This was decanted at 5PM, and tasted at 9; when we finally poured it, it was too warm, so I popped the decanter in the fridge, and after about 20 minutes, it was drinking much better. Still, the wine finishes
with a bite of tannins, acidity and heat, and we all felt that it still needed a number of years yet to tone down.
 1990
Calera Mt. Harlan Pinot Noir Mills: The last bottle of a number of '89 and '90 Calera Harlan Mills Pinots that I stocked up on some years back, this is one that I needn't have been in any hurry to open, as it still has at least
five years worth of improvement left in it. It's another dark garnet with just a hint of brick, featuring rich, earthy black cherry and plum character accented with smoke and Brasso ®. Like the Vosne-Romanee, it was too warm at first, but a bit of a chill in the refrigerator worked wonders; Bree found it "richer and creamier as it cools." This continues to open and evolve as long as there's some left, showing, among other things, some sea brine and a hint of creamy, slightly sour milk. This was the consensus choice as the tastier of the two (both the Vosne-Romanee and this were consumed on the same hot summer evening), and I only wish I had more.
 1998
St. Innocent Willamette Valley Pinot Noir O'Conner Vineyard, $27.99, 13.4% alc.: This smoky dark garnet pinot noir is a steal at this price, as I've seen it tagged for as much as $45. One is tempted to linger long in admiration of the beautiful perfume, with its smoky black cherry, plum, cola, sweet spice, hint of herb characteristics, and indeed, the bouquet is the best quality in this wine at the present time. The somewhat earthy flavors generally echo the nose, and while this is drinking fairly well already, it really needs another three to five years of cellaring to show its best. This is a deep wine, with considerable density, and good acidity that's neither racy or in any way excessive. In the words of Bree, it has "big structure, with a lot of fruit hung on it." Lots of promise here, so patience will be rewarded.
1999 Cristom Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Reserve, $36: This ruby dark garnet was impressive a few years ago, when I
tasted it at the
Winery, but now, it's singing. It exudes aromas of big, fragrant smoky black cherry, with undertones shifting from menthol to earth to underbrush and forest floor to just a hint of cream. The flavors are all smoky black cherries and plums, with mostly resolved tannins, good acidity and a very nice finish. As good as it is now, it should continue to develop and improve over the next two or three years.
 1999
Thunder Mountain Cienega Valley Cabernet Franc DeRose Vineyard, $19.99, 13.3% alc.: The dark garnet color of this wine is so deep, it's almost opaque, and it's earthy on the nose, almost to the point of being funky. Bree got "a big hit of sweet cherry fruit" right away, and there's plenty of black currant and cassis as well; with air, a note of coffee emerges. There's a nice richness to the perfectly ripe fruit, and although the tannins exert themselves toward the finish, indicating a fine future, this is a well made wine that's drinking nicely in its youth. We enjoyed this wine along with grilled steaks and fond remembrances of
Milan Maximovich, the man who made it.
1985 Heitz Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 13 ½ % alc.: This slightly rusty dark garnet throws an initial bouquet of eucalyptus, cedar and sea air over sweet cabernet fruit, but really opens and cleans up with air. On the palate, it's all red currants and cherries, with soft tannins, good acidity and a nice finish, and a leathery note adds character to the mix. We had to agree with Allan when he described this as "a real nice Napa Cab."
 1988 Lytton Springs Winery Sonoma Zinfandel Private Reserve, 14.4% alc.: This somewhat rusty dark garnet was recently given to Bree by
Richard Sherwin, the owner
of Valley Vista Vineyard and founder of Lytton Springs
Winery, so he brought it along share with his pals at Gang Central, and are we ever glad that he did! It exudes a lovely, inviting bouquet of perfumed blackberry, black raspberry and plum, with some earthy, funky undertones that add to, rather than detract from the
wine's character. The flavors echo loudly, even boldly, and as it opens, notes of violet and lavender emerge. There're still some tannins here on the full bodied frame, with good acidity and a very nice finish. This keeps opening more and more, revealing a beautiful wine that has yet to peak. Big, warm and beautiful, this is certainly one of the finest wines I've had the pleasure of tasting this year.
2000 Carlisle Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, 16.4% alc.: We've been big fans of Mike Officer's Zins since before he turned pro, so it's no surprise to us that this deep, dark garnet explodes from the glass with big toasty oak, black raspberry, blackberry, black cherry flavors and aromas that show chocolate and root beer overtones in that distinctive, signature Carlisle style. Deep and dark on the palate, it's still showing significant tannins and plenty of acidity, which bodes well for at least two or three years of further bottle aging. It continues to open and re-explode with every sip, becoming sweeter and more perfumed, and gaining notes of pie spices. Bree nailed it when he observed, "The wine has great energy; it needs a few years to integrate and settle down."
2000 Domaine du Gros' Noré Bandol, $24.99, 14% alc.: We picked this and the Tempier up from our friends out at Cloverleaf Fine Wines in Southfield, and both are a youthful purple garnet in color; this one even smells purple, with its nice dark plums and berries personality, accented with some nice smokiness. It's tannic, to be sure, but not so much that you can't enjoy the wonderful fruit now. "Densely flavored, with a lot of character." - Bree
Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
 2000 Domaine Tempier Bandol, $29.99, 11-14% alc.: This one has an even darker nose than the Gros' Noré, with black currant, blackberries and more and more sea air as it opens. There're plenty of big, black plum flavors, but Bree (who tasted this from barrel at the Domaine) said, "The fruit is subdued; this is a much bigger wine than the fruit would lead you to believe right now." Very nicely balanced, there's no reason to think that this is less than a ten year wine, so be patient, but despite that, Kim is ready to drink more right away, having taken a real shine to it.
Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
2000 Château Haut Sociando Premières Côtes de Blaye, $11.99, 12.5% alc.: There's a little funk on the nose of this that's not necessarily unpleasant, and plenty of black currant and cassis character in both flavor and aroma. Bree went on a roll, or a tangent, if you will, in describing this, opining, "You got your fruit group, your acid group and your tannin group. The wine is prettily made, with narrow, focused fruit and a slightly musty quality that suggests old barrels, rather than TCA." There's a good dose of tannins here, but it doesn't completely hide the nice fruit, and this goes quite well with homemade pizza baked on the grill. Charter Gangster Lowell Boileau would love this wine, as it's his favorite style; he'd like it even more in about five or eight years, when the tannins mellow down easy. Oh yeah, this is a dark garnet in color. Surprise…
Imported by William Grant and Sons, Inc., Edison, New Jersey
 2001 Castaño Solanera Viñas Viejas of Monestrell, 65% Monestrell, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, $13.99, 14% alc.: This deep dark garnet is considerably more aggressive and fruit forward than the last vintage we liked so well,
the
'99. The older model was a lovely, claret-styled wine, but this is one big snootful of flavor, with its big char, chocolate, black fruit and coffee character, all on a full bodied frame that is showing considerable tannins and good acidity. Dense and intense, give it an hour in a decanter if you're going to drink this now, but it will definitely improve with a few years in the cellar. Tasted four or five times, with consistent notes and three thumbs up.
1990 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico Reserva Berrardenga Rancia $29.99, 13.5 % alc: This old friend actually didn't show quite as well as the lower priced '90 Felsina Berrardenga CCR that we
tasted a few months ago with Alan Kerr. Dark garnet, with some bricking, this shows a very funky nose, mostly in a good way, with earthy, dusty rotting leaves and vegetation, sea air and big sour dried cherries underneath all the secondary characteristics. Flavors echo, with some stewed tomato and little hints of Brasso ®. There's still some tannins here, with excellent acidity and a long finish, but if I have a complaint about this particular bottle, I would have liked a little more fruit to balance out secondary stuff going on.
Imported by Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY
2002 St. Supery Napa Sauvignon Blanc, $11.99, 13.5% alc.: This medium straw turns out to be a better wine than I expected, since, with only a few exceptions, I don't much care for Napa Sauvignon Blanc. This one however, is showing an expressive nose of grapefruit, pear, boxwood and Kim's favorite, garlic perspiration. The rich flavors echo and wash over the palate with decent acidity and a finish that turns slightly bitter. Nice for the listed price, but I wouldn't want to pay the $15.99-17.49 I've seen it priced at elsewhere.
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1990 Domaine Thomas Moillard Vosne-Romanee Malconsorts, $20-22, 14 % alc.: Perhaps surprisingly, this bottle seemed in more need of time than the last one we tried about three years ago. It's a dark garnet in color, with some little bricking, though less than I expected; it's showing big, deep, dark, spicy black cherry character, with a little damp earth and menthol heat. Bree mentioned a big herbal hit and some light smoky dustiness, and Kim was reminded of eucalyptus and garlic perspiration.
