June 2007 Wine Tasting Notes.
2004 Five Rivers Merlot, Central Coast.
|
|
This wine is a deep ruby garnet color. It offers medium intensity aromas of plum as well as light intensity caramel and notes of brown spices (cinnamon and clove). The plum continues in the mouth at medium intensity with coffee and spice notes. The combination of smooth, fine tannins, restrained alcohol and good acidity make for a soft and medium bodied wine. The medium length finish is dry with plum accented by caramel. |
|
|
13.8% Alcohol $10.99 Retail (from winery); 43,000 cases produced |
A good value, this "mostly Merlot" is straightforward wine with a touch of spice and oak to give the fruit some dimension. It will do well as walk-around wine and as a pair with tritip and BBQ for five more years. BOTTOM LINE: Good, with appealing characteristics. Recommended. |
|
| Supplemental/Repeat tasting: None. | ||
| Tell a friend about this wine |
More Five Rivers reviews. More on the Central Coast AVA |
|
Detail: Production | Producer | Vintage | Grapes | Vineyard
Made of 86% merlot (Bien Nacido, Robert Hall Vineyards as well as unnamed Monterey sources), 11% Cabernet sauvignon (Orsi Vineyard in Sonoma) and 3% Syrah. 100% malolactic fermentation with rack and return as well as pump-overs followed by fining and filtering before bottling.
Part of the Brown-Forman portfolio, Five Rivers Winery, has been making wine since the 1999 vintage. The name refers to the fiver rivers flowing through the Central Coast: the San Benito, Salinas, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Sisquoc Rivers. The labels is focused on producing wines from all parts of the Central Coast, including the 600-acre property in Paso Robles. Steve Peck, is Head Winemaker at Five Rivers. The self-proclaimed former wild child and surfer was turned on to wine (and Pinot noir, in particular) when living in Santa Cruz. While he spends a lot of time in the vineyard tasting the fruit, he delegates more in the cellar until it is time to blend. All Five Rivers wines are closed with synthetic closures. Read More
Merlot has a flavor profile similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, with less distinctive and slightly more herbaceous aromas and flavors. Because of its lower tannins and more forward fruit, it is more approachable than Cabernet Sauvignon. It is beloved by many for its approachability and is a dominant part of California and Bordeaux-style red wines. (read more)
Often called the "King of wines" and one of the 'big five' of Bordeaux reds, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted among the five and, with over 40,000 acres planted in the state, it is the most successful red wine in California. With its reputation for longevity and aging, California winemakers began to take example from their Bordeaux counterparts and blend it with other varietals. Soon, the Meritage Association was formed to foster this movement. It usually usually shows black currant, blackberry and black cherry flavors backed by cedar characteristics. (read more)
Syrah is an ancient variety proven by DNA analysis (in part at U.C. Davis) to be a native of the northern Rhône region of France. Prior to this evidence, its origin was disputed between the Rhône region and that around the Persian city of Shiraz – hence the two names for the grape. Syrah is very tannic, rich, chewy and textured and is typified by high alcohol and a spice-over-fruit character. The latter tends to be more accentuated in cooler climates where the grapes develop a higher skin-to-pulp ratio. Syrah typically shows pepper, licorice, clove, thyme and bay leaf as part of its spice component. The dark fruit typically expressed are blueberries, black currants and blackberries. Syrah may also show cedar or sandalwood notes. As with just about all wines, bottle age brings out terroir and cedar, tobacco, earth and leathery notes. (read more)
100% organic sources from all parts of the Central Coast, including the 600-acre property in Paso Robles.
The Bien Nacido Vineyard is one of Santa Maria Valley's oldest vineyard sites, planted in the 1970's by brothers Bob and Steve (now deceased) a year after the purchase of the property. The land grant where the vineyard is located dates back to 1837. As Nicholas Miller says: "A great full circle though, is that the land grant and the adobe on the ranch belonged to the family of James Ontiveros (our director of sales), eight generations back. He now has Rancho Ontiveros across the valley with his own label - Native 9". The nearly 900 acre vineyard has over 720 acres of fruit in production and bears one of the most formidable reputations in the area with its fruit being sought out by many wine makers. Bien Nacido Vineyard is also one of the major viticultural nurseries for certified varietal budwoods. There are now 3 wineries on the ranch: Qupe and Au Bon Climat, Tantara and Ambullneo. The Vineyard sits on the Santa Maria Bench - the northern bank of the Santa Maria River, at the foot of the San Rafael Mountains. Reaching elevations of 1000 feet, the vineyard has a number of microclimates - from cool to warm enough to grow Merlot. The northwestern portion follows a canyon into the San Rafael Mountains along the Cuyama River. One of the westernmost vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, the vineyard enjoys southwestern sun exposure and is subject to marine influences from the Pacific Ocean just 17 miles to the west. Morning and evening fogs cool the vines while the vineyard's location on the sloping Santa Maria bench gives it some protection form the strong winds blowing through the Santa Maria Valley. The soils of the vineyard are rather varied: well-draining sandy loam, chalk and sedimentary rock. Vines are being currently re-oriented in a north-south orientation to optimize sun exposure and thereby replace the original east-west arrangement. In addition, vine density has been doubled with planting of rows between the previously 12-foot spaced rows. At this time, almost all usable land is under vine, planted to U.C. Davis - certified virus-free vines. Varieties at Bien Nacido include: some 300 acres of Chardonnay, 250 acres of Pinot noir, as well as Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Roussanne, Tocai Friulano, Viognier (10 acres), Barbera, Merlot (30 acres), Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Refosco and Syrah (just over 28 acres). Because over 50 producers rely on Bien Nacido for quality fruit, the vineyard custom farms allotted blocks per specifications of individual producers.
Robert and Margaret Hall founded Robert Hall Winery in 1995 and planted their vineyards soon thereafter. Located on the south side of Highway 46, east of the city of Paso Robles and east of Huerhuero Creek, the property sits on fertile, mixed soils and enjoys warm to hot daytime temperatures. There is still some of the cooling marine effect particularly at night. This comes from the Templeton Gap of the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west. The days are warm, but not as hot as in the vineyards to the east of the AVA – near Shandon, at the foot of the Diablo and Temblor mountain ranges. The soils in this area are nutrient-rich, moderately deep, slightly alkaline and calcareous with shale underlying sandy loam, limestone, clay, gravel and chalky elements. There are several named vineyards on the 300-acre property: Bell Tower, Bench, Estrella Linda, Home, Red-Tail and Terrace. A large wine growing and wine making team works to reduce yields and manage irrigation. The now 12 year old vines on the estate grow 17 varieties on the property are: Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Carignane, Cinsault, Counoise, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Orange Muscat, Picpoul blanc, Roussanne, Sauvignon blanc, Souzao, Syrah, Tinta cão, Touriga, Viognier and Zinfandel.
The Orisi vineyard is a former cattle ranch just west of Healdsburg, in Sonoma’s Dry Creek AVA just west of Healdsburg. Purchased in 1990 and developed thereafter, the property sits on rolling hills with 50 acre planted to Cabernet and Chardonnay on well-draining slopes and valley floor.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards. Read More
Rating
|
Color |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Nose |
3 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Palate |
2 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Finish |
3 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Tannins |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Acidity |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Alcohol |
5 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Aging potential |
2 points |
(5 points max) |
|
|
Overall quality |
8 points |
(10 points max) |
Cumulative Score: 88
Rating System & Scoring Criteria explained
Tell a friend about this wine!
Get the buzz:
-
Wine reviews
-
Great stories
-
Interviews
-
Wine education tools
-
New content every month
It's FREE!
Click here
Get the gear!
Home | Contact Us | About Us | Feedback | Search | Tell a friend
Copyright © 2007 redwinebuzz.com All rights reserved.