This outdoor event was on a warm day at Regency Park but there was a breeze part of the time and some of the distributors managed to keep their wines reasonably chilled. I tried too many wines to be a good note-taker but here are some I liked or brief impressions:
2006 Sonoma Cutrer The Cutrer Chardonnay. Lemon or apple but a little honeyed. Glycerine. Not flabby.
2007 Lange Estate Three Hills Cuvee Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon. Red cherries on the nose and tastebuds. I ordered one bottle of this among my 9-bottle order.
2007 Lange Freedom Hill Pinot Noir, Oregon. Perhaps a bit more depth than the previous but not worth the price increase so I passed on ordering. Ken Wright makes a nice P.N. from Freedom Hill also.
I was disappointed in a Masi "Costasera" Amarone which was mild, seemed to lack body or impression.
At the Nomacorc booth I tried the Schug Carneros Estate Rose' and the Eberle Winery Vineyard Select Cabernet Sauvignon, CA (Paso Robles) and the Tyrus Evan Winery Claret, Oregon (from Ken Wright.) I have liked other Eberle reds and some people were commenting favorably on the Cabernet but I didn't buy any.
Grapevine distributor had a nice 2007 Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge, Oregon.
I also tried the 2007 Champoux Vineyard blended red from Andrew Will and the 2008 Andrew Will Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, WA. They didn't have the Sorella on hand (which I have prefered to the Champoux in the past) but said I could order it. When I heard that it was well over $60 I declined.
A Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Tapestry tasted sweet (I didn't write down the vintage.) The salesperson said it had more Merlot in the blend. I also tried the BV Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford, Napa Valley.
My wine of the tasting was a Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir (Oregon) and I ordered two bottles for later pickup. I also ordered one bottle of the Sanctuary Mariah Zinfandel, Mendocino Ridge (under 14% alcohol) and a bottle of the Lioco Charles Heintz Chardonnay.
Some of the wines were available at VIP tables (more expensive entry ticket) and some at the other booths. By the time I got around to the non-VIP booths they had run out of some I wanted to try (may do it in reverse next year and work up to the better wines.) I went ahead and ordered a bottle of the 2009/2010 Mulderbosch Rose' from South Africa without tasting it as I have had previous vintages (from Cabernet Sauvignon I believe) and one bottle each of the Fritz Zimmer Kabinett Riesling and the Spatlese Riesling. All the wines are for later pickup. I ordered two more bottles but don't recall which ones so it will be a surprise when my order comes in at The Wine Merchant, Raleigh. I may have them written down in the event booklet which is still in my car.
Forgot to say I tried a Failla Syrah which didn't do a lot for me and a Hirsch Pinot Noir (both Sonoma Coast wineries) which I did like except I don't like the prices of the better Hirsch Pinots ($60-$70+)
Two musical groups played while I was there. I liked the female singer (Jo Gore?) who was with the first group. The event benefits Frankie Lemmon School for children with exceptional needs and the North Raleigh Rotary Club charities. Wines were available for ordering at 5% off normal retail price (10% for case orders).