-
2005 Kosta Browne Syrah Amber Ridge Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/17/2010)
Since my last bottle in March, this wine has become a bit more tame. It is showing more syrah than cab characteristics. The green pepper before is now more a green olives/pine that gives it an aged cote rotie edge. But it is all California - dark fruity, bigger boned. Not showing as much oak as before, and the alcohol was not obvious. Overall, a nice, big syrah. -
2003 McHenry Vineyard Pinot Noir Swan Clone Estate Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (9/16/2010)
Last I had this 2.5 years ago and I can say that, from my notes then, this wine has not budged. In fact, it may have picked up a some weight. A little darker in the glass than I remember, some baking spice, pine, rhubarb/strawberry/dark cherry. Drinking well and not fading. My last bottle of 6 and only one Estate Pinot left. I wish I had a few more to follow this further. -
2007 Bodega Dominio Buenavista / Veleta Tempranillo Nuevo - Spain, Andalucía, Vino de la Tierra Contraviesa Alpujarra (9/9/2010)
Popped and poured. The nose smelled of very ripe fruit. However, the palate was more restrained. Dark fruit, earth/minerality. Complex for a $8 bottle of wine. Great QPR here. -
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (9/4/2010)
From a 375 ml bottle. Slightly oxidized. Oily texture. Hazelnut, honey, a bit of lemon/citrus. Opened up with air and warming to room temperature. -
1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (9/4/2010)
Decanted 6 hours until we got around to it with the BBQ beef spareribs. Drank over another hour or so. Some smoked meat, dark red fruit. Layered. Finish goes on and on. And great texture. Fantastic bottle and time will continue to serve it well. -
2004 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County (9/4/2010)
Decanted 4+ hours. Initially a whiff of brett, but by the time it was tasted it had blown off. Drank over another 1.5 hours and it only continued to improve. The mid-palate seemed burgundian and then some baking spices crept in (this was consumemd after a '96 Truchot GC VV which was killer). Over the evening it continued to meld. Wow. One of best California pinots I’ve had. -
2008 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais (8/26/2010)
This wine really hit the spot last night. Lighter style/medium weight on the palate, cherry, earthiness/dirt/smoke, acidity - all in a good way. Very nice. And a very good pairing with chicken etoufee. -
2005 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Amphitheater Block - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (8/24/2010)
This wine was closed down for the first half hour it was opened. Maybe too cold? But after some time in the glass and it warmed a bit it began to open up. Nose was subtle white flowers and lemon. On the palate, it was medium weight, a touch of oil-i-ness that I usually associate with white rhone wines, and it had some of that older honey character. Good acidity. Nice wine but that is all. Paired well with penne with swordfish, eggplant and cherry/pear tomatoes. -
2008 Kinero Roussanne Rustler James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/23/2010)
Similar to previous bottles with smoke, honey and hazelnuts, but this bottle had disctinct heat on the back end from the alcohol. He heat dissipated a little over a few hours but was still present. -
2000 Éric Texier Côte-Rôtie Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (8/20/2010)
Drinking very well now with some air. A hint of animal on the nose. Dark fruits, a touch of brett that adds to the complexity, but a lighter wine. Good wine with St. Agur topped grilled burgers. -
2009 Tercero Gewürztraminer The Outlier - USA, California, Central Coast (8/19/2010)
Less of a tasting note than an observation. I love the peach and floral tones on the nose and the peach and minerality and crispness that carries through on the palate. For some reason, I love the way this pairs with food with fresh sweet corn and basil - last night was farfalle with cherry tomatoes, onion, corn, shrimp and basil. Killer together. -
2004 Carlisle Zinfandel Tom Feeney Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (8/13/2010)
Quick TN: paired with custom ground burgers (short rib and sirloin) with St. Agur topping. This is another 2004 that is large scaled but not over the top. Still lots of structure. With an hour of air this began to blossum. Give it more time or a healthy decant. -
2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/2/2010)
My last bottle and the best of my 6. No noticeable heat, but it was consumed with BBQ chicken pizza which may have muzzled it a bit. The fruit just went on an on, some cola. Based upon this bottle I can’t see it improving beyond this. But I can’t say I’m glad I don’t have more. I enjoyed the ride while it lasted.
Posted from CellarTracker