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22<br />
Lot # <strong>Wine</strong> Year M D Comment<br />
Cellar Offering 176<br />
4074 Stone Valley Chardonnay 2006 9 9 Lovely wine. Showing fine development.<br />
4075 Stone Valley Merlot 2006 9 9 No problems yet, but now is the time to catch its best times.<br />
4076 Stone Valley Chardonnay 2006 8 8 See Lot 4074.<br />
4077 Stone Valley Merlot 2006 8 8 See Lot 4075.<br />
4080 Gravel Bed Zinfandel 2005 9 9 Still looks, smells and tastes good. No special reason to hurry<br />
to finish it.<br />
4088 Butterfly Ridge Merlot, Lake County 2005 9 9 All these Lake County varietals have done very well. This is<br />
lovely now.<br />
4089 Butterfly Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 9 10 No better than last year, but no worse either. Continue to<br />
Central Coast enjoy<br />
4091 Granada Creek Syrah 2005 9 10 Well aged, it will be as lovely as ever. Good fruit. Full bouquet.<br />
Fine flavours.<br />
4093 Riverview Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 9 9 This has been a slow maturing, but good, wine. It has good<br />
Nappa Valley structure and is still in good order.<br />
4094 Riverview Pinot Noir, Carneros 2006 8 8 Lots of fruit. Good structure. This is a good example of what<br />
the Carneros does best.<br />
4098 Castoro Cellars Zinfandel 2005 10 10 Fat, full and rich. Tastes like a pan of stewed blackberries with<br />
a tannic buzz.<br />
4099 Castoro Cellars Merlot 2005 9 9 Spice, crushed pepper, leaves and cassis.<br />
4100 Castoro Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 8 8 Very big flavour. Not really much like Cabernet at all, it’s too<br />
big, but if you like full-bodied wines, you will enjoy this one.<br />
4101 Castoro Cellars Reserve Viognier 2006 10 10 Still OK, but it has very little by way of subtlety. It still has a big<br />
profile of flavour.<br />
4102 Castoro Cellars Reserve Pinot Noir, 2005 9 9 Too much fruit, too little by way of balancing acidity. It is not<br />
Bien Nacido a typical Pinot Noir; by the same measure it is not a bad wine.<br />
4103 Castoro Cellars Reserve Syrah, 2005 8 9 Will this last for ever? Probably not, but it is perfectly good<br />
Paso Robles now.<br />
4104 Paso Robles, 2005 8 9 The winemaker got his components nicely together and gave<br />
Castoro Cellars Reserve Tempranillo, this huge wine some mouth-filling weight. A very rich and<br />
Founders’ Choice extra large wine.<br />
4105 Carneros Chardonnay 2005 10 10 Far bigger, more fruit, than any Chardonnay to come out of<br />
France. If it is full of flavour, it has an unbalance that shows up<br />
in low acidity.<br />
4106 Red “X” 2005 9 9 Easy and soft. Enjoy this year.<br />
4107 Syrahtica 2005 9 9 The painted bottle looks garish, but inside there is a package<br />
of very fine fruit. Well balanced. Long finish.<br />
4108 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 8 9 This has matured more rapidly than expected when last tasted.<br />
Lovely now, it shows green leaves, black fruit and piquant spice.<br />
4112 Steltzner Vineyards Merlot, Stags Leap 2004 9 9 What can one say about Dick Steltzner’s reds, except to heap<br />
praise on them. This is perfect now.<br />
4113 Steltzner Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 9 9 Soft. Supple. Good structure. All of the parts fit into one glass<br />
Stags Leap with great power and harmony.<br />
4114 Steltzner Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 9 8 Supple and poised. Nice, dark, even colour. Fine grapey nose<br />
Estate Reserve, Stags Leap and fine biting tannins that produce long flavours.<br />
4115 Burgess Cellars Syrah, Napa Valley 2004 8 9 A very fine wine from a master craftsman.<br />
4116 Burgess Cellars Merlot, Yountville 2004 8 8 Tom Burgess has the ability to make wines with great<br />
authority and longevity. This is a beauty and will keep going<br />
for awhile yet.<br />
<strong>Wine</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2010</strong>
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