Overflow crowd for last Tuesday’s tasting – far and away the biggest yet, and we had to pull in seating from elsewhere in the market. We were a little overwhelmed and couldn’t provide the perfect level of service that we strive for, but everyone was patient and relaxed and loved the tasting. Three varietals, two wines of each varietal served blind and in pairs; one of each was significantly more expensive. I’d say only about 60% of people identified the wines correctly – my guess is that the less expensive wines were more fruit forward and meant to be drunk young – even though they were less complex, people went for the fruit.
Castle Rock 2007 Pinot Noir, Mendocino County ($12.95): Juicy, fruity, and great for the price. Varietally correct, with nice richness and concentration. If you like Pinot, you’ll like this wine.
Tandem 2006 “Auction Block” Pinot Noir, Sonoma County ($64.95): Tandem is owned and run by Greg LaFollette, former winemaker for Flowers. He specializes in wonderful small production single-vineyard Pinots and Chardonnays from throughout Sonoma County; “Auction Block” is a blend of the best lots from the best vineyards he works with. He originally made the blend to donate to charity auctions, but it proved so popular he started bottling it a few years ago. The ‘06 is on the more elegant, Burgundian side; low in alcohol (13.4%) but with a lot of depth, brown spice, and complexity. The fruit was still tight and the oak wasn’t yet integrated, but I think this will age beautifully – we had some left over and it opened up quite a bit the next day.
Leese-Fitch 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($9.95): A great $10 Cab – dark fruit, good balance, long finish. Not complex, but doesn’t taste cheap. A big hit at the tasting.
Jordan 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley ($51.95): Classic Alexander Valley Cab by one of the modern pioneers there. A fair amount of oak, but it was smooth and integrated, and the wine could handle it. Nice fruit without being overextracted and overripe like so many high-end Cabs are – this was quite drinkable, yet rewarded savoring.
Charles Smith Wines 2007 “Boom Boom!” Syrah, Columbia Valley ($16.95): Very pretty, with lots of violets and raspberries on the nose, and dark smoky fruit on the palate. Though only an ‘07, this was drinking well already. Another crowd pleaser
Charles Smith Wines 2005 “Skull” Syrah, Columbia Valley ($99.95): The big difference between the two wines was richness, concentration, and power – both are from the cool Columbia Valley, but the Boom Boom! is 13.5% alcohol while the Skull achieved 15.5%. Very monolithic now, with massive fruit that’s somehow in balance, and layers of flavor and depth lurking underneath. This wine will be stunning in five years.
All in all, one of the more fun tastings we’ve done. I’ll repeat it at some point with old world wines.