WTN: Laurel Glen, Blue Mountain, Vergelegen, Mondavi etc

[Jenise]

From a small dinner party on Wednesday, all wines from my cellar:

2010 Blue Mountain Pinot Gris Striped Label Reserve Okanagan Valley
Pale yellow color. This is what most people don't understand pinot gris can be. Seven years old but no sign of age; impeccable minerality with flavors of Eureka lemon, pear and green apple. Long finish.

2005 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
This wine has peaked; soft red fruits, low tannins. Enjoyable but won't improve.

2001 Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch
Youthful color. Black fruit, spice and lively acidity. At peak but can hold here for years.

2003 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain
Perfect middle-aged. Elegant yet huge on the palate with blackberry and black currant fruit, herbs, tobacco and a little graphite.
Exceptional. A 95-96 pt wine.

And below from a new style of retail and tasting room is combined in one Seattle building called Full Pull. They flash-sale wines made by others at excellent prices, and also buy lots of leftover juice that they bottle under the labels shown below.

2013 Full Pull & Friends Syrah Angela's Vineyard Red Mountain
More savory than sweet (which I like), with good fruit and nicely structured tannins. Great food wine and value at $30.

2013 Full Pull & Friends Merlot Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley
Dusty tannins with ripe fruit yet some green notes--old school Washington style. Nice.

2014 Block Wines Golden Block Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley Grenache
Good, pure grenache character with pomegranate, cactus pear and crunchy minerality and acids. Very good.

2014 Block Wines Chenin Blanc Block V10 Rothrock Vineyard Yakima Valley
Gold/aged color, oxidative honeysuckle/butterscotch nose, honey candy on the palate, very low acidity. When I expressed distress, the pourer laughably claimed that this is the typical style of chenin in the Loire Valley.

That pourer of the CB needs to get out more. Sounds like the kind of pourer that when you claim a wine is corked, they reply "it is supposed to taste like that"

[Jenise]

That pourer of the CB needs to get out more. Sounds like the kind of pourer that when you claim a wine is corked, they reply "it is supposed to taste like that"

I asked her if she drank Loire Chenins often or if that was just what she was told. The latter, so she was willing (unfortunately) to scoop everything 'odd' under that rug rather than trust her palate (or mine, even though I earned a place on their 'Wall of Fame' for correctly guessing a mystery wine to be an 07 Mencia from Spain).