What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors

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Over an excellent late lunch of osso bucco and spinach with two ladies at Simposio recently, I tasted seven very
interesting wines. Three were from MacMurray Ranch (one of the Northern California's newest wineries) and three
were from Louis Martini (one of California's oldest wineries). In terms of both the food and company, it was a lovely
lunch—but then I expected as much. <strong>What</strong> really impressed me though was just how good the wines were...
MACMURRAY RANCH is the family estate of late actor Fred MacMurray. His daughter Kate lives on the estate in the "John
Wayne" cabin (as it was where Mr. Wayne always stayed when he visited, which was frequently). The MacMurrays never
grew grapes or made wine, but the new owners kept the name and even hired Kate MacMurray to help manage and market
the wines. The MacMurray Ranch is on Westside Road in the Russian River Valley and so grows (not surprisingly) Pinot
Noir, but also grows (maybe a bit surprisingly) Pinot Gris. The cool climate and fog of the Russian River Valley are actually
ideal for both grapes. We tasted the Pinot Gris and both the Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs...
MacMURRAY RANCH Pinot Gris
Russian River Valley, 2002
$17.64 btl $193.20 case 12x750ml
This is a lively, well-focused,
refreshing pear-white peach-andlime-oriented
Pinot Gris with the
minerally terroir notes and crisp
acidity it needs to be balanced. It
has an elegant structure with good
weight and richness and a fine feel
but it is not at all heavy. Excellent.
Bear's Score: 91 points.
MacMURRAY RANCH Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, 2002
$12.92 btl $143.88 case 12x750ml
From grapes grown in the cool, higher
elevation vineyards of the Sonoma Coast
appellation, this wine spent five months in a
mix of mostly seasoned French oak. The result
is a light-to-medium-bodied red offering dark
red cherry fruit and notes of chocolate and
earth with a hint of new leather. Quite
flavorful with a juicy texture and mediumweight
feel, it gains in richness as it unfolds in
the glass. Fine+. Bear's Score: 90 points.
MacMURRAY RANCH Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley, 2001
$23.81 btl $260.82 case 12x750ml
After 12 months in a mix of new and
seasoned French oak barrels, this Russian
River Pinot offers good richness and
density with a lovely juicy texture and
ample dark cherry fruit. Complexity comes
in the notes of black pepper and spice,
earth, cocoa, and cola. The long finish
retains fruit and perfume before it
resolves clean. Excellent. Bear's Score:
91+ points.
THE LOUIS MARTINI WINERY is one of the old icons of the Napa Valley and the whole California wine industry. There were great
Cabernets from the 1940s (the winery was founded in 1933) through the 1990s and now into this century. The wines were sometimes
out of fashion - Martini always went for balance rather than power - but quality was never lacking. Even the very basic Louis Martini
"California" Cabernets were always much better than the price would indicate and often were the first commercially available indicator
of the quality of a vintage that was just moving into release. Here are notes on the three Cabernets we tasted with lunch.
LOUIS MARTINI Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma County, 2001
$11.99 btl $134.29 case 12x750ml
The winery's tech sheet says 88% Cabernet
Sauvignon with 9% Merlot and 1% Cabernet
Franc - which is 2% shy of 100. None-theless,
this is a medium weight, fruit forward,
spicy Cabernet Sauvignon featuring plenty of
red cherry and red berry fruit with notes of
tobacco and cedar and a sweet spiciness. The
wine is well balanced and elegant -
everything I expect from a Martini Cabernet.
Really Fine. Bear's Score: 90+ points.
So what do MacMurray Ranch and Louis
Martini Winery have in common The
"G" word. As in both are owned by Gallo.
Gallo created MacMurray Ranch and
purchased (and is in the process of
revitalizing) Louis Martini. Even though
both properties are Gallo owned, they
each have their own personalities and are
in fact separate wineries in terms of
winemaking and grape sources. And
speaking of Gallo, we also tasted another
interesting white wine at lunch...
LOUIS MARTINI Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa LOUIS MARTINI Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Valley, 2000 $17.23 btl $191.84 case 12x750ml
Alexander Valley, 2000
The winery's tech sheet says this is 78% Cabernet $20.65 btl $229.95 case 12x750ml
Sauvignon with 19% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6%
1% Petite Verdot - which is 1% shy of 100%. The Merlot made from uncrushed, destemmed grapes
result is a classic, classy, balanced Napa Cab offering ("whole berry fermentation") and aged 26
dusty-ripe blackberry fruit with good richness and months in a mixture of mostly seasoned French,
notes of tea, tobacco, and cedar, along with hints of European, and American oak barrels. The result is
earthy minerals and black pepper. It has a juicy a balanced, elegant, but still masculine Cab that
richness in the mouth with an excellent feel but tastes most strongly of Cabernet fruit with strong
finishes dusty dry. It is elegant (not at all heavy) and blackberry and cassis notes and nuance of
complete and very well integrated. Delicious. tobacco, dried herbs, and blackberry liqueur
Excellent. Bear's Score: 93 points.
perfume. Excellent. Bear's Score: 92 points.
GALLO SONOMA ESTATE Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, 1999 $35.56 btl $195.74 case 6x750ml
Made from Gallo's best Chardonnay, barrel-fermented and aged on the lees (which are
regularly stirred) in 100% new light-to-medium toast French oak barrels, this lively juicy,
minerally, well-focused, classy, balanced Chardonnay is about as close as Sonoma gets to a wellaged
1er cru Meursault. The ample fruit is in the green pear, ripe apple, peach, and tropical
lime range with notes of banana and butterscotch and a hint of vanilla. The new oak is almost
completely integrated. The wine is very well balanced with a fine feel, good intensity, and a
super long finish. Excellent. Bear's Score: 92+ points.