Wine of Merit: ***+Capiaux, Chimera, Sonoma County pinot noir, 2004: Lovely. Made by Sean Capiaux, who also makes the O’Shaughnessy wines over in Napa. This wine is made from a few different vineyards including Gary’s vineyard, Pisoni and a few others. Delicious with good weight, depth and seamless integration. Red and blue fruits, minerals, truffle and exotic tea, coupled with a firm but integrated tannic backbone make this a candidate for cellaring. Mouth feel is creamy but not soft, acids help structure but do not make the wine zippy. Oak ads spice but is far from overdone. Nice!
***Medlock Ames Rose, Alexander Valley, 2006: I am a huge Medlock Ames fan. I dig everything they do and the enthusiasm with which they do it…and their wines are delicious. This is no exception. Their 2006 rose (of cabernet and merlot, I think) is bright and fresh. Not overly exuberant, it offers watermelon, rosehip, celery and anise notes. A dynamite food wine, the palate is invigorating with a delicious spicy and long finish. Have it with a piece of cold, leftover grilled chicken and some roasted rosemary new potatoes while watching the Eagles KILL the Lions…it is especially delicious like that (even with those ugly throw backs)!
***75 Wine Company, Amber Knoll vineyard, Lake County , 2004: This is a wine made by the Beckstoffer family, major players in vineyard ownership and management throughout Napa Valley. This wine is, interestingly, not from there but from Lake County, up in Mendocino. I found the wine delicious if fairly simple and straightforward. Big, thick generous notes of black licorice, cassis and black cherry liqueur waft from the glass. The body is medium to heavy weight, with a velvety, layered palate feel. The finish is youthful but round and sweet, with yummy, earthy spice. I understand this wine to go for less than $20 a pop and as such is a steal.
**++Owen Roe, Walla Walla cabernet sauvignon, 2005: Another young, brawny cabernet, this one from the seven hills vineyard up in Washington. I found this wine fun if not very multi dimensional. Thick, roasted black fruit, cardamom, toffee and vanilla. Very much still showing a lot of baby fat, this wine is also lavishly oaked with at the very least a medium plus toast, showing caramel and butter on a sweet, round finish. I would hold this for a year just to see if it grows into all of the flesh that it is showing right now.
**++Chasseur, Sylvia’s, Dutton Vineyard, Sonoma, pinot noir, 1999: I am a huge Chasseur fan. But I have found that Bill Hunter’s wines tend to thin with age – not adding complexity or maintaining structure. This wine is lovely if light bodied. Bright, bing cherry, vanilla, sage and cardamom, intermingled with elements of potpourri edge there way to the rim of the glass. The body shows a touch of thinness in the mid palate where some green wood elements show through. The finish is of medium length and spicy.
**++Owen Roe, Walla Walla cabernet sauvignon, 2005: Another young, brawny cabernet, this one from the seven hills vineyard up in Washington. I found this wine fun if not very multi dimensional. Thick, roasted black fruit, cardamom, toffee and vanilla. Very much still showing a lot of baby fat, this wine is also lavishly oaked with at the very least a medium plus toast, showing caramel and butter on a sweet, round finish. I would hold this for a year just to see if it grows into all of the flesh that it is showing right now.
**++Chasseur, Sylvia’s, Dutton Vineyard, Sonoma, pinot noir, 1999: I am a huge Chasseur fan. But I have found that Bill Hunter’s wines tend to thin with age – not adding complexity or maintaining structure. This wine is lovely if light bodied. Bright, bing cherry, vanilla, sage and cardamom, intermingled with elements of potpourri edge there way to the rim of the glass. The body shows a touch of thinness in the mid palate where some green wood elements show through. The finish is of medium length and spicy.
No comments:
Post a Comment