WTN: A Friday Night Melange

Quite a variety of samplings tonight

2004 Maquis Lien )Chile) (Syrah Blend) I was surprised by how much I liked this multi varietal blend. It was basically soft, dark fruit in character with some good savory and peppery notes. Multiple layers of flavor without being too "sweet." Very smooth and elegant. Maybe pretty oaky, but this is one of the better Chilean wines I've had. The sub-$20 price is pretty nice, also. 88 points

2006 Roessler Cellars Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard (Santa Rita Valley). This was a very nice California Pinot. See...there are exceptions. Very, very earthy, with a dark roasted character, forest floor, mushrooms, and black cherry. Despite the notes here http://www.roesslercellars.com/wines/vi ... ectha.html
I don't see cola as a dominant flavor here. While there is certainly fruit, this does not have that candied character I find unpleasant in Cali Pinots. Very nice, but also $40. It's probably worth it, but more than I wanted to spend tonight. I will probably go back for this bottling. Sanford and Benedict was one of the featured vineyards in this month's Wine News magazine. I can see why. 92 points.

2006 Three Saints Santa Ynez Valley Syrah This is quite a blast of black pepper, olive, and herbs, along with the blackberry and blueberry fruit. Black Pepper is one of my favorite flavor profiles (especially in a Syrah), so I was digging this wine. Only ding is the finish is a bit bitter. For $20, how can you go wrong? 90 points.

I need to explore more Santa Barbara county wines. I quite enjoyed them.

We also tried a cab franc -based Bordeaux Blend from "Happy Canyon." This was a 2007 bottling and was quite discombobulated. On the nose, there was a blast of quite unpleasant candied berry fruit. On the palate, the candied fruit also came through, but was not as dominant. There was instead an intriguing herbacious savoryness tobacco character that speaks of Bordeaux peaking through pretty prominently. BV Coastal and Beringer Founders' Estate (similar price point wines) don't have that character at all, and it is quite nice. This wine was like a strange collision of Old World and New World wine making. Will it integrate in a year or two? It's a $15 wine, so how much aging can be expected? Hard to score this wine right now. Maybe 79 right now, with an upside potential of 86????

2004 Maquis Lien )Chile) (Syrah Blend) I was surprised by how much I liked this multi varietal blend.

Brian, do you know what the other grapes were by any chance?

Hmmm. http://www.wine.com/V6/Maquis-Lien-2004 ... etail.aspx

Carmenere is the other big piece (23%), along with Malbec and Petit Verdot.

Not a purist wine at all...I'm sure it is somewhat industrial in nature. Still...I thought it tasted really good.

Thanks, Brian. Tasting good is the only requirement I have of wine!

Quite a variety of samplings tonight

2004 Maquis Lien )Chile) (Syrah Blend) I was surprised by how much I liked this multi varietal blend. It was basically soft, dark fruit in character with some good savory and peppery notes. Multiple layers of flavor without being too "sweet." Very smooth and elegant. Maybe pretty oaky, but this is one of the better Chilean wines I've had. The sub-$20 price is pretty nice, also. 88 points

2006 Roessler Cellars Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard (Santa Rita Valley). This was a very nice California Pinot. See...there are exceptions. Very, very earthy, with a dark roasted character, forest floor, mushrooms, and black cherry. Despite the notes here http://www.roesslercellars.com/wines/vi ... ectha.html
I don't see cola as a dominant flavor here. While there is certainly fruit, this does not have that candied character I find unpleasant in Cali Pinots. Very nice, but also $40. It's probably worth it, but more than I wanted to spend tonight. I will probably go back for this bottling. Sanford and Benedict was one of the featured vineyards in this month's Wine News magazine. I can see why. 92 points.

2006 Three Saints Santa Ynez Valley Syrah This is quite a blast of black pepper, olive, and herbs, along with the blackberry and blueberry fruit. Black Pepper is one of my favorite flavor profiles (especially in a Syrah), so I was digging this wine. Only ding is the finish is a bit bitter. For $20, how can you go wrong? 90 points.

I need to explore more Santa Barbara county wines. I quite enjoyed them.

We also tried a cab franc -based Bordeaux Blend from "Happy Canyon." This was a 2007 bottling and was quite discombobulated. On the nose, there was a blast of quite unpleasant candied berry fruit. On the palate, the candied fruit also came through, but was not as dominant. There was instead an intriguing herbacious savoryness tobacco character that speaks of Bordeaux peaking through pretty prominently. BV Coastal and Beringer Founders' Estate (similar price point wines) don't have that character at all, and it is quite nice. This wine was like a strange collision of Old World and New World wine making. Will it integrate in a year or two? It's a $15 wine, so how much aging can be expected? Hard to score this wine right now. Maybe 79 right now, with an upside potential of 86????

Brian,

I tasted through the Roessler line-up yesterday at Pinot Days. I totally agree with your note on the Sanford and Benedict. Also, I really enjoyed their "Red Label" from Sonoma County which retails in the mid-$20's..

[Jenise]

Quite a variety of samplings tonight

2004 Maquis Lien )Chile) (Syrah Blend) I was surprised by how much I liked this multi varietal blend. It was basically soft, dark fruit in character with some good savory and peppery notes. Multiple layers of flavor without being too "sweet." Very smooth and elegant. Maybe pretty oaky, but this is one of the better Chilean wines I've had. The sub-$20 price is pretty nice, also. 88 points

2006 Roessler Cellars Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard (Santa Rita Valley). This was a very nice California Pinot. See...there are exceptions. Very, very earthy, with a dark roasted character, forest floor, mushrooms, and black cherry. Despite the notes here http://www.roesslercellars.com/wines/vi ... ectha.html
I don't see cola as a dominant flavor here. While there is certainly fruit, this does not have that candied character I find unpleasant in Cali Pinots. Very nice, but also $40. It's probably worth it, but more than I wanted to spend tonight. I will probably go back for this bottling. Sanford and Benedict was one of the featured vineyards in this month's Wine News magazine. I can see why. 92 points.

2006 Three Saints Santa Ynez Valley Syrah This is quite a blast of black pepper, olive, and herbs, along with the blackberry and blueberry fruit. Black Pepper is one of my favorite flavor profiles (especially in a Syrah), so I was digging this wine. Only ding is the finish is a bit bitter. For $20, how can you go wrong? 90 points.

I need to explore more Santa Barbara county wines. I quite enjoyed them.

We also tried a cab franc -based Bordeaux Blend from "Happy Canyon." This was a 2007 bottling and was quite discombobulated. On the nose, there was a blast of quite unpleasant candied berry fruit. On the palate, the candied fruit also came through, but was not as dominant. There was instead an intriguing herbacious savoryness tobacco character that speaks of Bordeaux peaking through pretty prominently. BV Coastal and Beringer Founders' Estate (similar price point wines) don't have that character at all, and it is quite nice. This wine was like a strange collision of Old World and New World wine making. Will it integrate in a year or two? It's a $15 wine, so how much aging can be expected? Hard to score this wine right now. Maybe 79 right now, with an upside potential of 86????

Brian,

I tasted through the Roessler line-up yesterday at Pinot Days. I totally agree with your note on the Sanford and Benedict. Also, I really enjoyed their "Red Label" from Sonoma County which retails in the mid-$20's..

I've not had a Roessler pinot yet, but I'm in love with their chardonnays. Or at least, the Alder Springs Emerald Pond Block. I know they make others.

Thanks guys. I will check these out. I'd always seen the Roessler headquarters, which is basically a small Tudoresque style house just off the Sonoma Plaza and had always wondered about the company. I had assumed they were basically Castle Rock level plonk. (I'm sorry...maybe I'm a snob, but I just don't like Castle Rock wines! )