He built it…and we came! Such huge thanks again to Frank and Jill Murray for opening their home for another memorable day. The weather gods were kind and we were blessed with clear and temperate conditions, perfect for tasting…and for talking. I always have to make a trade-off here-----do I taste more and talk less? Or do I taste less and talk (and hug) more. I am trending towards the latter more and more with each passing year.
This is such a special event and such a special group of people. My thanks and appreciation go to Vera, who showed great courage and accomplishment in sharing her powerful and moving story with all of us. It was also terrific to have many new participants there this year. Among them, I was thrilled to bring my good friends, Brad and Marnie, who made this a true Canadian invasion this time!
Amidst the hugs and talk and catch-up, I did taste 38 wines. I apologize to the worthy winemakers whose stuff I may not have gotten to, or didn’t get to in enough depth. This is part of the balance and I saw by what little was on the tables left at the end that all wines were definitely appreciated!
2022 Rivers-Marie Summa PN
I started with the wines I figured would be consumed quickly. This already has lifted strawberry and light nutmeg scents. Naturally a ways to go, but promises very good things—cloves and strawberry and wonderful acidity. #9 on potential alone
2022 Rivers-Marie Bodega Thieriot PN
Slightly dark berries intermixed with twists of herbs and spices. This, too, suggests great balance and future potential, is more in hiding now with aromatic replays and glance of cedar
2022 August West 20th Anniversary Graham’s PN
Nose speaks of red berry and currant to me, plenty of spice, maybe even a shake of cracked pepper. In the mouth, good balance with berry and unripe plum taking centre stage.
2015 Ladd Moore Ranch PN
Appreciated this chance to taste an older Pinot of Eric’s. Pomegranate filters through strawberry and raspberry, with fine, controlled spice elements too. To taste, a bit of chestnut joins in, this is tangy and still has room to grow a little into itself.
2022 Kutch McDougall PN
Raspberry, bits of bramble, some real panache on the nuzzie. This is already delicious, round and full, yet bracing too. The core of berry fruit is accented by sandalwood and a flash of orange zest. #8 today
2021 Auteur PN
Aroma has some chestnut too, mixed in with raspberry fruit. My tongue loved this—light touch here with pure raspberry and crabapple showing through. This could be quite special, really expressive and gets better with each sip. #2, could end up being my Discovery of the Year.
2021 Fogline Hillside Block PN
“settled” bouquet, with red fruits and bits of green herbs. Settled dans la bouche as well, good drive to tart red berry and currant base, though I think this may have a ceiling as well.
2021 William & Mary Shifflet Ranch Cab
Quite the nose—lurking prunes add interest to cassis, mulberry and walnut skin. Good foundation in the mouth of sweet plum and raspberry. The oak is present, but it has the structure and contents to even out, promising for sure
2021 William & Mary Shifflet Ranch Proprietary Red
Fascinating contrast here, I get much more of a meat-tinged presentation in the sniffer. Pine needle and even some very subtle barnyard across black plum base. I like this plenty. Smooth and velvety texture. Broad and tasty across the tongue, with plums and dashes of mocha. #7 and check-mark plus.
2015 Matthiasson Cab
Oak Knoll is the source, I get a fine balsamic thread to deep sour cherry aromatics. Classic and classy on the tongue. Composed currant fruit is framed by cool almost-menthol edge and even a tinge of lemon. Fascinating, really took my fancy. # 3
2021 Story of Soil Bentrock PN
Rooty nuances and very pure cherry essences. To taste, replays with intriguing cedar and (and I gave enough time from the last wine to know it wasn’t a playover) balsam notes. A different expression. Give time.
2014 Cabot BdB
Good mousse here, has aged nicely with balanced apple, white fruit and flowers and some pink fruit slices as well.
2021 Riverain Tench Reserve Cab
Exultant nose. Violets underneath super-expressive plum and blackberry. This is strong—even with 3 hours’ decant before presentation, needs a ton of time. A lot of elements in play. You know it will be good, and I do think it will always stay in a bolder style. # 6
2021 Carlisle Old HIll Ranch Zin
Blueberry and blackberry bouquet, it’s round and rich and bursting with black and blue fruit. Big, but not too big.
2019 Tor Sierra Roja Cab
I find blackberry and cassis scents here with slight licorice and char accents. Very tasty, red and black plum in equal measure, delivers plenty of pleasure. Wants a nice steak.
2023 Tablas Creek Vermentino
Lemon-centred nose with fine edge of orange peel. A wine of two parts for me, good attack, not a lot of finish, get lemon squeeze and tastes of unripe apple
2021 Rivers=Marie Thieriot Chard
Terrific lime zest “attack” on the bouquet with apple undeneath. Jumpy right now dans la bouche, but juiciness underneath and apple and citrus seem to poke out. Would like to try again in 2-3 years.
2019 Big Basin Rattlesnake Rock Syrah
Plenty of chocolate around, interestingly, crabapple–at least to me! In the mouth, this is nice. Silky and more chocolate and black forest cake presentation. Sneakily very likeable. #10
2015 Tercero White Hawk Syrah
Still fairly young, slips of cedar through cherry and plum. Palate is taut and controlled with quite pure replays for me.
2018 Ladd Cuvee Voile Chard
Complicated bouquet includes, lime, lilac, apple and light tropical. Heard murmurs from others on this and I’d agree, in the mouth a light saline side. Tiny bit of lactic, tiny bit of manzanillo nuance and a great bit of splendidly interesting. Maybe I’m the oddball, but I really like the expressiveness of individuality here. # 4
2022 Matthiasson Rose
Bright floral-rosey notes hit the nuzzie right away. Follows through to accentuate strawberry and some grapefruit. Refreshing.
2022 Sojourn UV Lucky Well PN
This is their first vintage in this vineyard, I think. Definite earth and coffee tones to berry fruit. Candidly hard to assess–it is very, very young, but tinges of crabapple and blue fruit waft through. This has the promise to be a very interesting wine as it ages.
2021 Loring Aubaine PN
Perky cherry and pomegranate here. Nice activity with berry and a touch of plum fruit, and also a touch of red licorice to add more interest.
2021 Loring Kessler-Haak PN
From one of my favourite vineyards of Brian’s, another good effort. Expressive maraschino cherry and plum fruit with just a sprinkle of cocoa. Another like button here.
2018 Velvet Bee Theresa Noelle PN
Potpourri is a piece of this aroma, with bright red fruit. To taste, sour cherry is the main here with bracing raspberry. Very nice.
2022 Riverain Generations Silver Eagle PN
Baking spices lead to plum and strawberry, both in the nose and in the mouth. Room to grow and fine drive to this, which doesn’t surprise me now that I find out it’s Silver Eagle fruit.
2022 Kutch Falstaff PN
Herbs filter through raspberry and boysenberry. Very springy on the tongue, good darting notes of berry and currant.
2021 Dunstan Durell PN
mocha notes here through mixed berry nose. Very good definition to this, might like a touch more fruit (feels like lingonberry is the main) expression, but I also have a feeling that will come out in time. Try again in 2 years.
2020 L’Envolee Napa Cab
Big–creosote, black licorice, bit of tar to dark plum and blackberry fruit. I don’t think the tar and creosote notes are in any way smoke taint, though I may not be the best judge of that. Rich and smooth with hidden power, plum and some sweet cassis with warm finish. Quite good for this style.
2021 Model Farm Berger Cab
Aomra shows touch of prunes around macerated plum and an intriguing herb sidebar. Palate is super-smart already, great composed profile with sweetmeats, cherry and blackberry, and also shows excellent length and acidity. I’ll be getting some when my allocation comes open # 5
2021 Sojourn Stagecoach Cab
Smoked meats around dark cherry and unripe plum. Erich and Randy’s smooth, rich style is on display. Very even and full, with blueberry edgeing to cassis and blackberry, and good length as well,
2018 Greyscale Cab
Expressive cedar and sandalwood greet the nose. Tinge of campfire adds intrigue to red berries. A kind of sparkly presence on the tongue. Blue and red and black berries all have their say and the other aromatic notes are subtly subsumed, but lurking there. This was a whole that was a fantastic sum of its parts. I think it was my WOTD
2021 Tercero Cab Franc
Larry wants authenticity-to-varietal in all his wines. I think he achieved it here. The dark fruit is cool and sculptured nicely, with a balanced approach. Only a faint olive note. It enjoyed its time in my mouth!
2021 Tercero Davis PN
I cant remember whether this is the 115 or triple 7—Kessler-Haak fruit. Bits of tomato leaf intertwine with complex cherry bouquet. Palate shows compote of dark strawberry, raspberry and baking spices. I do love this vineyard and this is a very good expression.
2016 Sweetzer Huber PN
pomegranate for sure in the aromatics, some potpourri and bing cherry join in. nicely balanced here with sweet berry fruit and cinnamon glints. Although has a ceiling of complexity, I like.
2020 Tercero Jurassic Vineyard Chenin Blanc
This does have a sort of smoked honey and lanolin nose to me. Maybe apple and baked plantain too? In the mouth, there is verve and push to this wine. It has a subtle tactile quality that I like quite a bit…
2019 Ella’s Vineyard Rose
Very roses and hibiscus, with unripe watermelon. To taste, fresh and slurpy, with watermelon and pomegranate. Goes down nicely to end the day
2003 Chateau Climens
Bonus note—poured after from full. Absolutely deadly stuff. Luscious and pure vanilla custard, honey, kiwi and pineapple. It’s in a perfect drinking window now. Richest of this house that I’ve tried but a triumph in this vintage—it’s pretty consistent with what I remember from my last taste at least a decade ago.
Again, huge thanks to Frank and Jill, especially all the winemakers and all the people who make this such a weekend of joy for me.
Mahalo nui loa
Mike
I’ll get to them in the next day or so.
