The store/restaurant around the corner had Bill Easton out today to show off some of his Terre Rouge/Easton wines. Didn't take notes but these are some general impressions:
The wines: Everything was (as expected) well made and in the style of southern France. I found the '07 Enigma (a white Rhone blend) to be a bit hard and less expressive than usual. The Vin Gris d'Amador was excellent - a delicious rose in the southern French style and good QPR at $16. The '01 Noir was drinking beautifully (but more on that later). The '03 Sentinel Block Syrah was a bit hard and closed despite some airing in a decanter. Based on prior experience and how that wine tasted today, I predict it will morph into something really good down the road. Their Muscat-à-Petits Grains was a lovely wine, full of fragrant fruit. A really lovely Vin Doux Naturel.
Couple of other things: Easton talked about how rough the last couple of years have been, between the frost problems and the drought problems. Apparently, they lost all of their viognier to frost in '08 (?). '07 was also tough. This year is looking much better, with lots of happy vines. Another thing he mentioned was that anyone who really likes the Noir bottling needs to buy up. The '01 will be the last vintage of that wine. It was based on a grenache vineyard planted in in the 1920's that has gotten to the point that they can't use it anymore. To replace the Noir, they've worked with a grower in the Foresthill area who's put in several different clones of grenache noir. Easton says that this will result in a blend that's more grenache-based than the Noir bottlings. It will be called "L'Otre".
Overall, a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.