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VLG Does Pinots from 2003-2005 Blind
Jason Hagen's office
Tasted February 19, 2010 by WetRock with 558 views
Introduction
For this edition the theme was Pinot Noir from anywhere among vintages of 2003-2005. We got some BBQ sandwiches from Scotty's in Orange, bagged up all the wines and served them in flights of two. Over all I think most of us were disappointed by the showing of the wines. Not much really came together to grab our attention and most brought more complaints than praise. The top three were a near unanimous consensus.
#1 - 2003 Talley Rincon
#2 - 2002 Tandem Van Der Kamp
#3 - 2003 Arcadian Dierberg
I wouldn't call any of those complete or wow wines but they were all enjoyable in different ways. I would have voted for the Dain but it was disallowed because it was pulled out later on as a bonus by Jason to help us find another decent wine. ;)
Flight 1 (2 notes)
White
2006 Miner Family Viognier Club M Wild Yeast Napa Valley
Served blind. Nose shows cotton candy and floral notes. Floral and Rhoney with some wax characters. On the pretty side. Guessed Viognier. Fatter and less acidic that I usually like my whites but this isn't sweet or too ripe.
White
2007 Loring Wine Company Chardonnay Keefer Ranch Vineyard
Served blind. Tight nose showing sulfur and smoke. Clean tight palate with lemon notes. Fruit becomes fuller and softer with more air. Surprisingly lean showing for a Loring.
Flight 2 (2 notes)
Red
2004 Rutz Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Cuvée
Served blind. Ripe fruited nose showing black cherry, tar, graham crackers and brown sugar. Lean feel showing baked fruits with notes of cherry. Over all the palate becomes oddly flavored though.
Red
2002 Tandem Pinot Noir Van der Kamp Vineyard
Served blind. Brooding funky nose showing earth and stalky celery type notes. Big full concentrated palate that is on the woody side. Plenty of tannin and a bit of heat. Falls off at the finish. Overall the complexity was good enough to garner a second place vote for me.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
2005 Weingut Juris Pinot Noir Selection
Served blind. Dirty soil and earth nose with hints of black cherry and reduction later on. Tight and acidic palate. Notes of tar and reserved black fruit. Maybe in need of a decant or more time. Or the fruit may never balance out the secondary notes.
Took about 2 glasses home and only got to it two days later. This had really opened with strong black cherry coming out on the nose and palate. Tart juiciness helps liven up the palate. Nothing spectacular but I would wait if I had another bottle for at least a couple years.
Took about 2 glasses home and only got to it two days later. This had really opened with strong black cherry coming out on the nose and palate. Tart juiciness helps liven up the palate. Nothing spectacular but I would wait if I had another bottle for at least a couple years.
Red
2004 WesMar Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Served blind. Very ripe fruited aromas showing some VA over grapey pruney primary fruit. Ripe ugly palate that showed like a cheap wine with VA. Jason wondered if it was flawed somehow and judging by the other notes I have to wonder. I didn't notice a 'flaw' as such. It was just ugly.
Flight 4 (2 notes)
Red
2003 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rincon Vineyard
Served blind. A touch of reduction over ripe big black cherry fruit and a touch of heat. Lots of fruit on a big rich juicy palate. Strong black cherry with notes of cinnamon and apple skins. Pushing the boundaries of balance this almost showed like a KB. This was enjoyable and had enough complexity to off set the fat fruit but is showing the '03 vintage. I wouldn't wait much longer on this as I don't think it has to structure to keep it enjoyable as the fruit fades.
Red
2003 Arcadian Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard
Served blind. Cloudy appearance. Nose shows all stem notes. Lean juicy feel with a big finish featuring grapefruit and some bitter tannin.
Flight 5 (1 note)
Red
2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes
Served blind. Sweet nose showing a touch of heat behind notes of wood, cranberry, celery and apple. Big wood flavor on a flat palate with the most tannin I've ever experience in a Pinot. Clean acidic finish with some greenish notes. The tannins soften a bit with air. Ultimately the fruit doesn't stand up to the tannin and acid and you have to wonder if they will allow the fruit to shine through with any time.
Flight 6 (1 note)
Red
2005 Dain Wines Pinot Noir Rebel Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard
Served blind. Ripe and pruney nose. Juicy palate with some grip and plenty of acids. Shows notes of apple, cranberry and grape skins. Nice overall package.