From various events, including a quiet evening at home or two.
2012 Montes Cabernet Sauvignon Alpha Colchagua Valley
A darned good quaffer for $12; at peak.
2011 Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Cabernet Sauvignon Los Vascos Reserve Colchagua Valley
Blackberry fruit, earth and mint. Drinks perfectly for 7 years old and has plenty of life ahead. Just $17.
2010 Tulpen Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
Juicy black cherry fruit with a nice little touch of leather. But it gets a little muddy in the second glass. Time to drink up.
2011 H. Brunier & Fils Ventoux Megaphone Grenache Blend, Grenache
Leathery, peppery grenache fruit and herbs. Not falling apart or anything but it's great now and won't improve from here.
2010 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Griffe du Marquis Gamay
Our last bottle; sad to see them go. Hypnotically pretty, floral nose on sweet blueberry-black raspberry fruit. Drinks well now but has the tannins for continued cellaring. Just beautiful.
2015 Toil Oregon Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Chris Figgins (his father founded Leonetti) has an Oregon project (purchased fruit for now) that he dubs a "cabernet drinker's pinot". Has evolved well and shed the plastic, candyish fruit I remember from a year and a half ago--not IMNSHO a cabernet lover's pinot any more than it was a pinot-lover's pinot. Still rather biggish and one-noted, but now that the fruit has settled down it's certainly more agreeable.
1998 Château Haut-Bergey Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend
The wine drank perfectly upon opening but seemed a bit tired when we got it into the glass an hour later (didn't decant). Hopefully just a less-than-great bottle, as others have been exemplary.
2013 AltO de Cantenac Brown Bordeaux Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
The low average points on CT is undeserved. This is a great example of friendly, balanced and herbaceous white Bordeaux.
2015 Villa Maria Pinot Noir Taylors Pass Marlborough
Supple fruit, plentiful spice, sassafras and other sweet herbs. Medium-bodied. Shows the ripeness of the vintage in all the good ways for current drinking but lacks the stuffing for long-term cellaring.
2013 Figgins Estate Red Wine Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Like the last guy said, "young but outstanding". Volumnous fruit, sturdy tannins, a wine clearly made for the long haul. Should be at least a 15 year wine. Don't own it but if I did wouldn't touch another bottle until 2025.
2014 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill
A superb bottle, nicely evolved. Tastes like no chardonnay from anywhere else.
2008 Domaine Brusset Gigondas Tradition Le Grand Montmirail Red Rhone Blend
Decanted for three hours. Nasty, muddy nose improves slightly with time but not enough to save it. We dumped it.
2013 Darby Syrah Aunt Lee Columbia Valley
August's bottle was awful, opened another to see if that was a one-off or what. This was just like the last one--tart and citric, but this time we put the cork back in and left it to retaste a few days later. Fruit improved and overall there's better mouthfeel, but the wine still isn't ready yet and the oak, which I'm guessing to be American, is very unpleasant.
2013 Calcareous ZSM Paso Robles Red Blend
Pigs must be flying--this is a balanced Paso Robles wine! First ever! About half syrah with 25% ea zinfandel and merlot, the fruits are nicely delineated with appropriate acidity and tannins, no heat. Very nice.
2013 Rabbit Ridge Tempranillo Paso Robles
Back to square one. Heavy, hot and why I hate Paso Robles wines.
2014 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Selection Kiona Estate Red Mountain Red Mountain
Unusual and intriguing notes of madras curry powder and spruce tree amidst the usual cab flavors. Not textbook, but very entertaining.
2014 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Chardonnay Arthur Dundee Hills
This could be my favorite American chardonnay. So perfectly balanced with the kind of minerality you really only find in White Burgundy. If I could afford to drink this every day I'd need no other.
NV Maysara Winery Pinot Noir Momtazi Vineyard Willamette Valley
Ripe strawberry, cinnamon, mace--complex and lively. Pinot Menieur isn't mentioned on the label but there must be quite a bit in here, and I love it for that. Interesting that it's charmat process but has the mouthfeel of real champagne.
