Nice thread. Unfortunately I was on the list for the 3 years when the PNs were over the top. They drank well very young but didn’t age like so many other xtreme PN from that time. Still have an '04 Cab that I’m thinking about popping soon.
Did anyone catch a glimpse of the library wines that were offered? All gone before I could take a look.
Currently drinking the 2008 estate pinot and every bottle has been excellent. All of Tom’s wines age wonderfully. FYI some local retailers carry the pinots, chard and cab in limited quantity.
Was at a party this last weekend where they opened a 1996 Russian River cab and a 1997 Goldridge PN. All I can say is wow. Very impressive.
Has anyone been to the “pickup” party? I got the paper mailer a couple of days back and saw that it was on the weekend of my birthday. I looked over at my wife and said, “Hey, do you think our parents would want some time with our kids in mid-November?” She smiled…I think a trip to the area is in the works. What’s the pickup party like?
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The pick up parties are great. Tons of good food, and in the Fall you get an unlimited selection of Carole Dehlinger’s gourds, squash, and pumpkins.
I just had a '97 Pinot Noir Estate, and it was drinking quite well surprisingly. I don’t know that I’d try to give it much more time, but my tasting group had it as a very solid 91-92pts
I recently bought and drank three bottles of the 96 Estate Pinot. A little heavier and less pinot-ish than I might have expected, but they were good and interesting wines, definitely not over the hill or close to it.
Hint - you can buy good back vintages of Dehlinger for substantially less than current release prices if you shop around. I probably paid $40@ for those bottles from HDH - one was corked, but otherwise the bottles were in great condition.
I would agree with what John said, the parties are nice. Food spread is pretty good and usually always current releases or one surprise pouring. The last one was outside which was nice on the crush pad but the inside ones have been nice as well. Usually we hit up a couple pick up’s that day in the area it works out quite well (typically Scherrer also has lined up that day, or say Radio-Coteau)
Current offering:
2016 Estate Chardonnay $42.00
2016 Goldridge Pinot noir $52.00
2012 Frei Road Syrah $48.00
2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon $55.00
I believe that AG gave the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon a 96 point score.
It’s just a number, but my palate is congruent with AG, so I stocked
up on the Cab…
I bought a mixed case
I stopped buying Dehlinger a while ago. The Chard was always reliable. Still opening aged Cab with joy, it is a unique expression of RRV Cab.
Agree strongly on both. The cab can age beautifully, but is delicious young as well. Even the Claret can age gracefully, and I’ve enjoyed dozens of bottles over the years.
One of the best!!! And library releases.
I’d focus on Bordeaux blends, Syrah and then a little chardonnay and less Pinot.
Jason
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Another WBer had given me one of these 2009 Dehlinger ‘Claret’ [Russian River Valley] some time ago, and I was finally able to share it with a friend over the weekend. This Bordeaux blend was a lovely surprise from a name that I associate more with pinot, although I’m guessing the last time I tried one of those had to be more than a decade ago. There was some pyrazine mint / oregano / eucalyptus here, but also so much red berry fruit that it does not come across like a cab franc or Sociando Mallet type of wine, but more like a plump Pauillac. Full bodied, 14.9% abv, and still showing the last hints of tannin today. It then closes out with some mocha/coffee flavors. Very nice stuff and an A- on my scorecard.
Unfortunately, this seems to be a producer with the market power to sell directly, so not easy for an non committal type of enthusiast to pick up, lest they deal with secondary market risks. This was a great thread to learn about their lineup.
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Was this from me? Glad you enjoyed it!
I think that Dehlinger is definetly known more for their Pinot’s than for their Cab’s/Blends, I bought a ton of the Pinot’s back in the day (many from WineLibrary and then WineBid) and I love that style of Pinot…but to this day, a bottle of the Dehlinger 2001 Reserve Cabernet is one of the best Napa Cabs I have ever had…
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Russian River Valley.
Correct…Sonoma…(I thought I read that a small part of the RRV was actually in Napa)…either way, it is a great bottle of Cabernet!