by Jenise » Tue Oct 25, 2016 2:43 pm
2012 Ridge Chardonnay Estate Santa Cruz Mountains
Bold, golden color. Expected to be bothered a little bit by alcohol and ripeness as was the case when we opened another bottle a year ago, but alas the fruit's calmed down, the acid's more evident and the presentation overall quite even and compelling. You've gotta like oak, though.
2005 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Washington
Rob Newsom just might make my favorite Washington wines. This 11 year old cab showed not just new world or old world but maybe a best of both worlds scenario. This one was similar to the last bottle we opened three months ago but everything seemed just a bit more vivid: aging well and perfectly at peak. Juicy bing cherry fruit with graphite and leather, integrated oak and relaxed tannins. Bright and mouth-filling. Will push the 'drink latest' date out to 2020.
2008 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Baby Poux Vineyard Columbia Valley
Blackish purple and opaque. Saturated blackberry and dark cherry fruit with raw maduro cigar tobacco notes, firm tannins and light acidity. Heavy on the palate and finish. Very young, needs more time (did not decant).
2012 Dynasty Cellars Merlot Walla Walla Valley
A gem of a Washington merlot but unabashedly new world. Big and rich, concentrated and plush on the palate. Sees a lot of oak but also gets three years in barrel prior to release for integration.
2011 Azienda Agricola Ronchi di Giancarlo Rocca Barbaresco Nebbiolo
Pretty aromatics of tea and spice. Earl Grey, raspberry, and pomegranate on the palate--no tar yet, but just around the corner. Excellent acidity. Drinks well now without prior decant.
2009 La Pousse d'Or Santenay 1er Cru Clos Tavannes Pinot Noir
Initially: GORGEOUS nose. Spicy and floral, unmistakably Burgundy. Youthful color too so we decant and pour the wine about an hour later. No sediment. First glass a little tarter than the initial sample, with less fruit. Second glass: where's my fruit? Nose is still nice if a little less vivid, but the fruit and spice on the palate has been totally replaced with the flavor of brown paper bag. I've never seen a wine go from sublime to subpar so fast. Not sure what to make of this development, but will put off next bottle until 2018.
2005 Dunham Cellars Syrah Frenchtown Vineyard Columbia Valley
Complex and spicy with just a touch of barnyard and vivid acidity. Very Northern Rhonish and aging well.
2013 Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc Okanagan Valley VQA
Bretty.
2010 Tobias Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Finally an unflawed bottle. Black fruit with some herbal notes and an intriguing moment of caraway seed. Currently tannins and acidity loom a little larger than the fruit but the wine is nonetheless quite drinkable and should improve with further cellaring.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov