2005 MacPhail Pinot Noir Pratt Vineyard

MacPhail Family Wines makes nothing but Pinot Noir in small batches from some of the best vineyards in Sonoma and Mendecino counties. Their website is at the address www.grapewagon.com. I think you can detect that James MacPhail has a sense of humor.

This wine comes from a vineyard of about 15 acres located southwest of Sebastapol in the Sonoma Coast appellation. Less than 500 cases were produced.

Wine Spectator notes: Sleek, trim and well-balanced, showing cedar, herb and savory nutmeg flavors, with a hint of ripe cherry. Veers toward drier fruit flavors, with notes of coffee, sage and tea.

Served this wine two different nights. First with a dinner of various small plates (i.e. leftovers) and then with chicken.

2004 JC Cellars Syrah Haley's Reserve Rockpile Vineyard

Our friend Karen was visiting from Santiago, Chile on her way up to Napa and Sonoma for a bicycle trip. We met Karen on our trip to Argentina and Chile last March. She owns a wine, bicycling, and hiking tourism company in Chile - Wine Travel Chile.

To celebrate Karen's arrival, we cooked dinner, served it in the wine cellar, and broke out this excellent California Syrah from one of our favorite winemakers, Jeff Cohn of JC Cellars.

Rockpile Vineyard is located in the small appellation of the same name north of the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County.

Robert Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate: 93+ pts
"Consistently one of my favorite JC Cellars wines is their Syrah Rockpile Vineyard. The 2004, 100% Syrah aged in French oak boasts an opaque black/purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of blackberry liqueur intermixed with melted licorice, smoked meats, acacia flowers and a talcum powder-like stony minerality. Powerful (15.3% alcohol) with superb underlying acidity and layers of richness, this is a blockbuster Syrah that should drink well for a decade."

We agreed with these critic's notes. We served the wine with an assortment of crostini as a start course followed by slow cooked short ribs over polenta.

2005 JC Cellars California Cuvée Syrah

Last night, we had some friends over for dinner and to watch the Vice Presidental candidates debate. I needed to drink some wine to be able to stand listening to Palin. Biden did a great job!

Started with some assorted crostini and then served BBQ hamburgers and sausages with grilled peppers, potato salad, and green salad. Wanted to make something quick so we could watch the debate.

We served two wines. This Syrah from JC Cellars is one of my favorite price-performers. I think I paid $22.50.

Jeff Cohn, the winemaker, wrote these notes: "Gushing over with all kinds of blackberry and blueberry fruit intermixed with some minerality. A touch of smoke and a hint of peach skin from the Viognier that makes this wine just a little more then intriguing."

James Laube - Wine Spectator: 92 Points. Offers wonderful savory aromas, with a mix of ripe plum, berry and peppery, spicy notes. Intense, concentrated, supple and harmonious, with a long, spicy finish. Drink now through 2013. 760 cases made.

2004 Kumeu River Estate Bottled Chardonnay

This was the white wine we served with the "debate watching" dinner last night.

A very intriguing Chardonnay from Kumeu River Wines, about 20 km northwest of Auckland City on the North Island of New Zealand. The winery was established in 1944 shortly after Mick and Katé Brajkovich and their son Maté migrated from Yugoslavia (there are those Croatian winemakers again).

The beautiful peach and hazelnut aromas along with the silky textural richness are distinct characteristics of this wine. U.S. wine critics love the Kumeu River Chardonnays. They taste a lot like a French Chablis and nothing like an oaky California Chardonnay.

Like many wines from New Zealand, this wine had a screw cap, unusual for a Chardonnay.

2004 Chateau St. Jean Fume' Blanc Le Petite Etoile Vineyard

From a very popular winery located in the Sonoma Valley. This wine is made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes they source from a vineyard in the nearby Russian River Valley. Picked up this bottle last year at a great price at Costco.

Lightly golden in colour. Butter, oak, vanilla, and pear evident on the nose and palate.

Served this with a large salad that included a scoop of fresh rotisserie chicken salad on top.