It was our annual Derby day wine party…topped off with the usual mint julep. A lot of great wines but I’ll just point out some highlights. Thankfully there were very few low lights…just a corked 1997 Thackrey Orion.
2006 Kosta Browne Rose of Pinot: Another great KB Rosé. Great BBQ wine. Great aromatics and a nice amount of complexity. I think I slightly preferred the Kutch but this is right up there.
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Rueling Vineyard: Big and buttery. In line with Aubert but this seemed to be smoother and slightly more velvety than I remember it last time. Very nice. Just enough acid and white fruit to balance the richness.
1997 Williams Seylem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast: For a 10 year appellation wine…pretty good. Really nice fruit but there is alcohol on the nose and a touch on the finish. Very simple but nice.
.
2004 Joseph Swan Pinot Noir Cuvee de Trois RRV: A beauty. Young. Red fruit with what seems to be some stem inclusion. Earthy meaty elements. Really nice and a great bargin. $23 … are you kidding me…great stuff.
2004 WesMar Pinot Noir RRV: Starting to open up. Pretty red fruits and a fair amount of structure. A touch of citrus running through. Again seems like stem inclusion. Not for those that don’t like that profile. I love it. More pure fruit than the Swan but similar aromatics. Still needs a year or two.
2004 Margerum Syrah Alondra de los Prados Vineyard: A big syrah but still nice balance. A great wine for early consumption.
2005 Margerum Syrah Alodra de los Prados Vineyard: 50% whole cluster IIRC. A complete baby. Just bottled. Love it. Much more in a Rhone vein than the 04. The nose says Santa Ynez but the flavors say Rhone. … SECOND DAY UPDATE! I think the palate says Cali too. Really nice. Love the balance and the aromatics are out of this world. You’ve got to love the smell of freshly bottled syrah.
2003 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon: Nice. A winner. I have only had a few Tognis but this was definitely my favorite. Layers of flavors with light acidity.
1985 Joseph Phelps Insignia: Drinking well but showing its age. Not falling apart but for many I think it would be heading to far away from the fruit. The fruit is aging but the tannins seem resolved so it still works really well.
2003 Araujo Syrah Eisele Vineyard: I have only had Araujo Syrah a few times but this one proved to me … I’d like to have it more often. Great aromatics. Awesome fruit with pepper and flowers. Lavender comes to mind. Still uninvolved but nice.
2000 La Conseillante Pomeral: Okay. This is killer. Maybe the best 2000 I have had…although I haven’t yet drank much. But this is already showing well. Hope to have again someday.
Not a bad day at the races…well my betting was no peach but the wines kept me smiling.
Peace,
Jason
