Got the opportunity to hit the roads of the Great American Southwest last week. Spent three days at a magnificent place, "L'Auberge de Sedona" in Sedona Arizona. Hardly felt a need to leave the grounds, particularly with an incredible restaurant on premises offering both inside and creek-side al fresco dining under the trees along the bubbling waters of Oak Creek. Chose breakfast each day with the ducks and dinner each night in the air conditioned comfort of the French country decor of the dining room.
One three successive nights I opted for pinot noirs and got some wonderful choices. Tried the '01 Siduri Pisoni Vineyard from California, which was a very Burgundy style PN--nice dark fruit nose seeming to show Bing cherries, blackberry and a mild hint of smoke on the palate. A nice wine with what seemed enough tannins to hold for several years.
Night two I drew on a familiar name from California--Gary Farrell's Rochioli Vineyard '01. This was a full mouthful of bright fruit, loads of red cherry, but with a backbone that hinted at smoke, leather, mint and maybe more as it develops. A very nice wine.
Night three, I determined I wasn't going to do another PN, but when all things came together, I found wife with duck and me with wild salmon and although I'd hoped to do a rich zinfandel, the fish led me back to my regular salmon accompaniment, PN. Since Siduri was available and since the newsgroup had recommended them, I tried the '01 Siduri Muirfield, same "negociant" (if you'll excuse the application to an American producer), but from Oregon. The contrast in styles was amazing. The Muirfield was a clear distinction from the Pisoni, much brighter both in color and taste. Red fruits rather than black and less tannic bite than the California wine. Both wines rated
90 from WS and both would get an A from me.Back at home this week, but digging out the last cuts of Copper River Salmon from the freezer for dinner and watching the wife creating a cookbook extravaganza with hazelnut dredging of the fish then serving on a bed of garden greens with mandarin oranges and accompanied by an incredible risotto, I went to the basement and dug out a '97 Gary Farrell Rochioli. I'd been unimpressed with two previous bottles of this wine, but thought that age might have helped. The wine showed a distinct "funkiness" on the nose which didn't dissipate even after two hours. It displayed little fruit and was a dark color that along with the taste left more impression of immature cabernet than PN. Farrell's more recent offerings seem to be better in addition to being less expensive at retail. Vineyard direct, the '97 when purchased three years ago was $50, while recent vintages are running about $35. A winner on both sides of the QPR.
Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (ret) ***"When Thunder Rolled: *** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam" *** from Smithsonian Books ISBN: 1588341038