Mayo Family Winery 2005 Random Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Mission Codename: The Random Zone

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Mayo Family Winery. Secure their highly sought- after Random Ridge Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Mayo Family Winery

Wine Subject: 2005 Random Ridge Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Michel Berthoud

Winemaker intel brief: Long-term Wine Spies Operatives know this, but newer Operatives should know that Michel Berthoud was formerly the winemaker for Arrowood Winery. A few months ago we featured an Arrowood wine here.

Backgrounder: Last month we featured another superb Mayo Reserve red. The wine was so well received by those that were able to get their hands on some that requests for a second May Family wine have been pouring in. In particular, their Random Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon seems to be the in-demand wine of choice among our thirsty Operatives. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes below, followed by the great experience that he had in meeting Jeffrey Mayo and his staff at the Mayo Reserve Room Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep garnet to burgundy with concentrated color right out to its ruby edges, and great clarity through its almost solid heart of garnet. When swirled, the wine settles fast, but then leaves behind thick and slow-moving legs

Smell – Deeply fragrant with a big intensity of ripe black fruits of blackberry, blueberry, smoky plum, cherries and soft oak with violet, anise, earth, mushroom and mildest cigar box rounding out the nose

Feel – Initially smooth and slightly round, them quickly grippy with big tannins, full-bodied with solid flavor intensity

Taste – Richly layered flavors of black and red fruit balanced with oak, dried herbs, subtle salty licorice and a mild minerality

Finish – Long, long, long, with lush and mouth-filling flavors that linger forever

Conclusion – This is an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon that is ready to drink now, but will reward the patient for years to come. If you love expressive and big Cabernet Sauvignon but don’t want your senses to be blown out by an over-the-top example, this wine is strongly recommended. Present here are beautiful aromas, rich and lucious flavors, a fantastic mouth-feel and a super long finish. These all add up to deliver a wine that is exciting to drink and a pleasure to share. We first encountered Random Ridge fruit (found in this wine, too) from Random Ridge Winery and wine legend, Bill Hawley, when we featured his wine earlier this year. Bill grows fruit at the highest- possible elevation in Napa, on his estate vineyards, at the tippy-top of Mt. Veeder. Bill’s influence and that of his incredible fruit are aparent in this wine. So, too, is the Mayo Reserve signature style; The wine has a bold and big character – kinda like our friend Jeffrey Mayo – but you also find a special lush quality to the wine. Is Jeff a lush? You’ll have to ask him!

- Agent Red, Founding Agent

OK, I give. I've read all of Agent Red's tasting notes but many of his (her?) wines are not available in my area (US Northeast). Are the wines available only from the wineries? What is the point of the TNs if you can't find the wines?

Just tasted this at the winery and my notes are totally different. I found this to be too much fruit and the over the top Napa style of jam that can be tiring. There was zero subtlety to this wine. I am all for the occasional bottle of CA whatever that is totally over the top much like the Aussie syrahs but this winery was way over the top for me.

Hi Evan,

This wine is available at

Best,

Agent Red, Founding Partner The Wine Spies

So let me understand this: The tasting notes are for wines you sell? And this is OK with alt.food.wine? What am I missing here?

Hi Lawrence,

I appreciate the feedback.

When I review a wine, I usually spend a full day or even two with a wine.

I agree that, on opening, this wine shows as brash. With extended decanting, the wine transforms and clams down significantly. Is this a problem for those expecting to be able to enjoy a wine right when they pop open a bottle? Perhaps. When a wine gets better with decanting, we place an alert on our site, as we did with this wine.

If you ever spot a wine on The Wine Spies, please feel free to post your own review, right beneath the listing.

Top Secret regards,

Sir Agent Red, Founding Partner The Wine Spies

Before I ever started posting my reviews here, I did send a message to the group to inquire as to etiquette. The replies I received seemed to all be quite positive.

Here is my original post, with replies:

I am always respectful of posting rules, and if I have violated any, please let me know.

Best,

Agent Red

I saw your original post. . Any TNs for something you don't sell?

Yes! In fact I plan to post some in August. Or sooner, now that you remind me!

That said, however, since I review at least 365 wines a year for The Wine Spies, I don't do too many TNs for wines that we don't sell. I simply don't have the time.

Have you ever reviewed El Molino wines..they are my favorite Chard from California.

Yes! In fact I plan to post some in August. Or sooner, now that you remind me!

That said, however, since I review at least 365 wines a year for The Wine Spies, I don't do too many TNs for wines that we don't sell. I simply don't have the time.

You Bastard! A top poster?

Evan, what do you mean by a Top Poster?

"Agent Red" wrote ........

Yes, and there were several provisos, weren't there?

The major concern expressed was the fine line between a commercial post and a discussion topic.

Furthermore, I for one pointed out that "this Newsgroup is one of the most international in stature", and that you should consider "the fact that we have people from France, Austria, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many other places contributing."

It has been expressed that several contributors find the "secret agent" tone of your postings quite infantile and tiresome (my thoughts) - you undertook to cut the "operative/mission accomplished" crap, a promise upon which you have reneged.

I judge your postings thus - is this a genuine discussion topic, or are you trying to sell something?

I fear the tone and tenor is directed towards the latter - thus is more commercial than should be permitted.

Just my $0.02.

st.helier

(p.s. - FYI, I am in New Zealand and, personally find your posts tiresome and irrelevant to the extent that I shall probably kill file "Agent Red" as my best remedy)

and me UK ;-) BTW, agree with you St H re Agent Red and the tone of the posting, paragraphs of crap when two words would do.

JT

Then count those (e.g. myself, based in Austria) whose mother tongue is not English. I didn't even understand a single word of Agent Red's postings.

M.

The guy runs a web site on wine and is trying to get his ratings up, even plugged his site.

AFW helped.

He should thank AFW.

Well, I watch Wine Library TV and he obviously sells wine but his reviews are frank and he pans wines he thinks are not up to his tastes and tells you what he thinks of wines that he sells so it is not pumping sales. This Agent Red with the secret agent conceit seems to love every wine he sells and that really isn't possible so I'm not sure the wasted space here is necessary. He reviewed a wine from the Mayo Family as wonderful and I found all of their wines to be barely drinkable so I take it with a big grain of salt.

Here's another French chime in. I find the secret agent stuff sophomoric and offensive in the international context. Obviously the site and reviews are intended for an Americanocentric audience. Though I like to see reviews of CA wines even when I can't get them, this stuff reads like pure salesmanship.

Red, just give us the tasting notes -- the bad with the good -- and cut the rest of the chaff.

-E

HI Emery,

We review dozens of wines each week to find only the best wines. We are offered hundreds of wines each month and reject most. Thousands of repeat customers love and trust our in-depth reviews. Of course, to each his own. We all have personal taste and our members trust ours.

As for posting reviews here, I will keep it to just the core tasting notes as some of you have so kindly suggested.

- Agent Red

I think it is legitimate when a critic likes wines that I don't. When I read that Parker gushes about "gobs of jammy fruit" that's a useful data point for me: I know I probably won't enjoy the wine much. So Larry has discovered something, which is that if you like it (in a certain way) he probably won't. Those of us here who's tastes align with Larry's will also find this information useful.

I think it normal that your customers love and trust your reviews, because otherwise they'd buy wine elsewhere. That doesn't mean that folks on AFW will agree.

Furthermore those of us with a fair amount of experience, both in tasting and with producers and journalists -- not to mention those contributors that are producers or journalists -- recognize the concept of a "useful wine." These are the wines we drink, they go well with food, they have aspects that are not perfect. Those are of interest along with the completely positive aspects of the wine.

Once in a while we meet a wine that causes us to gush over it, but certainly not in every tasting note... That's why I suggested that your reviews read more like marketing than tasting notes. I understand (as an American even if expat) that there is a cultural bias there, but even still.

I'm sure that will be appreciated. If you keep references to your site confined to your sig, and mention (as Bill or Emily do when they post notes on a wine they represent) that you sell the wine, there should be no problem.

-E