2008 Mauritson Syrah Rockpile Madrone Spring Vineyard

It's entirely possible that I bought this bottle of wine because it is from Rockpile. What a fantastic name for a wine appellation! Is it evocative of what it really looks like? Don't know, never been there. But I did buy the wine at the Mauritson flagship vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. (I'm really raiding my Sonoma stash these days!)

The wine is inky violet in the glass, deep enough to be called opaque. The aromas are dominated by oak, manifesting as vanilla and milk chocolate. I'm not getting much fruit beyond blueberry pie. Not that I'm complaining. In the mouth, there's a lot more fruit - stewed blackberry, more blueberry, and sweetened black currants. And there's a lot of oak, but in balance with the fruit, the acidity, and the slightly scratchy tannins. The only thing out of whack here is the alcohol (I sense a pattern here amongst the recent California wines I've tasted - shocking). It's got to be at least 14.5% pecent. I've had ports that burned my lips less. But, just like doing squats and lunges hurts like hell, it's a good kind of hurt. I really like this wine.

Vintage: 2008
Region: Rockpile, Sonoma
Grape: Syrah
Price: $38

2008 Ten Acre Pinot Noir DuNah Vineyard

On this momentous day - the one on which I officially enter the wine trade as a career - I am opening a bottle of wine that is very special to me. I picked it up during Sonoma's barrel tasting even earlier this year, while traveling from vineyard to vineyard with two of my favorite wine aficionados, Vanessa and Brian. This Pinot Noir is a new endeavor for the owners of Bella Vineyards; in 2008 they produced the first bottles of wine from the 10 acres of property around their home, where they planned to produce small lots of high quality wine in a Burgundian style.  

The wine certainly carries aromas common in Burgundian wines. While he later recanted, or at least qualified it, Anthony Hanson once wote that "Good Burgundy smells of shit." I wouldn't go so far as to say this wine smells like shit, it certainly has an air of the barnyard about it. In a good way, of course. It also smells of ripe rasperries, cola, and cinnamon.

In the mouth, I immediately remember why I bought this wine (and am wishing I had bought more). It is impeccably balanced (aside from the elevated alcohol level, which is pretty much par for the course in California wines these days). There is a hint of residual sugar, expressed as ripe black cherries, the tannins are smooth as silk, and the finish is delightfully long and juicy. There isn't much of this wine out there, but I highly recommend you seek some out!

Vintage: 2008
Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Price: $38

2008 Mark West Pinot Noir Sonoma County

This is a wine that does not smell good. It looks ok - a medium-pale ruby with a hint of orange. But it has an animal-like odor, barnyard and cow sweat, and something with a metallic tang, almost like blood. As much as the idea of this puts me off, I'm going to taste it anyway. If I must....

Huh. Not bad at all. I don't get any of the nastiness in the mouth that I got on the nose. The flavors are dominated by ripe cherry, but there is a pleasant earthy quality as well. I get a touch of residual sugar, which, along with the high alcohol content, give the wine a good weight in the mouth. The alcohol might be a touch high, leaving me with a tingly tongue, and I think the grapes might have been a little overripe when they were picked. I suspect this has something to do with the unpleasant aromas, and the fact that the finish evolves into a cooked or dried cherry for me. But all in all, it's quite a nice wine that I'm hoping will stand up to the spicy andouille and black bean soup simmering on the stove.

The foul aromas on the nose certainly detract from my overall enjoyment of the wine, but it certainly wasn't as bad as I was expecting. 82.

2008 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc North Coast

I've seen lots of bottles of Clos du Bois sitting on shelves, in peoples' fridges, even on wine lists. It's a ubiquitous wine - that I've never tasted! So, I thought I'd give it a whirl with the Sonoma north coast sauvignon blanc. It could be awful, it could be a great find...we shall see.

The color is right for a sauvignon blanc, a medium-pale yellow with a flash of green; sort of a straw color. The nose isn't saying much to me. There is some honeydew melon, some honeysuckle, and a bit of a yeasty smell (though I doubt this wine spends much time sitting on the lees), but it's very faint.

In the mouth...it's surprisingly pleasant! Sometimes mass-produced sauvignon blancs take on an off-putting bitterness and something I can't really describe except to say that it's kind of chemically. This doesn't have that. It also doesn't have a ton of acidity, probably because it hails from a relatively warm region, so it's a little flabby. But it actually has a bit of spritz (effervescence) and a nice weight to it, so is rather nice on the palette. I do get some pretty substantial alcohol burn (again, the warm climate at work). Whew! Ever put rubbing alcohol on a cut? Well, don't put this wine in your mouth if you have a canker sore. Trust me.

So the wine isn't particularly balanced in its elements, and the lack of aroma does detract from the overall enjoyment. Is it worth th $14 I paid for it? Eh, maybe. Is it worth drinking if someone hands you a glass? Sure. It would be good for pairing with an all veggie dinner, I think. I give it an 81.