WTN: Two Vintages, One Vineyard (Donkey and Goat)

Donkey and Goat made Merlot from a vineyard in Anderson Valley (Blakeman Vineyard), and over the past two weeks we had a chance to try two distinctly different vintages of this wine.

2014: Classic Merlot black plum skin. Still a D&G wine, so some prominent acid. Nice pyrazine ("green pepper") notes for freshness. Fresh and enjoyable version of Merlot.

2013: Completely different. Much less merlot varietal character here. Instead, we get the Donkey and Goat/ "natural wine" flavor profile. Bright cherry rather than plum. No pyrazines present, instead there is the cherry/sour plum with a core of blazing acid. No funkiness per se, but I could not pick this out as "Merlot".

Prefer the 2014, which was delicious and exhibited more Merlotity! Alas, this is their last vintage. The vineyard is just too far away and challenging to work.

[Jenise]

Nice to see someone compliment a green pepper flavor as 'freshness'. I agree, but I love green peppers and am dismayed by how many don't.

You remind me, I need to put up my notes from Bill's last lunch--I took a D & G roussane.

Nice to see someone compliment a green pepper flavor as 'freshness'. I agree, but I love green peppers and am dismayed by how many don't.

You remind me, I need to put up my notes from Bill's last lunch--I took a D & G roussane.

To be honest, I LOOK FOR THIS in Bordeaux varieties! If a cab is only about ripe plum fruit, I am not always very interested in it.

To be honest, that is why I dropped Clos Du Val. The extraction and ripeness seem to be ramping up, and the pyrazines have become more hidden. But I know that this is a minority opinion, and there are wines that take this too far (pyrazines with too much of a sheen of vanilla oak is not a good combination to me!!)

The orange wine is an...interesting one. I read Bill's comment, and it is not an uncommon response. I like the "tea flavored" wines, but frankly they are more "interesting" than offering sheer pleasure!

And I am OK with that at certain times and in small doses!

At the D&G club party this month I switched out the true long term contact orange wine for a five hour skin contact wine (two versions of Pinot Gris were offered).

[Jenise]

I know you do--we've bonded on that before.

Speaking of that we had a 2012 Silverado Estate Grown cab sauv last night. It's a brand I buy on and off, mostly off, but back when Bob and I met and really got into wine together, Silverado was what our favorite little French cafe was pouring and we bonded with the brand (then privately owned, not now I think) as we bonded with each other. Sentimental fools, we occasionally buy a bottle--Bob brought this one home. Lots of green bell pepper, which surprised me for a warm vintage Napa wine, but where some 'green' wines lack fruit and are all savory, this was the perfect intersection of the two with much better body than recent vintages from this brand have had. Loved the character, and it was actually pretty perfect with our tamale dinner that I served with an heirloom pepper salad on the plate (I don't usually put salads on the plate, but this worked like a relish).

Sounds lovely, Jenise