The Laughing Wolf

Saturday Wine Tasting Notes

Ah, it is good to be better and good to be here for the Saturday wine tasting at Pauli’s. Yesterday was a treat, both because it was the first one since the surgery and because of two of the wines.

The tasting started with an offering from MacMurray Ranch, which was founded by actor Fred MacMurray of My Three Sons fame. His daughter has taken over the ranch and they concentrate on two varieties: Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. They have two versions of the latter, apparently, and one of the former. What we sampled was MacMurray Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Gris 2002. While my taste was still a bit off from a late lunch, I enjoyed this white wine. It had a very pale straw color, almost clear in certain light, which complemented the nice nose filled with hay, green fruit, and a hint of citrus. The mouthfeel was good with lots of fruit: pear, green apple, and with hint of grapefruit and citrus towards the finish. It was not too sweet, not too tart, with what may have been some wood on the finish. Overall, a refreshing white and a good start to the tasting.

The second wine we tried was MacMurray Ranch 2002 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Good colour, and a medium-light nose of leather, tobacco, and bramble. The mouthfeel was light, and ran from a sweet start to a tart finish, with tastes of plums and red fruit, and some nice leather on the finish.

Our third wine was Frei Brothers Reserve Dry Creek Valley Merlot 2002. It had a good colour and a medium nose that was sharp, but solid with fruit and leather. The mouthfeel was good and filled with red berries, fruit, and a delightful amount of spice, especially cinnamon. While a little light, it was not bad and well worth a try.

The fourth wine was atypical, and very different. The best I can describe it was barn. Not a nice clean barn filled with warm scents of clean leather and fresh hay, but an old barn not well maintained. This is the best description/analogy I have for the Marcelina 1999 Napa Valley Merlot. The wine buyer at Pauli’s likes it, but admits that it will not fit most palates. The nose is very musty, and not in a nice way. The sharp mouthfeel has some fruit in it, but is very earthy. The wine buyer described tasting tar in it, and I would revert back to my barn description and something else. If you have the chance to taste it, do so, as it is atypical and probably a good thing to try for the experience. I do not, however, recommend you buy a bottle just to taste it as I cannot recommend it.

The final wine, however, was also atypical and a treat. The wine buyer termed it “eccentric” and I like that descriptor because it is delightfully different. Wynn's Coonawarra Estate Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon has a good deep purple red colour that is somewhat opaque. The nose is quite nice, and filled with leather and tobacco with fruit under. The mouthfeel is good and solid, and filled with leather and tobacco, with sweet red berries on the side at the finish. This is not a typical cabernet at all, and to my mind combines the best of Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, and Merlot with the complexity of a good Cabernet. The result is something very different, but very good. I would love to get a case or two of this wine to enjoy over the next five years, to see how it ages for I have the feeling this will either age very well, or reach its peak within two years. If you do get the chance to try it, I recommend you do so.

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