I’m out in California for work this week and was going to have dinner with a client at the Girl & Fig on the square in Sonoma last night. I saw the Sojourn release in my inbox and thought I’d send a late email to Craig Haserot to see if he happened to be at the tasting room and if we could drop by before dinner. He also had dinner plans, but indicated he was around if we wanted to drop by for a quick tasting, so we did. We tasted through the Pinots that were just released. Remember that all of these are babies and I would probably let them sit for at least six months more before I even thought of drinking them (I’ll probably let them sit for at least a year).
2008 Sonoma Coast PN-earth and cherry, some spice, a fair amount of acidity. Young and not as expressive as some of the others right now. Very nice wine, but at about only ten bucks less than the Gap’s Crown or Sangiacomo. I’d probably go with those based on relative value, but that’s a matter of personal taste. $39 per for this one, $48 for the others.
2008 Rodgers Creek PN-their first release of this vineyard. Craig said it was a very cold site. Earthier and less flamboyant than the Gap’s and Sang. I thought it was a little less far along than the other wines, mainly because of some acidity on the back palate that closed off any finish. I suspect that will mellow with some more time in the bottle. Like the Sonoma Coast, not as rich and round as the Gap’s and Sang. Probably a nice wine, when it comes around a little more, for those who like a little more structure in the Pinots.
2008 Gap’s Crown PN-I loved the 2007 version of this wine and the 2008 seems to be equally good. Darker color and some blueberry components to the fruit profile. Oak is a little more noticeable, but well integrated. Not quite as voluptuous as the Sang, but it fills out very nicely. Really enjoyed the nice long finish on this wine. I thought it was a little further along in its development than the others.
2008 Sangiacomo PN-This was my favorite of the 2007’s and probably will be of the 2008’s as well. This was silkier and had a smoother, rounder mouthfeel than the others. Rich, with some more spice (cloves maybe) than the others. Dark in color and fruit profile. Really like this one.
I really like Erich Bradley’s winemaking, particularly the aromatics he gets (big fan of his work at Audelssa as well).
Craig was, as always, a great host and you can’t beat the convenience of the location of the tasting room.
Craig