Tasting Notes - August 2004

Tasting Notes From August 2004

Carlisle
2001 Three Birds
Sonoma County
A blend of Grenache (70%), Mourvedre (20%), and Syrah (10%). The wine is slightly too warm for proper drinking after a day in the car travelling, but the nose is peppery, slightly muted, and vinous with vague dust and berry fruit. Medium-full bodied with plum and berry fruit. Lacking focus. Not flawed in any significant way, just not spectacular. $18

Chateau Sociando-Mallet
1988 Haut Medoc
On the nose the wine has a green pepper, bell pepper, and dusty mesquite wood quality. The palate is medium-bodied with rather savory flavors and subdued dark fruit. Decent if it is what you are in the mood for. Most of the nuance seems to be in the nose. $20

Jade Mountain
1997 Syrah
Napa Valley
This wine finally came around and shed its hard edges. The nose is reminiscent of tangy apricots. This was likely cofermented with Viognier is my guess. Medium-bodied red berry fruits on the palate. Has a waxy, mineral edge to it that evokes the harder side of the wine when I last tasted it, but without the unpleasant attributes.

Unti
2002 Sangiovese
Dry Creek Valley
14.5% alcohol. The nose shows some alcohol, along with sweet black cherry fruit, a touch of brown sugar, some burnt oak, and a hint of something between dust and pepper. Medium-full bodied with black cherry and black raspberry fruit. Not much complexity, but possesses nice lushness. Rather low acidity for Sangiovese. Decent. $22

Loring Wine Company
2002 Pinot Noir
Garys' Vineyard San Luis Obispo
Initially the nose showed a bit of yeasty brettomyces. The palate was dominated by black cherry fruit with a tangy, lime zest, citrus back bone. Medium-full bodied with excellent concentration. Higher toned style. Nice. $40

The theme for this tasting was my choosing…on a whim, I decided to ask everyone to bring a wine that they thought tasted like black and blue fruit…meaning blackberries, blueberries, etc..

Domain Weibach
1999 Riesling
Vin d'Alsace
Lovely nose that at first reminded me more of Gewurztraminer than Riesling. Then more sulfur. Leaner palate than the nose suggests. Okay.

Pra
2002 Soave
Classico
Blind White 1 - A bit vacant on the nose - too cool - then some honey. Sweet attack with loose, sweet lemon-lime flavors. Bright, but not acidic or lean. Nice value. $12

D'Arenberg
2000 The Laughing Magpie
McLaren Vale
Blind Red 1 - Sweet blueberry, blue fruit nose. Cedar. Jammy. Yum nose. Rich, sweet attack. Full-bodied and dense. Touch of vanilla. Nice. Turns creamy black cherry in the finish. $40

Ridge
1999 Geyserville
California
Blind Red 2 - Bread dough, yeast nose. Sweet clove and alcohol. Monolithic on the palate. Slightly more black raspberry than anything. Hmmm….Petite Sirah? 68% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 16% Petite Sirah.

Carlisle
2000 Mondeuse
Russian River Valley
Blind Red 3 - Somewhat Grenache-like nose. Powder, pepper, wax. Black cherry. As an aside, the nose was more clove-like on day two. Black cherry. Seems like a Rhone blend from California. Big tannins, but not overpowering. $30

Papiano
1998 Nemea
Greece
Blind Red 5 - Somewhat lighter color. Smells sweeter. Red fruit, black berry, black currant. More austere on the palate than the nose. Not imported.

Taurasi
1996 Terradura
Blind Red 6 - Bit vinous. Large scaled and mouthfilling with more red and plum fruit than black. Good value.

Switchback Ridge
2001 Petite Sirah
Napa Valley
Blind Red 7 - Blueberries and blackberries on the nose. Dense, thick wine. Slightly hot and massive. Monster. Mouthfilling. Interesting. Definitely on theme.

Pride Mountain
2002 Merlot
Napa and Sonoma Counties
Blind Red 8 - Prettier nose initially, though lighter colored. Sweet berry fruit. Caramel. Blackberry, spices. Pretty nice. Is this Australian by chance? (No, it's not…) Nice showing for this wine.

Eberle
2000 Syrah
Steinbeck Vineyard
Blind Red 9 - Rustic, slightly acidic and hot. Balance issues. This tasted more like a French Syrah than anything to me. Eh.

Shirvington
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
McLaren Vale
$40

Cusamono
2001 Benuara
Nero d'Avola Syrah, Sicilia
A corpulent wine with nice aromas of roasted fruit, black plums and black berries. Meaty and mouthfilling. $17

Mas des Avelyans
2003 Syrah
Vin de Pays du Gard
At this stage, still a large scaled, grapey wine without much nuance. Smells a little tank fermented. Decent value though. $10

Dry Hills
2002 Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand
The nose is classically New Zealand with a dusty note to the aromas of gooseberry. Sweet and tangy gooseberry and citrus on the palate. Dinner at DaVinci in Salem

J.K. Carriere
2001 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
Rather unexciting Pinot for me. Fuller bodied with aromas that suggest a cool climate - a bit of lime zest overlying the red fruit. Rather high acid on the palate with more red fruit - strawberry and lean plum flavors. Eh. Dinner at DaVinci in Salem

Kamiakin
2002 Red
Sheridan Vineyard, Yakima Valley
Outstanding little find - loads of black berry fruit with touches of cedar and chocolate. Produced and bottled by Sheridan Vineyard. I suspect this is a blend of Bordeaux varieties. $20 Dinner at Morton's Bistro

Unti
2001 Petite Sirah
Dry Creek Valley
14.5%. A big mouthfilling wine. Chewey but sweet tannins. Not as tannic as I recall from last year. Dense black and blue fruit. Some light baking spices, but mostly this is about powerful fruit and chewey tannins. Interesting. $26

Spelletich Cellars
2000 Zinfandel
Tim and Edie's Vineyard, Shenandoah Valley
Killer nose that bursts with clove and cinnamon spices. Smells a little hot, but also full of brisk red raspberry and red zinberry fruit. Medium-bodied, with a sense of sweetness, either from the alcohol, or from some residual sugar. Late there are flavors of tea. Holding up pretty well all things considered. 17% alcohol. $28

Cuvaison
2000 Merlot
Carneros, Napa Valley
Initially I was rather surprised that this tasted as good as it did. Light toasty oak, mocha berry fruit with some metallic flavors. As it was open it seemed to grow more and more acidic…eh $24

Fox Creek
2000 Shiraz
Short Row, McLaren Vale
Deeply colored with nice aromatics of vanilla and blackberry fruit. Lush, opulent attack that turns slightly more acidic in the end. Rich creamy blackberry fruit complemented by toasty bread. Decent. Nicely structured compared to say, a Marquis Philips Shiraz, but this was about twice the price. $30

1975 Riesling
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
The cork was almost gone in this wine, but the wine was strutting its stuff like a teenager. Initially has some resin, petrol aromas, then some white-fruit cocktail underneath. Medium-sweet on the attack with a round, lushess mouthfeel I wasn't expecting from a wine with 7.5% alcohol. Concentrated and quite delicious. Went great with a dessert Mona whipped up of sauteed pears, blueberries, Chambord, and goat cheese. James and Mona's fourth Anniversary of Meeting

Carlisle
2002 Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley
15.9% alcohol. Includes a does of Petite Sirah. Deeply colored. Huge, bring-a-smile-to-your-face nose of black berry fruit, clove, baking spice, and something sweet like brown sugar. Rich and balanced in the palate with lush, sweet black fruit and more spice in the finish. Yum. This might be the best Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel I've ever had. $25

Justin
2001 Petite Verdot
Paso Robles
An interesting wine. 100% Petite Verdot, aged in 100% French Oak, 15% of which was new. The nose is mostly about dark chocolate and black fruit. The palate is concentrated with similar flavors. Slightly cottony tannins in places and a suggestion of dry herbs. Not bad.

Col D'Orcia
1995 Brunello di Montalcino
Riserva
Not exactly a revelation, but a decent Brunello. Road tar, earth, cherries. Medium-full bodied with decent concentration. Seems a little rustic and dried out.

JL Chave
1998 St. Joseph
Offerus
Typical for an inexpensive St. Joseph. Olives, dark fruit, rather high-toned with some funkiness. Brisk, and a little short on the palate. $10

I spent a week working in Salem in August and had the opportunity to spend a few minutes visiting three of the local wineries, St. Innocent, Bethel Heights, and Cristom.

St. Innocent
2003 Pinot Blanc
Freedom Hill Vineyard, Willamette Valley
Lovely white fruit nose. Smells a bit high-toned with a hint of smoke(?). 25% of this was aged in neutral barrels. Nice, tangy white fruit. $14

St. Innocent
2002 Chardonnay
Anden Vineyard, Willamette Valley
Dijon clone. Light toast. Oiliness. Rich nutty midpalate that finishes slightly bitter. Great concentration.

St. Innocent
2002 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
This is primarily Seven Springs Vineyard and Freedom Hill vineyard. Lovely caramel, raisined cherry nose. Decent cherry fruit. Healthy color. Value. $18

St. Innocent
2002 Pinot Noir
Shea Vineyard
Touch of green funk and game on the nose over black fruit. More structured and less fruit-forward than the rest of the lineup. Okay. Probably could lay down for a bit. $30

St. Innocent
2002 Pinot Noir
White Rose Vineyard
Touch of funk or game on the nose, but much less than the Shea. Black cherry, earth, touch of smoke, meat. Nice. $30

Bethel Heights
2003 Pinot Blanc
Willamette Valley
Stainless steel aged. No malolactic. Green apple flavors with hints of cedar and something I couldn't put my finger on. Pleasant.

Bethel Heights
2003 Pinot Gris
Oregon
More tangy with floral and citrus components compared to the Pinot Blanc. Rich, lengthy wine. Nicely made Pinot Gris.

Bethel Heights
2002 Pinot Gris
Reserve
Touch of toasted cereal on te nose. Warmer climate smelling. Round, creamy fig fruit. Okay. $18

Bethel Heights
2001 Chardonnay
Oregon
Toasty cereal nose. Rather standard Chardonnay flavors. 20% new oak. Not bad value. $15

Bethel Heights
2001 Pinot Noir
Estate
Cherry fruit nose with a touch of citrus and baby powder (?). Medium bodied and a bit structured/high-toned on the palate. $25

Bethel Heights
2001 Pinot Noir
West Block Reserve
Red fruit and high-toned citrus flavors. Cranberry. Rich cherry jolly rancher on the palate with late acidity. Decent. $38

Bethel Heights
2002 Pinot Noir
Southeast Block Reserve
Plummy fruit nose tinged with cedar or oak aromas. Medium-bodied, supple cherry fruit on the palate with a high-toned finish. Pretty good. $38

Bethel Heights
2002 Pinot Noir
Flat Block Reserve
Metallic nose of cherry fruit. Richer and sweeter palate than the nose suggested. Long cherry fruit flavors on the palate. Disconnected, but not bad. $38

Bethel Heights
2001 Syrah
Del Rio Vineyard, Rogue Valley
Includes 5% cofermented Viognier. Apricot-like aromas on the nose. Lovely, rich, polished red berry fruit. Slightly out of balance in the finish but the nose is great! Like this.

Cristom
2002 Viognier
Willamette Valley
Heavy honey suckle nose that leads you to expect Dolly Parton style Viognier. Bit of cardboard as well. Slightly sweet with residual sugar on the palate. Probably might please a crowd.

Cristom
2002 Pinot Gris
Willamette
Neutral, vinous citrus flavors. Okay.

Cristom
2001 Pinot Noir
Jefferson
Tobacco nose. Light color. A peppery style of Pinot Noir. The tasting room host said this came from the whole-cluster pressing.

Cristom
2001 Pinot Noir
Reserve
Translucent appearance. Peppery nose. Medium-full bodied with monolithic plum fruit.

Cristom
2001 Pinot Noir
Jessie Vineyard
Richly flavored with cola and black cherry. Nice. At this point the tasting room is closed and the hostess is totally put out, so I was rushing.

Tualatin Estate
2003 Semi-Sparkling Muscat
Oregon
Quite sweet and muscaty….eh

Abiqua Wind
2003 Muller Thurgau
Chloe's Breeze, Oregon
Medium-dry, rather vinous. Probably a crowd pleaser though.

Coleman
2002 Pinot Gris
Oregon
Melony nose. Fruity-white fruit. Pleasant. Tough to put my finger on the fruit.

Sineann
2003 Chardonnay
Oregon
Screwcap! Rich whitish fruit. Tasty. Low-or-no oak. $16

Eola Hills
2000 Chardonnay
La Creale, Oregon
Toasty oak and pear fruit syrup. Standard pear fruit. Decent.

Cheers!
James

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