Arcadian Tasting with Joe Davis & Special Guests

WINE TALK
#1

This past weekend I was in Solvang and I was fortunate to schedule a tasting with Joe Davis. Joe was extremely busy this weekend with Hospice and Francesca’s audition for a play (I think she got the part [cheers.gif] ). He still made time for myself and my wife at the winery. We arrived at the winery at 2:00 and to our surprise we had two special guests…Francesca and Max! We sat at a very beautiful table set by Francesca that had all kinds of cheeses, meats, bread, and dried fruits. We got to hear about Francesca’s recent 7 day backpacking trip in Yosemite. My wife and I were very impressed by Francesca and her recent adventure. Then we got to hear about how Max is a professional athlete in training. [highfive.gif] He sounds like he is turning into quite the young athlete. We had an incredible time talking with Francesca, Max, and Joe. It felt like we were a part of the Davis family for a day.

Anyways on to wine. I didn’t write down formal notes but here is what we drank and my thoughts…

All of the wine were pop and pours

07 Sleepy Hollow Pinot…quite young, but a lot of stuffing in the background. It needs some time.
07 Fiddlestix Pinot Noir…once again quite young, but was very good right now. I thought it was a lot more approachable right now. This will be better with some time.
07 Sleep Hollow Chardonnay…AWESOME! I thought the 05 was good…this is really good. Back up the truck. Joe didn’t say anything about the wine specifically, but both myself and my wife noticed that Joe poured himself another glass and we were jealous. Very Very GOOD!
07 Hommage a Max Syrah…There was 3/4 of a bottle left over from Hospice the day before. It seamed a bit closed when we had a glass yesterday. Joe sent us home with the rest of the bottle and I checked in on it tonight and it is singing. I can see why people go crazy over this stuff.

Then I asked Joe what he thought the prime drinking windows of his pinots were and he went and grabbed an 01 Garys. Fortunately for us Joe accidentally opened a 02 Fiddlestix. He then went back and got an 01 Garys. We got to taste both and also take both bottles home. [winner.gif]

02 Fiddlestix Pinot…This was flat out good. The wine is in no danger of falling apart. It still had good acid and is quite dark. The secondary flavors are starting to come out in this wine. Tonight we poured a glass of this and I will say is that this is one of the best pinots I have ever had.
01 Garys Pinot…One word…PERFECTION! This is the best pinot I have ever had! It had a silky texture and a finish that went on and on. After having this wine I would say it is in a better place right now then the Fiddlestix. A bunch of secondary flavors have come out of this wine. This wine is in no danger of falling apart. It had a touch of bricking and the color was a lot lighter than the Fiddlestix. It is in a great place right now but will be good for awhile. [worship.gif]

It was a truly unbelievable day with a great family. I will be a Grand Cru Member for life. I love the wine that Joe makes and the concept that he stays true to his beliefs own beliefs even more. [welldone.gif]

#2

Ah, now I see why you were busy. Looks like you found a place to plant your pinot flag, funny enough based on your accidental good luck.

#3

Tasting with Joe is always a treat. Especially when Max and Francesca are there. It is a great experience when you have fantastic wine and especially nice people. Glad to hear the current line up was so enjoyable. I am looking forward to tasting these.

#4

Thanks for the write-up, Bryan. +1 to what Ted said: tasting with Joe is always a fun couple - sometimes more-than-a-couple [wow.gif] - hours, and both Max and Francesca are awesome. A friend recently opened a bottle of the ‘01 Garys’ for me – that is a pretty nice wine, huh!?! Glad to hear your comments on the '09 Chard relative to the '05, as I also fell head-over-heels for the '05. If you weren’t a GCS member before this recent visit with Joe, et al., get ready to enjoy the ride – Joe treats his GCS members very very well. Cheers. [cheers.gif]

#5

Sounds like Joe and the family took care of you!
That 2001 Garys’ is the real deal and starting to drink really well.
Thanks for sharing your notes/thoughts.

#6

Nicely done, Bryan.

The '02 Fiddlestix and ‘01 Garys’ pinots are excellent pulls, and among my favorites of Joe’s wines.

To be sure, a tasting with Joe is always a good time and full of good stories and wine.