SCMWA Trade Tasting 4/13/10

This was another great opportunity to taste a bunch of Santa Cruz Mountains wines. Again, way too many to get through. A lot of what I hadn't tried where whites, so I decided to go through them first, and didn't get much further...

COOPER-GARROD
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'07 Viognier Randall Grahm Clone (SCM)
Nose - warm stone fruit/peach, has just enough earthy weight, sandalwood, hint of kumquat marmalade.
Very smooth, nice touch of oak spice, pith, with touches of kumquat marmalade and white peach. 88 pts

'06 Chardonnay Gravel Ridge Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - concentrated seam of signature SCM Chard, rich loquat, good mineral sense.
Good body, spicy oak and rich exotic fruit, nice minerality. 89 pts

DANCING CREEK
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'08 Chardonnay (SCM)
Nose - nice Christmas spice frosting - good intensity.
Smooth, really nice elegant spice, mouth watering, mango, tamarind, lemon, cardamon. A bit reminiscent of Varner. 90 pts

DOWNHILL WINERY
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'09 Torrontes (CA)
(Actually from the Silvaspoons Vyd. Alta Mesa, Lodi)
Nose - bright, intense, tropinal - passionfruit, strawberry, hints of mango and pineapple.
Spicy, waxy, white peach, touches of pineapple and mango. Somewhat firm. 91 pts

CLOS LACHANCE
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'09 Sauvignon Blanc "White Tuffed Sunbeam" (Central Coast)
Nose - smooth lemon curd, lemon grass.
Lemon, lemon grass, fresh peas, dark woody spice, hint of cigar, pith. 87 pts

'07 Chardonnay (SCM)
Nose - high toned, light resin, smooth, clean, spicy, restrained.
Woody spice, rich butterscotch/vanilla, snap pea, lemon. Very clean and bright. Lingering wood tannin. 86 pts

BEAUREGARD
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'06 Chardonnay (SCM)
(This is estate fruit from the Ben Lomond area. As I noted with their Pinot, there is a definite site expression these share with McHenry estate fruit.)
Nose - rich, stony, kumquat, savory, sultry.
Really nice exotic spice, rich kumquat and mango, intense minerality, touch of lemon zest, very site expressive. 93 pts

POETIC CELLARS
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'07 Chardonnay Chestnut Hill Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - light/shy.
Smooth/pert, rich mango, lemon, pea, nice wood spice, clean/smooth finish. 89 pts

ROUDIN SMITH
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'07 Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County)
Nose - clean, grassy, gooseberry, kumquat.
Soft, grassy, lemon curd. 86 pts

'07 Chardonnay (SCM)
(From the Terra Bonny Vyd.)
Nose - high toned, caramel, wood spice, lemon, date.
Rich fig pudding with a cross current of lemon and spice, caramel, date, PX. 87+ pts

QUINTA CRUZ
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'09 Verdelho (Alta Mesa)
(From the Silvaspoons Vyd.)
Nose - clean, chalky, with a zesty citrus note, touch of grass.
Nice, easy drinking, grassy, chalky, just the right touch of pith, citrus, toast. 88 pts

FOGARTY
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'07 Chardonnay (SCM)
Nose - shy, good mineral, touch of lemon and spice.
Rich, with good acidity, sweet spice, well rounded fruit. Quite nice. 90 pts

PLEASANT VALLEY VINEYARDS
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'07 Chardonnay "Brittany Morgan Reserve" Pleasant Valley Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - resin, nutmeg, smoke, roasty lemon, licorice.
Lemon, smoke, licorice, good acidity, rich, nutmeg, anise. 90 pts

'08 Viognier "Erika Anna" Hansen Vyds. (Paso Robles)
Nose - clean and bright, elegant light fruit, rich, very complex, sandalwood, smoke, mandarin marmalade.
Rich roasty mango, smoke, touches of stone fruit, with a slight bitter undertone. Impressive. 91 pts

ODONATA
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'08 Chardonnay Peter Martin Ray Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - smoky mineral, flinty, roasty, clean.
Savory, roasty, light stone fruit, dry, light Sprite, roasty citrus. 90 pts

The the reds...

PLEASANT VALLEY VINEYARDS
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'08 Pinot Noir "Dylan David Thelma-Henrietta Block" Lester Family Vyd. (SCM)
(Dijon clone 115)
Nose - bright sappy/savory, rhubarb/blackberry/cranberry.
Roasty smoky cherry, savory complex spice, cranberry, boysenberry, pithm good mineral, raspberry. 92 pts

'06 Pinot Noir "Dylan David Family Estate Reserve" (SCM)
Nose - deep savy/smoky, lovely, wild cherry, touch of cranberry.
Deep, dark, savory, zesty, black cherry, excellent smoke character, dusty, boysenberry streak, touch of rhubarb, really nice Seguin Moreau oak spice. Sort of Rhys-lite, by way of lighter bodied Corralitos fruit. 94 pts

'07 Syrah "Sean Boyle" Lester Family Vyd. (SCM)
Nose - deep rich dark fruit, star anise, white pepper, boysenberry, ash, citron.
Spicy, tart, deep purple fruits, elegant wood spice, boysenberry, raspberry, white pepper, ash. 94 pts

'07 Merlot "Casey Alexander" Edsell Vyd. (SCM)
(This vineyard is near Picchetti on the Monte Bello ridge.)
Nose - deep berry, roasty citrus, nice vanilla spice, cinnamon, pepper.
Smoky zesty blackberry, lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon, nice lingering spice. 92 pts

POETIC CELLARS
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'06 Mourvedre Muse Vyd. (Livermore Valley)
Nose - nice intense savory spice, dark smoky fruit.
Rich dark toasty savory spice, smoky dark blackberry. 91 pts

'06 Syrah Stanza Vyd. (Livermore Valley)
Nose - warm dense dusty fruit and stemmy spice.
Light berry, peppery heat, green stemmy spice, zesty lime. 82 pts

'06 Petite Sirah Pentameter Vyd. (Livermore Valley)
Nose - dark smooth black currant, French oak spice.
Dusty tannin, smooth berry, black currant, char, smoky, oak spice, hints of mandarin, lime zest. 86 pts