The Kitchen Crew

Everything worked to perfection, with one exception, the notable absence of Chef Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan. It seems that CZ's car had been stolen in Toronto only a few days previous, and unfortunately, his passport was inside the car. Our intrepid U.S. Custom's Agents at the border refused to allow him entry (happily, he has since regained not only vehicle and passport, but also entry privileges), so Allan Bree aka califusa stepped in, picked up the culinary ball and ran with it big time, with no small assist from Pascal Chambon and Tyson Lambert. The food was every bit up to the high standards of the past four years under Chef Kerr's direction, but it was a shame he couldn't be there with us, all the same.

Jammin' geo and Guido

Besides the wine and food, there was also music; Dave (Guido) Guimond had written a parody of the Mama's and Papa's "California Dreamin'," which he performed with backup singing courtesy of Marsha Benz and this taster. There was also a reprise of Dave's "Second Coming of Bacchus," a tongue in cheek ode to Robert Parker, and some blues shoutin' and harp playin', all of which had those in attendance hootin' and hollerin'.

But of course, the focus was on the wine, and there was a ton of good stuff. I didn't get to taste even a quarter of it, and I didn't take notes on everything I did try. Here're my admittedly (and necessarily) brief "snapshots." 

1991 Kistler Chardonnay Durrel Vineyard: Pale to medium gold; still pretty, pure chardonnay fruit here; the oak has integrated nicely over 12 years, with a lovely sense of balance, elegance and finesse. Might this actually be a little past its prime? Other tasters think not, so what do I know? It opens nicely with air, showing pretty pear and hints of butterscotch.

Larry Meehan brought another mini-vertical from Rochioli, this one being three of their late model sauvignons, and they didn't last long.

2000 J. Rochioli Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc: Medium straw; Mr. Flippy says "gooseberry and grass, fleshy in ze mouth" and I'd never contradict him! Nice grapefruit, no cat pee; could be chilled a little more, but very nice, nevertheless. 

2001 J. Rochioli Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc: A little more gooseberry on the nose than the 2000, and still not quite feline, but a little more of that Sauv Blank thing going on here; similar on the palate to the 2000, except a little more intense. Very nice.

2002 J. Rochioli Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc: Larry's had several of these, and says he thinks it's one of the best they've ever made. Biggest nose of the bunch (the wine, not Larry…)? Herbal grapefruit, gooseberry flavors and aromas; just beautiful, and maybe the best of the three, if only because it's the freshest. 

That's not water in those bottles!

Brian Loring, who was back for the second year in a row pouring both his and some colleagues' new efforts,  said, somewhat tongue in cheek, that the 2002 pinot noirs are going to set the world on fire, but he may be right, given the following wines, which touched off the first "feeding frenzy" of the day.  It was hilarious to see his barrel samples in Perrier bottles, but they certainly did the trick!

2002 Loring Garys' Vineyard Pinot Noir Barrel Sample: Big, smoky black cherry and plum flavors and aromas; big intense fruit. Brian makes these to drink soon, and you can tell; this isn't one of those long agers. Very pretty, very perfumed.

2002 Loring Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noir Barrel Sample: Seems even more intense than the Gary's, with a similar flavor profile.

2002 Loring Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir Barrel Sample: A deeper, darker mutha than the other two; big deep fruit, and I really like the toast (from a toaster) on this.

2002 Loring Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard Pinot Noir Barrel Sample: Another one with the toasty oak, and just a touch of rhubarb to accent the smoky black cherry and plum flavors; very, very nice.

2002 Loring Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir Barrel Sample: Another variation of the theme; nice sweet oak, big smoky black cherry and plum fruit; gimme more.

2001 Roar Pisoni Pinot Noir: Kind of a smelly nose at first, with slightly sewery, rotten egg notes that blow off to reveal nice, sweet pinot noir fruit underneath, and some maple syrup comes out with air. Nice wine, once the off-aromas blow off.

Bob Henrick doing his best TomHill.

1994 La Jota Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 13th Anniversary Release Howell Mountain: Ruby dark garnet, not much brick; pretty red currant, black cherry perfume. Good depth and density on the palate, and Larry correctly notes a dusty minerality to it; nice balance, nice wine.

1995 Lewis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve: Dense dark garnet; it almost smells like Syrah, with it deep, dark black currant, plum bouquet. Good density in the mouth, again, almost Syrah-like, with a kiss of sweet oak to brighten everything up; very nice.

1996 Ritchie Creek Cabernet Sauvignon: A definite note of sea air on the nose; kind of a woody, cassis, black currant character, but this suffers some for being tasted right after the Lewis, but nice enough in its own regard.

1988 Laurel Glen Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon: Funky, musty nose, yuk; pleasant cabernet fruit, but not that impressive.

1987 Laurel Glen Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon: Nice, mature cabernet sauvignon; soft black currant, cassis, with no secondary elements, and pretty much fully resolved tannins. 

1987 Lytton Springs Winery Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon: A little cedar over sweet oak, black currant, black raspberry; yum, beautiful bouquet! Fully resolved tannins. The first time I've ever even heard of one of these! A very special treat.

The view from the deck of the lodge.

1997 Harlan "The Maiden": Beautiful perfume, with deep, dark fruit; smooth as silk. Beautiful red currant, red berries and plums, and tannins to take it down the road a piece; wonderful future for this one.

1996 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepage: The big oak that you'd expect, with a lot of fruit in support, but big oak, big oak, big oak.


1991 Beringer Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve: Beautiful dark garnet, with a perfect kiss of oak on the lovely bouquet; beautiful fruit, perfect balance; not a big blockbuster, but rather a very refined, elegant Napa cabernet sauvignon. 

1993 Beringer Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve: Just like the '91, except a little more of everything; a beautiful, silky wine. 

1995 Beringer Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve: Now this is a bigger mutha, but then, of course, it's younger. Still needs some years to mellow the tannins, but has all the right stuff.

1992 Ridge Twin Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon: Just wonderful, gorgeous big red currant, raspberry fruit; tannins are still hanging around some. Reminds me of the '92 Ridge SCM Cab that we enjoyed so much last year. No, it's not Monte Bello, but so what?!  This is the wine that led Joe Bonk to exclaim, "The fruit, the whole fruit, and nothing but the fruit, so help me fruit!" 

1998 Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon: Deep dark garnet color, and a noticeable rhubarb, and what Larry M. describes as a tree bark kind of flavor; considerable tannins to go with all that fruit, but once they subside, this will be an elegant wine. I just love that rhubarb thing, it's give it a unique aspect that sets it apart from most of the other cabernets tasted on this occasion. 

1991 Buehler Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: This may not be one of the "heavy hitters," but it's a very pretty cabernet, with nice red and black currant, black cherry character, fully resolved tannins; it's smooth and eminently drinkable.

1981 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah: There's some rust to that dark garnet hue, and it's drinking REALLY well right now, with nice red fruit and some tannins still there. This is why you age these for a long time, and as is the case here, it's usually well worth the wait.

1997 Vincent Arroyo Napa Petite Sirah: Typically inky hue, with BIG fruit on the nose; mainly beautiful red fruit, not as dark or as tannic as I'd have expected, and great with food.

1998 Vincent Arroyo Napa Petite Sirah: A big hit of chocolate on this sucker, wow! These are good! Big bouquet, and a little light on the palate, like you'd expect from a '98, but lovely, intense red fruit at the same time. 

LARRY MEEHAN'S MOCOOL '03 NOTES

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