Last Night At Temple With Friends And MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir

I was blessed to spend the last Temple night with my hubby, Sarah, Efrain, and Alana at temple. As per Tuesday night convention I brought along a bottle of wine, this time was MacMurray Ranch 2007 Pinot Noir, "Sonoma Coast". From the very beginning this wine was a joy. When "Bartender Mike" pulled the cork he said he could smell the fruit. The nose was extremely enticing, just bursting with red fruits (strawberry and red cherry) with hints of earthiness and cocoa. In the glass the color was red and bright ("Pretty" was the word everyone used). The wine is medium-bodied and elegant with soft tannins and good acidity leaving the mouth watering. It went well with the pork medallions that I had and would probably go well with a baked chicken and even a pasta with red sauce. A fine wine with good food and close friends... an all around enjoyable evening.

Number of wines reviewed in 2009: 225

Seghesio 2008 Zinfandel Sonoma County

It's winter and my tastes tend to turn to big reds. I had loved the 2007 vintage of Seghestio Zinfandel so thought I would try the latest offering and what fun it was! This wine is loaded with berries (particularly blackberry and raspberry) and spice and just a touch of licorice. Full bodied and layered it was a delight to drink. This wine has a taste palate that will go well most any food. The 2007 was given a 93 rating by Wine Spectator and flew off the shelves, I expect the same for the 2008!

Wines reviewed in 2009: 224

A Brander Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve my partner and I were fortunate enough to have dinner with two friends Efrain and Sarah at Martinis Above Fourth. While we did have some lovely cocktails I brought along a couple of bottles from my private stash of wines. Interestingly enough both were from Brander, my favorite for Sauvignon Blanc in the Central coast as well a fine purveyor of Bordeaux reds. I brought two very special wines of theirs for the four of us to try with our dinners:

First up was the popular 2007 Au Naturel Sauvignon Blanc (which was recently rated a 91 by Wine Enthusiast magazine... ya Brander!). This is their flagship unoaked offering and provided a lovely lemony, limey, green appley nose, a citrusy taste with excellent acidity and a long finish that made it a delightful opener.

For a red I brought along their 2006 Bouchet. "Bouchet" is another name for a Cab Franc but from the good folks at Brander this wine is a blend of the traditional Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon but to keep it from being a traditional "Bordeaux style" blend they add just a touch of Syrah. Their use of new French oak adds a touch of spiciness to this wine, this full-bodied, fruit-forward wine was excellent! Loads of black cherry and cassis with just a hint of cocoa that was perfect with our entrees.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 223

Fess Parker 2005 American Tradition Reserve Syrah

OK, I think I've raved enough about the Fess Parker wines, especially their Syrah and Pinot offerings, to know what I am going to say. This wine, the 2005 American Tradition Reserve Syrah was fantastic, perfect on a chilly San Diego evening. The nose was a lovely blend of chocolate, anise, and black cherry with a promise of a little spicy heat which delivered on the palate. Black fruits, pepper and spice with a touch of heat from the alcohol all came together with the acid to make the mouth water and the combined with the smooth tannins created a tasty, long finish. They are now selling the 2006 on their Web site but I am expecting great things of that as well (will probably be reviewing that one next week... if I can wait that long).

Wines reviewed in 2009: 221

What We Had For Thanksgiving

In a word... wine. This year we attended two Thanksgivings, one served at the house and one at a Tio Ely's. It made for an exhausting but fun day and of course an opportunity to share from the wine stash. The offerings we had were fairly traditional but of course there are reasons for traditions, in the case of wine, because they go well with the typical Thanksgiving meal. In no particular order those around us got to share the following:

2007 Louis Jadot Beaujolais: What a pretty wine, a lovely garnet in the glass that delivered what you would expect from a Thanksgiving wine. Very fruit forward with crushed strawberries, hints of cherry and peppercorn leading the way. Excellent acidity and gentle tannins make this a favorite of mine for Thanksgiving (or just when I want something light and fruity).

2008 Alex's Red Barn Grenache: A newer offering from one of my Temecula favorites, this wine is loaded with black fruits, high-finish acidity and smooth tannins. An extremely food-friendly wine for most any meal with roasted or braised meat.

2007 Fess Parker ATR Pinot Noir: Since I recently reviewed this wine I won't say anything more than this wine did not disappoint and was as expected a crowd pleaser.

2008 Baily's Temecula Valley Dry Riesling: Had to throw a white in and this one was lovely. Slightly less dry than the name suggests this wine, this was a crisp, lightly spicy, "appley" wine that blended stunningly with the turkey.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 220 (not counting the Fess Parker since it was recently reviewed)

Bridlewood "Six Gun" Syrah 2006

Over the weekend I went to Martinis Above Fourth to listen to Chaz and Aaron perform (if you haven't gone you really should). Since it was going to be a long evening (your fearless wine reviewer was going about an hour and a half before the performance to have an early dinner) I decided to take along my own bottle of something to have while waiting (the cocktails are both potent and deceptive in taste... you don't know you're drinking an "adult beverage" until you get whacked by the vodka). Since I had a recent shipment from Bridlewood I took the 2006 "Six Gun" Syrah contained therein. Turned out to be an excellent decision. The "Six Gun" is a pretty rustic, in your face wine. Big and bold, full of dark fruits, white pepper, hints of smoke and cocoa (and a touch of cedar on the nose) with bold tannins and good acid support. While a big wine this is not at all harsh with all of the elements coming together quite nicely in the mouth and bringing about a longish finish. I still prefer the English Leather from this winery but this bottle showed a nice job by the folks at Bridlewood!

Wines reviewed in 2009: 217

Fess Parker American Tradition Reserve Pinot Noir, 2007

As any reader of this blog knows I am a big fan of the Fess Parker wines, especially their Syrah and Pinot Noir. Last night at "Temple" I brought a bottle of 2007 American Tradition Reserve Pinot Noir from my most recent shipment. It was a touch young but a lovely wine that lived up to my expectations for any wine from ol' Fess. The color was a beautiful red, I would venture garnet but the lighting was a little dim so exact determination eludes me. The nose was fruity, heavily strawberry and raspberry with a hint of smoke and vanilla that I adore. Medium-light bodied, the wine delivered a nice blend of strawberries, black cherries and chocolate supported with good acidity and tannins producing a medium-length finish. I paired it with the pork appetizer at Temple for a nice synergism of flavor.

Wines reviewed in 2009: 216