I ain’t complaining, having now dined at Playground twice this week, getting to really dig into some nice wines, connect with cool friends from this great hobby and enjoy the Playground food. What really hit for me last night in the food department was the Turkey Pozole soup that I had 2 bowls of. The broth on that seemed like it was either a green pepper or tomatillo, and not vegetal or green at all, it was savory and with the turkey, homminy, shave radish and red onion, it was fantastic. Real nice seeing the lean and mean Gerry Frayer, his wife and also Robo Winn with Francine, along with my Dr Mrs better 1/2. Maybe one day Playground ascends to Lotus Of Siam status–we’ll see. I am back there again in a few weeks, need to find an excuse to go sooner! Thanks for reading the notes below, too.
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2007 Henri Delagrange & Fils Volnay Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay (11/17/2013)
This hit the spot. Showed just a hint of funkiness, rec cherry and soil, with balance and a gentle #not dilute) frame. Very nice. -
2007 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Trenton Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/17/2013)
Enjoyed this lasty night with a variety of vegetable dishes. Fragrant aromatic with black cherry and spice, similar flavors in the palate with blueberry, too. Gentle, mediul weight with a smooth palate. -
2008 Carlisle Syrah Papa’s Block - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley 11/17/2013)
Well, I’ll admit some confusion with my palate or bottle variation–not sure but the bottle last night didn’t taste really anything much like the bottle from this past June. Last night’s showed a wine more like syrah, nothing much like zin. Had a blood and iron aromatic, along with lavender. Spicy black fruit with a roasted quality and a finish of light chocolate. All of this doesn’t say zin so either take my June note with a grain of salt or maybe some bottle to bottle variation. In total, was drinking well and should show some further improvement, too. -
2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County 11/17/2013)
Of the 3 white wines on the table, I preferred the other two #both chards, Swan and Rhys. Honeydew melon, lemongrass. The higher octane of this wine is noticeable for me, warming my pipes as it went down. The higher octane leads to a fatter texture. As my palate has changed over the recent years, I simply don’t enjoy these wines any more and yet I know others do. I appreciate Robo for bringing this to the table and letting me grab a glass of it. -
2010 Petrichor Les Trois - USA, California, Sonoma County (11/17/2013)
Served blind, Gerry asked me to guess the wine. In total, it reminded me a little of Copain, say Yorkville Highlands so I guessed Hawks Butte. Was off on the AVA, as this was SC fruit. Gerry indicated he got some stem inclusion, which I did not sense. Iron, charcoal, blueberry fruit. Has the deep red color and texture, fruit of Hawks, probably more aptly described as good cool climate syrah done with care. Enjhoyed this wine. -
2011 Joseph Swan Vineyards Chardonnay Kent the Younger Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/17/2013)
Reminded me some of what apple pie filling tastes like in a real good pie, along with lemon custard and a little marshy tone of oak in the finish and fennel note. All in, this was a nice mid-weight chard where the oak (akin to the Rhys Alpine chard I had brought alongside it) showed. -
2007 Carlisle Syrah Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/16/2013)
This is the first of four bottles I picked up from Wine Bid this summer #at a price that was well above the steal of 20 bucks-ish that I had paid for the prior 9 bottles, which have long been drank!#. This wine has been iconic for me given the price/quality relationship, and above all, what it delivers as a total experience. Opened tonight to take to dinner, will bag the bottle to see how my 2 wine buddies take to the wine sans the label. I opened this about 20 mins ago so call this note an early look. Bacon fat and white flower aromas dominate this thing right from the get go–really distinctive. The palate? Still tight, but that is a plus, as it tightens down the staining fruit and gives it some zing, although the iron notes and darker, more plush fruit from this past summer’s bottle I expect to see later…so last night over dinner, this ended up being alongside a 2008 Carlisle Papa’s Block, which was a nice side by side, both wines showing terrific. The color of this wine tonight, it looks as dark as the fall night sky outside my kitchen. Staining. There is an intensity of iron in the core of this wine, it kind of explodes out from the center, joined by a charcoaled, black fruit. The flowery, bacon aromas fading a bit and now sharing with blood and iron, too–interestingly, much like that of the 2008 Papa’s Block from last night. Like the bottle from this past summer, with air the structure and tang softens and the wine becomes more rich, brooding and finishes with a chocolate, iron mix. Drink window? A drink now works and with my stash of 3 left, I figure I will finish these by the end of 2014, maybe early 2015. What makes this wine sing is the opulence and depth, at the sick price it once had. Even at 40 bucks replacement for the last 4, I ain’t mad at ya’! Awesome CA syrah, AGAIN! -
2010 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (11/16/2013)
I last drank one of these at the winery nearly a year and 1/2 ago. Decided to open one tonight to take to dinner, bagged to see what a few of my wine buddies will think, sans the label. As an intial look at this, right from the cellar and not all that chilled, the oak is laying subtly on top of the wine, in the aromatic and then whispy through the palate–little marshy/vanilla accents. Underneath that is the fruit, the lemony notes, pineapple, apple, orange oil. The finish is long and with air, that citrus core is starting to emerge. I bet that this wine really starts to fire in about an hour, and with a bit of a chill, all of the beautiful saline, acid and fruit is going to shine…roll forward 24 hours, wine is cold, coming up to room so I can get a good final impression. This wine came around, really pulling in the lemony, green apple, pineapple fruit and that fennel-like finish. The oak I commented on y/day, it’s still there but it’s a bit of hair splitting as the 25% new it saw, it’s showing a kiss of that total now, with a hint of vanilla bean in the finish–suited just fine now. What’s clear today is the intensity I mentioned back in my first note from April 2012, riveted in with all the fruit and overall, really good. Best drink window? If you have one, drink one now, see if my perspective is on point. Or, age another year, into late 2014 and drink for the next 2-3, through 2017.
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