Had the in-laws over for dinner tonight, I had an 01 mount eden chard on deck and popped an 07 Carlisle rrv syrah last minute. The 92 Selyem Ferrington was somewhat of an intermezzo.
2001 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay
I was hoping for more with this bottle and was a bit disappointed. My last bottle was all citrus fruit, acid and integrated oak. The bottle tonight seemed to go through three phases. EFlat, viscus and creamy at first with big oak, vanilla and creamy yellow fruits. With a bit of air time in the glass the acid and structure started to peek out a bit. Racing acidity in the middle, super fresh lemon zest, citrus infused oak with perfect balance. After even more air time in the glass it just seemed to fall apart. The nose is full of sweet banana peel, buttered popcorn, smells like your typical CA chard. On the palate is somewhat of a refreshing complex with medium body, zipping acid, starfruit, zesty citrus and lemon extract. I am not sure what to make of this wine at at his point. I have been drinking through my stash over the last few years and the last bottle was summer 2010 which was gorgeous, this one seems a bit out of whack. I only have one left and will probably let it hang for a bit more.
1992 Williams Selyem Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir
This bottle was brought by my father in law, cellared properly since release. Color is pretty scary, almost a brown/red color with very brown edges, maybe even tawny port color. One whiff of the nose puts away any fears of a dead bottle. Floral nose, pretty red fruits with a perfume length to it. Palate seems to be a bit behind the nose which at first is full of acid and earth notes. The fruit starts to pop a bit and a small amount of bottle sweetness starts to shine through. Black tea, warm earth and more floral notes dominate the nose while sweet sappy pinot driven fruit fill the mouth. I don’t in any way think this will get better and this is a drink now wine.If you have em, pop em and you will be rewarded.
2007 Carlisle Russian River Valley Syrah
I was looking forward to trying this as I haven’t had one in about a year. This is probably my favorite Carlisle of all time, moderate alcohol, great balance and lovely fruit. Super dark black and purple color with no sins of letting up at the edges. Throwing a bit of sediment so some decanting might be in order. Nose is stacked with fresh roasted coffee beans, meat drippings, creamy red and black fruits with dried herbs and a touch of cocoa powder. Evenly distributed palate, not too thick or heavy in any part. Bottle sweet red fruits, toasty oak, tobacco, smoked meats, pepper, spice and everything nice. Even from front to back with great balance of tannin, fruit, oak and acid. Don’t get me wrong, this is CA 100% but it is a fine effort and still remains my to Carlisle to date. I really don’t care for the zins and petite syrahs but this is something special.