Newsletter


Story Teller Wine Company
My nine year old son asked me this morning what delayed gratification was all about. Seriously. Which means I am now going to start paying closer attention to the cartoons he is watching in the morning. I told him it was like when he sees a toy he likes and mom and dad tell him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to him. I also thought about how I will be having a rather different conversation with him on this same subject when he gets a bit older. So I dug out an old college psych text book and came across the following definition: “the ability to forgo an immediate pleasure or reward in order to gain a more substantial one later. The ability to delay gratification is often a sign of emotional and social maturity.” Yeah, right. In the wine world this is really, really tough to achieve. On more than one occasion I have had a meal with wine colleagues from overseas where I get chastised on behalf of all Americans who drink their wines way too young. In the future I will just tell them it is because us colonists are still young and emotionally and socially immature when it comes to the ways of the world. Give us a few years and the economic budget to buy cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy at a time to stash away in our damp cellar where it will be promptly forgotten about until a son or daughter gets married and we will be right there with you. But they do have a point. Yes, guilty as charged. The average American buys a bottle and consumes that bottle within a few months time. The good news is that most of the bottles we purchase are actually meant to be consumed within a few years of bottling, so no harm no foul. But for a lot of us it is a rare event when we can buy a really nice bottle or two and then patiently wait until optimal maturity to pop the cork. Once you have a few bucks of your own and Santa Claus’ delivery schedule has stopped being an impediment to your happiness it is really hard to wait. And that’s why I am happy to be able to offer this wine. Someone else has done the waiting for you, now all you have to do is buy some and find your corkscrew. 1999 Diamondback Vineyards Mendocino Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (normal price of around 30.00) I love it when wines like this cross my threshold. Nice wine, great price, even better story. Diamondback Vineyards made wine for all of three vintages, from 1998 to 2001. I haven’t been able to find out exactly why they closed their doors, but it is a shame because they were making some really nice Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. They were also smart enough to hire a really good consulting winemaker, John Quinones. John Quinones is one talented winemaker. After graduating from the University of California at Davis in 1986 with a degree in fermentation science and enology John began his career at Lyeth Estate Winery in Sonoma County. After a few years working with Bordeaux varietals there, he moved on to long tenures as the winemaker at Clos Pegase Winery and Raymond Burr Vineyards. John was responsible for some pretty epic wines, including the 1990 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon that made the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World list. So it was no surprise when wineries all over California began trying to hire him as a consultant. One of those wineries was Diamondback Vineyards. Diamondback Vineyards was located about 90 miles north of San Francisco, near the town of Middletown. Their vineyards, which included the 75-year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines used to make this wine, were located on the eastern slopes within the interior of Southern Mendocino County. The land was rocky and the sun was always out which made it a pretty good place for vines and very good place for snakes, many of which were poisonous. The fact that vineyard management required packing around anti-venom kits led to the naming of the winery. Unfortunately, after three vintages, the winery closed up shop. And unfortunately for John Quinones, they had to pay him off with wine. So John packed up his Diamondback Vineyards wine and went on his merry way. Last year John Quinones decided the vineyards in southern Oregon had a lot of potential so he signed on as the winemaker at the RoxyAnn winery in Medford, Oregon. But when he got ready to make the move, he realized he still had a whole bunch of his Diamondback wines stored at a winery facility. So all those cases of wine were transported to Oregon. Deciding it would be nice to finally get some money for all his work at Diamondback Vineyards, John asked his RoxyAnn sales team to make the wines available in Oregon markets for pennies on the dollar. Because Diamondback Vineyards only existed for a few years, you won’t find much written about them. But I can tell you this wine took the Top Gold Medal Winner designation at the Western Canada Wine Awards. I have no idea if that is a meaningful award but I noticed it beat out some pretty nice wines from wineries like Penfolds, Deerfield Ranch and Barone Ricasoli Casaferro in Italy. I can also tell you this 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon typically sells for 25.00 to 30.00 dollars a bottle in California and I noticed a Vinfolio entry on Wine Searcher for 40.00. So when I heard the outrageously low price being quoted to me by my RoxyAnn rep I decided I had better taste the wine. The color was a nice dark ruby red with only a bit of an orange rim forming. So far so good. Then I got to the aromas drifting up out of my glass and I was sold. Nice ripe blackberry scents danced politely with notes of wet flint, tobacco and damp earth. There’s even a note in here that I have to describe as gunmetal or steel. I really enjoy smelling a wine like this, one that has had time to develop interesting secondary characteristics. The wine didn’t disappoint once I actually got a bit in my mouth. There was that sweet blackberry fruit but there were also bits of orange peel, dark chocolate and brick dust. I had a mentor when I first started out in wine and he always liked to challenge people to get more specific when they threw descriptions around. So this is for you, you know who you are. The 1999 Diamondback Cab reminds me of a Terry’s Dark Chocolate Orange, dark chocolate that had been infused with orange oil and then molded into the shape of an orange. I used to love getting these in my stocking as a kid and I would tear into that orange foil wrapping to get at the first slice. So I guess we’ve now closed the Santa Claus loop for this newsletter. And the bricks? Well, there is a gamey/smoky quality to this wine so I’m going with klinker bricks. There’s also a nice herbal touch in there, reminding me of dried sage with maybe even a touch of lavender. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to try this wine. Sure, the secondary characteristics that have formed are pretty neat, but I appreciate the wine for something else. I truly appreciate the 13.8% alcohol. The wine was nimble and not bogged down in a quagmire of glycerin. It wasn’t hot or clunky. This wine was a refreshing pleasure to drink. I read an interview with John Quinones where he stated that “I am very focused on the texture of a wine. The balance of the fruit, acidity, tannins, etc., is what creates a wine’s texture. When the balance is right, the wine is in harmony, and will simply feel good in your mouth.” I’d say he has mastered that in spades with the 1999 Diamondback Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a decent supply of this wine available at the moment but I’ve noticed it has begun to appear as a glass pour at restaurants like ClarkLewis in Portland. So I’m guessing we will be able to sell this wine for another month or so. The price is 18.00 a bottle or 96.00 for a six-pack. A case is 168.00, making this one fine 14.00 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has clearly reached its plateau, but then again, so have I. So I will be sure to drink up all that I have at my home by the spring of 2011. It might do well beyond that point but I’m not about to delay gratification with this one. And finally, the first ever haiku to appear in a Storyteller newsletter. It is courtesy of singer-songwriter Lane Steinberg. I could devote an entire newsletter to just trying to explain Lane Steinberg to you but for now I will just call him eclectic. But he really loves red wine and several years ago he began writing haiku homages to every wine he tasted. He must have tried the 1999 Diamondback Cab when it was really young. 1999 Diamondback Cabernet Sauvignon Lane Steiberg Copperhead hissing Iron bars in oak barrels All it eats is steak Friday Night Wine Tasting, February 26, 6:00-9:00PM: New Arrivals from Italy, Germany, the Pacific NW and Spain This promises to be a fun evening as we pour a nice little group of old world wines, many of which have never been sold in Portland before. There will be everything from German Riesling to the Cote du Bruneaux that Andrew Rich has made for Portland distributor Casa Bruno. It’s a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Counoise and it is a very nice bottle for ten bucks! There will be charge for this tasting. Oh yes, the “super pour.” For a nominal fee there will be a bonus pour of the Gorman Winery “Evil Twin” Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has been getting a lot of gaudy scores and attention in the wine press lately so here’s a chance to check it out. Saturday Wine Tasting, Feb. 20, 12:00-5:00PM: Even More New Arrivals. Way too many new wines are arriving this week to fit them all in on Friday night’s tasting. the travelogue will continue with all Old World wines on Saturday. there will be no charge for this tasting. Cheers, Michael Alberty Head Storyteller Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >> 5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland \| (503) 206-7029 \| 1.800.753.2531

Story Teller Wine Company

My nine year old son asked me this morning what delayed gratification was all about. Seriously. Which means I am now going to start paying closer attention to the cartoons he is watching in the morning. I told him it was like when he sees a toy he likes and mom and dad tell him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to him. I also thought about how I will be having a rather different conversation with him on this same subject when he gets a bit older. So I dug out an old college psych text book and came across the following definition: “the ability to forgo an immediate pleasure or reward in order to gain a more substantial one later. The ability to delay gratification is often a sign of emotional and social maturity.” Yeah, right. In the wine world this is really, really tough to achieve.

On more than one occasion I have had a meal with wine colleagues from overseas where I get chastised on behalf of all Americans who drink their wines way too young. In the future I will just tell them it is because us colonists are still young and emotionally and socially immature when it comes to the ways of the world. Give us a few years and the economic budget to buy cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy at a time to stash away in our damp cellar where it will be promptly forgotten about until a son or daughter gets married and we will be right there with you. But they do have a point.

Yes, guilty as charged. The average American buys a bottle and consumes that bottle within a few months time. The good news is that most of the bottles we purchase are actually meant to be consumed within a few years of bottling, so no harm no foul. But for a lot of us it is a rare event when we can buy a really nice bottle or two and then patiently wait until optimal maturity to pop the cork. Once you have a few bucks of your own and Santa Claus’ delivery schedule has stopped being an impediment to your happiness it is really hard to wait. And that’s why I am happy to be able to offer this wine. Someone else has done the waiting for you, now all you have to do is buy some and find your corkscrew.

1999 Diamondback Vineyards Mendocino Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (normal price of around 30.00)

I love it when wines like this cross my threshold. Nice wine, great price, even better story. Diamondback Vineyards made wine for all of three vintages, from 1998 to 2001. I haven’t been able to find out exactly why they closed their doors, but it is a shame because they were making some really nice Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. They were also smart enough to hire a really good consulting winemaker, John Quinones.

John Quinones is one talented winemaker. After graduating from the University of California at Davis in 1986 with a degree in fermentation science and enology John began his career at Lyeth Estate Winery in Sonoma County. After a few years working with Bordeaux varietals there, he moved on to long tenures as the winemaker at Clos Pegase Winery and Raymond Burr Vineyards. John was responsible for some pretty epic wines, including the 1990 Clos Pegase Cabernet Sauvignon that made the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the World list. So it was no surprise when wineries all over California began trying to hire him as a consultant. One of those wineries was Diamondback Vineyards.

Diamondback Vineyards was located about 90 miles north of San Francisco, near the town of Middletown. Their vineyards, which included the 75-year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines used to make this wine, were located on the eastern slopes within the interior of Southern Mendocino County. The land was rocky and the sun was always out which made it a pretty good place for vines and very good place for snakes, many of which were poisonous. The fact that vineyard management required packing around anti-venom kits led to the naming of the winery. Unfortunately, after three vintages, the winery closed up shop. And unfortunately for John Quinones, they had to pay him off with wine. So John packed up his Diamondback Vineyards wine and went on his merry way.

Last year John Quinones decided the vineyards in southern Oregon had a lot of potential so he signed on as the winemaker at the RoxyAnn winery in Medford, Oregon. But when he got ready to make the move, he realized he still had a whole bunch of his Diamondback wines stored at a winery facility. So all those cases of wine were transported to Oregon. Deciding it would be nice to finally get some money for all his work at Diamondback Vineyards, John asked his RoxyAnn sales team to make the wines available in Oregon markets for pennies on the dollar.

Because Diamondback Vineyards only existed for a few years, you won’t find much written about them. But I can tell you this wine took the Top Gold Medal Winner designation at the Western Canada Wine Awards. I have no idea if that is a meaningful award but I noticed it beat out some pretty nice wines from wineries like Penfolds, Deerfield Ranch and Barone Ricasoli Casaferro in Italy. I can also tell you this 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon typically sells for 25.00 to 30.00 dollars a bottle in California and I noticed a Vinfolio entry on Wine Searcher for 40.00. So when I heard the outrageously low price being quoted to me by my RoxyAnn rep I decided I had better taste the wine.

The color was a nice dark ruby red with only a bit of an orange rim forming. So far so good. Then I got to the aromas drifting up out of my glass and I was sold. Nice ripe blackberry scents danced politely with notes of wet flint, tobacco and damp earth. There’s even a note in here that I have to describe as gunmetal or steel. I really enjoy smelling a wine like this, one that has had time to develop interesting secondary characteristics.

The wine didn’t disappoint once I actually got a bit in my mouth. There was that sweet blackberry fruit but there were also bits of orange peel, dark chocolate and brick dust. I had a mentor when I first started out in wine and he always liked to challenge people to get more specific when they threw descriptions around. So this is for you, you know who you are. The 1999 Diamondback Cab reminds me of a Terry’s Dark Chocolate Orange, dark chocolate that had been infused with orange oil and then molded into the shape of an orange. I used to love getting these in my stocking as a kid and I would tear into that orange foil wrapping to get at the first slice. So I guess we’ve now closed the Santa Claus loop for this newsletter. And the bricks? Well, there is a gamey/smoky quality to this wine so I’m going with klinker bricks. There’s also a nice herbal touch in there, reminding me of dried sage with maybe even a touch of lavender.

I really enjoyed having the opportunity to try this wine. Sure, the secondary characteristics that have formed are pretty neat, but I appreciate the wine for something else. I truly appreciate the 13.8% alcohol. The wine was nimble and not bogged down in a quagmire of glycerin. It wasn’t hot or clunky. This wine was a refreshing pleasure to drink. I read an interview with John Quinones where he stated that “I am very focused on the texture of a wine. The balance of the fruit, acidity, tannins, etc., is what creates a wine’s texture. When the balance is right, the wine is in harmony, and will simply feel good in your mouth.” I’d say he has mastered that in spades with the 1999 Diamondback Cabernet Sauvignon.

There is a decent supply of this wine available at the moment but I’ve noticed it has begun to appear as a glass pour at restaurants like ClarkLewis in Portland. So I’m guessing we will be able to sell this wine for another month or so. The price is 18.00 a bottle or 96.00 for a six-pack. A case is 168.00, making this one fine 14.00 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has clearly reached its plateau, but then again, so have I. So I will be sure to drink up all that I have at my home by the spring of 2011. It might do well beyond that point but I’m not about to delay gratification with this one.

And finally, the first ever haiku to appear in a Storyteller newsletter. It is courtesy of singer-songwriter Lane Steinberg. I could devote an entire newsletter to just trying to explain Lane Steinberg to you but for now I will just call him eclectic. But he really loves red wine and several years ago he began writing haiku homages to every wine he tasted. He must have tried the 1999 Diamondback Cab when it was really young.

1999 Diamondback Cabernet Sauvignon
Lane Steiberg

Copperhead hissing
Iron bars in oak barrels
All it eats is steak

Friday Night Wine Tasting, February 26, 6:00-9:00PM: New Arrivals from Italy, Germany, the Pacific NW and Spain

This promises to be a fun evening as we pour a nice little group of old world wines, many of which have never been sold in Portland before. There will be everything from German Riesling to the Cote du Bruneaux that Andrew Rich has made for Portland distributor Casa Bruno. It’s a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Counoise and it is a very nice bottle for ten bucks! There will be charge for this tasting. Oh yes, the “super pour.” For a nominal fee there will be a bonus pour of the Gorman Winery “Evil Twin” Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has been getting a lot of gaudy scores and attention in the wine press lately so here’s a chance to check it out.

Saturday Wine Tasting, Feb. 20, 12:00-5:00PM: Even More New Arrivals.

Way too many new wines are arriving this week to fit them all in on Friday night’s tasting. the travelogue will continue with all Old World wines on Saturday. there will be no charge for this tasting.

Cheers,
Michael Alberty
Head Storyteller

Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >>
5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland | (503) 206-7029 | 1.800.753.2531

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