All smiles at the check-in desk

On the last weekend in March the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association hosts Pinot Paradise, an annual celebration of Pinot Noir, at the Villa Ragusa in Campbell.

Around 40 wineries from all over the AVA attend, pouring their latest releases, and are joined by several local restaurants offering examples of their culinary skill designed to pair with Pinot Noir. In other words there was a lot of duck confit on offer.

One thing I particularly like about Pinot Paradise is that while it's a large and busy event the attendees generally seem to respect the wines more than at many other public tastings I've attended. However not everyone sees it that way and a few of the attendees had doused themselves with rather too much perfume or aftershave.

As usual I only managed to get round about half the tables - here are my impressions.

2009 Alfaro Family, Estate 
Nose of black cherry and smoke. Smooth, round black cherry fruit and a mineral finish, with lots of tannin. I generally find that Alfaro wines need time on release, but this is rather good now and will only get better. 90+

2009 Alfaro Family, Lindsay Paige Vineyard
Tight savory nose; rustic cherry fruit, quicker finish. This one certainly needs more time. 88+

2010 Bargetto, Santa Cruz Mountains
Blended with 2% Tempranillo from the Silvaspoons Vineyard in Lodi. I'm not entirely sure why.
Black cherry and oak on the nose. Sweet cherry and currant flavours, decent tannins. 86

2010 Bargetto Estate Reserve
Nose is bright with cranberry backed by some oak. On the palate there's redcurrant, tart cherry, and coffee. It's young and a little unpolished but give it 3-5 years. 89+

2010 Beauregard, Beauregard Ranch Vineyard, Ben Lomond Mountain AVA
This has a pretty floral and citrus nose; rose, rosehip glacé cherry. Flavours of peach, cherry and a hint of banana  89

2010 Beauregard, Byington Vineyard
Nose shows pear and redcurrant. Palate is smooth and creamy, with wild strawberry and black cherry flavours. 87

2009 Big Basin, Woodruffe Vineyard
Big, earthy nose with black cherry and some rose petals. Good flavours of black cherry, supported by savoury notes and smoky oak. 91+
 
2009 Big Basin, Alfaro Family Vineyard
More subtle nose than the Woodruffe; on the palate it's similar but with less concentration - not surprisingly, as both vineyards are a couple of miles apart in Corralitos. 90+

2008 Black Ridge Vineyard, Estate
There seemed to be something wrong here. I got too much VA on the nose; on the palate it was rustic and tannic, with a little black fruit.  82

2008 Clos La Chance, Biagini Vineyard
Nice black cherry aromas, hints of smoke, matchbox and caramel. Sweet cherry and redcurrant flavours, touch of spice. Nice balance, though there's a hint of bitter tannin on finish that hopefully will resolve with time. 89

2008 Clos La Chance, Erwin Vineyard
Initially I didn't care for the nose; I was picking up sulphur and cheese, but after a while it blew off revealing some nice savory fruit. Palate showed redcurrant jelly, meat (poultry?) and herbal notes. 88

2009 Dancing Creek, Regan Vineyard
I kept getting whiffs of perfume, which I assume was coming from one of the nearby attendees. Flavours of rosehip syrup and tangy cherry. 86

2008 Dancing Creek, Regan Vineyard
Blended with 15% Nebbiolo. Earthy, floral nose; sweet fruit, sausage and pepper. 86

2009 Heart o' the Mountain, Santa Cruz Mountains.
Smoky, meaty nose. Smooth, rich redcurrant with some coffee and fine tannins. 89+

2009 Heart o' the Mountain Estate Reserve
Rose petals and oak on the nose. Good, complex fruit; redcurrant, cherry and plum, with a medium finish  90

House Family Winery

2010 House Family
The wines are made by Jeffrey Patterson of Mount Eden and the vineyards are close to the old Mountain Winery. This is their first commercial Pinot Noir release. 
Nose of smoke, cinnamon and cherry; taut and tannic with sweet cherry flavours. This should be good in 5 years. 90+

2002 Kings Mountain
Earthy, bretty, iodine on the nose.Sweet, earthy cherry fruit; some leather and cedar. 87

2008 Kings Mountain
Aromas of cranberry and clove. Lots of bright, spicy fruit, some earthiness particularly on the longish finish 89

Kings Mountain has been producing Chardonnay, Pinot and a Bordeaux blend since 1996. However recently the winery has decided to focus on Pinot Noir exclusively, and the old vines have all been grafted over.

2009 Mount Eden Estate
I tasted the Mount Eden wines recently so didn't bother to make detailed notes, but I wasn't going to pass on a chance to taste arguably the two best wines here. The Estate seemed less tight than last time; lots of allspice and cherry. 93+ 

2010 Domaine Eden
The wine is more fruit forward than the Estate, but it still has some of the Estate spice. Excellent value. 93

I spoke briefly to Jeffrey Patterson who confirmed that in future Domaine Eden will be the second wine of Mount Eden. The old "Saratoga Cuvee" label has been retired. All the Domaine Eden wines will contain fruit from the old Cinnabar vineyard as well as some other vineyards that the winery maintains in the Saratoga area and any barrels that are declassified from the Estate. Around half the land purchased from Cinnabar is fallow, so expect to see a significant expansion in the next few years.

Rhonda and Leslie of Mountain Winery

2009 Mountain Winery Estate Reserve
Smoky, cinnamon on the nose; Rich, smooth cherry and spice flavours. While tasting this I kept picking up someone's perfume which was most distracting. I have high hopes for this label as the vines mature. 89+

2009 Mountain Winery Reserve
A soft, easy drinking wine with nice redcurrant and cherry aromas and flavours. Made from local, not estate grapes. 87

2007 Mountain Winery Estate Reserve
Nose showed raspberry syrup, with a hint of VA. Flavours of cherry and raspberry, with a touch of spice. 88

2006 Muns
Nose of cranberry and roses. Nicely integrated oak and good cherry fruit with plenty of acidity. 89

2008 Muns
Nose showed cherry with an odd - possibly aldehyde - note. There's good cherry and redcurrant fruit, with lots of tannin and liquorice on the finish.  87+

2009 Nicholson Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
Nose is spicy and oaky, with dark cherry and brambles. Sweet cherry flavours backed by spicy cinnamon and clove notes. The Peter Martin Ray vineyard is just down the hill from Mount Eden and has the old head-pruned, sprawling vines planted half a century ago. This is particularly well priced at $34. 91+

2009 Nicholson Santa Cruz Mountains
Blend of Estate, Remde and Wark Vineyards.
Nose showed candied orange peel and pepper. I also got pepper on the palate, along with sweet cherry. Quickish finish. 87

2009 Odonata Domani Vineyard
Fragrant, floral nose. Good, solid cherry fruit, rustic finish. 90

Silent Auction for double magnums

2009 Pelican Ranch Amaya Ridge
The winery has done an interesting experiment in bottling the same wine from two different oak treatments. If you were ever curious as to how American and French oaks differ then here is a perfect comparison.

The first, from French oak, showed mostly oak on the nose, with flavours of sour cherry and spice, with lots of tannin. 87

The second, from Oregon oak, had a lighter nose, with a hint of dill. The flavour profile was similar, but with black pepper rather than spice. 87

2009 Pelican Ranch Meadowridge Vineyard
Nose of black cherry, with an aldehyde note. Smooth, black cherry liqueur and nutmeg flavours. 87.

2009 Pleasant Valley Vineyard Dylan David, Lester Family Vineyard
PVV make several wines from the Lester Family (formerly Deer Park) Vineyard. Each is named Dylan David and carries an almost identical red label, and I neglected to note exactly which one this was.
Earthy nose, initially with with a note of Parmesan cheese, but that blew off. Flavours of redcurrant, cherry, black pepper and spice. Nicely balanced. 88

2009 Pleasant Valley Vineyard Dylan David, gold label
The gold label contains a blend of Lester Family and Estate fruit.
Redcurrant and cranberry nose. Similar to the red label, but with more tannin and earth. 88

2009 Pleasant Valley Vineyard Dylan David, Estate
The 2 acre estate vineyard is planted to a mix of 113, 114 and 115 clones. This is a serious wine that merits ageing.
Spicy nose shows cloves and smoke. Rich, complex flavours of black cherry, plum, cocoa and spice. Taut tannins on the finish. 91+

2008 Regale Estate
Most of Regale's wines come from fruit purchased outside the appellation, but they do have a small estate vineyard planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Despite their youth these vines are already producing some very attractive fruit.
The light yet spicy nose belies the intense cherry, spice and pepper flavours, and the long finish. 92+

2010 Sarah's Vineyard
Blend of Veranda and Rebhahn vineyards. Nose of black cherry and plum. Rich cola and sweet black cherry. Just a hint of residual sugar. 87

2007 Sarahs Vineyard
Veranda Vineyard. Spicy oak and cherry nose; Sweet but light cherry fruit and a short finish. 86

2008 Silvertip Vineyards
First release - made from 828 clone only.
Muted earthy, oaky nose with some bright cherry. That bright cherry also shows on the palate, along with tart cranberry and cinnamon, with a papery finish.  88+

2009 Silvertip Vineyards
Made primarily from 828 and 115 clones. Significantly darker than most of the other wines on the day. The nose is savoury, with notes of oak and soy sauce. On the palate there's bright red fruit and a savoury note that reminds me of marmite. 89+

Silvertip is a new label from Nelson Family Vineyards, in partnership with winemaker Paul Stroth of Stroth-Hall Cellars. The first vintages were made at Stroth-Hall's Campbell location, but the family has built a new winery adjacent to the vineyard. One to watch out for.

2009 Villa Del Monte Quenneville Vineyard
Nose shows roses and smoky oak. Soft raspberry and currant flavours with some cinnamon and tannin on the finish. 87

2010 Villa Del Monte Regan Vineyard
Nose of cherry jam; flavours of sweet, jammy cherry and raspberry. 87

2009 Thomas Fogarty, Santa Cruz Mountains
Bright cherry and tea aromas. Nice flavours of bramble, black cherry, pepper and liquorice. 89

2010 Thomas Fogarty, Rapley Trail Vineyard
Bright cherry nose; Light oak, cardomom and black cherry. 88

2008 Woodside
Complex, savoury nose - plenty of spice and smoke. In the mouth there's sweet liquorice and boysenberry with lots of oak - clearly needs time. 91+

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Pinot Paradise is the annual showcase of Pinot Noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the local Pinot producers attend, pouring one or two of their current releases. Here are my brief notes from the event. As usual I wasn't able to get round all of them.

If you're confused, Remde Vineyard is another name for Veranda Vineyard. Similarly, Deer Park Vineyard and Lester Family Vineyard are the same.

Ahlgren

2008 Veranda Vineyard
Fresh dug earth and dried currant. Rich glace cherry. Tart herbal, floral finish. Light tannins 89

Alfaro

2008 'A' Schultze Vineyard
Earthy, spicy. Rich cherry. Similar to the Windy Oaks Henry's Block 90
2007 Lindsay Paige Vineyard
Cherry, fresh bread. Rich tart cherry, raspberry, earth. Long finish. This is the best showing I've seen from any vintage of this wine; they generally seem tight and tough on release. 91+

Black Ridge

2008 Estate
Tart cherry, espresso. Smooth cherry, cranberry. Prickly tannins. Medium finish. 88

Burrell School

The vines were planted in 1991; there are 4 different clones, roughly evenly divided. Now well established, they are dry farmed.
2008 Estate
Darker colour than the 2007, with a slight funky nose, some alcohol/volatile, bright cranberry, tart earth, black cherry, dark raspberry. Firm tannins. 87
2007 Estate
Much earthier than the 2008 notes of iodine, mushroom, forest floor, with some black cherry. Firm, grippy tannins. 86

Cinnabar

2008 Lester Family Vineyard
Lots of funky earth. Surprisingly light and bright; Earthy redcurrant. Medium finish 87
2007 Santa Cruz Mountains
50% Lester Family Vineyard, 50% Estate
Soft funky nose Lots of cherry and redcurrant Long tannic finish. 90

Clos LaChance

2007 Santa Cruz Mountains
Light smoky nose. Rich sweet redcurrant, coffee. Firm tannins. Long finish. 89
2007 Biagini Vineyard
Funky earthy Sweet red fruit, caramel, good finish 89

Cumbre

2007 Rafaelli Vineyard
Earthy, meaty. Fresh earth, sweet red fruit, wild strawberry. Lots of tannin on the finish. Needs time. 88

Dancing Creek

2008 Regan Vineyard
Much darker than any of the other wines on offer. I guessed that there was something else here and was told that it contains 15% Nebbiolo from Santa Barbara.
Strikingly different nose from all the other wines; lots of black fruit. Bramble, black cherry, cassis, dried fruit. Nice wine and good value, but if you're looking for an expression of the Pinot Noir grape, this isn't it. 89

Downhill

Peter Martin Ray Vineyard was once part of Mount Eden. It's a separate small vineyard lower down the hill planted to the same clones; head trained and never replanted.
2006 Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
Earthy, spicy, candied peel. Rich cherry, cinnamon, citrus peel. Hint of Brett on the long finish. 90
2007 Peter Martin Ray Vineyard
Lighter nose than the 2006. Bigger and richer; more concentrated than the 2006, with a long finish. Excellent value. 92

Hallcrest

2005 Terra Serena Vineyard
Smoky cinnamon. Sweet cherry, cranberry. Tart, tannic, earthy finish. 88
2006 terra Serena Vineyard
Odd (VA?) note on nose. Sweet cherry, redcurrant, dark fruit. The acidity seemed less evident than on the 2005, yet technically the 2006 has more. 87

Heart o' the Mountain

2007
Pear, pepper. Sweet redcurrant, maraschino cherry, medium finish, soft tannins. 88
2008 Six Sixty Seven
Wild strawberry on the nose and palate. Sweet, spicy, peppery finish. 88

Kings Mountain

2002
Earthy, iodine. Cherry, red fruit and mushroom. 85

MJA Vineyards

2007 DaVine Regan Vineyard
Savoury - almost cheesy - nose. Meaty umami, black fruit, tannic finish. 88

Rhonda Boos of The Mountain Winery

Mountain Winery

2008 Estate
Elegant, light nose. Asian spice. Complex rich cherry and savoury with firm tannins. Needs cellar time. 92

Mount Eden

2008
Orange peel, herb, smoke. Rich spicy cherry, pomegranate, Long finish. 94+
2009 Domaine Eden
Mostly from the old Cinnabar vineyard, which Mount Eden purchased in 2008. The existing Cabernet vines were grafted over to Pinot Noir (Dijon clones, rather than Mount Eden); this is the first vintage since then. There's also some Pinot from Woodside and Santa Cruz in the blend.
Faint nose. Soft berry, cranberry flavours. Light weight. 87

Muccigrosso

2006
Bright nose. Meaty, rich dark fruit, mocha, black cherry. Plenty of tannin. 88
2007
Fainter nose. Similar to the 2006, but with a slight oxidised/pruney note. 87

Muns

2006 Vineyard
Smoky, rich bold, cherry. Coming together well; some interesting green herbal notes. 89
2007 Vineyard
Tangy cherry, smoke. Chocolate cherry, subtle earthy notes, lots of tannin. 89

Nicholson

2008 Estate Brookes' block
Interesting caramel and cherry. Nice complex cherry, earth, herb, meat. Medium finish, fine tannins. 89+
2008 Estate Reserve
Light, smoky cherry. More intense oak, good cherry flavour, more structure, needs time. 89+

Odonata

I was particularly impressed by both of Denis Hoey's offerings; the guy is an extremely talented winemaker. You should get on his mailing list while you still can.
2009 Domani
Black cherry, fig. Good dark fruit, bright acid, smooth tannins. Needs 3-5 years minimum. 91+
2009 Woody & Jenny's Top Block
Tangy and spicy. Lots of spice and bold red cherry flavours. Unbelievably this was aged in neutral oak; all that spice is coming from the vineyard, not the barrel. 94+

Pelican Ranch

2007 Deer Park Vineyard
Smoky, savoury. Rich, sweet cherry. Bitter tannins on finish. 86
2007 Remde Vineyard
Smoky raspberry. Sour cherry, raspberry, red fruit. Dry, tart finish. 86

Pleasant Valley

2006 Dylan David
Smoke, cinnamon, clove. Sweet red cherry, nutmeg. Soft tannin. 88+
2008 Lester Family Vineyard, Clone 667
Earthy, musty, bubblegum. Sweet earthy, strawberry. Fine tannins. 88
2008 Lester Family Vineyard, Clone 115
Less earth, more red fruit. Sweet redcurrant, cinnamon. Long finish. 89

Poetic Cellars

2008 Regan Vineyard
Light savoury Smooth redcurrant light acid Dr pepper light oak 88

Regale

2008 Estate
Rose petal, earth, cherry Sweet concentrated black cherry lots of tannin. Needs cellaring, though the acid is a little light. Give it 2-3 years 90+

Roudon Smith

2008 Private Reserve
Corralitos (partly Regan) Light perfumed nose Soft red fruits - cherry redcurrant a little spice Soft tannins 88
2009 Armitage
Corralitos (Rembe) Bright cherry and berry Smooth fruit, some earth chewy tannins. 89+

Sarah's

2009 Santa Cruz Mountains
2 corralitos Vineyards Bright red and black fruit notes Concentrated fruit, earth and tannin. Needs time. 89+
2007 Rebhahn Vineyard
Black fruit, earth Rich sweet intense black fruit Firm tannins. Long finish. Come together nicely 90+
2007 Veranda Vineyard
Smoky Cherry Tart black cherry earthy tannic finish. 90+

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

2001 Estate Reserve
(new release), 22.5 brix 3.20 pH finished 12.5% 1200'
spicy nutmeg a little fresh earth,
tangy acidity - raspberry, red fruit
nice finish plenty of structure still very ageworthy 90+
Needs food
2004 Bailey's Branciforte Ridge "Bella's Reserve"
14.2% 3.48pH 800'
French and hungarian oak. Inoculated
earthy, cherry
bright cherry fruit
long finish, good structure, 90+
2008 Branciforte Vineyard
Earthy funk Sweet cherry herb earth loads of structure 91+

Savannah Chanelle

2007 Estate
Interesting funky nose, earth and spice Rich intense red fruits, black cherry, spice. Good structure. 91+
2009 Muns Vineyard
Barrel sample Nose is bright smoky cherry Intense red and black fruit lots of structure 90-93

Silver Mountain

2006 Miller Hill Vineyard
Smoky funk hint of acetyl? Structured red fruit, bold tannins Earthy finish 88+
2007 Muns Vineyard
Lighter floral nose Lots of structure. Fruit in the background. Needs more air. 88++

Annette Hunt of Skov Winery

Skov

2008
light cherry cinnamon nose Soft cherry fruit Smooth tannins 87

Sonnet

2008 Muns Vineyard
Earthy black cherry Assertive sweet fruit - cherry redcurrant earth spice lots of tannin 90

Thomas Fogarty

2008 Windy Hill
- highest elevation, just under 2000' 2.5 acres 8x10 Martini clone on AXR1, some variation, last to be picked, exposed to weather
Vigorous rootstock, no phylloxera issues, all cane pruned
1/3 whole cluster, always native yeasts, no SO2 at crush 100% french 50% new

Medium colour
Fragrant, floral
light sweet fruit redcurrant/raspberry
oaky tannin on finish 89

2008 Rapley Trail
fainter nose, less floral, some smoke
Tarter redcurrant, cranberry, less tannic 88

Villa del Monte

2009 Regan Vineyard
Savoury dried herb roast meat Sweet redcurrant, spice Smooth tannins. Balanced. 88

Vine Hill

2008
Cherry vanilla Soft red cherry Fairly simple Light tannins 85

Vino Tabi

2008 Lester Vineyard
Bright cherry syrup nose and palate. Some pepper. Prickling tannins on finish 86
2008 Regan Vineyard
Smoky oak, coffee Rich redcurrant, blue cheese Medium finish 86

Windy Oaks

2008 Henry's Block
spicy cinnamon/clove, cherry rich spicy black cherry, parma violets, red vines long finish early drinking 90
2008 Wild Yeast
Lovely nose elegant floral Intense red fruit up front, fresh earth on finish 92

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Last weekend was the SCMWA's Pinot Paradise event, an annual event where most of the region's Pinot producers get together to show off the latest releases. It's always a great event, well organised and supported. The food looked and smelled lovely, but I was trying to concentrate on the wines.

Last year I moaned a little about the number of dump buckets and lack of water on the table; I'm pleased to say that the organisers took care of that this year; I didn't see a single table without a bucket and the staff ensured they never got too full. Thank you!

I was disappointed not to see McHenry or Ahlgren there; I hope that all is well with them both.

As usual I struggled to get to everyone, managing to visit about 2/3 of the tables. Apologies to everyone I missed. I'm sure that Richard Jennings and Wes Barton will fill in the gaps.

All wines are from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA unless noted otherwise.

Alfaro Family

2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard
An odd plastic note quickly blew off to reveal an earthy, brambly nose. Smooth and spicy black cherry, with a tannic finish. 90
2007 Lindsay Paige Vineyard
Vanilla and tangerine on the nose. Much more tannin than the Alfaro Family Vineyard; flavours of tart cranberry and cherry. 89+

Martin Alfaro

2007 Lester Family Vineyard
Bright cherry aromas, with a little cinnamon. Rich, sweet cherry fruit, oak showing on the finish. 90

Bargetto

2007 Devery Vineyard
Smoky, tart nose with redcurrant and grapefruit. Flavours of bright cherry and grapefruit; light in both body and tannins, decent acidity. 88
2007 Estate
Smoky, earthy, berry nose. Sweet, simple fruit flavours with a little spice. Some tannin on the finish. 84

Beauregard

2007 Beauregard Ranch Vineyard. Ben Lomond Mountain AVA
The first vintage from new vines. Nose shows rose petals and cranberry. Flavours of earth, mushroom and black cherry; nicely structured. 90+
2007 Trout Gulch Vineyard
Interesting nose of orange with a hint of clove. Sweet red cherry flavours with a touch of smoke; nice acidity, fairly light tannins. 89

Big Basin

2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard
Floral oak and cherry aromas. Rich complex fruit with some cinnamon notes and a good long finish. 93
2008 Woodruffe Vineyard
Lighter nose, with violets and black cherry. On the palate it's got quite concentrated, smoky cherry flavours and a nice medium-length finish. 92

Black Ridge

2006 Estate
This has come together nicely since I first tasted it 2 years ago. Nice bright cherry, with smoother tannins. Drinking well now, but will hold. 90
2007 Estate
Has a richer nose than the 2006; still lots of tannin backed by plenty of black cherry and a medium length astringent finish. Still needs a couple of years. 90+
2008 Estate, barrel sample
This had an unusual nose, with mint, tangerine and sandalwood. Flavours of baking spice, redcurrant and cherry. 89-92

Byington

2007 Estate - Unfiltered
Definitely unfiltered - this was very cloudy indeed; almost soupy, and a little offputting. However the nose was interesting; stemmy and floral. Flavours of sweet cherry, raspberry and dough. Liquorice on the finish. 85
2007 Estate Block 4
Smoky nose with raspberry and orange. Rich, sweet fruit but fairly one-dimensional; light tannins on the finish 86

Clos LaChance

2007 Santa Cruz Mountains
Light nose with hints of barnyard, cherry and caramel. Lovely smooth cherry flavours with some baking spice and a long finish. Good value 92+
2007 Biagini Vineyard
A blend of four clones: 113, 114, 115 and Mount Eden.
Earthy yet rich with nice strawberry notes and good structure. 92
2007 Biagini Vineyard Nancys Block
Made solely from Mount Eden clone; I was particularly impressed by this one.
Nose has smoke, oak, cherry and spice. Lashings of good rich fruit, lots of spice and a long finish. Really nice. 94

Heart of the Mountain

2006 Estate
Light smoky nose. Rich, tart cherry, nice vanilla oak, medium finish. 91
2007 Estate
Similar nose to the 2006, though with a hint of stemminess. (More whole cluster?). Palate has darker fruit; brambly notes and a longer finish. 92

Hunter Hill

2008 Estate
Nose shows redcurrent backed by an oddly chemical note - perhaps a trace of va? Earthy, with cranberry, redcurrant and some minerality; nice acidity. 86

Kings Mountain

2005 Estate
The nose shows some bretty barnyard and band-aid characteristics. There's some good cherry and strawberry fruit behind it, with a mineral (possibly sulphur?) note on the finish. 88

Loma Prieta

2007 Saveria Vineyard
Lovely expressive nose, floral with notes of pine and earth. Rich earthy cherry flavours, but a harsh oaky finish spoils it. Hopefully that will resolve with time. 88+
2008 Saveria Vineyard
More earthy, forest floor notes than the 2007. Brooding, earthy black cherry and a very earthy finish. Interesting. 89+

Mountain Winery

Second vintage from the replanting of what was once one of the finest vineyards in the country. The young vines (777, 828 and Swan clones) are still getting established, but signs are good. In a sense history comes full circle, since the wine is being made by Jeffrey Patterson at Mount Eden. I expect great things from this label; I hear the Chardonnay is outstanding.
2007 Estate
Tart cherry and earth on the nose; Rich, spicy cherry flavours with a tart finish. Needed more air. 91+

Mount Eden

2006 Estate
Awesome rich, spicy nose. Complex, with plenty of spicy black cherry, and lots of tannin. Needs 5+ years. 92+
2007 Estate
I've already praised this wine enough, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to taste it again. While the nose is more restrained than the 2006, the palate is superb, with loads of concentrated fruit. 95+

Muns

2006 Estate
Light cherry, berry nose. Good, balanced red fruit with some spice and an earthy finish. 90
2005 Estate
Nose shows pear drops and vanilla essence. Tart cherry and strawberry, with a medium finish. 86

Nicholson

The winery struggled a little in the earlier part of the decade, relying on consultants. In 2007 they took on Ian Brand as full-time winemaker; 2008 is the first vintage that he made from start to finish.
2008 Santa Cruz Mountains - Barrel Sample
Fruit sourced mostly from Corralitos. A light nose, with spice, oak and red fruit. It has a big, chewy mouthfeel with bright red cherry flavours and a medium length, tannic finish 90-92
2008 Estate - Barrel Sample
This has a brighter nose than the other sample; shows more oak, with nice flavours of cherry pie, good structure and a dry finish. 90-92

Pleasant Valley Vineyards

Formerly a tiny all-estate producer, now producing a range of additional wines with purchased fruit. Their Pinots and estate Chardonnays remain the outstanding centrepieces.
2007 Thelma Henrietta Block
It's full name is 2007 Dylan David Pinot Noir, Lester Family Vineyards, Thelma-Henrietta Block (Dijon Clone #115) and the wine is as much of a mouthful as the name.
Nose shows smoke and black fruit. In the mouth there's lots of concentrated black cherry and brambly fruit, with a good, long finish. 93+
2007 Willa-Louise Block
Sharing a similar name and pedigree, this is made from a block of Clone 667. Bright strawberry fruit on the nose; Rich red fruit - strawberry and raspberry - on the palate, with light, silky tannins. 92+
2007 Dylan David Estate
Here's a wine that I know from experience needs a lot of time and air to show its best; I got the first pour from a freshly opened bottle. The nose was restrained, not showing much beyond oak and earth. On the palate it's quite intense and earthy, with dark cherry and brambly fruit. 93+

Regale

First time attending Pinot Paradise for Regale, an impressive new property on Summit Road near to Burrell School. They have around 4 acres of Pinot planted as well as a little Chardonnay. 2007 was their first vintage from the young vines; less than 50 cases were made.
2007 Estate
Nose shows herbal notes - mint, lavender and liquorice. In the mouth there are concentrated black fruit flavours - berry, currant, cherry. A surprisingly intense wine from such young vines. 93
2008 Estate
As yet unreleased. This had a lighter, fruitier nose than the 2007, with some sulphur evident. A touch more elegant, but with nice black cherry fruit and lots of tannins. 92+

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

2007 Branciforte creek
Very earthy, spicy nose. Bright, intense cherry and cranberry flavours with a longish, tannic finish. 92+
2006 Baileys vineyard
Lighter than the Branciforte and with more acidity. Good cherry, cranberry fruit and a long finish. 92+

Sarah's Vineyard

Sarah's has a new winemaker. Ken Deis, formerly of Flora Springs has taken over from Robert Henson. The winery has recently launched a range made from Rhone grapes, as well as a fourth Pinot Noir.
2008 Santa Cruz Mountains
Sourced from the Regan and Veranda vineyards. Nose of raspberry and black cherry; floral, with flavours of sour cherry. Some nice tannins. Seems more substantial than the 2007. 91+
2009 Santa Cruz Mountains - Barrel Sample
Nose shows plenty of red fruit - redcurrant and raspberry. Lots of red fruit up front, tails off somewhat in the middle. 88-91
2007 Rebhahn Vineyard
A tough vineyard to deal with, out of the way on a steep hill. The clusters are unusually small.
Black fruits on the nose, particularly blueberry. Dark, rather high acidity and quite tannic. Certainly needs time to come around. 88

Silver Mountain

2007 Miller Hill
Light nose - mineral and tart cherry. Bright acidity on the palate and lots of tannin. Some red fruit, with an earthy finish. 86+
2007 Estate
An initial odd, plastic note, which soon blew off revealing some cranberry. Nice flavours of redcurrant, cranberry and gooseberry, with good acidity. 89

Thomas Fogarty

2008 Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose is floral, with oak and red fruit. Sweet red cherry and strawberry with a hint of cocoa. 91
2007 Windy Hill
Dark fruit and undergrowth with some stemmy notes. Nice sweet red fruit flavours; the stemmy notes return on the finish. 91

Trout Gulch

2007 "La Source"
A light, tart nose, with notes of mineral and cherry. Good flavours of sweet cherry and raspberry, with a nice finish. 91
1999 Estate
Clearly a mature nose, reminiscent of apple cider. Rich and meaty on the plate with flavours of dried cherry and cranberry, and some pastry. Still plenty of tannins. Interesting. 89
1990 estate
Odd nose that reminded me of blue cheese! Mature, earthy flavours with some dried cherry. Probably a little past its peak for my tastes. 87

Windy Oaks

Perhaps more than any other winery on show, Windy Oaks needs time or air to show its best. In particular I got surprisingly little out of the 2007 Wild Yeast, which is odd as I've really enjoyed the 2006. I suspect with a few hours of air I would have scored each of these a few points higher, particularly the first two.
2007 Wild Yeast
Nose showed a little sulphur and red cherry. Nice cherry with notes of fresh earth and quite a lot of stemmy tannin. 90++
2007 Cuvee
Bright nose of earthy cherry. Fruitier and a little lighter than the Wild Yeast, with good acidity. 91++
2007 Henry's Block
Lovely perfumed nose showing roses and raspberry. Rich smooth fruit, nice complexity. 92+
2007 Whole Cluster
Floral - rose petal nose with earthy notes. Fuller and richer than the Henry's Block. Fresh earth, sappy tannin, less pronounced fruit. 92+

Woodside

2006 Estate
A nice earthy, spicy, smoky nose. Rich and complex with dark cherry and a long, spicy finish 93

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When you look at the number of big wine events held in the bay area it seems like there's at least one or two every month. You wonder how the organisers manage to arrange things so that they don't clash. And then it dawns on you - they don't even try. Case in point, in two weeks it's Pinot Paradise. As a wine writer covering the Santa Cruz Mountains that's probably the cannot-miss event of the year. It's the only event of the year that focuses entirely on this one region, with most of the top producers gathered in one place pouring their latest releases. It's always challenging, but a lot of fun.
Meanwhile up in San Francisco the Rhone Rangers are having their annual grand tasting event at the Fort Mason centre at the exact same time. So local wineries that make both Pinot and Rhones - and there are several - have a tough set of choices (as do we consumers).
But if that wasn't bad enough the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley are holding their Spring Passport weekend then too.
And in typical contrarian fashion, Stefania are holding their Spring pick-up open house at Chaine d'Or in Woodside on Saturday 27th. So all in all, it's going to be a busy weekend. Whichever events you attend, please remember to spit!

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A few events that you ought to be aware of in the coming months.

Dark & Delicious is an evening of Petite Sirah and various food pairings. While I freely admit that Petite Sirah isn't my favourite grape, there's no denying that there are some interesting ones out there - try Storrs, Sones or Aver Family for example - and it blends really well with Zinfandel as Ridge's Lytton Springs or Geyserville offerings amply demonstrate.
Here's a chance to try wines from over 40 Petite Sirah producers as well as food from 26 top restaurants and caterers.
Where Rock Wall Wine Company, 2301 Monarch Street, Alameda
When Friday, February 19th,| 6PM - 9PM
How Much $60 in advance, $70 at the door.

The 8th Annual Pinot Noir Summit features 40 top-rated Pinot Noirs in a blind tasting where the consumers are the judges. Professional tasters have already whittled down hundreds of entrants in blind tastings. Compare your scores to the panel and see which wine is voted #1 live. There are workshops and a closing ceremony.
Where Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael
When Saturday, February 27th, Noon to 8:30PM
How Much $125 for the full day, $75 for the reception and awards ceremony only.
You can also win tickets on Facebook

Pinot Paradise is on March 28th. Pretty much every Pinot Noir producer in the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association will be presenting their current releases; expect a few barrel samples and older vintages too. There are also technical sessions in the morning and several wineries will be open for barrel samples on the Saturday.
Where Villa Ragusa, in downtown Campbell
When Sunday, March 28th 2PM-5PM
How Much $55 in advance, $65 at the door, $75 for a VIP pass, $55 for the Technical Session.

Monte Bello Assemblage Tasting
The tastings in March and May are for Monte Bello collectors only; the tasting in April is open to the public. This is a great opportunity to taste some of the individual components that will go into the 2009 Ridge Monte Bello before the blend is finalised. It's also a chance to taste some older vintages to see how they are ageing - the 1990, 1992, and 1994 will be on offer. (RSVP by April 12th is required to attend.)
Where Monte Bello Tasting Room, Cupertino
When Saturday April 17th, 11AM-5PM
How Much $30, or $15 for Ridge wine club members

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Ahlgren
2007 Veranda Vineyard
Floral, rich cherry, good balance. Hint of liquorice on the finish.

Alfaro Family
2006 Lindsey Paige Vineyard
As always, a very structured wine; needs time for the fruit to show.
2007 'A' Estate
Blend of 3 vineyards. A deep, rich wine with flavours of liquorice and good tannins.

Bargetto
2006 Reserve
Earthy, mushroom nose. Lots of dark fruit and bold tannins.

Beauregard
2006 Bald Mountain
From the Ben Lomond Mountain AVA. Savoury, gamey nose. Sweet cherry fruit and a good finish.
2006 Trout Gulch Vineyard
This vineyard was planted in 1982 by the Winemaker Ryan's father, Jim Beauregard. Shows brighter fruit than the Bald Mountain, and a little heat. Good structure.

Big Basin
Bradley Brown produces 2000 cases a year. This is his 6th vintage.
2007 Branciforte Ridge
Good, bright fruit. Nice flavours of black cherry. Good acidity.
2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard
Rich and savoury. Young but showing bright fruit. Little tannic, but less so than the Alfaro wines. Very nice.

Black Ridge
2006 Estate
A big, rich wine with good balance.
2007 Estate
Nice earthy, herbal nose. Long, tannic finish. Needs a couple of years.

Burrell School
2005 Estate
Nose shows bright cherries and nutmeg. Earthy with a tannic finish.
2006 Estate
Some pear drops on the nose. Bright cherry fruit; decent acidity and tannins. Oak shows on the finish.

Byington
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Good balance. Plenty of dark fruit. Finishes with a tarry, smoky note.

Cinnabar
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Earthy, with mushrooms backed by good cherry fruit.
2007 Santa Cruz Mountains
Not yet released. Fruity nose. Rich flavours of caramel, cherry and coffee.

Clos LaChance
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Nice cherry fruit; good balance
2005 Biagini Vineyard
Nice "funky" nose. Rich, concentrated fruit. Smooth finish.

Clos Tita
2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Cuvee
Barnyard on the nose. Rich and full. Earthy/loamy with hints of violets and peppery spice. Long finish.
2005 Estate
Lots of acidity. Flavours of black cherry and liquorice. Long, tannic finish.

Domenico
2008 Santa Cruz Mountains barrel sample
Very primary. Notes of lavendar and violets. Medium bodied; good acidity
2007 Santa Cruz Mountains barrel sample
Clearly more evolved than the 08, but still showing bright acidity. A bit more structure and less fruit.
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Earthy, with notes of wild strawberries and cherries. Nice acidity.

Hallcrest
2005 Terra Serena Vineyard
This Corralitos vineyard has gone by many names including Matteson, Ciardella and Woodruff.
Odd nose; hints of ginger and aldehyde. Full bodied; chocolate notes. Lot of tannin.
2006 Vista del Mare Vineyard
Pear drops on the nose. Full bodied with lush cherry fruit.

Heart O' The Mountain
2006 Estate
A big, rich, structured wine. Hints of barnyard, mushroom and loam. Good cherry fruit.

Hunter Hill
2007 Estate
Lots of oak on the nose. Smooth cherry flavours. What it lacks in acidity it makes up for in tannins.

King's Mountain
2005 Estate
A spicy nose with hints of nutmeg and clove. Rich and earthy with chocolate and cherry notes. Coffee on the finish.

Loma Prieta
2005 Saveria Vineyard
Deep colour. A tight, heavy wine with lots of tannin slowly revealing some nice cherry fruit.
2006 Saveria Vineyard
A much lighter colour than the 05. Lots of espresso coffee; fruit is in the background.

McHenry
At under $30, the McHenrys makes some of the best value Pinot in the region.
2005 Estate
Bright, floral nose. Soft with rich fruit and a long finish.
2006 Estate "Swan Clone"
Similar, showing more dark fruit at this stage than the 05.

Mount Eden
What can you say about Mount Eden? Jeffrey Patterson consistently produces some of the best Pinots in the country.
2005 Estate
Beautiful perfumed nose. A rich, concentrated wine with lots of fruit.
2006 Estate
More barnyard 'funk' on the nose than the 05. Good structure and acidity. More earth, less fruit on the palate.

Muccigrosso
2005
Earthy 'funk' on the nose with notes of cola. Sweet black fruit and a long finish.
2006
Rich and full, with deep fruit flavours and cedar notes.

Nicholson
Did not taste

Pelican Ranch
Did not taste

Pleasant Valley
2006 sees the launch of two additional Pinots from the nearby Lester Family (formerly Deer Park) Vineyard. The wines are from two distinct blocks within the vineyard, which are planted with different Pinot clones, and were vinified and bottled separately (though you have to look closely as the labels are very similar). Initially just 75 cases were produced, increasing to 250 cases in 2008.
2005 Dylan David Estate
Complex, floral nose. Rich, concentrated cherry fruit and a long finish
2006 Dylan David Lester Family Vineyard, Willa Louise's Block
Dijon 667 clone. Bright strawberry nose. Sweet cherry fruit on the palate.
2006 Dylan David Lester Family Vineyard, Thelma Henrietta’s Block
Dijon 115 clone. Savoury nose. Rich, with a long, tannic finish.
It was interesting to compare these side by side. These are the best young wines I've tasted from Deer Park.

Roudon-Smith
Tasted; no note.

Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard
Since taking over at SCMV, Jeff Emery has introduced a subtle stylistic change. He's trying to make the wines more accessible when young; less tannic and acidic, but hopefully without sacrificing their ageworthiness. As a result his 2005 Branciforte was named one of the SF Chronicle's top 100m wines last year.
2005 Branciforte Creek
A big, earthy, spicy wine. Nicely balanced with good acidity. Tastes good now, will get better.
2005 Bailey's
Earthy with big cherry fruit flavours and a great finish.

Sarah's Vineyard
Did not taste.

Silver Mountain
2005 Miller Hill
Berry/strawberry notes. Good acidity; mineral finish.
2006 Miller Hill
Alison loved this. Soft and fruity - she described it as "Cherry, cherry and cherry". Notes of pepper on the finish.
2006 Muns Vineyard
Much more structured and darker cherry/fruit flavours.

Sonnet
2006 Muns Vineyard
Lots of tannin. Good acidity, nice mouthfeel, but needs time to unwind.
2007 Muns Vineyard
Showed more cherry fruit at this stage than the 06 did. Hints of nutmeg, still plenty of tannin.

Soquel
2007 Saveria Vineyard
A rich, full, fruity wine. Decent structure and a long finish with cedar notes.

Storrs
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains
Very spicy and peppery. Nice cherry flavours and good acidity.
2006 Wildcat Ridge
Again, spicy with rich fruiot flavours, notes of cedar and cola. Good finish.

Thomas Fogarty
Did not taste

Trout Gulch
Did Not Taste

Vine Hill
Did not taste

Windy Oaks
2006 Wild Yeast
Elusive but beautiful nose. Cherry fruit with violet, lavender and earthy notes. Great structure. One of my favourites.
2006 Diane's Block
Tasted; no note.

Woodside
2005 Estate
Savoury, meaty nose. Deep, rich and concentrated flavours, with a long finish showing hints of truffle.
2006 Estate
Much more forward than the 2005. Lots of sweet cherry fruit.

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Last Sunday was the 5th annual Pinot Paradise, the opportunity to sample almost every Pinot Noir producer in the Santa Cruz Mountains. (Though while it might be possible to try all of them in theory, I've yet to manage it.)

The event is held at Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell. It's a nice, big venue, easy to reach and ample parking nearby. It doesn't get too crowded, though the $20 extra for the VIP session from 1:00-2:00 is money well spent even if you don't do the official tasting tour, since you get free run of the place.

I'll raise my minor complaints first to get them out of the way; there's not enough space in the program to write tasting notes, though granted most people who are serious about taking notes will have brought their own notebook. There weren't enough spittoons , which meant that you were constantly having to squeeze past people. Last year I thought that plastic Dixie cups were provided, which helped. And finally there really needs to be water jugs (not iced) on each of the pouring tables.

On to the tasting. Lots of people pouring multiple vintages, which gives a good opportunity to compare. Generally the 2006 vintages seems to be showing more fruit at this stage; the 2005s more structure. The 2007s mostly seemed young and tight.

Big Basin was the only new winery from last year. Testarossa were not listed and I didn't find Trout Gulch or Vine Hill. I'll post the tasting notes later in the week once I've had chance to write them up.

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You really have to hand it to professional tasters. It's not easy tasting 50+ wines and making meaningful notes on each one. I am not a professional taster, so these impressions are minimal at best.

Ahlgren Vineyards
2004 Santa Cruz Mountains: Lots of bright fruit, good acidity. $35
2007 Veranda Vineyard (Barrel Sample): Slightly sweeter, less acidity.

Alfaro Family Vineyards
Tasted on Saturday.
2007 Alfaro Family Estate Rose: A light, dry summer sipper with flavours of strawberries. $15
2006 Alfaro Family A: Good value - rich and easy drinking. $25
2006 Martin Alfaro Deer Park: Good flavours of cherry and strawberry. $33
2006 Martin Alfaro Schultze Family: Best of the line-up. $36
2005 Alfaro Family Lindsay Paige: Tight. Tannic. Needs time. $40

Bargetto Winery
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains:
2006 Deverey Vineyard:
Both were decent, well made wines but they didn't particularly stand out from the crowd.

Beauregard Vineyards
Did not taste.

Black Ridge Vineyards
2006 Estate: Quite an atypical Pinot; much more black fruits than cherries. My note says "Blackcurrant wine gums". First release from this winery - definitely one to watch. Well priced at $31

Burrell School Vineyards
Tasted Saturday
2005 Veranda Vineyard: Bright nose, with some of that "Pinot funk". Good acidity on the palate, with pleasant cherry flavours. $38
2005 Estate: On the nose I got oak and raspberries. On the palate it was richer and more intense than the Veranda vineyard.
2006 Barrel Samples - Four samples of different clones; 115, 667, 777 and 05, each remarkably different. An impromptu blend of the four showed great promise; this could well turn out to be better than the 2005.

Byington Winery & Vineyards
2005 Estate: Tasted, but no note.

Cinnabar Vineyards & Winery
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains: A strong aroma of smoked meats that carried over to the palate.

Clos LaChance Wines
Did not taste

Clos Tita
2005 Cuvee:
2005 Estate:
Both wines showed good, bright cherry/raspberry fruit. The Cuvee also had a slight hint of brettanomyces; not overpowering or unpleasant, but certainly present. Unfined and unfiltered.

Domenico Wines
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains: Tasted, but no note.

Hallcrest Vineyards
2004 Vista Del Mare Vineyard: A rich, full bodied wine.
2004 Barrel Select: Ironically the barrel select showed a hint of oxidation that I didn't care for.

Heart o' the Mountain
2005 Estate: Very impressed by this debut release. Definitely a winery to watch. $48

Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery
2006 Estate: Lots of tannin. Some good fruit, but it was hidden behind the tannins.

Kings Mountain Winery
1999 Santa Cruz Mountains:
2003 Santa Cruz Mountains:
My notes simply read "Good nose, good acidity, a little thin on the finish".

Loma Prieta Winery
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains: $50. My notes just say "Pleasant Valley Road".

McHenry Winery
2004 Estate: Made in a more elegant, restrained style. Very good value indeed at under $22
2004 Swan Clones: $28

Mount Eden Vineyards
2004 Estate:
2005 Estate:
What can you say about Mount Eden that's not already been said? Arguably the best Pinot maker in the region, both wines were beautiful with rich fruit and a long finish. Definitely ones for the cellar.

Muccigrosso Vineyards
2004 Estate: Big, spicy wine, but with some green tannins giving rise to a bitterness on the finish.
2005 Estate: Similar, but without the bitter tinge.

Nicholson Vineyards
Tasted on Saturday.
2006 Estate Chardonnay: High levels of ethyl acetate giving rise to a "pear drops" nose which carried over to the palate. Lots of acidity. Not to my liking.
2006 Rose: Again, not to my liking. Lots of green tannins.
2005 Estate Pinot Noir: Hint of pear drops again, but not as strong as on the chardonnay. Bright cherry flavours and a hint of sweetness.
2006 Estate Pinot Noir (unreleased): Showed more oak than the 05. No pear drops here, but lots of tannins. Needs at least a couple of years in the cellar.
2007 Estate Pinot Noir (barrel sample): Very tannic indeed. There seemed to be some good fruit under the tannins. Definitely has potential.

Pelican Ranch Winery
2006 Deer Park: High levels of volatile acidity.
2005 Green Valley Road: I got the strangest impression from this. If you've ever done any electrical work you'll know that acrid smell that solder flux gives off - I got that on the palate and couldn't get past it.

Pleasant Valley Vineyards
Tasted on Saturday
2004 Brittany Morgan Chardonnay: A lighter style of chardonnay, creamy and lemony with good minerality. $35
2005 Brittany Morgan Chardonnay: Higher in acidity than the 04, with more lemon $35
2005 Dylan David Pinot: A very elegant Pinot. Cherry flavours nicely integrated with the oak. A nice wine but hard to justify the price at $85
2006 Dylan David Pinot (Barrel Sample): Following on from the 05, with brighter cherry and less oak at this stage.
2007 Viognier (Barrel sample): I only got the last drops of this, not enough for a real taste, however it seemed to have some residual sugar.

Roudon-Smith Winery
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains: Tasted, no note

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
2004 "Bailey's" Branciforte Ridge:
2003 Vine Hill Reserve: Blend of last of the Jarvis vineyard and first crop of "Bailey's"
SCMV makes wines that need to be cellared for a few years. Both showed good, bright fruit with an earthy component.

Sarah's Vineyard
2007 Santa Cruz Mountains (Barrel Sample): Very primary at this stage. Needs to spend a while longer in the barrel. However it certainly shows promise.

Silver Mountain Vineyards
Tasted on Saturday:

2004 Estate Pinot:
2005 Estate Pinot:
2004 Muns Vineyard (SCM):
2004 Tondre's Grapefiled (SLH)
2005 Tondre's Grapefiled (SLH)

Sonnet Wine Cellars
Tasted on Saturday:
2004 Kruse Vineyard:

Tasted on Sunday:
2005 Muns Vineyard: Very good. Rich cherry flavours and a long finish. Better than the 2004 Silver Mountain Muns Vineyard.

Soquel Vineyards
2005 Muns Vineyard: Another good expression of Pinot from the Muns vineyard. Interesting to taste this immediately after the Sonnet; it seemed much more tannic and young. Definitely needs cellar time. Good, but not cheap at $50.

Storrs Winery
2005 Santa Cruz Mountains: From Pleasant Valley. Tannic and young, but rich - needs time to show its full potential.

Testarossa Vineyards
2005 Schultze Vineyard: Yet another winner from the Schultze vineyard, but at $55 Windy Oaks is better and cheaper.

Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards
2005 Santa Cruz Mountains:
2006 Santa Cruz Mountains:
My notes simply say "Excellent".

Trout Gulch Vineyards
2006 La Source: Two samples. First was slightly corked, the second oxidised.
2001 Estate: A knockout. Really very good. No longer available, which is a shame as I'd have definitely bought some.

Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery
Tasted on Saturday
2006 Diane's Block: Great bright fruit. Diane's Block is a seperate 3 acre vineyard in nearby Aptos.
2006 Estate Cuvee: More complexity than the Diane's Block. Should repay ageing.
2006 Wild Yeast: Quite superb. Rich, complex spicy flavours.

Wines of Vine Hill
2006 Gatos Locos: Very tight and tannic. Needs time.
2005 Cumbre: I got an overpowering impression of tar and asphalt from this wine. Couldn't get any fruit at all.

Woodside VineyardsDid not taste - they apparently ran out of wine very quickly. I heard very good things from a few people who did get to taste it.

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A few odds and ends picked up in conversation.

Ahlgren: The winery is still up for sale, but no buyers are in sight. The big problem is that people with the kind of money that the property/business is worth ($2-$3 million) want something that's shiny and new.

Trout Gulch: Bernie Turgeon is now in his 80s and has retired. Son Gerry is continuing the winery, but it's not his day job and has been scaled back significantly. The recent appearance of the 2002 vintage at Whole Foods was as a result of clearing out the back inventory to make space. The old estate vineyard was sold some time ago and is now the Pinto Valley Vineyard, managed by Beauregard.

Several wineries are about to move into new tasting rooms in the industrial complex on Ingalls Street in Santa Cruz, previously occupied by Bonny Doon. New tenants include Sones and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. There's an article about it on winesandvines.com

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The Pinot Paradise "Grand Cruz" tasting was held on Sunday at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. The venue was a large roughly square hall, up a flight of stairs. I was a bit late in arriving so there was only a short line for entry. Proper pinot glasses and programmes were provided, along with opaque plastic spit cups.

Inside things were a little crowded, but it wasn't too bad. The wineries were arranged alphabetically around three sides of the room and in two rows down the centre. Interspersed among the wineries were local restaurants offering samples of food. There was also a roast beef carvery and a seafood buffet. The food was all delicious, though I didn't really feel that many of the providers had thought too much about the fact that their sample was being paired with Pinot Noir.

Some of the wineries had a "silent auction" going on where you could bid on large format bottles of their wines. There was also some kind of raffle with about 30 prizes whereby you bought tickets and wrote your name on the back, then dropped tickets in the boxes for each prize that you were interested in.

Even without the distractions of the auctions and raffles, and avoiding the wineries that I had visited on Saturday, I still didn't manage to hit all of the tasting tables. Very few of the wineries ran out of wine, and of those that did, most of them seemed to last until about the final half hour, which is pretty good going. Overall a very good event; highly recommended for Pinot fans. Next time I'll be sure to get there early.

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This last weekend was the 4th annual SCMWA Pinot Paradise event. On Saturday there was the "Pathway to Pinot Paradise" at participating wineries and on Sunday there was the "Grand Cruz" event in downtown Campbell.

As anyone who has visited can attest, the Santa Cruz Mountains have lots of narrow, winding roads. It's not like Napa where most of the wineries are along a couple of main streets; here the wineries can be on opposite sides of the same hill and take 20 minutes to get to. Four Wheel Drive vehicles are a pretty good idea.

I'd planned out the Saturday route using the Google Map I created earlier. A great feature of Google Maps is the ability to change your route by clicking and dragging any point - the software recalculates the best way. A not-so-good feature is the inability to print out zoomed maps with the route drawn, or the way that it handles additional destinations; it would be handy if you could click on a marker and say "stop here".

The planned route took me first to Burrell School, then Silver Mountain. From there I intended to head down via Soquel, possibly stopping at Bargetto, Soquel and/or Hunter Hill, before ending in Corralitos at PV, Nicholson, Alfaro and Windy Oaks. As it turned out a late start and underestimating the time at each stop meant the Soquel segment got dropped, so I ended up hitting six of the wineries. The tasting notes will be posted later.

Burrell School had a tasting table in the barrel room. They were pouring two 2005 current releases, plus barrel samples of four different clones from 2006. The regular tasting room was also open.

Silver Mountain had six pinots on offer; 2004 and 2005 vintages of their Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Lucia Highlands, plus a 2005 Muns Vineyard and a 2005 Sonnet York Mountains. They also had the regular tasting bar, pouring two Chardonnays, three Bordeaux blends and a couple of Zinfandels.

Nicholson had three vintages: 2005, the unreleased 2006 and a barrel sample of 2007. There were three additional wines; Chardonnay, Rose of Pinot and Zinfandel.

Pleasant Valley were pouring their current Chardonnay and Pinot. There was also a barrel sample of 2007 Viognier.

Alfaro Family had 4 Pinots and a Rose on offer and Windy Oaks had 3 Pinots plus their Chardonnay, all of which were current releases.

Overall I didn't really feel that the Pathway event offered very much over a typical Passport weekend. Maybe I was unlucky with my choices; Silver Mountain had at least given the chance to taste two vintages of the same wines, but only Burrel School and Nicholson were actually offering barrel samples (of Pinot), which I thought was the point of the event. I'd hoped to have been given a chance to judge the upcoming vintages.

One thing that concerned me was the fact that I didn't see a single other person spitting. Some of the wineries provided clear plastic cups for water but none provided opaque spit cups or what I'd consider a proper spittoon.

Tasting notes will be included alongside the main event notes.

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Here's the list of wineries that are due to be pouring at Pinot Paradise. I tasted some of them at Pinot Days in San Francisco last year and was very impressed by what Tony Craig is doing at Sonnet and Silver Mountain, and by Windy Oaks and Alfaro Family.

Several of the wineries only make a few hundred cases, so there are quite a few that I haven't tasted before. I've heard good things about Black Ridge Vineyards, who should be having their first release any time now.

Ahlgren Vineyards
Alfaro Family Vineyards
Bargetto Winery
Beauregard Vineyards
Black Ridge Vineyards
Burrell School Vineyards
Byington Winery & Vineyards
Cinnabar Vineyards & Winery
Clos LaChance Wines
Clos Tita
Domenico Wines
Hallcrest Vineyards
Heart o' the Mountain
Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery
Kings Mountain Winery
Loma Prieta Winery
McHenry Winery
Mount Eden Vineyards
Muccigrosso Vineyards
Nicholson Vineyards
Pelican Ranch Winery
Pleasant Valley Vineyards
Roudon-Smith Winery
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
Sarah's Vineyard
Silver Mountain Vineyards
Sonnet Wine Cellars
Soquel Vineyards
Storrs Winery
Testarossa Vineyards
Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards
Trout Gulch Vineyards
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery
Wines of Vine Hill
Woodside Vineyards

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