Interesting Wines from our Wine Library (McGregor Vineyard)

From the Library
Project Share the Wine!
So, I just did an inventory of the Library for the
first time and I was pleasantly overwhelmed to see
that we have over 300 cases aging away! This is a
monumental amount of wine to keep up on, so I’m
thinking I just might have to start trying to share some
of the wines with you more frequently since our
“From the Library Live Auction,” and Vertical/
Horizontal tastings can’t keep up with moving
through the inventory! So, starting with this
newsletter I’m featuring a selection from the library
for sale on a limited basis. I can’t promise to get a
wine featured and for sale in each newsletter, but I’ll
give it a try and see how it goes. Also, if there a wine
from days gone by that you really want, drop me an
email or give a call and we can discuss the possibility.
Recently Tasted Wines
2000 Black Russian Red:

I received a not so great
email from a fellow Clan Club member telling me he
had opened a 2000 Black Russian Red only to be
treated to a vinegar aroma and unpalatable wine. He
offered that his other bottle of this vintage would be
poured away or he would bring it to the winery for us
to try together which I immediately asked to be the
case. In the meantime, my curiosity needed
fulfillment and I quickly dug out a bottle of this wine
from the Library. I was nervous that I’d waited too
long for this vintage (and I’m sitting on about 5 cases
of it). I was relieved at the first sniff— no acetic acid
smells. In fact, judging from the bottle Stacey and I
enjoyed, this vintage is at its peak. The wine has
mellowed considerably, is soft, rich and delightful. It
maintains a great fruitiness, has structure and is
complex. I’d say drink them now! I hope you have a
similar experience; we tried a second bottle and had
the same impression.
2005 Pinot Noir Reserve: This is completely
enjoyable right now, but still has a way to go. Pinot is
a terribly erratic wine for aging and it seems to go
through ups and downs and is therefore sometimes
(always?) difficult to predict. Currently, this vintage’s
aroma is rather closed but is quite fruity on the palate
and still has a good dose of tannic structure. I’m
guessing a few more years on this one; it still seems as if
it’s saving its potential for another day.
2003 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay: Not ready,
but tasty. The higher alcohol on this wine is still
present in the nose. It has a nice mouth feel and a
good fruit/oak balance. It still has a good dose of
acidity and is a great, food-friendly wine— broiled
salmon, Chicken Marsala, and all on its own. Can
still be held a few years longer.

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