2003 Castle Vineyards Pinot Noir 'Durell Vineyards'

The other night I had a friend over to watch some "NCAA March Madness" action. So since I did not have any beer, I opened a bottle of '2003 Castle Vineyards Pinot Noir Los Carneros' the grapes for this wine are from the Durell Vineyards. On the nose it was sweet berries and black peppers. As you take your first taste of the wine you have all the berries flavors upfront, strawberry and cherry particularly strong. As you start to drink it, the taste changes to dark chocolate and spices. The tannins are soft but clearly present and they are offsetting the acidity of the wine. Nice finish.

I bought this wine as part of a wine.woot offering for $14 .



marius rating: 91

Castle Syrah 2002

this wine needs decanting. it doesnt not drink well out of the bottle. enjoyable, hints of cherry, berries, full bodied and smoothe. Many reviewers are finding this syrah off or hot, i think they should have let it sit a little longer. i wasnt expecting much and would definitely drink again, would definitely buy again, i was pleasantly surprised by this wine. -shannon

2004 Benziger Port Sonoma Mountain

We bought this port on Dawns birthday wine trip to Sonoma Valley. The Benziger Winery is a must see if your planning a trip to Sonoma. This full bodied ruby red port is made from Dragonsleaf Vineyard Syrah and a splash of Shell Creek Vineyards Petite Syrah. It has an intense fruit aroma of blackberry and cherry, it is well balanced and has a nice long finish. Basically, really, really good. Sweet enough for those with a sweet tooth but not too sweet for those without. Great with dark chocolate and yes, as winemaker suggests, a nice Brie, we actually paired it with a french triple cream and it was fantastic...yes, we broke the Port rule of only pairing Port with Stilton...We're rebels like that. ;)

Alcohol: 19.5%
Total acidity: .39
pH: 3.96,
Residual sugar: 7.52.

Cost: 35$ (at winery)
Our Rating: 92