a great time was had by all

Last night we hosted a tasting of Kinkead Ridge white wines (two verticals including four years of Riesling and four years of Viogner Rousanne) and for those who are partial to reds, I also opened 2004 Rochioli pinot noir, 2005 Emeritus pinot noir, 1996 Chateau St Michelle meritage, 2005 Bergevin Lane Calico red and 2001 Thomas Clay Counoise from Santa Barbara. For more on the wonderful Kinkead ridge wines check out www.kinkeadridgewinery.typepad.com , I think they were all fantastic and show the potential Kinkead Ridge wines, but I am going to talk about the reds tasted. First the Rochioli, my wife and I have visited this winery and tasted there entry level wines, they were good while not exceptional. This wine however was fantastic and points to the importance of time in the bottle. This bottle had gotten some bottle aging which made it rich and full bodied with dried cherry notes, just a stunner. Next the Emeritus, this is a new project from the former owner of Sonoma Cutrer winery, that though know for their chardonnays, produces a pinot noir, so exclusive that it is allocated to the club members. The point is that the producers of Emeritus were responsible for a highly sought after pinot, thus the interest in this wine. That said, I think the 05 will benefit from some more time in the bottle. To be continued.