2003 D'Arenberg "Galvo Garage" Quite bright acidity. Dominant red fruit with a definite green, weedy note that suggests to me early maturing/over the hill??? Still, the mouth feel is fine, the alcohol not dominant, and I like the sour cherry weedyness. 84 points.
2002 Don Sebastiani and Sons "Used Automobile Parts." Sonoma County. All five traditional varietals, with Merlot at 41% and Cab at 33%, if I recall correctly. The name is not a typo. These guys are too clever by half in their marketing
Under glass stopper (what an elegant closure. We all spent time playing with it like a pretty, pretty jewel.
) Similar notes to the above. Color already showed bricking, which surprised me because this bottle had been well-stored in off-site wine storage???? Nose and palate also suggest that we missed the prime drinking window by about a year, with a lean, somewhat acerbic character that showed a lot of sour cherry and some greenish notes. However, the nose also had to me a quite pleasant note of violets, which I enjoyed. Tasted quite mature, with an emphasis on sour cherry and herbs and a sneaky note of white chocolate poking out. Not a lot of big California fruit. Still...the tannins were smooth, there was enough acidity (not as much as above) and the alcohol seemed well integrated. Not a California fruit bomb! 83 points. I'm not sure they made this bottling again.