Our esteemed fine wine dinner group met recently at the San Ysidro Ranch restaurant, The Plow & Angel. As usual, we sat on the outside patio as the sun set and the stars moved in.
Our wine theme was red and white Burgundy vs. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Also, all wines were brown bagged to allow for a greater educational experience. It`s during this kind of wine theme that we see more local wines as folks attempt present local favorites. In tasting blind, we were challenged to determine the origin of each wine as well our own personal preferences before revealing the wines.
Our starter wine was the consistently good NV Ariston Aspasie Carte Blanche Brut. This got good reviews from around the table and well it should. It has really nice acidity with tasty citrus notes, was crisp and refreshing with a mild chill on it and had a lovely mousse that allowed for all of the treasures to gracefully glide over the palate. Thanks to Gary Westby of K&L for the turn on a few years ago. We then had 8 blind white and 8 blind red wines in flights of 2 with discussion and unveiling after each pair.
1st Flight
2011 TYLER ZOTOVICH FAMILY VINEYARDS SANTA RITA HILLS CHARDONNAY- most of us missed the origin of this and had it as a Chablis; it certainly had all of the hallmarks with a major dose of flint and minerals joined by nice citrus flavors; the color was a light yellow; the texture may have been the one giveaway for new world as it had a creaminess more in line with malolactic fermentation.
2004 PETER MICHAEL LA CARRIERE SONOMA COUNTY CHARDONNAY- most got this as CA; with a yellow gold color, it had a big dollop of honeysuckle and stone fruit with undertones of oak; it was full on and long, a big boy with serious expressions.
2nd Flight
2011 MARCASSIN MARCASSIN VINEYARD CHARDONAY- this bottle had a cloudy, light yellow color, a huge perfume, honeyed peach and pear flavors with some minerality coming in late and noticeable viscosity; I had it as CA while others split it with being FR.
2015 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY LA COMME SANTENAY 1ER CRU- this shined ever so brightly and although I did not get this as PYCM, it definitely had Burgundy all over it; with beautiful balance, the aromatics and taste profile was sensational with ripe green apple and pear notes most prominent; the depth and mouthfeel added to its appeal.
3rd Flight
2008 BALLOT-MILLOT MEURSAULT-PERRIERES 1ER CRU- on the heels of the last winner, this went a touch further hitting all of the sensory receptors with grace, elegance and class; the nose had some flint and steel and later on minerals showed up in the taste along with fresh green apples with a bit of spice; my first thought was Chablis and then I acquiesced to Meursault and was pleased to discover it was.
2011 MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS ESTATE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS CHARDONNAY- compared to all before it, this was an entirely different profile; the nose had something like mint and clove and the taste was more of lime, kiwi and tart lemon; herbs and spices accentuated carried by a light creamy tecture; I guessed it to be new world; upon revealing, I was surprised to find it MEV as I`ve enjoyed many a bottle over the years and not one showed like this one.
4th Flight
2011 CHATEAU MONTELENA NAPA CHARDONNAY- light yellow color with a mild expression of all traits; there was some mineral infused citrus, light to medium body and a somewhat abbreviated finish.
2013 ETIENNE SAUZET LA GARENNE PULIGNY-MONTRACHET- I immediately got some funk in the nose and upon further review, concluded it was corked which soon was confirmed by others; there were at least some redeeming characteristics, but the cork taint prevailed.
We now moved into the red wines.
1st Flight
2010 DOMAINE GROS CLOS VOUGEOT MUSIGNI- seriously fruity from the nose through the tail almost to an imbalance; there`s smoky wild cherry/ berry with black cherry most prominent; it was full on and complex with layers unfolding all the way through; it would be good to decant if not stored away for many years.
1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM ALLEN VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- I had to bring this for the red Burg comparison since we`re doing a blind tasting; I do not know what anybody got as to place of origin, but the raving reviews confirmed mass overwhelming approval; it had a light red unadulterated color; the aromatics were replete with spice and fresh red fruit notes which turned into a lightly sweetened red raspberry, cranberry and red cherry in the taste profile; with a medium body, it had a great mouthfeel and an extended finish that is still on my palate; at the end of the evening, this and the Ballot-Millot were tied for WOTN.
2nd Flight
2007 TYLER PRESIDIO SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PINOT NOIR- and yet another Tyler wine and showing well in the blind format as our group has experienced from Justin Willet when he brought his wines to a few dinners; the nose had an immense amount of floral and fruit notes which continued on the palate with red and black cherry and blackberry flavors embellished by a huge dose of spice and clove; it had good feel and along with its complexity, stayed the course for a long welcomed finish. CA
2014 GRACE & VINE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PINOT NOIR- a new collaborative effort of 3 locals, one of whom heads up our dinner group; I got a lot of black fruit plus my childhood recall of jujube in this with a hit of talc and sandalwood; certainly the taste profile was pleasing and it was supported by nice texture; the oak component is not yet integrated and a bit imposing. CA
3rd Flight
2014 TEN ACRE WINERY SONOMA COAST WINERY PINOT NOIR- I missed the specific vineyard this came from; it had nice fresh red fruit with a medium weight and texture with red raspberry primarily expressed; it was easily a CA wine or easier yet, not FR.
2011 KISTLER VINEYARDS OCCIDENTAL STATION VINEYARD CUVEE CATHERINE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR- pretty serious juice here with lots of energy and thrust; loaded with fruit and flowers essences in the nose, it continues on with talc, sandalwood infused red and black fruit; it seemed youthful and still searching for balance; it has nice structure and good acidity; I had it as FR.
4th Flight
2007 dALFONSO-CURRAN COOPER SELECT SANTA RITA HILLS PINOT NOIR- from dear old friends and local couple winemaking team of Bruno dAlfonso [formerly Sanford] and Kris Curran [formerly Sea Smoke, Foley], this big boy Pinot is full of wonderful vibrant red fruit that has a bit of coconut; it is full bodied and long; CA
2000 BREWER-CLIFTON MELVILLE SANTA RITA HILLS PINOT NOIR- lots of oak notes all the way through joined by nice dark fruit with black cherry/ berry and black currant; it was full bodied and intense with depth and length.
As always when our prince of sweets is present, we enjoy a liquid dessert. In this case, it was an very interesting one which as I understand it, is not considered a wine in Austria due to its low alcohol content being below 5%:
2002 ALOIS KRACHER NOBLE WINE #2 ZWISCHEN den SEEN- 4% alc.; this partially fermented wine was thick, syrupy, honeyed raisin, stone fruit laden and finger licking good.
Once again, we had a wonderful time of great wines, food and fellowship in the garden ambience of a fine restaurant while being royally served under the stars.
Cheers,
Blake
