Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Double '07

I am sipping the '07 Iris Hill Pinot Noir right now. Plum and tart berry on the nose with hints of baked apple and spiced quince. Very soft mouthfeel with  lush, soft taste of black fruit and plumb. Really one of the outstanding Pinot Noirs of '07. Get it if you can and sit one it for a few more years just to see how much better it will get!
Jason D. Brumley says that '07 is a collectors vintage not a drinkers. I agree! But it is drinking VERY well now.
I have also just tasted an '07 Baco Noir from Girardet and found the wine to be wonderful. I love that I called the '07 as a great vintage and lots of wine writer said it would suck!:)
If yiu can get your hands on an '07 Pinot noir, buy it now!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Patchwork Cellars

Tonight I had an opening of my prints at a little cafe called The Washburne Cafe in downtown Springfield. Good crowd with lots of good questions. The best thing about the evening was the winery that came to help out and give tastes to all comers 21 and over.
I was impressed by both wines Stirling Fox , the owner and winemaker at Patchwork Cellars, brought to taste.
His '09 Pinot Gris has a nice mineral nose with hints of fresh crushed grape and floral overtones. The taste is caramel and ripe pear with a nice acid back. I had it with Lobster Bisque and it stood up very well. It is nice to have a Gris that will stand up to creamy soups and enhance the flavors.

The Pinot Noir was a great '09. Very mellow flavors with small hints of earth and leather. I came away with the impression that like his '07, this wine will be very drinkable in 2014-15 though it is very good now.
This is one of the '09s that is flavorful enough to last. Great buy.