The Red Wines of California

Eleven reds in less than two hours, then a Chilean tasting as a post-script. Zraly gets positively evangelical when speaking on the subject of California red, specifically the cabernets. It got me thinking, "What Would Jesus Drink?" But I don't think we're tasting any Israeli wine in this course.
Here goes:

1. Saintsbury Pinot Noir 2006 (Napa/Carneros): Color reminiscent of grape juice, with mossy, cherry, summery scents; sharply acidic, very fruity with ascending tannin, a quiet finale. $25.
2. Pinot Noir 2006, Domaine Drouhin (Williamette Valley, Oregon): Floral/oak/peppery aroma; fruit explosion at the start, a red cherry note -- "Ludens," even -- drying to the throat, pleasant fruit hangs on. $35-40.
3. Ravenswood Zinfandel 2006 (Sonoma County): A shade of cherry, with sweet/woody nose; tannin and black fruit, drying after half a minute, then rising acidity; "integrated" for KZ but a bit tannic for me. $18.
4. Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2001 (Sonoma County): Deep garnet with pepper, marmalade and black cherry notes; very smooth, "crushed berries," a creamy mouthfeel. Sexy. $$$ (auction only).
5. Blackstone Merlot 2006 (California): Floral, powdery aroma; bright beginning, low acidity, thin; a subtle end. $18. This was recently noted as a "best value" merlot by The Wall Street Journal wine writers, and it's the fourth most popular merlot sold at American restaurants (winenadspiritsmagazine.com poll).
6. Shafer Merlot 2006 (Napa Valley): Slightly viscous texture; ripe, dead-leaf scents; zingy fruit, notes of mocha, a well-balanced "Bordeaux-style" wine. My third favorite of this class, and the only one I might have a chance to taste again. $50/limited production.
7. Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Napa Valley): Mossy, earthy, "structured" bouquet, doesn't throw off a lot of fruit; slightly jammy, low acid, fairly integrated but didn't stick around. $22 -- a "great value."
8. Blind: Note of cut grass, sweetly acidic, almost candy-like but not cloying with a nice fruity end.
9. Blind: A stink-bomb: rubber, sulfur, dung. Later Zraly mentioned "barnyard" and a member of the class said "horse-sh*t." Gamey, tannic, low fruit. Blech.
10. Blind: Weirdly, notes of both cooked asparagus and cherry; high tannin to start, then acidic and dropped obviously (I actually felt it changing inside my mouth!) to weave itself into a pleasant balanced finish.
11. Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1987 (Napa Valley): A vintage from the year I graduated from high school ... still very dark red and leggy in the glass; hints of honey, mint and tobacco; elegant, no element overwhelms, smooth and classy. A fluffy puppy. This and No. 4 were my favorites. $$$ (auction only).

So we played the same game as last week with the three blind tastings: Were they the same vintage from different vineyards, or different vintages from the same vineyard? I guessed right this time, mainly because No. 9 was so foul-smelling: same vintage, different producers.
The blinds were two from California and one from Bordeaux. No. 8 was Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Sonoma County), $60. No. 9 (shudder) was Chateau Talbot 2004 "Grand Cru Classsé" (St. Julien), $60. No. 10 was Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Napa Valley), $90-100. Zraly says it was a bit of a trick this time; that one is considered a "young" Bordeaux just doesn't stand up against a Cali red of that age.
After class the Chilean wine commission was hosting a tasting. It was crowded and I was a bit overwhelmed (see above!), but I did try the Casa Silva Microterroir Carmenere 2005 ($45), and found it rich, earthy and subtly spicy. And I got to chat with my neighbors from class that night, Kathy and Jeff, a cute young couple. Jeff said he was taking the course at the urging of his uncle, who took it 30 years ago. That must be one cool uncle.