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Santa Barbara Wine Tasting Notes
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2006 Main Street 80% Monterey, 8% Santa Barbara, 7% Napa, 5% Lake, Merlot $10 Score: 87.0 A lovely Merlot with aromatic black cherry fruit, faint notes of black pepper and vanilla, soft tannins, and classic structure. Dry, with some delicacy, this is a fine antidote to the port-like fruit bombs currently passed off as Merlot. |
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2006 Main Street 54% Lake County, 24% Monterey County, 22% Santa Barbara County Cabernet Sauvignon $10 Score: 83.0 The dominant flavor of this light to medium-bodied Cab is black cherry, the oak is subtle, the tannins moderate, and there is a mineral edge to the finish. Pleasant enough, though the least varietally distinct of the Main Street line; it might be mistaken for a Merlot. |
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2008 Main Street 82% Santa Barbara, 18% Monterey, Chardonnay $10 Score: 89.0 Buttery, with appley fruit and a hint of caramel, velvety texture, full bodied, yet with pleasant acidity and a hint of mineral character. I?m astonished at the price of this wine, which delivers so much more than you?d expect at the price. Best served slightly chilled. |
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Mosby Lucca Santa Barbara County, Red Table Wine $14 Score: 90.0 The more I taste this wine, the better I like it. It's a non-vintage (call it cross-vintage) blend of red varietals with a core of Primativo (i.e. Zinfandel). The aroma is a melange of cranberry, rhubarb and raspberry that follow to the palate with a smooth texture, a hint of cocoa and a pleasant sour berry finish. It will last another 5 years, but I suggest you drink it while the fruit is still vibrant. 450 cases produced. At $14 it's an absolute steal. |
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2009 Mosby Santa Barbara County, Traminer $20 Score: 88.0 Proof that you don't need high alcohol to have good aromatics (this one is a reasonable 13.5%). Dry and silky with subtle flavors that are hard to define --- perhaps a core of slightly bitter grapefruit with edges of white peach and lavender. Tart and minerally in the finish, it would make an ideal seafood wine. Only 140 cases produced, and only available through the winery's wine club. So go online and sign up! |
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2006 Mosby Winery & Vineyards, Santa Barbara County, Teroldego $15 Score: 93.0 For the life of me I can't understand why more producers don't make this marvelous varietal. Even in Northern Italy, Teroldego is usually relegated to the role of a blending wine. Here, as a single varietal, it excells in delivering a full bodied, silky red wine with layers of rhubarb, pomegranate, plum and brown spice. Complex and satisfying, with a long spicy finish. |
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2007, Mosby Winery & Vineyards, Stelline di Moscato Santa Barbara County sparkling wine $18 Score: 88.0 I expected a sweet sparkling moscato modeled on Asti Spumante. Instead it's like a sparkling moscato from Canelli, with only a hint of residual sugar. The aroma has appealing floral notes and a bright (if evanescent) edge of passion fruit and peach. On the palate, it's soft and creamy with a miniscule bead, and light peach and tangerine flavors. Clean and balanced. Only 440 cases produced. |
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2006 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Vigna Della Casa Vechia Santa Barbara County Sangiovese $28 Score: 93.0 Sangiovese has had a hard time finding it's place in California, but the vineyards in Mendocino, Paso Robles and Santa Ynez Valley have shown the most promise. Mosby's 2006, from Santa Ynez, is as intense and angular as you can get without going over-the top. It's wonderfully aromatic (cherry and cinnamon), intensely spicy on the mid-palate, with deep, ripe fruit though the warm finish. This is one of those rare instances where the ripeness level is pushed to the extreme, and yet doesn't quite go over the edge. Good now through 2013. Incidentally, at $28 it runs circles around a lot of cult wines that sell for $100+ |
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2007 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County Cortese $18 Score: 85.0 With its crisp acidity, light lime and loads of minerality, this Cortese seems more like an Albariņo or Asyrtiko. While it lacks emphatic varietal definition, it serves as a refreshing aperitif and pairs well with Asian food |
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2007 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County, Pinot Grigio $18 Score: 88.0 This is a decent Pinot Grigio showing lots of minerality over lean citrus and pear fruit, and firm acidity. It's not the most complex wine, however, so the $18 price tag seems a bit steep despite its rarity (only 1150 cases produced). |
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2005 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County Dolcetto $20 Score: 89.0 This distinctly Californian rendition of Dolcetto lives up to its name better than most from Italy. While Dolcetto means "little sweet one," and the wine is entirely dry, it does give the impression of very ripe blueberry fruit, with a dusting of nutmeg. It's full-bodied, fruit forward, well balanced, under 14% alcohol, and has a measure of minerality underlying the fruit in the finish. Made for current consumption, it will keep through 2012. Just 421 cases made. |
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2005 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County Dolcetto $20 Score: 89.0 This distinctly Californian rendition of Dolcetto lives up to its name better than most from Italy. While Dolcetto means "little sweet one," and the wine is entirely dry, it does give the impression of very ripe blueberry fruit, with a dusting of nutmeg. It's full-bodied, fruit forward, well balanced, under 14% alcohol, and has a measure of minerality underlying the fruit in the finish. Made for current consumption, it will keep through 2012. Just 421 cases made. |
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2005 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County Teroldego $30 Score: 89.0 Always a fascinating quaff, the 2005 serves up ripe, concentrated strawberry and logan berry jam, with a light minerality and light tannin, a hint of mocha an a pleasantly long finish. |
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2006 Mosby Winery & Vineyards Santa Barbara County Pinot Grigio $18 Score: 89.0 The brilliant Bill Mosby crafts small artistic statements with each vintage. This Pinot Grigio takes a road between the Italian and Alsatian versions of this versatile grape. It's fuller than its Italian cousins and has more intensity of flavor, yet retains it's crisp acidity. Bill's tasting notes are hard to improve on: "ripe pear and green apple, a dry finish with an element of wet stone." I'll add that it has hints of not quite ripe white peach. It's an easy wine to pair with food; it either works as a palate cleanser, or it finds like flavors in such dishes as roasted chicken, pasta primavera, or virtually any delicate fish or shellfish. Only 860 cases produced. |
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2004 Mosby Winery & Vineyards, Santa Barbara County Sangiovese $26 Score: 90.0 Mosby makes a departure from his usual style by producing this late-harvest-style Sangiovese. At 14.6% alcohol, it's concentrated, dense and ripe, with flavors of blueberry, mulberry, and a touch of dark chocolate, soft tannins and excellent acidity. It's unusually well balanced for a late-harvest-style wine, and will continue to develop over the next decade or more. Only 570 cases produced. A genuine bargain. |
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