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Michel-Schlumberger           www.michelschlumberger.com
  
                                         4155 Wine Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448
                                            (707) 433-7427 or (800) 447-3060

Evan Erickson

Domaine Michel was founded by Swiss native Jean-Jacques Michel in 1979. Jacques Schlumberger, a member of the Alsatian family Schlumberger whose winery dates back 200 years, became a partner in 1991, which changed the name to Michel-Schlumberger. Jacques quickly became a driving force here. Mike Brunson helped to modernize the winery from the mid to late '90s and became the chief winemaker in 2006.

The winery is built in the style of a California mission with red clay roof tiles, a bell tower, white stucco walls and a charming courtyard. They practice organic, sustainable viticulture and produce about 7,000 cases per year..

Judd Wallenbrock (president /general manager) founded Humanitas in 2002 with the idea of allowing consumers to help those who are less fortunate in the community ever time they buy wine. This is achieved by Humanitas giving 7% of proceeds to local charities.

Evan Erickson (Wine Events and Sales) gave us an extensive tour through the vineyard and winery before sitting us down for a fine tasting in the beautiful courtyard. The grapes that go into these are estate grown and produced in small lots.

90  2010  Michel-Schlumberger  La Bise  Pinot Blanc  (Dry Creek Valley)  $24

100% Pinot Blanc  12.4%alc
Overall: Melon and lime fruit with excellent minerality. Is elegant, yet intense. Tastes like an excellent Pinot Blanc from Alsace.

86  2007  Michel-Schlumberger  La Brume  Chardonnay  (Dry Creek Valley)  $25

100% Chardonnay  14.0%alc
Overall: Pretty yellow pear and elegant butter without being oaky. There's good acidity, but some bitterness with a dry slatey finish. Good food wine.

88+  2007  Humanitas  Malbec  (Dry Creek Valley)  $40

100% Malbec  14.5%alc
Overall: Dry, dusty blackberry fruit with red clay nuances. Very good spice and tannin. Some flowery nuances make it interesting with spice coming on in the finish. This is a little young and tight at present, but should open and improve over the next few years. Tastes a lot like a fine Malbec from Cahors.

86  2006  Michel-Schlumberger  La Source  Syrah  (Dry Creek Valley)  $32

97% Syrah, 3% Viognier  14.5%alc
Overall: Tart cherry fruit with eucalyptus and other herbal flavors. Very good tannins supporting, but could use more fruit. Also has some funky bret.

90  2007  Michel-Schlumberger  La Source  Syrah  (Dry Creek Valley)  $32

97% Syrah, 3% Viognier  14.5%alc
Overall: Deeper color than the '06 with excellent concentration to the sweet/tart cherry fruit and red clay. Excellent acidity and tannins supporting. Very consistent from start to finish with room to improve in the next few years.

87  2007  Michel-Schlumberger  Faux Pas  CabernetSauvignon/Syrah  (Dry Creek Valley)  $40

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Syrah  14.7%alc
Overall: Smooth black cherry fruit with a little cassis thrown in. Quite enjoyable now, but could improve with a couple of years bottle age.

89  2007  Michel-Schlumberger  Petit Verdot  (Dry Creek Valley)  $40

100% Petit Verdot  14.5%alc
Overall: Solid cherry and blackberry fruit with flowery nuances and subtle clay terroir. A well balanced, solid middleweight with a silky mouthfeel. The finish is a little restrained, but should open with 2-3 years age.

88  1991  Michel-Schlumberger  Cabernet Sauvignon   (Dry Creek Valley)  $50

% alcohol not given on the label
Overall: In fine shape for its age, showing excellent structure and secondary nuances of mushrooms, cedar and gray clay (St. Julien-like) with decent cassis fruit underneath. Has the structure to get even more interesting in the next 2-3 years, but probably doesn't have the fruit, so drink up. I really enjoy sniffing this, but the fruit is somewhat faded in the flavor and finish, suggesting that I probably would have prefered to drink it a few years earlier.

Final Thoughts: This winery is a French beacon located smack in the middle of a sea of Zinfandel, known as the Dry Creek Valley. Their wines are based on French varietals and are made in a very French style, that is, more earth and mineral flavors, less alcohol, and drier, more subtle fruit. These characteristics allow their wines to pair well with a variety of foods. Their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot taste like they could have come from Bordeaux, the Humanitas Malbec from Cahors, the Syrah and Cabernet/Syrah from the Languedoc and the Pinot Blanc from Alsace. All of the reds possess very good tannins, which should allow them to age and improve gracefully, as demonstrated by the '91 Cabernet from the winery's first vintage. There are also interesting differences between wines, reflecting the terroir of each. In the late '90s, many of their grape vines had to be replanted due to a phylloxera (plant louse) infestation. So, many of these vines are young, implying that their wines should only get better as the vines get older. In this tasting, I particularly liked the '10 Pinot Blanc and the '07 Syrah. I've also enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon from several different vintages.

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