AN ECLECTIC MIX WITH FRIENDS - Bay (6/13/2014)
Last night my wife and I were invited to a friends house for a casual evening of take out Thai food and sitting on their back deck. Just the four of us. I brought some wine and they opened a couple of bottles as well.
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2013 Sineann Pinot Gris Wy’east - USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge
I actually prefer the more generic PG designation to this bottling, although this was fine. Screwcapped. Light golden in color. The nose is nice with some peaches and minerals. Light bodied. Dry. One dimensional. This got better over the 30 minutes we drank it and did add some weight. There is a bit of a bitterness on the finish that was distracting. It is refreshing and enjoyable. Very solid. (88 pts.) -
2013 Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling - USA, New York, Finger Lakes
I think this is my first wine from this winery. Light silvery gold in color. The nose is full of yellow grapefruit. Medium bodied. The grapefruit carries over strongly to the palate. I would have preferred a bit more bite though. Its a very nice wine. More fruit than mineral. Dry. Food friendly. Fairly priced at $18. (88 pts.) -
2007 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
Golden in color. The nose is gorgeous with lychees. Also some minerality. On the palate, this has a lush texture. Slightly sweet. Nice tropical fruits. Some minerals. A hint of bitterness on the finish. Went well with some spicy Thai food. (91 pts.) -
2009 Jackson-Triggs Riesling Dry Black Series - Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA
A solid wine. Dry, from Niagara. Light golden in color. The nose has some grapefruit and a nice minerality. On the palate, I suspect this was better a couple of years ago when it had a fresher vibrancy. Some fruit and some complexity. It has a nice balance with a good backbone. Food friendly. (87 pts.) -
2009 Cave de Tain l’Hermitage Crozes-Hermitage Les Hauts du Fief - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
This seems to have shut down a bit since I had this on release. The first glass was quite tight but going back to it later in the night, it showed much better. Purple in color. The nose is nice with violets, black raspberries, some charred meats. On the palate, it has a nice acidity. Lots of minerality. Black raspberry fruit. I would hold these for a couple of years at this point. (91 pts.) -
2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah North Coast - USA, California, North Coast
I just love this wine and it is such a great value. Purple in color. The nose has nice fruit but it not a fruit bomb. Black raspberries. Also some grilled meats and black pepper. Juicy, plush texture. Great fruit. Drinks easily. Bottle emptied. (91 pts.) -
2009 Viansa Syrah Signature Series Lloyd’s Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain
Our hosts opened this. They bought a mixed case from the winery and they were very excited about this. Its fine, but they were quite disappointed. Apparently, this is not cheap. Purple in color. The nose has some black raspberries. On the palate, this is medium bodied. It seems fine if a bit generic. No real depth or complexity. Nothing wrong but nothing interesting either. None of us finished our glass as it got dumped and we went back to the other wines on the table. (87 pts.)
A beautiful summer evening of friends, wine and food and great conversation. This morning, a bit tougher.
Posted from CellarTracker