Home Wine U The Buzz Wine Reviews    December '06   Review Archive   Rating System Calendar Fun Stuff About Us Key Contacts Search FAQ Links		December 2006 Wine Tasting Notes: "Do y'all have any sweet wine?" 2003 Daniel Gehrs Fireside Port, Madera County. A very dark ruby color introduces this wine. The nose is an interplay of butterscotch, blackberries, chocolate and a light smoky note. The palate shows blackberry, cherry, butterscotch and chocolate. Spice notes are not prominent. Bittersweet chocolate brings out a succulent cherry liqueur character.  A medium finish resonates the rich blackberry, cherry and butterscotch core. Alcohol levels are kept in check and the smooth tannins make for a firm but sleek backbone. RWB Score: 93 breakdown 19.0% Alcohol $16.00 Retail (from winery) 375 mL bottles;                 48 cases produced This is a rich, traditional port that leans towards a late bottling style. A broad, dense extraction and classic character offer deep complexity and richness. A sophisticated hedonist with a well-balanced palate of defined fruit on a rich, smooth canvas of chocolate and butterscotch. Enjoy with chocolate or alone - cold weather and fireplace are optional but will no doubt enrich the experience. Kudos to Daniel Gehrs for bringing us a port made with traditional Portuguese varietals. A great value that should drink well for up to 10 more years. Detail   More reviews of Daniel Gehrs Wines Composition: ~90% Tinta Cao and ~10% Touriga Nacional. Aged 28 months in neutral American oak. While Port-styled wine can be made from just about any grape, true Port is made from a combination of eight traditional Portuguese varieties: Mourisco, Sousao, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca and Touriga Nacional (read more). In the making of fortified wine, alcohol (typically brandy) is added to the wine before fermentation ends, the fermentation process stops and the resulting wine is sweet because of residual sugars. If the alcohol were to be added later (typically when fermentation is close to being finished or has completed), the wine will be dry and the result is called Sherry. Traditionally, Port is rich, with alcohol levels generally in the 18% to 20% range. A Tinta Cao - based Port, the 2003 offering from Daniel Gehrs shows dense dominant cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors typical of these two varietals backed by rich butterscotch and chocolate. The spice character seen in some Tinta Cao Ports is not seen here and that may be due to growing region for the grapes. Spice and floral elements are more likely expressed in Tinto Cao when it is grown in cooler climates and the Madera AVA is typically hot. The only Central Coast AVAs reported to grow traditional Port varietals currently are are Monterey and Paso Robles. Despite the challenging and testy weather in the form of unusually heavy spring rains, temperate weather in the summer and early autumn heat in 2003, there was much hope for the leaner 2003 California wine grape crop. Excessive heat affected fruit development for some growers and summer cool spells also delayed maturation in other regions. Early autumn rains followed by cooler temperatures delayed harvest for some growers. The 2003 crop was 5% smaller than the preceding year's according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture in its Preliminary Grape Crush Report. Despite the stresses brought on by weather variations, fruit from the 2003 harvest was intense in color and flavor. Juice chemistry parameters indicated a promising vintage. This was felt to be particularly favorable for Pinot Noir. Chardonnay and Syrah were also reported to be promising. Madera County experienced a relatively long and dry (and no doubt warm) growing season in 2003. Madera County is in California's Central Valley. While our focus is on the central coast, we acknowledge that winemakers in the North Coast and Central Coast will source fruit from outside their appellations. There is still an opportunity in these situations to learn about the world of wine and about the particular winemaker's style. The valley experiences a hot growing region, winters are very cold, allowing the vines to enter dormancy. Over 38,000 acres are planted to wine grapes used, for the most part, in 'jug wines'. Nonetheless, reputable dessert wines and Ports are made from grapes grown in Madera. Daniel Gehrs developed his wine making expertise over the past 3 decades. He initially started making wine at home as a college student. Well armed for the job with a passion and a Political Science degree, he joined Paul Masson Vineyards, Saratoga, in the San Francisco Bay area. After two years there, he and his wife purchased Congress Springs Vineyards and spent sixteen years there making Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from old vines under his own label. Over the next three years, Daniel and wife Robin migrated slowly south until they arrived back in Santa Barbara County and Daniel took on wine making responsibilities at Zaca Mesa. After four years, he left Zaca Mesa. He currently makes wines for several label in addition to his own and is an active consultant to other producers in the area. He sources the fruit for his grapes from all over California. Stylistically, Daniel believes wine should be a companion to food and strives to make his wines food-friendly, with with lower alcohol levels than most producers today. Daniel makes his current releases at the Lucas & Lewellen winery facility in Buellton. Color  5 points Nose  4 points Palate  4 points Finish  3 points Tannins  5 points Acidity  5 points Alcohol  5 points Aging potential  3 points Overall quality  9 points Back to top Rating Scale explained Search our wine reviews archive by: review date, vintage and winery.			Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Click here
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