Monday night the BacchusBadBoys got together for a BYOB tasting:
1. Lakehouse PinotNoir AmberRidgeVnyd Reserve (http://www.LakehouseWines.com; 14.3%) 2007: Med.color; fragrant/very perfumed black cherry/cherry/Pinot slight trumpet valve oil very light pencilly/oak slight mushroomy lovely nose; tart quite spicy/cherry/black cherry/Pinot bright smooth/elegant light pencilly/oak flavor; long smooth/elegant bright cherry/black cherry/Pinot very aromatic finish w/ light tannins; a lovely bright/elegant Pinot w/ lots of laser-sharp Pinot fruit; much in the style of Radio-Coteau. $40.00
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2. Siduri AmberRidge/RRVlly PinotNoir (14.3%) 2007: Med.light color; strong toasty/pencilly/oak/classic Siduri slight licorice/black cherry/Pinot bigger/deeper/richer/lusher nose; soft rich/lush/round strong black cherry/Pinot/licorice some pungent/toasty/oak/pencilly rich/lush flavor w/ some tannins; long rich/lush strong black cherry/Pinot strong pencilly/toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs yet. $43.00
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3. RobertMondavi NapaVlly CabernetSauvignon Reserve (13.5%; Unfltrd) 1994: Med.dark color w/ little bricking; strong cedary/Fr.oak/tobaccoy/pungent classic NapaVlly/Cab/blackcurranty some herbal/dusty nose; rich rather herbal/blackcurranty/Cab strong toasty/cedary/tobaccoy/Fr.oak flavor w/ fair tannins; long rather herbal some blackcurranty/Cab strong cedary/tobaccoy/oak finish w/ fair tannins; still needs another 4-8 yrs; a classic NapaVlly Cab.
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4. PeterMichael LaCarriere KnightsVlly/SonomaCnty Chard (14.6%) 2006: Med.gold color; intense ripe/pineapply/melony/Chard very spicy/nutmeg/cinammon/oak big/lush fruit nose; soft very lush/rich intense pineapply/ripe/melony/Chard very spicy/nutmeg strong toasty/oak flavor; very long intense ripe/pineapply/melony/Chard strong toasty/Fr.oak spicy/nutmeg finish; my first PeterMichael and I liked it quite a bit; a sort of old-timey Calif Chard that mordern critics love to rail against; lots of oak but very intense fruit behind it.
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5. Corullon DdO: Bierzo Descendiente de J.Palacios (13.5%) 1999: Very drak color; very strong earthy/dusty slight blackberry some Fr.oak/toasty complex boysenberry/licorice nose; tart rather hard/tannic strong earthy/blackberry/boysenberry/dusty strong toasty/Fr.oak flavor; long tannic/hard strong toasty/Fr.oak very dusty/earthy some boysenberry/licorice pungent finish; lots of earthy/dusty character w/ some fruit underneath; pretty hard & tannic and needs more age.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Lakehouse: New wine for me. Brought by JimGoolsby who got it thru a friend. Made by ChrisBrachter of Chatanooga. The SanFrancisco address on the label suggests it was made at MichaelBrill's CrushPad. Chris is a fan of JoeDavis/Arcadia who offered guidance on its production. Chris has since moved his winemaking down to SantaMaria. Not yet released.
The wine is lovely drinking w/ loads of bright Pinot fruit and quite drinkable for an '07. Lovely stuff.
Tom