Survery Of New World Wines

Some great wines on display as we enjoyed the terrific meal at Bistro 7.

• 2008 Auteur Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 84 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  This was way too tart for my tastes. It had some lighter oaky notes and vanilla. But oh so tart! The extreme tartness made it hard to appreciate any other aspects of this wine. It may need some air and/or cellar time to sort itself out.

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• 2007 Ridge Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 90 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  I know these Ridge Chardonnarys have a reputation of being oak bombs, and so obviously this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. In my view, it is important to clarify a point here. This is not your typical cheaply made California oak monster Chardonnay. This is oaky, yes, but is a well made and enjoyable wine. It is pretty buttery and has some good viscosity. Well balanced all in all. The wine makes no apologies for what it is, and it is understandable if this is not your taste, but I quite enjoy it and it is a nice value.

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• 2004 Kongsgaard Roussanne/Viognier 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A little bit of sticker shock. I drank this without knowing the price. This is an enjoyable wine, yes. Fuller bodied and it should pair well with food. Nice example of California version of Rhone white. Nice salinity and fruit. I noted almonds, apricot and honey with good acidity. That is the good. On the down side, though, I thought it has a bit too much alcohol. It crept in at the finish. Put it all together and this is a wine I enjoyed drinking, but in the $70 range? Wow. I'll pass at that price.

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• 2005 Chehalem Pinot Noir Reserve 87 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Our last of four of these Chehalem Reserve and our notes have remained rather consistent over the years. In short, this is a perfectly drinkable wine. But I do not think it rises to a "reserve" quality and certainly is probably not a good value at the $50+ level. It had bright red berry fruits on the nose with nice baking spices. Good sour cherry, raspberry and tart fruit on the palate with moderate acidity. What this lacked was that extra oomph you would assume would be a "reserve" wine. It is just a little too thin and watery and lacks some complexity as well.

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• 2007 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Very enjoyable to drink. Fresh and vibrant. Bright tart red fruit on the nose with a hint of spice. Although this lacked a bit of concentration on the palate, there was good fruit -- blue and red berries. Very nice crisp acidity. This is a great example of a well balanced and proportioned North American Pinot Noir. Nothing overdone here.

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• 2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  I agree with many of the reviews on CT. This shows a green tannic streak initially and is quite difficult to drink, especially when compared with the fresh and fruity Rivers-Marie that preceded it. My review reflects the wine right now as opposed to what it may become. I'll trust the judgment of those with more experience with this wine when they say that this wine needs time. Indeed, after some time in the glass, it started showing improvement. However, right now it is definitely disjointed. Whether it is the strong presence of the stems (someone mentioned that below) or some other reason, I would hold these for several years. There is good darker fruit on the palate, if you can get by the initial green streak.

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• 2005 Pax Syrah Griffin's Lair Flawed

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  There was a good amount of discussion about wine. I was not certain that it was flawed. There seemed to be something off with the nose, so that ultimately won out. There were some bold darker fruits on the palate with spice. The problem here is that there was a hint of the wine being corked and the alcohol seemed to knock the wine all out of whack. Whatever the case may be, it was not in the best shape.

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• 2007 Saxum Broken Stones 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  This is still a very young wine. It had that grapey-ness to it that sometimes comes with younger wines. It should get better with age. Lush and spicy. One of those big dense wines that can sometimes be all out of whack and too alcoholic. This is different. Well balanced. Smokey note with blackberries. Dense and rich. Very easy to drink. Held back just a tad by the heat that creeps in at the finish. A little disappointed that the alcohol creeps in at the end.

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• 2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard 96 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  Decisive wine of the night for me and the score may not reflect how much I really enjoyed this wine. The initial release price looks to have been $70+. What an incredible bargain. I've enjoyed some SQN over the years -- this is easily in the same league (and is probably better). Sometimes you have to wonder about all the fuss over SQN when wines like this are less expensive and more readily available. The balance on this wine is superb. The nose is huge, no doubt. And there is just a shade of heat. Dark berry fruit. Chocolate covered fruit, perhaps? Smooth, creamy and delicious. The alcohol is way high, but you would never know unless you were obsessed with the alcohol %. Just enjoy the darn wine, instead of obsessing over alcohol! If you can't taste it, then it really is not that big of a deal. Maybe not a wine for the long term, but definitely one to enjoy now.

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• 2007 Ojai Viognier Ice Wine Roll Ranch Vineyard 86 Points

  USA, California

  On the simple side, I thought. Apple, quince, apricot and all those good dessert wine sweet fruits. Enjoyable to drink and definitely at the right price.

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• 2004 Mas Amiel Maury Vintage Reserve 91 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Maury

  Very enjoyable sweet red. Not overly done. Mild sweetness, not overtly alcoholic. Blue fruit and spice with a hint of pepper. This is a red dessert wine that you could open up during the week and not worry about it being too high in alcohol. On the lighter side of red dessert wines.

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