The RRV ‘05 is drinking as it should–and your initial notes are spot on. Plenty of cherry pie filling and maraschino, big whiff of some undergrowth and sweet, wet bark; a fairly light body and bright acids. I wouldn’t call it flaccid or thin; it’s just more Burgundian in profile than some prefer.

What I did notice in the mid-palate is what I’ll qualify as “tomato acid”–the tannins are especially rough for such a soft wine, some aromas bordering on volatility. It blew off a little as the wine sat open, so I’m thinking that an additional year or two in bottle will serve this wine well.

I don’t keep any RRV pinots for much longer than 5 years; fruit quality is compromised. I’ve found that northern and coastal climates–Anderson Valley in particular–produce wines that can stand a couple years beyond that, but again, patience over the first 2-5 years is most rewarding.

After about 7 years, even the best pinot noir (and I mean even the baddest monopole offerings from Burgundy) plateau or evolve to neither improvement nor decline. Don’t sit on your WS wines for longer than 5-7 years; you’ll be disappointed. And next time, open it during a good dinner that you haven’t cooked, with company you appreciate, in an instance when you aren’t between moods.

1) As I lie in my piss-soaked trousers, eating a carelessly discarded carton of what I think may be shrimp fried rice, I decided to decant the bottle of Mad Dog that I’ve been hoarding for several weeks now. After smelling the underside of the aluminum cap I was brought back to childhood days where drinking Kool-Aid in the one-bedroom apartment I shared with six people was a pleasure.

2) I splashed a small test sip into a wiped out 8 oz. McDonald’s coffee cup. After throwing down the first swaggle, I was reminded of the first time I drank Aqua Velva through eight slices of Wonder Bread. The wine gods must have been smiling down on the Mad Dog plant the day this batch screamed off the assembly line.

3) My initial thoughts as this product first touched my palate reminded me of the time I passed out drunk face first into a produce stand.

My afterthoughts are:

* Next time I pair this particular variety, it will most likely be with whatever crumbs someone did not chew off of a corn dog stick from Sonic. And possibly a two-day old rye bagel from the bakery.