Tried these two over the Holidays:
1. Highflyer Viognier BorraVnyd/GillCreekRanch/ClementsHills/Lodi (42 brls; 15.0%; www.HighFlyerWines.com) Craig Becker/StHelena 2007: Med.gold color; strong ripe mango/peach/Viog bit floral lush/ripe nose; tart fairly rich/lush ripe mango/floral/peach/Viog slight tangy/metallic/spicy flavor; long ripe mango/peach/Viog/floral spicy lush/rich finish; good acidity & balance; plenty of ripe mango/Viog varietal character and balanced/rich on the palate; quite a nice Viog for a very good price. $16.00
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2. SeghesioFamilyVnyd Zin Rockpile AVA (15.6%) 2007: Dark color; strong bright/raspberry/blackberry/Zin/peppery quite spicy/licorice light Am.oak nose; tart/lean somewhat hard/tannic bit hot/alcoholic very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin light Am.oak/vanilla flavor; long some hot/alcoholic rather hard/tannic very spicy/blackberry/Zin/licorice light Am.oak/vanilla finish; bit alcoholic but hard/structured and needs 2-4 yrs of age. Bit pricey at $34.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Went only 1 for 3 on ChristmasDay. Also tried the StorybookMtnVnyd NapaVlly Viognier '08, which was lean/thin/vapid/watery and almost devoid of any flavor. And the LafondVnyd StaRitaHills Syrah '07 which was barely passable and none of the peppery character you expect from cold-climate Syrah. Too bad.
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2. Highflyer: Took a flyer on this wine that I ordered from K&L. Since I've been so impressed w/ many of the recent Lodi wines I've tried, I was interested in giving this a shot. Was not disappointed. Another solid showing by a Lodi white. Craig also makes a Syrah, a PinotNoir, and a red blend that I should try.
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3. Seghesio: This is the first Seghesio that I'd seen from the Rockpile AVA, so wanted to give it a try. Though a bit alcoholic/fumey it had no overripe/raisened character at all. One of the better Seghesios I've had of late, but maybe a bit on the pricey side.
Tom