Kebobs and Pinots in Queens

So... there we were...
wait - who is "we"?
well at this time the we included
Ray and his wife
Diane
Tom
My wife and Myself
and my parents

...so there we were... a nice wednesday evening... a bunch of bottles... and some russian/bukharian food... oh..again errors... Tom was about an hour late and by the time he arrived so did the b-day party of about 30 people and russian pop hits started pouing out from the DJ/owner/singer... i thought our dear guests would bolt... but heck - nothing like imersing yourself in the culture right? lets just get to the wines. the food was delicious (as it always is) and ridiculosly cheap even with a generous tip

• 2000 Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Erbaluce di Caluso

  ok - i knwo little to nothing about this wine and how its made. i bought this bottle on a hint from the slalesperson that the chances are no one has tasted this before. i love trying new things....and this one was trully an exp. fist of all - this is an italian wine. you can smell that a mile away - the acidity and the "refreshing" factor give away the origin. golden color, lots of minerals. more fruit with time as well as a caramel-like softness on the nose. went really well with salads... there is a proverb in russian that says those who dont take risks dont get to drink champagne - in this case those that dont take risks dot get to drink Cariola...
  :)

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• 2002 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  this is an amazing wine for its category - i am not usually one to praise new world/way ovet the top wines but this was trully delicious. Lots lots lots of fruit. pepper as well. body becomes thicker with time, strawberries and cherries come pouring out with spices and decent tannins as backup. the acidity keeps all this from becoming cloying or sweet. this was one of the 2 reds of the night. the second was only at peak for a few minutes but it was impressive.

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• 1999 Delas Frères Saint-Joseph Sainte-Epine 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Saint-Joseph

  this need time. it has great potential though and was a bit out of place with the californians but it showed its class. dusty, great backbone, pepper and strawberries. yum.. maybe give it 2-3 years ? we'll see...

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• 2002 Matetic Vineyards Pinot Noir EQ 92 Points

  Chile, San Antonio Valley

  biggest surprize of the night for me.... not to mention this wine is from chile. thick, delicious wine. not very "pinoty" but nevertheless amazingly pure - i really liked this wine. swweeeeet nose. like eating candy. but the palate has some more serious tannins and acidity.

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• 2003 A.P. Vin Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  so i finally opened this. very muted nose - was this wine closed? on the palatte - rich cherries and other red berries. almoust bubblegummy - in a delicious way. A bit fizzy though? saw other mention it as well. this was perfect with the food - and a really delicious wine. will wait more on the second bottle though and give it a better chance to develop.

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• 1994 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  this is not burgundy? really? holly cow! could have fooled me. earthy, mushroomy and soo deep. fully resolved tannins. smooth silky texture. sweetness came back and reminded of the wine's origin. great effort! this is pinot as it was meant to be. hit peak after 20+ minutes but fell apart by the end of the night,. too bad. rating is lowered because of the short lived peak. still this was the one i would have chosen out of the group :)

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• 1997 Miner Family Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  similar to the '94 farrel - earthy but thicker. lots of fruit behind the burgundian nose. but also a bit of alcohol. nice wine.

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• 2003 Margerum M5 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  rose petals? intresting nose - really unique. a bit hot from the start and needs time. now (after probably 2-3 hours of being opened it started to relly come together with plums and red berries. this will be a great wine in a few years. :)

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• 2000 René Renou Bonnezeaux Les Melleresses 94 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Bonnezeaux

  OH MY... i wasnt expecting much from this - '00 not being the most heralded vintage for loir - at least not that i know of. this wine rocked... realisticly it was too rich - i expected this to be closer to the vouvrays/quart du champ style but this was closer to a sauternes. maybe its not ideal for this type - who knows... but i can tell you this was delicious. Heavy layers of apricot balanced with great acidity. caramel and .... lots more that i didnt have time to write down :) what a great finish.

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thanks to all the participants for making a regular wednesday night such a memorable one!
:) hope we'll do this again real soon.