2004 Chimney Rock "Elevage" "Bordeaux" Blend. I find Chimney Rock's wines rather dilute, but this was quite an elegant, if slightly simple (young!) blend. Light cherry fruit with a fine underpinning of green herbs. Alcohol not an issue, and the tannins seem soft and acids rather low. Would this be an ager given the tannic/acid structure? 88 points. Probably would not buy again, the QPR is a problem here, but it was a very elegant and enjoyable young wine.
2001 Noah "California" Cabernet Sauvignon. Made by Noah Taylor and Allan Heywood from Livermore Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Cab Franc, and Napa Valley Merlot. At half the price, I thought this was a more interesting wine than the Chimney Rock. Opened with a whiff of funk, which quickly blew away. Beautiful piercing cassis fruit still out front, but this was NOT a typical fruit bomb, because there were layers of herbs, savory notes, leather, and tobacco. Excellent fresh acidity. Tannins resolving but still present. A beautiful bottle of wine for $30. 92 points+. I am finding a lot of 2001 California Cabernets are quite nice right now! Another wine that exhibits the flaw in my buying strategy (I buy mostly single bottles), because I would love to have more.
2004 Vignalta Colli Eugenae "Gemola" 14% abv. 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Sipped at Wine Styles Sunday afternoon. Lighter than the alcohol would suggest, this wine was an elegant, very smooth afternoon sipper with red plum fruit, a hint of green-ness, and an intriguing and distinctive and powerful white pepper note on the finish. A very nice wine. Corti Brothers wins again! 88 points.
2004 Peay Sonoma Coast "La Bruma" Syrah. Sometimes the critics and the wine press are "right." This was a delicious Syrah. Showing the warm year, the wine is all about dark, roasted fruit, meat, savory earth. Beautiful mouthfeel. Tannins present but not obtrusive. Alcohol present but not a problem. Waves of black raspberry flavor, earthyness, black pepper. Just a rich and well grounded wine that yet retained some bright acidity that made it fresh tasting. Delicious 95 points+
2004 Clos St. Jean Chateauneuf du Pape. One of the wineries featured in the infamous Wine Spectator article on the glories of 16.5% Grenache in the Southern Rhone. Maybe infanticide, although this was not an expensive Vin de Garde wine??? Still...while we finished it, this producer would not rate high on my list of affordable Rhone CdPs. It's not particularly alcholic (14.5% nominal abv), but all I really got out of the wine was strawberry fruit and alcohol. Not all that much garrigue, which, to be honest, is what I want in a Southern Rhone wine. Still, the strawberry fruit was silky and lovely in itself, so I will grade it 84 points.