WTN: Swan Estate PN '03

My name is John and I'm a Swanaholic. Given that, this was a really excellent bottle of wine.

Opened a couple of hours before dinner. Seemed reticent, a bit awkward, on opening, yet with a lingering, nearly sweet, vinous aftertaste. By dinnertime it had stopped being gawky and was confident, almost brash. It opened with cherry fruit, had a mid-palate that was full of earth and boysenberries, but more muted than Zin, and the long finish trailed off into pure grape.

Details: Calif., Russian River Valley, Joseph Swan Trenton Estate Vineyard, Estate Bottled Pinot Noir, 2003, 14.3% alcohol. $40.50 at the winery in 9/06.

An interesting side note. Looking at my spreadsheet, I paid $24.99 retail for a bottle of '94 estate PN in June '97. It was $25 at the winery for '02, in February '05, but by October '05 it had been repriced to $40.50.

John

After an interlude last night with cracked Dungeness crab, salad and a tasty Albarino, I returned to leftover turkey tonight and reopened the Swan. Dear me, what an improvement on an already good bottle! Rich and ripe, with undertones of saddle leather and smoke. It could almost have been a Cab. I'm putting a note to lose my other bottles for a few years.

John