Woodward Canyon 2000 Columbia Valley Syrah. A cellar orphan, one of two bottles purchased in 2002 shortly after being impressed with this new release in a restaurant. On opening, this seemed surprisingly youthful, showing more red than purple fruit but still fairly fresh and structured; over a couple of hours, it slowly fell apart, first going through a flabby phase, then regaining a skeleton but losing its fruit, without replacing it with much of interest. Drinkable but forgettable, and testimony to my steep learning curve around the turn of the millenium.
Failla 2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. By the glass in a wine bar with pricing to match the local real estate, but I'm not sorry I tried it: balanced, indeed surprisingly delicate, mixing flowers, earth, and spice in a long, smooth package. Delicious with charcuterie, and now that I see the retail price ($33 locally) I think I'll see if the positive impression holds up at home and over a whole bottle.
Jeremie Huchet 2013 Muscadet Sèvre et Main, "Clos les Montys." Also by the glass, chosen to go with a lightly saffron-scented spring risotto with nettles, peas, and asparagus; I'd been leaning Sancerre for a little more body but this did the trick nicely; loses a little focus on the back end but otherwise a better-than-serviceable Muscadet, especially at the $10/bottle retail price.
Ridge 2013 Sonoma County Zinfandel, "Three Valleys." What do you do when the host of a dinner in your honor selects and approves the wine, it's poured for six guests, everyone toasts your visit, and -- wham! -- it's mildly but indisputably corked? If you're me, you say nothing, enjoy the occasion, and remind yourself that you'd still rather grin your way through a small glass of mildly corked Ridge than an immaculate goblet of a lot of things.
Merry Edwards 2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. After everyone finished off the Ridge, the general sentiment seemed to be that we should get a bottle of something else (
) and the list was handed to me. Compared to the Failla I'd tried the night before, this was bigger, showing more berry fruit, more wood, and more alcohol, though it was by no means confected or hot, and still had a lot of varietal character. It's been a long time since I've checked in with Merry Edwards, whose label was one of the first small-production Sonoma Pinots we got turned on to way back when; this was well-made and enjoyable enough, but the Failla's more my style.