Tried last week afore heading out to KC:
1, KentRasmussen Carneros PinotNoir (13%) 1994: Med.color w/ some bricking; lovely earthy/mushroomy bit black cherry/PN some toasty/smokey elegant/complex nose; soft smooth/gentle/elegant black cherry/mushroomy/truffle light pencilly/smokey/Fr.oak complex flavor; med.long smooth/elegant/gentle light black cherry/mushroomy/truffle light pencilly/smokey/oak finish w/ little tannins; no signs of drying out yet; a lovely/balanced/smooth/elegant/gentle old lady of a wine that's still in wonderful condition. $23.00
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2. Peterson Zin DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (13.5%) Hambrecht&Peterson/Healdsburg 1994: Dark color w/ slight bricking; very strong barnyardy/horsecollar/bretty slight spicy/licorice/Zin nose; very soft/smooth/gentle strong bretty/barnyardy flavor; med.short slight raspberry/licorice/Zin quite unclean/bretty/barnyardy slight tannic/dried out finish; a quiet/gentle old Zin that barely whispers across the palate but way too much unclean/barnyardy character for my taste. $13.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Both of these wines were good examples of Calif reds that had come together well to produce gentle/complex/smooth/balanced old wines. For those who worship at the altar of complexity and balance, these are your wines.
I admired them for their finesse and elegance and marveled that they were still alive and a pleasure to drink. That said, I wished for a wine w/ a little more fruit and a bit more intensity. They may have made a great match w/ boiled tofu, but they were lacking w/ my pasta al forno.
Tom