1999 Maison Leroy Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (4/18/2008)
This is my 3rd or 4th bottle and the best yet. It might be that I gave this one more time in the glass and open bottle. I takes a few hours to wake up but when it does it is beautiful stuff. This is all about walking through a flower garden while someone mashes up strawberries and raspberries in front of your nose. I like that the palate is still fresh and fruity with spice right at the finish. The tannins are slightly drying but the hold the wine together nicely. (91 pts.)
2005 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Edna Valley - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (4/18/2008)
After being fairly disappointed with the 05 Arroyo Grande, I thought it was time to try this. This is a big step up. A massive ripe nose. Red and blue fruits. Very bold. This wine is again very ripe, like the Arroyo but this is showing better balance and length. It is showing lots of primary fruit at this stage but should settle down with a little time. Nice line of citrus right down the middle. The mouth feel is a bit glycerol. It finishes tart and has some nice tannin to hold it together. (89 pts.)
2006 Bressler Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (4/18/2008)
Curiosity got to me hear. I wanted to know what a Bressler pinot would be like even though it is such a baby. At first the nose was odd. I noticed a bit of molasses but it went away quickly and never came back. I could not find my way with this wine. It is so un-evolved. Nothing grabbed me. Sweet fruit and no complexity. I go back and forth from thinking it is closed or it is just simple. Because it is from Cali, I expect to be more expressive. On the finish I am getting the tannin. The fruit is very sweet but not candied. I would not have guessed this was from the RRV. I would hold for 4 or 5 years.
