Ridge 1999 Geyserville (Sonoma County) 14.8%. Folks on ye olde internete keep insisting this is at peak, or even on the decline. Theyre out of their minds. No, its not fully primary anymore, dominated by coconutty oak and jellied fruit. A lot of the former has integrated, exchanging coconut for vanilla, and the latter has definitely deepened to meld more closely with the wines darker, black-berried muscularity, but almost all of the aromatic and textural development that makes aging Geyserville so worthwhile has yet to arrive, and theres rather a surplus of structure at the moment as well. That said, the time at which it would be worth checking in given sufficient quantities isnt far off. Maybe another four or five years? And then holding forwell, Id guess a long time, at various points along which curve it will be among the great successes of latter-period Ridge Geyserville. (7/09)
Schubert 2006 Pinot Noir Marions Vineyard (Wairarapa) Sweet plum, strawberry, and blood orange. Theres a little hint of candy, which I dont quite like, but then some blacker, almost licorice-like tones on the finish. I think this will get better with age, because the structures there, but its pretty simple-minded just now. (7/09)
Calera 2006 Pinot Noir (Central Coast) Friendly berry salad, in a nice mix of ripenesses and aromatics, with an enveloping sphere of darker berries and leafy hints of soil. But this is about primary fruit, for sure, and theres not a flaw to be found. (7/09)
Ace WineCo. Leviathan 2007 Red (California) Chewy, moderately candied berries, pushed beyond their useful life and then given a chocolate bar for endurance. Textbook, middle-of-the-road, cookie-cutter California red goop, found at all prices and levels of rarity in a point-distributing magazine near you. So is this a pan? No, not really. Its perfectly fine, and achieves its goals. And look: the warnings right there on the label. Leviathan. You cant say you werent warned. Lets hope the reserve wine isnt called Cthulu. (7/09)
Schubert 2006 Pinot Noir Marions Vineyard (Wairarapa) Sweet plum, strawberry, and blood orange. Theres a little hint of candy, which I dont quite like, but then some blacker, almost licorice-like tones on the finish. I think this will get better with age, because the structures there, but its pretty simple-minded just now. (7/09)
Calera 2006 Pinot Noir (Central Coast) Friendly berry salad, in a nice mix of ripenesses and aromatics, with an enveloping sphere of darker berries and leafy hints of soil. But this is about primary fruit, for sure, and theres not a flaw to be found. (7/09)
Ace WineCo. Leviathan 2007 Red (California) Chewy, moderately candied berries, pushed beyond their useful life and then given a chocolate bar for endurance. Textbook, middle-of-the-road, cookie-cutter California red goop, found at all prices and levels of rarity in a point-distributing magazine near you. So is this a pan? No, not really. Its perfectly fine, and achieves its goals. And look: the warnings right there on the label. Leviathan. You cant say you werent warned. Lets hope the reserve wine isnt called Cthulu. (7/09)
