Calicaro Barrel Sample Tasting at Soby's

We received four barrel samples of wine and one finished wine this past Wednesday. On Thursday I took them in to Soby's, a great restaurant here in Greenville, and popped corks for a tasting with the Soby's and Devereaux's management and with a possible wine distributor.

All of the barrel samples showed really well, especially considering they had been in barrel for only a few months and had then traveled cross country. Things went really well. Everyone liked the wines, some of them alot. Soby's asked me to stick around and pour for their wait staff at their evening "lineup" which is a meeting at which they talk about the evening menu specials, etc.

For me, and many others, the killer sample at this point was the 667 clone from a Francois Freres barrel for our "Paris Mountain" Lone Oak Pinot. Velvety tannins, sumptuous dark cherry and berry flavors, long finish. It was already tasting like a finished and ready to drink Pinot.

Another favorite was the Annahala (Hayley) Vineyard Pinot from Anderson Valley, our only finished wine at this point. This was bottled in 08 and now has about about 6 months of bottle age. Wonderfully fresh taste and feel, light on its feet, zingy acidity, red fruit, especially raspberries and cranberries showing. It tastes like a spring day.

The Sonoma Coast samples were a 667 clone in a Francois Frere barrel and an 828/115 clone co-ferment from a Remond barrel. Both excellent also but not quite tasting like finished wines at this early point.

We finished off with the Napa Cabernet from a Taransaud barrel. Big, dark, more extracted of course than the Pinots, with plenty of solid structure but not having that maximum-pucker-I'll-tell-you-when I'm- ready-which-will-be-about-15-years-from-now feel. We could tell already that this will be drinking really well upon release after another 18 months or so in French oak. Just the way we like 'em.

Cheers,
Dave
Calicaro Wine