Wine Tasting Group - Napa and Sonoma - Jan 18, 2020
Classic Wine Storage, Dallas, TX
Tasted Saturday, January 18, 2020 by James Kim with 145 views
Introduction
Seven of us got together at Classic to taste wines from Napa and Sonoma. Sadly, Carneros went missing although we did have an Anderson Valley wine as a sub. Jay kindly hosted and put out a great spread of cheeses, charcuterie, and of course, Zoli's pizza. Great accompaniments for a nice group of wines. In terms of the order of wines, we interspersed the whites to break up the reds.
1990 Stony Hill Chardonnay Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Badly oxidized. Bummer.
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1991 Stony Hill Chardonnay 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Initially shy aromas and was decanted. After 1h in decanter, nutty, baked apple aromas with hints of caramel/nougat. Palate had baked apples, grapefruit, mild oak spice, minerals, and a mild walnut/almond skin note. Excellent acids. After another 30 min, the palate becomes more focused and cohesive. Excellent showing. 91+
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2006 Copain Pinot Noir "En Haut" Kiser 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Spices, green stems, black cherries and blackberries on the nose. Black cherries, blackberries, stems, minerals, some dark soy and earth on the palate. Ripe but not over the top and with a mineral edge.
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2012 Robert Foley The Griffin 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A blend of merlot, petite sirah, syrah, charbono, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot. Rich blackberry and blueberry aromas with a nice minty/eucalyptus note. Palate was big, full bodied and rich but balanced. Rich blackberries and blueberries were up and front on the palate with some spices and coffee grounds on the back end. Medium+ tannins on the mid-palate. Couldn't detect any heat from 15% abv but rather, more in the big weight of the wine. Not my style but well done for what it is.
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2014 Smith-Madrone Riesling 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Double decanted for 1.5h. Nice petrol nose with tart apples and minerals. Palate had tart apples, minerals, petrol, and herbs. Medium bodied with excellent acids with a creamy mouthfeel. More reminscent of Austrian or Alsatian than German rieslings in texture. Really drinking well. One of my favorites of the night.
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2010 Cowan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Double decanted off sediment for 1.5 h. Floral aromas with high toned raspberries, blackberries, olives and mild roasted meats. Palate with blackberries, earth, herbs, roasted meats, and hint of olives. Tannins have mostly resolved.Excellent acids with a medium body give the wine an elegant mouthfeel. Nice contrast to the 2017 Cowan syrah that follows. The body and elegance probably reflects the cold 2010 vintage. 91+
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2017 Cowan Cellars Syrah 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
Grapes from Moaveni Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma. Ripe blackberry aromas with herbs and mild roasted meats. On the palate, ripe blackberries and plums, herbs, earth, and hint of roasted meats. Rich but nicely balanced by the acids with medium tannins. Medium+ body and a nice long finish. Definitely on the darker fruit spectrum with up front fruit and a bigger body than the 2010 syrah, reflecting the warmer year of 2017 and also the wine's youth.
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2017 Lioco Chardonnay Chuy Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Tart and baked apple aromas with herbs and minerals. The flavors on the palate are similar to the aromas without the baked apples. Excellent acids lift the wine and give it a nice energy while the wine still has a rounded mouthfeel.
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2017 Bedrock Wine Co. Chardonnay Chuy 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Moon Mountain District
Ripe apple and tropical fruits (guava?) on the nose with minerals and herbs. Brandon noted some petrol. The palate showed ripe apples, guava, mienrals, herbs, and a grapefruit bitterness that balances the ripe fruits. Creamy mouthfeel. An interesting comparison with the 2017 Lioco Chuy Vineyard Chardonnay.The Bedrock was definitely riper but still balanced. The Lioco had greater acids and energy, maybe zingyness? (my made up word), that had greater appeal to the group in general. Both very good wines and I wouldn't turn down either. But the Lioco was the more favored wine of the group.
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2011 Robert Foley Merlot 87 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Ripe, rich plums, currants and herb aromas. Palate with ripe plums, ripe blueberries, some herbs, and coffee. Big, viscous mouthfeel. No obvious heat from 15.1% alcohol - again more about weight and big mouthfeel. Good but not my style.
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2013 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
Aromas of cassis, currants, herbs, and a hint of earth. Flavors on the palate reflects the aromas without any over-ripeness of the fruit. Good acids but a hot finish. Full bodied. Varietally correct - instantly recognizable as cabernet sauvignon from first sniff and taste. Enjoyable but lacks distinctiveness. 14.6% abv.
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