A quite diverse range of wines this weekend.
Starting with my first South African Pinotage, a simple 2003 Simonsig Stellenbosch. Weird. Just plain weird. I kinda like the dark cherry pinot-esque fruit, but I'm not sure I can get past the rubber and bandaid.
At Havens Winery south of Yountville, tried the new 2004 Havens Hudson Vineyard Syrah. I love how meaty and earthy their Hudson Vineyard Syrahs are. Every good small winery seems to have a wine that they just nail, every time. The Hudson Syrah, imho, is Havens'! I wouldn't say this is Northern Rhone, but it is definitely not Paso Robles, either. Delicious. Interestingly enough, the basic 2004 Napa Valley Syrah is lighter in tone, with more red fruit and less meat-but still somewhat savory. This was actually closer in character to the St. Joseph I had last week.
2004 Freemark Abbey "Josephine" Estate Bordeaux Blend. Boy...If I was not overextended and on a basic buying freeze, this is one lovely, classic, Napa Valley Claret. I just had a small taste, but the balance, the blend of flavors, the lowish alcohol, and the food friendly acidity are very impressive. The principle winemaker has been there 20 some years, and his wines have remained classic.
2003 William Harrison Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. When I discovered this winery, I was more enamored with their Cab Franc bottlings. What I am discovering, though, is that a few years of bottle age makes a lot of difference. This 2003 was delicious last night with lamb and polenta stew...interestingly, it is more evolved than the 2002! Delicious currant fruit on the nose, with the strong anise note and dusty tannins that seem characteristic of this small winery. Thre is plenty of oak in these wines, but the fruit is powerful enough to absorb it, and the oak provides not nasty, nasty vanilla (bleh) but a delicious cedary background and a ton of smooth, earthy leather character. In fact, it was the leather that showed tonight-and I do love leather in my Napa Cabs. Fantastic wine. I am killing most of my wine clubs because my budget is shot, but this is one I really want to hold onto.
2002 White Rock Claret Napa Valley. This blend (about 70% cab and the rest the Bordeaux varietals) was quite nice, also. I might have preferred the WH above, but this bold bright wine showed well also. Definitely a bright, bold, even brash young wine. Plenty of raspberry and cherry fruit and somewhat forward tannins that fell off at the end of the taste. Also, more than a dash of green pepper here. Definitely some food friendly acidity as well. We'll see how it held up overnight as we didn't finish it.
