Gary Lipp of Coho Wines was at a neighboring table at the Pouring for Passover benefit for Bay Area Midrasha this past weekend.  I had the pleasure of trying his 2008 Coho Stanley Ranch Pinot Noir.  This delicious cool weather Pinot had a “just right” level of delicate fruit and impeccably balanced acidity: one of the best wines I’ve had out of the Carneros region in a long time.

• 2007 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville (2/20/2011)Brooding, cherry liqueur, wood smoke. Medium tannins are a little rough around the edges. Nice enough, but overpriced at more than 3 times retail at the River Horse Cafe in Park City, Utah. River Horse is a great restaurant but I would be more impressed with their Wine Spectator wine list award if the list was fairly priced. This wine is worth $20, not >$60. (87 points)

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1999 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/7/2011)

Lovely nose of dark fruits with grilled meat and charcoal. Full bodied with flavors of rum soaked cherries, wood smoke, bacon, and a hint of newly tanned leather. Excellent with just pop and pour. (92 points)

1999 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/7/2011)

Way too young, tart, and tight… not expressing much at this time with just a pop and pour. Sour cherry and a bit of charred wood are peeking out now but my guess is this wine will improve dramatically with a few years and/or hours of air. Unfortunately, circumstances didn’t allow a decant. (88 points)

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• 1959 Château Pape Clément – France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

My late father-in-law appreciated fine Bordeaux and after his passing, my wife inherited several cases of his collection. This bottle was from that collection. Like most of the bottles, this was past its prime but an honor and a joy to drink it on the occasion of my wife’s birthday. We got to enjoy two gifts from Bob Match that night: my wife’s presence and a bottle from the past. Fill was just in to the neck. The cork was soaked and soft, but came out intact. Very light in weight, cedar with raspberry and pencil lead. The finish, while short, was of dried cooking spices. The wine quickly faded, but not before reminding us that wine is more than just a beverage to quench your thirst and satisfy our hedonistic side. Sometimes, it is memories in a bottle.

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• 2004 Castello di Amorosa Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Napa Valley (12/6/2010)
  Fine, though not remarkable Cab, with currant, cedar, and mint with light mouthfeel and rather short finish. Drink now. (84 points)
• 2005 A Donkey and Goat Syrah Broken Leg Vineyard – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (12/6/2010)
  Perception of extremely high alcohol aroma and taste. Out of balance. Cherry cough syrup flavor. (74 points)
• 2007 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Rocheux – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (11/4/2010)
  Tart strawberry with cedar. Too early to drink, but going to be an excellent Pinot.
• 1996 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus – USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (10/12/2010)
  Excellent. Drink now.
• 1998 Panther Creek Pinot Noir Freedom Hill – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (9/30/2010)
  A little “long in tooth”. This wine’s best day’s are behind it. Sour cherry, sage, thin finish. (87 points)
• 2006 Milat Merlot Estate Bottled – USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (9/16/2010)
  Light bodied with pleasant strawberry. Eucalyptus flavor had a sharp edge approaching medicinal. Simple, but nice weekday wine. (83 points)

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The second annual Berserker Day is being celebrated at Wineberserkers.com.  This online community is a place where thousands of folks slightly (or very) berserk over wine gather to discuss this passion.

In honor of Berserker Day, over 60 special deals, raffles, and auctions are being offered by the member wineries, retailers, and individuals of the forum.

If you want to discover some new wines at some very attractive prices, check it out. (I believe you will have to register with WineBerserkers in order to see the deals.)

By the way, our offer on the forum is we will be raffling off 6 magnums of the soon-to-be-released 2008 Butterdragon. To be eligible, you’ll have to be a member of Wine Berserkers and have donated the retail value of the wine ($135) to a children’s health charity from Jan 1 – Jan 27, 2011. Our recommended charity is the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

SFMOMA | Exhibitions + Events | Calendar | How Wine Became Modern: Design + Wine 1976 to Now.

We went to this last night. It was okay, but a pretty small exhibit. It would be worth stopping in on that floor if you are going to SFMOMA anyway but probably not worth a special trip.

I heard several folks saying what we were thinking: they should have a wine tasting at the end of the exhibit.

Tasting our 2007 vintage wines.