2009 4 Bears Pinot Noir Carneros Sean Minor

I'm back from a lovely sojourn to northern California, during which I bought (and consumed) some very lovely wines in Sonoma County.  This isn't one of them. Not that it isn't a lovely wine, it's just not one I bought or consumed on my trip. Anyway....

It's a medium-pale ruby in the glass, not dense but quite brilliant. It smells of ripe black cherries (too ripe, maybe?), tons of oak, and a hint of something minerally - like a bucket of rainwater. This is not a delicate pinot noir. I do tend to think of New World Pinots, especially those from California, as being less delicate than, say, a Burgundy, but I actually tasted a few out in Sonoma that had an almost elusive balance between fruit and spice; not austere, but merely delicate and nuanced. For example, the yet-to-be-released 2009 Pech Merle and the 2008 Ten Acre DuNah Vineyard from Bella. If these wines are graceful wild horses, then Sean Minor is a clydesdale.

On the palate, the alcohol hits me first ( robust 14.5%), followed by a dense black, stewed fruits with a bitter edge. The acidity and tannins are there, but are vastly outshadowed by the heat and sweet fruits. It's not undrinkable by any means, but is drastically out of balance. That said, the finish is long and pleasantly juicy. I can see drinking this with something salty and sweet, like turkey and cranberries or pork chops and apricots.

Vintage: 2009
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Carneros, Napa Valley
Price: $20

2006 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties

After spending all day selling bottles of wine, I start to get a little jealous of all the people going home to crack open a bottle. Therefore, I always find myself particularly excited to do the same when I finally get home. Hopefully this wine will fulfill my expectations. I'm a little nervous about the "tri-county" sourcing of grapes for this wine. It's not that I strictly believe that good wines have to be from a specific vineyard or appellation, but I sometimes suspect that a blend of grapes from different locales is a tactic for either covering up faults in one of the regions' grapes, or ensuring a high degree of consistency (i.e. predictability and possible boringness) from year to year. But I'll give it a whirl anyway.

It's a very deep ruby in the glass, with just a hint of orange at the rim. There isn't much fruit on the nose, more toast and tobacco, rather herbal and licoricey.  But there's some nice black currant in the mouth, along with some more licorice, and a touch of smokiness. The acid, alcohol, and tannin are delightfully balanced, and the finish is long and juicy and tart. This is a delicious wine!  Worth the wait, for sure.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties
Price: $20
My rating: 92/100