Thanks for the pics Brent
Nice job.
Here are my notes from the showdown and the post-showdown tasting:
Flight #1 in the order poured.
2002 Brewer-Clifton Clos PepeLightest color of all the wines in the flight, clear dark ruby red. Odd nose, very earthy, with tart cherries and white pepper. Spice and pepper notes carry through on the palate, with very fine tannins, and medium body. My #5 wine of the flight.
2000 Hitching Post Clos PepeSlightly darker in color that wine #1, with a bright nose of sweet cherries and earth, and nice spice accents. Smooth rich tannins, and an interesting complexity that I found intriguing. My #3 of the flight.
2002 Clos Pepe EstateVery dark saturated purple in coloe, with a big fruity nose of black cherries, rhubarb, cola, and spice. Firmly tannic on the palate, but possessing the stuffing that should allow this to age beautifully for 5-10 years. Tight and closed at this stage, but the best aging potential of the bunch.
2002 SiduriDense blackish-purple in color, with a huge WOW nose of blueberries, black cherries, and vanilla. Packed with dense sweet fruit, rich and forward, yet focused and balanced. Big ripe rich tannins, excellent structure, dense yet balanced. Very long finish, a beautiful wine, my #1 of the flight.
2002 LoringVery dark blackish-purple in color, with an odd film on the surface I couldn’t quite figure out - maybe something that was in the glass? Huge nose of black cherries, deep and intense, with cola notes, tons of dense sweet ripe fruit, and terrific spice. Beautifully smooth tannins, rich and polished, structured and balanced, leading to a long fine finish. A very close #2 of the flight for me.
Flight #2 – 2002 Cargasacchi
2002 BabcockDark saturated purple in color, huge nose of black cherries, rhubarb, and tons of spice. Rich and intense on the palate, with very fine tannins, layers of fine fruit, and a very long finish. My #2 of the flight.
2002 Brewer-CliftonDark clear purple in color, not quite as dark as #1, with an deep rich nose of black cherries, spice, and a touch of stink. Rich and generous on the palate, plenty of sweet fruit are framed in elegant fine tannins, spicy and balanced, with a nice long finish. My #3 wine of the flight.
2002 SiduriDarkest wine of the three, a dense opaque purple, with a huge nose of chocolate, blackberries, cherries, and plum. The dense deep nose is followed by a big rich palate, nicely structure, deep and intense, with a core of fruit that seems endless. Spice components really come through on the palate, and this finishes very fine and very long. My #1 wine of the flight.
And then the post-showdown tasting:
2003 Novy 4 mile Creek red blend - soft, friendly, and very fruity - immediately approachable and likeable, you can do far worse than $9 full retail.
2002 Pelerini Rosella’s Pinot Nose of tart cherries and earth, high-toned fruit, nice balance, should be excellent with a meal.
2001 Pisoni Pisoni Estate PinotFull throttle, tons of spice, cocoa, and black fruit - loved it.
1998 Dehlinger Pinot - Beautiful. Nose of soft red fruits and violets, soft and elegant on the palate with purity and elegance.
1999 Arcadia Sleepy Hollow Pinot Big cocoa presence on the nose, black fruits, rich smooth tannins, extracted but nicely balanced, a touch of stink at first sniff which blew off, nice complexity, and a medium finish.
2000 Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge Pinot - made be very glad that I have some of this in the cellar, elegantly extracted, plenty of fruit, structured, med-long finish. Terrific stuff.
2001 Roar Pisoni Pinot - Huge pinot, tremendously extracted, almost overripe - showing some raisiny/pruney character. Still mighty tasty however.
2001 Roar Gary’s Pinot - much more balanced and fine than the Roar Pisoni, huge, with extracted black fruits, fine structure, and a long finish.
2000 Lucia Gary's Pinot - Impressive stuff! Really tasty, plenty of fruit, balance, moderate tannins.
2002 Novy Carlisle Zinfandel - I loved the 2001 rendition of this wine, and am very glad to see Adam is right on track in 2002 - tremendous stuff which I won’t pass up when it’s released.