We arrived Wednesday morning into SFO and headed straight for the wine country. Our first appointment was at Havens/Franus. Alexis lead us through the Havens wines and tasted us on a few of the Franus wines. Overall we enjoyed all the wines.

Havens and Franus

• Havens 1998 Merlot Napa - Tasty, fairly simple. $24.00
  
  
• Havens 1998 Merlot Reserve Napa Includes Carneros fruit. 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Tight aromatic with tobacco and chocolate flavors adding interest to the ripe red fruits. Really ratchets up the intensity over the regular Merlot. $32
  
  
• Havens 1997 Merlot Reserve Napa Kirsch liqueur nose. Very nice as well. I would like to spend a bit more time tasting the 98 and 97 side by side. $34
  
  
• Havens 1998 Bourriquot Napa Valley - 2/3 Cabernet Franc. Not as good as the 97 to my palate, but quite tasty. Rich fruit, lacking the chocolatey flavors that I enjoyed so much in the 97. Retaste. $35
  
  
• Havens 1998 Syrah Carneros Earthy with a slight Rhone-like stink. Decent stuff. $24
  
  
• Havens 1999 Syrah Hudson Vineyard - Smoke, rocks, minerals on the nose. Tight, more acidic and somewhat leaner than the 98 Carneros. $30
  
  
• Havens 2000 Albarino Napa/Carneros Crisp and acidic with peach and lemon. Not my fave.
  
  
• Franus-Havens 1998 Pinot Noir Initially has a soapy nose with yeast and bacteria. Blows off quickly to reveal more spice and herbs in addition to the red fruits. Translucent in the glass. I like the complexity in the nose. Somewhat light. $30
  
  
• Franus 1999 Zinfandel Brandlin Ranch Mt. Veeder - Unusual nose, a bit like a sauna. Ripe. Feels like a teeth-stainer with velvety tannins that coat the mouth. $24
  
  
• Franus 1999 Zinfandel Planchon Contra Costa Rich and sweet with a somewhat short finish. Nice value. $18
  
  
• Franus 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Mostly Hyde Vineyard fruit. Oak. Rich and concentrated. Ripe pure fruit with cassis/currant flavors. This is a nice Cab for the money. $32
  
  

After that we made a courtesy stop at Cline to visit with a business acquaintance who has a family tie-in there. We weren’t crazy about any of the wines.

Cline

• Cline 2000 Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay Sonoma Okay. Kinda anonymous.
  
  
• Cline 2000 Viognier Sonoma County Pleasant nose with an acidic palate and a bitter finish.
  
  
• Cline 2000 Rose California - Uh, no. Not a fan of Roses, though.
  
  
• Cline 1997 Carignane Ancient Vines Animal fur and dark fruit. Pass.
  
  
• Cline 1999 Mouvedre Ancient Vines - Herbs, medium-full bodied, short.
  
  
• Cline 1999 Zinfandel Ancient Vines - Hint of spice, coffee, toffee, smoky. Just okay. Pass.
  
  
• Cline 1999 Syrah Los Carneros - This is Syrah? Fairly bright fruit, at least compared to the murky flavors in some of these wines. Ripe. Okay.
  
  
• Cline 1999 Zinfandel Big Break - Getting' better here. Sweet, ripe, a bit liqueur like.
  
  
• Cline 1999 Zinfandel Fulton Road - Earth, coffee, spice. Rough unbalanced palate.
  
  
• Jacuzzi Cellars 1997 Zinfandel Reserve Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Mellow fruit. Soft.
  
  
• Jacuzzi Cellars 1997 Merlot Reserve - Liqueur nose, slate finish with a supple pedestrian palate. Not very complex and rather expensive. $40
  
  
• Jacuzzi Cellars 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Dusty cedar nose. Holding up okay but doesn't have much palate presence.
  

Dinner at Mistral (Now Closed) in Santa Rosa was pleasant. An appetizer of seared scallops had a really intense butter sauce.
Tasted the Rafanelli 98 cab and a couple other random wines...

Philip Staley 1999 Viognier Decent Viognier nose of stone fruits and minerals. Hollow midpalate with flab and not enough concentration. Wonder if the bottle had been open a while?

Rafanelli 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley - Four-square. Soft, fairly supple and ripe with some coffee and green flavors. Not exactly mind-blowing. $44

Porter Creek 1997 Pinot Noir tasted a bit soft. Cola cherries. Medium bodied. Might be a decent value Pinot.

Day Due

The next morning we went to Fisher and had a nice chat with both Fred Fisher and his daughter Whitney. The have a gorgeous property on the backside of Macaymas range.

Fisher

• Fisher 1999 Chardonnay Coach Insignia Very primary apple juice nose with hints of spicy French oak. Crisp and elegant on the palate. More fruit forward with less oak than the 1998 at this point. May come together well. Apparently they were aiming for a more fruit-driven Chardonnay this vintage $30
  
  
• Fisher 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia - 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc. Blueberry liqueur. Great Nose! Love the Cab Franc in it. Rough woody palate Tight. Needs some time I think. Somewhat pricey at the winery. $60.00
  
  

Deloach

• Deloach 2000 Fume Blanc Russian River Valley - Grapefruit, tangy, maybe a touch of creaminess. Okay.
  
  
• Deloach 2000 Gewurztraminer Russian River Valley Early Harvest Just off dry with a nice Gewurztraminer nose. Passable.
  
  
• Deloach 1999 Pinot Noir Estate Cola and tomato flavors. Translucent. Pleasant but I wouldn't buy it. $18
  
  
• Deloach 1999 Zinfandel Estate Leather and shoe polish nose. Sweet palate. Fairly rich and round with a tangy finish. Okay. $20
  
  
• Deloach 1999 Merlot Estate Includes 10% Cabernet Franc. Has a substantial jalapeno/Chile Pepper/green bell pepper nose. Slightly riper on the palate but not interesting. Strange nose. $24
  
  
• Deloach 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Dusty olive nose with red fruit. Similar palate but green and astringent with light cherry fruit. $24
  
  
• Deloach 1999 Pinot Noir Balleto Ranch Light color like the estate Pinot. Medicinal cherries and zest on the nose with a fairly sweet rich palate. Acid on the finish. Much better than the estate. Better price than the OFS Pinot $24.00
  
  

Sebastopol Vineyards

• Sebastopol Vineyards 1998 Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Grapes from Widow's Vineyard. Cola and black cherry nose. Bland hard palate. Not fond of this one. $28
  
  
• Sebastopol Vineyards 1999 Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley - Much improved over the 98. Sweet strawberry nose. Ripe, sweet medium-full bodied palate. Quite nice. $28
  
  
• Sebastopol Vineyards 1999 Syrah Russian River Valley Gail Ann's Vineyard Intended to be Rhone in style. Mineral nose soft sweet licorice red fruit. $30.00
  
  

Martinelli

• Martinelli 1999 Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley - Bright green nose with a slightly bitter edge and minerals. Concentrated palate, nice ripeness and concentration of flavor. $18
  
  
• Martinelli 1998 Chardonnay Charles Ranch Sonoma County Acidic tart apples. Minerally French oak. Just okay. Not for me. $30
  
  
• Martinelli 1998 Chardonnay Martinelli Vineyard - Mineral, smoke, French oak nose with apples. Ripe full bodied palate with a long mineral oak finish. Lots of oak.
  
  
• Martinelli 1999 Pinot Noir Sonoma County Ripe red fruit nose with a touch of spice. High Acidity and alcohol (14.6) Hot finish. Pass.
  
  
• Martinelli 1999 Gewurztraminer Russian River Valley - Dry. Nice spicy ""Lychee"" nose. Rich palate, ripe spicy. Very nice.
  
  
• Martinelli 1999 Gewurztraminer Off dry - Off Dry. Similar nose but smells ""sweeter"" Very pleasant and just barely sweet to my palate. .4 residual sugar.
  
  

David Coffaro Winery

• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Zinfandel Neighbors Light color. Ripe fruit. Not complex but clean. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Zinfandel Estate - Spice, ripe raspberry fruit. Similar to Neighbors Zin. Again, lighter styled. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Cabernet Franc Dry Creek Valley - Green jalapeno nose, though ripe on the palate. Light. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Mouvedre Contra Costa - Very nice. Complex and distinctive with pepper, a touch of animal fur, spice, earth and mineral. Good presence. Medium bodied. Light color. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Estate Cuvee Dry Creek Valley Some complexity. Still very Zinfandel like. The Cabernet adds structure. $16.00
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Carignane Dry Creek Valley - Ripe, cleanly made. Maybe some heat on the finish. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Syrah Dry Creek Valley Rhone style nose of compressed pepper and rocks. Light but with a ripe palate. $16
  
  
• David Coffaro Winery 2000 Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek Valley Nice varietal character. Clean. Good value. $11
  
  

Meeker Winery tasting room in Geyserville

The pourer Cynthia was hilarious. She kept swirling the Meeker 99 Zin in a miniature carafe and inhaling the scent like it was dope or something…quite a character…we enjoyed the wines too

• Meeker Vineyards 1996 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - Still fruity, hasn't gotten tea-like, though it has been tamed. Ripe, supple.
  
  
• Meeker Vineyards 1997 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - Tasty. Tightly knit, especially compared to the 96. Ripe raspberries. Hot finish.
  
  
• Meeker Vineyards 1999 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley Similar to the '97 but with a better finish.
  
  
• Meeker Vineyards 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley - Well made. Tasty, tannic. Seems a pretty good value. American oak?" $18
  
  
• Meeker Vineyards 1997 Carignane Dry Creek Valley - Quite nice. Rather struck by this wine. Ripe, concentrated, clean. Peppery interest. Cool wine. $18
  
  

• Behren's and Hitchcock 1998 Merlot Mendocino - Dense tannic hidden fruit. Slightly green. Okay, we'll see. Seems to need time. $30
  
  
• JC Cellars 1999 Zinfandel Napa Valley Bolduc Vineyard - From the winemaker at Rosenblum, Jeff Cohen. Sweet, ripe, supple with some coffee underneath the jam. Not bad. $24
  
  
• S. Anderson 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap District - Ripe palate, mid weight Cabernet. Kinda soft and ho-hum. $24.00
  
  

Day Tres

Pride Mountain

• Pride Mountain 1999 Merlot Napa/Sonoma - Ripe blueberry nose. Sweet, ripe, full bodied. Delicious. $48
  
  
• Pride Mountain 1999 Cabernet Franc Sonoma County - Ripe with a slight green in the nose just adding interest, not dominating. Touch of green pepper. Bitter chocolate good length and concentration. Nice. $52
  
  
• Pride Mountain 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Pencil Lead in the nose. Very nice and quite approachable in comparison to the '97. Should be another winner. $56
  
  
• Pride Mountain 2000 Merlot Barrell Sample - Smoky charcoal. Great balance. Sweet red fruit. Strong charcoal finish. Must be a new barrel.
  
  
• Pride Mountain 2000 Chardonnay Napa Valley Mineralled French oak. Butterscotch nose. Tight. Green apple palate Somewhat short with an oaky finish. Not quite to my tastes. $34
  
  
• Pride Mountain 2000 Mistelle - Fantastic nose. Orange, citrus, stone fruit. Vanilla. Not as sweet as you might expect. Free run Viognier juice fortified with Grappa. $45
  
  

Behrens and Hitchcock

• Behren's and Hitchcock 2000 Cabernet Franc Oakville Fortuna - Barrel Sample - Taransaud barrel. This is a portion of what will become Cuvee Lola. Ripe without a trace of green. Cherry fruit. Quite tannic, but concentrated and fairly rich underneath it seems. Still in Malolactic fermentation.
  
  
• Behren's and Hitchcock 2000 Syrah Alder Springs Mendocino Barrel Sample - Dense electric color. Black pepper. Ripe Sweet Asian spices and grilled meat. Smooth tannins in the finish. Extremely deep. Burgundy Barrel. I'm gonna want some of this. Nice juice.
  
  

Von Strasser

• Von Strasser 2000 Chardonnay Rainen Vineyard - Barrel Sample - Aromatically restrained. Light color. Rather watery and dilute. Sweet tart finish. 50% new, 50% 4-5 year old French oak. Pass on this one.
  
  
• Von Strasser 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - Barrel Sample - This wine has been blended. Inky dense color. Blueberry, currant, toasted bread, pencil lead smoky. Sweet concentrated and long. Like it.
  
  
• Von Strasser 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - Barrel Sample - Showing more oak. Currants. Wine seems a bit more finished. Nice and dense. Yeasty bread, rich nose. Great balance and richness. Nice.
  
  
• Von Strasser 1999 Red Table Wine Sori Bricco Vineyard – Barrel Sample - 54% Merlot with Cabernet and Cabernet Franc. Vanilla, chocolate, sweet, chalky tannins with a touch of pencil lead. Delicious stuff.
  
  
• Von Strasser 1999 Reserve Red table wine - Barrel Sample - Petite Verdot based with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon filling it out. 100% new oak. Pencil lead nose but rich and plush smelling. Tight. Hard spot mid palate. Pretty good, but I think I prefer the regular wine. You could a"
  
  
• Von Strasser 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - Barrel Sample - Blend of Cabernets from five Diamond Mountain vineyards. Pleasant nose, good color. Brighter fruit that leans more toward raspberry. Lively mouthfeel. Great mouth presence, but somewhat acidic. Quite tannic.
  
  
• Freestone 2000 Merlot Napa Valley - Barrel Sample - Not blended. 100% Merlot. Fairly rich, but with a shorter finish than the Von Strasser stuff. Bright fruit. Pretty good, should be a good value.
  
  

Folie a Deux

• Folie a Deux 1997 Sparkling Pinot Wrotham England - Strawberry Pinot flavors. Basically a Rose sparkling wine. Dry. I like a little red fruit in my sparkling wine, but I still don't see myself drinking this.
  
  
• Folie a Deux 1998 Sangiovese Napa Valley - Light colored, low acidity, light bodied with decent ripeness. Kinda Italianesque with dry/tart cherries.
  
  
• Folie a Deux 1998 Zinfandel Eschen Vineyard Amador County Spicy cedar nose. Medium-full bodied. Slightly translucent. Decent value. $15
  
  
• Folie a Deux 1998 Zinfandel Bowman Vineyard Amador County - Similar to the Eschen but softer and less concentrated. Fine, supple, no memorable.
  
  
• Folie a Deux 1998 Zinfandel Harvey Vineyard Amador County - Great nose of Raspberry jam. Very nice, quite concentrated and pure. Hides it 15.8% alc very well. Nice wine. $24
  
  
• Folie a Deux 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Bright raspberry and currant fruit. French oak and Cedar nose. Raspberry liqueur. Nice nose. Slightly sour palate and a bit unbalanced. $24
  
  Folie a Deux 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley - Rich cedary nose with some Cigar box. Sweet, ripe, full bodied, goof length. $36
  
  

Dehlinger 1998 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Estate - Blackberry jam on toast. Loses focus in the finish. Full bodied, concentrated. Great density and ripeness for a Pinot. My style. I usually prefer the denser ones. Tasted at Syrah restaurant in Santa Rosa. $70

Steele 1997 Chardonnay Late Harvest Carneros Impressive! Very rich and round. Long. Only modestly sweet. Interesting wine. $30.00

Day Quattro

Carlisle

• Carlisle 2000 Zinfandel Russian River Valley - Barrel Sample - RRV Zin 1 - will likely be labeled "Tom Fini" (sp.) when bottled. Great cinnamon clove/spice nose. Dark color with a touch of tawny. Mike Officer shares the vineyard with Williams-Selyem. Ripe, tannic, medium-full bodied with sweet, bright
  
  
• Carlisle 2000 Zinfandel Russian River Valley - Barrel Sample - RRV Zin 2 - Approximate blend - Probably to be labeled "Gumtree Ranch" Another great spicy nose with some mint and eucalyptus thrown in. Ripe, supple, hints of coffee. Nice.
  
  
• Carlisle 2000 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - Barrel Sample - Again a spicy clove nose, with some coffee thrown in. Some heat in the finish. Came out to about 17% alc and Mike blended it with Syrah to bring the alcohol down to about 16.3%.
  
  
• Carlisle 2000 Two Acres Dry Creek Valley - Barrel Sample - From vines planted in 1910 in a two acre vineyard off Olivet Lane in Dry Creek. Has a little bit of everything. Sort of a field blend but each grape was harvested independently. 75% Mouvedre, Petite Sirah, Alicante Boushet, Mondeuse, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Zinfandel. Interesting wine. Quite dense and tannic, but the underlying fruit suggests it may come off quite well. Mona was quite taken and we did ultimately track down two bottles of the 1999 Two Acres to satisfy her craving.
  
  
• Carlisle 2000 Syrah Dry Creek Valley - Barrel Sample - Pepper, leather, fruit. Ripe, spicy, and simultaneously a bit creamy? Meaty, earth. Sweet, long. 15.9 alc. Delicious stuff. Like this one.
  
  
• Carlisle 2000 Mondeuse Dry Creek Valley - Barrel Sample - Blueberry nose with liqueur. Great nose. Mike suggests black cherry. Touch of fur, oak. Tannic, but to my palate not way more tannic than the two acres. Like it.
  
  

Limerick Lane and Christopher Creek

• Limerick Lane 1996 Furmint Collins Vineyard Russian River Valley - Honeyed, odd nose, like Tokay. Tart - too tart - with more tart lemons Just interesting. Pass. $20
  
  
• Limerick Lane 1998 Zinfandel Collins Vineyard Russian River Valley - Spicy Cinnamon bark nose with berries. French oak (with some Hungarian) Ripe, sweet, balanced, concentrated with decent length and a touch of alcohol late. Kinda pricey?" $26
  
  
• Limerick Lane 1998 Syrah Collins Vineyard Russian River Valley Butter toast pepper. Well made. Sweet ripe fruit Somewhat one dimensional. Pricey. $36
  
  
• Limerick Lane 1997 Late Harvest Furmint Collins Vineyard Russian River Valley - Nose of strong nail polish. Palate is quite ripe and sweet. Laden with honey. Long flavors of caramel, orange, honey and brown sugar. Nice, but the nose disturbs me. $45
  
  
• Christopher Creek 1999 Chardonnay Russian River Valley 1/3 new French oak. Green apple nose. Smells crisp. Medium-full bodied on the palate with ripe sweet apple. Not bad. $20
  
• Christopher Creek 2000 Viognier Catie Corner Vineyard Russian River Valley - Minerals, alcohol, honey, apricot nose. Ripe palate initially, but the finish is acidic" $24
  
  
• Christopher Creek 1998 Syrah Russian River Valley White pepper and a touch of green leaves and leather. Just a miniscule hint of Brett. Peppery palate. Earth. Rhone-like. Okay. $26
  
  
• Christopher Creek 1999 Syrah Russian River Valley - Like the 98, peppery…lots of pepper with some bacon fat. Black cherry fruit. Not bad at all. $26
  
  
• Christopher Creek 1999 Zinfandel Russian River Valley - Black, brambly fruit, jammy nose, ripe full bodied. Hot finish. Pretty good, but not exciting to my palate.
  
  

Rochioli 2000 Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley - Great food wine. Grapefruit, grass, good varietal character. Concentrated palate. Brisk, but not painful acidity. We tasted this at Manzanita in Healdsburg and they initially served it to us at about 68 degrees. It was drinkable, but much better once it g" $20.00

Then stopped into the Belvedere tasting room out of curiosity before going down to the Selby Winery

Belvedere

• Floodgate 1999 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Cardboard nose? TCA? Ripe strawberries on the palate. Not bad. Acidic finish. Value?
  
  
• Belvedere 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley - Cedar, black currant, American oak, smooth, supple, somewhat tart. Not bad for an inexpensive Cab. $18
  
  
• Bradford Mountain 1998 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley Block One - 16.5 alc. Black raspberry with a touch of liqueur. Sweet, long, full bodied. Big wine.
  
  
• Bradford Mountain 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley Headwater Vineyard Currant liqueur nose. Short finish. Pass.
  
  

Selby Winery

• Selby 1999 Chardonnay Sonoma County - French oak nose. Sweet ripe fruit, low acidity. Nice. We all were kinda digging this one. May have a hair of residual sugar. $24
  
  
• Selby 1998 Chardonnay Dave Selby Reserve Smokier than the regular 99 with more oak making it austere. I prefer the Sonoma County Chard.
  
  
• Selby 2000 Rose of Syrah Dry. Overnight skin contact. Not my fave.
  
  
• Selby 1999 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - Okay nose, palate it mostly ripe but the wine isn't very pleasurable or inspiring. Supposedly done is a Burgundian style. I wonder if the style didn't get decided upon until after the wine was made.
  
  
• Selby 1999 Pinot Noir Reserve Russian River Valley Supposedly California in Style. Subdued cinnamon and tomatoe nose. Tight palate doesn't give up much fruit. $34
  
  
• Selby 1999 Merlot Dry Creek Valley - Includes 3% Cabernet. Nice framboise nose. Full bodied and ripe with velvety tannins maybe some lingering CO2 on the tongue? Not a bad Cab, but a bit one dimensional in this setting. $24
  
  
• Selby 1999 Syrah Sonoma County Includes 3% Viognier and even that tiny addition really adds to the nose. Just hints of apricot. Nice smooth palate. Very pleasant. $24
  
  
• Selby 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap 92% Cabernet. Cedar and pencil nose. Interesting. Ripe short finish. Decent but Pricey. $40
  
  
• Selby 1999 Zinfandel Old Vine Some residual sugar and some volatile acidity. Sweet fruit. Kinda interesting. Refreshing to see the winery admit to some flaws in the winemaking. $20.00
  
  

Everett Ridge

• Everett Ridge 2000 Sauvignon Blanc Powerhouse Vineyard Mendocino - Ripe, clean, a bit creamy. $14
  
  
• Everett Ridge 1999 Chardonnay Russian River Valley - Decent, not striking. $18
  
  
• Everett Ridge 1999 Zinfandel Old Vines Dry Creek Valley Raisined red fruit. Okay. $22
  
  
• Everett Ridge 1999 Syrah Nuns Canyon Sonoma Valley - Fine, not memorable" $26
  
  
• Everett Ridge 1999 Zinfandel Pena Creek Vineyard Dry Creek Valley - Framboise nose. Ripe, full bodied, could use more length. $24
  
  
• Everett Ridge 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley - Spicy nose, ripe, but short….yep, palate fatigue is definitely intruding at this point. $24.00
  
  

Gregory Graham 2000 Viognier Napa Valley - Spicy minerals, honey, apricots. Tight. Acid and alcohol? Just okay. Doesn't hit the high notes that the 98 Knight's Valley did for me. $28.00

Then we had dinner at what we think of as Bistro 101 in Sebastopol. It has changed hands since our last stop there. It hasn’t changed too much but I wasn’t quite as fond as on my first two visits. Had some interesting wines…

Mayo Family 1999 Chardonnay Apple juice. Sweet. Just okay. $24

Robert Biale 1999 Zinfandel Napa Valley Ripe. Big but balanced. Black cherry fruit. Impressive wine. I look forward to trying some other Biale Zins. $30

Brogan Cellars 1998 Pinot Noir Sonoma Ripe fruit. Soapy. Apricot (almost Viognier like quality) Jasmine? Full bodied. Dense fruit for a Pinot. Nice. Interesting. Partial bottle shared by the proprietor.

Brogan Cellars 1998 Zinfandel Sonoma County 18.3% Alc. HUGE monster of a wine. The nost smells more like Port. Dry on the palate. Ponderous and heavy. Best reserved for dessert. Overwhelming. From a 375ml.

Day Cinque

We set out to see some Sonoma Valley wineries Sunday morning. It was way too crowded but we stopped a few places.

Landmark Vineyards

• Adobe Canyon 1999 Sauvignon Blanc California - Second label of Landmark. Stainless steel. Grapefruit, grass. Pleasant nose. Palate is too light and lacks concentration. Pass.
  
  
• Landmark 1999 Chardonnay - "Courtyard" - Blend of grapes from Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Cream. Figs, spiced pears. Lots of French oak. Smoky. Minerals. Crisp palate with tart green apples. Fine, but too oaky. $24
  
  
• Landmark 1999 Chardonnay - "Overlook" - Similar blend of counties to the Courtyard. Woody French oak nose. Spice, cream excessively bright acidic finish. $24
  
  
• Landmark 1999 Chardonnay - "Damaris" Reserve Sonoma Valley Now we're getting somewhere. Apple juice nose with a touch of herbs. Not much oak on the nose but has a touch of minerals. Ripe concentrated palate. Sweet and long. Consensus favorite. $24
  
  
• Landmark 1999 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard Russian River Valley - More oak in the nose. Pear, apple, tropical fruit. Fruit driven. Not bad. $30
  
  
• Landmark 1998 Pinot Noir - ""Grand Detour""" Mostly from Van der Kamp Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain. Earthy funky nose. Stewed tomatoes. Spicy acidic palate. Green herbs. Doesn't strike my palate well. Needs time and air exposure. The tasting room staff says it opens up.
  
  
• Adobe Canyon 1998 Zinfandel Lodi - Clove, spice nose. Passable. 'Nuther cheap Zin. $15
  
  

Chateau St. Jean

• Chateau St. Jean 1999 Fume Blanc Le Petite Etoile - Pink grapefruit nose with a touch of green grass, cat spray. Ripe sweet palate decent concentration and length. Seems a different, less oak influenced style compared to previous vintages. Only oak I taste is in the finish. $18
  
  
• Chateau St. Jean 1999 Pinot Noir Durell Vineyard Ripe strawberry nose. Pleasantly ripe and pure smelling. Simple palate with zesty strawberries and other red fruit. Decent. Acids in the finish. Saw 40% new French oak. $30
  
  
• Chateau St. Jean 1996 Merlot Reserve Sonoma County - Blend of 4 vineyards. Ripe, plummy sweet nose. Candy-like. Does this have some American oak? Probably not, but it seems a bit confectionary. Smooth. Nice length and concentration. Cottony tannins. Not very exciting, but tasty. Stupid expensive too. $90
  
  
• Chateau St. Jean 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Cinq Cepages - Ripe polished nose Tannic. Can't really taste the other varietals, which I find bothersome. Maybe some chocolate in the finish along with some herbs. Perhaps the Petite Verdot and Malbec making themselves known. Rather balanced for all the tannins. $70
  
  
• Chateau St. Jean 1999 Pinot Blanc Robert Young Vineyard - Crisp, lemony nose. Ripe sweet palate. Tasty. Less creamy than I recall previous vintages. Less expensive too. $18
  
  

Kunde

• Kunde 1999 Merlot Sonoma Valley Ripe reduced fruit with some green herb and pencil lead in the nose. Strawberry and raspberry fruit on the palate with more stemmy pencil lead. Soft. I suppose it's decent juice for the money No obvious oak. Cab Franc blended in? $18
  
  
• Kunde 1999 Zinfandel Sonoma Valley - Pleasant little wine. Raspberry, cherry. Medium bodied and short. $18
  
  
• Kunde 1998 Claret Sonoma Valley - Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot. Ripe fruit nose with minor wet earth nuances. Supple ripe with little tannins in the finish. Could use some intensity and density. $20
  
  
• Kunde 1998 Cabernet Franc Sonoma Valley - Ripe nose of cedar, cherry, boysenberry fruit. Thin on the palate. $20
  
  
• Kunde 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley Plummy cherry fruit with a touch of toasty oak. Ripe and sweet but thin with a light-medium body. $20
  
  

St. Francis

• St. Francis 1999 Zinfandel Old Vines Sonoma - Spicy cloves in the nose. Medium bodied. Ripe, but short. Very little going on beyond the nose and front palate. $24
  
  
• St. Francis 1997 Cabernet Franc Reserve McCoy's Vineyard - 100% Cabernet Franc. Dark fruit. Rich, velvety tannins. Good length. Not bad, but the price makes me shy away. This is far and away the best of the wine we tasted at St. Francis. $45
  
  
• St. Francis 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Sonoma Astringently tannic. Pass $45
  
  
• St. Francis 1998 Zinfandel Soracco Vineyard Russian River Valley - Something interesting in the nose…citrus, floral, coconut, vanilla, or something. Black pepper. Otherwise, not much to comment on. $35
  
  
• St. Francis 1999 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch Reserve - Sweet and supple. Fairly rich with red fruit, some dark fruit and cocoa. Supposedly a true field blend. $35
  
  

Blockheadia Ringnossi 2000 Sauvignon Blanc Lorenzo Lake Varietally correct nose. Grassy. Citrus on the palate. Decent. $18

Folie a Deux 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley - Ripe and concentrated with dense black currant fruit. Cedar and cigar box nose. Velvety tannins. Impressive richness and density. Solid, tasty and delicious. $41

We had most of the airlines staff laughing at us as we pushed 14 cases of wine through a long line of travelers at 6 in the morning, but all the wine made it safe and sound. Another wonderful trip was had by all.

Cheers!
James

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