Storrs 1999 Zinfandel Rusty Ridge (Santa Clara County) Singing. Full-throated but domesticated berries a mlange with layers of toast and old pepper, antique wooden furniture, and the lovely blended aromas of sprightly green trees sprouting amidst the charred husks of a burned-out old-growth forest. While the fruits not fully developed and mature, the wine is, and despite the lack of a hurry to uncork it, I cant imagine it being much better than it is right now. Its not wood-free, but its really quite lovely. (4/09)
Easton 2006 Zinfandel (Amador County) Forward fruit with some stick and tack, its berries redder and a little more syruped than might be expected (the wine isnt heavy, though it is big), its structure mostly hand-waved, its finish a diminuendo of simplicity. Its zin. Its very, very, very cleanly-made. Its good, but read between the lines. Or, read the lines themselves. Eithers good. (4/09)
Easton 2002 Zinfandel (Fiddletown) Deeply infused with the aromas of the pine forest, both the cold, airy soil and the resinous overgrowth. The fruit, dark as always, has contracted a bit, losing none of its intensity but a measurable quantity of its breadth and roundness. And theres pepper, tooblack, almost Tellicherry-esque pepper. This is a wine with something to say, and the story its telling is about where its from. (4/09)
Easton 2002 Zinfandel (Fiddletown) More subdued than the previous bottle, with a leathery and very nearly buttery pressure on its fruit that never quite relents. Its good, but it doesnt speak as clearly as its predecessor. I set it aside for a day, just to see if theres low-level TCA, but if anything it expands on day two, yet still without delivering the full expression of its fruit. (4/09)
Roederer Estate Brut (Anderson Valley) This is the most reliably attractive Champagne-style sparkling wine from the U.S., until one is willing to spend a good deal more, and has been for so long its almost boring to repeat the recommendation. But why not? Good work should be rewarded. No, its not an exciting wine, but it delivers the classic blended-Champagne tastes amped up to about 15, as one would except from California (even from a cool-ish appellation), yet never heavy or ponderous. No, it wont make you turn away from Champagne if price is no object. And if it is? The appeal starts to mount. (4/09)
Westport Rivers 2003 Westport Brut (Southeastern New England) Significantly riper-tasting than usual, which is both good and bad. Its good because this particular bottling is designed to be the fresh, friendly one, and that much crisp, apple-dominated fruit is welcome. Bad because it masks the sophistication the wine can sometimes show. Good because this isnt, due to the mesoclimate, a wine that performs at a predictable level of quality every year. And bad becausewell, I dont have anything else. Its a good wine, but as ever a little too much of the appeal comes from its surprising source. All that said, I do enjoy it, and an happy to serve it to others. (4/09)
Bonny Doon Ca del Solo 2008 Albario (Monterey County) Very light, yet a little sticky as well. Yellow-skinned fruit and light floral notes, not so much almond, and a crisp-creamy finish. More or less boring. (4/09)
Bonny Doon Ca del Solo 2008 Muscat (Monterey County) Friendly and approachable, more in the fashion of an Alsatian or northeastern Italian muscat than something sweeter, with balanced perfume and a pretty finish. (4/09)
Easton 2006 Zinfandel (Amador County) Forward fruit with some stick and tack, its berries redder and a little more syruped than might be expected (the wine isnt heavy, though it is big), its structure mostly hand-waved, its finish a diminuendo of simplicity. Its zin. Its very, very, very cleanly-made. Its good, but read between the lines. Or, read the lines themselves. Eithers good. (4/09)
Easton 2002 Zinfandel (Fiddletown) Deeply infused with the aromas of the pine forest, both the cold, airy soil and the resinous overgrowth. The fruit, dark as always, has contracted a bit, losing none of its intensity but a measurable quantity of its breadth and roundness. And theres pepper, tooblack, almost Tellicherry-esque pepper. This is a wine with something to say, and the story its telling is about where its from. (4/09)
Easton 2002 Zinfandel (Fiddletown) More subdued than the previous bottle, with a leathery and very nearly buttery pressure on its fruit that never quite relents. Its good, but it doesnt speak as clearly as its predecessor. I set it aside for a day, just to see if theres low-level TCA, but if anything it expands on day two, yet still without delivering the full expression of its fruit. (4/09)
Roederer Estate Brut (Anderson Valley) This is the most reliably attractive Champagne-style sparkling wine from the U.S., until one is willing to spend a good deal more, and has been for so long its almost boring to repeat the recommendation. But why not? Good work should be rewarded. No, its not an exciting wine, but it delivers the classic blended-Champagne tastes amped up to about 15, as one would except from California (even from a cool-ish appellation), yet never heavy or ponderous. No, it wont make you turn away from Champagne if price is no object. And if it is? The appeal starts to mount. (4/09)
Westport Rivers 2003 Westport Brut (Southeastern New England) Significantly riper-tasting than usual, which is both good and bad. Its good because this particular bottling is designed to be the fresh, friendly one, and that much crisp, apple-dominated fruit is welcome. Bad because it masks the sophistication the wine can sometimes show. Good because this isnt, due to the mesoclimate, a wine that performs at a predictable level of quality every year. And bad becausewell, I dont have anything else. Its a good wine, but as ever a little too much of the appeal comes from its surprising source. All that said, I do enjoy it, and an happy to serve it to others. (4/09)
Bonny Doon Ca del Solo 2008 Albario (Monterey County) Very light, yet a little sticky as well. Yellow-skinned fruit and light floral notes, not so much almond, and a crisp-creamy finish. More or less boring. (4/09)
Bonny Doon Ca del Solo 2008 Muscat (Monterey County) Friendly and approachable, more in the fashion of an Alsatian or northeastern Italian muscat than something sweeter, with balanced perfume and a pretty finish. (4/09)