My Finger Lakes Tasting Notes

[wondersofwine]

2002 Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Sort of a light mahagony color with some transparency. 14.5% alcohol
Legs on side of glass. Very nice bouquet of cherries and cherries present on the palate along with a hint of spice. Slightly drying finish. Very smooth midpalate. Lingering finish.

2002 Roar Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, 14.7% alcohol
Darker and denser than the Arcadian. Tastes like a blend of berry/cherry flavors to include boysenberry. Smooth. Like the Arcadian it doesn't taste at all hot although over 14% alcohol (wouldn't make Darrell Corti's cutoff at 14.5% abv).

2002 Dehlinger Pinot Noir 14.5% abv
Super smooth. Cherry predominates. Some transparency.

I liked all three Pinot Noirs.

KC treated us to a splash of Rosebank Connoisseurs' Choice Lowlands Single Malt Scotch Whiskey (that's as long as a German wine name). 1990 Aged 14 years. Bottled in 2004. Triple distilled.
Pale gold color. Purity of flaovrs. Small splash of water softens the kick and enhances it. Selected, produced and bottled by Gordon and McPhail. Nice treat.

I contributed the 1999 Eric Ross Occidental Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel at 14.4% abv. Didn't show as well as previous times--may have cooked on the LaGuardia tarmac (about 4 hours during air traffic control computer crash) or maybe just showing its age finally.

KC brought some of the Willow Crest Grenache with 5% Gewurztraminer blended in that we had enjoyed so much at the 2005 offline in Prosser, WA. Still going strong.

Glenora contributed a California blended red the 2002 Rubicon Estate at 14.1% abv. It's from Rutherford, Napa Valley produced by Francis Ford Coppola from Old Inglenook Wine Estate. I really liked this. It was very smooth and tastes mature although only five years after harvest. I found this to be a lip-smacking wine. The 2002 is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with small percentages of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Mary Ewing-Mulligan gave the 2002 a score of 94 and said it would age well for 15 years but was lovely now (2006). She reports that the winemaker said it was the most tannic Rubicon he had ever made and yet "it is possibly the softest great California Cabernet I have ever tasted." (from Wine Review Online) I did not find it tannic and I am usually sensitive to tannic wines.

1997 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon (from Winoweenie). Light Bordeaux color, somewhat transparent. Red currant nose and red currants on the palate. Big, mellow Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging gracefully. 13.8% abv

1987 Hermitage from KC
brickish color; transparency
not as funky a nose as the Friday night bottle
I liked the second bottle he opened on Saturday better than the Friday one.

I contributed a 2004 Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir.
Palre red/crimson color with some transparency. Nose somewhat muted but I found the flavors nice, reflecting red cherries.

Coyote Canyon Syrah, Horse Heaven Hiller, Prosser, WA
KC brought this wine from Matt Two (CCK refered to Matt Rawn of Two Mountain Winery as Matt One and this young winemaker as Matt Two during our 2005 offline.)
I wasn't too impressed with my first taste of Matt Two's wine at the 2005 offline, but I really liked this at our recent Lake Seneca gathering. Different vintage or more time to integrate? Delicious!

I contributed the 2001 Tresor from Ferrari-Carano, a Meritage blend from California. Quite dark crimson. Limited transparency. Some viscosity. Mellow but a little drying on the finish. I was tasting currents and blackberries. Liked this better at a tasting in Durham, NC--perhaps it was a little cooked from the time on the tarmac.

1997 Dehlinger Cabernet Sauvignon, Russian River Valley (from Winoweenie) Seemed to me to have less personality than the Joseph Phelps C.S. Somewhat plummy. Didn't float my boat but others liked it.

Among the Finger Lakes wines that I especially liked were the 2001 Glenora Brut and 2006 Glenora Dry Riesling, the 2006 Hermann Wiemer Dry Riesling, Fox Run Cabernet Franc, several Vidal Ice Wines, a Vignoles, Glenora Port and another winery's Cabernet Sauvignon "Port" and Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery Pinot Noir--not a sissy red but delightful.