The view up the hill
On Day 1 of the Wine Blogger Conference, if you arrived early enough before the first “official” event, you had the opportunity to head out to Kick Ranch Vineyard for lunch and a tasting. The tasting consisted of 12 wineries who source grapes from Kick Ranch pouring some of their current selections. I originally thought this would be an event where each winery would pour the Syrah they make from Kick Ranch grapes, for example, but instead, the wineries seemed to be pouring lots of stuff from both Kick Ranch and from other vineyards. The owners of Kick Ranch provided a delicious lunch for us, which I went straight for, having not eaten a thing but 2 slices of toast when I left Murphys way earlier in the day! I only managed to taste my way through what 8 of the wineries had to offer, I ran out of time and needed to head back to Santa Rosa in time for the “speed dating” tasting, which I already wrote about here.
Enkidu Wines:
2006 Kick Ranch Syrah: Black cherry, floral, spice, toasted oak, brown sugar, tannins earth.
2006 Odyssey Syrah: A little funk, pepper, herbs, black pepper, black fruit, oranges.
2005 Fazekas Petite Sirah: Dark chocolate, black fruit, vanilla, dark, slight red fruit on the edges, tannic. I loved this wine!
Bedrock Wine Company:
2008 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion: Barrel sample. Pinapple, lime, lemon, tropical, crisp, dry.
2007 Pinot Noir: Roses, red fruit, earth, red berries.
2007 Bedrock Heirloom Blend: Zinfandel and Mourvedre I think. Spicy, pomegrante, red fruit, spice, nice and smooth. Really liked this one.
2007 Syrah: Barrel Sample. Red fruit, violets, bright fruit, dark red in the mouth, tannic.
Rosenblum: ( I was sad Farley wasn’t there 😦 )
2006 Roussane: Honey, pineapple, tropical fruit, really nice mouthfeel, crisp.
2005 Reserve Kick Ranch Syrah: Big, meaty, red, anise, bacon, blackberries.
2005 Kick Ranch Petite Sirah: Blueberry, vanilla, chocolate, big blue fruit, tannic, pepper.
Loxton Cellars:
2005 10th Anniversary Syrah: Red fruit, charred meat, raspberries, smooth, pepper, great structure.
2005 Reserve Syrah: Darker, meatier, peppery, blackberries, tannic.
2007 Late Harvest Viognier: 18% residual sugar. Apricot, pineapple, tropical, sweet, nice acidity, very tasty.
Carica Wines:
2006 Sauvignon Blanc Blend: 40% Sauvignon Musque. Pineapple, citrus, lime, grapefruit, crisp, very tropical.
2006 Kick Ranch Syrah: Floral, violets, red fruit, pepper, blackberry, plum, black fruit, excellent structure.
Sanglier Cellars:
2006 Hibou Gewurztraminer: Lychee, almonds, flowers, dry, grapefruit.
2007 MTL: Syrah, barrel sample. Plums, black fruit, vanilla, currants, meat, tannic, dark, big.
2007 MTL+: Syrah, barrel sample. More toast, pepper, smoke, very little fruit on the nose, dark fruit in the mouth, incredibly smoky.
Pax Wine Cellars:
2006 Cuvee Christine: Syrah. Bright red fruit, flowers, berries, vanilla, toast, violets, slight chocoalte, spice, pepper, dark, tannic.
2007 Syrah: Blackberries, cream, vanilla, very fruit forward,smoke, dark smooth, very well done. Really enjoyed this wine.
Lynmar Estate:
2006 Russian River Valley Chardonnay: Apple, pineapple, slight toast, light, lemon, green apples.
2005 Estate Chardonnay: Star fruit, more tropical, more toast, pear, a little butter, good structure.
2006 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir: Smoke, leather, earth, strawberry, raspberry, nice red fruit.
2005 Estate Pinot Noir: Really smoky, darker, earthy, forest, dark fruit. Really loved this one.
2006 Syrah: Funky, dark earth, charred, big, pepery, smoke, veyr dark, not giving up much fruit.
2007 Kick Ranch Syrah: Barrel sample. Smoky, dark, charred meat, no fruit on nose, plums, black fruit, very dark.
John from Anything Wine
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