WetRock in the house take 2

WINE TALK
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Started with some Boont Amber, Anderson Valley beer, chips, salsa, and guac.

For dinner, I made spiced, pan fried pork chops, with a coconut/thai peanut sauce, steamed cauliflower and red peppers, with chopped cilantro and lime over brown rice.

2006 J. Hofstatter Kolbenhoff Gewurztraminer Sudtirol, Aldo Adige
My first GWZ from this region, this was huge on the nose with intense aromas of rose oil, lychee fruit, and spices. It is heavy and full on the pallatte with big, ripe fruit, and an oily texture that was balanced by medium acidity, though I would’ve liked a bit more. A bit clipped on the finish, need time, but for $20 from Cinderella wine, a serious GWZ that has a nice future.

2008 Arnot- Roberts Chardonnay, North Coast, 50% Bei Ranch, 50% Green Island. This was done 20% Malolactic, all nuetral oak, and was very chablis like on the nose with lemon, minerals and a hint at custard. Picked at 21 brix, this Chardonnay has nice texture and wieght in the mouth, yet remained crisp and refreshing on the finish. This is a nice alternative to the big cali style Chards

2006 Tre Viti Pinot Noir, Central Coast, Cambria, Stollo family vineyard- From a small ten acre vineyard 2.5 miles from the ocean, this Pinot Noir has a bright, ripe nose of raspberry frambois, baking spices, and bits of maplewood and cedar. Bright, full, and attractive, this features tart raspberry, dried strawberry, and the slightest hint of watermelon on the tail end. This has excellent balance, but is just a youngster right now, showing mostly primary fruit flavors and oak spice. It would be interesting to see where this goes.

2005 Alban Syrah, Reva, Edna Valley, Alban Estate- Decanted for 5+ hours, this showed a ton of fruit right out of the bottle. This bottle seemed ON from the get go, but picked up steam and interest over the next 5 hours. The nose on this is huge and expressive, changing and showing different nuances throughout the night. Aromas of perfectly ripened blackberries, raspberry reduction, espresso, and char from some heavily toasted barrels(Ermitage?). Thick, rich, and ripe flavors, extremely mouthcoating, with some slight SLH notes of tar, and a long finish that shows dark chocolate, and fine grained, chalky tannins. This was my first 05 Reva, and this bottle showed very well. Thanks for sharing this, Cris.

2005 Copain, Les Copains, James Berry vineyard, Paso Robles
This bottling is a blend of 43% Mourvedre, 42% Grenache, and 15% Syrah. More or less popped and poured, this was a bit muted on the nose with some dark fruit and spice. The plum and dark cherry spoke mostly of the Mourvedre with its tail tell spice and some game character. Soft, ripe, and round, it is full to medium bodied showing no apparent wood, yet a bit short on the finish. The aromatics opened a bit over the following three hours, but I suspect we caught this on a off night, as it just seamed to not want to get off the coach and party. The Alban was a tough act to follow.

We cracked a few more bottles- couple of 07 German Rieslings, a Gunderlock Jean Baptista kb, and a Monchoff kb (to cleans the pallate- cheers T-Bone [thumbs-up.gif] ), an 07 DGB CdR Cuvee Marc, Rasteau, and a 07 Petalos Bierzo, which was way too young, not to mention our pallates, and minds were pretty tired at that point.

A great time was had by all. Thanks Cris, for braving the one lane roads and extreme driving experience. No bears this time. [basic-smile.gif]

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The girl in your avatar is jeaous. [beee.gif]

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So is the girl in yours, Linda

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So is that girl in yours Todd…oh no wait, that’s a Wine Chick!

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pepsi

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I’m actually quite surprised you just ‘throw out’ that you had 'some ‘07 German Rieslings’ - being a good vintage in Germany, were they uneventful?

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They were really good. I think it was just late and beyond note-taking time, if you know what I mean.
And they were, just as T-bone pointed out, pallete cleansing. John was on a bottle opening spree, especially when we realized Cris would be leaving today. “Let’s try it all, right now!” [swoon.gif]

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Great note on the Reva. I still have five bottles plus a mag resting here.

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You know you are always welcome, Leenda. grouphug

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We revisited this wine last night and it was still so good. The blackberry fruit was alive and kicking and the full mouth feel was smooth as silk. flirtysmile John barely got a drop. Bill, you are stoked to have some of this in your cellar and a MAG will be a party!

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Looking at the lineup somehow I think my lack of acclimation to the mountain air staved off a hangover? Another great night up in the boonies with the Cabot’s, playing games with the kids and slugging back lot’s of wine. You guys rule. Sorry and not so that I left early. I’m finding too many great friends and not enough time to spend with all of them.
grouphug

I can’t add a lot to John’s notes as I think I would mostly agree with him. Quick words.

  • 2006 J. Hofstatter Kolbenhoff Gewurztraminer Sudtirol, Aldo Adige - Big fat in the middle and needed some acidity but still a great example of a forward yet dry Gewurz. Still prefer this to almost anything from California…and to my surprise this was from Italy, not Alsace!
  • 2008 Arnot- Roberts Chardonnay, North Coast, 50% Bei Ranch, 50% Green Island - A very nice surprise. Very clean, appley expression with fatness. Very good acids. Bright on the palate. Almost like a young Champagne with the bubbles. A terrific find and very recommended for those who like their whites with acids and don’t need fat ripe fruit to get excited.
  • 2006 Tre Viti Pinot Noir, Central Coast, Cambria, Stollo family vineyard - Was looking forward to this. Wine from Cambria?! Showed good balanced and a hint of mineral character. The fruit seemed a bit on the ripe and plain side but the structure was good. Tempted to blame the fruit expression on the vintage but way out there? Who knows but something to keep an eye on.
  • 2005 Alban Syrah, Reva, Edna Valley, Alban Estate - I think John nailed this one. And it sounds like it was even better the next day to no surprise. This sort of wine is not for everyone but I dig it. Clearly no rush to drink these.
  • 2005 Copain, Les Copains, James Berry vineyard, Paso Robles - This provided a sharp contrast in mouth feel to the Alban. Lighter and cleaner feeling as opposed to the Alban’s fleshy broadness. Was a bit short though and as John said really showed it’s Mouvedre the most. I liked it though not sure where to place it.

Did we really crack ALL of those other wines!?!?! [drinkers.gif]
I remember a bit of brett on the Rasteau…I think. I do vaguely remember some German’s being opened. Beyond that… [dontknow.gif]

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I’m shocked and amazed that the mentoin of Humbolt cabage has not made this or the prior account of Mr. Cookie’s visit. Did Wetrock not have an opportunity to sample the Humbolt cabage? Seems like cabage should be plentiful around this time of year…no?

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Nope, no cabage for Cris. He must be alergic to brassicas.