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Risqué found himself with an afternoon in need of some entertainment, especially of the liquid variety and the moment couldn’t have provided a better opportunity. Seated at the Wine Merchant Wine Bar at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the friendly Wine Steward offered Risqué a flight tasting of Hartley Ostini’s Hitching Post Winery collection of Pinot Noir. Four delicious Pinot Noir’s with which Risqué spent his afternoon:

2006 Cork Dancer, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara ($30)

This liquid is a beautiful Garnet color with a bright fruit nose loaded with pure unadulterated cherry. The mouth is tantalized with Tart Cherry a wonderful pronounced mushroom earthiness and lots and lots of rich cola… Delightful!!!

2005 Cargassachi, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills ($43)

Slightly tea stained rose colored succulence yields a nose with plenty of damp and earthy forest floor. Lusciously soft and supple in the mouth it is brimming with wild strawberry, tangy rhubarb with a lingering spice filled cedary finish… Intoxicating!!!

2006 Rio Vista, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills ($43)

Purple tinged garnet colored jewel has spectacular nose filled with dried fig, ripe cherry, green cedar and a wisp of smoke. The liquid has a satiny mouth feel with sweet cola, cherry conserve on a elegant and refined tannic frame. The lengthy cherry filled finish is delightfully integrated and balanced with the wood, fruit, acid and tannins… marvelously sophisticated. Risqué would never have guessed this was a California Pinot Noir!!! Amazing!!!

2006 Highliner Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara ($43)

The sparkling garnet liquid has a bright cherry fruit filled nose with earthy Shitake mushrooms. The impression of sweetness floods the mouth along with rich toasted oak frame supporting a body of dried concentrated plum and tart cherry. This wine will age nicely… well over 10 years. Stupendious!!!

It had been a long time since four such lovely beauties had left Risqué a bit overwhelmed yet very pleasantly satiated… He hopes it happens again very…. very… soon.

2006 St. Rita’s Earth, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills ($35)

Little to no nose but lots of alcohol… typical Pinot Noir flavor with Cola aftertaste but quite HOT in the mouth.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am and is filed under Travel, Wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.