Banfi's 2007 Brunello di Montalcino

I had very high hopes for this wine when I opened it last night with a heavy Italian meal.  I had "won" it in a charity auction a month or so ago.

But it did not deliver.

As my neighbor Jeff described it, the aroma was "where the tire meets the road."  I thought maybe it was a bad bottle and re-checked the cork a few times.  The flavor was also not enticing.  More like sour cherries and an odd finish.

Ironically, the "official" scores for this vintage ranged from 89 - 94, so maybe we did have a bad bottle.

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You can find this on wine.com for $65.99.

If you like this wine (or how it should taste), you would probably enjoy the Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino, the Gaja Ca'marcanda Magari or the Antinori Tignanello.

James Tobin 2009 Primo

While this Sangiovese from Paso Robles started off as a "fistfull" of black berries and cherry, it ironically went down hill as it opened, tasting like dried, almost pickled fruit by the 2nd glass.  The smell was difficult to nail down--very pleasant to start and finishing somewhere between roadtar and leather (we actually argued about it).

Hmmm.

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You can find this wine for $16.99 on wine-searcher.

The Stolpman Sauvignon Blanc and Sunstone Merlot steal the show

Headed down with a neighbor on Wednesday the 23rd of January to Cafe Firenze in Moorpark, CA, to try their new wine tasting format.

Very pleased with the format, the ambience, and the wines themselves, surprising myself with my top picks being wines I would not normally graviate to.

2011 Stolpman Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez organic, biodynamic, dry farmed

Crisp, light, green apple

$ / ++

$18 on Wine Searcher

2010 Cline Cellars Pinot

Smooth, clove aroma. Smoky. 

Coats the mouth, bitter

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2009 Sunstone Merlot

Spicy smell almost like a barista valley

Big fruit up front, but round quick finish 

$ / ++

$16.00 on Wine Searcher

2008 Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee

Smell of asphalt, leather

Bitter and tannic for a GSM. Lingering bitter finish

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2010 Stolpman Estate grown Syrah

Plum, blackberry jam. Smell

Mouthful of blackberries. Slight dusty finish. Dry, lingering after taste

Coated teeth

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