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Falltacular 2013
FMIII in the OC
Tasted February 17, 2013 by brigcampbell with 1,200 views
Introduction
You couldn't beat the weather for this years event and thankfully I had a day and a half of recovery from a nasty cold or mutant flu bug which put me out of commission earlier in the week. Falltacular is about wine, and lots of it. But at the end of the day it's really about supporting Laura's House and this Sonia, a graduate of Laura's House, gave a very elegant speech detailing her the abuse that drove her to seek shelter. A devastating story that results in personal triumph and reaffirms to all in attendance they the contributions made here are supporting a more than worthy cause.
As usual for me, I spent way more time with Pinot Noir in my glass than anything else and typically would take a break by visiting the whites or scurrying upstairs for the reds. I worked the main table again for my shift which worked out well since I had a chance to taste through most of the wine right before and had some idea in case people were looking for recommendations or had questions. Bonus points were the number of winemakers in attendance who were interested in tasting the wines that others liked so I shared with them that feedback as well as comments regarding their wines.
Flight 1 - Pinot, Pinot, and more Pinot (22 notes)
Red
2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast
91 points
Nose of muddled strawberry. Palate showed strawberry and then tart cranberry with nice acid followed with ash. Medium finish. Great juice.
4 people found this helpful
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Red
2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Rodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast
90 points
Seems lighter in color than the sangiacomo and definitely more reserved nose. Mild strawberry and cherry with earth and mushroom flavors. Longest finish of the family, really appealing.
3 people found this helpful
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Red
2011 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard
92 points
Color seems to be slightly lighter than the previous vintage but I quickly realized with such small pours and the lighting made it difficult to really assess accurately. The aromas of this wine were terrific with a mixture of lightly candied and dried fruits with toast. Palate is tart strawberry and nimble mouthfeel. The finish was graceful but slightly clipped. This was my favorite Sojourn PN, top 5 for the tasting, and glad I purchased again this year
4 people found this helpful
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Red
2010 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard
Quick sip: wasn't expecting the full flavor profile of tart raspberry and cranberry. Just OK for me.
Red
2010 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard
Dark red and black fruit flavors and some stem aromas. What really jumped out at me was the way the wine developed with a very mild fruit attack, instantly I wondered "wow, not much here at all" but wait my friends it starts building momentum and really culminates with and explosion at the finish. Nicely done.
2 people found this helpful
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Red
2011 Saxon-Brown Pinot Noir Glass House Sonoma Coast
I stared at the glass... Looks brown around the edges with a deep core, so I took it into better light and sure enough, brown edges around the rim. Could it be bottle shock? This was probably recently bottled and sent to Frank's for the tasting. I couldn't even find any information on SB's website regarding this vintage or vineyard so this wine hasn't been official revealed to the world yet. Good for us!
We have a winner here, top 10 of the event for me. Aromatics are outstanding with perfume and sweet red fruit. Flavors are superbly balanced with the acid, round chewy tannins, and probably one of the longest finishes of the evening. Excellent.
We have a winner here, top 10 of the event for me. Aromatics are outstanding with perfume and sweet red fruit. Flavors are superbly balanced with the acid, round chewy tannins, and probably one of the longest finishes of the evening. Excellent.
Red
2011 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard
Nose is sweet red fruit as you'd expect from this vineyard which transitions directly to the palate. The finish is tangy and Wine has notes of sandlewood. Very good.
Red
2011 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
Sandler does the best Keefer, I've tasted quite a few producers over the years and I've always preferred Sandler. I'm not alone in that opinion as a few winemakers felt the same way. There is lots of spicy raspberry on what would be described as fruit forward but there is excellent balance and a monster finish. Top 10 of the evening for me.
Red
2011 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Boer Vineyard
93 points
No other '11 PN taste like this wine. How's that for a statement? And this would satisfy the domestic requirements of a serious burg head. Right after opening, the nose was expressive mushroom, red fruit, and black olive tapenade. Seriously, it was very surprising. It was engaging. The palate showed a bit of earth with the fruit and acid. Superb balance. The finish was medium plus and there was a dusty whiff. Standout wine and WOTN for me.
Red
2011 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch Vineyard
Didn't just like this wine because I share the name of the vineyard but its the strawberry and rhubarb notes and the nimbleness of the wine across the palate.
Red
2011 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Tina Marie Vineyard
Nose is bright cherry and light brown sugar. The mouthfeel is very feminine and flavor is driven by a slightly ripened raspberry. Excellent balance. Terrific wine all the way around.
Red
2011 Harrington Pinot Noir Stori Vineyard Russian River Valley
Attractive fruit compote. Palate explodes with sweet red and blackberry. Medium finish. Fun drinking it with winemaker, really nice gentleman.
Red
2011 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir Vigneron Select
This wine is constant across vintages true to the SRH in its express of cherry and berry flavors. Fruit driven, nice spice, and big mouthfeel. This was Kim's favorite of the evening and since there were three bottles in the auction, I split it with Rob and gave a bottle to Kim. Thanks Rob, made her day. Oh, and I really enjoy it too!
Red
2010 Black Kite Pinot Noir Redwoods' Edge
All the black kite wines I tasted were fantastic and they were definite the buzz of the tasting just like last year. These are all excellent wines but I thought this stood up just a bit based on the potential. The combination of fruit, gripping tannins, and a whiff of expresso on the finish. Wow, beautiful wine with great future ahead of because it has all the building blocks to really improve with cellar time. And it's already drinking fantastically right now with some air. Scary.
2 people found this helpful
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Red
2010 Black Kite Pinot Noir Stony Terrace
Don't add anymore oak to the program in future vintages. This is right on the boarder, they all are, where there's some coffee and vanilla elements on the nose and finish combined with cherry and strawberry flavors yet its not syrupy or over concentrated. Excellent wine.
1 person found this helpful
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Red
2010 Amelle Pinot Noir La Cruz Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Eric the winemaker was at my station while I was serving so we chatted quite a bit as he ran through the line up. Based on the wines he enjoyed I figured I'd like his wine and sure enough, very nice work. It was probably the most gentle of the wine in that not until the very end did the tannins show up as a bit drying like you'd see more with a cab. But there is a nice balance to the wine and the classic noir flavor profile.
Red
2010 Copain Pinot Noir Monument Tree
I didn't buy this vintage, mistake. I need to find it now though. Top 10 for me, really nice. There's coffee, vanilla, and old wine barrel pouring out of the glass. Light cherry and raspberry wrapped in a tangy acid wrapper. Put a bow on it with a medium/+ finish.
Red
2010 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir Cargasacchi-Jalama Vineyard
On the riper side of the spectrum and open for business already. Strong dark fruit flavor with a touch of spice.
Red
2010 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir Baranoff Vineyard
Had the pleasure of tasting this along with the owners and winemaker, both of them are very personable and are making terrific wine. I tasted this wine first, MK, and the RRV. The flavor profile of the three is very similar. Really nice fruit, great balance, and nice tannins. The only noticeable difference is the reduce level of tannins as you move towards the RRV with the Baranoff showing the most stuff and a medium plus finish. Excellent wines across the board.
Red
2009 Ladd Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée Abigail
I was standing against a wall tasting this wine and Eric walked by and began chatting. He didn't know what I was drinking so I innocently (or not so) said "what to you think of this wine's aromas?" and handed him my glass. He stuck his nose in there, thought for 10 seconds, and said "this is Abigail". Bingo! I told him I thought that was pretty impressive and said "no not really, I live with that wine everyday of its life". Good point, never really thought about that fact he's surrounded by his wines everyday. He's a very knowledgeable winemaker and interesting to converse with.
This is my favorite of his wines, really well made with all the facets of California Pinot I like.
This is my favorite of his wines, really well made with all the facets of California Pinot I like.
3 people found this helpful
Comments (5)
Red
2011 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Durell Vineyard
On the ripe side as you'd expect and dark berry fruit driven. A whisper of caramel flavors emerge mid palate.
Red
2010 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard
May have been the only petite in the line up, probably best that way because this would have been top dog. It's a monster, no question about it and if you appreciate that for the hedonistic reasons then you'll enjoy the wine. Extremely dark color and staining everything it touches including tables, clothes, and teeth with impunity. Very concentrated and power dark blue fruit combined with the rough tannins you'd expect from a young wine. Fun to taste.
Flight 2 - It's not all about the Pinot (11 notes)
Red
2010 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard
Alrighty, this is a big napa cab, top notch. Rich cassis and big rough tannins await. The profile is amazing, one of the better cabs I've had, comparable to the schrader's of the world. Stellar.
Red
2010 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel
I struggled with this wine after tasting so many that were drinking right from the open. This wine is composed of big parts and needs age to show its beauty, right now it's tight and resting. Do yourself a favor and wait before pulling the cork on this one, you'll be rewarded.
Red
2010 Loring Wine Company Divergence
I can't read my notes on this wine, opps, other than more structure than the convergence but with the ripe plum. Right on the edge.
Red
2010 Loring Wine Company Convergence
Candied and sweet fruit flavor with a hint of spice. Big full flavored wine as one might expect. I did enjoy this in a hedonistic way.
Rosé
2011 Argot Grenache Couture California
Light pink color matches the cork wax. The packaging is beautiful too, I know that not a tasting note but it looks good. Medium plus weight with pear and apricot. Really enjoyable.
White
2010 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard
93 points
Nice color, clear and just a hint of green lurking in there. Nose is a bit of tree fruit and pear. Palate is a full dose of green and red apple with blazing dose of acid that starts mid palate and last 30 seconds. Very mouth watering, I was constantly licking my chops while sipping this wine. Loved it.
White
2011 Tercero Viognier White Hawk Vineyard
92 points
This now my favorite Viognier with the Alban. Honeysuckle and pear aromas. The palate is sweet pear, apple, and a touch of honeysuckle in the background. Not over the top but full flavor and wildly enjoyable.
White
2007 Core b. core Camp 4 Vineyard
Didn't talk detailed notes on this wine because I chose it to pair with my grilled chicken for lunch. This is a fantastic wine and medium plus weight. Mouthing coating.
Red
2008 Core Mourvèdre Alta Mesa Vineyard
Humm, I love Mourvèdre but this is way too ripe. Don't know if there's any residual sugar but this taste very sweet.
Red
2009 Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family Vineyard
Dark and concentrated fruit. Nose of sweet cherry and vanilla. Palate is mouth coating, big chocolate cherries and vanilla. Lots of flavor to go around. Enjoyable.
White
2011 Loring Wine Company Chardonnay Sierra Mar Vineyard
Opened two nights before and resting peacefully in the refrigerator. Medium yellow color. Nice aromatics; toast, caramel, and bright fruit. A bigger style of Chardonnay? Yes, but the acid is in equal force here which keeps it from going over the top. Real strong lemon peel flavor. As I find with wines with good acid, the finish lurks for a long time. Medium plus weight but not viscous.
Closing
The End until near year.