Went up to Tiburon for the weekend to visit friends. Also went to Napa for a day. Saw Carrie and Randy who (as usual) we an absolutel pleasure to see. Went to see The Todd at ACV and he and Dave treated my friends to a great tasting and wide array of wines. One of the best times I’ve had in recent memory at a winery…
Had a ton of wines over the weekend, too many to count as my doc said no drinking for somewhere between 4-8 weeks depending on how my tests turn out. Decided to go out with a bang and drank silly this weekend. Notes are from memory and I wish I could remember the other bottles I had as well…
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2004 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (9/4/2009)
Just had one glass of this. Nice goldon color to it. Nose of pears, oranges and maybe some almond? Very tasty as the citrus really is coming through but not taking the wine over at all. Oak lingering in the background keeping the citrus in check. Excellent finish with the acidty keeping this bright and lively. -
2006 Emerson Brown Cabernet Sauvignon III Michaels Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/4/2009)
Hmmmm…I don’t know what to think. At first, all I could get was oak. Then some fruit started to show, but it always seemed a bit subdued to me. Shawnnie (who is much more experienced than I) was pretty sure that this bottle was corked and she could be right as this seemed really subdued and awkward. Maybe it’s closed for business? I’m not sure, but even after being open for a long time, we never really could get any enjoyment out of this… -
2003 Amphora Syrah - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (9/5/2009)
(Off of memory…) Deep red color to it. Nose of pepper and red fruits. Wasn’t a fan at first as I thought the finish completely fell off, but after about 30 minutes, it started to get better and show some stuffing. Still nothing spectacular, but not bad either. -
2003 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (9/5/2009)
Much better than the ‘Terraces’ bottle that I had. This just had a gorgeous nose of game, dark fruits and an underlying bit of oak. (Shilo also got a strong scent of green olives, but I did not get that.) Full bodied, but not overdone, this was really a pleasure to drink. The palate leads to a finish full of dark chocolate and goes on forever. They really built this well and also built it to last. This showed absolutely no signs of slowing down, which really surprised me as I’ve heard that some Pax’s aren’t really made for the long haul. This particular bottle has a long ways to go. -
2005 Pax Syrah The Terraces Alder Springs Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (9/6/2009)
Big, dark and good. Although I wasn’t blown away with this, it was a solid wine. Nose of black licorice and dark fruits, same thing can be said for the palate. Nice finish, this was good, but not really exciting, IMO. (Sorry for the short note, this is mostly off of memory. -
2004 Red Car Pinot Noir Amour Fou - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (9/6/2009)
Obviously very new world, but also very tasty. Beautiful bright red color to it with a nose of really bright cherries, a very distinct raspberry and what seemed a bit like cream soda. Although not in the ‘traditional’ style of Pinot, this was just perfect for the occasion and everyone (Wine geeks and regular humans) seemed to enjoy this. Big pinot, where the flavors on the palate mirrored the nose. Finish was in balance and the bottle was emptied in a very short time. -
2006 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/6/2009)
Can’t say much as to the color of this as we drank this on a patio overlooking the bay in the dark. Nose was a very dark, ripe cherry to go along with a bit of vanilla. Full bodied Pinot that is very tasty. Dark cherries along with a bit of chocolate mint lead to a well-balanced finish. This needs time to open and I think it could use another year or two in the bottle… -
1999 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Éloge - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/6/2009)
Really a wonderful bottle of wine. Ruby red in color with a knockout nose of anise, earth and leather. Medium bodied wine with maybe a bit of dark cherries coming through along with the earth, carrying through to the excellent finish that was really well balanced. Tannins are almost fully integrated and the acidity is holding everything up really well.
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