2005 Westry Oracle Vineyard Pinot Noir

From Oregon, we had the 2006 in Nantucket, and I found this bottle in my cellar tonight, so I thought I would try it. I am thoroughly disappointed and am not enjoying it. First off, this Pinot is a little acidic and is making my tummy hurt. On the nose, it is hot, and has an aroma of wet green leaves, dirty soil, and shitake?

On the tongue, no fruit, with hints of wet cigar and cedar, more than firm tannins, and an unpleasant finish. It is a pity because I really love their Willamette Valley bottling and could drink it all day.

2005 Ch. Miraval Coteaux Varois en Provence

From the Rolle grape, this wine could be passing its prime. Fading citrus hints with round floral notes. Much better last summer, but not a big seller at BONDA. I think there are two bottles left, which I will mostly take off the list.

2005 Music Savignon

We had this Sauvignon Blanc down a the beach last week. Flavors of grapefruit are fading with lemon zest, and floral notes. Jamie thinks it is fading and I am inclined to agree.

2006 Cantina Tramin Gerwurztraminer

From Alto Adige, the beloved border region of Italy, this Gewurztraminer is the entry level Gerwurzt for Tramin, and I think it is the bees knees. I first had this wine at Pasta Nostra, when we also had their Pinot Nero. I ordered a few cases for BONDA the next day.

At first sip, a little viscous, with rose petals, pineapple and guava on the nose and a touch of spicy white pepper. Courtenay gets grapefruit and lavender on her palate, which I disagree with - but she is entitled to her opinion. We do agree on a stargazer lilly fragrance - not overwhelming, but comforting.

After awhile, the viscosity gives way to a touch of acidity, and round flavors of anise, rubber plant, petroleum jelly, and citrus zest. These are all very pleasant tastes, and I highly recommend this wine.

2006 Westry Oracle Vineyard Pinot Noir

So tonight we have a very special event. Jim, Jamie and myself are all together working very hard to taste wines for BONDA.

While Jamie and Jim work on grilling BBQ chicken, I am making a risotto of Bartlett Farms cherry tomatoes, and arugula. First up, this Dundee Hills Pinot from Westry.

Dirty socks on the nose at first, opening to a field after a rain filled with red berries. Leather, cedar and a touch of spice finish out the profile. On the tongue, a bit tannic and acidic. Firm earth, good structure. A little young though.

Jamie thinks we should go back to it after awhile.

2003 Ch. St. Jean Cinq Cepages

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot from Sonoma.

A friend brought this bottle over a few weeks ago to compare to a bunch of '00 and '03 Bordeaux.

I liked this blend a lot more than I expected. Big fruit, but actually had a bit of balance. A bit too young, but tasty.

2003 Panther Creek Shea Vineyard

I opened a bottle of this Oregon Pinot on New Year's Eve for the Big Battle of Pinot from around the world. Everyone gave it a favorable review. Tonight my wife was drinking a glass of white (Ramey Sonoma Coast Chardonay) so I decided to look for a red to go with our curry, and found this bottle.

Off the bat, really tight, tannic and showing little fruit. I let it rest for awhile and came back to bright cherry (I hate that descrip), with some wild dark red berries, and notes of spice. The tannins dance in and out. Harsh one sip, mellow the next. The Tikka Chicken Curry was a little spicy, with an Algerian Cous Cous of sauteed yellow squash, garlic, asparagus and peas. Possibly not the best pairing, but it worked OK.

I let the wine sit for a little longer. Candied blackberries, leather, developed, following on the tongue - totally fruitier wine with the firm tannins supporting. Definitely can go in the bottle for another 5 years, and in the glass a few hours.

Checking back in, still the big fruit, but not goby and gooey like a Napa Cab. Little oak (probably the least of all the Panther Creeks) developing a vegetal /forrest floor quality - not Bordeaux like - but totally groovy, laid back Oregon style Pinot wet newspaperish. Still has the cherry edge, and stabilizing tannins.

I look forward to trying the '04s and '05s I have.

2004 Cianferoni Doccio a Matteo

Please see my review of the 2001 to see the personal history of this wine.

So after loving the 2001, I ordered a case for BONDA, only to be delivered the 2004. Jamie and I drank a bottle in May, but it was nowhere near ready to drink. Luckily I arranged with Colman to get a few bottles of the 2001 and traded him 3 2004s.

Anyway, I grabbed a bottle of the 2004 to see if it was ready, and it sort of is. I didn't decant it, but poured a glass and let it sit for about and hour. One the nose, wafts of alcohol, black plum, black pepper, with high notes of elderberry. On the tongue, tight tannins, with rich fruit.

The tannins really need to settle on this vintage. It went well with the bolognese I made, but on its own, it is way too tight.

Needs to sit for 2 years probably as the 2001 is now drinking awesomely!

2007 Gerard Schueller Vin De Table

Man, I love this wine. I have been a fan of Schueller's for many years. His Gewurztraminer,Pinot Blanc, and Rieslings have been favorites of mine for many years, however the past few vintages have not been to my liking - both single vineyard varietals and his blends.

This table wine though, hits the mark.

100% Pinot Blanc, and imported by the fountainhead, Mark couldn't stop gushing about this reasonably priced wine. I bought a few bottles and have cracked them here and there.

On the nose, floral without being overbearing, with hints of white pepper. Light and crisp, on the palate with a nice viscosity, and a touch of sweetness are the first impressions. Big grip on the tongue, with slight tannins, adding to a complex mid-palate, and a touch of minerality.

A must buy for the end of the summer that will last a few years. Will be great in the cold weather with a cheesy fondue. I would love to get it for BONDA.

Thank You To All My Readers

Thank you to all my 277 unique visitors this month (225 from the United States). Just a quick breakdown of where you are coming from:

21% California;
13% New York;
8.9% Connecticut;
8.3% Oregon;
8.2% Washington.

Very interesting stats. I use Quantcast, which I highly recommend for looking at traffic. They have great breakdowns.

It is great to see so many people reading my blog and commenting. Please feel free to add your thoughts to any wines I have reviewed - either yeah or nay.

Everyone's palate is different, and I have never said I have the best one. Wine is meant to be shared and evoke passion. Look at these comments for my negative post about Thumbprint Pinot that got people talking about how much they love the wine.

Keep sharing!

1998 Quintarelli Valpolicella

To start of, this is one of the wines that really got me excited about Valpolicella. Tony from the fountainhead and fat cat gave me a bottle of the 1996, and I have been smitten ever since. Unfortunately, the wine took a sharp upswing in price for the '97 and '98 vintages, so we were not able to buy a lot of it for BONDA. I still have a few bottle which I bring out from time to time.

My friend Jay (also Godfather to Cooper) was passing through, and after a pathetic golf game, I made a quick pasta of cauliflower and cherry tomatoes. I did a quick pass of my cellar, and saw a bottle of the Quintarelli, and thought it would be a perfect compliment.

At first, it was a little medicinal, with tight tannins and a bit acidic. It turned totally awesome after I decanted it for 45 mins of so. I hate to say it, but bicycle tire on the nose, with hints of mocha, cherry, plum jam, yeast developing into pure pleasure on the palate. Difficult to describe, with touches of linseed oil, alcohol, sandal wood, allspice and pink peppercorn.

Jay described it as a "dirty" wine, but I would equate that to rustic and old world. To recreated the pasta, saute onions, garlic and cauliflower with a bit of red pepper flakes. 1/2 cherry tomatoes, and cook down til there is a nice sauce. Toss with whole wheat pasta and parmesan.

2005 Ken Wright Pinot Blanc

I've been sitting on the last bottle of this Oregon Pinot Blanc for awhile, thinking it would fatten up and enrich. It has, however, turned very interestingly different than I imagined. Overwhelming taste of alcoholic dry cold sake, with big flavors of cucumber, honeydew melon with a crisp pineapple-y finish.

The nose hints of something richer with notes of butterscotch and hyacinth that the palate just does not deliver. I liked it much better as a really young wine with potential than a 3 year old that tastes like a sake. It could keep changing. I honestly think I hid a bottle somewhere that I look forward to finding some day.

2003 Domaine Serene Chardonnay Cote Sud Vineyard

This Oregon Chard is one of our favorites that I have been saving for a couple of years. Not for anything in particular, but we burned through about 10 bottles in two years, and I wanted to see how it would age, considering it is oft compared to a Grand Cru Burgundy.

Court recognized the bottle when I pulled it out and got excited. I cracked the top, poured a little sip and was disappointed. Either it was a cooked bottle or the wine was past its prime. I'm hanging onto the hope that it was just an off bottle. I down played my disappointment, but Court recognized right away it wasn't what she expected and almost spit it out.

Cry cry, wah wah. I think we drank half of it anyway before opening something else.

2006 Denner Vineyard Theresa

I believe this is Denner's signature white blend: 73% Roussanne and 27% Viognier. It is pretty awesome, and just gets better as it breathes and evolves. A classic Rhone blend that smells like grapes grown in limestone rich soil. Saffron on the nose and following on the palate with a full mouth feel and tart finish - hints of baby aspirin which Court agreed with.

Great example of what a talent can do to interesting grapes in Central California. I drank with wine with a chipotle spiked gazpacho with shrimp and avocado. It really tamed the spice, and the tomato really brought out an interesting depth of flavor in the blend.

Buy it if you can find it and hold onto it for a few years. Great now, but can go interesting places.

2005 Denner Vineyard Syrah

My college friend, Brian Denner, makes this Syrah for his family vineyard in Paso Robles. I have had the 2002, which was made by a different winemaker, but never one that Brian has crafted (2003 and beyond). They started growing and selling grapes, then built a state of the art winemaking facility and tasting room (only seen the pics). Brian came on after stints at Kingston Vineyards, Peachy Canyon, Williams Seylem and others.

I had this wine with Sam Kingston a few months back during a GSM Central Coast wine tasting, but wanted to write about it with a fresh palate. Jim, my father-in-law was in town two weeks ago and we cracked a bottle at BONDA. Unfortunately no Denner wine is sold in CT, but sometimes the Wine Library has it for sale.

On the nose, sweet rubber plant, windex and wild blackberry. "Definitely wild" was one of Jim's comments as he looked at the color and viscosity in the light. "Really good. Can we get any of this?" was his next comment. I have always thought Denner is a great American Syrah, with a nod to the French. New Worldish in style with big jammy fruit but more complexity than 95% of American wines.

Flavors of roasted plum, hints of fig intermingled with bitterness, mellow tannins, and an edge of baby powder. I have 1 bottle left of the 2005, and two of 2002, which I am reserving for Connecticut College graduates.

07.11.08 / 2003 Drew Syrah Rodney and Lardner Vineyard

As I have mentioned before, Drew is one of my all time favorite Syrah producers. I have been eying this 2003 for awhile, and decided to crack it a few weeks ago, jotting down some notes and stuffing them in the back pocket of a pair of pants. I put on said pants last night and found a crinkled washed envelope, with some notes scribbled on the back.

Totally awesome. Buttered blackberry. Pepper leather on the nose. Hints of allspice and clove.

If you can find any of this wine, I would recommend buying it, and drinking it. It will probably last for another 5 to 8 years, but is really good now. Oh yeah, only 80 cases were made.