IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU FINISH (YOU COULD CALL THIS THE BARREL RESOUNDING)

Our good friend and regular commenter on this blog Lou (using his WPP alias Rusty) came by with a show of grape dominance to the barrel in honor of another #WineWednesday (unbeknownst to him):

Bearboat Sauvignon Blanc Alexander Valley 2007. Grade=Average. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with this wine. Should some nice promise in the nose, but was a real letdown toward the finish. Had nice guava and lemon curd notes, but not much in acid land.

Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap White South Africa 2009. Grade=Outstanding. VIognier, Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc come together to form a pretty cool little white blend of tropical fruit aromas and flavors, a hint of melon, lime and some light spices. Very nice.

Silver Palm Chardonnay North Coast 2009. Grade=Outstanding. A splash of Viognier lends to its quite provocative presentation of pineapple, nectarine, white peach and yellow apple notes. Tank-fermenting gives the fruit nowhere to hide, as this “naked” Chardonnay exudes charm and balance.

Byron Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Brand new to the lineup, this medium-bodied Chard has a lot of nectarine, peach, apple and a hint of lemon verbena, with some nuances of baking spices and wet stone. Delicious!

Freemark Abbey Chardonnay Napa Valley 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Big, bold and rich with unctuous baked apple, caramel, toffee, butterscotch, peach cobbler and pineapple upside down cake notes. Full-bodied, seductive and decadent.

Byron Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County 2009. Grade=Outstanding+. A stunning effort, this new Pinot Noir for Byron is remarkably balanced, showing off bright cherry and red berry elements, notes of sandalwood, red tea leaf, cola and light-roasted coffee beans.

Mark West Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands 2009. Grade=Outstanding. A big surprise, this medium-bodied PN has a lot of style and elegance, yielding well-balanced acidity and light tannins, supple cherry cobbler notes, baking spice, fresh earth and mineral, and mocha powder.

Avalon Merlot Napa Valley 2009. Grade=Outstanding. Another big surprise, this richly-textured Merlot has good presence of black and red fruits, some mineral, herbs, cocoa and creamy oak.

Freemark Abbey Merlot Napa Valley 2004. Grade=Outstanding. Well-aged, this mature red has a personae of dark plums, black cherries, chocolate and velvety smooth tannins. The finish is toasted oak, baking spices and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2007. Grade=Amazing. OMFG I guess would start things off, this chocolatey, black-fruited sex bomb demonstrates loads of jammy black currants, mint nuances, black pepper, coffee bean, baking spices and blackberry pie. Total decadence.

(Ediotr’s Note: Two sparklers from Veuve de Vernay were not tasted, but left behind for me to taste with the staff. I am so friggin’ behind it is ridiculous. Sounds a lot like homework, don’t it?)