Wednesday night at Brasserie 8 ½ I had the opportunity to have dinner with Winemaker Bob Pepi. Along with his father he founded, grew and later sold Pepi Winery and the name. He now acts as a consultant for other producers as well as recently jumping back into the ring with his own label, Eponymous. Since the mid 1990's one of his main projects has been Bodegas Valentin Bianchi in Argentina, which is in its 3rd generation as a Family Winery.
I looked at a trio of wines from Valentin Bianchi back in April. That only touched on their portfolio, which includes a wide array of wines in several tiers. Sitting at the very top of the Valentin Bianchi Family of Wines 
is Enzo Bianchi. This wine is named after one of the founder's sons. The dinner with Bob Pepi was a rare opportunity to sample 7 vintages of Enzo side by side.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this tasting was the first and last wine in the vertical. The 1992 Enzo predates Bob Pepi's involvement and was actually never released. It was their first attempt at a serious barrel aged Bordeaux blend wine. No one is really sure what the exact blend for this is but it's likely close to all Cabernet Sauvignon. For a 16-year old wine it was drinking quite nicely. Spice, leather and earthiness were the most prominent characteristics. It's a highly perfumed Cabernet and the first sign that Enzo is an age-worthy wine. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the 2005 Enzo. This wine won't be released until the fall. The 2005 is nicely structured and the biggest of the Enzo's but still tight at this point in its very young life. After some time in the decanter it began to open up. When it comes out in the fall it'll be a wine to lay down for a few years to reach maximum appeal.
Over dinner Bob discussed some of his thoughts on wine making and what he attempts to do. Hi attitude towards oak is that he believes in using as much oak as will benefit a wine without overshadowing the fruit. One of the biggest changes he's made with the production of Enzo over the years is the barrel mix. He's a firm believer that some barrels are specifically better for aromatics while other exude greater influence on the mouth feel. Each vintage he strives to find the perfect mix of barrels for the wine he's making.
There were eight of us at dinner. While I'm not sure it was unanimous, the clear favorite for most of us was the 1997 Enzo. At least on Wednesday night that vintage showed the best. It was a layered wine, still showing nice tannic structure at 11 years of age with spice mocha and a lingering finish. Its nose was still big and youthful, belying its age.
The 1999 Enzo represented the first year Merlot was include in the blend. As Bob explained it was simply the first year he had suitable Merlot fruit to include in their flagship blend. After the 1997 I was most fond of the 1999 which had a nice round mouth-feel and plenty of dark fruit.
The other Enzo's we tasted through were the 1995, 2000 and 2003. Each wine certainly had its standout characteristics. For instance the 1995 featured prominent mocha notes and the 2003 the darkest fruit. The most impressive hallmark of the Enzo's as a whole was their consistency. Each wine was at a different place in its drinking window but they all are part of a continuing story. On the one hand that story is the wonderful wines that Valentin Bianchi and Bob Pepi are making year in and year out. But the more specific point for me with Enzo is the fact that this is a benchmark South American wine. Every region has the wines that are looked at to gauge quality. For Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile they have Don Melchor as one example. It's clear to me after tasting 7 vintages of Enzo side by side that Enzo Bianchi is a reference point in Argentine wine.
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recommended. After it had a chance to breathe and open up it displayed silky smooth character throughout while maintaining a good tannin structure. Spice notes and earthiness populate the medium length finish.
Bordeaux.
This wine was aged in a combination of American and French Oak. The suggested retail price is $26. As with the other 
This wine spent 11 months in French oak and the suggested retail price is $18.
The wine spent 10 months in oak, one third each in new, one-year and two year old oak. The suggested retail price on it is $18.
in the month during Petite Sirah Week.
As the name indicates this wine is from 
new oak. The wine was bottled fined but unfiltered. The retail price is $22.
The nose of this 
f them here.
Today's selection is a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Just over 3,000 cases of this Sonoma Valley designated wine were bottled. 13% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Syrah were blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon. The retail price is $26.
Mondavi Winery.
literally 2 people, Tara and Rich Minnick. They do just about everything themselves, including hand numbering and hand-waxing every single bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon. They planted their vineyard in the foothills of the Russian River in 1995. Their 100% varietal, 100% Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine they make. Their total annual production is between 300 and 500 Cases. In 2005 they made 359 cases.
The first thing apparent about this wine is that it's a little on the young side right now. Decanting it for a couple of hours is highly recommended if you want to enjoy this one in it's youth.
The nose of the Mohrardt Ridge offers up lots of spice, blueberries and cedar notes. The first sip reveals oak that is firmly present but in check and reserved. The mid-palate features a lot of dark berry fruit along with continued spice notes that tingle along the tongue and back of the throat. The finish, which is substantial in length, has some light earthiness and subtle black pepper. This Wellington Cabernet is very well balanced with good acidity and firm tannins. An hour or so in the decanter does wonders to change the flavor profile of this wine and allow it to open up and shine.
California. Fruit from Napa, Sonoma, Lodi & Lake County went into this wine. It was aged for 15 months in a combination of French and American oak. Just over 9,000 cases of this wine were produced and it retails at $17.
The diversity of fruit really helps make a wine of wide-ranging character and appeal. The first thing apparent is a bouquet of candied black cherries that just explode in your nose. The first couple sips of this wine are tart and tight but it opens up and smooths itself out very quickly. There is an absolute ton of dark, jammy fruit up front that leads to a huge rich mouth-filling mid-palate. The finish features some mocha notes that are underpinned by tingly white pepper. Joel Gott's 2005 California Cabernet is lush and the finish is hefty and substantial. The wine has good acidity and is well balanced. The rich heady fruit makes it very much the New World wine that it is. It has easy drink-ability and sufficient complexity to make it interesting and a bit thought provoking. This wine will pair very well with BBQ and grilled meats in general. It also drinks very well on it's own.
in 50% new French oak. 3,100 cases of this wine were produced and it's retail price is $22. I found this wine to need a solid hour in the decanter to really show all it's true colors. Initially it had some tartness but that dissipated. The nose is full of black raspberry and earthy mushroom aromas. The first sip reveals toasted cherry flavors that follow through to the mid-palate along with substantial pepper and overall spice elements. The finish features some white pepper notes and clings to the back of the throat for a noticeable amount of time. "Etrusco" is well balanced with terrific acidity. It's clear that the Sangiovese blended in really helps balance this wine and make it very approachable. This wine works very well with pasta and red sauce as well as fairly strong cheeses.
spent two full years in 80% new French oak. Fruit was sourced exclusively at the Weyrich Family Ranch and production was limited to 500 cases. Retail price is $35.
Today's selection is the final Cabernet for the week in the value category. The Castillo de Molina Cabernet is from Curico Valley. This is estate fruit grown in 
is a sub label of 
some terrific values for my money with wines coming from South America. And Maipo Valley, where this selection hails from, has been a specific source of some of my favorite Chilean finds over time. In general I have often been able to find Chilean wines with a great earthiness to them, which is appealing to me.
The 2005 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in a combination of American oak and stainless steal vats for 8 months. This one is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose features mostly black fruit characteristics along with subtler anise and a bit of clove. The first sip out of the bottle was tart and tight. The mid-palate has some dust and earth on it along with dark berry and soft tannins. Even after breathing the finish showed some tartness along with a few white pepper notes. That finish however is well below average in length. After the bottle is open for an hour or so and the initial tartness dissipates as do most of the other limited flavor notes this wine features. In fact, what little fruit it has seems to disappear rather quickly and be replaced by an unfortunate vegetal quality that isn't appealing.
list of wines scheduled for coverage include (not necessarily in this order):
Santa Rita - A Chilean Wine in the value category.
made from fruit sourced in Lodi. As time goes on more and more wines of merit, made from other varietals, are also emerging from this region.
The 2005, 
Sauvignon Blanc is one of 3 whites Shannon Ridge made in the 2006 vintage. It hits you immediately with a big nose full of citrus and guava notes. The first sips are surprising considering how big the nose is. This Sauvignon Blanc hits the palate gently at first. The citrus is present but not overwhelming. The mid palate of this wine is quite delightful. It absolutely dances on the tongue, balancing citrus, gooseberry and a nice acidity. It fills the mouth, but drinks smoothly with no sharp edges. The finish is significant, long enough in fact to be noticeable and impressive. Although this Sauvignon Blanc drinks beautifully on it's own, it will also pair well with a variety of different foods. I found it to be a wonderful match with Chinese Pork Dumplings. The suggested retail price is $16.00 although 
10% Petite Verdot that was blended in. After the wine had time to breathe that touch of tartness softened up and the wine had a more luxurious quality to it. White pepper is the story of this Cabernet's mid palate. If you enjoy the spice on your tongue and the back of your throat that comes from those peppery notes this is indeed a Cabernet to seek out. Along with the spice there are lots of deep, dark berry notes present. A touch of oak shows up but does not overwhelm the palate in any way. This is definitely a Cabernet that is ready to drink now. It will also marry well with a wide variety of foods. I had it with pork and it was a nice accompaniment. It's is however a Cabernet Sauvignon that is smooth enough to enjoy on it's own. The suggested retail price is $19.00 but 
Significantly smaller in production than the other two wines is their 2006 Syrah. This less than 1,500 case lot has 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petite Verdot blended in. The first thing that hit me from this Syrah was a huge nose filled with Blackberries. Sipping it the Syrah reveals itself to be pretty big and bold. There is a bit of jam that brings to mind Zinfandel. That thought only lingers briefly though. The mid palate brings on some mocha notes and more dark berry fruit. This Syrah is full bodied, mouth filling and an absolute pleasure to drink. The finish has blueberry notes as well as a hint of malted chocolate. It lingers on the palate for a good long while. A treat to drink on it's own this Syrah will pair well with roasted meats, BBQ and perhaps even dark chocolate among others. Retail on this wine is also $19.00. As with the others I found it to be fairly priced.