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4th Saturday Group brown bagger
Rich & Dana's
Tasted February 25, 2012 by AllRed with 611 views
Introduction
All tasted double blind in our usual format.
Flight 1 - I. Warm up whites. (4 notes)
The ZHs were nice wines, though the Pinot Blanc was difficult to pin down. Textbook examples of Gewurz and Riesling- nice for the price point. Rich threw in the Kalin, having about a third of the bottle leftover from a few days earlier.
White
2009 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling
Pale color with aromas of flint, apple and sulpher. Light body, with peach, apple and nice underlying acidity. No doubt that it was Riesling.
White
2009 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Blanc
Quite reticent on the nose- nothing really jumps out. Has a subtle grassy quality on the palate, along with white fruit tones and balanced acidity.
White
2009 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer
90 points
Aromas of gooseberry, lychee and florals with rich Gewurz fruit on the palate. Textbook Gewurz.
White
1996 Kalin Cellars Sémillon
Rich brought out a surprise warm up and said that I was going to be the one to identify it for the group. Deep golden color. Aromas of smoke, a touch of oxidation too- this was opened a few nights prior so we were tasting the remnants. A touch of citrus and a subtle honeyed cashew tone. Rich texture, with honeyed white fruit tones. Combined with the smoky profile and Rich's clue, that I have had it before, I was able to pick it out as the Kalin Semillon.
Flight 2 - II. Warm up reds. (4 notes)
Rich had a special first flight of four wines he wanted to try together and get some feedback from the group. The color on these wines was the same, and it was obvious from the first whiff that these were Pinots. Rich commented that the winery was one that most people didn't know made Pinot- I immediately knew these were Twomey's Pinots as I made the same comment to him after he set us up at Twomey last October and I came away impressed by the Pinots there. Very nice, varietally correct and elegant Pinots.
Red
2009 Twomey Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
92 points
Ruby color. Soft, feminine aromatics dominated by cherry and perhaps some clove as well. Balanced, with lovely cherry, clove and nutmeg flavors. Nice acidity, with a soft, elegant texture. Finishes well.
Red
2009 Twomey Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
92 points
Ruby color. Primary note is cherry, evolving to pomegranate and florals; deeper fruit aromas than the first wine. Lovely black cherry and lifting acidity on the palate. Well-balanced with a long finish. 92-93 pts.
Red
2009 Twomey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
90 points
Ruby color. Notes of black cherry, florals and raspberries- a touch more ripe than the previous two, a subtle cola note too. Terrific fruit on tha palate- deeper and round, with spices and clove. Balanced, though a bit bigger than wines A and B.
Red
2009 Twomey Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley
90 points
Ruby color- the same as the previous three wines. Cherry and floral aromas dominate the bouquet. Lovely red fruit and cherry tones, with soft spice undertones on the palate. The biggest of the four wines, but still elegant and balanced.
Flight 3 - III. Reds (5 notes)
Red
2008 Paolo Scavino Barbera d'Alba
87 points
Garnet color. Reticent- dark fruit aromas, though a bit muddled and soft. Dark fruit tones dominate the palate, with good acidity.
Red
1995 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Beckstoffer IV
86 points
Garnet color. Initial aroma of prunes and raisins, then leather and black fruit. Flavors of dark fruit and currants and roasted herbs. Ripe Cali cab was the guess.
Red
2006 Oriel Pinot Noir Jasper
92 points
Garnet color, light meniscus. Aromas of florals and red fruit follow through on the palate, with white currant and spice tones as well. Finishes nicely, with great length, fruit and balance.
Red
1994 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Beckstoffer IV
90 points
Garnet color. Notes of dark fruit with hints of leather and plum. Balanced, with dark fruit, plum and herb tones on the palate. Develops an interwsting feral/wild note with air.
Red
2002 Pine Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District
87 points
Garnet color. Opened with an odd grapefruit aroma, followed by chocolate and dark fruit. Red fruit and tart acidity on the palate. Would have expected more from this bottle, producer and vintage.
Flight 4 - IV. Reds. (5 notes)
Red
2000 Teldeschi Petite Sirah
Garnet color, dusty hue. Aromas of florals and adrk fruit with a subtle meaty quality. Medium-bodied, with red fruit, blackberry and plum tones and a sour red fruit note on the finish.
Red
1996 Cafaro Lot 2
Garnet ruby color core, bricking toward the rim. Herbal red fruit aromas with red currant and plum flavors on the palate. Guessed CA cab blend.
Red
2000 Paloma Merlot
Aromas of dark fruit and chocolate. Palate follows the nose, with nice acidity and a soft finish.
Red
2005 Bodegas Valsacro Rioja Dioro
Dusty garnet color. Aromas of caramel corn and herbs with a sour red fruit flavor.
Red
2005 Owen Roe Abbot's Table
Perfumed red fruit and floral aromas, followed by dark fruit tones. Grainy tannins, with flavors of red and dark fruits and a nice finish.
Flight 5 - V. Nonblind dinner/dessert wines. (6 notes)
Red
1998 Beringer Vineyards Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard
89 points
Aromas of chocolate and blackberry. Integrated tannins, velvety mouthfeel. Lovely fruit and balance with sof chocolate and dark fruit flavors. Guessed Petite Sirah, but I did not think it had this much age.
Red
1996 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
93 points
Garnet core, showing some age toward the edge. Aromas of red currants, roasted beller peppers and black fruits. Well-balanced, with lovely dark fruit, plum and roasted herb flavors. Long finish.
Red
1991 Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino
A bit simple and also tired- dusty red fruit tones, finishing a bit thin and short. Has seen better days, this is on the downward slope- drink up.
Red
1999 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Beckstoffer IV
88 points
Notes of dark fruit, mint and a bit of vanilla. Still has some tannin to resolve; dark fruit flavors dominate.
White - Sweet/Dessert
1988 Château de Rayne-Vigneau
88 points
Deep golden yellow color with aromas of apricot and baked stone fruit. Marmalade and honey tones on the palate.
Red - Fortified
1991 Graham Porto Vintage
Cranberry red color. Lovely blackberry and dark fruit notes, hints of cherry and plum. Youthful, with red and black fruit and hints of choclate and cherry. Long finish. Hold for a couple of years yet.