Winery - Joseph Swan Vineyards
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The trick with Vognier is to take its exotic fruit and contain it with acidity and dryness. Swan’s ’09 accomplishes that task. It’s big in tropical fruit and orange flavors, but crisp and minerally, and the finish turns dry and clean. A beautiful restaurant Viognier.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The oak presently stands out, giving a blast of buttered toast, drizzled with honey. But the wine is very crisp in acidity and balanced and ripe in pineapples, pears and green apples. Could be an interesting bottle to cellar for four or five years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Showing quite a bit of tannins and acids, this is a very young wine, of a kind that isn’t seen all that much in Russian River Valley these days. Swan makes their Pinots the old-fashioned way, for aging. Dry and astringent, the wine has a deep core of cherry and blackberry fruit, almost like a Merlot, except for the silkiness. Stick this in your cellar until 2008, at least.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
We’re almost into Port here, not only in the alcohol level, but the flavors. The blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and cherries are almost raisiny, with that taste of plumped dried fruit, leading to a finish of raspberry liqueur. Yet the wine is dry, as well as tannic. There are certainly few Zinfandels like this anywhere, and you’ll either like it or you won’t.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
An awesome Pinot Noir—it’s hard to find words to describe its beauty. It’s bone dry and rich in stimulating acidity, and the cherry and raspberry fruit flavors have an earthy, mushroomy quality that grounds the wine and gives it a real sense of terroir. Shows the fleshy attractions of the amazing ’07 vintage, with an undisputed capacity to age. Now–2017, at least.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a sort of junior version of Swan’s awesome Trenton Estate Pinot. It shows the same dryness and acidity, with appealing flavors of cherries, raspberries and mushrooms. It’s not quite as dense and complex, but it’s a gorgeously silky Pinot Noir.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tight in acidity and tannins now, but very complex, offering a range of cherry, tangerine zest, mushroom, cola and Indian spice flavors that swirl to a long finish. The mouthfeel is delicate, but the power is impressive. Drink now–2015.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a preview of Swan’s vineyard-designated ’09s yet to come, and it sure is exciting. It’s a beautiful, sensual wine, rich in acidity and delicious in raspberries and cherries. Near perfect for drinking now.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
If you like a purely California approach to Zin, you’ll exult in this one. High in alcohol, almost Porty, but totally dry, with stewed raspberry, cherry, cola, mocha and spice flavors, it’s tough in tannins, and acidic for so ripe a wine. Will do all kinds of interesting things over the next 10 years, without fundamentally changing.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Pretty astringent in young tannins now, this Syrah has a tough, lockdown quality that suggests aging. You could have it with beef and barbecue, but it really wants three or four years of cellaring to start to mellow and show off the black currants and cherries.
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