California Dreamin' - Double Blind - Zin/PS/Cab - 70's - 2009

My turn to host our group's Double Blind night, and I went with a California theme of Zins, PS, and Cabs from the 70's - 2009. No detailed notes as we were too busy with the friendly/smart-ass banter and enjoying the wines.

To get things rolling, I popped a 13 Under The Wire Sparkling Chardonnay, 2011 Carlisle Compagni Portis white, and a 2015 Dirty and Rowdy 'Familiar' Mouvedre. The UTW was good but still really tight and not giving up a ton. I've been drinking these sparklers since the first vintage in 2011, and I'm convinced they need a TON of time to come around. The 11 Carlisle CP was the star of the flight for the nose alone. Absolutely insane floral perfume. Just so good. And as expected, everyone loved their first D&R experience. I mean....how could you not.

• 2013 Under The Wire Sparkling Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino

  Brief notes - warm-up bottle prior to blind tasting. Still pretty tightly wound but started to open up more once in the glass. Very fine/intense bubbles, and fairly muted citrus notes on the nose. High acidity and apples/citrus on the palate. I'd hold off on opening for a few more years.

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• 2011 Carlisle Compagni Portis 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief notes - warm-up wine prior to blind tasting. Absolutely insane floral aromatics on the nose makes this one of the more memorable wines in a very strong tasting. More florals, spice, and lychee on the palate wrapped in a medium bodied frame with plenty of acidity. Pprime time drinking right now. Love Compagni-Portis with a little age on it!!

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• 2015 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre FAMILIAR 90 Points

  USA, California

  Brief notes - warm-up bottle before blind tasting. Great as always. Delicious/easy drinking/medium-bodied/red-fruited goodness.....but complex enough to keep it interesting. The group had never had a D&R wine before and were all really impressed. Pure happiness in a bottle.

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Most of the group doesn't drink a ton of zin, so I wanted to show them some examples of what the masters are doing with the grape. Naturally I had to roll with Bedrock, Carlisle, and some older Ravenswood. And since it doesn't get much more iconic that Monte Rosso, I stuck with that vineyard across the board. All the wines showed incredibly well, and were thoroughly enjoyed by all. Guesses were all over the board as to the varietal, but one member who has a very sharp palate literally said 'well I can tell you that this is NOT zinfandel'. Absolutely perfect. Carlisle was the unanimous WOTF, but the Bedrock had the best nose and everyone though the 94 Ravenswood was MUCH younger than it actually was. My palate isn't sharp enough to pick up similarities between the wines/Monte Rosso fruit, but one member said they tasted like they were from the same vineyard or winemaker.....which is damn impressive in a double blind scenario.

• 1994 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief notes - part of larger blind tasting. The ringer in a blind flight with 2012 Bedrock and Carlisle Monte Rosso. This wine was drinking really well with juicy raspberry, and slight earth notes adding interest on the finish. Medium minus bodied, mouth-watering acidity, and a nice hint of secondary characteristics....but not the point where it seemed out of place next to the younger MR zins. Kind of a mix between a lighter zin and an older cab. Great wine that belies it age. One member called it double blind that the wines tasted like they were from the same vineyard or maybe same winemaker. Pretty damn impressive. Really fun to taste all these MR wines side-by-side.

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• 2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief tasting notes - part of larger blind tasting. Blind in a flight with a 12 Carlisle Monte Rosso zin and a 1994 Ravenswood Monte Rosso zin. This had the best nose of the 3 by far. Absolutely intoxicating perfume of violets, blue fruits, and spice. Beautiful dusty blue fruits and baking spice on the palate. A small step behind the 2012 Carlisle MR, but just barely. One taster called it double blind that all 3 wines tasted like they were from the same vineyard or maybe made by the same winemaker. Pretty damn impressive!

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• 2012 Carlisle Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a flight with a 12 Bedrock Monte Rosso and a 1994 Ravenswood Monte Rosse, this was the WOTF, and came in second for WOTN next to an 09 Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon. Nice nose of cinnamon and purple fruits on the nose, with a wonderful mouthfeel and brambly blue and black fruits on the palate and a hint of mint on the finish. A killer wine that is drinking at it's peak, but with no fear of fading anytime soon. One taster called it double blind that the wines tasted like they were from the same vineyard or the same winemaker. Damn impressive sir!

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Wanted to bust out a couple big dogs to see how they're coming around at age 9. I slow-ox'd them for 7 hours prior to the tasting, but they still needed some vigerous swirling in our glasses to really get going. Once they did, oh man were they good! All incredible wines in their own right, but the 09 Schrader was easily the WOTF, and the undisputed WOTN for literally everyone in attendance.....which is saying something given the company in this flight. In regards to guesses on the varietal, everyone landed on these being zins, and were shocked when the wines were revealed.

• 2009 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 95 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District

  Brief notes - part of a larger blind tasting. Part of a double blind flight with an 09 Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon and an 09 Tor Kenward 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon, this wine came in 2nd to the Schrader. slow-oxed for 12 hours and it still didn't start to really open up until we had it in our glasses for a bit. Somewhat shy on the nose but delicious and powerful on the palate with black and purple fruits, cassis, and plenty of tannins on the finish. This has miles to go but is still delicious now with air. If not for the Schrader, this would easily by WOTN in most line-ups. Looking forward to following my remaining bottles over the next 10 to 20 years.

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• 2009 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 97 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Brief notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a flight with an 09 Shafer Hillside Select and an 09 Tor Kenward 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon, this was the clear WOTF, and by far and away the WOTN. An absolutely incredible wine from start to finish. Slow-ox'd for 12 hours but it really started to open up after pouring and some vigorous swirling . This wine literally explodes from the glass with a haunting perfume of violets, blueberries, and black fruits. Easily the best nose on a cab that I've had the experience of smelling. And things just got better from there, as the wine is a sensory overload in the mouth with wave after wave of silky black, blue, and red fruits, cassis, and a hint of mint. Still plenty of tannin on the long, long finish, but they're very fine, and do not distract from the beauty and enjoyment of the wine. This should hold for many years, but damn was it good tonight. Easily cracks the list of my top 5 wines ever. Wish I had a lot more.

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• 2009 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Brief notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a flight with an 09 Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon and an 09 Shafer Hillside Select, the Tor was just outclassed. Don't get me wrong, this is still a very fine wine and any other night it probably would have shined more brightly.....it's just hard to compete with the company it was with. Not much of a nose, but the palate was better with nicely integrated black fruits and some oak. Will probably hold for sometime but I didn't get the impression that this would be one to hold long-term.

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So I love my some Petite Sirah, especially when it has some age on it, so I thought it would be fun to include a 4-bottle double blind flight from the 70's to 2008. Since some of these wines are older than I am, I had to snag them at auction, which is always a total gamble. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But when you are lucky enough to snag an older bottle of PS that's on, it's totally worth those unfortunate misses. Although this was probably the least favorite flight from a sheer 'pleasure' standpoint, most of the wines showed pretty well (only 1 of them was close to flawed) and everyone found it educational. I had higher hopes for the 72 Stags' Leap, but it was nice enough, while the 01 Teldeschi and 08 Turley Hayne took WOTF honors. Guesses on the wines were mixed but everyone finally agreed on Chateauneuf du pape, and were pretty surprised when it turned out to be Petite Sirah.

• 2001 Teldeschi Petite Sirah 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Petite Sirah flight with 72 Stags' Leap, 73 Freemark Abbey, and 08 Turley Hayne, this tied for WOTF with the Turley. Perfectly integrated with a new mix of fruit and secondary characteristics. Tannins in check, and a solid finish. Drink now if you have any - in a perfect spot.

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• 1972 Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Petite Sirah flight with an 01 Teldeschi, 73 Freemark Abbey, and 08 Turley Hayne, this was middle of the pack. Still fairly dark in color with some bricking, and as expected, mostly secondary characteristics on the nose and palate. Leaves, earth, dirt, and some slight red fruits. Nice enough wine, and always fun to pop a bottle of this age acquired at auction and have it show well.

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• 1973 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek Vineyards 80 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Petite Sirah flight with an 01 Teldeschi, 72 Stags' Leap, and 08 Turley Hayne, this came in last place. Not completely flawed....but pretty close. The nose was almost port-like with very earthy notes, but very, very sweet, which made for an odd combination. Tasted similar on the palate with an overt sweetness mixed with decayed leaves. Always a crapshoot when you're popping old petite sirah that you bought at auction, and unfortunately the gamble didn't pay off this time.

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• 2008 Turley Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Petite Sirah flight with an 01 Teldeschi, 73 Freemark Abbey, and 72 Stags' Leap, this wine was tied for WOTF. Slow-oxd this for 7 hours and it was ready to rock for the tasting. Best/most exotic nose of all the PS, and the most fruit forward, which is to be expected given the age. Took a taste when I first popped the cork and it was fierce, and full of tannins, but very well integrated after giving it some air, with cinnamon, blueberries, blackberries, and a slight bit of tar. This should hold for a long time, but no harm opening one now if you decant.

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Love me some older Ridge late harvest/late picked zins, and thought this would be a fun way to cap off the tasting. All 3 of these wines showed really well, and while the group liked the 02 Pagani the best, my fave was definitely the 77 Geyserville. Still really fresh with nice fruit, acidity, and only slight secondary characteristics. Group was again all over the map with the varietal but guessed these wines to be from 2010 to 2011. Pretty impressive considering the youngest wine in the flight was 16 years old, and the oldest 41!!

• 2002 Ridge Zinfandel Late Picked Pagani Ranch 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Ridge late harvest/picked flight with a 95 Pagani, and 77 Geyserville, this was the groups WOTF, although I preferred the 77. Showing the most youthful of the 3, with deep blackberry notes, a nice mellow sweetness, and a long finish. Alcohol and oak well integrated and drinking nicely.

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• 1995 Ridge Zinfandel Late Picked Pagani Ranch 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Ridge late harvest/picked flight with an 02 Pagani, and 77 Geyserville, this was tied for 2nd place along with the 77, although I thought the 77 was the WOTF. Surprisingly the lightest bodied out of the 3, with ample acidity, a nice nose of spice and earth, and sweet, brambly blue fruit and leaves on the palate. Shortest finish in the flight probably put it a step behind the 02 in my book, but I still really enjoyed this wine. 82% zin, 13% Mataro, 3% Alicante, 2% PS.

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• 1977 Ridge Late Harvest Geyserville 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Brief Notes - part of a larger blind tasting. In a Ridge late harvest/picked flight with a 95 Pagani, and 02 Pagani, this was tied for the groups 2nd favorite along with the 95, but it was definitely my WOTF. The most perfumed wine out of the bunch with an awesome nose of sweet blueberries, and tobacco and none of that older/mustiness that sometimes plagues these older late harvest zins. Very youthful on the palate with blackberries, baking spices, and a slight bit of earthiness. Plenty of acidity to keep this feeling fresh, and a long finish caps everything off. Still drinking well on day 2 even. Love me some Ridge late harvest zin from the 70's!

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Man, this was a helluva night. Really happy that they turned out to be Fun/Tasty/Interesting flights across the board, but the standouts were the 09 Schrader Beckstoffer To kalon (everyone's WOTN) and probably the 2012 Carlisle Monte Rosso Zin (drinking beautifully right now). Also of note were how well all of the late harvest/late picked zins showed, and that the PS flight was everyone's least favorite across the board (Old PS can be pretty hit/miss). Good times, great wines, and awesome company - life is good!!