It’s like drinking from a firehose for 16 hours plus there isn’t time for all the material. I do include a password to the online version as part of your enrollment so you can use it as a reference. It’s broken into 100 short episodes that you can review at leisure. Check it out at www.modernwinechemistry.com.
I had the PV & Norton in a previous offer, here are my notes from those:
In for a case!
I can’t resist a mixed case of Winesmith stars.
/giphy paramount-gourmet-whip
Due to Hurricane Ian and damage to our condo in Florida I’m not in a position to buy or store any wine right now…otherwise, I’d be all over this and buy a box.
@rpm Hopefully it’s not as serious as it sounds like it may be…
@rjquillin @rpm agreed. Hope getting it fixed isn’t too difficult.
2014 WineSmith Roman Reserve Meritage
Hey Everyone! My bottle has come in! I received the Meritage and I went ahead and opened it as soon as I got it home so I could get this rattage up as soon as possible!
First sniffs: I get a lot dark fruit hitting my nose especially some currant and some creaminess that I have decided to call caramel. I pour some into a glass and swirl it around to get some air and I am still pulling lots of fruit, that caramelly smell and now something close to allspice and the back end, but not too heavy.
Looks: The color is very deep and reads as a muddy ruby in the light (in a good way).
First sips: I was expecting a lot of fruit from the smell and I was wrong! It feels light on the mouth, but still has some heft and the tannins immediately coat my tongue, but they don’t take over my entire mouth. I do get some dark fruit without the sugar and it is very herbaceous at the end. I am not picking up any spice at all, though. I let it sit for a bit since I rushed it open and tried it again and the taste stays pretty much the same. This wine is bold enough to stand up to heavy meals while still feeling a little delicate (light? gentle? subtle?). I can see a red lover sipping on this just because.
Overall, I like this wine and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, this would be a welcome addition to the table. I wish I had something rich and fatty to eat with right now. I can imagine having a pasta dish with a heavy, cream sauce or a nice steak and potatoes with this wine. The tannins and flavors in the wine will help clean the palate without overwhelming the mouth. Well, looks like I need to make an adjustment for dinner tonight!
@scenicready Believe it or not, this wine will evolve and improve all the way to Thanksgiving. You could consider just putting the cork back in and checking it out in a week. Sufite-free wines do that.
@winesmith Thanks for the pro-tip!
2019 Winesmith Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, Grist Vineyard
arrived late this afternoon off the UPS truck. I let the bottle settle for a couple of hours and decanted for 15-minutes.
The color is leaner than opaque, more like a slightly unripe black cherry. On the palate this wine bursts with a big hit of cranberry, balsamic vinegar, cedar wood, with a big acid backbone.
The wine has an herbal complexity with a medium length finish and imparts all red fruits, including a dose of raspberry.
The producer mentions that this is age-able “for decades” and given the backbone I’d imagine one indeed could age this for a while, though it’s currently drinking very young.
I’m impressed with the French styling of this wine, no recipe winemaking here with over extracted fruit or added residual sugar. This is a strong effort with a neutral oak aging program. This Zinfandel really screams out to be enjoyed with food. I’d pair a flank steak or mushroom pasta. I’d avoid red sauce as the acidity may not match well with the backbone of this wine.
I’ll check back in to provide some other notes in a couple of hours. I think this should have had at least a couple hour decant before enjoying, given it’s age. For those looking for a quality, well-made Zinfandel, from a fantastic location (Italians settled in the Dry Creek Valley and it has a history of fine expressions of the Primitivo (Zinfandel) grape!
@lastgoodbye After a few hours of decant, the wine has softened a bit, has a really nice bouquet on the nose now, and has offered more of a red earth and mineral complexity and a more lengthy finish. I actually think this Zinfandel would be a perfect Thanksgiving wine, if you can give it a decant. It should also reward those with the patience to put this away for a couple of years. All-in-all, a quality wine from a fantastic region.
@lastgoodbye Check out my recipe for keto-friendly gorgonzola sauce pasta on my cooking show “Gracious Living In the Time of Corona” that I invented for this wine.
@lastgoodbye @winesmith Gorgonzola AND mushrooms AND prosciutto? I’m in. Gonna have to try this one!
@lastgoodbye A balanced, well structured, Zinfandel does magical things in the cellar. They age like Rieslings, acquiring a sexy bouquet of bay leaf and petrol. The '68 Deaver Vineyard and the '72 Clos du Val are still very much alive today - really wonderful wines. It’s such a shame that most Zins have migrated to this hot, jammy style that doesn’t age worth beans.
@winesmith Well said.
In for a case, looks awesome!
/giphy answer-nominal-mine
LEGOS! EGGOS! STRATEGO! AWESOME!
In for 4, drowning in wine, but sulfite-free sounds great.
/giphy humdrum-bitty-centaur
@InVinoVeritas Now that’s a real-estate agency I would go for!
No Bull.
Oh, wait…
@InVinoVeritas <pendant> That’s not a centaur. Centaurs (if they existed) would have the head of a man and the body of a horse. I think that’s more properly a minotaur </penant>
@InVinoVeritas Can I still be a pedant if I misspell “pedant”?
Hey I got the
WineSmith 2018 Petit Verdot
It’s seriously good, like makes me rethink petit Verdot good. My only previous pv was a Pahlmeyer pv and that was really bad. Super green and undrinkable to me.
This was nothing like that. I just opened it and it’s amazing. Initial aroma was dark brambly fruits and no alcohol. This quickly gave way to a light tar smell. Just a hint like your neighbor way down the street was roofing. It’s enjoyable though.
Onto the early sips with no food, it’s tannic and acidic but not in a bad way. The tannins dry the tongue slightly but not so much screaming I need another 5 years to even be approached. The acid is mouth watering and screams for some fat. (I’m about to cook some white tailed deer backstrap) I’m getting dark cherries and a slight taste of that tar, which is again a good thing. There’s a zip that I guess is that Clark minerality.
I’ll come back after dinner but suffice to say this is good.
@sdfreedive after dinner report.
Nose is more dark fruits less tar. It went decently with the deer but I think a fattier cut would have been more ideal. Flavor wise the cherry is still as is the grippy tar. Good wine now interesting to see where it goes in a few years, I’m intrigued to see if the tannins settle even more.
@sdfreedive What a wonderful descriptor: “like your neighbor way down the street is roofing.” That is exactly what this wine’s nuance is like, and I’m definitely going to steal it!
I always like and enjoy Clark’s well made wines. I’m in. I am running low on his wines. Like to always have them in my cellar.
Cheers,
Scott
@ScottHarveyWine Hi Scott! Thanks for chiming in. I’m really curious what you make of the Grist Vineyard Zin, which is in a style similar to your Mountain selection. Let me know when you crack it.
I bought 2 cases of the 2013 Meritage when it was offered here a few years ago; should have bought 3, everybody loved it.
I’ve also had the PV in the last year (not sure what year it was bottled), it was big, inky and delicious. I don’t keep notes, but if pressed I would say it reminded me of a great PS without the grape-iness. Definitely no green-pepper, vegetative notes, that I recall.
@knotworking
The '13 Lake County Meritage is a lovely wine, but it’s nothing compared to the '14 Humboldt Meritage we’re offering here, which is much denser and extremely profound. It’s not quite Crucible, but very close.
Case ordered. I have a few of the PV kicking around from another offer but the others in this pack are very intriguing.
/giphy watchful-logical-flavor
I have enjoyed every Winesmith purchase to date, going back to the Faux Chablis that changed my wife’s and my understanding of what wine could be. Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately, as we see it), we have three children in really good colleges, and $25/bottle wine is out of our reach…until May, when our daughter graduates (and she already has a job lined up!!!). So, regretfully, this is a pass. Good thing I have a couple of bottles of previous Norton and Meritage offerings, as well as a couple of Two Jakes non-sulfite wine. Oh, and a bottle of Winesmith sparkling wine that we saved for that graduation
Yikes! Don’t want to miss out on this one- especially with the Roman inclusion- thanks, Clark! In for a case.
/giphy omnipotent-selective-assassin
In for a case, probably will regret not getting 2.
Enjoyed the mixed red case(s) the wines were delicious. I keep an empty bottle of the WS Malbec on my cute little display next to the White Hall Lane between the Iron Horse and Quintessa.