1991 Kistler Durrell Vineyard Sand Run Chardonnay - Wow, what a nice revelation...I've never been an appreciator of Kistler Chards, but this aged model was pretty nice. Rain water and rocks...still with some rich tropical flavors and delineated white fruit. 

1995 Lewis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon -- nice enough I guess, but not very distinctive.

1990 Marietta Cabernet Sauvignon -- tomato and herbs...certainly in the earthy spectrum...interesting.

1997 The Maiden (Harlan) - big, black and spicy...blackberry, currant, underbrush, licorice, and a pretty long menthol finish. It had a few angular "oaky notes" sticking out, but for the most part dense and smooth...somewhat tight...seeming very young.

1987 Lytton Springs Winery "Private Reserve" Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon -- light spice and cedar...earthy nose, but red fruits, too. Long, balanced, and very enjoyable in the mouth...mature fruit, but with sweetness...tobacco and cedar on the finish. Quite excellent!

1992 Ridge "Twin Peaks" Cabernet Sauvignon - tannins that just reach out and grab you...a bit green and drying in the early going...

1987 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon -- deep cedar tones...lightly disintegrating barrels...tobacco and earth, but a bright sweetness to the mature fruit. Quite nice in this stage of life...

Looking for something to drink...

1985 Kistler Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon -- Cedar and spice...lightly vegetal, but it works. The black fruit is very "intact", presenting itself gracefully, but still with a bit of richness. Smooth tannins and enough acids...lovely balance. Some minerals at its core. Wraps up with coffee, herbs and a little melting chocolate. A real treat for me...

1993 Kistler Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon -- Black fruit and more coffee and chocolate...lacking the evolved mineral and herb qualities of the 85, but certainly richer, more lush qualities. It seemed to have a slight hole through the center. Apparently the last vintage of Kistler Cab...Chard planted in its place.

1987 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon -- this seemed particularly tart...muddy and swampy...never had a Montebello like this...not "bad", but not at all what I'd expect. Oh well...

A few more detailed notes -- 

1987 Ridge Geyserville (88% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah, 8% Carignane, 13.7% alc) -- One of our "dinner wines", and a real delight with the Smoked and slathered strip steak. Still quite dark in color -- fading some at the rim. It shows off the spicy Draper perfume, but has an intriguing funk riding with it. The smooth tannins lend it a sense of stately maturity, but the blackberry, black cherry and underbrush still speak to its youthful, "zinny" past. It turns to earth, light minerals, and mint on the finish...long and satisfying.

1995 Edmunds St. John "Durell" Syrah -- another "dinner wine"...It is still a young, broad shouldered, powerful wine. Evidencing plenty black fruit, lavender/mint, roasting meat, sun baked earth and orange peel. The tannins are broad, but still lightly constricting...good bounce from the acids. Well proportioned, and showing nice early complexity...plenty of stone and earth through the finish. A Cal Syrah that really hits me "right".

2000 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc -- showing the most "arm pit", as my buddy geo likes to say -- a little gamy and grassy in the early going, but becomes a more minor note in a short time. Plenty of grapefruit, spice, and light minerals. A burst of sweetness, then plenty of zest and herb on the finish.

The "tasting grounds..."

2001 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc -- by far the tightest, biggest SB of the three. There is a good charge of acidity, but copious amounts of grapefruit and gooseberry are pushing back. As it warms, the center softens...perhaps just lightly creamy. Lemon peel, stones and spice emerge...a little lime and plenty of spice on the finish. It will sound odd to some, but I'm holding these for another 3-6 months...time will be a friend here.

2002 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc -- I continue to just love this '02...beautifully balanced, perky and expressive. Bright grapefruit, apricot, mango...a little grass, but plenty of acidic sass. A touch of chalk and stone through the center...plenty of spice throughout. A wine that does not "impose its will upon me", but always makes me very happy.

Brian Loring was on the scene offering up tastes from his barrel samples (from what I heard, they are now bottled) along with samples from some of his Pinot pals. I would have liked to chat with Brian a bit more, but life as a Wine Magazine cover boy, wine/rock star has many demands...it was hard to get past the adoring throngs. All kidding aside, Brian has always come across as a class act and a positive personality to me...we never have too much of either commodity.

Loring Pinot Noir Barrel Samples:

2002 Brosseau Vineyard. -- ripe and spicy..hightoned floral notes. It seemed a bit shallow up front, but fleshed out nicely through the middle...good persistence from there...cake and Indian spice to finish. Nice.

2002 Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard -- brambly and spicy berry...dense at the attack, offering a wild blackberry flavor, though turning somewhat over ripe and warm through the center. Some raisin and heat on the finish.

2002 Rosella's Vineyard -- probably my favorite of the bunch, bringing even handed levels of fruit and spice...less obvious influence of alcohol...a bit of earthy essence...vibrant, yet grounded...really quite nice.

2002 Garys' Vineyard -- darker in color...earthy, dusty nose/black fruit and some mushroom. Good density to the black fruit without seeming too large or syrupy...nice strong tannins that deliver a bit of a gum line bite. It shows sustained sweetness throughout, though it seems to turn soft as trails to the end...

2002 Clos Pepe Vineyard -- wood spice...softest, richest, ripest palate presence of all the samples...spices couples with plenty of heat...forms a sustained burn..tannins seem lighter...big and lush no doubt, but to use a technical term, it all seems a bit "gooey".

Others...

2001 Roar Pisoni Pinot Noir -- a little whiff of musty cardboard and funk (I asked a few others if they thought it tainted, but few others seemed concerned)...brown sugar, and rich \sweet black fruit -- port-like at the center, though it does find some energy with surprising acidity. Some tobacco in the finish...pretty warm.

2001 Sea Smoke Botella Vineyard Pinot Noir -- I did not note it, but I believe this is from the Santa Rita Hills. Light notes of campfire smoke, black fruits and rich earth. It is medium bodied and displaying nice supple textures for a youngster...good grip from the tannins/decent acids. Red currant and cherry fruit, with earth and mushroom at the core...really very nice, albeit young. Well balanced...somewhat intriguing.

2001 Melville Carrie's Vineyard Pinot Noir -- perhaps the most "floral" of all the pinots tasted...just a bit of VA. Bigger, sweeter and more syrupy than the others. Sugary and ripe on the attack...bit of bramble, too...really put me in mind of a Zin...big bodied...quite hot.

2002 Clos Pepe Estate (blended barrel sample) -- soft, ripe smelling nose...lightly floral...later, almost "peachy". Rich blackberry fruit/ slightly earthy at the core. It turns more dense and compact toward the center, though long and sustained...tannins have some bite. 

As a group, these feature plenty of fruit and fairly high levels of alcohol...sweet and ripe to generalize. 

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