Wine of Merit: ****+Domaine Paul Autard, La Cote Ronde, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2003: Wow! I have previously posted with great admiration of and appreciation for this wine and winemaker. Truth be told this wine is simply at its pinnacle and garners even greater praise. While both this and the Moncayo (see below) are based on the same varietal that is where the similarities end. This wine is all about sophistication and nuance, with deftly integrated elements that come together to create a masterpiece. Layers upon layers of boysenberry, pipe tobacco, fresh virgin olive oil, black nicoise olive tapenade, lavender and violets, pink peppercorn (I know I can’t believe it either!) all distinct and intact come together like a delicious meal would with perfectly harmonious ingredients. What a masterful wine. The flavors integrate just as well on the coating palate, where the peppercorn and fruit elements play more center stage. Just perfect integration and balance with a tremendous, spice infused finish, all of which bode well for future aging. Given its avails at under $50, I can’t speak highly enough of this wine. I would buy more before Jean-paul Autard becomes the next Paul Avril! A real pleasure.
***++Chateau Duhart Million, Domains Barons de Rothschild, Paulliac, Grand Cru Classe, Bordeaux, 2000: From magnum. Just a dynamite wine. Hard to believe that cali cab makers are fronting 1st vintage “cults” for over $100 a bottle when stuff with this provenance and pedigree can be had for 40% less eight years after vintage. To be fair, this wine has received tepid reviews which I am sure have kept the price down. Our luck – I would buy some before RP checks back in on the wine again (his scores have gone up every year he has re-tasted this wine)! Anyway…to each his own. With 2 to 4 hours of air this wine opens to reveal layer upon layer of velvety, rich pipe tobacco, cassis, blackberry, blood, grilled meats, cinnamon and licorice root. More black fruit and super liquid minerals on the muscular but very approachable palate. Deft balance and integration right through to the fine, almost sweet finish. Sure, this wine can be put away and it will age and nuance…or it can be enjoyed now for its exuberance – with lots of decanting time. A wine that can be had with a nice piece of red meat and then pondered through desert and beyond. A winner.
***++Newton, Unfiltered, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2003: I am amazed at how good this wine is for the price. Full throttle chard to be sure, but never out of balance and very nicely integrated. Meyer lemon, crème brule, popcorn, baking spices, mission fig…super. Some nice liquid minerals on the palate and a hint of herbs. Long spicy finish. Drinking great at age 5. Yes, this wine lacks the nuanced nature and great structure of wines made by Kongsgaard and Aubert – but for $40 a pop? It’s a no brainer.
***+Guigal, Brune et Blonde, Cote Rotie, 2001: Another wow wine. I love this wine. Wonderful complexity. Tar, grilled meats, racy red currant, rose petal, pepper and spice. Just delicious. Deft balance. Great flavors of mature red fruit, minerals and pepper. Lovely integration front to back. Long, stuffed finish. Just a great example of more and more my favorite wine region. A great buy when you realize that the single vineyard Guigals cost 5x as much.
***+Pride Mountain Vineyards, Estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: Yummy. This wine very much reminds me of the Bryant Family style; Lush, thick blueberry preserves, a touch of banana cream, valhrona chocolate, baking spices and so much hazel-nutty, vanilla new oak you are not sure whether to drink it or pour it on top of vanilla ice cream. Coating palate, warm, medium finish. Completely open knit, delicious and a wonderful romp…It is so easy and silky on the palate almost drinks itself! But – like the Bryant Family wines themselves – I cannot imagine paying hundreds of dollars a bottle. To me this is a wine to enjoy with a smile and a nod to Robert Parker and his “gobs and gobs of hedonistic fruit” international style (if pressed, I would have guessed Aussie for this wine)…not something to search for like the grail, as folks do with Bryant Family and Mollydooker. Still…lovely!
***Antinori, Tignanello, IGT, Toscana, 2000: Now that’s Italian. Probably one of the more average vintages for this grand daddy of the Super Tuscans, it still reverberates with the essence of Tuscany and its homey varietal, Sangiovese. Bright , spicy mulberry and pomegranate, traditional elements of saddle leather, grilled meats and a wonderful violet tone, this particular Tignanello is velvety, forward and forthcoming…a delicious Tuscan red that adds weight and sophistication in better vintages. Nice medium long finish. A wine to be enjoyed sooner rather than later in my opinion.
***Alto Moncayo, Campo de Borja, granacha, 2005: Another Spanish Robert Parker recipe wine. Not to say that this wine is not delicious in a full throttle, over the top kind of way but it is sad to see this phenomenon creep across the globe. First California, then Australia, then Spain (it is no surprise that Dan Phillips has his hand in this wine)…each learning that over extraction, high alcohol and flogging of new oak garners big scores and with them big money. To whit: Thick, jammy blueberry preserves, vanilla, thick bittersweet chocolate, even some overripe bananas just launch themselves from the glass. The palate is fat and thick, reminiscent of blueberry infused maple syrup (brought on no doubt by the 16% alcohol this wine fronts). The finish continues with intense fruit and fine tannin, integrating nicely with the lush, mouth coating entry. A cartoon like wine (I always think of Willy Wonka when I have these wines) that I enjoy drinking every once in a rare while. In the meantime, I’ll take a CVNE Imperial to go!
***++Chateau Duhart Million, Domains Barons de Rothschild, Paulliac, Grand Cru Classe, Bordeaux, 2000: From magnum. Just a dynamite wine. Hard to believe that cali cab makers are fronting 1st vintage “cults” for over $100 a bottle when stuff with this provenance and pedigree can be had for 40% less eight years after vintage. To be fair, this wine has received tepid reviews which I am sure have kept the price down. Our luck – I would buy some before RP checks back in on the wine again (his scores have gone up every year he has re-tasted this wine)! Anyway…to each his own. With 2 to 4 hours of air this wine opens to reveal layer upon layer of velvety, rich pipe tobacco, cassis, blackberry, blood, grilled meats, cinnamon and licorice root. More black fruit and super liquid minerals on the muscular but very approachable palate. Deft balance and integration right through to the fine, almost sweet finish. Sure, this wine can be put away and it will age and nuance…or it can be enjoyed now for its exuberance – with lots of decanting time. A wine that can be had with a nice piece of red meat and then pondered through desert and beyond. A winner.
***++Newton, Unfiltered, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2003: I am amazed at how good this wine is for the price. Full throttle chard to be sure, but never out of balance and very nicely integrated. Meyer lemon, crème brule, popcorn, baking spices, mission fig…super. Some nice liquid minerals on the palate and a hint of herbs. Long spicy finish. Drinking great at age 5. Yes, this wine lacks the nuanced nature and great structure of wines made by Kongsgaard and Aubert – but for $40 a pop? It’s a no brainer.
***+Guigal, Brune et Blonde, Cote Rotie, 2001: Another wow wine. I love this wine. Wonderful complexity. Tar, grilled meats, racy red currant, rose petal, pepper and spice. Just delicious. Deft balance. Great flavors of mature red fruit, minerals and pepper. Lovely integration front to back. Long, stuffed finish. Just a great example of more and more my favorite wine region. A great buy when you realize that the single vineyard Guigals cost 5x as much.
***+Pride Mountain Vineyards, Estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: Yummy. This wine very much reminds me of the Bryant Family style; Lush, thick blueberry preserves, a touch of banana cream, valhrona chocolate, baking spices and so much hazel-nutty, vanilla new oak you are not sure whether to drink it or pour it on top of vanilla ice cream. Coating palate, warm, medium finish. Completely open knit, delicious and a wonderful romp…It is so easy and silky on the palate almost drinks itself! But – like the Bryant Family wines themselves – I cannot imagine paying hundreds of dollars a bottle. To me this is a wine to enjoy with a smile and a nod to Robert Parker and his “gobs and gobs of hedonistic fruit” international style (if pressed, I would have guessed Aussie for this wine)…not something to search for like the grail, as folks do with Bryant Family and Mollydooker. Still…lovely!
***Antinori, Tignanello, IGT, Toscana, 2000: Now that’s Italian. Probably one of the more average vintages for this grand daddy of the Super Tuscans, it still reverberates with the essence of Tuscany and its homey varietal, Sangiovese. Bright , spicy mulberry and pomegranate, traditional elements of saddle leather, grilled meats and a wonderful violet tone, this particular Tignanello is velvety, forward and forthcoming…a delicious Tuscan red that adds weight and sophistication in better vintages. Nice medium long finish. A wine to be enjoyed sooner rather than later in my opinion.
***Alto Moncayo, Campo de Borja, granacha, 2005: Another Spanish Robert Parker recipe wine. Not to say that this wine is not delicious in a full throttle, over the top kind of way but it is sad to see this phenomenon creep across the globe. First California, then Australia, then Spain (it is no surprise that Dan Phillips has his hand in this wine)…each learning that over extraction, high alcohol and flogging of new oak garners big scores and with them big money. To whit: Thick, jammy blueberry preserves, vanilla, thick bittersweet chocolate, even some overripe bananas just launch themselves from the glass. The palate is fat and thick, reminiscent of blueberry infused maple syrup (brought on no doubt by the 16% alcohol this wine fronts). The finish continues with intense fruit and fine tannin, integrating nicely with the lush, mouth coating entry. A cartoon like wine (I always think of Willy Wonka when I have these wines) that I enjoy drinking every once in a rare while. In the meantime, I’ll take a CVNE Imperial to go!
