Copain In The Backyard On A Summer Evening

My House In The South OC
Tasted Sunday, September 20, 2015 by Frank Murray III with 347 views

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

  • 2006 Copain Roussanne James Berry Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Tasted over 2 days. The first day, this to me showed the freshness I remember from the previous bottle, with lime and anise and lightly oily texture. It then closes with some mint. The next day, similar with the fruit giving a pineapple note. At 10 years, I continue to enjoy this wine and I don't see any fade in it. I have a few bottles incoming from WineBid and I will drink them over the next 2-4 years.

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  • 2011 Copain Chardonnay Laureles Grade

    USA, California, Central Coast, Carmel Valley

    Drank with the 2013, side by side. The 2011 shows a creamier side to me, with lots of green apple and lemon peel, but has the acidity toned down as compared to the 2013. The finish shows a limey quality and with the creamy sense it has (not buttery, god no) and the vivid green apple, this was drinking just fine right now.

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  • 2013 Copain Chardonnay Laureles Grade

    USA, California, Central Coast, Carmel Valley

    Second bottle this year, tasted last night alongside the 2011. The differences between the two wines are pretty distinct, most notably in the high acidity of the 2013. The 2013 here has the green apple of the 2011, along with golden delicious/yellow, lemon peel, slate, saline and a racy quality. Finishes with slate and a mineral water note. The acidity on this is very direct and present, which I enjoy a lot, as I don't tire drinking this wine. There is zero wood present here too, FWIW. This is going to be a great food wine, and one that will turn some people off who want a chardonnay that is of the more modern style--this is not that wine. Lovely.

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Flight 2 (7 Notes)

  • 2006 Copain Pinot Noir "En Haut" Kiser

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    My last bottle from the several I bought in 2008 from the winery. The cork on this was all dried out and crappy so I had to strain the wine a few times once I got the cork finally out of the bottle. In sum, this seemed a bit tired to me last night, the wine showing a roasted quality, riper than I was expecting. For confirmation, I have another one coming from WineBid this Fall, which I will open and check out. I have worked through all the 2006s over the past few months--Wentzel and Monument Tree, specifically--and this Kiser EH showed the least satisfying of the three.

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  • 2007 Copain Pinot Noir "En Haut" Kiser

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Opened yesterday, drank over the course of dinner with a handful of other Kiser bottlings, including the 07 En Bas. Initially, this was tight and I had it too cool so as it set and warmed, it fleshed out. This was when the blue tones really emerged, a bit jammy actually with good intensity in the finish. Retasted again the following day. Still showing some intensity in the finish and I sense a bit of aging starting in the wine too, with a bit of the tone that the 06 Kiser En Haut was showing (we tasted both at this same setting). And, the ripeness of the vintage is just seasoning the wine too, as a little raisin pops into the fruit. If my sense is correct, I bet this wine starts to get on with the aging curve now so my recommendation would be to start drinking this now (unless you like aged tones in your pinots, which I don't).

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  • 2007 Copain Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Tasted next to the 2007 En Haut, which at this stage cannot compete with the En Bas. Why? Pretty clearly to me, the En Haut is aging faster while this Bas is still fresh--the fruit, the color is brighter and it continues to drink in total just more youthful. Last night when we first opened it, I found the Bas terroir of razzy fruit (raspberry and blueberry, with a zesty quality). Retasting today, still fantastic. Zesty, fresh and no fade or aged qualities that I find in the Haut. Plenty of rocky tones in the finish too, seeming far more youthful than the a wine that is pushing through its 8th year. Another vote for Bas IMO being the better plot than Haut, at least in 2007. As to the drink window on this, no rush here as there is plenty of oomph to keep carrying this wine. I have 3 bottles left, which I will stagger over the next 3-5 years. Great Bas!

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  • 2009 Copain Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Well, here is one reason why I simply don't believe in the critical model where a person sits down and drinks through dozens of wines on a given day, then is expected and purports to offer a quality perspective on all of that experience, those wines inside of it. Case in point. We drank this last night and it didn't show well, to a few at the table and me, honestly. Last night it just seemed to show a cola and dark fruit quality, with kiwi and bigger fruited tones. This morning, I sat down to retaste the leftovers from several bottles, mainly a range of different En Bas vintages. Now, this wine really shines well for me. Yes, it does show some of the darker tones that are part of the 09 vintage, but as with Bas, there is an energy inside of it that keeps the wine fresh. The raspberry tones are more pointed this morning, hell, even a little rough and along with a tannin red apple skin note. Finishes with moderate/noticeable rocky tannin, strawberry, apple skin. This bottle lines up well with my recent note, then one that induced me to grab 2 more of them from WineBid,. Age window? Well, this is pretty solid for now, still a little rough so air this well, and no rush to open these if you have them. I was wrong about this wine last night, glad I retasted it again today.

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  • 2010 Copain Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    So last night when we opened this as part of a selective look into a bunch of Copain wines (mainly Kiser En Bas), this was the WOTN for a few of us, me included. And as this was the last wine of the night that I TN'd, I will just put those notes aside and express what is here this morning, so 12 hours later. This is a gentler version of En Bas, like all the dials are turned down but where they are tuned, they all are in terrific balance. The fruit is polished/suave, with a mix of blue and raspberry tones, with the customary Bas 'razzy' acidity. The texture and overall palate impression is terrific, with herb and green apple. The finish then closes with a pretty good sized dollop of slate, just delicious in a drying, cleansing way. I don't remember the 10 Bas ever showing this way but it is a unique, beautiful expression of the Bas plot. I will enjoy the journey over the next several years to see how this ages, as it has the balance and guts already to really evolve, I'd say much like the 07 Bas is already showing.

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  • 2012 Copain Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Opened last night, drank alongside several vintages of Kiser En Bas, as well as the 2013 Wendling. I have had this 2012 on a few past occasions and it has wowed me each time so admittedly, I had some elevated expectations for this bottle. Last night, the aromatic was smoky, with lovely tangy raspberry, herb and a rocky tone. At the end of the evening, this bottle went back into the fridge and I am now retasting the remaining 1/3rd of the bottle to get another impression. The aromatic is less smoky, replaced with a sauvage quality, which also gets into the fruit. What I mean is something meaty/gamey, maybe savory is a better descriptor. The fruit is a mix of red apple, strawberry, blueberry, a real cool mix of things. There is a rose petal quality that I noticed too last night, which is the same kind of quality I get from the recent releases of the Rhys Bearwallow that is situated just across the road from Wendling. This wine is showing excellent again, with yet a good amount of youth and the need to settle down and polish up some of the definition that I suspect is resting beneath the youth here. I have 3 more bottles in the cellar and I will start to drink these through over the next 4-6 years. Excellent.

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  • 2013 Copain Pinot Noir Wendling Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    I drank one of these 3 months ago and found it to be a bit rough, barrel sample-like in tone. Last night, we drank another, probably to its detriment alongside the 2012. That single year of time, putting the vintage differences aside, showed how different that year has made to how they compare. My notes last night for the 2013 say "lacks definition", dark, opulent. It does have some of the apple and raspberry notes of the 2012 but it has yes to possess the expression of the potential that the 2012 is already showing. Given how much excitement I feel for the 2012, I am going to take a faith leap for the 2013 and buy several for the cellar and know that these will come around. The 2013 simply needs more time to let the parts meld and so I would say if you have them coming in the Fall 2015 shipment, open one and see what you think. I'd love to be challenged on my perception here, to see some other takes on the wine.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 2012 Copain Syrah Brosseau Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

    First time trying this wine. I have always been a Brosseau syrah dork so I often enjoy this wine as much as any CA syrah out there. When I opened this last night, I could see the inky quality that it exhibited, and the 2012 vintage is surely inside of this wine helping to author the dark color. Floral as good Brosseau should be, with inky blueberry and a rocky finish, which is classic young Brosseau. Later with air, this gets the olive and game, along with good depth and a long minerally finish. With more air, this gets darker, more crushed rock. Nothing to retaste today but the impression left with me is that this will track a lot like the 2010, with the dark, richer side of the vineyard and will need some time to soften, as much as the 2010 has started to do over the past few years. This will come in the 2015 Fall shipment, so will retaste it again later this year over the holidays once the bottles arrive.

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