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2004 Colonial Estate Envoy "GSM"
NOTES POSTED!
Pinot #2
The bar goes up a little bit. This wine is showing much better. Good acid and a fair amount of structure. I think shows good potential for a number of years. (2, 2, 1 = 17) points 2005
Pinot #3
Nose is showing much more candied than the previous two wines. Caramel and bubble gum. Good purity through the middle but the finish seems to dry out. (0, 0, 2 = 2 points) 2005 Kenwood RRV
Pinot #4
Lots of hey on the nose. Not in a bad way…but a good way .. hey. Big red fruit and big juicy acidity. Things do not seem to be integrated to me. (2, 0, 2 = 12 points) 2005 Alma Rosa La Encantada SRH (my 3rd)
Wine #5
The aromatics imply some whole cluster. Nice although there was an element of stewed tomatoes that I wasn’t crazy about. On the front palate you get big fruit but it is completely overshadowed by the massive oak. The finish is vanilla ice cream. A very tasty wine but I do not think I could drink more than one glass at this time. If the oak integrates and becomes less sweet, this wine could be a blockbuster. At this stage monolithic. (2, 2, 0 = 16 points) 2005 Miner Rosella’s SLH. (my 2nd) I could not believe this was SLH … let alone Rosella’s
Mystery White #2
Flowery aromatics. Great. The wine showed very sweet fruit. Not really like RS but very sweet. A nice wine. I was sure it was Alsatian. Once I found out it was Cali Chard I was sure it was the Novy Rosella’s...as the foil was being removed I stood up and walked away in all my pompousness. I was right! … ha ha … I was wrong … It was the 2006 Novy Chardonnay Keefer. This wine was very well liked. This was the 06 right?...or was it the 05?
Post Script
Since I brought the Anden, I thought I should do some further tasting. I took it home along with the Alma Rosa. It did show better but very different from anything else we tasted. It showed a little more complexity but ultimately with St Innocent’s track record, I think it will need more time. The Alma Rosa on the other hand was no longer pleasant to me. It was bubble gum city. I could not take the sweetness after a day of trying 7 wines. My wife on the other hand liked the flavor explosion brought on by the acidity a loads of fruit. I stuck to the SI.
Post Post Script
The Cali Pinots showed a lot more sweetness than the 2 Oregonians.
Mystery White: Grassy nose. Lots going on. Melon, tropical fruit (pineapple) and of course cat pee. Dietz surely knew this was sauvignon blanc. He was pretty much right. 2005 Vision White Wine (80% SB from
2006
2001 Ridge Syrah/Grenache (50/50): Opinions went back and forth on this one. At first the nose seemed oxidized. The palate seemed nice but simple. Complexity never seemed to increase but with the food this started to shine. I took this wine home. By the evening this wine became more flabby and oaky. Not sure what happened. I don’t think I would wait any longer on this one. (1 first place vote, 3 second place votes, 1 third place vote = 15 points … SECOND PLACE)
2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel: Not one of the favorites. Hard to figure out. Interesting aromatics but the palate was very sweet. Sweet and sour to be more accurate. No one was looking to take this home. I think it was out shined by its companions. (NO VOTES)
2004 Alcina Syrah Gabrielli (
2004 Radio-Coteau Syrah Timbervine (RRV): I thought this wine would clean up in this tasting. After loving the 03 I was waiting on this one. At first the nose was showing something (so2 or co2 any of the 02s) … sorry don’t know the correct descriptor … but it was there. That blew off quickly and the wine should nicely … but it was just unsure whether it should be a big bruiser or a kindly gentleman. With air time I thought the wine started to shut down. Nice structure but just not sure if it has the stuffing and acid to go the long haul. But a nice wine. I brought this one home and the wood seemed to become more prominent. (1 second place vote, 1 third place vote = 4 points)
2004
Starters:
2002 Pax Hillsides (
1995 Von Strasser Cabernet Sauvignon (
1997 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon Kronos Vineyard (
Mystery White: A nice “racy” wine. Grassy elements along with rich fruits. Oily mid-palate. A very nice wine … and I forgot to right down what it was … Dietz?
Now onto the Blind Cabs (2002-2005...Jim messed up the theme)Wine #1: Lots of fruit on the nose. Lots of chocolate on the palate. Finishes with heat but overall pretty nice. 2003
Wine #2: Not much on the nose. Lots of red fruit on the palate. Finishes with solid tannin and acid. Needs time. 2003 Karl Lawrence (Votes: 2nd = 1, 3rd = 2 – 4 Points = tied for 4th) I think this wine will improve with time and rise above some of the others.
Wine #3: Didn’t know what to make of this at first. Not much on the nose. Palate is a bit green. Some earth but then finishes with heat. 2002 Waterstone Rumor has it that this is made from declassified Harlan Fruit. If it is true…we know why it was declassified. (Votes: Zero)
Wine #4: Nose is showing nicely. Seems to foretell a restrained cab. Nice on the palate. I thought it was showing oak. Good structure and the wine worked well. Long finish. 2003 R-Collection (Raymond) (Votes: 2nd = 3 – 6 Points = 2nd place)
Wine #5: Aromatics are light but what it is showing is big. Fair amount of concentration on this thing. A simple and straight forward cab. Finish hot and short. 2004 Ramsay ($9.99) (Votes: Zero) I stuck this in there to see how it would do. Nice value.
Wine # 6: Big and ripe. Lots of fruit and oak but then a slight touch of green pepper. Not bad but seemed a little out of balance. 2005 NHL All Star (Made by Miner for the NHL All Star game) (Votes: 1st = 1, 3rd = 1 – 4 points = tied for 4th)
Wine # 7: Wow. The nose immediately sets this apart. Melisa smelled sea salt which hurt the wine for her. I love it. Very approachable but still tons of structure. Lots earth and leather on the palate but it is all covered with nice fruit and acid. Way more interesting and showing more complexity than anything on the table. On the finish there is lots of tannin and wood. 2002 Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate (Votes: 1st = 3, 2nd = 1 – 11 points = 1st place) I had been waiting to taste this in a blind setting after Laube’s asinine rating of 72 points. As it should have in this lineup, it really stood out. Although I was actually surprised a young Montelena was showing so well. Clearly a little more hedonistic than usual.
Mystery White: A very nice wine that no one picked … until Gerry said “you talkin about the Chenin” :-) 2005 Ken Forrester Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch
2006 Hug
On to the Old Zins…
1993 Ridge Lytton Springs: Still showing signs of life. Not exactly Zin like at this stage but drinking well with food at this stage.
1998 Rosenblum Richard Sauret Vineyard: Its best days are behind it.
1999 Franus Brandlin Vineyard: Again, this wine was really enjoyable about 5 years ago. More proof that the new full throttle Zins need to be drank young.
1999 Joseph Swan Mancini Ranch Mt Olivet RRV: Drinking nicely. More delicate and juicy. Nice acidity.
On to the 2004 Blind Zins…(notes by Darren)
Frogs Leap -- fleeting, white pepper, acid/grip, nice finish with the Humbolt Fog cheese, smoother on the revisit; balanced; tannins
Ridge Panzo (RRV) – “cabby”; “oaky”; silky/velvet; slightly darker in color than #1; tannins, very tart
Thackrey Pleiades XV – Unique nose (a hint of “tar”; almost “pinot” like); lighter color; hot; ripe fruits; metallic; “slutty yet nice” (Gerry) …My bad. I tried to slip in something that with throw everyone for a loop…but I thought there was at least some Zin in there. Well it had everything but Zin :-) Nice wine though. Kind of like a really clean CdP (J)
Ridge Paso Robles Dusi Ranch – pruny; riper fruits; tannins; balanced (front/middle/finish); rich and tart; complement to BBQ ribs; American oak; lingering finish … I really thought this wine was cooked (J)
Thanks Darren!
The clear winner was the
I took a couple of pictures but the turned out blurry…maybe my camera forgot to spit J
After this tasting I am firmly of the opinion that Zin is at it’s very best when young. I really love older Zins that are made in a leaner style but the full throttle Zins just get hot and pruny. Zins like the Swan and Ridge become more
Cheers!
Jason
This is something I had previously posted on my other blog. I think it an important aspect of tasting and enjoying wine. Cheers, J
I had been meaning to write a post on “acid” with regards to wine. Well Robin Garr did it for me. I think he does great job of explaining acid in wine. If you have any interest in wine, I recommend reading this and then experimenting. Try a wine before you begin to eat and then have it with you meal. See the effect of food on your wine. I like to open two different wines, maybe a pinot noir from
Jason
Enjoy!
Jason