Brief notes on some holiday wines

WINE TALK
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some brief thoughts on some bottles I’ve opened up over the last couple of weeks.

  • 2007 McPrice Myers Syrah Larner Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
    Opened to see if my theory of “drink on release” holds up. Sure does. This has what I like about these wine, plush and hedonistic. Suave, round texture and bold ripe in your face fruit. Didn’t hold up as well as I wanted it to on night #2, but delivered on opening. (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
    Not quite as good as the last two I’ve opened. Missing that little something extra on the fruit and texture. Lost interest in drinking it on the second night. I’m chalking it up to a little bottle variation or taster variation. (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Woodside Vineyards Pinot Noir Woodside - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    Didn’t like this as much as the 05 Estate, but there were some similarities. Nose had a nice wet forest and a touch of funk. The dark red flavors were a bit over the line on the ripeness/sweetness camp for me. But, for the money (about $20) a good value for those looking for a SCM pinot with a little more fruit. (87 pts.)
  • 2005 McPrice Myers Syrah Larner Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
    Marginally better than the last one I recently opened. Had some of the traits I loved from this wine on release. The alcohol was less of an issue as there was a touch more fruit. Kinda fell apart on me on the second night, so moved onto something else. Still not going to wait much longer to drink my last few. (88 pts.)
  • 2003 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor (Private Reserve) - Chile, Central Valley, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto
    I’m not sure I get what all of the hype was about on this wine from WS. To me, seemed much more of a lighter bodied, red fruited cab with a bit more acidity than usual. Might be a style issue since I like my cabs with a bit more tannins and a bit richer. Thankfully I only bought one. (87 pts.)
  • 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
    I had high expectations and this fell well short for me. Opened and poured out a taste in the afternoon. When I came back to it in the evening, the alcohol was dominating feature. Didn’t seem to have the trademark concentration of fruit I love in these wines. Very similar to an 06 Rocket Block I opened last year. All of the elements seems a bit out of sync right now. I hope time changes this for the better, not that it was bad now. (92 pts.)
  • 2007 Carlisle Two Acres - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Damn, another Carlisle I opened up too soon. This time I even checked their website for drinking windows, so it seemed safe to drink. Plenty of structure, but the fruit was a bit shy, even on night #3 when I finished off the bottle. My other two are getting pushed to the back row of the racks.
  • 2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
    Delicious. Bright acidity that lifted up the fruit. Improved since the last bottle I opened. Even got my white burg snob wife to drink a glass :slight_smile: (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Tim - interesting note on the Don Melchor. The '05 was nothing like what you described, in style or flavor profile. It was quite earthy, complex, and bigger-bodied - strange to see such a wide stylistic variation like that between vintages.

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we opened that after the disappointment on the saxum. It probably suffered from being behind that wine. We opened it late in the evening after drinking for a while. Wrote that after a week, so my brain might not have everything just right.

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Nearly anything would be ‘light bodied’ after the Saxum James Berry

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My thoughts on the 2004 Melchor:

12/10/2009 rated 92 points: This was delicious, with full, round fruit and tannins that are beginning to resolve. Flashy notes of apricot and peach distinguish this from other Cabs I’ve had. However, there’s some softness in the palate and a slight chemical whiff upon initial decanting, so I don’t believe this is going to age beyond 2014. Chile is close, very close, to world-class here. A decade more winemaking experience and they could be competing with the best from California.

Not a value for the price, however. For $50 I want to see 94 points.