IMPROMPTU OFFLINE WITH THE R8DER FAMILY - Daniele's Osteria, Dallas, Texas (7/1/2007)

R8der and his lovely family were in town to attend a wedding so we threw together a last minute Sunday night offline for them before they headed back to the west coast on Monday. In attendance were R8der and family, wine+art, PURPLE and myself. Our wine theme was "Pinot from anywhere". Any wine made with a "pinot" grape was eligible.

On to the show....

Flight 1

Can't start an offline without some Champagne and white wine. This N.V. Champagne qualifies as it's a blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and the balance is to previous vintages to maintain the house style.

The Z-H is a perennial crowd pleaser as well.

• N.V. Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé - France, Champagne
  WIML90,NOWA,~WS90
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately. Dark salmon color in the glass, clear hue throughout with a light mousse. Nose of strawberries, black cherries and raspberries. Flavors of strawberries, black cherries and raspberries. Medium acidity, light to medium body. Drink now. (90 pts.)


• 2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
  WIML91,NOWA,WS91
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of lychee, passion fruit and oranges. Flavors of lychees, oranges and apricots. Medium acidity and body. Drink over the short to medium term. (91 pts.)

Flight 2

Pinot Noir from all over. All four of these Pinots were quite distinctive and fun in their own rights.

• 2000 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
  WIML90,NOWA,NOWS
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Light raspberry color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of dried herbs, a touch of leather, berries and cherries. Flavors of raspberries, tart cherries and berries. Light to medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink or hold. (90 pts.)


• 2004 Goldeneye (Duckhorn) Pinot Noir - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
  WIML90,NOWA,WS91
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. A little briar patch on the nose with some other aromas of black cherries, berries and a touch of white pepper. Flavors of black cherries and berries. Medium acidity, tannins and body. Drink now with at least an hour in the decanter or hold. (90 pts.)


• 2004 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
  WIML90,NOWA,NOWS
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Spicy and rich nose of dark fruits with lots of florals. Flavors of dark fruits, currants, black berries and black licorice. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full body. Just a little hot on the nose. Drink or hold. 15.0% alcohol. (90 pts.)


• 2003 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Cohn - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
  WIML90?,NOWA,WS92
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of black cherries, black licorice, black currants and a little rose petal on the finish. Big and jammy like on the palate with chewy black currants and black licorice. Medium acidity, firm tannins and full bodied. Needs more time in bottle so hold. (90 pts.)

Flight 3

After killing all of the Pinot we found ourselves wanting a little palate cleanser before we hit the road so we ordered this lively little Italian white from the restaurant list.

• 2006 Baroncini Orviéto Classico Libra - Italy, Umbria, Orviéto, Orviéto Classico
  WIML89,NOWA,NOWS
  
  Tasted July 1, 2007 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Balloon Magnum glass. Straw color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of grapefruit, fresh cut grass, lemon and lime. Flavors of grapefruit, gooseberries and lime. Medium acidity, light body. Drink now. (89 pts.)

Many thanks to the R8ders for braving the Texas floods to come visit with us. We look forward to doing this again!