Sorry for the delay, we got back late Sunday afternoon and have been crazy busy ever since.
We went to Boston on Sat. to meet some of the Boston Wine Club for a wine dinner at Ristorante Fiorentino, a casual Italian restaurant in Woburn, MA. Mark Zengilowski from Siduri came with his wife, (they are orig.from the Boston area and home for Easter and a wedding) and he provided the wine. (Thanks Mark)
SIDURI PINOTS:
2001 Wiliamette Pinot- $19 a bottle, $10 a half bottle. Very nice, I expected it to be a bit light, based on the price but this wine was a great surprise! A sweet spice-cookie nose, floral notes, hint of licorice. Medium-bodied, lots of forward ripe red fruits- cherries and strawberries. Soft and easy to drink. 90-91 pts.( note: Mark told us that that WS requested a bottle of this wine for a photo shoot for the June 15 issue, so they are anticipating some good feedback on this wine)
Russian River 2001 Pinot- $29 a bottle. A deeper, more earthy nose. Rich, extracted and full-bodied. Black cherries, toasted vanilla oak. Reminded me of a Martinelli Pinot. 92+ pts.
2001 Pisoni Pinot- $50 a bottle. Creme Brulee, carmel nose. A big Pinot, complex and layered. This wine may have needed more time, as I do not think I got its full potential in my taste. 92-93 pts. I actually enyoyed the $29 RR just as much for the price.
2001 Cargasacchi Pinot- BIG! Huge! Rich and concentrated. Very Syrah-like. Never would have know this was a Pinot. Was a WOW wine for me. 94-95+ pts.
NOVY:
Page-Nord 2000 Napa Valley Syrah- Barnyard nose, meaty, like a rare steak. Smooth, licorice notes. Dark fruits. Nice finish. Would buy for $24. 90-91 pts. But then came the Rosella's...
Novy Rosella's 2001 Syrah. My wine of the night! WOWEE!!! LOVED IT! Emottram sitting next to me agreed. We both ordered as much as we could. This stuff ROCKS!!! Nose had some pepper, and a hint of Dr. Pepper. Super-duper extracted. Deep, rich, gobs of fruit, yet refined, smooth and velvety. Awesome finish that dances on your tongue. Light toasted oak finish with a hint of sweetness on the finish that just makes you grin ear to ear. Definately tasted like a wine 2-3x the price. (rivals a Behrens and Hitchcock or Switchback- really, I am not kidding) At $25 a bottle a STEAL! 95+!
It was a great night, met some fun people. And it was great to taste the wines on their recent mailers so I could decide what and how much to order.

Glad you liked the Siduri's. I tasted all of the '01 Siduri and Novy wines as well as a number of the '02's from barrel. I thought the '01 Pisoni was the best wine in the lineup (92pts) and I bought a magnum of it. The Santa Lucia Highlands was also excellent (91pts) and a very good value, IMO. The Cargasacchi (89pts) was very Syrah-like and thick, but packed with flavor. I must admit that I was not nearly as impressed as you were with the Novy offerings. The '00 Page Nord was definitely the best, but I had it at 88 pts. It is a big wine, but I got banana peel on the finish of that wine which I felt was a distraction.

jb

Unfortunately, they sold out of the Santa Lucia Highlands before I got any this year, as its been my favorite Siduri Pinot for the price- at around $34, (blend of Pisoni and Garys).
I'll be re-tasting some of these in about a month at the winery, so we'll see if my notes stay consistent. When I get my Rosella's, will bring to a vinocellar event so we can all try some.

I think my '01 Pisoni magnum is destined for an offline some time around 2007.

jb

Jazin I'm glad you posted notes since I didn't take any formal ones. My wines in order of preference were:

Novy Rosella's 93+
Siduri Cargasacchi 93
Siduri Pisoni 92+
Siduri RRV 91
Novy Page-Nord 87
Siduri Wiliamette 87

Thanks to Mark from Siduri for the great night of wine...Thank you Jazin for offering to pickup my wine from Novy.