Tasting Notes From May 2006

Argiolas
2004 Costera
Isola del Nuraghi, Sardegna
Nice value. Plump red berry fruit with a pleasant roasted quality. Good quaff. $10;

Carlisle
2001 Syrah
Dry Creek Valley
16.5% alcohol. Inky appearance and aroma. Crushed, macerated black fruit. Touch of vanially oak. Ripe, sweet attack. Shows some roasting coffee bean smokiness late. $36;

Carlisle
2004 Zinfandel
Sonoma County
Spicy-Spicy eucalyptus nose. Rich texture. Medium-sweet with red berry flavors. Peppery midsection. Includes 23% Russian River Valley Syrah. Tasty. $24;

Celler de Roure
2003 Les Alcusses
Valencia
Funky nose initially - sort of Rhone-like brettiness and pepperiness. Medium-bodied with red fruit. This didn't do much for me. $15;

Chapoutier (Domaine de Bila Haut)
2003 Occultum Lapidem
Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France
From another bottle in which the cork was soaked through. This showed much better than the previous bottle. Leathery concentrated Sy

Chateau Bernadotte
2000 Haut Medoc
6 - Smoky damp underbrush nose - clearly more Bordeaux. Somewhat sweet attack with high-toned mid palate. Some weediness. Suffered from being last after the Karl Lawrence and Pride. Mostly Cabernet at E

Chateau Giscours
2003 Margaux
2 - Smoky, slight Rhone-like funk on the nose. John noted a hops-like aroma. I'm definitely thinking Bordeaux. Slightly hard with a mineral and lime component. Decidedly old world. Pretty good. Mostly Caber

Descendientes de J Palacios
2004 Petalos
Bierzo
Pretty nose something like Pinot Noir. A friend likened it to a combination of Pinot and Syrah, and I see his point. Medium-bodied and somewhat high-toned with Pinot-like flavors of herb

Garretson
2004 Syrah
Aisling, Paso Robles
Aromas of apricot and a touch of volatility over sweet black fruit. A touch of rubber. The palate reflects the nose with concentrated, medium-full bodied dark berry fruit. Nicely made and satisf

Gini
2001 Salvarensa
Soave Riserva
Blind White - Buttery nose like older Chardonnay or white Bordeaux perhaps. Medium-bodied with tangy white fruit. Never would have guessed this was Soave. Among the more interesting Italian whites I h

Hug
2004 Syrah
Bassetti Vineyard, San Luis Obispo
13.1%. Deeply colored with black and red berry fruit aromas on the nose with a hint of sandalwood or balsa wood. Lusciously textured with sweet black fruit on the palate. Some nuances

Karl Lawrence
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserve, Napa Valley
4 - New world from the nose, but balanced. Concetrated, seamless black currant and a tiny amount of cedar. Good. Mostly Cabernet at Eden

L'Aventure
2005 Roussanne
Paso Robles
100% Roussanne. 13.4% alcohol. Waxy nose of white fruit. Slightly tropical. Sweet attack with honey and fruit. Concetrated. Turns more savory in the mid-palate. Decent.

Le Printemps (Copain)
2005 Rose
Mendocino County
Fairly typical rose color with light pink and salmon hues. Light-bodied with tangy red strawberry fruit. Pleasant.

Leitz
2004 Riesling
"Dragonstone," Rheingau, Rudesheimer Drachenstein
Lightly sweet, light bodied with rather simple lemony and mineral fruits. Okay. 8.5% alcohol. $12;

Loring Wine Company
2003 Pinot Noir
Garys' Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
15.2% alcohol. Nicely made with loads of black cherry fruit and cherry liqueur. A touch of roasted fruit/meat/wood. Slightly hot in the finish, but overall sea

Loring
2004 Pinot Noir
Rancho Ontiveros, Santa Maria Valley
Smokey, slightly roasted coffee nose. Tangy, sweet raspberry-cherry-strawberry melange on the attack. Earthy towards the finish with tangy lift. Large scaled, rather in-your-

Margerum
2004 M5
Santa Barbara County
Alluring aromas of tangy red fruit tinged with lime and some kind of herb. Touch metallic. Medium-full bodied. Reminds me of a freaky Northern Rhone-Chateauneuf du Pape blend. Tangy, peppery finish.

Marquis Philips
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
S2, McLaren Vale
1 - Deeply colored with an inky nose. Some eucalyptus along with cocoa and a slight sweet powdered sugar confection nuance. Concentrated black fruit. Balanced, somewhat elegant. W

Marquis Philips
2002 Shiraz
9, McLaren Vale
16% alcohol. Big, thick, in- your-face Shiraz - but after it has mellowed a few years. This is much more drinkable than I recall it being. Concentrated ripe berry fruit. Enjoyable in an easy to

Mas Fondreche
2004 Cotes du Ventoux
O'Sud
Correct, clean Cotes du Rhone like flavors of plummy red berry fruit. Medium-full bodied. Cleanly made. I was having trouble getting excited about this wine, but there was nothing wrong with it

Melville
2003 Syrah
Santa Barbara County, Estate
15.4% alcohol. Meaty, sweet, hickory mesquite nose. Slightly tangy sweet like a sweet tart. Zippy texture. Red berry, strawberry, touch of rhubarb. Tasty for the money. $18;

Pax
2004 Syrah
Griffin's Lair, Sonoma Coast
Wow! I love the nose on this wine. A magical combination of lavender and eucalyptus. Yummy. Touch of something animalistic adds complexity. Concentrated "sweet" dark berry fruit with some

Pride Mountain
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
5 - Reserved, somewhat inky nose. Sweet, concentrated. Powerful. Inky. Not much nuance, but lots of power. Showing well. Monolithic black currant fruit. Mostly Cabernet at Eden

Pride Mountain
1999 Merlot
Napa and Sonoma Counties
Older. Mellow, plummy fruit Earth. Dark fruit. Herbs. This is clearly on the downhill. $50;

Radio Coteau
2003 Pinot Noir
La Neblina, Sonoma Coast
Rich, velvety smelling nose with herbs, dark fruit, a touch of dried fruit, and a zingy metallic note. Tangy black cherry fruit on the palate. Nicely made. $40;

Reverdy
2004 Sancerre
This is not showing as well today with a peppery austere green nose. Light-bodied and tangy without much fruit. $20;

Saxum
2003 Syrah
Bone Rock, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles
Yum. Concentrated inky black fruit. Intense and concentrated. Needs a little time, but shows lots of potential. Sweet tannin and dark fruit with some smoky nuances just barel

Selak's
2005 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
Tasty SB with zesty, but fruity kiwi-lime-gooseberry flavors. The intensity of the fruit balances the acidity well.

Sor Ugo
2001 Bolghieri
Toscana
3 - Dryish nose. Older Cal Cab? Dry tobacco. Slightly funky. Sweeter than the nose suggests. Wintergreen. High-toned. Eh. John finally confessed that I had tasting this before and I knew immediately what i

Turley
2003 Zinfandel
Juvenile, California
Spicy-sweet with jazzy fruit. Some pepper on the nose. Nice nose on this. Enjoyed. $20;

Villa Creek
2004 Willow Creek Cuvee
Paso Robles
16.1% alcohol. Heady nose of liqueur, rich sweet fruit, and a touch of licorice. Sweet round. Somewhat lacking in grip. It's okay. Certainly satisfying. $28;

Villa Creek
2005 Pink
Rose, Paso Robles
Pale pink in the glass. Tangy, with just a bare hint of red berry and watermelon fruit. A bit lacking in fruitiness for my taste in Rose. Slightly peppery in the finish. Decent quaff. $14;

Villa Creek
2005 White
Paso Robles
Straw colored. Slightly floral nose with tangy kiwi-tangerine flavors. Somewhat reminiscent to me of Sauvignon Blanc, but the texture is fatter and the flavors less citrusy. Pretty good. $14;

Cheers!
James

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