CALIFORNIA REDS TASTING NOTES
Ridge Jimsomare
Zinfandels
Ridge Jimsomare Cabernets
Ridge Other
Flowers Vineyard and Winery
Belle Pente Vineyard and Winery
Chehalem Winery
California Reds
California Whites
Oregon Wines
Other World Wines
Euro Whites and Reds
1995 Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir; 13.5 % alc.: The 1st Kistler for Madame and me; we don’t get out as much as we should. A pretty ruby garnet colored libation, this has a bouquet that reminds me of nothing so much as white house ice cream, all cherry and vanilla. The flavors echo, with a subtle tea leaf nuance that Kim found bitter, but I didn’t mind it at all. There’re still some tannins to resolve here, despite the fact that it’s so soft and smooth; a few years should reward patient cellaring. Very nice indeed!
1994 Thunder Mountain Dusi Ranch Zinfandel; a slightly cloudy ruby dark garnet, it shows deep raspberry/black raspberry/black cherry nose that more than echoes in the flavors and is a very impressive effort from a winemaker who had yet to turn pro when he made this.
1993 Alban Vineyards Reva Syrah Edna Valley: I can only read about how good Alban’s wines are, because we never see them in Day-twah, so I made a point of trying this, and it lived up to its rep. Purple garnet with sweet plum/olive character, it’s rich and lovely, a wonderful expression of the varietal.
1998 Scherrer Alexander Valley Rose of Zinfandel: More than just a white Zin, this is a bright deep pink, with a pretty raspberry/strawberry character and nice acidity to carry it along.
1994 The Montelena Estate: Sam brought this inky garnet Cal Cab; it’s big and dense, with cassis/plum/dark chocolate flavors and aromas adorned with nice oak. This is serious stuff that needs many years to soften the major tannins. Still, I was surprised that it showed as well as it did.
1994 Venge Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: This dark garnet has sweeter cassis/plum than the Montelena, and some red licorice as well; it’s also less tannic than the last wine, but still needs some years in the cellar yet.
1992 Sierra Vista Reserve Syrah: This inky garnet is slightly cloudy, with pretty oak/plum/berry flavors and aromas; it’s smooth and right there right now. Yumm!