Zinfandel

Carlisle Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2003 $29.99USD
95% Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Teldeschi Ranch, 3% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah, Unti Vineyard, 1% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah, Teldeschi Ranch, 1% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah, Riebli Ranch.

Cherry red with pink edge. Rich and ripe with spices and cherry notes. Mouth filling and yet soft and supple caress to the palate. Very well balanced with fine tannins and tingling acidity followed by a lengthy finish. 2, 2, 4.1, 10.2 = 18.3/20, 91/100. 15.9% alcohol. Tasted June 29, 2005

Carlisle Sonoma County Zinfandel 2003 $23.99USD
50% Russian River Valley Zinfandel, Barbieri Ranch, 27% Russian River Valley Zinfandel, Fava Ranch, 10% Russian River Valley Alicante Bouschet, Tom Feeney Ranch, 13% Sonoma County Petite Sirah, Riebli Ranch.

Cherry red with pink edge. Layered complexity of cherry, blueberry and plum. Full bodied and well balanced with excellent display of flavors on the palate. Plenty of acidity, firm tannins and a lingering finish illustrate the quality of this wine. At 24 hours still big and powerful with vibrant acidity and excellent carry of flavors onto the palate. 2, 2, 4.2, 10.2 = 18.4/20, 92/100. 15.8% alcohol. Tasted June 21, 2005.

De Loach Zinfandel Russian River Valley, Barbieri Ranch 1998 $17.99USD
A pronounced developed bouquet of stew quince against a background cola note, opening to fruitcake, licorice and molasses. Full bodied and very well balanced with a good core of tannins and clean acidity. The flavors carry wonderfully onto the palate for a lengthy finish. Opened on Friday night, the remaining half bottle has been sitting under vacuum until tonight (Sunday). It is still rich and layered in complexity, almost rancio in character. A delight! With cheese it seems softer and suppler than on opening but still with pleasant acidity and a lengthy finish. 2, 2, 4.4, 10.4 = 18.8, 94/100, 15.5% alcohol. Tasted June 10-12, 2005.

Petite Syrah (Sirah)

Lorca Petite Syrah 2000 $19.99USD
Dense cherry red with red edge. Aromas of cherries, violets and plums. Medium weight with pleasant mouthfeel. Nicely balanced with firm tannins at the finish. Flavors carry well onto the palate but finish short. 2, 2, 4.1, 9.7 = 17.8/20, 89/100.

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Vintage Wines Ltd $5 Tastings 2005

New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs
Tasting described as This is the season for Sauvignon Blanc and there are few places that do it better than NZ. Crisp, clean citrus with great acidity! Come taste 6 of the best. Saturday, May 28, 11-3pm.

The wines in this weekly tasting are usually all under $15pb. I tasted the wines double blind. That is I did not know what wines were in the tasting or their order. I’ve listed the wines in order they were tasted.

Lynskey’s Vineyard, Select, Marlborough 2003 $12.99USD
Very light straw, almost uncolored. Quite closed with mild notes of honey and walnuts. Good apple acidity but lacking in depth across the palate. 2, 2, 3.6, 9.3 = 16.9/20, 84/100

Lawson’s Dry Hills, Marlborough 2003 $11.99USD
Very light straw. Some herbaceousness (and a kerosene note that blew off quite quickly) with citrus notes. Medium weight with good structure and bright acidity. 2, 2, 3.7, 9.6 = 17.3/20, 86/100

Selaks, Marlborough 2003 $12.47USD
Light straw (deepest color of the group). Clear asparagus note over green apple aroma. Fuller bodied than the previous wines with good structure and nice length to the finish. Pleasantly clean green apple acidity. 2, 2, 3.5, 9.8 = 17.3/20, 86/100

Oyster Bay, Marlborough 2004 $8.99USD
Light straw in color. Very open with attractive notes of peach, pear and some asparagus. Medium weight with the flavors carrying well across the palate and finishing with crisp refreshing acidity. 2, 2, 4.0, 10.0 = 18.0/20, 90/100

Matau Valley, Marlborough 2004 $12.99USD
Very light straw. Closed with just a faint note of asparagus which carries very well onto the palate. A fuller bodied wine with a little sourness to its acidity but with good length to the finish. 2, 2, 3.6, 9.8 = 17.4/20, 87/100

Forrest Estate, Marlborough 2004 $12.99USD
Very light straw. Unusual aroma of kerosene, backed up by asparagus, green apple, and guava. Well balanced with clean and crisp acidity and the flavors carry well onto the palate. 2, 2, 3.8, 9.9 = 17.7/20, 89/100

I don’t know how many of these are screw capped, but probably quite a few. If anyone wants that information I can get it. A couple of the wines had a kerosene note that I find unusual in Sauvignon Blanc. It did not appear to be a reductive character but it did disappear quite quickly in the Lawson’s Dry Hills. The Lawson’s is a consistently good value Sauvignon Blanc, nothing startling but a very pleasant summer wine. But the value wine was the Oyster Bay. Very aromatic. The supplied tasting note did say passion fruit but I could not see that, tropical perhaps. But still excellent value for less than $10USD.