After visiting
Story Winery, IL Gioiello Winery and taking a brief break for lunch (tip: there
is no fine dining in the area, so bring a picnic lunch!), my final stop in the
Amador County Wine Country was at Nine
Gables Winery. The winery
is located on what was once the Old Pieroni Ranch. The Old Vine Mission grapes that
surround the winery house and tasting room were originally planted in the early
1900’s. While the Spanish Missionaries first planted Mission vines all over
California starting in the late 1700’s, there are currently only 700 acres of
the Mission vineyards remaining within California.
Nine Gables Winery is
owned and operated by the Notestine family, which they began in 1998 after 23 years of home wine making
experience. They
produce 1,500 cases of wine per year, but continue to plant more vineyards on their
estate. The name of the winery comes from the nine gables (a gable
is a triangle
formed by a sloping roof) on the house built in 1992 by Jerry
and Pam Notestine. Today, Jerry Notestine attends to the vineyards, Pam Notestine
manages the tasting room, and their son Ryan Notestine handles the day to day
wine operations.
Nine Gables produces a Chardonnay (from grapes sourced from
Clarksburg) and two sparkling wines but I decided to pass and go straight to
the reds as I was more interested in local wines. While visiting I tasted the following
wines:
My first pour was
the 2010 Cal-Italia. A 50/50 blend of Sangiovese/Barbera, the wine is light
ruby red of medium weight and body and acidity. On the nose I picked up
strawberries, raspberries, and a touch of vanilla with a little heat on the
finish. This wine sells for $21 a bottle.
My next wine was
the 2009 Barbera. This is a big ripe wine with bright cherries, tobacco and damp earth. Well rounded with a medium length
finish. A nice wine for $25 a bottle.
The third sample
was the 2009 Grand Cuvee - a crazy blend of Mission Grape, Barbera, Primativo,
and Estate Syrah. This is a really BIG and jammy wine with loads of black fruit
(black currants, blackberries, plums) and red fruit (cherries, raspberries),
milk chocolate, vanilla and spice with a BANG of alcohol at the end – but not
in a bad way. In some ways this wine seems to have a lot of complexity and
variety but in another it seems a bit awkward and lack focus. Yet it was also
curiously unique. This is a wine I’d like to re-taste afresh without having
previously so many wines earlier in the day. An interesting wine for $24 a
bottle.
The fourth wine
was the 2010 Primitivo. This twin of Zinfandel is a big and zesty wine with
loads of strawberries, cherries, molasses and damp earth. There is a lot of Zin
and Primativo in the foothills making the competition is rather stiff, so it
would take something truly unique and outstanding to catch my attention. This
wine is just “okay” and sells for $24 a bottle.
My fifth taste
was 2010 Dog Bone Zinfandel. This wine was really funky on the nose and I
suspect it had a bit of volatile acidity as it had hints of fresh paint along
with a mélange of dried fruit and vanilla. It sells for $25 a bottle and I’d
definitely have to say, “pass.”
After the
previous disappointing wine, the next was my favorite in the line-up - the 2009
Grand Menage. This wine is a 50/50 blend of Estate Syrah and Petit Sirah. On
the nose I picked up dried fruits (dates, raisins, dried plums), wild dusty
blackberries, licorice, and vanilla. This wine sells for $25 a bottle and I
brought one home.
My final wine was
another treat, the 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel. This wine has dried fruits, beef
jerky, cherries, raspberry preserves and vanilla on the nose. On the palate it
is off-dry, full bodied and silky smooth. If you are barbequing a steak or ribs with a
dry rub using brown sugar (which I love to do) this wine will be a perfect
match. So, for $22 a bottle I brought one home.
Nine
Gables Winery
22355 Lawrence Road
Fiddletown, CA 95629
Phone: 1-209-245-3395
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