Had these two w/ dinner Wed night:
1. UpShot Calif WW Blend (13%; 27% Chard/21% GrenacheBlanc/18% GWT/17% PinotNoir/11% Viognier/6% SauvBlanc; 3 mo. in barrel; SaH: 22.8 Brix, pH: 3.22, TA: 0.64) RodneyStrongVnyds/Healdsburg 2018: Pale yellow color; lightly floral/grapey/fruity simple/non-descript/fruity nose; rather soft/fat off-dry (0.5%-0.8% r.s.?) simple/fruity/grapey/bit flora rather vapid/watery/non-descript/dull flavor; short soft off-dry simple/fruity/grapey/non-distinctive dull/vapid finish; pretty much a dull/vapid white w/o any distinctive character; the GB speaks the loudest but only in a whisper; no bargain at any price. $15.00 (KK)
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2. Cline Syrah SonomaCoast EstateGrown (14.5%) Sonoma 2018: Very dark/near black color; slightly reductive very strong pungent/black olive tapenade/black olive/cold-climate very strong blackberry/Syrah/ripe/spicy/licorice bit w-c/Rhonish/smokey bit toasty/charred/oak/burnt slight earthy/dusty quite complex nose; fairly tart/tangy strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah strong c-c/black olive/black olive tapenade bit charrred/burnt/Fr.oak pungent/licorice complex flavor w/ modest ripe tannins; very long/lingering intense c-c/Carneros Syrah/black olive tapenade strong blackberry/Syrah/licorice/pungent finish w/ modest chewey tannins; a rather interesting rendition of Syrah but pushing the boundaries towards bizarre; fairly priced at $18.50 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. UpShot: Not a label I'd seen before so thought I'd give the kitchen-sink a try. Alas, the water in my kitchen sink is much better. When you take a bunch of colors & mix them, you get the color gray. This is just such a gray wine. The only think missing is WineryDirect as a shelf talker and SarantyImprts on the back label.
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2. Cline Syrah: This has always been one of my favorite Cline wines. A blend from their Estate vnyds in the West edge of Carneros and the East edge of the PetalumeGap. It usually displays a distinct c-c/black pepper character. This is probably the most intense CarnerosSyrah/black olive tapenade Syrah I can recall. I didn't really dislike the wine but it was pushing the envelope. With BBQ, it probably would be perfectly good.
Tom