Stoney Ridge 2005 Cranberry Wine

Click here to read the original review from February 2007

(Re-Tasted October 2013) ... I won't belabor this review.  I'm gonna get right to the point and not beat around the bush.  I'm gonna come right out and say it and not make you wait for it.  Okay, enough lolly-gagging around, let's get right to this ... this wine was actually much much much better than expected.  When I pulled it out around the Thanksgiving table many were wondering what the heck I was thinking bringing such an old unimpressive looking bottle to the family dinner (the label looks like something I made at home).  But once it was opened we all started singing a different tune, this wine had kept those lovely tart cranberry notes and had ditched the cranberry cocktail aspect it had when it was young.  Then my intrepid sister-in-law suggested that it might be a good base for a holiday themed spritzer and out of what was originally seen as a daring wine to open turned out to be the hit of the evening ... I also got a picture of the stained bottle and even that was impressive - you can actually see a line running down the side of the bottle where the colouring and the bottom side of the bottle ended up being darker than the top side - I'll publish it here too.

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Stoney Ridge 2005 Wismer Vineyard Cabernet Franc Reserve

Click here to read the original review from January 2008 ... OWR Newsletter #74

... and also the Taste It Again review from March 3, 2009

(Re-Tasted March 2011) ... Why I seem to drag this wine out in March I am not sure.  Two years ago, almost to the day, I pulled a bottle of this out from the cellar and gave it a re-taste, and it showed very well.  Not surprising, it was only a year from whence I tasted it (or at least posted my review).  Now some 3 years from the original review, two years from last tasting and 6 years from vintage date it is time to re-taste this wine again.  This wine was made by Stoney Ridge's then winemaker Liubomir Popovici and he has done some really good work on this wine.  The nose has some great blackberry, cassis, cedar and good spices lingering around; the taste is loaded with spice, cassis, chocolate liqueur, some dried red fruits (namely raspberry and cherry).  Across the tongue it is smooth yet with enough tannins to make it interesting, there is still a few years left in this bottle and as I check my inventory I see I will be reviewing this wine a few more times before I am done with what I have.  I am sure that over time winemaker Liubomir P has been referred to as "Lube" ... and I would say this is a good oil (wine) by Lube with no filler; (though I am not sure if it is unfiltered - or the pun would be even better).  If you have any of this wine you could sit it for a few more years or enjoy it now with a little decanting.

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Stoney Ridge 2005 Proprietor`s Reserve Brut Sparkling Wine

Click here to read the original review from December 2007 - OWR Newsletter #72

(Re-Tasted September 2010) ... I first tried this bubbly in March or April of 2007 and then again at the Cuvee ``experts tasting`` 2 years ago.  The first time I tried the wine I thought it was good, the second time I thought it was very good and just the other day (my third go around with a bottle of this bubbly) I thought it was excellent.  This wine is just getting better with age, and that`s a good thing for those who were wise enough to have bought a few bottles and have let them rest awhile.  I opened this for a friend`s birthday and used some new Champagne glasses I got as a wedding present (it`s great when people know just what to get you).  The bubbles were persistent and playful - the aromas were biscuity, yeasty, bready and and slightly butterscotched.  The bubbles played on the tongue with dry lemon, apple and a slight toffee note danced their way through the mouth.  I have one bottle left and I am looking forward to opening it ... the big question is when ...

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Stoney Ridge 2004 Founder's Signature Collection Meritage

 

 

Click here to read the original review from September 2007 - OWR Newsletter #66

(Re-Tasted May 2010) ... The first sniff of this wine did not give me very much faith that I would be consuming a glass, let alone a sip or two - but sometimes you just have to dive in and give it a try.  The first smell of this wine was like smell a mild turpentine or paint thinner ... not something I really wanted to put in my mouth ... but then I gave it a few more swirls and let it rest on my desk while I did a few other things.  Then I came back to it about 20 minutes later.  The turpentine smell had faded and it was now a sweet dried fruit smell, imagine sticking your nose into a bag of raisins and cranberries, maybe even some prunes, and snorting deeply and you would have the smell of this particular glass of wine.  Not everybody's cup of tea.  Flavours should give one pause also.  Not that fresh lively fruit that has become all the rage, this one is more dried fruit, but there is a sweet element that is rather pleasing, but there is a fine line here - give the wine too much air and the taste is pruney (okay if you like prunes I guess), too little and it like sucking on wet tobacco leaves, but a few quick suck-ins of air and a swish about the mouth brings out sweet dried cherries and a touch of vanilla-cinnamon along with some tobacco notes ... in this case, the complete package is better than the sum of its parts.  

I don't recommend holding onto this wine much longer (especially if you like a lot of fruit in your wine), but it is a very interesting wine to drink now and one I would not shy away from if offered again.  I have one bottle left, might be interesting to take this week and see if those at the Artevino judging agree.

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Stoney Ridge 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve Wismer Vineyard

Click here to read the original review from January 2008 - OWR Newsletter #74

(Re-Tasted March 2009) ...It hasn't been a long time since last I tried this wine, so I suspect the notes from January last year are going to be pretty much the same as the notes taken this year. This wine has such a smooth mouthfeel, and as air gets into it it seems to just glide down the throat - but I think I am getting ahead of myself here. First let's give it a sniff. There's black raspberry, ranberry and sour cherry with subtle nuances of sweet vanilla oak. In the mouth it is even better than the nose suggests, and juicier fruit. The taste is ripe cherries, raspberry, vanilla and silky tannins ... smooth and delicious - gulpable even - it was all I could do not to chug-a-lug this wine. And now, on-sale for a paltry $14.95 at the winery.

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Stoney Ridge 2004 Pinot Noir

Click here to read the original review from December 2005

(Re-Tasted November 2007) … Two years later, this is still a very good Pinot ... dried cranberries and a touch of cedar on the nose, followed up by cherries and strawberries in the mouth. There's still a hint of tannin and oak in the mouth, but this one’s smooth and enjoyable right from the get go.

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