Russian River Valley

So, I was visiting my sister in the Los Angeles area for Thanskgiving.  I went to a local wine store in Chatsworth and there on the shelf was this wine.  I doubt it had been stored pristinely, but, It ook a chance and was rewarded with my favorite Carlisle Zinfandel with some age on it, something I don't seem to have the patience or discipline for.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose was nice with black cherries and bramble and slight pepper and cedar.  On the palate, it has that wonderful texture that I love about this wine.  A good amount of black cherry fruit and also some raspb

Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has some volatile acidity which blows off to a slight degree.  It is also dusty with cherries.  On the palate, tart black cherries.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This seems past prime and moving slowly downward.  It needs to be consumed soon.  That said, it still provides plenty of pleasure at age 19.  Food would certainly help.  

Deep Ruby/Purple in color.  The nose has sour cherries and spice.  On the palate, this has big fruit; mostly sour cherries, some cherries.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is a big, fruit forward style of Pinot that will work very well on its own.  It is delicious.  It will work with some bigger foods as well.  Promises to be a crowd pleaser.  

Light green/gold in color.  The nose has a fair amount of oak still showing but the fruit is a bit faded.  The palate is consistent with the nose.  It seems like this was probably a bit better a few years ago and probably needs to be drunk sooner than later.  For those who like oak drive California Chardonnay, this retails for $30.

Purple in color.  The nose is nice and showing a bit of "claret" style.  Black raspberries, black cherries, spice, and a bit of black pepper.  On the palate, this is fresh and still youthful.  A bit jammy but no real alcohol showing despite 16.5%.  It does show on the texture and slight warmth on the finish, but not much at all.  Drinking well now and a crowd pleaser.  Worked with some spicy pizza.  

Just a beautiful wine.  Drinking youthfully but showing some development.  Open for business.  Purple in color.  The nose has leather, bramble, black raspberries.  Very deep.  With air, some graphite.  On the palate, black raspberries with an underlayer of charred earth.  A lovely texture; both velvety and intense.  great finish.  This would pair with heartier foods and certainly spicy foods.  This may not get better but has five to seven years left at peak easily and probably more as it morphs into more of a claret styled Zin.  So good right now though.  

Purchased on release, this is holding up and in fact, drinking quite well at age 15.  It did need about 20 minutes to shed some bottle stink though.  Purple in color.  The nose has nice cherries, slight sour cherries, and some barnyard funk.  There is some Brett on the nose and palate showing as barnyard and slight band-aid.  On the palate, drying tannins.  Slightly sweet cherries.  And a bit of barnyard  comes through.  This is not drinking old, but probably never was a top level Pinot Noir.  Still, it has a nice complexity right now and seems in balance.  Would work well with fowl.  There

Ruby/purple in color.  Cloudy.  The nose is sweaty socks.  Perhaps some macerated cherries.  On the palate, this is very soft.  Very sour cherries with some dank earthiness.  It is a style of Pinot that I like but this seems either mishandled or way past prime at this young age.  Not sure if this bottle was representative  It reminds me of some of the unclean Burgundies that were more prevalent 25 years ago.  That is not to say undrinkable or even bad, as this wine is certainly offering some nice and interesting notes, but more to say, what this might have been (or a pristine bottle is).

A very nice example of a cooler climate Syrah.  At age 10, this is just sort of chugging along on its way, but not yet, at maturity.  Purple in color.  The nose is black raspberries with some black olives and slight bacon fat.  Very much a Northern Rhone profile.  On the palate, there is a grilled black raspberry fruit quality to this.  Slightly sour fruit.  Some slight heat on the finish.  Overall, very solid and enjoyable.  Food friendly.  Perhaps still some upside to go.  

Very classic Sonoma Chardonnay.  This sees 30% new oak, but there is a fair amount of oak showing.  Whether that is good or bad is a matter of personal taste.  Light golden in color with slight green hue.  The nose has nice lemons along with slight vanilla and nutmeg.  On the palate, the nose carries thru but also a bit of fresh cut timber.  Towards the mid-palate and finish, some tropical fruit notes emerge.  There is a lovely creamy softness to the texture.  Good depth.  Very nice acidity.  Still drinking youthfully, this should continue to develop and presumably for the oak to continue t