Tasted this Reserve Pinot Noir at the winery in Napa and this wine first hit me with “I want more.” I felt it was a solid syrah and a better quality than most Pinot Noirs I had. Lots of plumb and sour cherries but it did also have a healthy level of oak. On the verge of too much oak. The palate definitely exploded right away and it was crisp with the fruit coming through strong. I liked the overall quality but it was bordering on industrial and fake. It is limited and its worth a try but on the high side for price. 70 bucks a bottle. If you are a pinot fan this is one you should try.
The winery was nice. Very professional and clean and it was a new feel and not the feel of an older chateaus type of place. I did feel a little un-special in the tasting room though. It was kind of like “movem in movem out” and they really pushed the sale.
(Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino)
Had this wine out at the Catalina Jazz festival. Color was medium dark purple and a little thin for a brunello. The nose is complex and has some depth to it. The nose went a little stale in about 15 minutes but while it lasted it had some leather, green peppers and dark red fruits. Hint of tobacco and was earthy with good balance of oak. The palate was a little flat on the fruit and was leaning more to an everyday brunello. After about 20 minutes it loosened up and the dark fruits and black liquorish come out strong. The tannins were just a bought right. length was ok. I think this wine needs a couple more years although it was good quality. Not bad and worth a try if you don’t pay too much for it. Pleasant wine but not over the top.
2004 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Appellation Series San Francisco Bay
(USA, California, San Francisco Bay)
Very enjoyable nose. Plumb pear strong musty ceder and black pepper. deep purple hinting on brown. The palate is together and has a little hot bang right on the start. This wine is zesty and bold with blackberry, green pepper, dark fruits. It also has some floral ascents. Some hints of plumb and black pepper. The finish is medium and kind of smooths off the wine. Not too harsh on the finish. A little tangy on the finish. Not bad. this wine is worth a try for the money because it is not an everyday feeling wine.
From Rosenblum’s site:
This is one of the most exotic Zinfandelsin our extensive linethat we have had the privilege of making.It exhibits a huge core of black cherry fruit with elements of bramble, cassis, and vanilla in the bouquet.The flavors are ripe black cherry and blackberry with hints of spicy plum and black olive in the flavors. The wine goes very well with heavy red sauces, pizza, barbecue and roasted lamb.
The nose has Smoke, herbs, dark cherries and tobacco with some vanilla. Very deep purple in color. Balanced acidity. Smooth mouth feel. Seems a little smother a couple hours into the opening. The palette has strong cherry, chocolate and tobacco. This wine started off a touch disjointed with the finish being a little too bitter with strong tobacco but is smoothed out with time. 2005 is young and I fell a couple years on this wine will do it justice. Good quality for the price, 27 bucks. Worth a try
winemaker’s notes: “A great introduction to Palacios’ style, is the 2003 Les Terrasses, a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Carignan, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A beautiful wine aged 12 months in primarily French, and some American oak, it is a supple-textured, sexy, seductive, deep ruby/purple-tinged offering exhibiting ripe notes of black cherries, currants, licorice, and minerals. Opulent, round, juicy, and alluring, it will drink well for 4-6 years.”
2005 Château Boswell Chardonnay Dutton Ranch/Sebastopol Vineyard
I’m not a huge chard fan but this wine was a good time. Has an old world feel to it and I feel overall this winery is all quality and produces nice tasting wines. This chard has a nice gold color but not too dark. The tannins were just right and a hint of sweetness rounded it off. The palate hung on for a bit longer than most chardonnays. Burnt sugar, melon, citrus, and smoke on the taste. give it a try
