Recent Dragonette Tasting plus 09 SRH PN

[Steve Anderson]

Some brief (and late) feedback on the Dragonette tasting at The Wine Loft – Carlsbad on Nov 15th.

Was great to see Brandon Sparks-Gillis again and there was a small crowd of Dragonette aficionados on hand. Chatted with some and hope a few will join us here on the board at some point.

The kick off wine was the 2011 Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc. Beautiful mango, peach and citrus, and ready to go now. I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record, but the Sauv Blanc’s in my opinion are the best in SB County and among the top five in the state. A single vineyard SB appeared a bit later, which I presume was the 2011 Grassini. I passed on that as I had to stay coherent for another event, but heard some good comments from those around me. Had the Grassini at the SB County Vintner’s Celebration of Harvest event in October. I recall it had a deeper flavor profile and more depth/complexity than the Happy Canyon, and will probably be even better with another 6-12 months in bottle.

The star of the evening for me was the 2011 Ampelos Pinot Noir. Also enjoyed this wine at the Celebration of Harvest, but it really stood out on this night. This event allowed for more time to swirl and sniff and give the wine some time in the glass, as opposed to a 1 oz quick pour in a large outdoor event. Beautiful ruby red. Classic cherry and tea, with a bit of earthiness. Really enjoyed this.

Brandon also poured the 2010 Seven Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre and the 2010 MJM Syrah. Both were really singing and I’ve been a fan of the Dragonette Rhones from the start. I can highly recommend both of these wines.

Brandon brought a nice map illustrating the locations of the vineyards, which helped to demonstrate the different terroir and microclimates impacting the wines. An interesting lesson.

For those who were not able to attend, or for those that want another chance to taste some Dragonette wines, Brandon will be back in the San Diego area at Paon Carlsbad next week (Thursday, Dec 6th). Additional information at: http://www.paoncarlsbad.com/events/

Not related to the tasting, opened a 2009 Dragonette Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir about a week prior, which I hadn’t posted on yet. A blend of mostly La Encantada and Kessler-Haak vineyards, with some Cargasacchi-Jalama and Fiddlestix. Darker than the Ampelos. A similar cherry/black cherry core, but then branching into cranberry and a touch of spice as opposed to the tea and earth of the Ampelos. A nice wine and drinking pretty well right now.

Cheers!

Steve