Last night Califonia Pinot and Syrah dinner with lots of notes

Bill Lawrence Sutton Place Apartment
Tasted Tuesday, November 16, 2004 by jamiekutch with 1,290 views

Introduction

Well last night a few NYC board members got together for a wonderful evening at Bill Lawrence's apartment for some taste Pinot, Syrah, and Filet Mignon. With views of the Hudson, a magnificent lobby, and a great apartment it was a real delight. Bill started us off with some great cheese's, grapes and someone was kind enough to bring along a Champagne to get it all started.

I should preface by saying all wines were served blind except for the dessert wines.

The Players were:

Bill Lawrence
Pam Lawrence
Lyle Fess
Wilfred Van Gorp
David Wainwright
Andrew Schroback
Jamie Kutch

Onto the wines...

Flight 1 - Older Pinot (1 Note)

This wine taught us all a valuable lesson - California Pinot's definitly don't age that well. This would be a good debate but after tasting this wine I was shocked at the year. In terms of Burgundy or Oregon Pinot - this wine tasted like it was from the early 80's. and it was a 1994 !!!
Wow

  • 1994 Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée DD 80 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Cloudy red with a bricking rim. I immediately said California Pinot and we all knew this had some good age on it. It possessed some funk on the nose - Wilfred said mushrooms. I smelled wet earth, slight barnyard - this wine has seen better days. Sour cherry's on the palate with an underlying overly acidic tones. Orange rind. Drew said 1994 and was correct on the vintage.

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Flight 2 - Pinot Flight (3 Notes)

We tasted these Pinots as we began with our salad. All three were very different and made for a nice flight. The best of the 3 was easily the Melville for me but what was so strange was that after going back to the wine after 10 minutes it tightened up like a nun's ass. It was offering up very little on the nose and palate and I almost thought I confused the wines in front of me. The change was dramatic and caused me to second guess my original thoughts. There was a lot of talk about this especially upon rating the wines at the end of the night. The Peter Michael was surprising as well and there was questions of where the fruit for this wine is sourced from. Anyone know?

  • 2001 Peter Michael Pinot Noir Le Moulin Rouge 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

    Dark brooding purplish. Black cherry's thick and obese. Palate offers up cherry liquor with a bit of heat lingering on the finish. This should be served at cellar temp. Bing Cherry, ripe sweet, fruit bomb style Pinot - my immediate thoughts were Siduri, Lorings, Roar... Then - I thought "could this be A.P. Vin.." it had the characteristics / style of those great wines. Vineyards I thought were Gary's Cargasacchi, Rosella's, Clos Pepe.

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  • 2002 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Pastel red - definitely the most feminine of the three and clearly the best of the trio. Sexy and silky on the palate offering up plush red fruit and a slinky finish. It has superb sweetness and rounded harmonic structure. This wine was a pleasure to drink and there should be a bottle in my cellar soon.

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  • 2000 Pax Syrah Lauterbach Hill 84 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

    Ruby color red - looks like a bomb.. fruit that is.. Broodingly fat on the nose with hints of high alcohol and reminiscent of a Aussie. On the palate - prunes, ripe and horrid. like tasting a fat girl. Not for a light weight - she will sit on you and sqoosh you. This wine was a turn off with considerable acidity this was poured out in the bucket.

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Flight 3 - Syrah with the Meat (1 Note)

After the Pinot's Bill reached for a Syrah (still blind) to match with the wonderful Filet Mignon he cooked. What a match.

  • 1998 Clos Mimi Syrah Shell Creek 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Well integrated and a lovely finish - this wine delivered the goods. With a touch of heat on the finish, this should be served slightly cool once again. All the typical component of a syrah were there including - rasberries, blackberries, licorice, a touch of pepper. It's massive and concentrated yet is held together like a cirus balancing act.

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Flight 4 - Pinot Flight (2 Notes)

This was the weakest flight of the night for me. I spent little time on either and they were quickly dumped.

  • 2001 Copain Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard 84 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Deep purplish-red this wine has a sweet perfume of black fruits and currant notes. The meduim to full structured wine downfall is the over-abundance of tannins which cause a drying finish and makes it rough around the edges. Not for me and was shortly dumped..

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  • 2002 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 86 Points

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    Dark ruby colored red. Giving off red cherry aromas. Medium bodied the palate is like sitting on red satin sheets with a babe you just picked up. Voluptuous and round. A taste wine but as with most babes who lack in brains, this lacked in depth and finish. This was like a quickie.. and then poured out..

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Flight 5 - Next Flight (2 Notes)

Now we are rockin... The Carver was a delight and my Wine of the Night. Thanks for bringing it along Lyle. Onto the notes...

  • 2001 Carver-Sutro Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard 94 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    This was my pick for wine of the night. A delicious inky purple wine that delivered blackberry pie, huckleberry jam, blueberry syrup and dizzying aromas. This powerful and big fruity petite syrah is held all in check with an elegant and balanced finish. Great structure and a treat to consume. The production of this gem is small (less than 500 cases) and the price is below $40. This is a needle in a hay stack and you wont be disappointed drinking this wine.

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  • 2003 Gerhard Markowitsch Zweigelt Carnuntum Cuvée

    Austria, Niederösterreich, Carnuntum

    This was an Austrian ringer. Lyle shouted it immediatly.. Redish black sweet fruit and a medium to full body. Soft silky tannins. Thick and plup on the palate. My notes are light on this wine.

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Flight 6 - Final red wine (1 Note)

I brought this wine and everyone thought it was a ringer after I poored it - I laughed as they all said "definitely and Aussie" (except for David). This was saved for last and for good reason - It was HUGE... A most interesting experience and David Wainwright's Wine of the Night.

  • 2001 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard 93 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Port like aromas with similarities to an Amonra or Dead Arm but without some of the sweetness. Black as night this beast is dense with a huge nose of black liquor. Tremendous intensity and concentration of black fruit this Double D cupped slut stays incredible balanced and the finish lasts for almost 1 minute.

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Flight 7 - Dessert Flight (2 Notes)

Bill reached into one of his Eurocaves for these 2 very nice dessert wines and no one tried to stop him. The were great and so was the homeade fudge Brownie with vanilla and chocolate ice-cream.

Closing

Thank you once again Bill and Pam. It was a very memorable evening.
As for the WOTN - It was split 3 ways. Peter Michael, Carver-Sutro, & the Melville.

Cheers - Jamie

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