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As a refresher, Round 1 of the first bracket saw York Creek beating out Quail Creek and Castle Rock taking down Block No. 45. Now for the results of the battle between #1 seed 2006 York Creek Red Wine and #2 seed 2007 Castle Rock Pinot Noir Monterey County.

This was a tough one. The York Creek was well balanced, with good fruit, vanilla, licorice and a nice strong finish – a tad overripe and dull for my taste, but definitely a good offering. The Castle Rock was clearly the Pinot Noir of the bunch, even hidden inside a brown paper bag, with its earthy and leather tones and a nice cranberry-like acidity. It was incredibly vibrant, with a nice balance and long peppery finish. My only complaint is that I wish the Castle Rock was a little richer and bolder.

I went back and forth half a dozen times between these two, even walked away for a bit and came back with a refreshed palate. The York Creek was smooth and definitely drinkable, but lacked life. The Castle Rock was alive, vibrant and well balanced, but I was searching for a little more fruit to go with its earthy, spicy blend. In the end, mostly because of its more lively edge, the Castle Rock Pinot Noir edged out York Creek in a last second buzzer beater – scoring an 88 over York Creek’s 87. On moves the Castle Rock and the York Creek will have to wait another year.

So much for my theory that York Creek would crush it's opponents or somehow lose only to a Cinderella.

The big question from here is whether or not a Pinot Noir can play ball with the heavyweights sure to be making their way into the next round. What do you think? You think it's got the goods?

And how’d I do in my own predictions? Overall, I went 2 for 3 in this bracket – a promising start going 2 for 2 in the first round (York Creek over Quail Creek and Castle Rock over Block No. 45), but then Castle Rock’s victory stole my shot at perfect picks.

Stay tuned for Part II of the 2nd round results coming tomorrow…