Zoom Tasting

We were invited to a Zoom tasting last night. In 2020, sometimes that is the best we can do. People from various parts of the country were invited to taste wines with the proprietor and hospitality people from a California winery I was not previously familiar with. I'm going to leave out the details of howwe came to be invited or got the wine so as not to offend anyone or break any confidences.

The winery of the night was Eleven Eleven. And, the wines we tasted were a Dutton Ranch Chardonnay and a Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir both 2018 vintages. 

Dutton Ranch is located in the southern part of Sonoma County. Grapes from the 1300 acres of Dutton Ranch are used by some of the finest wineries in California. The Chardonnay in question was aged for just more than a year in mostly neutral French oak and went through full malolactic fermentation. While buttery on the nose with definite oak notes, on the palate it was soft and creamy. It tasted a lot like an apple pie with generous amounts of baking spices and a fairly long and smooth finish.

Bacigalupi Vineyard is located in the heart of Russian River Valley. This area is a mecca for fine, rich Pinot Noir. While they have their own wine line, most of the grapes that they grow are sourced to other wineries.

The particular wine that we tasted was drinking extremely nicely, emblematic of a very warm and dry growing season. This wine was particularly full-bodied for the grape with notes of a spicy cherry cola drink, white pepper, and a bit of almond oil. The acidity was prevalent, but the balance in the wine was exceptional making it a candidate to lay down, despite it being extremely approachable today.

If you like this style of wines, then I would keep this winery on your radar.

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 11, 2020 at 11:35 AM

    Thank you for the thoughtful comments about our wine. Such a pleasure to host you and everyone else on the virtual happy hour. Cheers and Happy Holidays! www.elevenelevenwines.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tami HeesDecember 12, 2020 at 12:14 AM

    Yumm. There was a Wagner zoom meeting tonight. We enjoy Zoom or Facebook live tastings done several.

    ReplyDelete

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