Wine of Merit: ***++Pahlmeyer Winery, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2006: Another chardonnay that I admire, often from up close. This iteration of Jason Pahlmeyer’s white wine concoction is less corpulent and flattering than I have typically come to expect. High toned citrus blossom, peach nectar, cardamom and Zuppa Inglese. The palate shows structure and focus, bright acids and Asian spice, even as it expands ad envelops. A wine I am happy to welcome to the table each and every time. Super.
***+Aston Estate, Clone 115/667, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2006: Big Ups to Thomas Rivers Brown. I know and love his Rivers Marie pinots. That said I knew this was a new wine from a new vineyard, made for someone other than himself (in this case Schrader). I am pleased to report that it is delicious. True to its Sonoma Coast rootstock, this wine is deep and brooding, but not heavy handed or over extracted in any way. Vibrant? Powerful? You bet. But still balanced, beautifully integrated and true to the varietal. I happen to love the 115 and 667 clones and know them intimately (I make a pinot using that same make up from the Amber Ridge vineyard in the RRV) and was quite pleased to see how each clone contributed in a clear, focused, unmistakable way to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts. The 115 offers lovely, deep, fragrant pinot aromatics of bing cherry, cola, floral tisane and cinnamon stick. The 667 makes up the stuffing, with darker fruit notes, blood orange, smoke, spice and a strong backbone. Generous mouth feel and a fine, tingly, spicy finish. A lovely wine and one that I will cellar with confidence and drink with pleasure. Well done TRB!
***Flowers Winery, estate vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2002: I have quite a bit of heart for what Flowers has accomplished out on Camp Meeting Ridge over the years. The wines are dense and complex, long lived wines that reward cellaring with nuance and added sophistication. This chardonnay follows suit. Lovely, bright citric fruit, tobacco and minerals. A slight autumnal quality. A definite sense of Sonoma Coast terroir. The wine is still taught and toned, showing excellent depth. Full, expansive mid palate and a long, firm finish. Top notch effort.
**++Two Hands Winery, For Love or Money, cane cut semillon, Barossa Valley, 2005: I find Aussie desert wine and French desert wine as comparable as Australian rules football and The Beautiful Game…which is too say almost not at all. One is about brute force and will, the other about grace and art and talent. So it is with this Two Hands semillon, which has been compared by others to a Sauturnes. Favorably. I don’t see it. Yes it possesses botrytis like sweetness, canned peach syrup, lichee, honeysuckle and jasmine. But the flavors and aromas are obvious and cloying, as is the mouth feel. The finish is a bit vague. Not that this is a bad wine; it is not. It is delicious…just delicious in an obvious way. And while it is much less expensive than top notch sauternes (what isn’t?), I think in this case you get what you pay for. A fun romp.
***+Aston Estate, Clone 115/667, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2006: Big Ups to Thomas Rivers Brown. I know and love his Rivers Marie pinots. That said I knew this was a new wine from a new vineyard, made for someone other than himself (in this case Schrader). I am pleased to report that it is delicious. True to its Sonoma Coast rootstock, this wine is deep and brooding, but not heavy handed or over extracted in any way. Vibrant? Powerful? You bet. But still balanced, beautifully integrated and true to the varietal. I happen to love the 115 and 667 clones and know them intimately (I make a pinot using that same make up from the Amber Ridge vineyard in the RRV) and was quite pleased to see how each clone contributed in a clear, focused, unmistakable way to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts. The 115 offers lovely, deep, fragrant pinot aromatics of bing cherry, cola, floral tisane and cinnamon stick. The 667 makes up the stuffing, with darker fruit notes, blood orange, smoke, spice and a strong backbone. Generous mouth feel and a fine, tingly, spicy finish. A lovely wine and one that I will cellar with confidence and drink with pleasure. Well done TRB!
***Flowers Winery, estate vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2002: I have quite a bit of heart for what Flowers has accomplished out on Camp Meeting Ridge over the years. The wines are dense and complex, long lived wines that reward cellaring with nuance and added sophistication. This chardonnay follows suit. Lovely, bright citric fruit, tobacco and minerals. A slight autumnal quality. A definite sense of Sonoma Coast terroir. The wine is still taught and toned, showing excellent depth. Full, expansive mid palate and a long, firm finish. Top notch effort.
**++Two Hands Winery, For Love or Money, cane cut semillon, Barossa Valley, 2005: I find Aussie desert wine and French desert wine as comparable as Australian rules football and The Beautiful Game…which is too say almost not at all. One is about brute force and will, the other about grace and art and talent. So it is with this Two Hands semillon, which has been compared by others to a Sauturnes. Favorably. I don’t see it. Yes it possesses botrytis like sweetness, canned peach syrup, lichee, honeysuckle and jasmine. But the flavors and aromas are obvious and cloying, as is the mouth feel. The finish is a bit vague. Not that this is a bad wine; it is not. It is delicious…just delicious in an obvious way. And while it is much less expensive than top notch sauternes (what isn’t?), I think in this case you get what you pay for. A fun romp.
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