Hey—I’m up watching the Canada gold-medal-winning performance, so I might as well multi-task, right?
Well, it won’t be short, that I can promise you. I am so grateful to Frank and Jill for this event. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed everyone and it was an enormous pleasure to meet some new faces too. Even with all the chatting and munching from the grill and such, I still found time to taste about 60 wines from the nearly 150 wines available. I may not have matched Brigger, but at least I can think I came close.
The speeches were particularly moving this year, from Frank and especially Jill and one of the volunteers. Knowing we help make the kind of difference that matters…well, that matters.
And yes, the tauntwear remained on full display yesterday (anyone who took pics, please PM me to send them on!)
2012 Rivers-Marie Summa Vineyard Pinot Noir
Fine, fine strawberry, pomegranate and watermelon. Young, but very promising, with good acidity, real spice-side midpalate and enjoyable woodsy finish. Even this young, a pretty harmonious and class-filled effort. #8
2012 Rivers-Marie Sonoma Coast
More rootiness and raspberry here. To taste, some of what the Summa has, but not as much sophistication. It does drink easily, though.
2012 Kutch Falstaff Vineyard Pinot Noir
Shows lots of potential already, with all manner of hinted baking spices, red berries and plum. The structure is there, a just-bridled acidity but fine purity of red and black raspberry fruit. Fine bones indeed.
2011 Ceritas Hellenthal Pinot Noir
Has some savage and sweet combo to sniff, tiny cola but lots of red fruit and some herbs. Mmm–lovely, I really like the pink grapefruit edge to earthy currant an raspberry. Fantastically balanced mouthfeel, this ended up #3 and the best of the Pinots
2012 Knez Winery Demuth Pinot Noir
Candied cherry here, it does present quite sweet. Le gout is smooth, has some chocolate to go with some blue and black fruit. Some balance, but all on a just-too-big scale for my own preferences.
2012 Anthill Farms Tina Marie Pinot Noir
Big-time coffee and mocha hit on the bouquet, cherry too. Lots of zap, sharp but with interest—blackberries and prunes.
2011 Alesia Alder Springs Pinot Noir
Smoky and earthy and merde a bit. Very dark cherry and plum, and roasted chestnut also waft up the glass. Gee whiz—it’s rocky and lashing acidity. Not much fruit yet. Some burgundian nuances, but it’s still Cali.
2012 Anthill Farms Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir
Touches of hot pepper roll around a pretty nutmeg style and dark strawberry. Palate finds it tangy with raspberry and strawberry, but not a lot of staying power
2012 Small Vines Estate Cuvee RRV Pinot Noir
It was a great pleasure to see both Paul and Kathryn, and we had some good chances to talk. Paul did this 25% whole cluster. Yummy scents of light cloves, cumin and strawberry pie. Lovely and juicy and memorable with cola-and-earth tinged small red berry fruit and the knowledge that it will continue to grow. #10
2012 Small Vines Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Fragrant with more citrus here, around bright red berries. This is a more transparent wine and needs lots of time, has more acidity and structure, I think, than the estate cuvee, but not nearly the charm.
2012 Small Vines MK Vineyard Pinot Noir
Coffee, cocoa and black cherry intermix. Mmm, delish, great mouthfeel and lots of spices, cherry, raspberry and backhit of chocolate. Yummylicious, #7
2012 Small Vines Baranoff Vineyard Pinot Noir
40% whole cluster here. Brooding and peppery, with dark sweet raspberry. That IS good----deep and full of pepper-infused dark black berries.
2011 Big Basin Coastview Chardonnay
Fair splash of oak, butter is here, pear mostly. In the mouth, the oak continues but it is well-judged and the toffee here is very likeably light. A tiny hit of pineapple underneath completes the picture. The lightness of being of this is extremely attractive.
2012 Fogline Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
apple nucleus weaves in and out with some gingerbread notes. Zippy—apple and apple peel, maybe a hair over-sharp at the back.
2012 Lioco RRV Chardonnay
I quite like this bouquet, lots of pineapple, tropical fruit and citrus. A little on the lean side, but continues with the apple and tangerine theme, apricot here too. Very flavourful.
2012 Cowan Cellars Ribolla Gialla RRV
It does have the slightly oxidative lanolin and nougat tones. And dans la bouche, this doesn’t have the presence of the Italians, but does have the mineral and steel-tinged flavour around very crisp apple. Almost, I’d say, grape seed at the back.
2012 Alina Grenache Blanc/Roussanne
50% of each. Sort of muskiness around the aroma. Star fruit maybe? Sweet side, as I might expect with this blend, works in a small, small aniseed component around pear, star-fruit and lemon.
2012 Wilde Farm Brousseau Chardonnay
Scents of apple and very light mint leaf. On the tongue, plenty of carry, good acidity, pear fruit mostly and I pick up a dash of orange peel. Not bad.
2011 Jean Edwards Napa Cabernet
Uhmm, smiles all round for the milk chocolate covered plums and gentle berry fruit. Cinnamon and a li’l graham cracker too. It is awfully seductive. Still very young, but plenty of grip with cracked black pepper and black currant framed with some cedar. Very good.
2011 Switchback Ridge Merlot
Aromatics of cocoa, baked cherry pie and bits of smoke. Still very gangly, cherries, plums and a nice mouthfeel and sweetness promises good development. Kahlua at the back.
2011 Riverain Oakville Cabernet
Christmascake first, small dab of meat around dark, unripe cherry. Palate has layers and I like the carry and purity of fruit. Very nice already.
2012 Tercero White Hawk Viognier
Quiet nose, but some peach and florals do come up. Lime too. Good flavour follow-through, perhaps some more acidity would be welcome, but the mouthfeel at the middle and back is very good, with neat mix of citrus and nectarine.
2012 Jemrose Viognier
Power bouquet of acacia, orange blossom and peach. Touch of guava too. Lots to taste, including poached pear and melon. Maybe a little turbo-charged, but I wouldn’t kick it out of bed
2013 Le P’tit Paysan Rose
Mourvedre-based. And this is somethin’ different! Almost pipe smoke wrapped around red raspberry. Unusual–has a smoke and baked note…maybe even bacon…around tart berry fruit. Not sure the mix truly works, but intriguing.
2012 Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chardonnay
Very balanced with light butterscotch glints around pear, lime and tangerine. Good, yes. Needs time, yes. But this has authority with pear and lime replays playing very nicely. Particularly lively–and layered—with some ginger and snap peas secondaries. Chance to be great.
2012 Liquid Farm White Hill Chardonnay
Oh. OK. Now I understand the flurry of ecstatic tasting notes about this winery. Sparks flying in the schnozz–nougat and gingerbread infused with orange blossom and Bartlett pear. And this, in the mouth, is great. It’s full of life, full of apple, yellow plum, yellow raspberry and pear. It’s full of joy and it asks to be loved. Fantastic and #1, WOTD. And I’m not just saying that because Nikki presented me with a red headband to match my Canada gear.
2012 Liquid Farm #4 Chardonnay
The oak is much more in play here. Almost masks the coconut and sweetish lemon. Sterner stuff here, lots of energy but the oak is a touch aggressive for now.
2011 Idlewild Cortese
Hum—candy apple and perfume. Not boring. Gentle with sweet herbs edging a white berry profile. A tiny bit grassy.
2011 Lucia Soberanes Pinot Noir
Solid scents of cherry, strawberry, coriander and a lovely cedarbox side. Round, but with black raspberry interlaced with lots of spicy flashes. Good stuff.
2012 Wilde Farm Donnelly Creek Pinot Noir
Cherry, earth and small cocoa, but something distracting…VA maybe? Just OK, basic red fruit, but no real identity for me.
2011 Fogline Sun Chase Pinot Noir
Like what swirls up the glass, potpourri, red cherry and small notes of baked cinnamon and cola. Very prominent on front of tongue, bursting raspberries and citrus, but doesn’t stay balanced.
2012 Fogline Sun Chase Pinot Noir
More intrigue in this one, baking spices, blueberries, plums. Also a touch on the unsubtle side, but declares itself with cranberry, currant and raspberry.
2011 Kessler-Haak Pommard Clone Pinot Noir
Very plum and what I’d characterize as ripe blackberry here. Nice entry with good feel and more juicy berry fruit.
2013 Liquid Farms Rose
Sense of spiced watermelon on the nose. A nice light snack here, raspberry and flashes of acid play out.
2012 Small Vines Chardonnay
Subtle notes of pear and star fruit weave through this. Good wine here—balance, carry, length, decent feel. Pear and citrus notes with coconut dust at the end. Nothing outstanding, but everything good.
2011 Switchback Ridge Peterson Petite Syrah
Whee—this is BIG, cracked sweet black pepper and huge plum…a lovely rosemary thread too. Coats your mouth and the tannins are chewy, but really good with chocolate and cherry. A long happy life ahead. #6
2011 Fogline Dry Creek Zinfandel
Ripe fruity bouquet, plum, raisins and prunes a bit. But not my style preference, grapes and sharp cassis just don’t mix that well for me.
2010 Tercero Mourvedre
Larry told me this spent 30 months in neutral oak and that he pulled the grapes from 5 locations. Well, the results are in, and the results are positive. Finely subtle, all sorts of faint cocoa and noisette notes around pretty red fruit. Cool, almost refreshing on entry, le gout picks up weight and is full of lovable red plum and dips of crabapple. Cocoa shows up again at the back and this has room to develop further. Excellent,#5
2010 Big Basin Rattlesnake Syrah
Bigger and riper than I remember this wine being in the past. Sweetened ripe dark fruit backed by herbs and chickoree. Dans la bouche, almost tangy. Maybe rangy is a better word, since game is mixed with plum. This needs many years.
2012 Point Concepcion Merlot
Bouquet of coffee grounds mixed with black fruits and a sweetmeats sidebar. Doesn’t have the staying power on palate to match the nose, a bit hot and mostly front-loaded with plum and some blueberry pie.
2011 Alesia Alder Springs Syrah
Definitely doesn’t suck. Marvelous depth and balance aromatically, with dark chocolate sparks through blackberry, black plum and, I want to say, a hint of pistachio. Still a baby, a scratching, clawing baby—but will grow up to be a star. The acidity, tannins and structure are all there for a great wine in 5 years. Fruit isn’t sweet, but fits this profile very well. To-be-outstanding, #12
2012 Carlisle 2 Acres
I was walking to get food and stopped dead in my tracks. Almost mouthwatering aromas of black forest cake and cinnamon-dusted plums. Amazingly, already locked in, very amourous expression of wine, with plum, ripe raspberry, mocha and back-end of chickoree. Totally licklicious, #2 today.
2012 Loring Parmalee Hill Chardonnay
Sniffs of ripe lemon and apple, attractive in its way. Taste is sweet-sweet, with honeydew being called to mind. It’s heavy, and while the style is consistent with the nose, it’s not my speed.
2012 Loring Rosella’s Chardonnay
More balance for me here, with pear, apple, toffee and some of that melon. Here too, more vivacity and nice lemony framing to the wine. l like this a good deal more.
2011 Clos Pepe Chardonnay
Perfumed, floral, pear and wood. Fair carry and acidity, still needs years to grow up.
2012 Bluxome Street Ballinard Pinot Noir
Spiced cherry, some other mixed berry fruits in aroma. Very fresh, lovely strawberry and redcurrant mix. Just want more on the nose.
2012 August West Rosella’s Pinot Noir
I was thrilled that Ed made it down and wish I’d been able to spend more time with him, but he looked well, all smiles. This is very fine, as usual. Alluring raspberry and earthy side, spiced cappuccino. Initial sweet entry but levels out quickly to raspberry with more mocha and a small hit of chickoree at the back. Very good. #9
2012 August West Sierra Mar Pinot Noir
Less expressive at this stage than the Rosella’s, still crunchy berry, mid-dark chocolate shows out too. It’s tasty, with replays of everything, but not quite finished. Give it another 2 years.
2011 Amelle Pratt Pinot Noir
Smoky here, juicy red fruit. Lean, with currants, raspberries and herbs. Needs time, but I like the structure.
2012 Sojourn Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir
Nose contains a pretty cumin-laced berry mix, tinge of earthiness. Erich’s signature rich feel is here, very nicely controlled with good acidity allowing the purity of cherry and strawberry fruit to shine. Nice, nice, #4
2012 Sojourn Sangiacomo Pinot Noir
More wildness on this bouquet, I get some sage and game here. Yes, more primal in the mouth too, leans towards bilberry and raspberry, but plenty of promising elements.
2010 Ladd Cellars Cuvee Abigail Pinot Noir
Not the best in nuzzie–bit of tomato side…VA is a possibility. There is a dollop of ripe strawberry under there, though. Hum. The “sharpness” follows onto the palate, acidity and sour cherries that doesn’t work for me.
2011 Ladd Cellars Moore Vineyard Pinot Noir
Pleasant forest scents swirl in and out of lots of sweet roasted herbs and blackberry fruit. Good balance dans la bouche, carries its raspberry and black strawberry very nicely. Good wine.
2012 Loring Durell Pinot Noir
Plum and Christmascake aromatics, with baking spices and cherry pie underneath. Palate is OK—maybe more than OK, straightforward dark strawberry and light touch of currant, but it flows seamlessly down the throat.
2012 Loring Garys’ Pinot Noir
Aroma speaks of a good nutmeg-based spiciness. Nips of pomegranate underneath. Quite smooth and expressive with ripe red and black berries and a tick of oak at the back. Probably not a long ager.
2012 Loring Cargasacchi Pinot Noir
Brian was missed, for sure. This presents with scents of cherries, meats and spices. Interesting. But on the tongue, bit of burnt and roasted but spicy fruit. Berries and cherries. Just OK.
2012 Sandler Keefer Pinot Noir
Oh-mmm—this has some mystery to it–plums, berries and a touch of rhubarb. Surprised at how jumpy this is, raspberry coulee an a little baked, but has levels. I wonder how it’ll age.
2010 Tercero White Hawk Syrah
Mix of coffee, plum, blueberry and pepper. This is still unsettled to me on taste, but I can admire the spice-driven currant fruit here. Check back on it in a year.
2010 Cabot Humboldt Syrah
For me, a definite Kahlua side paired with seductive plummy sniffs. Structured and suave, this feels like a very surefooted wine, very much within its frame, showing plum and blackberry. I liked this a lot and told John so. #11
2009 Tercero Cuvee Loco
75% Grenache, 25% Syrah. Larry keeps doggedly trying to convert me to Grenache This is OK, dark fruit and bits of sweet here and there. I want to love it, but it jangles in my mouth, with some grapiness and chewy plum. Ah, well…
2012 Tablas Creek Picpoul Blanc
Sweet corn—that’s what I get here in the bouquet. It’s been open all day, so I think some oxidation has set in. Mmm, yes, fizzy now, I’m sorry I didn’t get to it early, as there seems to be good interest in there.
We also had a few other wines with dinner and nibbles
1995 Louis Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Referts
I toted this along to have as an after-wine. Hurrah–not premoxed. Mineral and pretty greens combine with crisp apple scents. This is lovely and lilting still—Frank is dead-on with poached pear—and it develops in the glass, with a fine vein of minerality and lemon and citrus sides. It may not be authoritative in nature the way one would expect from Puligny, but I don’t find myself spitting any of this out.
2010 Francois Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choiselles
Frank let me pick from his cellar. This presents light grassy notes to go with gingered pear and lemon. Lilting is a good descriptor, it has a lemoncandy tang and an unripe melon finish, but all extremely gentle. Very pleasant.
2010 Louis Michel Chablis Montee de Tonnere
Frank chose to open this too, from magnum. Awash with lilac and floral, seashell, lemon and limestone all in there. Palate is still fairly stiff, but filled with stones, flint, lemon and grapefruit. Promising.
Frank generously opened a few champagnes too. I didn’t take notes, but the Billecart-Salmon Rose was the expected nice drink.