2013 Harrington Trousseau La Cienega Valley Siletto Vineyard. Perfectly clear, sort of washed out crimson but really just due to clarity, consistent to red clay hued rims. Gargantuan amount of white pepper in the nose, the grassiness seems almost liquefied, candied strawberry, raspberry scents, tart citrus accents weave around the perimeter. Medium-bodied, still capable of clamping down your mouth, acidity with some tannin. Peppery, herbaceous, accompanied by a pickled briny quality. The florality is there but stifled by the aforementioned. The raspberry, strawberry, watermelon fruit has lost the syrupiness of youth yet no problem making it fully through the finish. Has slimmed down since release but wouldn’t want to push it much past now. Drinking very well.
2001 Highlands Zinfandel Howell Mountain Beatty Ranch. Clear, on the main scarlet to brick red, very light touch of orange to the outer rims. Medicinal sort of nose, mint, menthol, mineral oil, strong candied aspect to the lively raspberry, blackberry to strawberry scents, any leather or grill smoke notes remain further back in line. Medium-bodied, tannin resolved, feels like there’s still a decent jolt of acidity. Earthier here, kind of loam and tar thing. Less menthol but you get accents of citrus and pressed flowers instead. Needs air time to lengthen, at first seemed more sour and short. Nice gamey quality, not too smoky, just adds chewiness. Some older Zins can become more Bordeaux-like, not this one. Highly enjoyable, out of the gate I had a preference for this one over the Black Sears and that has pretty much held up over the past 16 years.
2015 Selby Zinfandel DCV Otto’s Block. Transparent if not quite lightly hued, a scarlet tinged purple core fades to more rust red rims. Heavily oaky nose of coconut custard, butterscotch, caramel and mint, makes it hard to register the syrupy raspberry, blueberry, boysenberry fruit scents, moderately mentholated. Medium-bodied, feels off-kilter, the oak almost as dominant here with the same basic profile. Develops a stewed tomato edge to the plum/prune, blackberry, raspberry fruit, overripe to the point of diffusion. Do not sense much tannin nor acidity. Licorice, menthol, orange blossom. Waited for it to open and settle into itself and didn’t get any change. And so ends the experiment in revisiting Selby.
1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Pauillac. Okay amount of purple in the core, the broad brick red rims glowing and lively. Plump nose of cedar, incense, graphite, currant, black cherry fruit, more bell pepper notes than expected but I don’t mind, nice damp, pregnant lift. Medium and close to full-bodied, very smooth and polished, the tannin massaged into the background. Cedar prominent but fresher here with cigar wrapper, tea leaf notes. The fruit remains full and juicy, currant, plum, cherry. Pleasingly savory finish. If there’s any flaw it is that it might still be too primary. But given how the tannin has resolved can’t see a reason to wait on it. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot.
1999 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. Gauzy liquid, would be stretching to say there’s much purple left in the core, on the man it’s brick red with more orange further out. Plenty of stank to the nose, like a Firebird peeled out in your nostrils, once the smoke and tar starts to moderate there’s concentrated cherry, raspberry scents, garrigues, tertiary for sure but not sure these were the aromas you held out for. Medium-bodied, has enough sappiness to penetrate mouth pores and add presence. The blackberry, cherry, raspberry fruit showing no sign of weakening. Out of nowhere a floral mist explodes in the mouth. Tarry and smoky yet here it’s proportionate to the whole. Probably got like 75% of what was hoped for when laid down in 2001. Unspecified percentages of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, etc.
2015 Ledogar Carignan Languedoc Vin de France La Mariole Vignes Centenaires. Bright ruby to plum red influence lightens the otherwise violet core, youthful looking. No lack of barnyard stank to the nose, takes a long time for it to even semi-blow off, beyond that dark berry scents, pressed flowers, meadow scrub, the usual Carignan stuff. Medium-bodied, great layering and richness, showing a solid acidic spine. Even more floral here, slice of white grapefruit for good measure. The blueberry, boysenberry to black cherry fruit tart and zesty. Muddy stone, straw, here the funk is minimal if that. Super easy to drink, agreeable from first to last sip.
2010 Château d’Or et de Gueules Costières de Nîmes Cuvée Trassegum. Semi-flat opaque purple core, rims of dried blood red to brick red, fiery embers. Pleasingly floral nose emphasizing violets and garrigues, lighter lavender, rich plum, black currant scents with cocoa sprinkled on top, does not seem to have developed much by way of tertiary aroma. Full-bodied, it’s round but hard to call it supple as there is still a tannic clenching. Similar floral profile, maybe minty as well. The citrus aspect never catches fully. Lots of dark fruits without being juicy. Of two minds, like it wanted alternately to be a fruit bomb or a more traditional, structured wine. To me, what you have today is all you’re going to get. 50% Syrah, 25% Carignan, 25% Mourvèdre.
2017 Amalia Barbera d’Alba. Vivid ruby-violet, great sparkle, flushed rims. Scrubbing sensations permeate the nose, taut and sour currant, cranberry, red cherry scents, evokes dirt caked leather boots, a countryside kind of wine, glimpse of white grapefruit, doesn’t care to open its arms to you. Light-bodied, supercharged acidity, your mouth starts watering before your first sip. A lot more floral here and not quite as earthy albeit there’s a lingering coal tar element, citrus elevates too. Savory blueberry, blackberry boysenberry fruit, not much by way of “denser” fruit flavors. If you give it some time it can be coaxed into a friendlier posture. Hard to picture a more anti-modernist take on the grape.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills. Hazy plum purple hued, the gauziness extends into the ruby rims. Nice stiffness to the nose, does not inhibit the fleshiness of the rhubarb strawberry, blueberry fruit scents, violet pastilles, stony underpinning, can see it getting dustier once the fruit starts to recede, some underlying spice. Medium-bodied, displays great structure right off the bat. Stony and at times close to minerally, no palpable citrus nor floral presence, it’s about the dirt. Good chewiness in the blueberry, raspberry, cherry fruit. For its wiry frame stretches out well. Clean, compact finish. Neutral enough to fit a multitude of dishes.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge. Glowing red-magenta to violet coloration, pinkish rims. Ripe and juicy nose of crushed strawberry, raspberry scents, has a fluffy to spongy sort of florality, dusting of baking spices and citrus blossom, odd lack of lift but otherwise appealing enough. Medium-bodied, seems to start out tannic but that fades away quickly enough. More territory taken by the citrus, spicy nonetheless. Moves into a darker spectrum here with blackberry, blueberry fruit taking the lead, trail of raspberry. Appealing, a little too on the soft side for me, girth around the middle so to speak. But wouldn’t hesitate to open it around non-geeks who are into wine. As expected, prefer the Eola bottling but it’s a matter of personal taste.