I usually don’t do back-to-back tastings at the same winery, but I had to make an exception. Doug Beakes, the Chair of the John Marshall Chapter (Northern Virginia) of the American Wine Society (AWS) was in town to bike with friends and wanted to know where they should taste wines.
(Some history here: Back in the Fall of 2019, I presented Monterey wines to their AWS chapter at Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run, VA. Doug previously had seen me present our local wines at the Washington Wine & Cheese Seminar. It was a fun venue – right among the winery’s barrels. He says I’m invited back; maybe I’ll do it again next fall!)
Back to my story: I always ask people what kind of wines they like so I can recommend the right spots – do they like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (what Monterey is widely known for) – or are they looking for something else? His answer was BIG REDS – and they only wanted to go to one spot. I decided to take them to Parsonage, even though I had just been there the week before.
Doug was accompanied by Mike Wassenberg, his AWS chapter Vice-Chair, and their biking buddy/wine drinking/nice guy friend Mark Svedlund from Sebastopol. We were unexpectedly joined by Bill Parsons, who just happened to be in the tasting room when we dropped by. It was a warm afternoon in Carmel Valley Village and my companions were a bit wilted from their bike ride. Nice guy Mark fetched cheese and bread and Bill provided colorful narrative to the wines.
Today, I am presenting 5 Parsonage wines – 3 from our tasting that day and 2 library wines from our personal collection which were tasted separately. Last week’s post included combined tasting notes for 3 wines we tasted with this group and our barrel tasting buddies – the 2018 Estate Syrah, the 2018 Rocco and the 2017 Xandro. We tasted 5 other wines which I have previously presented here – they are not included! Winery notes come from their website and tasting sheet.
I’ve written about Parsonage to in many prior posts and won’t repeat “about them” here (just type “Parsonage” in the search bar to see them all). You can check out their website here: https://www.parsonagewine.com/.
2018 Parsonage Estate Pinot Noir, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $48 (#541*)
Winery Notes: “The nose promises richness with its ripe bing cherries and that rare, fully vine-ripe raspberry that you’d get at a farmer’s market. The bouquet carries a mysterious spice akin to baking spices with a trace of black tea. The red fruit shows up in a big way on the palate – very rich and dense on the long, full, and delicious finish.”
My Review: Beautiful deep ruby in color. Cherry on the nose. Chewy palate with a touch of acidity. Darker, richer than a typical Monterey Pinot Noir – we liked it. October 2021
2014 Parsonage Cyrano Red Wine, Monterey County, 15% ABV, $26 (#542*) Merlot, Syrah blend
My Review: From our cellar: Stunning bouquet. Very big, jammy cherry-berry nose. Rich, dark berries on the palate and anise on the finish. Still drinking well. October 2021
2001 Parsonage Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $125 (#543*)
My Review: From our cellar: Dark ruby in the glass. Rich dark berries in the nose with prune notes (at first, sulfur, which died down to a slight cooked prunes smell.) Big mouthfeel and bursting with blackberry with cola and tobacco flavors. Still something on the finish – like cooked fruit and tobacco. This wine could go another 5 years or so. October 2021
2018 Parsonage Bixby Reserve, Carmel Valley, 15%, $80 (#544*) Petit Verdot/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
My Review: Wow! Dusty on the nose. Pretty, intense dark fruit – berry and cherry on the palate and milk chocolate on the finish. I become a bigger fan of this wine each year! October 2021
2008 Parsonage “Snosrap” Cyrano Bordelaise Red Wine, Monterey County, 15% ABV, $90 (#545)
My Review: This Bordeaux blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the last wine we tasted, so my notes are very weak. I think Bill said “hoisin sauce.” This wine was rather tasty and I took a bottle home! We are looking forward to tasting it again soon. October 2021
Parsonage is open for tastings by reservation only every day – click here for the details. You can obtain their wines directly from the winery here or at their tasting room located at19 E Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley Village.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2023
Recent Comments