SCMWA San Francisco Trade Tasting 1/26/10

Dave Tong and I went up together. With just 3 hours for 27 wineries and over 100 wines, it's just not possible to try them all. Luckily, several were wineries I'd just tasted at at the last Passport weekend. Others were easy to skip as I'll be visiting soon or they'll be at Pinot Paradise. Still, there were several on my short list I couldn't get to in time. Good thing Dave tasted a bunch I missed and vise versa. Check out his notes: http://scmwine.blogspot.com/2010/01/scmwa-trade-tasting.html


Martin Ranch JD Hurley '08 Chardonnay (SCV)
Nose - warm, round, kumquat and spice, really nice.
Citrusy with excellent spice, kumquat, papaya, lime, lemon. 91 pts

Martin Ranch JD Hurley '06 Merlot (SCV)
Nose - warm, smooth, cedary plum.
Cedary plum, exotic spice notes, a bit roasty/smoky, hints of tobacco, white pepper and green peppercorn. Ready. 89 pts

Martin Ranch JD Hurley '05 Cabernet Sauvignon (SCM)
Nose - soft, creamy berry and plum, cedar, hint of mint.
Tobacco/cedar/pepper, dusty tannin, plum with a hint of raspberry. Smooth, with a bit of pith on the finish. 89 pts

Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard '06 Syrah (SCV)
Nose - savory, lovely stemmy spice, soft plum and berry.
Savory, thin plum, clove, bramble, roasty zest. Drink '11-'14. 90 pts

Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard '05 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (SCM)
Nose - smooth, minty cedar, plum and chocolate.
Blackberry, cedar, touch of black currant, plum, drying dusty tannin. Drink '12-'17. 90 pts

Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard '06 Sangiovese (SCV)
Nose - sultry/soft/savory/smoky, shy red fruit, nutmeg, citron.
Soft rustic plum, roasty, sweetish, tea, fresh herbs, hint of raspberry, gritty dusty tannins. 89 pts

Martin Ranch Therese Vineyard '07 Zinfandel (Amador County)
Nose - black cherry, marachino, nutmeg, zesty, sweetish.
Sweetish, nutmeg, black cherry, raspberry, smooth roasted plum, smoky. 89 pts

La Honda '06 Cabernet Sauvignon 57%/Sangiovese 43% (SCM)
Nose - smooth, light, warm spice, shy red fruit, hints of black currant, mint, roasted plum.
Thin red plum, then a wave of black currant and cedar, balsa and lime. 86 pts

La Honda '06 Cabernet Sauvignon (Chalk Hill)
Nose - smooth, shy black fruit, nice oak spice with a touch of cedar, mint, blue elderberry.
Dusty, roasty, citron, plum, black raspberry, cedar, lime zest. 88 pts

La Honda '06 Meritage (Chalk Hill)
(Cabernet Sauvignon 76%, Malbec 14 %, Cabernet Franc 10%)
Nose - smooth plum with touches of cedar, black currant and mint.
Roasty plum and black currant, cedar, lime and mandarin, some char and zest. Smooth cedary finish. Should age well. Drink '10-'20. 90 pts

La Honda '06 Cabernet Sauvignon Lonehawk Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - sandalwood, black currant, orange zest, cedar, allspice, black cherry.
Cedary smooth dusty black currant, nutmeg and white pepper, black plum, lime zest, firm structure. Drink '12-'22. 92 pts

La Honda '07 Pinot Noir (SCM)
Nose - savory, dusty, black cherry, mushroom, bay, roasted plum, meyer lemon zest.
Rustic/roasty/zesty/savory/dusty, a bit tight, black cherry, bay, mushroom, lime zest, dusty wood, cedar. Needs time. Drink '12-'20. 91+ pts

Mount Eden '07 Pinot Noir Estate (SCM)
Nose - smooth red and black plum, medley of dried herbs, round, savory, black cherry, sandalwood. Sultry and gorgeous!
Amazing, just so much going on. Savory roasty, bay, red cherry, black plum, lovely smoke, citrus medley. Very enjoyable now, but will improve a lot. Drink '16-'33 96 pts

Mount Eden '06 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (SCM)
Nose - black currant, mint, thick savory fruit.
Minty cedar, black currant, really nice SCM character, touch of black pepper and campfire. Drink '15-30. 94 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '01 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (SCM)
Nose - silky smooth, red plum and cedar, black currant, hint of tobacco. Classic expression.
Round, peppery feel. Plum and white pepper, black currant, roasted plum, tangello, cigar, black raspberry. Drink '10-'20. 90 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '05 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (SCM)
Nose - white flowers, red plum, smooth, slightest hints of cedar and black currant.
Smooth plum withcedar and mint, black currant. Peppery finish. Drink '12-'22. 90 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '06 Cabernet Sauvignon Small Lot (SCM)
Nose - smooth peppery plum, chamomile, mint.
Gorgeous pert/smoky/cedary plum, black currant, lime zest, mint, tarragon, nutmeg. Drink '11-'26. 92 pts

Fleming Jenkins '06 Syrah Black Ridge Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - velvety black plum, with mere hints of smoke, mint, rosemary, zest and vanilla.
Velvety pert red plum, green basil, tarragon, lime zest, smoky black plum. 89+ pts

Fleming Jenkins '06 Syrah Madden Ranch (Livermore Valley)
Nose - savory, stemmy spice, nutmeg/plum/boysenberry, soft mint.
Soft mint/plum/lime zest, hints of white and black pepper. 88 pts

Fleming Jenkins '06 Choreography (Napa Valley)
Nose - pomegranate/black plum, smooth mint, nutmeg.
Raspberry and black plum, nutmeg, orange and lemon zest, sandalwood and orange. 88 pts

Bargetto '07 Chardonnay (SCM) $20!
(100% Regan Vineyard, primarily Mount Eden clone)
Nose - rich spicy pear, nutmeg, quince, cinnamon, hints of stone fruit. Good minerality. Really nice.
Nice spice medley and pure pear, poached pear with cinnamon and a touch of lime. 93 pts

Bargetto '07 Pinot Noir Regan Vineyard Reserve (SCM)
Nose - gorgeous sultry stemmy resin spice well integrated into the red fruit, with just the slightest hint of bay.
Nose translates well to the palate. Silky smooth. Cranberry/red plum, bay, lime. Very complex. 93 pts

Bargetto '06 Merlot (SCM)
(100% Regan Vyd.)
Nose - lovely green peppercorn, classic Merlot fruit.
Green peppercorn, cherry/Merlot, chlorophyll, grippy dusty tannin, hints of lime zest and char. Drink '13-'16. 88 pts

Bargetto '04 La Vita (SCM)
(100% Regan Vyd. 59% Dolcetto, 24% Refosco, 17% Nebbiolo)
Nose - smooth pert fruit, cinnamon, cherry soup, mint, oak vanillin.
Dry dusty prune, ashy, astringent, lime zest, plum. 85 pts

Storrs '08 Chardonnay (SCM)
Nose - smooth nutmeg spice and intense pear, with quince and tangello.
Spicy cinnamon pear, smooth, round, with a slight peppery feel, pure ripe pear. 91 pts

Storrs '06 Pinot Noir (SCM)
Nose - soft raspberry/plum, with good stemmy spice.
Slightly glyceriny red fruit, with peppery/stemmy spice. 89+ pts

Storrs '06 Two Creek (SCV)
(Syrah 60%, Grenache 22%, Grand Noir 18%)
Nose - smooth mint.
Minty fennel, rosemary, red fruit, cinnamon. 87 pts

Storrs '05 Petite Sirah (SCM)
Nose - funky, brambly, smoky, with a good mineral sense.
Balsa/sandalwood, dense black fruit, charcoal, lime zest. 84 pts