Published in Mid December 2008
Wines, Spirits and Beers published in the Mid December 2008 issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Dutton Estate 2006 Dutton Thomas Road Vineyard Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley)
- $49
A little brittle and tense now, with a young wine freshness. May just need time in the bottle to mellow. Give it until sometime in 2009 to let the tannins, acids and oak mesh with the lush cherry, red currant, pomegranate, cola and intense Asian spice flavors. Could develop through a decade.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
Lemelson 2006 Jerome Reserve Pinot Noir
- $58
This complex wine lists no fewer than eight different clones in the blend, harvested at an average of just 1.8 tons/acre. The winery suggests that it is their most ageworthy Pinot Noir, and the structure of this young wine would support that assertion. It’s tight, hard, compact with black fruits, smoke and chewy tannins. It’s a wine that needs time to stretch its…
— P.G.
(12/15/2008)
Sineann 2007 Maresh Vineyard Pinot Noir
- $42
This wine seems to hark back to a time when Oregon really could lay claim to making Pinot Noirs that were truly Burgundian in style. Here you find that same elegance, the bright acids, the firm tannins, the tight red fruits, with a through line that suggests it is an ageworthy wine that is holding back more than it is showing, especially at this young age…
— P.G.
(12/15/2008)
Sineann 2007 Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir
- $48
Vintage after vintage, the Resonance Vineyard designation is the most seductive, most expressive of all the Sineann Pinot Noirs. In this difficult vintage it is a more elegant and delicate wine than usual, but delicious. Tart cherry, hints of pine resin, delicate spicy highlights and a persistent and elegant finish are the hallmarks here. Nicely done!
— P.G.
(12/15/2008)
Gridley 2005 Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley)
- $45
A very good wine from a new winery that specializes in the other Cabernet, Cab Franc. Possesses the tannic structure of a fine Napa Bordeaux red, but not quite as heavy as Cabernet Sauvignon. Shows savory cherry, red currant and smoky cedar flavors. Best now through 2010.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
Sterling 2005 Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
- $55
Despite significant youthful tannins this Cab has such deep, ripe flavor that you can drink it now. The mouthfeel is astringent and hard, in the way of a young wine, but waves of cherries, blackberries and currants flatter the tastebuds, and it also softens as it warms up in the glass. A beautiful, polished drink that should develop over the next eight years.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
Sterling 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)
- Cellar Selection
- $65
This is a wine to cellar. It’s just too hard in tannins now to perform well, even though it has very deep and impressive flavors, such as crushed blackberries and cherries, cassis, violets, anise, dark chocolate and cedar. Shows a great return to form after a few under-performing years. Best after 2010.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
Vineyard 7&8 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Spring Mountain)
- Cellar Selection
- $90
It would be a pity to open this wine anytime before, say, 2010, because it needs age. Now, and for a while, it will taste closed and tannic and raw. But such are the tannins and acids and overall balance, and the core of blackberries and cherries is so rich, that it should effortlessly negotiate the next decade.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
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