2006 Rosenblum Syrah (Lodi) Abba Vineyard

This bottle of blackstrap Syrah was a bargain, discounted from a retail of about $25 to a great price of $11 at the local World Market here in Santa Fe. Since I have not tried many Lodi Syrahs, this was a good chance to experiment on a dime. I was a little concerned about the alcohol level, typical of Rosenblum's love for big wines, but it went nicely with a gnocchi arrabiata-spinach sauce last night. It had good balance, no whiff or back-burn of alcohol. It looks like a Petite Sirah, smells like saddles, cloves, and cigar box, then the dark cherry core emerges a bit in the middle and end. Nice vanillin after-taste, without overwhelming the palate with oak, and the fruity-leather carries through. We really liked this. For us, an 88/100.

Bottom line: If you can find it on discount, well worth a price under $16. Not sure I'd pay retail, but I might!

2006 Brick House Pinot Noir (Ribbon Ridge - Les Dijonnais)

For a fairly cool, and bashful, vintage, we all loved this wine. It had a very nice "Volnay" bouquet and taste to it, gentle cherry-spice core, with a solid and long after-taste that echoed through some cinnamon and clove. The wine stock is based on Dijon clones. The rim was a limpid pink, and it was not as 'stuffed' as some previous Brick House vintages, but lovely. Brick House is one of the few Oregon producers that can churn out consistently "Burgundian" style Pinots, and some Burghounders might even call this a "feminine" Pinot for its delicate aromatics and gentle cherry, but there's definitely some tannic presence. We let in breathe in large Pinot glasses for 10-15 mins before hitting it in earnest. Gorgeous stuff, if a little restrained. But if you're into delicate Pinots, this may be worth the money charged by BrickHouse (~$45). 91/100
Bottom line: Not the densest, but certainly one of the loveliest, of Oregon Pinots but great juice. It will remind some of a nice Volnay.

2006 Penfolds Bin 138 (G-S-M blend)

Cracked this open on Saturday to accompany some pumpkin gnocchi topped with a home-made bolognese sauce, that featured chopped leg of lamb and chopped saucisson sec (along with other items), and the ripe pruniness went well with the red sauce. Not much on the nose in the small glass I had to sample it in, but the fruit presence was there with some pepper, some tar (?), and some mineral spine. This is mostly Grenache, with almost equal portions of Syrah and Mourvedre (Shiraz and Mataro in old Aussie-speak). Very nice. I'm not sure how often I would go back to this for the price (about $35), but it's solid for a mass production (company) wine from Australia. Solid. 88/100 for us.
Bottom line: A bit over-priced, but not bad for a) Penfold and b) the 06 vintage in Barossa.

2006 Copain L'Hiver (Syrah)

Copain has consistently made some of my favorite Syrahs from California. While Guthrie, the wine-maker, tends to draw on a variety of leased and contracted grape parcels from producers around the state, his style is a balanced mix of Old World (pepper) and New (blueberry/occasionally some cola flavors). The latest release of l'hiver, his budget-minded Syrah from Mendocino, shows the coolness and low alcohol of the 2006 growing season as it rings it only at 13.7% abv. And that made it fair game tonight with the stuffed salmon with garlic fries that we enjoyed with it. It worked. Great aromas of blueberry, sassafrass, and some creamy notes coming through from the oak and lees on this 06. The palate was nice, a little fat, but balanced with good acidity (thank you Mendocino). It didn't do much in the glass after 30 minutes, but that may change tomorrow...will update. Day 1: 89/100. Day 2, Thanksgiving, with lamb? 90/100 updated score. Yep, even better on the second night.

2006 Vivac Sangiovese

We finally tempted fate and cracked the first of the 6 New Mexican wines bought in early September near Dixon, NM. I bought 4 at Vivac, including this Sangiovese, which is the bulk of this wine, but which has minute amounts of Cab and Merlot for some fleshiness. And it needed it - I haven't seen a Sangiovese this limpid and pale in color since the early 80s when Tuscany was awash in bad Chianti. Still, a "correct" nose of vine-ripened tomatoes, with some oak/plum in the back, and a largely accurate replica in the mouth on the palate. This is decent - I probably won't go back for seconds, but it was fun to sample the first of our New Mexican purchases. I think the extraction level could be higher, and I wonder how much the young guys running Vivac actually green harvest their graps to improve concentration. 79/100.