A Full (12) case of the new Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir and
Single-Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc...$165.00
These wines are FLYING out of the suppliers warehouse and will likely
be completely sold out by March 1st primarily because Robert Parker
(Issue #174, January, 2008) says "Cartlidge and Browne's 2006 Pinot
Noir is better than many that sell for FIVE TIMES its price" and "The
2006 Dancing Crow Sauvignon is loaded with melon fruit, freshness and
Sauvignon character...both are EXCELLENT VALUES".
The C&B packaging (bottle/label/capsule) has been seriously upgraded
and now matches the table presentation of wines many times their
frugal tare...Their new slogan? "Put your nose in our business"!
The new "Dancing Crow" single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and California
Pinot Noir from Cartlidge and Browne have recently been released.
Winemaker (for 25 years) Paul Moser has consistently crafted
varietelly correct, super-clean and delicious products at unbelievably
reasonable prices. Today, with their new 100,000 square-foot,
state-of-the-art facility in Napa, Paul has been able to take the C&B
varietals to a level of quality which borders that of their pricy Napa
neighbors. Moser earned his stripes working with some of the finest
vineyards in the Loire Valley. Quoting Robert Parker: "the question
is why so many producers ignore what C&B does better than just about
anybody else in the state...produce fruit forward, pure, varietelly
correct, delicious wines".
Faithful to their loyal customer base, Tony Cartlidge and Glenn Browne
continue to adhere to their famously "tweaked" quality/value ratio
which is the cornerstone of the C&B philosophy.
*6-2006 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir was produced from grapes grown
in four counties: Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Solano. This careful
blend and excellent quality of the 2006 vintage provides the wine with
classic Pinot Noir character. The Napa component (from the southeast
portion of the valley) contributes spectacular power, depth and rich
stone fruit flavors; the Sonoma (from the Carneros) benefited from a
warm late season which produced a deep-colored, complex, mulberry-like
fraction adding some elegant tone and spice-cake notes while the
Mendocino (Redwood Valley) created a cherries-to-plums fruit character
and a plush texture; the Solano addition gave its usual up-front fruit
with ripeness that broadens the palate impression and gives the wine a
pleasing and generous lift on which to build the entire blend.
"Better than many (Pinot Noirs) that sell for five times the
price"...Parker
*Parker again..."It is surprising that such a good yet fairly priced
Pinot can be made in the New World, where consumers tend to lose any
common sense and purchase mediocre but extravagantly priced Pinots
thanks to "Sideways". (As Tom Waits would say, "this guys been
readin' my mail") C&B's 2006 Pinot is better than many that sell for
FIVE TIMES THE price. Its medium ruby color is followed by a soft
perfume of sweet cherry fruit and a touch of cinnamon. With good
size, medium body, excellent purity and a generous, savory texture.
It can be enjoyed over the next 1-2 years and is an excellent value.
Cartlidge & Browne continues to provide rewarding and surprisingly
tasty drinking".
"89-91"/RC..."I tasted a "just opened" jar of this wine with the C&B
Rep yesterday afternoon and we both (at first) questioned what Parker
had been smoking when he wrote the above review. A very nice, well
made red wine with lovely fruit flavors and a fairly rich texture but
equal to $65-$75 Pinots? Guess What: After sitting in the glass for
20-30 minutes this wine went through a metamorphosis from being a
tight, varietelly ambiguous little red wine into being unquestionably
Pinot Noir in character with adequate weight, a silky texture, soft
tannins and rich flavors of baked cherries, summer blackberry, tea,
anise, mulling spice and a hint of dusty cocoa in the finish. It
seems that only Pinot Noir will so radically change in a relatively
brief exposure to oxygen...it is magic wine. Years ago I was blessed
with the opportunity to taste Domaine de La Romanee-Conti from a great
vintage. The wine started out as a Rose' and ended up being this
rich, full-bodied, gorgeously textured, liquid sex bomb. Magic
*2006 Cartlidge & Browne "Dancing Crow" Sauvignon Blanc...This
Organically farmed, 28 acre property is located just north of
Kelseyville near California's Clear Lake (the largest Loch in the
state as Tahoe's partially in Nevada...I'm thinking there might be
Monsters in Loch Clear but that's for another movie). This vineyards
rich clay soil and lake-moderated climate express themselves in a wine
with aromas and flavors of melon, guava and stone fruit. The lush
texture is a product of ideal ripening and extended lees contact. The
grapes were picked in a staggered fashion in order to achieve an ideal
balance of acidity and sugars. They were fermented cold to dryness in
22 days. To preserve this beautiful 100% Sauvignon flavors the wine
never went into oak.
Now THIS is what I call a Ringing Endorsement!
*The Washington Post chimes in: "Although we agree with Stevenson
that "wine is bottled poetry" (and Jell-O is excited Kool-Aid), on a
typical weeknight most of us are not expecting a revelation...hence we
were happy to discover (and recommend) the gently spiced, plum and
cherry noted 2006 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir. Match it with
mushroom lasagna, salmon, tuna, lamb" or baked aardvark.
None other than the world-famous Orange County Register (where
apparently all the women are fair, blonde, full figured and a bit
ditzy if you were to believe that T.V. show I catch Linda watching now
and then) said of this wine "Coming from a single, organically farmed
vineyard in Lake County, the wine immediately struck me (bam!) As the
best Sauvignon I've tasted n some time and a worthy rival for my
favorite Casa Lapostelle...the quality is compounded by the
ridiculously low price."
"89 Points" -Robert Parker..."The brilliant Dancing Crow Sauvignon
Blanc is a medium-bodied white loaded with melon fruit notes, crisp
acidity, freshness and a true SB character. Believe me, there are not
many that offer high quality at such low prices. Drink it over the
next year".
"88-90"/RC..."Beautiful new, tall, deep-punt bottle and upgraded label
treatment, the wine is light straw/yellow in color, nose of lemon
mousse, spring flowers and sweet summer melon; flavors mirror the nose
adding a fairly weighty texture, bright citrus notes and a touch of RS
in the finish. Delicious wine, one of the finest SB values on the
market; rivals many South American and NZ wines in quality and
(gladly) matches or beats their price."
Cartlidge and Browne wines have always been terrific values. Few will
disagree that these new releases represent a dramatic leap in what was
already a quality line of reasonably priced varietal wines. $165.00
Sampler case of 6 each (or 12 of either wine; same price)
*Line lifted from Seinfeld episode "Serenity Now" when Elaine says to
the Rabbi: "Well, something's going on because every able-bodied
Israelite in the County is driving strong to the hoop!" Still one of
my favorite all time lines from the show...and there were thousands of
great lines.
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