US Boutique Wine Festival - Sponsered by Altruistic Wines

A new company importing small winery line up's delivering the West Coast grape lovers form the shackles of mass produced, over marketed, undervalued junk that we are exposed too. A great line up that featured vinters, owners, etc on hand. I learned a lot, had a great time and look forward to the next one.

• 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  Light in color. Classic Cali Pinot nose. Nice lingering strawberries on the palate, depth, not too complex, but good stuff. This is a strong built wine, made for drinking or holding. Well made.

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• 2006 Tallulah "Les Troix Voix" Shake Ridge

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County

  Garnet. Brambley fruit, oak, floral, and yes a fish oil component (sorry just back from Vietnam so palate & nose weird). Goes in nice, got the dried strawberries thing, lots of them, concentrated, then some smoke, blue fruit, peppered white chocolate. Charred oak. Nice finish. Good solid wine. Nothing hugely special here, light on it's feet. Drinking great now with Italian food. Suspect this has time left to evolve but give it a go with a short decant.

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• 2007 Kunin Pape Star

  USA, California, Central Coast

  Clear garnet. Smoke, meat, nice nose. Nice smooth wine. Bright rough field strawberry, smokey oak on the finish. Cleaning tannins. Youthful.

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• 2003 White Rock Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cave Hill

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Dark, not extracted. Beautiful liquid blueberry fruit nose, cassis. Nicccce. Just beautiful on the entry, light and fills the palate with Cab fruit. Tannins are real fine, dusty, cleansing. Front, mid and back palate seamless, this is great wine making. Good stuff.

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• 2007 O'Brien Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Romance of the Heart 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Purple garnet. Restrained oak, cab fruit on the nose. Blue fruit, milk chocolate, velvety, tannins in there, fine but tight, acid oak but strong, nice lingering fruit, with a bit oak monster in there. Would prefer ths to be less oaked or needs time in the bottle, but since this is day 2, fear that the oak is there to stay. Damn.

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• 2007 Epiphany Revelation

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Burnt garnet. Smoke, fat, floral aspect from the PV, blue fruit on the nose.Interesting blends leads to a funky can't place that nose! Likey. Rich mouth feel, Syrah hot climate dominates the palate, tannins and oak are strong players, needs time. Nose continues on to the palate, blue fruits, liquid smoke, charred blue fruit, PV adds some nice complexity, even if this baby is not integrated. Should become a very fun wine.

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• 2007 Renard Grenache Unti Vineyards

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Nice light garnet color. Musty nose, leather, oak. Gamey, white chocolate, leather, all on the palate. Big in the front palate, sweet drying tannins. Good stuff.

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• 2007 Boeschen Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Dark, ruby. Great nose. PV is really prominent, love that, can smell this for hours. Sophisticated drop, tight, firm tannins supporting a mass of ripe fruit, lingers forever, then bracing structure. Balance of oak, acid, fruit and tannins bodes well for a wine that will age gracefully and take one more complexity. Hold for now or a long decant.
  
  Met Shawn at the US Boutique Wine Festival in HK, great showing and a standout among the many good wines.

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• 2006 James Judd & Son Malbec Verdot

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  P&P. Nice purple. Nose of airplane glue and purple Jesus on the nose, yikes, which hung in there for a few hours. Does not carry it's alch well, but the PV is a nice rough ride, the nose, the rustic fruit, just hard to get past the glue thing.
  
  ...later. Glue thing almost gone. PV nose takes over. Some more balance, weight, spicy oak & acid, tart Malbec on the finish with some rough tannins. This is a BBQ wine, a rough wild west kinda blend. OK.

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• 2007 DeLille Cellars D2

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  P&P. Purpley lookin'. Creamy brown sugar butter vanilla thing. Dark red fruit. Pretty nice in the mouth, light feel, some definite major vanilla play, weird I have never had this so pronounced. Tannins are there, not too bad. Nice smooth red fruit through the palates, nothing distinct here. Good lingering finish, touch of oak. OK. This plays a little too much to the oak, vanilla, treatment for me, would prefer to see the WA fruits come out more, let the juice do it's things. Less winemaking and more nature. Maybe this plays out with some air.
  
  Few hours later the tannins became finer, the vanilla monster faded, the wine became more refined and rich, the acid supported food and the enfolding fruit. A nice effort and this will evolve over time, but drinking fine with a solid decant.

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Started at 2PM and left at 9PM, YIKES, I spat and spat and spat, finally giving in to some good long sips of my favorites form the day.