Grgich Hills, Napa 2005

Clear golden straw color with a developed buttery mineral and floral nose. Full bodied with earty oak on the palate. Mid to high acidity with a long finish. Very good.

This wine is on our list and it was nice to revisit. Tasting notes will now follow WSET tasting guidelines and looking back makes sense. I really like this wine, will pair very well with Grilled firm fish and fowl.

03 and 04 Hewitt

We ran a special at the club and poured Hewitt 04. We also had an 03 open, so I took it upon myself to taste both side by side.

03 was showing much more fruit on the nose and palate than the 04. The 04 had a deeper earthier nose that followed on the palate as well. Both had longish finishes, with the 04 slightly longer and more pronounced.

Still love them both, but would go Tenderloin or grilled Veal with the 03, and Ribeye for the 04.

Poonawatta Montes Block Shiraz, Eden Valley, 2006

I hadn't heard of Eden Valley in Australia till today. I probably saw the name from time in a book, but today I tasted a wonderful wine from the region.
Montes Block Shiraz is made up of grapes that do not make it into Poonawatta's top shiraz "The 1800".
Tasted with a new rep who introduced himself with a little tasting.
The Monte Block was very dark and spicy on the nose. I got black pepper and dark, dark fruit on the nose. The shiraz was pretty good. The first taste illustrated to me what a bouquet of pink peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamon and dried cherries would taste like. Just layers and layers of complexity. The finish lasted for a good minute. There was a healthy amount of acidity that make this a real food wine. Montes block was not an over ripe fruit bomb with that jammy taste you find with Aussie Shiraz.
Very Good