A round of American Pinot

Wine tasting organized by Altruistic Boutique Wines.

2006 Bjørnstad Chardonnay Porter-Bass Vineyard - lots of toasty oak here... pretty ripe on the nose, kinda aromatic with some minerals. Medium acidity. Pretty good.

2007 Rex Hill Pinot Gris - nose of green apple, pear, sweet caramel and a little flint. Very light and aromatic... great to drink on a hot summer day.

2006 Rex Hill Pinot Noir Reserve - pretty sweet and fruity nose, with a little mint and kinda alcoholic. Definitely felt some of that 14.4%...

2007 de Lancellotti Pinot Noir - first whiff of the nose made me to a double-take... it was so Old World... with lots of farmy, smoky notes, plus mint and a bit of orange. Eventually the sweetness of the nose came through. Smooth on the palate but the finish was slightly hot and spicy.

2008 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard - really sweet with lots of fruit. Sooo typical for an American Pinot. Some mint here. Definitely a little hot on the palate.

2007 Lucia Pinot Noir - lots of very ripe fruit, spices, pretty extracted and sweet with some apricot. A little sharp on the nose, and actually burns a little going down...

2007 Bjørnstad Pinot Noir Hellenthal - from a bottle that was opened late, so the nose was a little muted at first. A little mint with some fruit, some farmy notes and game meats. Opened up with time and got better.

Napa Trip - Barnett

Visit to Barnett Vineyards.  Barrel tasting.


2000 Barnett Merlot - this vintage includes some fruit from Mia Klein's plots in the valley.

2000 Barnett Pinot Noir - this was OK and grown in Santa Lucia.

2000 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Peacock Family - pretty good.

2000 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Hill - really like this one, which actually turned out to have a Bordeaux-like nose.

2000 Morgan Syrah Tierra Mar

Dinner at a friend's home in Monterey.

2000 Morgan Syrah Tierra Mar - this was very good, even though it is very young.  The potential is definitely there.  Lots of sweet fruit in the nose.  Medium to full-bodied with firm tannins.

Bought from A Taste of Monterey for USD 40.

1997 Smith & Hook Merlot

Drank at a friend's home in Monterey.

1997 Smith & Hook Merlot - OK but not great.  Then again it didn't cost very much.  Needed a lot of time to open up.  I thought it would perform better since this is a '97.  Again slightly disappointed.

Bought from NavyPX for USD 13 or so.