Ed Kurtzman Comes To Dinner (2015)

Luciana's In Dana Point (South OC)
Tasted Saturday, May 2, 2015 by Frank Murray III with 454 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 August West Chardonnay Rosella's Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    When I opened this earlier in the day, it felt like it had some toasted oak on it. Yet, Ed told us at the dinner that it saw zero new oak. There was a toasted quality, with moderate glycerine and a zing of lemon and tangy energy. Several hours later at dinner, it does show a nutty quality, with a lime finish and caramel. It's hanging in there, not oxidized but I'd say get it now while it's ready and enjoy it.

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  • 2013 August West Chardonnay Rosella's Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Like the 2007 which we paired in the same flight, it has an apple quality to the fruit but this time, rather than yellow in tone, this is all pippin. The 13 here is more trim than the 07 with same lemony acidity, too. The finish shows the same lime quality and a touch of green banana. I enjoyed this. Oh, and like the 2007, no new oak (thank you, Ed, for leaving the new wood off the wine!)

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Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 2005 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Floral, black fruited, and some hints of secondary qualities which show up for me as a roasted black cherry. As we moved through the wine over dinner, it has a fig paste quality, root beer, and dark cherry. Hanging right in there and drinking fine. FWIW, this vintage was second crop for the vineyard.

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  • 2012 August West Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Drank this next to the 05. The 12 is leaner in body, shows of course more structure. The 12 too has better core acidity, depth and to me, doesn't exhibit the fruit ripeness of the 05. Has similar cola/root beer, dark raspberry and differing from the 05, there is red apple here which is cool. I also found red cherry in the 12, which I didn't in the 05, so overall, I'd say the vineyard is showing a different profile of fruit as it picks up vine age.

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Flight 4 (3 Notes)

  • 2010 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    We tasted the 10-12 wines in the same flight, so we could get some contrast. Of the three, I put the 10 in third place. It does have red apple skin, dark raspberry, zingy acidity and light root beer. The reason I put the wine in third place is that it has a candied quality in the finish. The 12 was better and the 11, that wine is a gem, FWIW.

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  • 2011 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Tasted next to the 10 and 12, FWIW. Once again, when I sit down in any setting, and often times the varietal doesn't matter in this instance, I always land on the 11 as being a superior vintage. I know people put it down, but I continue to find great wines coming out of this year. Here with Ed's 11, it has a juicy feel, funk and red raspberry (not dark raspberry like the 10). Solid acidity too. With air, this picks up a floral quality and everything knitted up well as we rolled into the dinner. Terrific.

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  • 2012 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Tasted next to the 10 and 11, FWIW. This is more like the 10 to me, than the 11. Whereas the 11 is juicier, this is more fruit centric and I got what I thought was a little heat in the aromatic. From my experience, this is what you won't find on the 11 vintage, and I continue to take a minority opinion, putting the 11 vintage ahead of 12. There is good acidity in this 12, floral and like the 12, more red fruit centric. Just a bit bigger than the 11, which I found to me the winner of the flight, with this 12 coming in second.

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Flight 5 (3 Notes)

  • 2005 August West Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    This has always been a wine close to my heart, as it sets in the history of my CA pinot experience and also what really created the relationship today I have with Ed K. It was part of the early Falltacular events and one that I will always be fond of. At 10 plus years, this wine is doing great. Lot of blue fruit, light grapefruit (which is the Rosella's terroir), and like the 05 AW Graham, this does show some ripe tones, but the fruit stays red and blue so for me, it bests out that Graham. Over dinner, I picked up a pure, strawberry jam note and unlike the Graham, I didn't see any secondary notes in this Rosella's. Drinking great right now.

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  • 2011 August West Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Ah ha, another 11 vintage wine. This was my WOTN of the 13 we had over the meal. It has the balance, expansive palate, freshness and acidity that makes the 11 vintage so dynamite for me. What Ed got from this vintage was the classis Rosella's citrus, strawberry (like the 05 we had next to it) and a delicious zingy tone. The finish is spicy and long. Dig it.

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  • 2012 August West Pinot Noir Peterson Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    About one year exactly since my first bottle. I really enjoyed that bottle and it was on those unexpected surprises from 2014. This reminds me a lot of the 11 AW Rosella's that was in the same flight. It has the same dollop of citrus, but it adds a touch of pinot funk and a kiss of vanilla. Proximally, these vineyards are very close together but there is some difference between the 2 wines, in that the riper tones of the 12 vintage show here, once again affirming why I seem to gravitate to the 11s. This 12 is generous, showing blue and red toned fruit just a bit riper than the Rosella's. All in, I liked this, just not as much as I did a year ago.

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Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2005 Sandler Wine Company Syrah Connell Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

    I still have a bottle of this in my cellar so I was pleased to have Ed feature one from his library for the dinner. When I opened this wine earlier in the day, and I removed some of the light build around the very top of the bottle, it was like spooning out olive tapenade. One of those unique wine experiences that I will remember forever. Just crazy good. I know Ed made this with entirely whole cluster and that aspect is on display. Olive, cooked meat, dark fruit, pepper and bbq/sauce. Savory and not dried out or green. This remains very unique and terrific 10 years out and no sign of fade.

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  • 2011 August West Syrah Rosella's Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    I've been drinking syrah off this plot over 10 years now and there is a distinct terroir signature that goes with this vineyard. To describe that terroir, I describe the wine, which for me shows Ed honored what naturally comes off this ground. Blue fruited, jerky and citrus--this is always the honor of Rosella's. The fruit is dark here and even for an 11, the ripeness seems a bit ratcheted up here, just a bit bigger than I expected and the air I gave it from opening the wine earlier in the day seemed to help it unfold. Just think dark fruit and color, black olive, inky and steak sauce with good tannin levels. Should age well.

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