Stefania '07 Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains)
Nose - restrained, minty, some resin and cut grass.
Piney, dark fruit, oak spice and caramel, black currant, black cherry, sandalwood, yerba buena, tarragon, a bit grippy, good acid. Nice spice on the finish. 91 pts
Stefania '06 Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch (Mendocino County)
Nose - intense, with blackberry, yerba buena, litchi, raspberry, sandalwood.
Pert, round, spicy red fruit, blackberry, oak spice, vanillin. Vibrant fruit and resin finish. 91 pts
Stefania '07 Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch (Mendocino County)
Nose - meaty, creamy, red plum, raspberry, jujube.
Smooth, dusty, spicy, tart, full mid-palate, spiced berries, allspice and herbs. 92 pts
Stefania '07 Haut Tubee (California)
Nose - intense, with black currant, some creme de menthe and bay.
Minty, spicy, red and black berries, piney, nutmeg, mahogany. Bright red fruit finish. 92 pts
Stefania '06 Cabernet Sauvignon Uvas Creek Vineyard (Santa Clara Valley)
Nose - Sandalwood, black currant, cedar, touch of resin and mint, blue elderberry.
Cedary, cassis, integrated spice, nutmeg, blue elderberry. 93 pts
Stefania '06 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose - sultry, resin, black fruit and spice.
Intense black fruit, resin, nutmeg and clove, hint of smoked meat, mucho cassis, cedar, oak spice. 93 pts
Chaine d'Or '05 Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains)
Nose - mucho tobacco, dark, rustic, black fruit.
Cedar, tobacco, cassis, red plum, lead pencil. 91 pts
Later in the day, I had the recently bottled:
Stefania '08 Chardonnay Chaine d'Or Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains)
Nose - shy, with lime, chalk, stone fruit, a bit savory, hint of mango.
Waxy, firm, pithy, stone fruit and lime, touch of roast meat. Tight.
(When I had this in barrel early this year, it was very expressive of stone fruits, with a nice minerality. Very impressive - maybe 94-95 pts. This time the opulence was gone. The bottle shock was expected, but it was quite enjoyable and I kept going back for more - I'd say 91 pts. Not fair to stick that rating on it, though, as it may already be showing better. By its fall release I'm hoping this will again have that opulence.)
1 comment:
I had a similar note for the Chardonnay- but mine was a bit chaotic over 3 days - most likely due to the bottle shock Paul warned me about - especially with regards to the waxiness. It was barely there on day 1, was much more prevalent on day 2 and more balanced when I had the last little glass on day 3 ... I really like it too. I'll try it again in a few weeks and see if it's settled down
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