Blind Hodge Podge

Martin Codax, Albarino, Rias Biaxas, Spain, 2006
Domaine Mourges du Gres, Les Galet Rouge, 2003
Domaine Mourges du Gres, Les Galet Rouge, 2006
Demetria, Syrah, Santa Ynez, 2005
Chateau St. Jean, Cinq Cepages, Sonoma, 1994 (This was stunning how young it tasted. I guessed it to be a current release Cab from Sonoma. I didn't get any age on it at all. The quality was good, but not great. It will continue to develop over the next 10 years.)

We had a bunch of other wine that was not memorable.

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Early in the day-

Cotes du Coast, Vio-Rous-Mars, CA, 2006
San Liege, Grenache, CA, 2006
Sans Liege, The Offering, CA, 2006
Sparrow Hawk, Cab Sauv, Oak Knoll, 2005
Hansen, Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, 2006 (Barrel Sample)

Late Night

Pio Cesare Barolo Vertical

Just a 3 year vertical of Pio Cesare Barolo with pork loin in fig marmalade.

'96 - WOTN. Perfectly subdued, lovely floral aromas, soft edges, but still plenty of firm tannin.

'97 - Off. The bottle was just not quite right. It wasn't tainted, just dumb. It never improved.

'98 - This wine showed the potential to be as good as the '96 but still very muscular and tough. I liked it a lot but it was just slightly clumsy in its "bigness".

I think that all 3 wines will benefit from an additional 10 years, so no rush.

Friday, February 20th, 2009

-Realm, Absurd, Napa, 2005
As expected from Realm, this was a great wine. It wasn't as exciting as some of the other bottlings I've had, but still showcased the house-style. It was great.

-D.R. Stephens, Cab Sauv, Moose Vineyard, 2005
WOW! It was a stunner. Deep, rich, unctuous, beautifully complex, dark, long, just a stunning Cabernet. WS 96 and RP 90. I'll leaning much more towards the high 90s with this one. It's awesome.

-Myriad, Syrah, Las Madres, Carneros, 2006
Black fruit, creamy palate, a lot of appeal but not a ton of complexity. Awesome for the price.

-Quivet, Syrah, Las Madres, Carneros, 2006
Just a step down from the Myriad but still a great wine.

-Hudson, Syrah, Carneros, 2006
This wine is underappreciated. It's a Northern Rhone style with a lot of muscle. The opposite of Alban or SQN's reductive style. It's firm and tannic, but not at all harsh.

Thursday, February 19th

-Valdicava, Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, 2003
This was a WS 98 pointer. While I loved it, I think that 98 points is a bit of a stretch. It seems to be in a bit of a closed phase. Hopefully it will begin to unfold in a few years.

-Fisher, Cab Sauv, Herb Lamb Vineyard, Napa, 1999
This was showing lovely at the moment. It was just appropriately aged with soft tannin and beautifully complex.

-Hill Family, Chardonnay, Napa, 2006
-Beckman, Le Bec Cuvee, Santa Ynez, 2006
-Gain Bay, Cabernet Family, Napa, 2006
-David Bruce, Petite Sirah, Central Coast, 2006

Catching Up

Holy Cow, this thing gets hard to keep up with.

I've had plenty of great wines in the past couple of weeks. I haven't been writing them down, but I'll rattle off a few here and then keep up with this daily from now on.

-Charles Heidsieck, Champagne, NV
-David Arthur, Eleveation 1147, Napa, 2004
-Saxum, Broken Stones, Paso, 2004 (magnum)

And a bunch of others.

Friday, Feb 13th, 2009

Pinot Noirs

Boeckel, Pinot Noir, Alsace, 2007
Sylvain Bailly, Sancerre Rouge, France, 2006
42 Degrees, Pinot Noir, Tasmania, 2006
Waipara, Pinot Noir, NZ, 2006
Walter Hansel, Pinot Noir, The North Slope, 2006
TR Elliot, Pinot Noir, Russian River, 2006
Auteur, Pinot Noir, "Ophelia", 2007

Saxum, James Berry Vineyard, 2005 (Magnum) - Excellent.

Thursday, Feb 12th, 2009

I forget