Frog's Leap Winery Wine Tasting - Rogers & Company
Date: Jun 28/11, Tue Time: 08:00:00-09:30:00 Style: Drop-In
Frog's Leap Winery Wine Tasting - Jonah Beer, General Manager of Frog's Leap Winery joined the Rogers & Company team to pour their wines for members of the Fine Wine Reserve.
Jonah entertained our members with tales from the winery. It was a wonderful event filled with great wines and stories. As they say at Frog's Leap, "Time's fun when you're having flies!"
Frog's Leap Winery's credo of keeping wine fun belies the fact that the winery is one of the oldest and most dedicated practitioners of modern organic viticulture in the Napa Valley and one of California's most respected all-around producers. Started in 1981 by John Williams and Larry Turley, Frog's Leap Winery resides at the historic Red Barn in Rutherford, California.
In 2007 Wine & Spirits magazine named Frogs Leap Winery one of the Top 25 Cabernet producers in California over the last 25 years, and in October 2009 they named Frog's Leap as a 2009 Winery of the Year for the fourth time by Wine & Spirits magazine.
Wines sampled included:
Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Crisp, bright, refreshing: three words that capture the essence of the 2009 Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc. Classic aromas of lemongrass, white flowers and subtle mineral notes are your introduction, followed by flavours of grapefruit, lemon zest and delicate white peaches. The wine’s connection to its Rutherford roots is underscored with subtle flavours of wet stone. Lean and lively, the wine’s low alcohol and balanced acid make for a totally engaging and pleasurable experience.
Napa Valley Chardonnay 2009
Fresh and vibrant, the 2008 Frog’s Leap Chardonnay abandons contemporary trends of big oak and butter for crisp acidity and a bright finish. Aromas of pear and white peaches are layered with delicate notes of honeysuckle and peach blossoms. The wine enters the palate with flavours of green apple, citrus, and a hint of vanilla; all underscored by its racier mineral-and-slate essence. With a finish that is clean and tart, it practically begs for the next sip-making it a great wine to pair with your meal.
Rutherford Merlot 2007
"Spectacular Merlot with a complex array of aromas including raspberry, sweet spicy cherry, pipe tobacco, plum and cocoa. Dry and fruity with a velvety texture and a lot of power (but not overpowering). Medium-full bodied with a persistent and complex finish. Everything is working in harmony here. This long-finishing wine is a potential short-term cellar candidate (1-3 years), but why wait?" - Vintages panel, Dec 2010
Napa Valley Zinfandel 2008
Bowl-you-over Zins became the norm in the hot-and-heavy 1970s, and there are still plenty of hangers' on. But not Frog's Leap. Their Zin is more "old school" - it is sourced from a dry-farmed, organically grown field blend that includes small amounts of Petite Sirah and Carignane. The varietals are co-fermented for a wine that has tons of character. Briary red fruit, bright acidity and a touch of earthiness, around 14% alcohol. A wine equally perfect for the dog days of summer or curling up by the fireplace.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
The 2008 is a worthy follow up to the beautiful 2007, which received 94 points from Wine & Spirits magazine and the award for Best U.S. Cabernet Sauvignon of the Year 2010. The balanced, lower alcohol, terroir driven style is reminiscent of the legendary Cabernets from the 50's and 60's, which is in stark contrast to the luxury-priced fruit bombs so prevalent in Napa today.
"Rutherford" Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
"John Williams produces two cabernets entirely from dry-farmed Rutherford fruit. He labels the larger production wine Napa Valley, his tighter selection Rutherford. The relatively benign 2007 vintage allowed Williams to create classic Rutherford Cabernets at both levels. The heat of 2006 and the abundance of 2005 presented different challenges, and his Napa Valley Cabernets reflect their challenges. But not his Rutherford bottlings - another example of how the contemporary selection process often diminishes any significant variation in quality, providing exceptional wines in '05, '06 and '07. When selecting the blend for the Rutherford bottling, Williams says, "I'm not trying to pile things higher. I'm trying to strip everything down and get to a sense of place. So the aromatics are more resonant, the wines have more transparency." - Wine & Spirits "Vintage Matters, or Does It?", Dec 2010
Thanks go out to Jonah and Chris for this very memorable tasting event!
www.frogsleap.com
