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Santa Cruz Wine Tasting Notes
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2002 Bargetto La Vita Regan Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains, $50 Score: 88.0 A blend of 56% Dolcetto, 26% Refosco and 18% Nebbiolo (all Northern Italian varieties), it tastes more like Nebbiolo -- tar, black fruit, aggressive and somewhat bitter tannins. While drinkable now, especially with beef or tomato dishes, it will benefit from cellaring from 2009 to 2015. Only 351 cases produced. |
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2004 Bargetto Regan Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir Reserve $35 Score: 86.0 Floral nose, following through to the palate with cherries, anise and cinnamon typical of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It has firm structure and a long, warm, very spicy finish. It's a decent Pinot, though a bit tight at the moment. I recommend giving it another year or two in the bottle. 283 cases produced. |
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2001 Bargetto La Vita Regan Vineyards Santa Cruz Mountains Dolcetto, Refosco, Nebbiolo $50 Score: 90.0 Made from three Northern Italian varieties (Dolcetto, Refosco and Nebbiolo) grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this is a very rare and interesting wine. The nose brings to mind concentrated dark fruits (plums and berries), along with an underlying minerality and a deep floral (red rose) edge that follows through to the mid-palate. The tannins are already soft, but it's still a wine that will benefit greatly from another 3 to 4 years in the bottle. Just 355 cases made. |
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1996 Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir Estate Reserve $35.00 Score: 86.0 "Predominantly smokey, with medium tannin and spice to give it length. A sturdy wine with some staying power." |
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1997 Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay Estate Reserve $30.00 Score: 92.0 "Winemaker Michael Martella has coaxed as much as possible from his mountain grapes, to create an intense, multi-faceted wine. Sour apple, butter, toast and cloves, with a creamy texture and lingering finish. Crisp acidity helps balance all of the elements and keeps it from being heavy handed. " |
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1997 Byington Bates Ranch Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon Score: 92.0 "A beautifully structured wine with intense fresh blackberry and dark chocolate aromas, moderate tannin, and seamless integration of oak, giving subtle vanilla and sweet spice notes to tthe complex, lengthy finish. Appealing on its own, it would pair easily with grilled meats, and pasta with tomato sauce." |
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1997 Byington Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $17.00 Score: 88.0 "The winery may see a change in style with the recent hiring of Don Blackburn, previously with Bernardus, but for now this is very reminiscent of Chalone- a rich, seamless wine, a blend of vanilla and caramel apple flavors, soft and velvety on the palate, crisp in the finish." |