Anyway, I was impressed with three of the five wines. Two of the wines were made by people with roots/training in FRANCE, not Davis.
2003 Renard Santa Rita Hills Syrah. while boasting Napa abv, this is one savory, earthy, pungeant leathery amazing Syrah. At $25, it is an absolute steal. Licorice, tobacco, a lifted nose. http://www.silenusvintners.com/Renard Robert Parker is not always wrong: “Renard wines always seem to have one foot in France and one foot in California. There is a European complexity and structure to these efforts, along with the sweet fruit that makes California such a viticultural paradise.”
Another great wine is the 2005 Ramien Chapter V Bordeaux Blend, from 2200 feet up on Mount Veeder (above Hess at the end of Redwood Road, for those that knopw the area). This is the second vintage I have been lucky enough to try, and his wines are just so BALANCED and lovely to drink, even at this young age. Lovely black currant and red raspberry fruit. A whiff of herbal green to add interest and freshness. Good acidity. Already some earthy and savory charcteristics, even this young, this is not all primary jammy fruit. I really like this wine! At $54, this is not cheap, but I would be tempted...
http://www.silenusvintners.com/RamianEstateThe third wine I liked is one I would not expect to like. 2005 Bialla Cabernet Sauvignon. Wealthy Bay Area family buys a nice tract of Atlas Peak land at 1700 feet elevation. Hired winemaker produces a huge wine at a luxury price point. 15.3% alcohol. And yet....And yet...This was a very nice (if raw and young), almost amazing wine. No gobs of goopy fruit, instead lifted, high tone red raspberry fruit. Alcohol is not really evident at all! A ton of acidity-could this be one high alcohol wine that could age? The winemaker says eight-15 years???!!! The tannic structure is certainly there. I really enjoyed it, but at $94 I can't afford it right now. (The reason for being in Napa today is car maintenance. Nothing really wrong, which is good, but nothing broken means no warranty coverage for the labor, which is bad.
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