2007 Foley Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Today is a day for me to celebrate. I got the results back from my comprehensive exam and passed with high honors (yeah me). To celebrate I opened a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir, my lone bottle of Foley 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills and opened a Fuente Opus X Cigar. Obviously I tasted the wine (well, "tasted" a glass) before smoking the cigar. The wine is absolutely lovely (Wine Enthusiast gave it a 92). The color is a beautiful deep cherry red hinting at what is to come. On the nose hints of cherry, cranberry and a touch of cola. The wine is a medium-light body, lovely mouthfeel and my salivary glands worked overtime. The fruit was "bright", making the wine seem a little light but lovely with soft tannins combining with the other parts to create a medium-length finish that brings a touch of spice into the mix. Perfect for an evening like this.

Number of wines reviewed in 2009: 204

Two New From Leonesse

On a quick trip to Temecula I made my obligatory stop at Leonesse Cellars and was presented with a couple of new offerings that I had to write about. The first was their 2005 Port, a wonderful Port-style wine made from 100% Cinsault. This newest addition to their Port-style family was delicious. There is a wonderful "raisiny" nose hinting at the richness of the wine to come. This port is smooth, creamy, fruit driven (blackberry, black cherry) with hints of dark chocolate. The other was a barrel draw of their 2007 Syrah, deep purple in color with a nose of smoke, tobacco, dark fruits and spice. This is a very dry, very young offering but the structure is there to make an excellent offering to watch for when it hits the marke

Number of wines reviewed in 2009: 203