No indeed–not rain nor wind nor rain was going to keep us down. With very sincere and heartfelt regret for the many travelers who had to cancel or who were trapped mid-transit and couldn’t make it, the rest of us soldiered on and this was once again a unique and absolutely memorable event. My big virtual hugs get added to the real ones for Frank and Jill and their amazingness in always welcoming so many of us into their home for this. Despite the weather, we were blessed in having almost all the committed winemakers make their way down to join us. Especial thanks have to go to Brian Loring (wish I’d had more time to catch up, hermano) who has supported this event from pretty much day 1. Those I personally know made it, being John Lockwood, Jamie Kutch, Larry Schaffer, Joe Webb, Darren Delmore, Rachel Silkowski, Steve Nordhoff, Ashley Buehler, Marc and Dominique Simon, Kurt Beitler, Ryan Zepaltas, Phil Kaplan and Eric Lundblad, many many thanks. Especially good to see good friends Brian, Larry and Jamie—and I should note that Jamie got there early and threw himself right into help mode in setting up the whites room.
OK, enough blathering. I again did much too much talking ![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin"){kind=small}
and so am only posting on 47 wines. I will count on everyone else to fill out the roster, but this is always so difficult for me—I wanted to and did try some new producers, but tasted only 1 Sandler, 1 Sojourn, no Big Basin—all wines I like. You get the picture.
2013 Kendric Marin Pinot Noir
Although it seems an odd place to start, this and the next (at the time) had only 1 bottle available for pouring. Spices mix with ripe red fruit–cranberry and plum—on the bouquet. Drive with plenty of acidity–sharp almost lemon counterpoint to raspberry.
2014 Rasi 3 Barrel Pinot Noir
Light overlay of herbs brace red fruit and some potpourri scents. That profile stays with you on the tongue and there’s good use of oak, gives some frame to the berry and sweet currant.
2014 Carlisle Derivative
Quiet, almost silvery aromas with pear and gingerbread taking parts. Rather a saline side to hard-to-find fruit. Almost an aniseed backhit. I do need and want to see more fruit
2014 Alma Fria Holtermann Pinot Noir
Higher-toned bing cherry here in the bouquet. Palate is opposite—lean and quite racy with raspberry and unripe bilberry.
2014 Rivers-Marie Occidental Ridge Pinot Noir
Cinnamon heart on top of strawberry coulee. Zippy and energetic with earth tones to sharp raspberry and strawberry. #10 and very good.
2014 Riverain Cabernet
Cherry ,coffee roast, dark plum–the fruit is from the Tench vineyard. Ah me—this is Yum-mY! Great balance and energy with pure and focused blueberry and black cherry fruit. Rocking and delicious. #2
2014 Sojourn Georges III Cab
(I of course had wanted to taste the pinots too, but they were all gone by the time I got around to them). This is more closed–oaky and a lot of black fruit. More robust than usual—has richness but its unready right now. Give time to knit together.
2012 Edward Lane Georges III Cab
Sam Sheehan made the wine. Red and black fruit are in equal display in the nuzzie. Palate is juicy and surface-full, but no readl depth for me, it doesn’t reach an extra gear or level that I’d want from this vineyard.
2013 Calluna Estate Calluna vineyards
A Bordeaux blend, plenty of earth, forest some kerosene, lots of chocolatey blackberry. Le gout, I see why Marshall wanted me to try it. Very classical lines to this wine, dark fruit and acid carries the day and the frame. Good stuff, #9
2014 Calluna Estate C.V.C.
Another Bordeaux blend, it has some Bordeaux characteristics with the herbs, spices and currant in the nose. Some dill is there. Strong stuff, very nice currant and berry with spicy back-end.
2014 Liquid Farm Four Chard
Candied lemon and gingerale backbone. This is very fine indeed, has presence and panache at the same time Replays with added citrus and pear.
2015 Liquid Farm White Hill Chard
Even more gingery with pear and apple. Back to what I like with them on the palate, lean and crisp and racy with apple and some grapefruit, even. Like!
2014 Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chard
Honey and honeycomb, poached pear and some nectarine. This is just as good or better, bursting with orange peel, peach and sunshine and a backend of fig. Very complete and compelling, #7
2015 Kutch Sonoma Coast Chard
tightly wound but alluring ,some hints at tropical fruit around apple and citrus. What an interesting wine! Has tremendous crisp juiciness–like biting into a fresh orange–but so different from the Santa Cruz. I would definitely want to order some of this too. #6
2014 Ladd Cellars Sonoma Coast Chard
Smoky on this, but pleasantly lightly so, with white fruit. Tasty and with some grip–California sunshine, with orange and baked apple notes. It’s of itself.
2014 Rhys Bearwallow Pinot Noir
cocoa-mocha with panoply of berry fruit abd apple skin as well—lots going on. Le gout is still on the rugged side, with raspberry and cranberry in the forefront. Plenty of AV earth and more cocoa with some coffee. Requisite complexity but needs 3 years.
2014 Rasi Mourvedre
essence of blackberry and dark chocolate…DARK. Very nice on palate, tons of fruit and substance here, the finish goes on for a long time. Memorable #8
2014 Enfield Wine Company Haynes vineyard Syrah
Meaty and raspberry and blueberry vie with some cumin here. Napa Syrah, but could fool me. Quite cool and snappy wih raspberry and meat. A nice little surprise. #13
OK, falling asleep again, but I will update the OP in the morning.
Right. On we go.
2014 Carlisle Two Acres
Big bouquet with macerated plums and cherries, I also get some smoked bacon. Lush and ripe with blueberry, prune and plum, but on the thicker and supercharged side for me with this cuvee which I’ve enjoyed in the past.
2015 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Dusty nose, cocoa and currant also weaved in. A nice roundness dans la bouche, and a nice “readiness” to this, goo red fruit core and bites of baking spices on the outside. Well done.
2015 Kutch Falstaff Pinot Noir
Fine strawberry and cola scents, well balanced. Brambly and tasty right now, red berry and earth at the back, but pretty kinetic for now, needs more time.
2015 Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Still tight aromatically with earth, currant and raspberry in the mix. This one may need a little time too, but it’s lighter and tangy with lot of red berry and crabapple.
2015 Kutch McDougall Pinot Noir
Good dollops of cocoa and earth waft up the glass, followed by medley of red and black cherry and some strawberry undertone. Jamie’s right here about thinking of comparisons to the 12–a ton of presence and promise of juicy ripeness, yet still with structure and play. A wine of distinction to-be. #11
2014 Witch’s Hand Shillelagh Pinot Noir
Forceful on nose and in mouth, this was pretty turbocharged for me, with a lot of sugared cherry.
2015 Sandler Keefer Ranch Pinot Noir
Such are the difficulties of choosing that I only got to one of Ed’s wines today, but I picked a good 'un. The aromas are airy and light with red berry fruit and just twinges of dark cocoa for extra interest. To taste, this is very curvy and shapely with a lovely, lively expression of the purity of Keefer strawberry-driven fruit. A true pleasure. #5
2013 Ladd Cellars Cuvee Abigail Pinot Noir
Lots of cherry varieties, some pomegranate and florals as well, a very nice nose. Has drive and fruit, but the two aren’t married yet. Needs about 4 years.
2014 Matthiasson Napa White
Their take on Bordeaux Blanc, herbs and white fruit to sniff, but all quite subtle. A touch of grass and juniper berry. Quite delineated on the tongue, with some truffle aspect to aromatic replays. One to contemplate and probably a good food match.
2015 Tercero Albarino
Got an odd soap and perfume bouquet on this one with apple underneath. A softer, gentler Albarino, lemon and some orange even. A nice quaff.
2013 Betwixt Pinot Noir
Cola and sarsaparilla are present around cherry and strawberry. This is good, lots of red berry speaks through a round, rich frame. Recommendable.
2016 Kutch Sans Soufre Pinot Noir
This is a new thing for Jamie, “without sulphur” is the translation and he did this without any oak. Has enough berry fruit, tinges of cinnamon and cardamom. To taste, quite level and uncomplicated, but also has nice flow and makes for a good quaffer, with raspberry, strawberry and crabapple fruit.
2013 Tercero Mourvedre
Wow! In the sniffer, this is a beaut! Full of chocolate, blackberry, cumin seeds…even a bit of mustard seed thing. I love the nose. To taste, although a little on the sweet side right now, it sticks with you with that black fruit and a rocking espresso afterbreathe. I am pretty confident it will grow into quite the precocious wine and is already a captivating example #4
2013 Concept The Omen Red
Aromas are smoky, meaty and very ripe plum. Not sure of the composition here, but it has Grenache characteristics for me–grapey and sweet side tastes. Pass for me.
2013 DV8 Overdrive Larner Syrah
Nuzzie gets some diesel with lots of black fruit. This has drive but fairly thick and rich with replays. Aptly named.
2013 Cooper Jackson Pinot Noir
Made by/with Brian Loring. Like the interest here, with cherry cheesecake intermingled with baking spices. Straight-line wine on the palate, but it has carry and solid raspberry base.
2013 Cabot Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Cocoa, dust, strawberry and pomegranate are all swirling around. This is good, it has layers of blue and black fruit and quite a bit of palate allure. #12
2015 Loring Huber Dornfelder
What fun to see this variety! Grapey scents, but with black fruit too. Fun to taste, chirpy and sharp and some tea notes here to sweet-but-angular blackberry and blackcurrant. I’d actually be curious to try this again in 1.5 years or so.
2015 Halcon Wentzel Pinot Noir
From AV, nice-nice bouquet of baking spices around boysenberry and strawberry fruit. And in the mouth, this is very fine, extremely smooth and polished with mincemeat around plenty of red fruit. Probably the surprise of the day for me #3
2015 Loring Clos Pepe Pinot Noir
Good “bright” red and black cherry fruit on nose and mouth. A nice, balanced presentation that can be enjoyed soon.
2012 Argot Syrah
Lots of black plum and some tarry notes come sailing through. To taste, angular yet rich at the same time, kind of top-heavy and rooty for me, sort of disconnected, but to be fair, it’s been open all day
2015 Wind Gap Nellesen Syrah
I like this more–some game/animale here with beef and rich cherry scents. Quite grippy and tart with berries and cured meats. Needs a lot of time.
2015 Loring Rosellas Pinot Noir
Plenty of nutmeg and chocolate aromatics. Has a rugged tang and bracing raspberry that galvanizes the palate. Really quite a nice wine.
2013 Ladd Cellars Moore Ranch Pinot Noir
The Nash was sadly drained. Sweet raspberry, apple peel and a bit of kirsch are scented. Palate has replays with chocolate cherry liqueur added. I like how it builds in power in the mouth
2014 Copain Kiser Combe de Gres Pinot Noir
Near the end of the day, this floored me. Lovely strawberry and boysenberry fruit in the bouquet. And ooo—good! Marvelously vibrant and vivacious with crunchy currant and bright berry fruit yet stays round and deep at the back. This is quite the showstopper, especially late in the day and my WOTD Let’s go with 91 or so.
2014 Boheme English Hill Chard
For me, decent pear contribution with some flowery peach. Replays, but in a savoury line. Lots o carry and freshness, really one of the better chards today.
2015 Fogline Zephyr’s Block Chard
lemon, lime, orange and some truffle underneath on this one. Taste has sort of sour cream element, but bright yellow fruit.
2016 Liquid Farm Vogelzang Rose
Intense “smoked” grapefruit and pomegranate seeds. On the tongue, this is actually softer than usual, but it’s very, very attractive, very dulcet with watermelon, grapefruit and very light strawberry. Goody-good. #14.
2014 Agnitio Sauvignon Blanc
Got grapefruit, some fresh hay and almost a balsam note maybe in the sniffer–interesting stuff. Snappy and quite crisp, but with a bitter feel, a bit too forceful right now.
I had a fantastic time again at this unmissable event.
Mike
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