2003 St. Innocent Pinot Noir White Rose Vineyard

Once again, my wife has abandoned me and our two sons, Cooper and Gray. I am supposed to be at BONDA for the 1st Fairfield County Wine Tasting Appreciation Society dinner, however due to a scheduling mix-up, I am with the boys and Court is with her girls at a birthday dinner at the Fat Cat.

As Cooper dances to Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack, I am cracking a bottle of my favorite Pinot, the White Rose Vineyard bottling for Oregon producer, St. Innocent. This is a very special wine for me as it is the first Oregon Pinot Noir I had where I realized that this was my thing. I had drunk some Benton Lane, and few other so so producers and liked Oregon Pinot, but the 2002 St. Innocent White Rose really made me say, YES, this is what I like in a Pinot Noir.

I bought a case of 2003 and have two or three bottles left.

10.02.08: I was so disappointed with this wine after all the build-up that I couldn't finish this post. I think I had a dead bottle. It wasn't bad, but it had no life.

09/23/08: Westry Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir 2006

As a follow-up to my previous posting on our new Westry aquisitions for BONDA, here are my notes from the Abbey Ridge:

almost no nose, too young? Jim says "good table wine". slowly developing, little medicinal, with tight tannins.

If I recall, this was the 2nd Birthday Dinner for Jim (F-I-L) in Nantucket with Jamie, Kim, Court, Mellie (M-I-L). We decided to put the Abbey Ridge on hold, and went to the Oracle, then decided on opening a third wine (we were at home and not going anywhere). I didn't take any more notes on the Pinots, but we did enjoy them, however they are still too young for BONDA. One wine we did open was a Queen of Hearts Merlot that was a gift from the Cooper's neighbors. It looked very interesting as a small producer from Mendicino (I think). Unfortunately, it was corked!

2002 Rafferty's Rules Angels Share Shiraz

This is a bit of a cheater post, as I opened a bottle of this Shiraz for a friend, Hillary, who wanted a glass of red wine - and I did not want to drink. I have been sitting on this bottle for a few months, waiting to try it again. It is on the list at BONDA for about $30 and I have always thought it is a great deal. The distributor had been trying to get rid of this vintage to make way for the '03 and was selling it at bargain basement pricing!

Here is my write up from the wine list:

From McClaren Vale, Australia, this Shiraz is blended from three of my favorite sources down under: McClaren Vale, Heathcote, and Langhorne Creek. From the producer: “the ultimate hedonistic expression of Shiraz. Velvety smooth, rich and spicy, packed with blackberry and plum flavours framed by the judicious use of oak. This vintage retains the family identity of Rafferty’s Shiraz – pleasure.”

The "Angel's Share" refers to the portion lost evaporation due to barrel maturation. A few winemakers use this designate for their wines, however I always thought it was the wine at the top of the barrel - which is almost true.

Anyway, I have a little bit of a cold, so this wine tastes (to me) like eucalyptus, Robitussin DM, big black cherry, black plum, medium tannins (but not enough to support the fruit) with a long alcoholic finish. Could definitely use more time in the bottle to mellow these flavors. My friend tastes none of this in her glass, and thinks the wine is divine. Jamie is coming over later, so I will save him a glass, and see how off my palate really is!

2002 Ruston Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Ruston the only Napa Cab we have on the wine list at BONDA right now. We just like it. It has big fruit, anchored with some oak, and character which a lot of Californian wines do not seem to have and a fantastically long finish and we can sell it for $74. We are on the '04 at the restaurant, but my father-in-law still has a few bottles of the case of '02 he bought in 2006.

He grilled a ribeye, which really made the wine sing. It is still a big monster, and can sit for years, but the tannins have mellowed - lots of anise, blackberry, charred oak, with hints of earth and soil. Totally delish.

Please Comment if You Have Any Thoughts

I am trying to improve this blog. Please comment if you have any thoughts on how I could do so, and I will try to add any functionality I can.

I took off the advertising - I made about $0.48 cents in 6 months - not that the point was to make money, but it was an experiment.

I am trying to take bottle pics with a real camera instead of my iPhone - but not always the case. Sam asked for better pics since he is into the labels, so when I can, I do.

I started a Twitter feed @365Wines if you would like to follow - please do so.

I started a Tumblr for 365Wines as well, although I haven't updated it yet. I am looking for a way to write blog posts from my iPhone. I think Tumblr can take text messages, and I also started a Posterous for 365Wines, although I haven't used it yet. If there was some way to feed it all into this blog - email, text and web posts.

I'm sure this technology exists, I just haven't figured it out yet.

Thank you for your input.

Cheers!

2004 Syzygy Columbia Valley Red Wine

This is my review for the BONDA wine list: From Walla Walla, Washington, this blend of Cab Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Malbec is their third vintage, and I think their best. With a beautiful nose of Pacific Northwest red fruit and forrest floor, following on the tongue with slightly sweet hints of raspberry popsicle and alcohol that quickly burn off to reveal lush, richly developed dark fruit. A great Washington “starter” wine.

We sell it for 48 bucks, and it is one of my favorite wines on the list. I had a bottle the other night with a turkey meatloaf, paprika spiked mashed potatoes and my in-laws. Big gobs of Pacific Northwest fruit, medium tannins - simply divine. Still could use a few years in the bottle to tame the fruit, but pretty awesome now. I had the 2002 & '03 but didn't think they were "there" just yet. I am very jazzed this wine rocks so hard.

Jim said it is just the type of wine he likes to drink. I agree.

2007 Harkamp Sauvignon Blanc Steil

Yeah, I know what you are thinking, an Austrian Sauvignon Blanc? A little pricier than a Chilean, but cheaper than the same quality in a Californian Sav Blanc. We have it on the list at BONDA for $42 - and it is killer.

Classic ruby red grapefruit /cat pee on the nose with notes of gravely soil. Following on the palate, but with something more…terrior I dare say? A sensible Austrian soul? Citrus and acid on the back palate with a flinty minerality, limestone, peach pit and citrusy starfruit. Long finish with a hint of a bitter edge.

Definitely a wine to try if you see it. Only make a few hundred cases make it to the US, so check it out!

2004 Jean-Marc Morey Santenay La Comme Dessus

This Pinot Noir from Burgundy, Santenay to be exact, is pretty damn good - especially for the price. Jamie bought two cases on Mike 's recommendation, and thank you Mike.

On the nose, austere, yet with playful bits of candied red fruit - charred oak in the background, and soil. It is a Rosenthal Selection - hand picked by Neal Rosenthal, the famous wine importer, and there have been maybe one wine or two that have not been delish from his import book - at any price point. I think we will sell this Santenay at BONDA in the $60 range - but I have to check.

The first sip carries the austerity of the nose, with nods to terroir, hints of dirt and stone, raspberry syrup high notes (but not syrupy, just concentrated), cedar on the finish. A really fruity Burgundy - but not in a bad way - it still has depth and soul, but possibly made for a more main stream US palate?

There is an AHA! moment mid palate when I realized that this is a great wine. Not terribly flashy like a California Pinot, and not unapproachable or horribly expensive as I view most Burgundies. Like Cinderella, this wine is just right for me.

I am making an evolved pasta dish. I was at BONDA doing inventory, and remembered I had chipotle butter I made last weekend, and corn from last week's farm share. Jamie suggested throwing in some red pepper and basil, then topping it with cheddar - he asked is I was going to bake it - and then it became a mac and cheese with locatelli romano, 24 month old Canadian Cheddar, 1/2 and 1/2 roux, with shells, corn, red pepper, onions and garlic. A simple dish to throw together.

Tasting this Pinot, I'm sure it will be an awesome complement.