2005 Hitching Post Cork Dancer 5.1

It's always fun to open up a bottle of Hitching Post wine, which got even more famous with the release of the movie Sideways. Usually, we enjoy the "Highliner," but tonight I grabbed a "Cork Dancer," and off we went to Carter and Jen's for a little late night campfire pow wow.

This wine was pulled from the chiller, and served at cellar temperature (55 degrees). This was poppep, poured, and consumed, with no time for decanting, but it was fine served that way.

In the glass, it had a good nose of berry, cherry, and plum, with a very nice ruby red color being accentuated by the flames from the fire. On the palate, hints of plum, with tons of candied cherry and cherry cola. As this wine opens up in the glass, it lost the tart acidity that it had when first popped and poured. The finish on this wine was short and silky, and overall, this was a light to medium bodied pinot.

As always, the HP wines are a joy to drink, and this one was no different. Great QPR at $25 or below, and I look forward to purchasing more in the future. I'm not sure that the 2005 will get much better with time, but it will be fun to try cellaring a bottle for a few years just to see what develops. Overall, 89 out of 100 points. Cheers

2005 Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Pinot Noir Highliner

This is yet another outstandingly tasty Santa Barbara County pinot noir, this one of course made famous by "Sideways." Nice, deep color in the glass, with hints of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry on the nose. Absolutely gorgeous hints of red fruits, with a subtle hint of earth as well. Ah yes, that Santa Barbara County soil! On the palate, some great, fruit forward candied cherry, and plum, with a nice medium body to it. The finish is short and sweet, with just the slightest bit of heat and spice. All in all, a fun wine to drink, and sure to be a crowd pleaser worthy of 90 points in my book! Cheers!