Chez Ray Cabernet Sauvignon, Lodi, CA (from juice), 2003 - Wine Tasting & Review

The Chez Ray Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, CA for 2003 was made from juice, no skins.  In the glass, it is mid red, with pale highlights at the edges.  Aromas are tangy, juicy fruit, with a hint of oak.  On the palate, the juice origins are clear - almost no acids or tannins, bringing a dry Welch's grape drink to the mid-palate, backed up by a characteristic taste that I have only noted before in this blend.  Years ago that character was offensive, now it takes a gentle, and not unpleasant supporting role.  I would go with two stars on the Spirit of Wine scale, with a plus for relative inoffensiveness.  Not one of my strongest recommendations.

**** Chez Ray Russian River Windsor Vineyards Zinfandel, (Z5) Sonoma, CA - Review and Rating

Original Review, May, 2009: The Chez Ray 2005 Russian River Zinfandel is from Windsor Vineyards, delivered as frozen grapes from Brehm Vineyards. Original tasting notes from our post-fermentation blending party are here.

Let's see how it's doing with a couple of years of age...

In the glass, it is deep magenta with a touch of rust color. Aromas are bold, purple-inky and wildly alcoholic. Keep the lit matches away! Fruit is a bright blackberry.

Upon sipping, this zinfandel slides to the middle of your palate, emitting minerally, smooth, liquor-like drapes of sweet, easy fruit. Acids and tannins are hidden entirely, but you feel they are underneath, pumping up the intensity. Finishes with a clean metal sheen, touches with glints of fruit. Four stars on the Spirit of Wine scale. Quite ready to drink now, though another year or two in bottle won't seem to hurt anything.
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Updated Review, now five years from vintage date, September, 2010:  Consistent color, just a hint of brick at the rim now.  Wild purple ink on the nose.  A full intensity of ink on the palate, dripping down your cheeks, buttressed by clear underlying tannins. Holding up extraordinarily well.

Following long decant, two days kept cool in partially-filled bottle: Now blood-red ink on the nose, rather than purple.  Tannins have gotten sleeker on the palate too.  Yum, still good stuff.  Gonna try a couple more days too.

Bottling the 2010 Chez Ray Whites - Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer

This Labor Day Weekend, I bottled the wines made in 2010 from frozen grapes from Brehm Vineyards... the 328-06 2006 Columbia Gorge WA Gewurztraminer and the 335-06 2006 White Salmon Vineyard WA Chardonnay.

Both were fermented cool - at about 60 degrees fahrenheit - using Cote des Blancs yeast.  Juice was fermented in the plastic pails that the frozen juice was received in, and settled for a few months in my wine cellar, with plastic wrap on top of the juice.  From past experiments, this did an excellent job of preventing oxidation during short- to intermediate-term aging.

The gewurztraminer and chardonnay were bottled separately.  I created a freeze-fractionated higher-sugar gewurztraminer (got to about 28 brix), which I have not bottled yet.

The remaining gewurztraminer which was siphoned off during the freeze-fractioning, ended up at about 21 brix.  I have also kept that in the bucket and am sweetening that lightly (about 3 teaspoons sugar per 750 ml bottle, or approx 1/10 teaspoon stevia) to create a summer white wine.

By the way, the stevia (used in powder form) seems to work quite well in this wine, creating no metallic off-flavors that I can detect.  It is a very clean, non-cloying sweetness.  For wine sweetening, my rule of thumb is to use about 1/30 to 1/50th the amount of stevia as I normally would use sugar.   It is a non-fermentable sweetener, so should be fine for storage.  I have not tried a longer-term sweetened wine with stevia, but will put one down for a test soon.

*** 2002 Chez Ray Red Blend - Cabernet Sauvignon / Zinfandel / Syrah

This is an eight-year-old blend of mostly "kit" wines, including RJ Spangols Cellar Classic "Rosso Grande", Wine Art Gold cabernet sauvignon, Brew King "Old Vines Zin" and real grape syrah from Yakima, WA.   In the glass, 2002 Chez Ray Red Blend is deep burgundy with distinct brick tones at the edges.

Aromas are sweet, deep, cherry, appearing over-aged and slightly oxidized. 

The palate is more solid.  Round, sweet and full, it is just a bit too friendly and easy, not showing vigor in tannins, acids, or finish.  Still, it is a nice, deep cherry experience.  Just touches three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale.  This wine is definitely NOT looking for any more years in the bottle.