2007 Laurel Glen Za Zin

This is not a wine for the delicate or unsuspecting. Raspberry, mocha, unsweetened chocolate and wax are all rolled up on the end of a wooden stave, which somebody is about to sneak up behind you with and beat you over the head. That might be the 15.5% alcohol at work. Pairing recommendations? None. Drink this as a snack.

2007 Freeman Akiko’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, Sonoma

Elegant and sophisticated, this wine takes a bit of coaxing to open up. Patience rewards with a nose of luscious ripe plums and dark berries with a sassafras twist. The color is a vivid shade of red. Supple on the palate, warm musk complements the deep fruit, with a tingle of cola on the end. Hints of rose petals taper to a lingering finish. A more detailed review about this wine and the winery is available here on Another Wine Blog.

2007 Freeman Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Bright garnet in color, the nose reminds us of freshly fallen autumn leaves, dark cherry and a hint of cola. On the palate, we tasted more cherry, red raspberry and earthy mushroom with toasty oak. Pleasant minerality with a medium finish, this is a very nice young wine that possesses plenty of structure for aging. A more detailed review about this wine and the winery is available here on Another Wine Blog.

2006 Deerfield Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel, Buchignani/Garcia Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley

The nose is a load of blueberries, chocolate, tobacco – and fresh pecan pie, straight from the oven. All of a sudden, it was autumn, and I was diving into a moist pile of leaves in my front yard. That sweet, bold earth scent filled my mouth, and the finish had a plum and cherry chutney element that reminded me of a holiday in Chicago – trees lit up, walking the Miracle Mile and stopping for a hot apple cider.

2005 Earthquake Petite Sirah, Lodi

This big fruit bomb delivers powerful blackberry and spice with an alcohol punch at 15.5 percent. They have too much fun with the name “it will rock your world, etc.” but it’s big wine. Fruit bomb has become a derisive term used by lots of wine writers. This is definitely a fruit bomb, but what’s wrong with that? Wouldn’t it be boring if they were all the same! If you like big wine, its hard not to like Earthquake. Read Howard’s full review on his blog Grape Sense.

2004 Dry Creek Vineyards Endeavour Cabernet Sauvignon

A fantastic wine that will beat the pants off of Cali Cabs with significant price multiples. A strident example of a wine achieving balance between fruit and earth and short-term drinkability versus long-term cellaring. The complex nose of blackberry, dusty earth with hints of soy and mint gives way to a total palate experience with dark fruits, chocolate, graphite and an earthy, incredible finish. Now is the time to buy this one—discounts galore on the Internet make finding one of the bottles from just 749 cases a screaming opportunity.

2007 Matthiasson’s Napa Valley White

It made my palate do a double-take head-fake. It’s a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, and Semillon. Yes, Ribolla gialla (even though I’m a Wine Century Club member, I still needed to look that one up). It’s a funky wine, in that it’s tropical, racy, and spicy all at once – I told Steve that it reminded me of the interesting white blends that were coming out of Australia a few years back, before they started sending us in the States boatloads of their plonk.” For more detail see The 1WineDude Top 10 Most Interesting Wines of 2009 and ‘Burgh Wine, By Way of Napa (An Encounter with Matthiasson’s Current Releases).

2005 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch, Cherry Ridge Syrah

The nose has ground espresso and cocoa powder, blackberries, and some leather. The palate comes at you with waves of flavors. Blackberries and coffee, plums, all make up the attack. Fruits sweeten on the mid-palate, adding some blueberry to the blackberry. The espresso changes to unsweetened cocoa. There is interesting minerality the expands from the attack through the finish. Leather shows up at the end of the mid-palate and lingers with black fruit on the finish. This is really good wine. It is not Aussie Shiraz, all jammy fruit. It is also not Northern Rhone Syrah, all earth and olives. This has good fruit, earthy coffee and chocolate, and great terroir minerality. For David’s full two day review visit his blog, 2 Days per Bottle.

2008 Y. Rousseau Old Vines Colombard, Russian River Valley

Made from 100% French Colombard, this wine was totally dry, but still succulent (a neat trick), made by Yannick Rousseau, who grew up in an area of France where he learned wine making, and where the first wine he made from from Colombard. The wine has a striking aroma of fresh herbs, stone fruit, and a touch of spice, and the wine’s balance is impeccable. Not your average Colombard!

2005 St. Supéry Napa Valley Dollarhide Limited Edition Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

The dense, dark garnet color was enlivened in the nose by fresh garden herbs, forest leaves and a black and red fruit complexity, complemented by the more savory loam, anise and truffle notes. The palate is where the complexity of this wine truly shined, with deep layers of the fruit medley from the nose and wonderful balance of the full, smooth mouthfeel, with the hint of oak underneath and ripe, round tannins with good acidity. It is a phenomenal combination of outstanding fruit and nuanced winemaking.

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