Tahoe tasting

A bunch of us had a bunch of wines between bunches of snow. How were they?

• Kaiken 2005 Malbec Ultra (WS 88) I'd been saving this as the previous bottle took a long time to open up and this was worth the wait. One of the first wines I had, so my palatte wasn't fatigued, it was birg, rich, fruity and smooth. Ripe red and black berry. My score: 92
• Terradora Dipaolo 2006 Greco Di Tufo (WS 90?) JB only wanted white so it was a good I had brought along 2 whites. Very nice with some stone fruit and citrus with a nice acidity. My score: 90.
• Antiori 2004 Chianti Classico Peppoli (WS 90, $19). A smaller wine than the others we had with it so it suffered by comparison. Quite smooth with none of the funky Sangiovese flavors I don't care for. I wish I'd had this bottle on its own to appreciate the elegance. My score: 88-89.
• Fairview 2006 Goat Roti. An interesting wine with some barnyard and dirt with the fruit in this flavorful wine. I don't remember loving it but there was nothing wrong and a lot to like. My score: 88
• Seghesio 2001 Zinfandel Sonoma (WS 88, $18)
  
• Seghesio 2007 Zinfandel Sonoma (WS 93, $19) - - I had though the 2001 was a 90-91 pointer from memory but it was the '02 that got the 92 points. This was the big blind tasting, as M loves all things Zin, especially Seghesio. The 2001 might be nearing the end of its drinking window. D did the pouring, and threatened that he might not even pour us the same wine first. Anyways the first wine had nice richness with balance. The second wine was just a bit rougher and a bit more rustic. Both were fruity and quite nice. I "cheated" and notice the second wine was much lighter in color so it was the 2001. M who always get these things wrong, did not dissappoint. My score: 91 (2007) and 90 (2001).
• Cristom 2006 Pinot Noir Jefferson Cuvee (WS 86, $22) - The first bottle a month ago was thin and tasted overly ripe with sweet jammy notes (say an 84), but the second bottle was a solid ripe pinot (88-89) with rose and red cherry. This was not quite as good but nice. My score: 87-88.
  
• Rosenblum 2004 Petite Syrah Rockpile Ridge (WS 89, $22) - At this point, I had had a good bit of wine. I like this big fruity Rosy, but it didn't really stand out. My score: 87-89.
• Neyers 2007 Chardonnay Carneros (WS 93, $22 CC) - Past bottles have had too much overly smoked oak with a sharp acidity I didn't care for. But this bottle was richer and the oak was more subdued. JB loved this and I largely agreed. My score: 90-91.
• Pezzi King 2007 (?) Zinfandel Riley's Red - this was opened very late in the game. Nice fruity zin, but I didn't really take mental note. Somewhere between 86-90.

But the surprise of the evening was a bottle of red (meritage) that B had aged for 2 years. In the trunk of his car. Which during the summer would routinely break 90F. Ouch. I faced this with trepidation but it was much better than I expected, which was beyond ruined. I could almost see someone liking this... and in fact B did... in fact he drank it and said he preferred it to the Peppoli.