Tantara Wines: Tastings from June and July 2009

Drank over a 4 week period, sampling the latest releases and a few recent wines.
Split by category, with Chardonnay in flight 1, Pinot in Flight 2, and Syrah in flight 3.

Three very different wines, with the Talley-Rincon highlighting tropical fruit, the Bien Nacido very crisp and clean, and the Dierberg filled with a lemon curd/custard. For now my preference would be for the Bien Nacido, but the Dierberg should be an interesting wine as it settles into itself and mellows.

• 2007 Dominion Tantara Chardonnay Talley Rincon Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley

  (6/12/2009)

  Starts with a floral nose that is really inviting, and contains just a hint of toast. Opens with a slightly syrupy sweetness before revealing a well rounded mouth feel with pronounced lime and pineapple flavors, again, still carrying through some of the sweetness, but the wine definitely has enough acidity to finish cleanly.

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• 2007 Dominion Tantara Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  (6/17/2009)

  Thoroughly enjoyable. Starts with a great floral bouquet, which leads into a wine dominated by green apple, watermelon and maybe a touch of lemon. Crisp. Finishes clean with bright acidity. Well not the fullest bodied wine, and not the wine to recommend for someone looking for overt oak, this is a really refreshing wine with good acidity, and a nice harmonious core tending toward tart apple.

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• 2007 Dominion Tantara Chardonnay Dierberg Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  (7/7/2009)

  Nose of lemon. Strong lemon curd, well rounded mouth feel. Crisp and refreshing. As it warms in glass, shows some dry oak on the finish and a slightly astringent acidity filled with lemon zest. Components show a lot, they still need some time to integrate, but when it comes together this wine will reward fans.

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The Gary's showed surprising amount of finesse, while the Old Vine Bien Nacido and Le Colline were each bold, albeit in very different directions. The Le Colline showed a good amount of slutty dark black fruit, while the Old Vine was a mix of Oak, pruned fruit and sharper cherry.

• 2007 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Old Vine Bien Nacido Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  (6/23/2009)

  Aromas of heavy pinot funk, mingle with smoke, some spice and just a touch of vanilla, promising a wine that will not be dull or boring. Strong fruit, on the prune side of the spectrum, but with nice hints of sweet cherries. Soft, not overtly tannic, but well framed with mild wood flavors, more ripe twig then toasted oak. Ends quite enjoyably with a sweet lingering red fruit finish.

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• 2007 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  (6/25/2009)

  First night impression from a small glass was pinot funk on the nose, and a very smooth drinking high acidity wine.
  Next day extended thoughts: Unassuming and packed with acidity. Opens with a nose of spice, before a smooth bodied wine filled with a core of raspberry fruit flavors. Definitely tastes of abundant acidity, and should improve and gain complexity with bottle age, but for now offering a pleasant food wine, that shouldn't overpower anything accompanying it.

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• 2007 Dominion Tantara Pinot Noir Le Colline Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  (7/1/2009)

  Pop and poured, then allowed to air over the course of an evening. Initial nose of a hearty musk of pinot funk, and dark crushed raspberries. Mouth coating blackberry fruit. Huge body. Some stone, complements the dark fruit explosion, before a finish that is slightly clipped. As it warms up to room from cellar temperature, more glycerin is apparent on the nose, and a touch of heat is sneaking into the wine. The Le Colline Vineyard always seems to be on the bigger, dark fruit high octane end of the spectrum of Tantara pinots, and based off the last week or two, 2007 is definitely not an exception to this rule.

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A contrast between vintages, with the 2005 definitely suffering in the comparison.

• 2005 Dominion Tantara Syrah Garys' Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  (6/18/2009)

  Strong vanilla, and a game fat on the nose. Blackberry fruit underpins a wine ripe with gristle flavors, before finishing with a nice spicy element. Decently complex, but would benefit from a fuller texture.

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• 2006 Dominion Tantara Syrah Garys' Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  (6/19/2009)

  Definitely a step up from the 2005. The 2006 is spicy, with the nose and bodied both consisting of clove, cinnamon, and maybe even coriander. Deep raspberry fruit, and just a touch of heat, before a nice long spicy finish. This should improve, but offers a lot of complexity now.

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