Good, but not Great...

Friends of the Rampant Oenophile cajole frequently that I review only the successes, never the mistakes. So, in this era of careful spending, here’s a review for a wine that I will not likely buy in stores…

De Loach has been a superior producer of fine Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs forever, and their 2003 and 2005 vintages offered ripe full fruit, great legs, easy pairings with a wide variety of foods, and a constant value in the $20-$30 range for fine California Pinots. I had high hopes for the 2007, and while the wine was good, it didn’t live up to past memories. The tasting notes from Wine.com suggest cola, gingerbread spice, and cardamom in the wine’s flavor and aroma profile. I can’t say that these descriptions match my appetite for wine. Perhaps a fizzy soft-drink, but not a $20-$25 wine (store price).

All in all, the 2007 De Loach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was not a bad wine. It was smooth, paired fine with dinner, and sipped moderately well. But, it wasn’t full. It seemed a bit light, and didn’t impress me sufficiently to motivate me to bring home a bottle or two. With so many other wines available even at the average grocery, let alone a fine wine shop, I will likely spend elsewhere for now and wait for the next De Loach offering to see how their Pinot Noir vein progresses.

Silverado Vistas...

This Rampant Oenophile has enjoyed two trips to the Left Coast, first to Napa and Calistoga, then more recently to Sonoma. Napa seems far better for ritzy and interesting wineries, Sonoma for flavorful and quirky tasting rooms. No winery impresses more than Silverado for their locale, and they do a great job with mid-market wines, as well.

Silverado offers a range of reds and whites, but it perhaps best known for their excellent Cabernet Sauvignon. Though those who know me understand I don’t yet have a palate for most Cabernets, this Rampant Oenophile has enjoyed the Silverado vintages for several years. The latest release, the 2005, is as good as any recent vintage, save perhaps the 1999, first bottled in 02.

The 2005 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon offers deep garnet color, a rich scent of oak and tobacco, and dry textures on the tongue. It’s a lot of wine, but the dryness limits any lingering aftertastes. You’ll experience the whole of the fruit immediately, so serve it with good red meat or flavorful salads and cheeses.

If you want to decant, then decant, but simply letting this wine breath for 10 minutes in an open bottle should be sufficient. It’s young, but very powerful and offers all of the textures and overtones of a more mature Cabernet. It’s a blend, so should taste consistently across several bottles, so buy two or three and cellar at least one for 3-5 years from now. It will still reward you then as it does today.