2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard

2008 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva

2010 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet

2012 Truett-Hurst Zinfandel Three Vineyards

2005 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard

2012 Gordon Estate Syrah

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard – $46.00

The wine is a deep purple color.  The intoxicating nose has blackberries, minerals, baking spices, black cherries, licorice, raspberries, a touch of smoke and subtle earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins and very good acidity.  Loads of spicy berries and minerals dominate the front end with black cherries and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length but does show just a touch of alcohol, but not enough to take away from the wine.  This is a very nice combination of a big, rich California Pinot but with plenty of tannins and acidity to provide support and balance. An outstanding effort.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva – $17.59

This wine is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Malvasia Nera, Colorino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine had 13.5% alcohol and the bottle was sealed with a natural cork.  Attempting to pull the cork caused it to split leaving floating pieces.  Pouring the wine through a very fine mesh strainer helped to remove most of the fragments.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice ruby red color.  The comforting nose has cherries, earthy underbrush, baking spices, tobacco, stony minerals, violets and well worn leather.  This has medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  On the palate bright cherries, spice and minerals initially grab all the attention with some nice earthiness and a floral note in the background.  The finish has nice length with the earthiness and violets sharing the lead role with tart cherries.  This is in a nice place in its evolution, but I wouldn’t hold it for too much longer.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet – $9.89

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright maroon color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, crushed stones, dried herbs, dying wood embers and freshly ground dark roast coffee.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate berries and a wall of crushed stone minerals jump out first with dried herbs and a nice smoky element coming in later.  The finish has good length with dark roast coffee and cherries adding very good depth.  This tastes great now but will be better in another year or two.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

I cooked up a pork tenderloin to go with the Domaine Notre Dame, just not in a normal manner.

 

I started with a Pork Tenderloin with a touch of Montreal Steak seasoning then wrapped it in bacon.

 

I the smoked the tenderloin at a low temperature for four hours.

 

Lastly, I briefly put the twnderloin on a hot grill for a couple minutes to crisp up the bacon.

 

The tenderloin was tender and very juicy.  The smokiness and nice peppery spice made it a perfect partner for the wine.

 

 

 

2012 Truett-Hurst Zinfandel Three Vineyards – $22.99

This wine has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The tempting nose has brambly berries, licorice, dusty minerals, white pepper, baking spices, dried flowers and a touch of underbrush.  Ripe, spicy berries and dusty minerals coat the palate on the front end with white pepper and spices coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a dried floral note and some subtle earthiness entering the picture.  This is a nice middle of the road Dry Creek zinfandel.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard – $60.00

This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  The big and bold nose has blackberries, smoked meat, minerals, blueberries, tar, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, and some earthiness.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  The wine isn’t as big on the palate as the nose lead me to expect, it’s actually very civilized.  The palate has nice rich fruit but equal amounts of savory elements to steer clear of getting too fruity and boring.  The tannins and acidity easily holds everything in place and maintain control.  The finish is fairly long with some dark chocolate and earthiness creeping in to add considerable interest.  I may have been in the minority, but I liked this style of Copain Syrah.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Gordon Estate Syrah – $21.99

The wine has 13.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon garnet color.  The appealing nose has blackberries, crushed stones, dried herbs, blueberries, smoke, vanilla bean, licorice, dark chocolate and subtle earthy underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate nice fruit and stony minerals hit first with dried herbs and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish has nice length with smoke and underbrush coming into the picture and well as a closing blueberry note.  This is on the young side but already very tasty.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!