|
||
|
|
But, other things have changed since the
heady days of bus tours and
togas. |
|
|
Kal and
Dorothy Showket agreed to sell him a small amount of fruit to
experiment with, then a bit more the following year. They were so
impressed with the barrel samples of wine from their vineyards that they
chose him to succeed the highly regarded Heidi Peterson Barrett as their
winemaker. He finished the 05 vintage and blended the 06. The soon to be
released 2007s will be his first vintage from crush to bottle for
Showket.
His first wine in bottle, the fabulous 2006 Dry Stack Sauvignon Blanc garnered 93 points from Robert Parker (at that time the only other Sauvignon Blanc to score that high was a Robert Mondavi I Block), and the fuse was lit.  For me, however, the measure is in the glass, not in the points. Knowing
Russell and his palate, I fully expected his wines to be as gregarious
and over the top as he is. To my surprise and delight, while they are
indeed sexy, forward and undeniably fruity, they also carry themselves
well, with a certain restraint and sensibility that prevents them from
coming across as overblown or spoofulated. As our friend
Jim Cowan observed: “they are not
misshapen or incoherent”. They boast an impressive level of intensity
and concentration of fruit without sacrificing expression of variety or
origin. (Photo at left: Jim Cowan sports a Bevan
Cellars hat bearing the slogan, "Grape by Grape.") What I like (and admire) most about Russell’s winemaking is his willingness to allow the wines to reflect what the vineyard has given him in any particular vintage, rather than trying (as many winemakers do) to force the wine into a stylistic model.
The following tasting notes are from a tasting of Russell’s wines held at Acme Fine Wines last February.  2006 Bevan Cellars Syrah Bennett Valley Dry Stack Vineyard -
14.5% alcohol 270 cases produced 100% 877 cloneRich deep color – plush, enticing, plumy fruit aromas – hints of Northern Rhône develop with time in glass - friendly entry with good structure, a soft mouthfeel and meaty overtones. Very clean with nuanced minerality and a long finish. Eminently drinkable now, but even better in a year or two, I think. A very, very pretty wine. Find this wine 2007 Bevan Cellars Syrah Bennett Valley Dry Stack Vineyard - 13.2% alcohol 260 cases produced 100% 877 clone Beautifully colored – forward Côte Rôtie aromas with appealing minerality – less fruit in the nose than the 06, but just needs some bottle time – lovely and plush in the mouth with minerals and iron in the follow – very clean with a long finish. Extremely appealing – even more so in a couple of years. Find this wine 2005 Bevan Cellars Syrah Bennett Valley Dry Stack Vineyard - 13.7% alcohol 50 cases produced a blend of 877 and Estrella River clones. Lush and forward fruit in the nose – predominantly black plum – soft entry – flavors follow the nose – lacks a little on the back end and could use a little more acid to give the wine a bit more structure – likely due to the clonal selection. Nevertheless, this is very impressive for a first effort. Find this wine  2006 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Showket Vineyards – 100%
Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8% alcohol 120 cases producedSomewhat shy in the nose – very inviting entry – lovely hillside fruit with a hint of alcoholic heat – very clean with a long finish. Find this wine 2007 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Showket Vineyards – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon final blend Restrained fruit aromas but lovely high toned perfume – clean entry with nods to the 06 flavors – needs time (of course) but should be an early drinker – very promising. Find this wine 2007 Bevan Cellars Bordeaux Blend Showket Vineyards – 45% Cabernet Sauvignon 45% Cabernet Franc 10% Merlot final blend Very expressive aromatics – ripe and delicious in the mouth – a young, but very complete wine – very special. Find this wine 2007 Showket Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8% alcohol 1200 cases produced - the first Showket vintage that Russell took from crush to bottle Prominent minerality in the nose – far more restrained than its Bevan Cellars sibling, nevertheless – beautiful fruit, excellent balance, very clean. Drinkable now, but far better in 3-4 years. Very pretty. Find this wine 2007 Showket Vineyards Sangiovese – 100% Sangiovese 14.9% alcohol 1050 cases produced Vibrant aromatics featuring ripe fruit and dusty overtones – bright, high toned fruit in the mouth with good acid structure – eminently drinkable – really “pops” in the mouth. Easily the best Showket Sangiovese ever. Will be lots of fun to drink. Given the choice to bud over to Cab, Merlot, Franc, Kal and Dorothy chose to keep the Sangio – a very smart decision. Find this wine  Bevan Cellars Dessert Wine – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 17.75%
alcohol 3.89 gms/liter residual sugar a blend of 2005 and 2006 fruit 46
cases producedThe 2005 crush was sorted into 3 bins – perfect, dimpled and raisined. The third bin soaked out to well over 30°brix. This wine is absolutely charming – lively fruit flavors that carry the alcohol well – nicely balanced – not at all port-like - should be tasted with a not-too-sweet dessert or toasted nuts and cheeses. Lots of fun. Find this wine Russell has reached the end of his agreement with Dry Stack (Grey Stack). He will continue to source fruit from Peter Young, but will not crush the 09 harvest for them. But as he continues to garner 90+ scores from both Parker and Laube, there is no shortage of growers hoping to sign on with this young rising star. His first vintage for John Westerhold is in bottle, as are two bottling of Syrah under the Sanglier label, grown by Glenn Alexander. This fall, he will begin another new project – perhaps the most exciting. He will begin making Pinot Noir for Wren Hop Vineyards, a highly regarded Russian River grower. Yet with all this, Russell’s winemaking adventures are only beginning. Hang on. califusa May, 2009 © Allan Bree |
||
Has Russell Bevan grown up?
|
|
