24 November 2007

schug heritage reserve pinot noir 2002

I first had a glass of Schug at a wine bar in the West Village called Turks and Frogs. I used to frequent this great spot run by two Turkish brothers who have done quite well for themselves with another location in Tribeca recently opened. They have a decent wine list, but this was a few years ago just after they opened the wine bar, formerly a Turkish antiques store. Then, Schug was the most expensive wine sold by the glass. I think I paid $12 for a glass once. Anyway, I obviously liked it because I visited the winery in Carneros to see what was the best wine they made. Turns out, at least for my taste, this bottle is the best they make. The Pinot Noir Reserve. I let it sit around for a couple years because in the end I was not impressed with the wines from Schug. I thought some age might help it. They are certainly nice, but not amazing. Given that I waited until this wine was 5 years old to drink it, you'd think there was a chance that it would have gone past it's prime. But it was like I remembered.


Color: Ruby red with a little age showing on the edges where it thinned out

Nose: Big fresh nose of ripe red fruit

Taste: The light body lacked density of flavor. Round tannins, light of course, with good acidity. The ripe cherry fruit was balanced with pepper and licorice. Not terribly complex. Overall, not a great value for the price point. I did enjoy the wine, but would have rather paid less.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $35

12 November 2007

porter creek rrv pinot noir 2003

This is a vinyard specific Pinot Noir from the Fiona Hill vineyard (named for the owner's daughter) by Porter Creek. See this post for more on Porter Creek. I have a special place for RRV Pinot and Porter Creek is one of my favorite small unpretentious spots. I managed to bring back a couple of these bottles on our last visit and I'm holding out a little longer for the last bottle. That means of course it's time for a visit to Sonoma again. There are very few places where you can buy Porter Creek around here. Given that this bottle is 2003, I was pleased to find the slight age (2 years in my cellar - otherwise known as my basement) brought out some great subtle earthy notes that were not fully detectable in 2005.
















Color: Beginning to brown and yellow on the edges with a blood red heart.

Nose: The first flush is fresh and light smelling, moist like my basement, with blueberry juice covered by wet earth, mushroom, and a light spice over the cherry base.

Taste: The light body sort of skipped the middle of my palate, but it did develop more after a half hour open. The alcohol also came out strong at first, then softened. The standard Pinot cherry notes abound but also white pepper, excellent acidity and a joy in the mouth. Very good Pinot Noir though depending on whether you buy it at a winery or not you might find a better price than I paid.

Alcohol level: 13.9%

Price: $35