Siduri

A group of Lisa’s friends joining us enhanced the perennial stop at Siduri. While they made the same annual pilgrimage to barrel tasting, this was their first time at this winemaking juggernaut. By most measures, it didn’t disappoint.

The Pinot Noirs this year were bountiful, but slightly less engaging than years past. In the interest of full disclosure, my opinion on this matter is singularly mine. Our guests were enthralled and enamored with the experience.

I’ve come to realize this trip that trying to take notes at Siduri is more than just a challenge, it’s damn near impossible. I went so far as to try recording my notes on a voice memo on my phone, but after three wines, I realized that the “downstream value” that my notes have would be lost… i.e. being able to refer to my notes when it was time to purchase. That said, my notes aren’t as complete as they could be, but probably no worse than previous years.

I’ve also come to realize that having access to your cellar inventory is invaluable! I’m standing in line, about to order, and it occurred to me that some of the wines I’m about to order may already reside in one of my three cellars at home. A quick trip to the car to retrieve my iPad and, sure enough, I’m well stocked. Phew! That saved me about $1200!

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Viognier $19.50/$/$Crisp melon on the nose that was even crisper as it passed over my palate. Along the way it picked up some lemon and a hint of Fiji apple. It was an excellent pairing with St. George cheese, which they often have in abundance, here. If not for the fact that we purchased 2 cases in the last 12 months, I would have included it in my final order.

2010 Novy Blanc de Noir Willamette ValleySo they characterized this as a sparkling wine without the bubbles…and they were right. It smelled like a typical brut sparkling wine…and it tasted of one, too. It was dry to the point of astringent and lemony. All I could say was “holy sheisse!”

2009 Novy Keefer Ranch Chardonnay $19.50/$/$20As chardonnays go, these days, this is pretty standard. In an effort to appeal to those who miss a buttery chard (of which, I confess, I’m one), the nose is nice and creamy, with light buttery notes and French oak. To further broaden their demographic, the winemakers are making the palate nice and clean. They typically do this by blending it with chardonnay they’ve aged in stainless steel. The lemon, pear, and green apple integrated subtly on the palate. When I say green apple, though, I mean an apple that is not yet ripe. The ironic thing about this wine was that Lisa enjoyed it more, and bought a bottle…and then, this week, I accidentally drank it…and it showed a lot better than it did at the winery.

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc $19.50/$/$22Crisp, clean nose, implying stainless steel fermentation. The palate was a pleasant surprise, full of pink grapefruit softened with some notes of melon. This is one of the softest sau blancs I’ve had in a while. It’s really, quite good!

2010 Siduri Chehelam Mountains Pinot Noir $30/$/$30I wasn’t really sure what I was smelling on the nose. If it’s a fruit, it’s a dried fruit and dried herbs. The palate doesn’t really follow. Nice mild dried strawberry with a pile of black cherry. It’s actually quite nice for $30.

2010 Siduri Hawk’s View Vineyard Pinot Noir $39/$/$Dried fruit on the nose, probably black cherry. The palate was spicy with notes of dried fruit. I found it a bit lackluster.

2010 Siduri Sonatera Pinot Noir $49/$/$40I’ve been a Sonatera fan for years, but they’re grapes tend to lack a little consistency from year-to-year. What I enjoy about Sonatera is that it’s a Sonoma Coast vineyard and they are among my favorite AVAs for Pinot Noir. This one is a classic Sonoma Coast wine. It has good balance of spice, red fruit (mild strawberry, cherry), and forest floor, with a medium body.

2010 Siduri Lewis Vineyard Pinot Noir $45/$/$45Another medium-bodied Pinot Noir with rich color. The spicy, red cherry and dark fruits draws you in on the nose. The palate is BIG! The tannins are mild because the red fruits attack you!

2010 Siduri Ewald Vineyard Pinot Noir $45/$/$50Fantastic nose! Deep color & consistency. Medium-to-full body. The rich, baked fruit flavors were delicious!

2009 Siduri Cargasacchi Vineyard Pinot Noir $50/$/$It smelled as though it was pulled out of an old cellar…a bit musty, with forest floor. The palate was nice with dark herbs/fruits, and cinnamon.

2009 Siduri Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir $30/$/$This is a blend of Cargasacchi and Clos Pepe. It adds the bright fruit of the Clos Pepe to the nose with mild tobacco, dark plum and mild strawberry. When it’s all said and done, I love the 2008 vintage sooo much better for the same price.

2010 Siduri Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir $30/$/$Another blend. This time a blend of Sonatera, Hirsch, and Ivywood Vineyards. Peppery nose with a cinnamon finish. It impressed me as more of a food wine, but good, nonetheless.

I’m sorry to say that this is where I “fell-out”, as we’d say in the military. Fortunately, my trusty sidekick picked up the slack for us all. The following are the unabridged notes from Lisa. If it comes across in as a foreign language, there’s not much I can do about it… Hell, I’m not even sure I’m reading her handwriting all that well.
2010 Siduri Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir $50
The longer this stays in the glass, the better it smells. A nice, rich, warm fruit dish pie & cinnamon.

2010 Siduri Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir $30Sierra Mar, Gary’s Vineyard & Rosella’s Vineyard – Very accessible fruit on the nose. I can smell Gary’s Vineyard and am losing the nose.

2010 Siduri Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir $49Rich spice, a little smoky. Smells like it’s had the fog come in and settle a bit. Nice full body. Definitely an upper-end wine.

2010 Novy Four Mile Creek Red Table Wine $10No nose. Serve to family who buys 2-buck Chuck.

2007 Novy Stolpman Vineyard Nebbiolo $19Jamie says kind of a caramel flavor. Did not care for it.

2010 Novy Russian River Valley Zinfandel $19.50Very fruit forward zinfandel. Med nose, palate has little finish, but nice easy drinker.

2009 Novy Christensen Vineyard Syrah $29Bold, spicy nose; palate is also spicy, tannic.

2009 Novy Simpson Vineyard Syrah $29First bottle was corked. Fantastic, just like every year.

2009 Novy Santa Lucia Highlands Syrah $27Can smell Gary’s [Vineyard]. Full, spicy, easy to drink.

2009 Novy Rosella’s Vineyard Syrah $29Has a nice nose, not a lot of structure.

2009 Novy Gary’s Vineyard Syrah $33Smells a little mildew, but not corked. Doesn’t follow the others.

2010 Novy Oley Late Harvest Viognier
Almost as great as last year (2009).