My latest DryCreekVnyds shipment arrived last week, so wasted no time breaking into it:
- DryCreekVnyd SauvBlanc DCV3 Estate/DryCreekVlly (Plnted: 1972; 13.2%; www.DryCreekVineyard.com) Healdsburg 2018: Med.light yellow color w/ tiny/tiny bubbles that dissapate rapidly; very strong melony/lemony/herbal/classic ripe SB very light pencilly/oak quite attactive nose; quite tart/tangy bit steely/metallic crisp/clean/bright light flinty/chalky strong SB/herbal/lemony/melony/ripe very light pencilly/oak flavor; very long/lingering crisp/bright/bit steely some flinty/chalky strong herbal/SB/melony/lemony finish; very nice steely/chalky character w/ plenty of ripe SB fruit; quite LoireVlly in style but more richness & flavor than thse usually show. $22.40 (VSP)
- DryCreekVnyd Chard DCV Estate Block 10/RRV (Hrvstd: Sept.18; 100% brl frmtd/60% M-L; TA: 0.58%, SaH: 23.1 Brix; 14.1%) 2017: Med.gold color; fairly strong lemony/melony/fairly ripe/Chard/slight cabbagey spicy/bit nutmeg some floral light toasty/pencilly/oak lovely nose; lightly tart quite rich/lush some toasty/lemony/oak very strong melony/ripe/Chard bit spicy/nutmeg very balanced lovely flavor; very long ripe/melony/Chard/lemony some toasty/pencilly/oak fairly spicy finish; a lovely rich/lush but tart/balanced Chard at a very fair price. $27.20 (VSP)
- DryCreekVnyd PinotNoir DCV10 Estate/RRV (532 cs; 14.5%) 2017: Dark color; strong black cherry/black cherry cola/fragrant/PN light earthy strong toasty/smokey/Fr.oak quite lovely nose; bit soft very rich/lush very strong PN/black cherry/black cherry cola/bit spicy/peppery strong toasty/oak lovely flavor w/ light smooth tannins; very long very strong black cherry/PN/black cherry cola rather toasty/pencilly/oak balanced finish w/ light graceful tannins; a pretty classic RRV PN along the lines of a Siduri PN; best DCV Pinot yet. $32.00 (VSP)
- DryCreekVnyd PetiteSirah Estate DCV9/Spencer’sHillVnyd/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (14.5%; 532 cs) 2016: Very dark/black color; very intense boysenberry/blackberry/PS/bit spicy/peppery some toasty/oak huge fruit impressive nose; bit soft slight metallic/tangy huge fruit/boysenberry/blackberry/PS/bit chocolaty/licorice/slight peppery some toasty/oak structured flavor w/ ample ripe/chewey tannins; very long/lingering huge fruit/blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/chocolaty/peppery bit soft some toasty/pencilly/oak finish w/ ample ripe tannins; a PS of the level of Carlisle or JacobFranklin; best DCV PS yet at a great price. $28.80 (VSP)
- DryCreekVnyds Endeavour CabSauv Benchland/DryCreekVlly/SC (92% CS/8% PetiteVerdot; SaH: 25.8 Brix; Vine age: 15-16 yrs; 18 mo. in French oak) 2015: Very dark/near black color; strong toasty/pencilly/Fr.oak strong blackcurranty/Cab/ripe/almost boysenberry rather spicy/herbal/thyme almost Zin-like somewhat complex nose; bit soft fairly rich/lush very strong blackcurranty/Cab/bit spicy/chocolaty/ripe strong toasty/Fr.oak light herbal/thyme fairly smooth/ripe flavor w/ ample smooth/ripe tannins; very long/lingering ripe/blackcurranty/Cab/chocolaty slight herbal fairly strong toasty/Fr.oak finish w/ ample ripe tannins; loads of ripe Cab fruit but would like a bit more structure; easily as good as any Napa Cab at twice the price. $60.00 (VSP)
A wee BloodyPulpit:
- I was particularly impressed by this VSP release from DCV. Maybe their best yet. Have two Zins to try yet. The Pinot & PetiteSirah in the past have left me a bit cold and seemed not well-defined and a bit muddled. These two struck me as DCV’s best yet. I think TimBell is killing it at DCV these days. Alas…nobody gives a rat’s a$$ because they have a fairly large production, are not particularly rare, and don’t have any buzz about them. I predict these TN’s will get very few views on the BB’s because nobody cares about DCV…but I do. But whenever I see a DCV wine on a restaurant list, it’s my go-to because I know it delivers the goods for the $$'s.
Tom