'10 Plum Bottling - 4/29/11

Gil, Burt and I got together to bottle our most recent plum wine. Burt bought a floor corker, like the one we used for the '09 Cabernet, which is far superior to the hand corker we'd been using. Like last year's Elderberry, Burt wanted to filter his portion of the plum wine. First, we tasted our wine as it was, dry and unfiltered. Then we filtered his half and tasted again. Then sweetened to his preference level and tasted again. I chose not to filter, as I feel it strips the wine of some complexity. We also tried his version of the '09 Elderberry wine. I'll include my notes from my unfiltered version, tried two days later. Lastly, we sampled from our barrel of '10 Syrah, deciding it was reductive and in need of racking.

'10 Plum dry, unfiltered
Nose - bright and heady, with deep plum skin, black plum and raspberry, with touches of apricot and strawberry.
Quite tart. Intense flavors follow through. A touch of bitterness from the concentrated skin taste.

We're thinking that since the intensity of flavor is always so high, and that the '08 came out too acidic, that this year if the acidity is too high at crush, we can simply adjust it by adding water. Some of Burt's friends would prefer it less concentrated, anyway. (That would, of course, be done before adding sugar to desired brix level. I should also note that our desired acidity level for the plum is higher than just about any grape wine.)

'10 Plum filtered, dry
Cleaner, lighter, simpler. Plummy, more strawberry.

Burton's '10 Plum "Barton Orchard" Filtered
Sweetened with 6 cups of sugar to 7 gallons.
Nice round smoky plum, strawberry and raspberry. Good grip.

Barton Orchard '10 Plum "Estate" Unfiltered
Sweetened with 1 cup of sugar to 6 gallons.
More delicate, more strawberry, less sweet than previous off-dry. Nice.

I was planning to do this completely dry, but chicken out due to the minor bitterness. Then, after trying the Elderberry, which was quite bitter when bottled last year, I immediately regretted my second guessing. But I did do 2 bottles completely dry, in order to have something to check in on.

Burton's '09 Elderberry "Barton Orchard" Filtered
Nose - shy light red fruit, a touch meaty, musty, opening up with pomegranate.
Delicately sweet, light red fruit, a touch meaty, foxy/musty elderflower. Bitterness is almost completely gone.

Barton Orchard '09 Elderberry "Estate" Unfiltered
5/1/2011: Bitterness is pretty much resolved. Very fragrant and floral with lots of raspberry, other red fruits and elderberry, some astringency and a hint of bitterness. Good complexity and body. Should be better dry, or at least sweetening wasn't necessary after all.

Barton Orchard '10 Syrah "Coastview Vineyard" (Monterey County)
Nose - deep, touch of sulfur, classic dark Coastview Syrah, touch of smoked ham, soft expression.
Sulfur note, blackberry, smoked ham, good mineral, touch of mandarin.

Pathway to Pinot Paradise - 3/26/11

Pathway is the support event on the Saturday of the Pinot Paradise weekend. A self guided tour, where many of the Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir producers host open houses, bringing out special treats such as barrel samples, library wines and limited release wines. I joined my friend Tom for a visit to the four Corralitos wineries.

NICHOLSON VINEYARDS
The Nicholsons planted their first vines in 1996. In 2008 they were joined by talented winemaker Ian Brand. Ian is also winemaker and vineyard manager at Coastview Vineyard, among other things. Bringing Ian on board has really brought their wines up to the next level.

'07 Chardonnay Estate (SCM)
Nose - rich, dark, unctuous, smooth, loquat and cinnamon.
Sharp, dark, brown wood spice, heavy wood over light minerally fruit, loquat, lime, cinnamon, allspice. 84 pts

'09 Viognier Cedar Lane Vineyard (Arroyo Seco)
Nose - warm peach cobbler, nutmeg.
Lovely peach and green apple, good minerality, cinnamon and a hint of nasturtium. Should round out with about 6 more months in the bottle. 91 pts

'08 Pinot Noir Brook's Block (SCM)
Nose - nice savory spice, dark fruit showing rhubarb.
Savory rhubarb with clove, firm, dusty/grippy tannins, touches of plum and cinnamon. Drink '13-'23. 92 pts

'08 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve (SCM)
Nose - more elegant, dark fruit, nutmeg, rhubarb, savory.
Savory spice, nutmeg, rhubarb. Lovely. Dusty/grippy tannin, firm, hint of lemon verbena. Drink '14-'24. 93 pts

'08 Pinot Noir Split Rail Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - light floral sense, savory, touches of black cherry and rhubarb.
Savory black cherry and rhubarb, nutmeg, dusty tannin, slight meaty tinge, hint of iodine. 93+ pts

'08 Syrah Coastview Vineyard (Monterey County)
Nose - inky, deep, boysenberry and sandalwood, cinnamon and violet.
Firm, boysenberry, plum, grippy/dusty tannin, sandalwood, cherry, violet. Drink '15-'25. 93 pts

'08 Zinfandel Old Vine (Amador County)
Nose - bright, porty, cherry and strawberry, dried plum, raisin.
Smooth raisin and cherry, cinnamon. 88 pts

PLEASANT VALLEY VINEYARDS
PPV were established in 1996, crafting wines from 5 acres of estate fruit as well as careful sourcing from distinctive sites elsewhere.

'08 Dylan David Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard Thelma-Henrietta Block (SCM)
(This block is planted to Dijon Clone 115.)
Nose - shy unctuous wild cherry, soft wood spice.
Wild cherry, firm, wood spice, wild plum. Drink '11-'17. 90 pts

'08 Dylan David Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard Willa-Louise Block (SCM)
(This block is planted to Dijon Clone 667.)
Nose - meaty, strawberry, wild cherry.
Unctuous pithy wild cherry, a bit brambly, chamomile, grass, sage. Drink '13-'18 91 pts

'08 Dylan David Pinot Noir Family Estate Reserve (SCM)
Nose - warm rich strawberry and plum, soft spice.
Savory, round, dusty tannin, plum, rhubarb, lavender, hints of thyme and lemon rind. Drink '15-'27. 92 pts

'09 Dylan David Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard Thelma-Henrietta Block (SCM)
(Barrel sample)
Nose - smooth savory plum, slight meaty sense.
Savory, stemmy, smooth, plum, soft oak spice. Needs time to round out. Drink '13-'18. 90+ pts

'09 Dylan David Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard Willa-Louise Block (SCM)
Nose - bright lovely Seguin Morreau oak spice, hint of raspberry, green herb, nutmeg.
Lovely nutmeg spice, tart. plum/raspberry/wild cherry, fine tannin. Drink '12-'22. 93 pts

'09 Dylan David Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard Cuvee (SCM)
(This is a blend of 2/3 clone 115 and 1/3 clone 667.)
Nose - Heady lovely savory spice, wild plum, violet.
Dusty, savory, lavender, plum, wild cherry, thyme. Drink '14-'22. 93+ pts

ALFARO FAMILY VINEYARDS
The Alfaros purchased their 75 acres property in 1997 and planted 35 acres of it to vines. The estate is planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Merlot. They also purchase fruit and sell some fruit to other wineries, such as Big Basin.

'08 Scarlet Red Wine (SCM)
(85% Pinot Noir, 12% Syrah, 3% Merlot)
Nose - deep dark cherry and nice spice.
Deep cherry and plum, acidic, savory wood, gritty tannin, touch of rustic jujube. Drink '12-'18. 87+ pts

'09 Pinot Noir Gimelli Vineyards (Cienega Valley)
Nose - smooth, meaty, velvety berry and raspberry.
Nice savory plum and raspberry, good grip, touches of nutmeg and rhubarb. Drink '11-'21. 91+ pts

'08 Pinot Noir Schultze Family Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - warm, mildly barnyardy, savory berry, luxurious oak spice.
Lovely Francois Freres(?) spice, good mineral, berry and plum, vibrant and lingering, hints of rhubarb and cranberry. Drink '11-'23. 92+ pts

'08 Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - nice full savory tingly berry, touch of redwood, hint of rhubarb.
Firm, almost harsh, packed with berry, dusty tannin, good acidity, hint of cranberry, redwood, good minerality. Drink '12-'19 91+ pts

WINDY OAKS
The Schultzes planted their first Pinot Noir in 1996, and have really been been the leaders in Corralitos Pinot Noir.

'08 Pinot Noir "Diane's Block" (SCM)
Nose - light, heady, brandied spiced cherry, touch of sassafras, hint of raspberry.
Firm, spiced cherry, flan, raspberry, lime pith, a touch of bitterness and heat, smooth/dusty tannin, touch of cocoa. 89 pts

'08 Pinot Noir "Cuvee" (SCM)
Nose - full, smoky and meaty, minerally cherry.
Minerally cherry and rhubarb, some pith, smoke, lanolin, cinnamon. Drink '13-'18. 91 pts

'08 Pinot Noir "100% Whole Cluster" (SCM)
Nose - lovely and elegant, cinnamon, soft red fruit, subtle smoke.
Lovely elegant red fruit, good mineral, cinnamon, some mid-level grip, cherry, dandelion, hints of nutmeg and lanolin. Drink '13-'25. 93 pts

'08 Pinot Noir "Proprietor's Reserve" (SCM)
Nose - rich minerally berry/rhubarb/cranberry, some sandalwood and flan, smoky earthy redwood.
Minerally cranberry, berry, rhubarb, redwood, cinnamon, cilantro, some meaty pith. Drink '13-'27. 93 pts

'09 Pinot Noir "Proprietor's Reserve" (SCM) barrel sample
Nose - lovely deep velvety strawberry, flinty smoke, berry.
Grippy rustic wild cherry, strawberry, flinty mineral, lime zest. Hints of rhubarb and lavender. Lovely. Drink '13-33. 95 pts

'06 Pinot Noir "Special Burgundian Clone" (SCM)
Nose - lovely, soft, almost meaty, haw fruit, leche dulce, strawberry, bread pudding, nutmeg, cinnamon.
warm, soft, bread pudding, plum, haw fruit, lovely, firm dusty tannin. Drink now-'25. 94 pts

Ridge '10 Monte Bello Components Tasting - 3/6/11

Once again, I conspired with friends to meet up for this fun and insightful event, followed by a picnic. Like last March, the weather was less than ideal. But at least drizzling, cool and clammy is better than piercingly cold winds. The food and companionship made the "ordeal" worth it.

The idea of the components tasting is to allow us to get a feel for what some of the different grapes, from different vineyard blocks, contribute to the blend. Sometimes an individual component is amazing on its own. Other times one will come off as incomplete, but having attributes that would make a good ingredient.

As usual, we were greeted with a Chardonnay before moving on to four components, then an early blend (allemblage) and finally, an older vintage. The Monte Bello designated Chardonnay is selected from the estate lots to be a long lived wine that rewards significant aging.

'07 Chardonnay Monte Bello
Nose - nice perfumed stone fruit, green melon, good mineral sense.
Firm structural frame and juicy fruit, musk melon, pith, a touch of peach, pear, floral - almost soapy, tight. Drink '21-'33. (93)

'10 Merlot Bowl Block
Nose - deep, earthy, smoky black cherry, warm with subtle spice, brambly fruit.
Grippy, smoky, rustic, dark, tart, zesty, earth and mineral. Good intensity with a light body.
Came across as a bit shy or dull to some hedonists who weren't paying much attention...

'10 Cabernet Franc Cheval Block
Nose -ethereal smoked meat over primary black currant.
Tight, smoky, grippy, black currant, mandarin zest, beef, lavender.
Pretty intriguing. This is from very young vines and will not make the blend, but instead will be bottled as its own wine.

'10 Cabernet Sauvignon New Foster's Block
Nose - inky black currant, touches of smoke and blackberry.
Classic intense Cab fruit with juicy sweet currant and dusty tannin. Just lovely!

'10 Petit Verdot Olivos Block
Nose - lovely inky perfumed boysenberry. Wow!
Sharp approach, intense minerally boysenberry, dusty tannin. Wow! Showing just a skosh of green tannin.
This one was a socks knocker offer.

'10 Monte Bello
Nose - intense, heady, inky, rustic smoky jujube/black currant/blackberry.
Intense, juicy, pert, dried herbs, black currant, berry, touches of purple basil, lemon. Dusty/gritty tannin. Drink '25-'55. (94)

'92 Monte Bello (from a 375ml bottle)
Nose - lovely round floral youthful fruit, then mature cedar, violets.
Sharp, juicy, iodine, cedar, currant and berry. Still young. 94 pts

'08 Monte Bello
Nose - lovely, soft and intense berry and purple basil.
Soft intense berry fruit, good mineral and acid structure, touches of lemon and dried herbs. Drink '21-'41. 94 pts

See Richard's write up for some pics and notes on our picnic wines.
http://www.rjonwine.com/cabernet-sauvignon/ridge-2010-monte-bello-components/
I brought the '86 Park-Muscatine Zin and '85 Jimsomare Cab, which were a bit disappointing compared to some similarly mature vintages I've had of those wines.

Rhys Pick-up Day - 2/26/11

Caught a little snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains this morning, which made for a scenic visit up to Rhys. Good thing I brought the camera. Nice to see and catch up with a good selection of my wine friends, while tasting through some upcoming releases. Glad my friends have such good taste...

The first wine represents a shift for Rhys. As their estate vines began coming into full production, they phased out their second label, Alesia, for purchased fruit. Replacing Alesia will be two appellation level wines, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir. Doing this allows them to select only the best barrels for their single vineyard wines, while at the same time having some more affordable and more ready to drink wines. Some people call these "cellar defenders", because they provide fodder to the temptation to open wines that aren't yet at their best. Open these, age those.

Rhys '09 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose - warm nutmeg-y spices and a lovely rich lemon meringue.
Rich and vibrant, lemon, nutmeg, cinnamon and subtle oak spices, good acidity. Very nice! Ready to drink. 92+ pts

Rhys '09 Pinot Noir Family Farm (San Mateo County)
Nose - incense/lavender/green wood, restrained dark purple fruit, pomegranate.
Very floral with a delicate astringency. Lavender, purple basil, pomegranate, green wood and smoke, underlying hints of jujube and boysenberry, with cinnamon and lemon zest on the finish. Drink '14-'26. 94 pts

Rhys '09 Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard (Anderson Valley)
Nose - deep, dark and savory, allspice and lemon verbena, hints of sassafras and boysenberry.
Nutmeg/clove, zest, boysenberry, chalky mineral, hints of chamomile, lemon verbena and lavender soap. Drink '13-'18 93 pts

Rhys '08 Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - soft and warm youthful berry fruit, woodsy and floral, incense.
Soft tannin, black currant and boysenberry, soft touch of zest, with nutmeg and orange. Pert. Drink '11-'17. 91+ pts

SCMWA Trade Tasting SF - 2/1/11

Dave and I drove up to sample some new and upcoming releases from a selection of Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. As usual, there were way too many wines to try, especially when pacing oneself. I think I did a pretty good job, getting to the most interesting wines I haven't tried. Dave got to some I didn't, so I'm looking forward to his notes.

Mount Eden '07 Chardonnay "Saratoga Cuvee" (SCM)
Nose - flinty, intense mineral, lemon verbena and other herbs, lemon, waxy white peach.
Waxy, followed by intense zing, good minerality, lemon, herbs (lemon verbena, oregano), pith. 91 pts

Mount Eden '07 Chardonnay "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - shy (served too cold), warm rich loquat, cinnamon spice, touches of lemon and orange.
Loquat/orange/lemon, good low-key oak spice, nice herbs, good minerality, good supporting richness of fruit. Drink '16-'26. 93+ pts

Mount Eden '08 Pinot Noir "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - heady and very complex, excellent minerality, rhubarb, cherry and purple basil, smoky/savory/ bay leaf, hint of kiwi.
Lovely savory spice, a bit tight, cherry and rhubarb, good minerality, touch of cranberry. Excellent! Drink '16-'30. 95 pts

Mount Eden '06 Cabernet Sauvignon "Saratoga Cuvee" (SCM)
This is from 5 vineyards in Saratoga and Los Gatos
Nose - smooth soft cherry, savory, smoky, black pepper.
Peppery black currant, firm, hints of tobacco and cherry. Drink '12-'16. 90 pts

Mount Eden '06 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - deep, smooth, a bit shy, black currant and blackberry.
Smooth entry to charry black currant, good mineral, smoky, dried herb, tight. Drink '18-'33. 92 pts

Mount Eden '07 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - basil, thyme, smooth black currant, cooked orange, good savory and smoky notes, touch of tobacco.
Firm tobacco and black currant, dusty tannin, light on its feet, background herbs and cherry. Drink '18-'35. 93 pts

Ridge '08 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
(75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc)
Nose - ethereal black currant and dried herbs.
Grippy/dusty black currant, intense, good mineral and acid, good complexity, touches of tobacco and cherry. Drink '16-'30. 93 pts

Bonny Doon '09 "Contra" (California)
(Mourvedre/Carignane/Grenache)
Nose - deep smoky raspberry, brambly, good mineral.
Intense raspberry, blackberry, hint of rhubarb, semi-flat, good savory smoke and mineral. 90 pts

Bonny Doon '07 "Cigare Volante" (California)
Nose - smooth, good mineral, subtle depth, cherry, rustic, white pepper, complex, green wood.
Soft-to-flattish, savory, peppery, green wood, cherry/rhubarb/hay. 90+ pts

Kathryn Kennedy '09 Sauvignon Blanc (California)
Nose - bright gooseberry, touches of lime and sweet pea.
Perky lime/gooseberry/grass, tight, a bit pithy, sweat pea. 91 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '00 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - warm smooth maturing black currant with hints of tobacco, redwood and cherry.
Soft cedar/tobacco/black currant, pepper, a bit grippy and gritty, redwood, cherry, smoky savory herbs. 92 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '06 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - soft and elegant, good breadth of complexity.
Soft peppery black currant, tight, lime, cherry, smoke, very grippy, hint of orange custard. Drink '18-'33. 93 pts

Kathryn Kennedy '07 Cabernet Sauvignon "Small Lot" (SCM)
Nose - very giving, smooth cherry, black currant, savory dried herb.
Savory dried herbs - basil, smoky, soft black currant, background cherry and redwood, good acidity and complexity. Some grip. Drink '13-'23. 92+ pts

La Honda '08 Cabernet Sauvignon "Salinian Block" (SCM)
Nose - soft, peppery, intense black currant.
Black pepper, smoked chile, intense black currant, hint of char, gritty/grippy tannin. Drink '16-'21. 90 pts

La Honda '07 Cabernet Sauvignon "Naylor's Dry Hole" (Chalone)
Nose - deep and dark, black currant, black cherry, lemon merigue, soft minty note.
Soft, but grippy and gritty, cherry and black currant, red clay, touches of mint and redwood. 90 pts

Regale '07 Pinot Noir O'Neel Vineyard (Russian River Valley)
Nose - classic RRV - good minerality, cherry with a hint of cola.
Good minerality, tingly cherry, deep, good herb, hint of smoky savoriness, good acid. 92 pts
It's nice to come across an RRV Pinot that truly expresses itself. The region used to produce many lovely wines like this. Nowadays almost everybody ruins their wines by picking too late, yielding dark, thick, hot messes.

Regale '08 Pinot Noir O'Neel Vineyard (Russian River Valley)
Nose - smooth, soft, savory cherry, soft mint.
Lovely savory deep wild cherry, wood smoke. 90 pts

Regale '08 Pinot Noir "Sonoma Coast"
Nose - lovely smooth cherry, subtle vanillin oak, good mineral.
Nice smooth classic Sonoma Coast fruit, good intensity, dark minerality. 91 pts

Cooper-Garrod '06 Cabernet Franc "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - dried black plum and a hint of pepper.
Pert smoky plum, lighter body. 89 pts

Cooper Garrod '05 Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - lovely classic cedary black currant, fairly soft expression, hint of white pepper.
Lovely cedary black currant, pert, leathery texture, touches of cherry and redwood, hints of tobacco and smoke. 92 pts

Cooper-Garrod '06 Cabernet Sauvivnon "George's Vineyard" (SCM)
Nose - tellicherry and white pepper, with cherry, soft, broad, lovely, good depth, back note of black currant.
Peppery/gritty, tellicherry, black currant, good length, smoky, tight. Drink '17-'27. 91 pts

Cooper-Garrod "'05 Test Pilot, F-86" (SCM)
(44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44 Cabernet Franc, 12 % Merlot)
Nose - smooth sweet cherry, with touches of soft mintiness and black currant.
Perky and dark, cherry and black currant, good mineral, tart and smoky, with supportive lemon zest. 90 pts

Cooper-Garrod '06 Syrah Finley Vineyard (SCM)
Nose - deep dark Syrah fruit, touches of graphite and white pepper.
Blackberry with white pepper and green peppercorn, touch of cherry, tight, needs time. Drink '16+. 92+ pts

Cooper-Garrod '09 Viognier "Estate" (SCM)
Nose - bright peach and gooseberry, touch of grass.
Less ripe white peach, touches of grass and gooseberry, good grip, pith. 90 pts

Cinnabar '06 Cabernet Sauvignon (SCM)
Nose - smooth depp subtle black currant, touches of cedar and vanilla.
Smooth black currant, white pepper, vanilla, soft dusty tannin. 88 pts

Cinnabar '07 Cabernet Franc Lewis Vineyard (Lodi)
Nose - smooth and elegant blackberry and vanilla spice.
Soft white pepper, blackberry, caramel chew, some dusty char. 86 pts

Big Basin '07 Syrah Fairview Ranch (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - lovely elegant savory herbs, white pepper.
Lovely white pepper, savory smoky dried herbs, blackberry and cherry. 93 pts

Big Basin '08 Syrah "Homestead" (Santa Cruz and Monterey)
Nose - warm creme brulee, nutmeg and blackberry.
Nutmeg and blackberry, smooth/dusty tannin, somewhat savory, lovely, complex. 92 pts

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards '08 Durif (San Antonio Valley)
Nose - smooth dried red plum, boysenberry, sultana.
Chalky tannin, boysenberry and sultana, redwood, prune juice. 88 pts

Lytton Springs Blind Tasting 1/31/11

This was a Rossbott tasting. 15 people, 8 wines. We tasted blind and individually ranked them. The rankings are compiled and tallied, yielding a group score, ranking and a spread. The score is 1 point for each 1st place vote, 2 for 2nd and so on down to 6 for 6th, so the lower the score the better. The spread shows the number of votes for the following rankings: 1st/2nd/3rd/last.

A) Nose - austere, dark, dusty, kirsh and olive, pipe tobacco.
Rich, touch of raisin, slight bitter edge, mature cherry and blackberry. Lovely. 94 pts
My #1, group #2 3/1/3/0 (57)
1992 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (88% Zin, 8% Petite Sirah, 4% Grenache, 14.9%)

B) Nose - green cocktail olive, cherry, sweetish/oxidative.
Sweet pickle, nice mature cherry, smooth, odd, but not unpleasant. With time, some smoked meat and cabbage, dark berry. 87 pts
My #7, group #8 0/1/0/5 (95)
1990 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (80% Zin, 10% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, 4% Grenache, 13.8%)

C) Nose - deep,dark, rich, classic L.S., oregano, sweet wood, floral, licorice, leather.
Cedary blackberry, tobacco, smooth/dusty tannin, slight bitterness. 91 pts
My #5, group #4 1/1/4/2 (67)
1994 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (80% Zin, 13% Petite Sirah, 4% Carignane, 2% Grenache, 1% Alicante Bouchet, 14.3%)

D) Nose - deep and dark, basil, licorice, hint of Green Zebra tomato.
Sweet, dill, quite mature black cherry, dark dusty tannins. 91 pts
My #6, group #6 4/0/0/1 (72)
1991 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (80% Zin, 12% Petite Sirah, 5% Grenache, 3% Carignane, 14.1%)

E) Nose - lovely savory dried herbs, blackberry, subtle wood spice.
Rich, has a funky fruit component - Alicante?, wild berry, smooth, dusty tannin, good intensity of fruit, touch of peppermint. 93 pts
My #2, group #1 3/5/1/0 (43)
1991 Ridge "Lytton Estate-ATP", Dry Creek Valley (86% Zin, 7% Petite Sirah, 7% Grenache, 15.4%)

F) Nose - odd/musty, shy, dusty black cherry.
Dark, cherry, funky, TCA, blackberry, zest. Flawed - corked.
My #8, group #7 1/2/0/3 (80)
1993 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (85% Zin, 8% Petite Sirah, 3% Carignane, 2% Grenache, 2% Alicante Bouchet, 14.5%)
The fruit was still dominant, and most people didn't get why this wine was wrong. The quality still showed, and I guessed I'd probably rate a non-corked version about 92. Turns out this is one of the two wines this tasting had in common with the Ridge Blogger Lytton Springs tasting, where I rated it 92.

G) Nose - mature, light cherry, hint of green olive.
Olive, cherry, pert, youthful berry. 92 pts.
My #3, group #5 1/1/3/1 (68)
1994 Lytton Springs Winery, Dry Creek Valley (14.3%)

H) Nose - classic L.S., clean, shy, black cherry and black currant.
Rustic alicant-y fruit, deep, youthful, sweet, hint of cinnamon candy. 92 pts
My #4, group #3 2/4/3/3 (58)
1995 Ridge "Lytton Springs", Dry Creek Valley (84% Zin, 14% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignane, 14.3%)

As a bonus, one of the participants brought a non-commercial bottling from the 1974 vintage, made before the Lytton Springs Winery was bonded.
Nose - lovely mature fruit, cedary, smooth, perfectly integrated, hints of pipe tobacco, American oak, cherry.
Pert, round, mature, smoky caramel, cherry, good minerality. 92 pts
Started to fall apart after about 20 minutes. What a treat! Interesting to note that what looked like sediment in a few people's glasses turned out to be grape skins. (Yes, we counted 4 skins. "There's 4 skins in the wine.")

Ed Kurtzman @ Artisan Wine Depot - 11/5/10

Freeman '07 Chardonnay Ryo-fu (Russian River Valley)
Nose- lovely finesse, warm broad earthy lemon and subtle spice.
Nice interplay of wood spice and cooked lemon, broad and earthy. 91 pts

Freeman '08 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
Nose - lovely savory herbs and spices with sultry Sonoma Pinot fruit.
Nice dried herb, pithy, zesty, smoky, a bit firm, cherry-ish fruit. Drink '12+ 90 pts

Sandler '08 Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast)
Nose - deep smoky cherry, nutmeg, dried lemon rind, broad dusty spice.
Deep, sappy, sultry, spicy. Tight with a bit of burn, nice cherry and allspice. Drink '12-'15. 88+ pts

Sandler '08 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - gorgeous heady elegant fruit, touch of redwood.
Restrained, delicate smoky fruit, touch of lime zest. Seems closed - not showing what's on the nose. Needs time. Drink '12-'18. 92+ pts

Sandler '08 Syrah Connell Vineyard (Bennett Valley)
Nose - deep dark fruit with licorice, smoke. Reminiscent of an old Martin Ray Cab, with a hint of that green bamboo shoot interplay.
Inky smoky black fruit, licorice, smoked meat. Needs air/time. Charry tannins. Drink '14-20. 93 pts

Sandler '08 Zinfandel Buck Hill Vineyard (Sonoma County)
Nose - nice brambly zinberry, hint of dried fruit.
Smooth round zinberry and blackberry, dusty tannin, allspice. 89 pts

August West '09 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - deep smoky dried herb spice.
Light, round, saline, cherry, raspberry pie, dusty tannin, candied lemon zest. 90 pts

August West '08 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - gorgeous fruit well framed by lovely spice, savory smoke, touches of cranberry and blackberry.
Smooth and lovely, cranberry, blackberry, hint of orange, dusty tannin. Slips down the throat. Drink '12-18. 93+ pts

August West '08 Pinot Noir Graham Family Vineyard (Russian River Valley)
Nose - elegant minerally RRV fruit, good intensity, dried savory herbs, lovely redwood spice, lemon blossom, orange.
Smooth complete wine. Cherry/orange/lovely spice, dusty tannin, peppery tingle, smoky rhubarb, a bit firm, but ready. Drink '10-18. 93 pts

Roar '08 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard (Santa Lucia Highlands)
Nose - Wow! Rich deft fruit, smooth, raspberry/nutmeg/cherry/cranberry.
Smoky cranberry, with some black plum and black cherry, touch of pepperiness, dried basil, hint of orange, dusty tannin, roasty plum. Drink '12-'20 92 pts