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Offline for Alex and Adam at Zuppa
San Francisco, California USA
Tasted September 27, 2005 by PaulH with 1,342 views
Introduction
Adam and Alex were visiting the Bay Area from England. Christine Huang got together 10 of the usual suspects and thirteen of us enjoyed a terrific meal and tasting at Zuppa.
Flight 1 - Let's Start by Celebrating (2 notes)
Sparking wine (from Italy - because we were in an Italian restaurant), and an interesting bottle of white (a rousanne/viognier blend).
White - Sparkling
N.V. Bellavista Franciacorta Cuvée Brut
89 points
A really good sparkling white from Italy. Nice dense, mousse with good acidity and a sweet finish. I think Bellavisa Franciacorta is one of the best non-Champagne sparkling wine producers out there.
White
2004 Linne Calodo The Contrarian
I didn't take notes on this, but remember it as well made and enjoyable.
Flight 2 - Mystery Wine (1 note)
Adam and Alex brought along a wine from across the pond to see how smart us colonials were. Not too smart.
Red
1998 Chapel Down Pinot Noir
82 points
Brown with lightening at the edges. Eucalyptus and mint, acidic and earthy. Poured blind. Guessed a Rhone. Not a good guess, but not an especially good pinot noir, either.
Flight 3 - California Pinot Noirs (7 notes)
We started with a big flight of pinot noir from SLH and north.
Red
1999 Dehlinger Pinot Noir Goldridge
90 points
Reserved nose / clear medium red color / light tannins and good balancing acidity / medium body and sweet finish. Very enjoyable
Red
2001 Martinelli Pinot Noir Reserve
88 points
Medium red color, a bit of bret-like aroma on the nose. Clean wine, very ripe but not especially interesting; a bit alcoholic and hot.
Red
2000 Copain Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard
87 points
Black fruit, medium light body, good peppery spicy palate, but a bit watery and weak. Has good structure may get better with time.
Red
2000 Ojai Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard
93 points
Color is deep and dark, but if you get enough light behind it,you see that it is clear like a gem. The palate is lush with a full body and layers of spice. It isn't at all overly ripe or monolithic and it has a long sweet finish and plenty of structure giving evidence for a long life to come. Excellent wine, and it was universally praised by attendees at the tasting. I am going to wait two (or more) years before trying it again.
Red
2002 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
91 points
Dark red color. Good acidity and structure. Black fruit, medium body and good finish. Very good wine which will age well.
Red
2003 Lucia Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
88 points
Modest nose, dark color. Low acid, a bit overripe and not a lot of structure. Drink now.
Red
2004 Alcina Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Still very primary. Very ripe red/purple fruits and a medium full body. Mild tannins. Quite approachable for a young wine.
Flight 4 - Bordeaux (1 note)
Another well-aged treat from Alex and Adam.
Red
1990 Château Les Grands Chênes
86 points
Cigar box and cedar nose. light body & smoky finish. Not a heavyweight.
Flight 5 - California Cabs (5 notes)
This was a great flight of some well-aged CA Cabernet Sauvignons.
Red
1974 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
94 points
From a magnum. Still dark red and youthful looking. Aromas and tastes, just like a good left bank Bordeaux. Nose and palate of cigar box, excellent structure and long finish. Tremendous stuff.
Red
1984 Daniel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
88 points
Medium body though lacking in extraction and seeming a bit watery. Doesn't have the fruit to support the structure that remains.
Red
1985 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
92 points
Lighter in color than '86 tasted at the same time. Very tannic with a steel structure. Not as balanced or lush as the 1986.
Red
1986 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
94 points
Medium red color with no bricking. Still young with good structure and very noticable tannins. Excellent fruit and balance. Really nice elegant CA cab.
Red
1986 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
93 points
Still a youthful dark red. Although tannic, it is full of fruit with a medium body and a long sweet finish. Serious stuff.
Flight 6 - California Syrah (7 notes)
Another top notch flight - this time with California's take on Rhone varietals.
Red
1997 Paloma Syrah
91 points
Good spicy/peppery nose. Pepper and spice and great complexity on the palate showing a medium body and a long sweet finish with good tannins. Really good wine.
Red
2000 Dehlinger Syrah Goldridge
88 points
Reticent nose, noticeable acid, medium body and medium finish. Perfectly reasonable well-made wine.
Red
2000 Havens Wine Cellars Syrah
85 points
Flabby, little structure, a bit overripe, low acid. Pleasant, but not interesting.
Red
2000 Shafer Relentless
92 points
Rich, fruity, big nose. Palate shows bittersweet chocolate and a medium-full body. Long tannic finish. Quite good wine, but far from ready.
Red
2001 Shafer Relentless
93 points
Nose of cola and dark fruit. Monster tannins with lots of ripe fruit to balance. Very long and very tannic finish. This will be great stuff, but it is going to take years.
Red
2002 Alcina Cellars Syrah Gabrielli Vineyard
91 points
Sweet ripe fruit with cola tastes but good balance. Long, sweet finish. Yummy.
Red
2003 Pax Cuvée Moriah
92 points
Really ripe and full of fruit; full body good structure nice long finish. Good stuff. (Though it is a bit weird that it says "Syrah" on the label when it is a classic GSM with only 16% Syrah)
Closing
This was a great dinner, lasting from about 6:30 until close to 11:00 p.m. Everyone seemed to have a great time (I know I did); and they all got home safe, too! (even though one member of the group -who shall remain nameless- stayed behind and drank Tequila with one of Zuppa's owners).