Took these both to dinner last night, over a meal at Maison in Dana Point. For those in the south OC area, this was our third time dining here and the meals continue to be very good. I would recommend you try it for those down this way. Cork is $15. Decided to pair these two wines and enjoy with Maison’s varied menu. I did the hummus, farro salad and salmon and the wines paired well with the flavors. Thanks for reading.
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2012 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (5/27/2019)
This is my last 2012 SC. I bought this back in 2014 and found the patience to hang onto it for 5 years. We opened this yesterday for dinner, saving the last glass in bottle under cork in the fridge overnight. This poured cold into a burg stem so I let it come up to just under room temp (65f) to write this note. A touch of brown is setting into the wine, just lightly on the rim and the rest of the wine is a reddish maroon so perhaps it is aging a bit. This has a # of things going on. There is a spicy/herbal note, akin to some indian spices, woven into the wine. The fruit has shifted in tone since last night, now mixing a strawberry, cranberry and the same meaty note from last night. A good tangy thing continues to live on in this vintage of SC, too. This wine has evolved into something more cerebral as it has aged, as the finishing citrus rind really has come forward and leaves quite an imprint. I’m not sure where this heads with more age but drinking it now, it conveys some cool qualities that make it unique right now. -
2016 Rhys Alesia Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (5/27/2019)
My final bottle. 12.3% ABV, so it’s easy on the 'ol body, too. We opened this yesterday, re-tasting what’s left today. A core of lemon curd, grapefruit, lime and framed by toasted barrel notes, finishing with flint and medium weight. My final conclusion on the Alesia SCM Chard is that it’s just a lighter, less intense version of the single vineyard components. I also think of all the bottles I have enjoyed, this one was the best yet, as the finish on this is excellent.
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