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WTN: Pesquera, Woodward Canyon, Delille, Fortia etc

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 11:56 am
by Jenise
2000 Pesquera: Finally, a good bottle. Some bret up front mostly blows off revealing a pretty nice bottle with good Rioja fruit and things more or less as I'd hoped to find them in every unsatisfactory bottle I'd opened before now. Since I'd reported on those by and by, thought I should mention that these are finally ready to drink.

2000 DeLille Harrison Hill cab blend: Outstanding bottle of Washington Bordeaux blend from what I think is this state's best example of this red style. (They bottle two Bdx blends, this from a cooler site and the Chaleur from a warmer one--in any vintage, I'll like both but tend to prefer the cooler site in a warm year and vice versa.) Classy, noble and super-fine with everything in a perfect place for a 12 year old Pacific Northwest red--just middle-aged at this point. This is the wine a lot of people don't realize is possible from here.

1992 Woodward Canyon Dedication Series: Also outstanding, and only just entering it's mature phase with a lot of spice and tea notes. So much for "Washington wines don't age, they just fade."

2010 Nadia GSM Blend, Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, Santa Barbara County, California: a gift from a friend who visited the previously-unknown-to-me winery recently. We were very impressed: somewhat old school, with good acidity and no overt oak, the three grapes made their appearance in order of majority. Started with the grenache (61%), showing at first like pinot noir (what I've have guessed, were I poured this blind) and then like itself with the pepper I so love in this grape, and ending with the earthy mourvedre's mild notes of blood and sweaty saddle. Very nice!

2011 Montresor Campovalentino Lugana: This was a really lovely and inexpensive ($12ish) low alcohol (also 12ish) white we enjoyed with salami and cheeses the other night. It's the only Lugana I've had (or seen) other than the Zenato, which I've liked in many vintages. Very balanced with mild flavors of apricot and apple buoyed by moderate acidity. Would buy again.

2010 Chateau Fortia Cuvee de Baron Chateauneuf du Pape: Splendiferous! Sampled as I prepped it for a tasting that I didn't end up attending, but I found big, old-school, black and red fruit (with the tilt toward black for now), herbs, spice and everything nice. Going to hunt down some more for my cellar.

2009 Massena 'Moonlight Run', Barossa Valley, Australia: For the same tasting as the Fortia, there was definite ripeness on the nose of this wine (no surprise, of course) that did not come off as overripe on the palate as Barossa can, just buxom and voluptuous. Even if that's not what you love most, it's hard not to be seduced. As was the group: they give it first place.