Winery - Sheridan Vineyard
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Slightly murky, with vague aromas hinting at green beans and slightly stewed vegetables. It is certainly not a boring wine — it’s got unusual nuances of spicy clove, tart cranberry, sliced orange and mixed citrus. There is a bit more volatility than some tasters will enjoy, but also lots of chocolatey oak, hints of tobacco leaf, and thick, soft tannins.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is a more subtle, and more interesting wine than the winery’s Cab Franc. Here the ripeness seems more stable and balanced, with just the right hints of leaf and bark, and a subtle suggestion of chocolate. The finish is smooth and textural, and a bit of coffee kicks in right at the end; very nice.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
“L’Orage” means “the storm,” acknowledging a big blow that devastated the vineyard in June 2001. Sheridan is a rising star in the valley, and was first selected by Andrew Will’s Chris Camarda for vineyard-designated status some years ago. This is the winery’s own top wine, a cab-heavy Bordeaux blend. Gorgeously smooth and fragrant with sandalwood, cocoa, tobacco and black fruits, it was made by Charlie Hoppes in his silky, generous and seductive style. There is nothing hard, sharp, bitey or bitter, just big, smooth, voluptuous flavors, a generously broad palate and texture texture texture.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Younger and more raw than the 2004 Reserve, this spent 30 months in barrel. The fruit is similar to the ’04, with ripe plum, prune and cherry liqueur. The edges are not quite as smooth as ’04, there is a slight impression of alcohol and a hint of roughness in the tannins. But overall this is a fine companion to the ’04, with a finish that brings in earth flavors of soil, compost and forest floor.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is just 14.2% alcohol, so despite the richness and ripeness, this is not fat or flabby. The fruit has concentrated black cherry and cassis flavors, and the smoky, pain grillé flavors of barrel aging are nicely integrated. Aromatically this wine is just beginning to evolve, with complex plum, prune, cherry liqueur, coffee and smoke.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is 100% new oak (primarily Taransaud, 32 months), and it’s a marvelous example of the grape, the vineyard and the strengths of Washington fruit. The Shafer Hillside Select is the inspiration for the extended barrel aging and the focus on round, sweet tannins. This is a tight wine, with a lovely purity of fruit that captures the cassis, the black cherry, the subtle herbal character of the Cabernet grape. This is from the oldest block in the vineyard—now eight -year-old vines.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
More powerful and potent than the ’04, this simply has more juice, more depth, more power and more detail than any previous Sheridan wine. The fruit is exceptional—dense black cherry and cassis, with a sense of compact layering that promises great aging potential. This was 30 months in oak but does not seem oaky in any way. It already has the balance, the polish and the length to justify long-term cellaring. Tannins are ripe and supple, bringing in hints of dried herb and black olive.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Smells just like blackberry preserves at first, but reveals additional complexity with a little time in the glass, developing hints of pepper and herbs. Ultrasmooth in the mouth—almost a little syrupy in consistency—leading elegantly into a full, creamy-textured finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is two- thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one-third Cabernet Franc, picked at 24 brix. Despite the moderate ripeness it is a substantial effort, opening with aromatic spices and wild cherry fruit, then following with flavors of cured meats, resolving into thick and herbaceous tannins. Upon first opening, the wine is compact and firm, with plenty of acid. Tannins add a chewy, earthy character and the wine shows some suggestions of barnyard and leather in the nose and in the mouth. It’s full-bodied and flavorful, more a European than a California style, with the herbal character overriding any sweetness in the fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This flavorful, herbal Syrah spends its time in one-year-old oak; the reserve is made in 100% new oak. It is a pure, distinctive, cool-climate Syrah with a strong, dark, spicy, gamy streak of pungent flavor. It smells and tastes like ripe, almost raisined grapes, hung meat, boysenberry syrup, smoke, tar and coffee, all infused with wild herbs. Pay attention to the finish; that’s where it really shines, as it slides through spice, earth, herb and, ultimately, into chocolate.
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