Could have posted these in the ‘precious bottle’ thread, but doesn’t feel to me like they fit. I’ll be opening more this month, but have the eternal problem: Don’t want to drink great wine by myself, but Sally’s not drinking and nobody but me is coming through our door until further notice.
2001 Mayacamas Chardonnay – I bought a pond of this and other vintages about 10 years ago. When I brought the rest to Maine last year, I triaged by color and fill. Down to my last three bottles, this was by far the best yet.
Cork came out in one piece (a first!). Medium gold color. The aromas are white fruit (forelle pear, granny smith apple), white spice (ginger, ground coriander seed) and a lot of minerals, with a touch of conifer in the background. The palate has outstanding texture, excellent intensity with a muscular structure, plenty of fresh acidity and a finish that lasts almost a minute. The flavors follow the aromas perfectly. A revelation, even though I’ve had probably 20 vintages of this. Rated 95. Drink up, if only because of bottle variation. This bottle probably had many years left.
2008 Carlisle Petite Sirah, Yorkville Highlands – The aromas are briary, which reminds me of Zinfandel, but with a tiny saline note that I sometimes find in goo Petite Sirah. The fruits are blackblack, also typical, blackberries, cherries and plum. There’s also something a little smoky. The texture is gnarly but the tannins are calm. There is enough acidity for this to go for years, but it’s pretty resolved for a Big Boy PS at 12 years. Rated 93.5, my only bottle, could have gone longer but zero regrets.
Interesting that you post on the petit Syrah. I have never had that producer but I’m have seen the fan boys talk about them a lot. I actually have the same exact wine that I ran across the other day- no idea how I got it or where it is from- and I moved it into the to be drunk pile.
Dan, thanks for the notes…You’ve been an unsung hero of mine for nearly 20 years. Met and tasted with you long ago in NJ…the wines with your name on the label have without exception been banging…During this time…especially during this time…we need to speak truth to those we admire…You rock…Keep posting…we’re (at least I) am trying to follow.I do love the continued style of Mayacamas Chard. They’re still fun to drink, at whatever age.
Have a Couple of the Carlisle PS in the cellar. Sounds like it may be time to queue one up. I had an '08 Carlisle California PS a few days ago that was really good.
Great note. I often feel that a lot of the California wine lovers on this board really ignore some of the best producers in the state while running after the latest and greatest thing. Mayacamas was one of the top producers in California for many generations and I am not shocked at how good this is.
Much as I love Mayacamas Chardonnay, there is a parallel to really great Chardonnay coming from a famous mountain Cabernet Sauvignon producer. I don’t know what the production is of Ridge Chardonnay Estate and Ridge Chardonnay Estate ‘Monte Bello’, but the wines can be incredible. I’ve only had about 4 vintages of Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay vs at least 20 of Mayacamas, but IMO it’s probably consistently even better. The 2004, about 5 years ago, was among the greatest California Chardonnays I’ve ever had. I gather it’s very small production and it’s definitely not cheap.