Text 19557, 83 rader
Skriven 2007-08-25 22:13:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: tasting 34
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Had a wine tasting at my friends' Ellen and Joel's, after
a concert. Not to brag a whole lot, but it appears I learned
a bunch on the winery tour with Ian and Jacquie a few years back.

Lustau Jarana Fino - a nice way to start a tasting: citrus,
a touch of salt, and lots of acid to prick up the taste buds.
Lemon and mushroom (one might say "veal picatta") on the
palate, with the latter persisting strongly to the finish.

Plum Creek Pinot Noir 97 - this has held pretty well for its
age. Medium red, just a tad of brown showing on the edge.
Slight mustiness blew off. Coffee, herbs, plums going to
prune/raisin. Pretty long finish of dried fruit and mint.

My friend Barry (also a violin and viola player) brought
along three zins, which we tasted blind.

Wine #1 - bright cherry red, very overt cherry-berry fruit,
enough acid but a sweet edge. Little spiciness, little
oak. Lots of this waxiness that I find in Napa wines and
less as one goes toward the water. Quite hot - took a bit of
time for the alcohol to blow off, and it never really completely
did. I opined that it was from south of Napa and that it tasted
like a Cline wine, only not so good. Nobody liked this one much,
except Misha (another violist) gave it points for youthful
exuberance.

Wine #2 - dark ruby, nicely peppery plummy nose. Very rich,
complex. Terrific brambly fruit all through, peppery finish.
Some of that beeswax quality, but a bit subdued, so definitely
California closer to the coast. I called this Sonoma grapes,
with doubts, and suggested it might be from one of the Rs of
Zinfandel - possibly Ravenswood, Ridge, or Rosenblum, not
likely Renwood. Nice richness, smoothest of the lot. Good depth,
very well balanced; my favorite by a bit (and of over half of
the assembled company).

Wine #3 - dark ruby red, another quintessentially zin nose and
palate; a touch brighter I thought than the previous. Called
this Sonoma as well. A bit more of the tobacco-cedar axis than
the other two, but this I thought undone by a cherryish-red
raspberryish acidity and an open alcoholicity. I couldn't
figure this out at all but placed it below #2 and above #1;
several people placed it first with #2 second.

==

#1 - Cline Ancient Vines 05 - I discover that in fact these
grapes are from 100-year-old vines in Oakley, actually
northeast of San Fran and southeast of Napa. I did get the
style, though, as well I might - having tasted the entire
line of Cline fine wine with Carol and Ian and Jacquie. MSRP $18.

#2 - Ridge Three Valleys 05 - Lytton Springs, Dry Creek, and
Alexander Valley grapes with a few odds and ends thrown in.
Again, I'd tasted quite a lot of Ridge's offerings as well
and should perhaps have guessed the maker outright, but in my
defense I'd only had the single-vineyard wines before. MSRP $20.

#3 - Sin Zin 05 - all Alexander Valley grapes, from Alexander
Valley Vineyards, an apparently serious maker. Never encountered
it before, though. MSRP $19.

Interesting that the rank ordering by most of the tasters was
strictly by price (and this was a blind tasting). Of course,
I'd say that the Ridge was a bargain at $20 and the Cline not
so at $18 (and in fact it can be had heavily discounted, down
to 14 or so). Wouldn't buy the Sin Zin at $19 but might
consider it at $15.

=

We finished with Dom. de Belleviere Les Rosiers (Jasnieres) 05,
light green gold; apple nose with a roasted undertone - perhaps
caramel, perhaps coffee; on the palate, an interesting mix of
minerally and acidy and sweet, almost Sauvignon Blancish
greenness but not quite; pleasantly balanced with a touch of
fizz. Distressingly abrupt finish, though; other than that
defect, a pretty fine wine.

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