Kaz Vineyard & Winery Machismo 2006
Country of origin: USA
Region: California
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Varietal: 100% Counoise
Stats: 13.8% ABV, dry
Cost: $40 at the winery
Appearance: Light medium garnet, good legs
Aroma: Initial burst of vanilla & cherry with some black pepper and vegetal notes around the edges. A little dark cassis in the end.
Taste: Upfront sharp cherry fruit with a fairly tart cedar finish. Medium body.
I was rather intrigued by this wine when I visited Kaz Vineyard & Winery earlier this year. I can't say that I've ever heard of the grape varietal Counoise before and had to try it. Kaz describes it as a "studly" Pinot Noir with sharper fruit plus leather and cedar. I agree with the sharpness and cedar, but I'm not getting much leather in this wine. Wikipedia claims that the dark-skinned, but low tannic grape is grown almost solely in the Rhone Valley region of France (1580 acres), where it is allowed as a blending varietal in Chataueneuf-du-Pape wines. The Rhone connection is not a surprise since a Google search indicates that another Rhone Ranger winery, Tablas Creek, is the only place that admits to growing (5 acres) and using Counoise.
I've tasted this over 3 evenings. Night one was in a classic Bourdeaux-style Riedel glass, which did not showcase the wine. The flavors seemed tight and very in my face. I tried a Burgundy-style Riedel glass on the second night due to the pinot reference and found that much more to my liking. Granted, the wine had had an additional 24 hrs under vacuum to breathe, but the larger glass bowl seemed to give the aromas room to move and not deliver a concentrated punch to the nose.
Salute,
a Wine Student
