Falltacular 2018--some TNs

These were not decanted and saw maybe 30-60 mins of air.

• 2016 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  I opened this about 30 mins ago and right to the glass with a perfect drinking temp of about 60f. Lightly toasty and graphite aromatics. Red apple, raspberry, plum and some tannin that is seeming to soften with air. I'm dropping this TN here early, as I'd prefer to give this a few more hours of air but I simply wont have time to revisit it. I will say that this is drinking terrific, showing the terroir of what I say is very similar to Kiser (which is next door).

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• 2016 Kutch Pinot Noir Bohan Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Labeled at 11.3% ABV. I opened this about 30 mins ago, it has been sitting in the glass breathing. This is light, elegant. Can taste the minerality here. Light in the glass, a rose colored hue. Cherry, raspberry, both subtle. This is an elegant PN drinkers wine. Lovely.

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• 2016 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  This saw about 30 mins of air. Juicy, cherry, with a nice rocky quality, alongside the acidity that is present. There is tension, energy in this wine and with all the parts here, this will come together well with more air. Delicious.

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• 2016 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  I opened this about an hour ago and let it remain in the bottle. This wine has stuffing. Notes of soil, light herbals, tannin on the tongue, strawberry, citrus. A lot going on. If I can make it back around later to retry this, I will update my note. Potential is the word here with a lot of depth.

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• 2016 Kutch Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  There is a lot of pear in this year's chard, along with apple. Flinty like the past 2 years, with a gentle finish. Plenty of acidity here to also add some energy. And finally, this isn't as loaded up as the past couple years, more gentle is my view.

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These all saw around 24 hours of slow ox air and in sequence.

• 2016 Fogline Vineyards Gewürztraminer Flora Spring Hills Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This is a blend of Gewurz and Semillon, and both seem to be working to add their presence to the wine. The Gewurz contributes a spicy, honeyed, lime, peach note and the Semillon adds lemongrass, lemon and some anise. Of course, these are my guesses but in total, these are the notes in the wine I perceive. This is medium plus weighted, with that honeyed, lime profile adding a slick, kind of coating texture.

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• 2014 Velvet Bee Chardonnay Rita's Crown

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. Light flint on the nose, even a little of that sea air quality which is cool. Palate has viscosity, on the custard-like side for me with golden apple, spice, honey, lemongrass. Good finish.

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• 2015 Peake Ranch Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. I like this wine on one hand, as it has a green apple, spicy, anise core that is cool. But, on the other hand, there is (at least for me and my fragile palate) too much oak/wood applied to the wine, as it shows a toasty/marshmallow quality on the nose and around the fruit of the wine. I'd like to try this wine with less oak applied and see how that lovely apple fruit could come forward.

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• 2014 Tercero Grenache Blanc

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened screw cap. Dig the light petrol in the aromatic. Pure, balanced, solid fruit core of what seems like a mix of melon, kiwi and some vivid acidity that lengthens the finish of the wine. The finish has the same spicy kiwi note that tingles for several seconds. This is medium weighted, with the edges lightly polished. Good stuff.

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• 2014 Sandlands Chenin Blanc Napa Valley

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. Squarely medium weighted here, nothing heavy, no density getting in the way. Nicely balanced, touch of mineral, spicy pear, lemon, lime, peach and spicy, balanced finish. Very good.

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• 2016 Betwixt Chardonnay Steiner Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Mountain

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This is uniquely decadent, kind of intoxicating. A mix of some vanilla bean, lemon peel, cinnamon, spicy golden apple and long, lemony, spicy finish. There is something about this wine that grabs me, and it's not the barrel inflection but the underlying acid, the citrusy, lemony core that is here. I bet that when this wine sheds off some of the youth (as I believe it was just bottled this week) that something very cool is going to take shape. A watch and see wine.

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• 2016 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened screwcap. Brian has been making this wine for a long time, and it's been a while since I have sat down and tasted it, especially with some air. Black cherry, ripe/juicy blackberry, dark raspberry, cinnamon, cedar and a finishing citrusy note of blood orange/grapefruit. More modern and forward for PN than what I usually drink but it's squarely spot-on for what Brian has done so well now for well over a decade. I love this guy Loring and his commitment to make wines in the style he believes in and does so well.

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• 2016 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Kessler-Haak Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened screwcap. Wow, this is a ripely styled big CA PN. I tasted this next to the 2016 Loring Clos Pepe and that wine has better definition and depth for me than this one at this stage. I find this Kessler-Haak to be much like a barrel sample, very young and rich. Dark fruit, and in the center of it a citrusy edge that reminds me a lot of something like Rosella's, with the SLH citrus. Dark coffee, jammy raspberry and blackberry. My thought is that when some of the primary, oaky baby fat qualities can fade into the wine, then that citrus can come forward and put some edges on this wine.

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• 2015 Peake Ranch Pinot Noir

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This has a distinct red fruit core, mainly cherry that has quite a bit of spine to reinforce the fruit. There is also some herbal here, and I wonder whether some stems/whole cluster was added to give it that extra push of spice and spine? Whatever the case, the cherry core of this is really attractive and gets my attention. There is some oak here that seasons the edges and texture so I'd say to wait on this wine, age it for another 2-3 years before opening and let that cherry and acid push forward and beautifully express itself.

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• 2016 Lucia Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This has the Jeff Pisoni touch. Jeff's zone in my view is a richer styled wine, that is polished, more plush, with a mix of red and black fruit and acidity in the background for support. This is already approachable, expressive and delicious. The oak here, whatever Jeff put against it, has worked its way into the wine and so what is here now is a polished, seductive kind CA PN.

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• 2016 Betwixt Grenache Boer Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. I believe this was just bottled within the last week, too. Lightly red, rose colored. This tastes like a barrel sample to me, with the wood (?) giving the wine a new barrel astringence. I am unsure whether Tim uses new wood on this so take my comment as a guess, not fact. Red fruits of cherry and strawberry, seeming to me candied at this stage.

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• 2016 Tercero Cabernet Franc aberration

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under screwcap. Inky and dark. I gotta hand it to Brig, as his remark about beet is brilliant. There is a note of that here, a roasted beet quality that is cool. Juicy, approachable now and as Brig said, unique.

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• 2014 Calluna Vineyards Calluna Estate

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This is a classic 5 varietal Bdx blend, mainly Cab Sauv at almost 60%, with Cab Franc and Merlot being another roughly 20% each, joined by a little Malbec and PV. Aromatics are Bdx influenced, a mix of tobacco leaf and cigar box. There is an intensity in this wine. Some oak is influencing the texture, giving it a plush, tannic edge. Inside of that texture is charry cherry, cedar, currant and some of the cool herbal giving this a light seasoning. Finishes with some astringence, alongside the dark cherry tones. This has been open a full day so this wine is going to age a good long time and if you drink it now, decant it well.

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• 2014 Calluna Vineyards Cuvée "CVC"

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. This is a Bdx blend. I tasted this next to the 2014 Calluna Estate, both saw the same amount of air and tasting setting. The aromatics here are more rustic. The depth here as compared to the Estate is not as intense. More subtle is the CVC, juicier, lighter styled with juicy dark cherry and dark cocoa. And one other thing...I find the 2014 Estate to have a significant aging potential, whereas this CVC seems pretty well ready to go and approachable.

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• 2013 Matthiasson Red Wine

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. I tasted this yesterday during Falltacular, and even mentioned how the wine showed to Jill Matthiasson, who attended yesterday in person. I told her that we should have decanted the wine, as it was pretty well structured and tight. So, at least I got to add a full day of air to this wine before I wrote it up. This has unfolded more, it's showing the red fruited, currant, cedar and juicy, herbal qualities. Yet, there is still some cool astringence here, framing the finish with chewy tannin. This wine is going to need some bottle age is you want to edges to smooth out, as right now it's still coiled, with a medium weighted cherry frame.

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• 2015 Campesino Syrah Las Madres

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. Pours pretty dark, with aromatics of steak sauce and light olive. Juicy, with more black olive, garrigue, some bacon fat, spicy red and black fruit. finishing with cooked meat, pepper and some astringence. A mix of blue and red fruit. This wine is packed, for me tasting very much in the style of northern Rhone.

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• 2015 Halcon Vineyards Syrah Alturas

  USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. Medium weighted, herbal with some olive and juicy blueberry. The stems season this nicely and they take the wine in a direction that is more Rhone than CA. This tastes as delicious as the bottle from 2 months ago, some of the CA sunshine mixing with the old world style that is applied here. Lovely.

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• 2015 Fogline Vineyards Syrah Grist Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. Pours fairly dark, it's noticeable as it hits the glass. Floral, in the potpourri style that would suggest some whole cluster (not sure though if Evan uses any?). This is plush, generous, with a graham cracker note (oak here?) and blue fruit. This hit me with a flashy edge, I suspect because of the wood and the moderately decadent blue tones, as well as some of the purple flower kind of thing. This is good, with some modern, new world qualities that I enjoy.

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• 2014 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opened yesterday, kept cool overnight under opened cork. I spent a part of my Sunday afternoon tasting through a # of the remnant wines from yesterday and I put this as the last bottle to taste. I know this wine pretty well so I thought I should end with it. It pours pitch dark--no surprise there. Has the SR nose that shows all the dark berry aromatics. Wow, like a bulldozer of flavor across my palate. Dark chocolate, dark berry, gingerbread, iron, espresso. I'd never start a tasting or meal with this wine, but for sure, I've ended a # of evenings with a glass of SR and this is right there with the house style. I also want to point out that I swirled the hell out of this and I didn't get any booze or heat on this at all. It is labeled at 15.5% and there is no trace of that here. This is just stacked with flavor, color and tannin. Hell, I am going to sit this on the counter and finish the last glass tomorrow and end that last glass with a big 'ol stained teeth smile that only SR can do. Thank you, Kelly.

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