Every year I auction off a wine tasting to benefit the United Way drive at work. I paid it off on Saturday. Since I am conducting the event I don't get to take detailed notes, but do have some impressions to offer.
Two “warm up” wines
2012 Idlewild Wines Grenache Gris Gibson Ranch (Mendocino County)
2009 Rhys Vineyards Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains)
Both of these showed really well. The Idlewild was about as fruity a rose as you could ask for and bone dry as well. Very refreshing. The Rhys was in a great place, with beautiful fruit and just a kiss of oak. Lovely stuff. Even the Chardonnay haters liked the Rhys.
Pinot Noir
2011 Wind Gap Wines Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
2012 Arnot-Roberts Pinot Noir Peter Martin Ray Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains)
2011 Anthill Farms Pinot Noir Comptche Ridge Vineyard (Mendocino Couunty)
2011 Kutch Wines Pinot Noir McDougall Ranch (Sonoma Coast)
This was a generally high quality flight, though the Anthill Farms was not up to the level of the rest. It was good, but overshadowed by the rest of the flight. The Wind Gap had the most fans in our straw poll, and was the most seamless/integrated of the four wines. The Arnot-Roberts was very fine as well, but had a bit of a finishing acidic edge that needed air time that we did not give it (a later re-taste was much better). The Kutch was the biggest of the four (though not a truly “big” wine), and very friendly overall.
Syrah
2011 Cowan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard (Bennett Valley)
2011 Enfield Wine Co. Syrah Haynes Vineyard (Napa Valley)
2010 Anthill Farms Syrah (Sonoma Coast)
2010 Pax Cellars Syrah ‘The Hermit’ (North Coast)
2011 Lagier Meredith Syrah (Mount Veeder)
Another tough flight for Anthill, as the bottle was corked (replaced in the series by the Lagier Meredith). The Cowan was surprisingly big for a Jim Cowan wine, but it had a seamless balance. Very drinkable. The Enfield was WOTN for me for its meaty/bacon and dark fruit. The Pax was a crowd pleaser, and bigger than the rest, but not so big as the original Pax wines. Lots of smooth fruit in that wine. The Lagier Meredith had to play catch up, as it did not have the advantage of being opened 2 hours earlier with the rest of the wines. It started with a bit of a green edge, but that resolved into a dry herb note that added complexity to the dark berry fruit.
Cabernet Sauvignon & an interloper
2010 Turley ‘The Label’ Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
2011 EMH Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
2011 Lagier Meredith Malbec (Mount Veeder, Napa Valley)
I have previously been critical of the Turley, but this was a much better showing. It’s still a pretty straightforward, fruity wine, but it is more integrated and balanced than it was on release. It’s pricey for such a simple cab, but it had a lot of fans. The EMH was a bit stern at first, but blossomed in a lovely way. Very fine, structured Cabernet. Love it! The Lagier Meredith Malbec was a fun way to close out the tasting, as it was more of a fruity style and left people happy.