SANTA RITA HILLS | CALIFORNIA | $65
Ripe black cherry and wild berries with sublime notes of forest floor, dried porcini, orange zest and cardamom. Medium bodied with a suede-like texture and a slight tooth, well integrated and equally fruit-soil balanced — an earthy wine providing considerable character and complexity. A thoughtful chap, good natured and warm, as quick to enlighten as to entertain, but never to overshadow. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 11/19/13)
Ken Brown Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard 2009
Filed under $51 to $100, California, Pinot Noir
L’Aventure ‘Cote a Cote’ 2007
PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $80
Cedar and violets on the nose yielding to concentrated blackberry and black currant fruit with notes of tobacco, chalk and tar. Forward fruit with plenty of savory flavors for balance. A complex and powerful wine (15.9% alcohol!) with massive flavor and character. Inky opaque to the eye, silky smooth on the palate and rewardingly lingering at the finish. He’s a grand character, robust in size and manner, nearly large enough to possess gravitational force, and impeccably tailored, too — he fills a room, and yet in dialogue, he causes others to feel they are the center of it all. 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 1/20/14)
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir ‘Knox Alexander’ 2009
SANTA MARIA VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $45
Raspberries, young cherries and cranberries with Meyer lemon and herbal flavors of bay and file gumbo. Medium-light bodied, quenching, with a Burgundian natural fruit acidity that compliments a meal. Wonderfully moderate 13.5% alcohol. A lively wine, perhaps precocious; yet this is no impish youngster poised to initiate grand-scale disruption — rather we have a boyish adult, ready with a quip, easily eliciting a smile. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 1/3/14)
Filed under $21 to $50, California, Pinot Noir
Babcock Pinot Noir ‘Ocean’s Ghost’ 2005
SANTA RITA HILLS | CALIFORNIA | $50
Deep purple in the glass with notes of barnyard on the nose, flavors of mature blackberry, black cherry and plum glaze, with cigar box, sage and a hint of citrus pith. Nicely integrated and complex. Medium bodied, meaning a full-throated Pinot, this. Pretty, big and forward. And more brassy than voluptuous — age having its effect. Some compare racy Pinots to Pamela Anderson; here we have Bette Midler. A very good wine. (Reviewed 10/26/13)
Filed under $21 to $50, California, Pinot Noir
Clendenen Pinot Noir ‘Le Bon Climat’ 2008
SANTA MARIA VALLEY | CALIFORNIA | $60
Beautifully translucent, agile on the palate, full of fruit and earth flavors. Deep plum, bright cherry and a hint of mango well-integrated with forest floor, dried mushroom, cedar, bay and fennel seed. Present but tame acidity, medium-light bodied with a satin texture and some tooth. Restrained, in a Burgundian style, showing nice fruit-soil balance. Gracefully executed, she’s more ballerina than gymnast. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 10/19/13)
Filed under $51 to $100, California, Pinot Noir
Linne Calodo ‘Problem Child’ 2006
PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $60
Concentrated blackberry, roasted plum and black cherry with complimentary notes of forest floor, sage, bay, chalk and a faint wisp of camphor. Shows deep, nearly opaque purple color and long legs in the glass. Full bodied, but somehow not full on the palate, with a velvety, luxe texture and a lingering finish that shows no end. A powerful wine, yet wisely crafted and beautifully integrated showing a near-perfect fruit-savory balance — no fruit bomb, this. For those who count, and apparently this reviewer does, it’s a massive 15.7% alcohol, but still, it shows no heat. This rambunctious tot is all grown up. 77% Zinfandel, 12% Syrah, 11% Mourvedre. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 10/12/11)
Filed under $51 to $100, California, Zinfandel
Au Bon Climat Pinot Gris-Pinot Blanc 2012
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY | CALIFORNIA | $18
Crisp d’Anjou pear with hints of kiwi and pineapple, plus lemongrass, bright stone minerals, floral notes and oak. Fairly light bodied with some viscosity. Finishes clean with a pleasant biter kiss. A freckle-faced lass, fresh as spring, whip smart, full of goodness. 75% Pinot Gris, 25% Pinot Blanc. A very good wine. (reviewed 10/5/13)
Filed under $20 and less, California, Uncategorized
Longoria Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard 2010
SANTA RITA HILLS | CALIFORNIA | $48
Beautiful organic undertones bring amazing depth to mature loganberry and black cherry fruit. Flavors of black currant redwood, soil and orange peel add fullness and complexity. Medium bodied with amazing integration, present tannins, a perk of acidity and a lingering finish. Fe Ciega means blind faith, but I’d say what we have here is more Derek and the Dominos — Layla, with the Eric Clapton and Duane Allman guitar interplay. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 10/5/13)
Filed under $21 to $50, California, Pinot Noir
Castello Branfi ‘Belnero’ 2010
TUSCANY | ITALY | $28
Black cherry and blueberry — beautifully fruit forward — with deep floral notes, organic soil, cigar box, orange zest and a hint of Pernod. Medium bodied, shimmering silky texture and an enjoyable tannic finish that beckons for an additional taste of the evening meal, or perhaps just another sip. Drinkable indeed, one simply can’t help oneself. She’s the one at the dance the boys can’t help but ogle. Sangiovese with “small amounts” of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A very good wine. Wine provided by Wine Chateau. (Reviewed 1/30/14)
Filed under $21 to $50, Italian Varietals, Italy
Bodegas Ordonez ‘Zerran’ 2011
MONSANT | SPAIN | $17
Forward cherry and pomegranate fruit with accents of sassafras, sage and citrus peel. Full-bodied, with extracted flavors. Focused, flavorful and adaptable. Dry finish with a pleasant acidic perk. Here’s a charmer: Utterly enjoyable, simple with a purpose, exits suddenly, leaves only fond memories. A guest you’ll ask to return. 50% Garnacha, 40% Mazuelo, 10% Syrah. A good wine. (Reviewed 9/5/13)
