Tasting Notes Friday 7/27/12

This is the alternative tasting event for our 2nd Anniversary Night:

NCWC STAFF FAVORITES TASTING 7/27/12

PERRIER-JOUET GRAND BRUT CHAMPAGNE

            On this day in 1905 Leo Durocher was born.  Nicknamed “the lip,” because he gave a lot of that to umpires, Leo was one of baseball’s greatest managers and led some of the game’s most legendary players.  He broke out the World Series Champagne in 1954 with the Giants, and hopefully it was as good as this.  “Smoky and balanced, this offers a subnote of salted butter to the hints of baked peach, chamomile and anise, with a moderate, creamy finish.”  90 points Wine Spectator.  $39.97.

 BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2010

            7/27/1922 saw the birth of TV legend Norman Lear, who produced All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and others.  This terrific Chard makes a much better companion than Archie Bunker, delivering “tiers of fig, smoke, honeydew and honeysuckle that are pure, intense and graceful.  It’s sleek, rich and layered” – everything Archie wasn’t.  92 points Wine Spectator.  $24.97.

 J VINEYARDS RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIR 2009

                Peggy Fleming also shares our birthday.  A 5-time U.S., 3-time World, and 1-time Olympic champion, she is as elegant as this wine.  The wine vibrantly showcases its cool-climate Russian River Valley pedigree, with aromas of rich chocolate, wild blackberry and subtle oak leading to flavors of cherry, strawberry,  caramel, cinnamon and black spice that skate across your palate.  90 points California Grapevine.  $19.97.

 PACINA CHIANTI 2007

            Yankee third sacker Alex Rodriguez was born in 1975.  Poor Alex got a lousy present this year – a broken hand.  But this delicious Chianti had nothing to do with it.  Aromas of savory plums and damp earth precede loads of red fruit, dry earth, plus herbal, leafy, and mineral notes.  Big, big tannins on this one will grip your palate like Alex gripping a bat, pre-busted hand, that is.  91 points Bill Tobin.  $23.97.

 SIKA MERLOT 2009

                July 27 1667 saw the birth of Johann Bernoulli, who made great contributions to the study of calculus.  This Napa Valley Merlot definitely adds up (though we cannot disclose the famous source of the grapes).  “Plum, cocoa and essence of roasted coffee beans mingle with blackberry, bing cherry, pomegranate, fresh raspberry compote and hints of lavender. Soft and plush yet solid in structure,” this is 91% Merlot, 9% Cabernet.  90 points Tobin Bros.  $19.97.

 LUCA DOUBLE SELECT SYRAH 2010

                Remember Dick Van Dyke’s brother Jerry?  Born in 1931, Jerry had his biggest role in the TV series “Coach.”  This Syrah could coach wines 2 or 3 times its price.  “It sports an expressive perfume of smoke, bacon, game, leather, pepper, and blueberry. Smooth and elegant on the palate, this savory, ripe Syrah conceals enough structure” to keep evolving for years.  92 points Robert Parker.  $19.97.

 LEVENDI SYMPHONIA CABERNET 2007

                Perhaps most important of all, July 27 of 2010 saw the birth of the new North County Wine Company!  Our first two years have been a symphony of fun, friends, and fine wine like this Cab, which “entices with the sweet, toasty nose reminiscent of cherry pie a la mode richly balanced with blueberry and vanilla flavors that crescendo in a nice finish.”  92 points Bill Tobin.  $29.97.