Once a year, hundreds of people gather to taste very young California wines during the annual California Barrel Tasting. The event was conceived by the late Addy Bassin, original owner of D.C. wine shop MacArthur Beverages, and was designed to mimic Bordeaux’s Union de Grand Cru, the annual weeklong affair where members of the wine trade get a sneak peak of newly vinified French wines. Bassin wanted to give Washington-area consumers the same type of exposure to young California wines that the French had developed so that they could have an opportunity to purchase the not-yet-released domestic wines at a discount. Unfortunately, Addy died shortly after the first event. His partner and widow, Ruth, has continued the event in Addy’s memory and it has since become a popular fundraiser for the Addy and Bruce Bassin Memorial Cancer Research Fund at George Washington University Medical Center.
This year, the 26th Annual California Barrel Tasting featured more than 60 wines from 37 different wineries, mostly from the acclaimed 2009 vintage. Since the wines are still aging in barrels, they are not commercially available for a year or two later, so the wines are offered now at a price below the future retail price. This practice is referred to as buying “futures” and is a savvy way to purchase collectable wines at a discount.
If you are thinking about buying a few wines to save for a special occasion, the 2009 vintage in Napa Valley is a particularly good year to consider. Many of the wines I tasted at the event possessed excellent fruit concentration, but more importantly, excellent balance, with firm tannins and ample acidity. Most of these wines will drink well for 10-plus years, if you can resist the urge to open them up sooner.
Note: Prices listed are the “pre-release” price offered through MacArthur Beverages (202-338-1433) and are subject to availability and later delivery. Unless otherwise noted, all wines are from Napa Valley, Calif.
Best values under $50
2009 Girard Artistry ($33) A Bordeaux-style blend that possesses lovely blackberry and ripe plum fruit on a supple frame. The smooth tannins definitely add enough support for medium-to-long-term aging.
2009 Ruston Family Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($36) A remarkable value featuring luxuriant, ripe black fruit, toasty oak and supple tannins. This wine will drink well young, but even better with five to six years of bottle age.
2009 Blue Rock Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley ($40) One of the few wines in the tasting from Sonoma Valley, this entry absolutely rocks (no pun intended). It is a jammy, chewy wine with ripe fruit, firm tannins and abundant acidity that provides great structure and balance.
2008 Ravenswood Winery Icon, Sonoma Valley ($43) With 35 years in the business, Joel Peterson knows a thing or two about making wine. The 2008 Icon has a wonderful mouthfeel and delivers ripe red and black fruit over the entire palate. The finish has excellent balance and structure.
2008 John Anthony Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) Even though this is from the 2008 vintage, it is still available as a future. It possesses amazing balance and structure that carries wonderful dark fruit flavors over the entire palate.
Big collectables
2009 EMH “Black Cat” Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) Each year, I hesitate to write about this wonderfully opulent, fruit-driven wine since there are only 160 cases produced from the tiny vineyard that covers just two-thirds of an acre. This year’s offering features blackberry and cassis notes that are beautifully integrated with silky tannins and abundant acidity. The persistent finish offers lingering hints of dark plum and cocoa.
2009 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains ($85) This perennial big wine hails from a legendary vineyard that sits high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains and produces a spicy, black fruit-oriented wine supported by firm, chewy tannins. It will definitely require five-plus years of aging at home.
