Winery - Spangler Vineyards
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dark and earthy, with substantial tannins, this includes a small amount of Merlot. But in this part of the world Merlot doesn’t offer much in the way of softness. It’s a hard, severe wine with black cherry and brambly blackberry fruit. Decanting will help soften it up.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Bright and spicy, with cherry and cranberry fruit. It’s got Christmas cake spices and a lively, tart core. Vivid and truly Burgundian, it does not overreach nor hide behind too much new oak. A sturdy bottle; well made and food-friendly.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Chewy, earthy and tannic, this rather awkward wine matches cranberry and black cherry hard candy fruit to a rough, stemmy underbelly. There is some leather and barnyard in the middle; all in all it’s a bit of a rough ride.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Fans of Petite Sirah will find sweet blackberry fruit here, along with the grape’s customary chalky tannins. Fruit flavors aside, there is more than a hint of green in the tannins and the finish; flavors descend into leaf, stem and bitter pip in rapid order.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The winery lists this as having just 12.1% alcohol but 2.5% residual sugar, and it tastes like it. If you think Sémillon is well-served by such sugary flavors, this is the wine for you. But it’s not sweet enough to qualify for a dessert wine, so it’s really stuck in an off-dry style.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Light flavors of apple and pear come through in this unoaked Chardonnay. Just a splash of Semillon is blended in, but this is an instance where the unadorned fruit, though clean and presentable, lacks weight and varietal distinction. It’s simple, light and a bit boring.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
There’s a bit of Sémillon in the blend, but this comes through as a fresh and simple style of Sauvignon. Grapefruit, lime and a flash of pineapple give the fruit some dynamic interest, but it tails off quickly into a thin finish with a palate impression of sweetness, though the residual sugar is listed at zero.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though similar in style to the winery’s 2005 Viognier, this edition lacks the complexity and aromatic detail. There’s plenty of acid to cut through the 1.1% residual sugar, but something is lost in that equation. Rather than cutting through with Viognier’s characteristic mix of floral, citrus and stone fruits, this just tastes like a basic white, peachy and slightly sweet.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though it is mostly Cab Sauvignon, the blend also includes small percentages of Merlot, Cab Franc and, for unknown reasons, Pinot Noir. Labeled reserve, it has more grip, color and concentration than the winery’s regular reds, but apart from generic red fruit and a lightly toasty barrel influence, there’s nothing specific, flavor-wise.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This unquestionably is a bigger, darker, more concentrated wine than Spangler’s regular Merlot. But is it markedly better? I picked up a slightly roasted, slightly burned character to the fruit, and once again, tannins that are thick and chalky. Hints of chocolate and tobacco stretch out the finish a bit, although the fruit goes away quickly.
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