1991 Stonestreet Legacy

$70

I removed the foil from around the top of the bottle so I could check the condition of the cork. I was quite pleased, as the color of the wine had moved up about one quarter of the height of the cork. The bottle and label were in good condition.

I had to use a cheap corkscrew to open this one, and the cork broke at about the half-way point. But the cork was soft, and there was no sign of leakage. The bottom portion of the cork was easily removed.

The color is surprisingly bright considering the age of this wine. I expected a touch of brown to indicate that the wine is fourteen years old, but it looked more like a two-year old wine.

The initial aromas were current and chocolate. Later, a nice cherry aroma was evident.

The wine has a great mouth feel. This is a big wine with nice tannins, and not too soft. It is elegant, with nice current, chocolate, cherry and a touch of leather and wood.

This wine was the perfect choice for a prime-cut steak. The only bad thing about this wine is that it is now gone…

2002 Turkey Flat Butcher’s Block

The Barossa Valley comes thru again with another Rhone-style winner. This one is a MSG not a GSM. That’s right, heavier on the Mourvedre and lighter on the Grenache. Does it matter? Absolutely not. If you are into Rhones and Rhone-styles, give this a shot. I know I’m headed back for a repeat.

The first hit is the beautiful raspberry color and a nose that exudes cocoa, leather, cherry, and pepper. Give it a swirl and then give it a taste. More of the same flavors explode on the palate and then finish with a bit of heat and spice. All I can say is WOW !

2002 Navarre Knights Valley Cabernet Franc

$50

It’s wines like this one that will ruin Cabernet Franc’s image as being only a blending grape.

Dark purple in color with a clear ring around the outside. This one could probably stand to age a couple of years or twenty. It has lovely dried or dark cherries and tobacco in the nose.

Very nice, well balanced flavors of dark cherry, plum, tobacco, a hint of blueberry. It finishes nicely with perhaps just a touch of pepper at the end.

This wine is quite nice.

2002 Ojai Chardonnay Clos Pepe Vinyard

http://www.ojaivineyard.com/02/chcp02.htm

I’m tempted to not say anything about this one, as I’d like to keep it to myself. I’ve tried several wines from the Ojai Vineyard over the last year, and each was amongst the best that I’ve tasted.

This one has great balance – mellow butter and vanilla but definitely not over-oaked. There is a nice touch of spice on the finish, which I really like also.

You probably won’t find this one at your local wine store, but that’s okay because that leaves more for me!