A Tasting at Scheid in Monterey

We visited the Scheid Vineyards tasting room at Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. I've found a few wines that I really enjoy from Monterey county, mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but was open to trying the offerings at Scheid. Our tasting consisted of the following wines: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Rose, Estate Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Petite Sirah. My tasting notes follow here.

Pinot Gris
Very light in texture, like extra light virgin olive oil, with flavors of lemon zest, mineral tones, and a nice creamy flavor. Overall, an ok wine (~83 points) that would be great for a very hot day that calls for a clean white wine.

Chardonnay
A light colored chardonnay, lacking the normal "straw color" for chardonnay. I did not prefer this wine, as it seemed to lack considerable flavor depths and was flabby for structure. (60 points).

Rose (Syrah-Grenache blend)

The Rose was a nice surprise. The nose had strong flavors of broccoli and strawberry, quite a conundrum, but hardly indicative of the flavor. A darker Rose, the flavors consisted of elegant strawberry and raspberry mixtures with a nice mouthfeel. I rated this wine very highly, with points in the high 80s-low 90s (~87).

Pinot Noir (2005)

I expected the Pinot Noir to be this winery's best offering, as the Monterey County vineyards have started producing some excellent wines. Unfortunately, my expectations may have been too high. While this Pinot exhibited a nice mouthfeel and stereotypical black cherry and vanilla flavors, the blend did not come together. Individual flavors could be tasted but the combined flavors did not play off of each other. Perhaps more time in the bottle is necessary for this wine to fully develop its flavors. Points: 80-84

Merlot
I must confess, I am not a Merlot fan, and as such, I'm not able to provide a great description of merlot. The wine from Scheid displayed a nice mouthfeel, very velvety with very dark fruits (black cherry and currants) with a touch of tannin flavor. This wine, certainly drinkable, could have used a bit more time in oak to develop a greater structure. Nontheless, I'd rate this wine in the 80s. (Points: 83-85).

Petite Sirah
In stark contrast to Merlot, I love Petite Sirah. It's flavors can be complex while also offering wonderful bright cherry flavors and a nice firm texture with appropriate tannin levels, a great aging wine. The Scheid offering certainly had a nice texture and some bright cherry flavors. I thought the wine seemed a bit tired during our tasting, but this may have been the bottle. I'd expected greater tannin flavor to come through, but the wine did not meet my expectations. Points: 83-85.