Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Event - Total Wine, N. Miami Beach, FL

I had the privilege of meeting Georges Duboeuf and attending a tasting event he led for select employees of Total Wine. I was one of two people they allowed to attend who weren't employees. We tasted six of the 2009 vintage, which according to Mr. Duboeuf and many experts, was the greatest vintage of Beaujolais since the legendary 1947 vintage.

2011 Ribera del Duero Grand Tasting

The 2011 Ribera del Duero Grand Tasting was held in Miami, FL on March 8, 2011. Ribera del Duero is a small region in northern Spain which makes incredible wines mostly from Tempranillo grapes. In Ribera del Duero, Tempranillo yields smaller berries, looser clusters and tougher skin, encouraging more skin-to-juice contact, and as a result, full-bodied, powerful wines. Similar to the Rioja wines of Spain, these wines can age for a long time.

I had the privilege of trying over 100 of these wines when I wasn't working at a booth pouring and answering questions.

This is just one corner of the trade portion of the event

This is a picture of some wines whose wineries were seeking importers

2009 Machete by Dave Phinney (Orin Swift Cellars, Napa, CA)

  

Machete

2009 California Red Wine

Machete, like Abstract, is born out of the wine Dave has been enjoying in the Pyrénées-Orientales of the south of France. This blend is similar to Abstract, however, there is more influence on the Petite Sirah portion giving this wine the "big brother" status. Machete is a limited production coming from some of our favorite vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino including Dark Horse, Durell, Eagle Point, Fulton, Hudson, Las Madres, and Stones Throw. Low yields and small berries contribute to the concentration and dark inky color.

3,400 cases produced, just released and already SOLD OUT.

Tasting Notes:

Beautiful notes of just picked warm, ripe blackberry with licorice and cedar box on the nose. The wine is structured and complex, saturated with smoky, dark, ripe brambly black fruit. It is bright and brooding, rich and powerful showcasing the intensity of Petite Sirah, the elegance and complexity of Grenache with the seriousness of cool climate Syrah.

49% Petite Sirah, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah

45% Napa, 35% Sonoma, 20% Mendocino

15.2% Alc./Vol.

Aged 12 months; 48% French Oak, 52% American Oak, 50% New barrels

http://www.orinswift.com/wines/machete.php

Reviews: 

NOTE: There are few reviews on this wine because it was just released.

 

"I'm going to give you all some sound advice. Pay attention. Go buy this wine. Because in T-minus 20 minutes I'm going to delete this entry, and any trace of its existence. Why, you may ask? Because I really don't want to share this wine with you. It's not personal. At the behest of others, my hand has been forced into telling you about Machete's greatness. First off I would like to personally thank Dave Phinney for being a complete freak of a winemaker, for having the vision and the cojones to make some of the most original and cutting edge wines in the World, that's right, not just California, the entire WORLD. Now, let me tell you about Machete. Like all Orin Swift wines the bottle appears to have the weight of a lead canon ball. The bottle has a screen printing of red machetes on it, that just adds to the occult nature of this wine. In the glass Machete is an ink black color. Aromas of Blackberry, black plum, slightly woodsy, with notes of licorice. The flavor profile is shear dopeness. Cherry, raspberry, ripe fresh picked black fruits like plum, and blackberry, with a touch of smoky earth. It's not often that I'm overly impressed by a wine, impressed seems like an understatement, blown away is a better analogy. WOW."

- poursip.com

"Fans of hedonistic reds, apply here! Many of our customers are familiar with Orin Swift’s bold wines with the striking labels, especially ‘The Prisoner’, one of our most popular wines each vintage. But owner-winemaker Dave Phinney is not content to rest on his laurels. His new project has just been released and it’s destined to become a huge hit!

‘Machete’ is a Roussillon styled wine (think our ever-popular Clos del Rey) and the big brother to his similarly blended ‘Abstract’. As fans of Orin Swift already know, the incredibly talented Dave Phinney always strives to make the very best wine possible!

Phinney’s relationships have given him entrée to fruit from some of California’s best vineyards (Durell, Eagle Point, Hudson, etc.), but it’s his impeccable talent for blending that has propelled him to rock-star status among lovers of big, bold reds. Similar to the very popular Orin Swift ‘Abstract’, what sets ‘Machete’ apart (aside from the positively arresting bottle design) is the large petite sirah component which gives this wine power and takes the blend to another level.

We tasted ‘Machete’ a couple of weeks ago and as the name implies, this is no delicate flower! An effusive blast of brambly wild blackberry jam and a whiff of sea air leads the way to a mouthful of pure decadence. With layer upon layer of smoky, ripe black fruit, Phinney’s deft winemaking keeps the power of the petite sirah in check, allowing the elegance of the grenache and complexity of cool climate syrah to shine through in the finished product.

Although this is a big, richly styled red, you can feel comfortable opening this wine now and over the next 5+ of years without any hint of regret. But like all of Phinney’s wines, there is less wine than demand, so don’t wait to buy. Enjoy!"

- jjbuckley.com

"95pts (CW) Saturated black-ruby, with layers of ripe cherry and strawberries.  Crushed blackberry and blueberry aromas are perked up by spices, pepper, violet and mineral notes, with a smoky element adding complexity.  The wine has tons of weight on the mid-palate and the finish is laced with long, tannins that go on and on.  It is hedonistic, intoxicating  and irresistible…this wine will be a great hit …DO NOT WAIT.. "

- Al Jabarin, calwine.com

"This is the inaugural release of this Petite Sirah based wine from Dave Phinney, the winemaker behind “The Prisoner” and “Mercury Head” at Orin Swift, and it is sure to be a huge hit. This blend is about 50% Petite Sirah, 30% Grenache and 20% Syrah, kind of a kinky California meets Chateauneuf style wine with huge fruit and richness. This wild blend is the big brother to the critically acclaimed “Abstract” that Phinney released in the late fall and that scored 92 in Wine Spectator, though that wine was a touch lighter and had much more Grenache. The grapes came from top sites in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino including Dark Horse, Durell, Eagle Point, Fulton, Hudson, Las Madres, and Stones Throw. Low yields and small berries contribute to the concentration and dark inky color. The nose is bright and darkly fruity with some perfume and cotton candy notes, but things get serious on the palate with chocolate cherries, strawberries, blackberries and plums with grenadine and sweet wood notes while behind the main layers there is touches of cedar, licorice, cassis and peppercorn. This is a vibrant young wine that is loads of fun and will be a huge hit!" 92+ Points 

- grapelive.com

 

"You know, this label image does not do the bottle much justice... like the rest of the Orin Swift lineup, the debut of Machete is one helluva compelling looking bottle of vino! 3.45 pounds (I weighed it) of primal beauty that sort of reminds me of the cover of one of my son's Death Metal records.
I digress.

More importantly, it's the contents of the bottle that really counts and Machete takes winemaker David Phinney's recent fascination with the wines and grape varieties of southern France to the next level. Conceived as a Grenache-based big brother to 2010's debut Abstract, it's Petite Sirah in a starring role this time with Syrah and Grenache lending support to the Orin Swift trademark seductive, appealing flavors and seamless texture. Petite Sirah has certainly gone in the past decade from the grape that didn't play well with others (or even by itself) to becoming the belle of everyone's ball! Softer extraction methods and better tannin management has finally allowed the grape's earthy blueberry personality to shine through, and so it is in Machete which offers up gobs of it, while at the same time packing on layer upon layer of additional complexity. Brandon, who knows, says it's the best Orin Swift wine he's ever tasted, showing a degree of elegance and finesse (when was the last time you saw Petite Sirah and finesse in the same paragraph?) he's not seen to date.

Yes, this is another wine from the Orin Swift portfolio that just shines!" 

- primaviniwinemerchants.com

Other Reviews can be found at http://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&szSearch=machete