Tried this over the weekend::
1. Failla Chard KeeferRanch/RRV (14.1%; Winery Direct Cuvee; www.FaillaWines.com) StHelena 2002: Mrd.dark bit burnished bronze color; rather nutty/toasted hazelnuts bit oxidative rather melony/honeyed/new mown hay slight toasty/oak/smokey/butterscotchy rather complex nose; lightly tart rather smokey/oak/caramel/butterscotch slight melony/lemony/honeyed bit oxidative/oldBurg complex flavor w/ some bitterness; long butterscotchy/toasty/caramel light lemony/Chard/new mown hay some nutty/oxidative somewhat complex finish w/ noticible bitterness; still speaks of melony/herbal Chard but oxidative character gives it a bitterness that persists even as the wine warms up; interesting old Calif Chard but not offering up much pleasure.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I generally like Ehren's Chards and feel they're more structured than most. Alas, this one has not stood the test of time. I have much greater hopes for his Estate Chard. I've never been particularly impressed by the Chards/Pinots that come off MarcieKeefer's Ranch. They're generally good, but not that distinctive from other RRV vnyds.
The "Winery Direct Cuvee" was a narrow strip label on the wines you ordered direct from the wnry. I gather as a means of combating people flipping the Failla wines, back when they were in much greater demand. It only lasted for a few yrs as I recall.
Tom