June 2007 Wine Tasting Notes.
2004 Jekel Cabernet sauvignon, Central Coast.
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This wine is a deep, inky garnet color with a purple edge. On the nose, it offers medium intensity plum aromas backed by light vanilla and caramel and notes of coffee and graphite. In the mouth, medium intensity plum dominates, accented by notes of mineral and graphite. There is a good structure to the wine owing to healthy, well-proportioned tannins as well as well adequate acidity. The alcohol is a bit warm and contributes to a full body. The finish is medium-length, juicy but dry with some heat. |
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13.8% Alcohol $14.99 Retail (from winery); 8,000 cases produced |
Uncomplicated and easy drinking, this generous Cabernet with good structure should enjoy wide appeal and pair well with red meats for another 5 or 6 years. BOTTOM LINE: Good, with appealing characteristics. Recommended. |
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| Supplemental/Repeat tasting: None. | ||
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More Jekel Vineyards reviews. More on the Central Coast AVA |
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Production | Grapes | Producer | Vineyard | Vintage
Composition: 99% Cabernet sauvignon and 1% Petite Syrah sourced from various vineyards, including some in Paso Robles Vineyards: Frankel, Robert Hall and Steinbeck. 40% of the wine was aged in new American and Hungarian oak for 14 months. The remainder of the cooperage was French oak, 33% one year old and the remainder, neutral.
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)
Petite Syrah was developed in the Rhône Valley in the 1870s as a cross between Syrah and Peloursin. Francois Durif (working in a nursery in the the Rhône Valley) gave this grape its eponymous name himself. The grape’s deeply colored, very tannic wines and hence the motto: “There is nothing petite about Petite Syrah” has come to be commonly heard in tasting rooms and read in wine articles. The high tannins and high acidity, in combination, lay the foundation for considerable longevity as well as a common choice for "beefing up" some blends . While some may find it a lot less distinctive that Pinot Noir or Cabernet, it expresses dense blackberry and black pepper. (read more)
Bill Jekel founded his eponymous winery in 1972. The winery is located near Greenfield, in the Arroyo Seco AVA. He released his first wines from the 1978 vintage. The winery and its vineyards were acquired by Brown-Forman who then closed the winery in 2005, moving red wine production to a larger, company-owned Paso Robles facility and white wine vinification to Hopland (at the Fetzer facility - also owned by Brown-Forman). As is the case with such large acquisitions, the winery was sold in 2006 as were the vineyards providing the fruit for Jekel wines. The plan, currently, is to continue sourcing Monterey fruit after the current arrangements for fruit from Gravelstone and Sanctuary Vineyards run out. New vineyard sources have not yet been identified.
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.
Steinbeck Vineyards is a 500-acre property between Union Road and Highway 46, east of Huerhuero Creek, Highway 101 and the city of Paso Robles. It has been in the Steinbeck family (no indication of connection to the Author) hands and farmed since 1880s. It was first planted to wine grapes in 1982. That initial 50-acre planting of Cabernet sauvignon continues to provide old vine fruit to several area wineries. The soils in the vineyard are deep, composed of a mixture of sandy loam and clay and silt with good drainage. Ranging from flat to low, gently rolling hills the site enjoys warm to hot days and cool nights. A day-to-night (diurnal) variation of 50 degrees Fahrenheit is attributable to a marine influence which makes its way from the Templeton Gap to the west. The vineyard is managed with sustainable practices, with canopy and crop management intended to keep yields in the 3 to 5 ton per acre range and offering flexibility to suit a winemaker’s requirements. Currently, the varieties in the vineyard are: Barbera, Cabernet sauvignon, Carignane, Merlot, Muscat cannelli, Petite syrah, Primitivo, Roussanne, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Touriga, Viognier and Zinfandel.
The 120-acre Frankel Vineyards sits east of Highway 101, south of 46, on the west bank of Huerhuero Creek. Purchased by Dr. Warren Frankel in 1979, the property was initially planted to 20 acres of pistachios and 20 acres of Cabernet sauvignon soon thereafter. 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 huge Paso Robles AVA – near Shandon, at the foot of the Diablo and Temblor mountain ranges. With origins as sandy marine sediment, the calcareous Huerhuero soils of the gently rolling hills of the vineyard are moderately deep, consisting of and a mixture of clay, chalky elements, gravel, limestone, loam and sand. In 1997, the ranch was expanded with a subsequent planting of more Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Viognier. In 2006, the Frankels began building a winery facility for their Sculptera label, scheduled to open in October of 2007.
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
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Color |
5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
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Aging potential |
3 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
(10 points max) |
Cumulative Score: 89
Rating System & Scoring Criteria explained
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