In spite of my infirmities, I've managed to drink quite a few interesting wines over the last seven weeks. Here's the first installment of tasting notes:
2012 DeLille Cellars Syrah Doyenne Signature Yakima Valley, Washington
Dang. Thought I was opening an 02. Couldn't believe how fresh it was! Big sweet black currant fruit, ham, a little tar. Not as old world as I personally hope for from DeLille, but deliciously carries the bigness and balance of the vintage.
2011 Celler Cal Pla Priorat Blanco Mas d'en Compte White Blend, Spain
Deep orange-y gold. Intense flavors of Meyer lemon curd and butterscotch. A dry wine with dessert wine weight. Interesting as a cocktail but would be hard to match with food other than cheese.
2012 Fritz Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Raspberry, cherry and tomato leaf. Lacks the spice I expect from RR fruit, but two inches left open on the counter for four days showed a glimmer of that and a good cellar life ahead. More than you expect for $25 (winery price).
2012 Sbragia Family Merlot Home Ranch Dry Creek
California Merlot at its best. Full bodied with power and elegance. Black currant, cedar, dark chocolate and espresso. A lot more wine than one expects for $20.
2011 Obscurity Cellars O'blivion's Resurrection, Fair Play (near Sacramento), California
Anne B's bottle. Interesting, complex blend of red fruits with savory and rustic aspects of meat and herbs. Drinks like a good Italian barbera--loved this.
2012 Matanzas Creek Winery Chardonnay Sonoma
After the successful 2011 last week, friends bought this but it didn't measure up. Rather OTT, with smokey, ripe, extracted fruit and a hot finish.
2013 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Classy, elegant. Complex layers, perfect balance. One of the best Cal chards I've had in awhile.
2013 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières
An ideal rose for toasting Jordan Spieth. Subtle fruit, taut and peppery.
2013 Landmark Chardonnay Overlook Sonoma County
Bright deep yellow. Fairly extracted and a bit hot, big legs in glass. Hard to drink after the Chamisal Stainless.
1996 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard Willamette Valley
John's bottle. Canned cherries, sandalwood, cocoa. Some H2S frunkiness that put off some tasters, but I didn't mind it. Still some tannins, surprisingly; and the wine lasted well in the glass. Impressive, especially for a passively stored bottle.
2013 Chamisal Vineyards Pinot Noir 'Stainless', Edna Valley, California
Bubble gum, banana and strawberries. More like Beaujolais nouveau than Cali pinot. Yuck.
2008 Mantellassi Querciolaia Toscana IGT 'Alicante'
Bottle says 'alicante' only, and shelf talker said that in Italy 'alicante' means Grenache, which this is 100 percent. Did not verify this, but the wine sure tasted like grenache. Bright, big and peppery with solid fruit and some racy Italian elegance. Very surprising! Was $22 at Total Wine--we went back for the remaining two bottles.
2010 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni Toscana IGT SuperTuscan
Instantly recognizable as Italian. Dried fruits, iron, raisin, sage and the canned Queen Anne cherries of my childhood. More developed than expected for age, but required no decanting.
1998 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
One of the best 98's Left bankers I've had. Superb aromatics in the glass, all the right stuff on the palate. Great intensity for the vintage, probably entering peak window.
2005 Château Mylord Red Bordeaux Blend
Modern, jammy. Sappy sugar notes linger in the aftertaste. Unrecognizable as Bordeaux. Another overhyped Bordeaux loser from Garagiste--was supposed to taste just like a young Lafite, or something like that. Pffft.