We obviously drink a LOT of Sta. Rita Hills. Oregon's probably second in the assemblage.

 

Hope that's drinking nice, PT! Gary's last vintage at his namesake ... 2005 from RRV is still, for me, the benchmark from the 2000s for the region. Still have about ten cases of them from various wineries. They are just aging effortlessly and gracefully. Was such a cool year. Remember visiting in August and having to buy a jacket because the highs were in the 50s and 60s.

 

Yes, it's very nice! Dried cranberries, not sweet but still packed with flavor. And the color is exquisite.

 

2013 Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Hometown Pinot, the entry-level stuff. Los Alamos, Santa Maria and SRH fruit. Stooopid good for 15 bucks by the sixer at our market. Grabbing a case tomorrow. It's SRH with some warmer-clime grapes keeping the acid in check, bizarrely round for a babe. Cherry and vanilla.

 

Ostini is a character. He burns a mean steak, makes a good array of Pinots, and he looks like Super Mario.

 

It is all relative.

Ran into a winemaker friend last night at the market. We were talking this and that, golf, our next dinner party, their new tasting room, general shit. He participated in a tasting last week down in Doucheville. In came a large-format 2006 Harlan and the civilians were hushed, and then fawning. He and another winemaker sipped, spit and thought, "Good wine, WTF is with the price and buzz, however?"

 

One reason why I love blind tasting. I've been surprised and humbled many, many times.

 

That is an excellent choice for the price. Maybe you have more sense than I thought?!

 

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Tellafriend, this praise, coming from
you, means a whole
fat lot to me. But...........
fuck if I know, whether it's a good thing?