Tried last night for dinner:
1. MioloFamilyVnyds PinotNoir Vale dos Vinhedos/BentoGoncalvos/Brazil (13.5%; http://www.Miolo.com.BR) 2007: Dark color; some Burgundian some toasty/oak/smokey earthy/light floral/black cherry/PN nose; soft slight earthy/funky/goat-pen/hot-climate rather Burgundian/toasty/oak bit lean flavor; med.short funky/Burgundian rather toasty/oak/smokey light floral/Pinot finish w/ light tannins; rather pleasant Burgundian Pinot at a good price. $13.00
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2. SantaCruzMtnVnyds McDowellVlly Durif (McDowellVllyVnyds; http://www.SantaCruzMountainVineyard.com; Planted:1948) C&B by SCMVnyd/BoulderCreek 2003: Dark color; bit volatile/EA slight reduced/fecal that clears some earthy bit blackberry/peppery/PS some toasty/oak earthy/dusty/old-vines interesting nose; soft some tannic/hard earthy blackberry/plummy/PS flavor; med. tannic/hard/rather lean plummy/PS/peppery some earthy/dusty finish; somewhat clunky/1-dimensional/rustic/rough PS; fairly priced at $17.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Miolo: Brazil...of all places...who'd of thunk. No great shakes of a Pinot but still rather interesting and surprisingly good given the provenance and very fairly priced.
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2. Durif: Back in the early '80's, KenBurnap made some pretty stunning Durifs (PetiteSirah) at SCMV. Inky black and built for the long haul. And they did well over the long haul. This is not one of those wines. The C&B suggests that the wine was made up at McDowellVlly vnyds and purchased and finished by SCMV. At one time, McDowell made some very good Zins/Syrahs/PSs. I've been pretty underwhelmed by what I've tasted of theirs over the last 5-8 yrs. Rather disappointing given the quality of their old-vine vnyds. The best McDowellVllyVnyd wines are now being made by other folks.
Tom