Its dawning on me that my love affair with California wines is on the ice.  The turning point was the thanksgiving holiday, which involved copious trips to local wineries and restaurants with visiting family.  So, the going price for a very good bottle of Santa Cruz Mtns Pinot Noir or Zinfandel is $30-$50.  Not quite as bad as Napa, but I realized that I just don’t love these wines 100% more than, say, this Pauillac.  At some level the comparison is flawed, since this wine is made from very different varietals (probably 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with a splash of Merlot to soften it and Petit Verdot to plump it up…) but I feel justified.

scored

paid $27

Still wistfully remembering the Rauzan-Segla from October and I stumble across this gem.  ’99 was apparently a big production year but I was surprised to see this bottle still for sale.  ”We have a direct line to the Chateau”.  Of course you do…

scored

paid: $36

Enjoyed this beauty in celebration of AA’s first publication (in October, 2 months of catching up to do here).  Simultaneously outside my comfort zone in terms of price, and an inspiration for me to do that American thang and go make gobs of money (so I can have this every friday).  Embodies all the qualities one could expect from a Grand Cru CLasse Margaux:  stiff tannins that don’t grate, velvety fruit, all in a light liquid that goes down deceptively easily.  As Bob Dylan said, “you’re gonna make me lonesome when you go.”

Update to the cranky business of scoring and rating wines:  catchpeter has switched to emoticons!

scored

paid $72

Back in NYC for 24 hours en route to my sister’s kid’s baptism.  We treated ourselves to dinner at La Sirene, an haut cuisine byo establishment on the rather seedy border between SoHo and Tribeca.  Its literally a hole-in-the wall with few tables, a tiny kitchen and a fabulous chef.  A good place to uncork a Pomerol in other words.  People who “don’t like Merlot” should give this beauty a try.  (There are probably some other Bordeaux varietals blended in there but I’m not sure of the percentages.)

paid: $28

scored: 89

After tasting Murietta’s Chardonnay at the Wine Room in Palo Bajo, I had high hopes for this bottle.  True to the style of California, the quantity of Petite Verdot and Cab Franc in the blend exceeded the typical Bordeaux ratios.  That is not necessarily a bad thing… but unfortunately in this wine the nose far exceeded the finish.  It is a nice mouthful, though, complex and entertaining.  But does the finish belie the true quality of this wine?  In the end I felt I had overpaid by 50%.

paid: $32

scored: 86

reminder:  (to myself and others) the score reflects enjoyment/price!  Without the price in the denominator, closer to 90…

So smooth and delicious.  If I could afford it, I might drink a glass of this every day.  I’m guessing this is a mostly Merlot blend, with a bit of Cab Franc.

paid: $44

scored: 88 (why not more?)

We joined the Cinnabar wine club (our one and only such membership) a few months ago, and received our first shipment in mid-january.  So I had tried this wine once at the tasting room in Saratoga, and approved highly.  But a tasting-sized pour in a tasting-sized glass always leaves me feeling like I missed something.  Now I consider it verified:  a full pour in a proper-sized claret glass and the intense and complex aroma of this wine smacks you in the face.  Its a good smack…  I have had good cab franc in Napa (Peju, for example), but this wine is other-worldly. I don’t know what else to say, other than that Cinnabar had the good sense to ship us not one but TWO bottles.  I’m hoping to cellar the other for a few years, but I don’t have a cellar so there will probably be some follow-up notes on a 9 month horizon…

As an aside, Cinnabar sources fruit for some of their limited-release wines from regions outside the Santa Cruz Mountains.  Ecco, case in point.

paid: $26 (club price)

scored: 92

Twenty minutes from my house.  Yikes.  Named after a mercurial mineral.  Sure.  Situated in a sleepy little town.  Why not?  Producing delicious Cab.  Of course.  Similar to the Cooper Garrod, although now I realize I am dying to taste them side by side.  I am very much at a loss for how to describe this.  Imagine a silky, translucent negligee, wrapped around a petite but curvaceous young lady.  Or don’t.  Subtle and whsipy and full.  I suspect there will be more Cinnabar gracing these pages…

paid: $26 (club price)

scored: 90

We finally found Bonny Doon.  The tasting room moved to a hip, modern spot in downtown Santa Cruz.  We were sufficiently taken by the whole ambiance that we joined their wine club.  We’ll see how that works out.  They gave us our first “shipment” on the spot, 2 bottles of their Cigare Volante unfiltered “red wine of the earth”.  I’m not sure who let the hippies categorize this wine ;p.  Anyway it is a very fine specimen, a blend typical perhaps of Chateauneuf-du-pape, with 50% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 22% Syrah and a smattering of Carignane and Cinsault.  Smoooooooooooooth.  I wonder if it would age well. For the record, most of Bonny Doon’s vineyards are farther south in Monterrey, although its winery is in the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation.  File under…?

paid: $26 (club price)

scored: 90

Another backyard but top-notch operation.  We found this winery by accident after mountain biking around Wilder Ranch down in Santa Cruz (we were looking for Bonny Doon).  After sampling their wares, we couldn’t leave without this Pinot.  It has a delicious fruity aroma that only gets better when you taste it.  Light, mineraly, balanced and incredibly smooth.  For the cynics who would be tempted to conclude that at this price, it better be a jewel… take note: the other Pinot on offer (different vineyard, up the road a bit) was not nearly as tasty yet cost every bit as much.

paid: $50ish

scored: 92