Hourglass 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon: Blueline Estate and Classic.

One of the great things about wine is that everyone is constantly learning.  Today, I discovered an excellent, terroir-driven, Cabernet Sauvignon producer that I'd never heard of.  Hourglass Winery.  This luxury, small-production winery is located as the area where the Napa Valley "pinches" to its smallest point - hence the name.

First released in 1997, Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon has held its own with the great "Cult Cabs" of Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle, but this was under Pride Mountain and Paloma superstar winemaker Bob Foley.  2012 starts the winemaking reign of Anthony Biagi - formerly of Duckhorn, Plumpjack, and Cade.

I visited Hourglass Winery at their Blueline Estate Facility for classes related to The Wine and Spirits MBA program, but also got an advance taste of the new 2012 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignons.  Here is what I thought.

Hourglass 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Blueline Estate.'  "Dark red fruits and hard crushed stone. A low acid wine but with big serious minerality. A stone monster that is awkward now, but certain to mature into an austerely beautiful Napa Cabernet in 5 to 10 years."  94 points.  Approx Retail $125

Hourglass 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate.  "Smooth and complex. The classic Napa Cabernet story. This is chocolate cherry with a bloody meaty red fruit character with even more milk chocolate. Very culty. Lush and classic. Probably will improve with a couple years, but very few will let it get there."  95 points.  Approx Retail $165

Hourglass Cabernets aren't cheap.  Nothing in the Napa Valley really is.  But if, however, you want a small production, high-quality, estate-bottled, and terroir focuses wine from Napa, this is a heck of a good option.

Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape: A Vertical Tasting of 2008, 2009, 2010, & 2011

The wonderful Chateauneuf-du-Papes of Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe have always been some of my favorite.  The release of the glorious 1998 vintage corresponded to my first few months in the wine business.  Tasting that wine, I was immersed into the wines of the Southern Rhone for the first time. I have been fans of Vieux Telegraphe ever since, so when the opportunity arose to host a vertical tasting of recent vintages at Walt Churchill's Market, I couldn't resist.  The results were surprising and my tasting notes are after the picture.

If you aren't familiar with Vieux Telegraphe, visit Kermit Lynch Imports Website.

If you aren't familiar with Vieux Telegraphe, visit Kermit Lynch Imports Website.

Three bottles of each wine were opened for the tasting.  They were given 2 hours of time to open.  I tasted across all three bottles throughout the night, with consistent tasting notes.  All wines sell for $89.99 each in Ohio.

Vieux Telegraphe 2008 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  "Sadly, this 2008 was one of the weakest tasting versions of VT that I've yet come across. It was prematurely old with very minimal tannins or acid. The fruit came off kind of stewed and it was very far into secondary flavors of leather, tobacco, vanilla, caramel, and dark smooth red fruits. Decent length to the finish, but this is wine that is peaking.  It is unlikely that this wine will improve with time.  It wasn't bad, but I always expect better from Vieux Telegraphe - and have never been disappointed until today."  88 points.

Vieux Telegraphe 2009 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  "This is a sexy beast!  Very luscious sexy Grenache fruit. Scrumptous pure hedonism, but kept in check by very well integrated acidity. One of the best young VTs that I've ever tasted. After 2 hours open, firm powerful tannins emerge from the fruit and give me great hopes for the longevity of this wine.  If you are looking for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape to drink tonight and also in a decade, this is your choice."  96 points.

Vieux Telegraphe 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  "One of the best Young Chateaneufs I've ever tasted!  This has all of the amazingly sexy fruit of the 2009, but elevates to another level with strong serious framing tannins. Red fruits dominate with serious purity and black fruits slide in to add complexity. This is a beautiful long-lasting wine.  This is a wine that received serious accolades from the wine press ... and deserved them all.  It reminds me of the 1998."  98 points.

Vieux Telegraphe 2011 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  "Young and aggressive. Probably a lot of Syrah and Mourvedre because I tasted smoked meat, white pepper, hard black plum, some garrigue. All that was spices in a pure hard Grenache red-fruit. Not very sophisticated for VT, but solid wine.  This something that I would have to revisit in a few years.  This could bloom into a wonder, or it could collapse.  Not sure."  91 points.

There is a saying in wine circles that great wineries can make great wine even in the off-vintages. I've said that myself and believed it to be true.  However, this tasting challenged that idea because there was such significant separation between the great vintages of 2009-2010 and the mediocre vintages of 2008-2011.  Even for a great producer like Vieux Telegraphe.

If you are in Ohio, buy your Vieux Telegraphe from Walt Churchill's Market.  But if not, shopping Amazon Links below will help support this website.


Left-Handed Compliments: Tasting 2013 MollyDooker Wines

Seriously?  17% Alcohol in a Merlot?  WTF guys?  Ok, Austin.  Settle down.  

A 'Mollydooker' is Australian slang for a left-handed person.  It is also the name of one of Australia's cult wineries.  Created by Sarah and Sparky Marquis after the disintegration of the relationship between Winemaker Marquis and Importer Dan Philips, MollyDooker exploded into the American wine scene more than a decade ago.  The style was one of extremity: big fruit, big alcohol, big extract, big humorous labels. Buoyed by a glowing 95 point Robert Parker review and a $20 price, MollyDooker's "The Boxer" Shiraz became one of the 'must have' wines of the season.  

ButTimes have changed.  Australian wines have experienced devastating losses in the American market.  Only the low priced Aussie wines seem to be making much of an impact.  Things are also different for Mollydooker.  Prices are up considerably and, while scores are still high, popular taste has moved away from the ultra-ripe style that Mollydooker embodies.

It had been years since I tasted these wines.  So I hosted a tasting at Walt Churchill's Market and tasted the 2013 vintage.  Why so young?  Well these are wines that show their best in their youth and that is how most customers drink them.  The winemakers recommend "The MollyDooker Shake" as shown in the video below.

MollyDooker 2013 "The Maitre D'" Cabernet Sauvignon.  $29.99 OH Retail.  "Crimson black red. Aromas of grape jelly and blood.  The palate is smoke and spice and red jelly.  Some brightness to the fruit and a touch of heat.  Less heat than expected for 15.5% alcohol."  88 points.

MollyDooker 2013 "Two Left Feet."  $29.99 OH Retail.  "A blend of Shiraz, Cab Sav, and Merlot.  A medium dark red color.  Strawberry jelly on the nose.  Burnt cherries and heat in the mouth.  Kinda disjointed.  My least favorite of the set."  82 points.

MollyDooker 2013 "The Boxer" Shiraz.  $29.99 OH Retail.  "This is the wine that built MollyDooker in the marketplace.  Very black center and a dark purple rim.  A nose of dried cherries embedded in dark european chocolate.  Big everything.  Big pepper.  Big spice.  A hard punch of flavor with fruit, oak, and both white and black pepper.  Serious heat."  90 points.

MollyDooker 2013 "The Scooter" Merlot.  $29.99 OH Retail.  "Ruby Red color.  The lightest wine of the bunch.  Smokey hazelnut chocolate nose.  Huge mouthfeel!!!! Waves of undulating alcoholic black jelly.  Burnt toast finish."  88 points.

Mollydooker 2012 Enchanted Path.  $79.99 OH Retail.  "One of the big boys.  A Shiraz-Cabernet blend at 60-40.  Absolute black-purple.  Sweet sexy nose of flower and jelly.  Fresh plums and delicious black cherries.  This is the first of these wines that hasn't been totally jellified.  This is an enormous wine and wears that weight well.  A dry dessert wine.  Excellent but specialized."  93 points.

So, there we are.  What do I think of these wines?  Well... there was a time when these would have been among my favorite wines in the store.  Today?  Probably not.  Maybe I've matured in my palate or maybe tasting thousands of wines per year has biased me towards the unique and the esoteric.  I wouldn't doubt it.

These are high-quality professional wines that know their style and own it proudly.  And for many, these will become beloved wines.  So, if these descriptions sound good you, don't hesitate to pick up some MollyDooker.  And don't forget to do "The MollyDooker Shake."