We started with the Brut Rose 2013 which was made from 100% pinot noir. This was a very pale colour and I found the nose slightly odd but there was nothing wrong with it on the palate, and it had some enjoyable bready and yeasty notes. It costs $35 and I'd certainly have bought a bottle or two if I lived nearby.
Next we tasted some reds. The 2016 Pinot Noir was possibly lacking complexity and suffered from comparison with the one at Thirsty Owl which we'd tasted a few minutes earlier. But the Cabernet Franc 2016 was very successful with more weight. "Good stuff" I appear to have written. At $20 it seemed very good value too.
I think by this stage the girl had worked out that we were quite serious wine-drinkers, and she offered us a bonus tasting of the Cabernet Franc 2009 which was mature and concentrated, and had become more raisiny.
After that we moved on to the whites. First was a Single Wheel Batonnage Riesling 2016, which is from a specific vineyard and they stir it on the lees apparently using a hockey stick! I found this dry and elegant, and G said it reminded him of a New Zealand riesling on the nose.
We found the 2015 Limited Release Chardonnay elegant but had doubts about how long it would last, while the 2016 semi sweet Riesling was very German in style and had that petrol thing going on. We had another bonus tasting of the 2013 vintage of the same wine, which was sweet and luscious. "This is great. No problem drinking that" I wrote enthusiastically.
Finally, we tasted the 2016 Patrician Verona Riesling which gets its name from a specific vineyard again. This was semi-sweet and I detected mango. It was very good indeed, especially at $17. The girl told us that it went well with peach and goats cheese pasta and I can well believe it!
Altogether this was a very charming tasting and we enjoyed ourselves. The semi sweet Rieslings and the Cabernet Franc particularly stood out and prices seemed keen to me. Another place I would visit frequently if I lived nearby.
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