Wine Review 2010

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Lot # Wine Year M D Comment
4628 Stone Valley White Zinfandel 2007 9 9 Ready.
4629 Stone Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 9 9 Well structured and supple. Very enjoyable now.
4630 Stone Valley Merlot 2006 8 8 A big wine, full of lively flavours. Big plums, cherries and spicy.
4631 Cinnamon Grove Chardonnay, Lodi 2007 8 9 Very soft, accessible Central Valley fruit. Drink this year.
4632 Hidden Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 7 8 Still rather tough, tannic, acidic, needs more time. Drink
between 2012 and 2015.
4633 Murphys Ridge Red Blend, N.V. 7 8 Fantastic wine of great power and penetration. Long in the
Calaveras County mouth, powerful in the nose. Good to drink now with red meat.
Better still to put it away for a couple of years.
4634 Nth Degree Chardonnay, Livermore 2005 8 8 So big, so powerful, so concentrated and so filled with oak
that it has to be approached with caution. This is California
at its most memorable. Enormous power will keep it together
even though it is lovely now.
4635 Nth Degree Syrah, Livermore 2005 8 8 Colossal wine, so big that one needs a body building class
before pouring a glass. With this it is not a question of mature,
but softer.
4636 Nth Degree Merlot, Livermore 2005 8 8 Has softened enormously and now shows lovely blackberry
and cherry characters.
4637 Nth Degree Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 7 8 This will stand up for at least ten years. Huge wine, very
Livermore concentrated, but not complex. Just pure Cabernet fruit and
oak notes.
4638 Fumé Blanc, Paso Robles 2007 8 8 Full-bodied. More extract than fruit.
4639 Chardonnay, Central Coast 2007 9 9 Lovely. Full-bodied, big flavoured, fine white. Peach, mango
and tinned pears notes.
4640 Reserve Viognier, Central Coast 2007 8 8 Big fat flavour. Dry palate, but the finish is fat and coats the
palate with fruity extract.
4641 Zinfandel, Paso Robles 2006 8 8 Very rich nose. Smoked meat, fine dense fruit and
sirop de cassis. Perfectly ready.
4642 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles 2006 8 8 Progressing in a huge profile, like a stately ocean liner sailing
on towards maturity.
4643 Reserve Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard 2006 7 8 Still a touch away from ready, but the palate is already soft
and the fruit readily available in generous volume.
4644 Vidal Icewine 2006 6 8 Amazingly fine, beautiful wine. Sufficient to make one believe that
Vidal should be a Canadian classic. No need to rush this one.
4645 Pinot Grigio 2007 10 10 Drink soon, it won’t get any better.
4646 Sauvignon Blanc 2007 10 10 Less acerbic than a year ago. Fruit is losing its acidic attack.
4647 Chardonnay Barrique 2005 8 8 Drink at will. It is delicious and shows the winemaker’s talent
for white wines.
4648 Chambourcin, Barrel Aged 2007 8 9 Should be enjoyed this year. No well defined characters. It has
good fruit and balance, but short.
4649 Gamay Noir 2007 9 9 Still showing well. Will hold up for a couple of years.
4650 Cabernet/Petit Verdot 2007 8 8 Fruit and smoke in very attractive balance. Will drink for three
to four years.
4651 Agnus dei Albariño, DO Rias Baixas 2006 9 9 Terrific wine. Fine balance. The grape, Albariño, makes one of
the finest dry whites in the world.
4652 Dehesa del Carrizal MV Azúl, 2006 7 8 Very fine sunny red fruit, good weight mingles with
DO Dehesa del Carrizal charming balance.
4653 Fructuoso Tempranillo, 2003 8 8 Very fine, a red wine with enviable harmony and great length.
Vino de la Tierra de Castilla
Wine Review 2010