Wine Musings: Vol#52

Wine of Merit: ****+Chateau Angelus, Estate, St. Emillion, Bordeaux, 1990: A very special wine. Initially requiring patience, this wine unfolds in layers. Two hours later, velvety aromas of plum, cigar tobacco, grilled meats, sage, lavender and mocha. Palate shows more mature red and black fruits, cardamom, baker’s spices and minerals. Coating. Long, thick, spicy finish. Almost timeless. This and Cheval Blanc are the wines I think of when I drink St. Emillion wines. Superb.

****Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Estate, Paulliac, Bordeaux, 1990: Quintessential Paulliac. This wine is controversial as it received lower scores at release. Here to, a wine that requires patience at initial pour. 3 hours later and it is still evolving and needs more time. Black and blue fruits, lead pencil (cedar+graphite), forest floor, candied violet, rosemary and chalk. Deep palate, ripe purple fruit with excellent minerality. With time the fruit becomes pronounced on the nose and palate, at once succulent and vibrant. Long, firmly tannic finish. Very much a buy these days (similar to the 83 Mouton awhile back) as it is overshadowed by other vintages and higher scores – but is very worthy (as was found out in the 83 Mouton – try buying it today).

****Kongsgaard, VioRuss, Napa Valley, viognier / roussanne, 2005: Superlative. I decided to open this bottle after tasting the Whetstone viognier. My recollection had been that this wine was significantly better than the Whetstone - could it be? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. A completely different wine experience. Expansive, lush but not flabby or vague, this is a wine that I could bathe in happily. Soaring notes of apricot, tangerine, almond and vanilla accompany enveloping scents of Hibiscus and Lilac. More orange zest, marzipan and nutmeg on the deep palate, excellent minerality, long powdered sugar and mulling spice finish. Are you serious? Fantastic!

***++Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, La Grande Dame, Reims, Champagne, 1990: Superb. Granny Smith apple pie. A wonderful accompanying note of lime and orange blossom. Lemon chiffon on the palate. Great acidity. Aged but not old – this wine has plenty of stuffing. A wonderful way to start a meal.

***++Spottswoode, Estate, St. Helena, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Delicious. Candied nose of blueberries, raspberries, milk chocolate, white flowers. Ripe red fruited palate, good minerals, hazelnut and coffee. Nice, spicy finish. A great wine to have with a chocolate desert! Yummy.

***Chateau Clarke, Listrac Medoc, Bodeaux, 2003: A Wonderful value. Baron Edmund Rothschild’s investment has really paid off. This is a dynamite wine at a great price (under $30). Classic, dense, chewy Bordeaux. Nose of cassis, plum, leather, forest bottom licorice and smoke. Firm, coating palate offers more black fruit, minerals, espresso and chocolate. Long, fine, firm finish. Will continue to evolve with cellaring though it offers plenty of pleasure right now. Hard to beat!

**++Bjornstad, Van der Kamp Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2005: Better. Having been generally disappointed with the Bjornstad wines, this is at least better than average. Possessing the vineyard specific length and grip that Van der Kamp is known for, this wine has good depth and minerality, suggesting it will benefit from some laying down. The nose is also deep, black cherry, cinnamon, forest floor and tea notes. Some spice box. Already throwing a ton of sediment, this feels like a pretty “sauvage” wine that will take on complexity as it ages. Long finish. Good effort.

Wine Musings @ 50: The Half Century

Wine of Merit: ****+Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Estate Vineyard, Paulliac, cabernet sauvignon, 1999: A stately, formidable wine. Archetypal Paulliac nose of blue fruits, cassis, graphite, chalk, licorice root. Amazing depth. Strong, gripping palate, the emphasis on balance and integration makes it surprisingly full and rich at the same time. Harmonious. Lithe yet sure footed. Perfectly toned, almost sculpted. A serious wine that almost lulls you to sleep with its grace – but upon deeper inspection approaches mythological stature (the painted reference to the eclipse above the label and the sprightly engraved “1999” on the bottle only adding to the effect). At over $400, no longer a screaming buy…but certainly worthy.

****Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Estate Vineyard, Paulliac, cabernet sauvignon, 1999: Pure Sex. You know the sex Dudley Moore fantasized about with Bo Derek on the beach in “10”? That kind of sex. Wonderful, thick roiling layers of red fruit, currants, cigar smoke, cedar, morels, Provencal herbs, lavender waft up from the glass. Velvety, coating, voluptuous palate of black and blue fruits, mint chocolate, wood spices. Dried cherries and black pepper on the long, sweet finish. Youthful, well balanced, enthusiastic…nubile? Not that this wine would ever be confused with an 82, 86 or 00 Mouton, but it does possess a wonderful come hither quality that cannot be ignored. And at a price point south of $200 – a great buy and drinking great right now.

****Newton, Unfiltered, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2003: Wonderful. I much prefer this vintage to the 2002, which garnered much more press due primarily to its flamboyant style. This wine has better balance and integration. I have reviewed this wine before and the earlier notes stay true – fresh, perfumed verbena, citrus, lemon custard, fine minerality, orange blossom. Kissed with oak, long in the finish…dynamite wine. Hard to believe you can get this at $30. Great buy.

***Cavallotto, Bricco Boschis, Langhe, Friesa, 2005: My luck with lower priced wines continues! Here is another sub $20 red very worthy of consideration. Cavalotto is well known for making good, honest, Piemontese wines from Faletto, of exceptional note their Barolo from their estate on the Bricco Boschis site. This Friesa – a lighter bodied grape known for higher acids - lacks the seriousness of the Barolo perhaps, but it makes up for it in youthful exuberance and approachability. Bright red fruit, violets, great minerals and pepper. On the palate – more red fruit and pepper…the racy acids make this a great food wine and I bet would go great with tomato based sauces, almost like a full bodied pinot noir. The finish is soft with baking spices. Yummy!

***Slaughterhouse Cellars, Proprietors Reserve, Rutherford, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: Lovely. We can argue later whether naming a wine slaughterhouse is a good idea…the wine is worthy of compliment. Very red fruit / plum driven and rose petal perfumed, almost feminine, this reminds me of a Dr. Crane vineyard cabernet. The fruit notes integrate in a velvety mélange with soy, cedar, pipe tobacco and melted licorice. Cab Franc adds some richness and depth, along with morel and espresso macchiato. The palate is open knit and welcoming, coating front to back. Not super long but fine and silky. Really very nice indeed.

***John Tyler, Baciagalupi Vineyard, Russain River Valley, pinot noir, 2002: Who doesn’t like to say “Baciagalupi”? It is simply fun to say! And this wine is fun to drink. Simply delicious. Great expression of RRV terroir, this creamy, black cherry, cola driven pinot is plain old yummy. Great integration of Provencal herbs, Malabar pepper on the palate and a fine, silky sweet finish. I have had this wine previously on release and I think it has gotten even better. This time I am impressed with its depth and texture, great mouthfeel and balance. Another pound the table buy at around $30. No excuses needed to enjoy this wine while thinking to yourself, “Baciagalupi! Hee hee”.

**++David Coffaro Vineyard and Winery, Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, carignane, 1996: How can you not love David Coffaro? His joyous, centered attitude just infiltrates every aspect of his wine. You can taste the pleasure winemaking brings him right in the glass. I would soundly recommend that anybody who is not familiar with David check him and his wine out…especially his futures program which offers yummy wine at ridiculously low prices ($10 a pop when I bought this, now maybe $20). As it turns out, his wines are really wonderful – I love his estate cuvee. This wine probably could have been drunk awhile back but still offers lots of pleasure right now. Camphor, dry creek spicy red fruit, briar, black pepper…racy acids add a zing that makes this a great food wine. Finish is still spicy and long. Great example of Dry Creek terroir. No surprise Doug Nalle sources from here. Thanks David.

**++Bjornstad Cellars, Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River Valley, chardonnay, 2005: Very good, if paling significantly against the Aubert and Ramey iterations of the same. I think that may actually be a perfect tasting note; it is just like those wines but much less so. Less perfumed, less meyer lemon, less corton-like linseed, marzipan and custard. A touch more malic, wood slightly more evident on the palate, less oily and unctuous…very nicely balanced…just not what I have come to expect from this RRV gran cru vineyard. And at $50 there is little value here.

Wine Musings Vol#35

Wine of Merit: ****Clos des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape, 1995: The bomb. This wine is so multi-layered and delicious…Paul Avril is a master. The wine is amazingly still a smidge tight, though a bit of swirling shows big notes of menthol, sage, jammy blackberry preserves, licorice root, black pepper and a touch of green olive. More blackberry, grilled meats, a touch of heat on the palate – great depth and concentration. A long, firm, peppery finish. Wow. A meal in a glass. So good. This wine is wonderful now and will be great later. Impressive.

****Diamond Creek, Gravelly Meadow, Diamond Mountain cabernet sauvignon, 1981: A continuing tribute to Al Brounstein. Amazingly youthful and full of energy. The nose is almost flamboyant, with deep red and black fruit, minerals, cassis, some autumnal notes. Really super. The palate is coating and velvety, mouth filling and deep. Perfect integration through to the lively, furry finish. Drink or hold…this wine is going nowhere in a hurry. Great wine. Thanks again, Al.

****Foxen Santa Maria Valley, pinot noir, 2005: Makes me feel like sayin’ Foxy! This is nothing short of a wonderful wine. Laser-like purity and focus of black and Queen Anne cherry fruit, cinnamon, cola and licorice root…it is a right hand upper cut to the jaw (thanks JC!)…it is so forceful and intense. Nothing really nuanced yet about this wine, it is tightly wound but clearly built to be a stately wine with great varietal characteristics, wonderful integration and amazing length. And to think it doesn’t even crack 14% alcohol! I swear I could drink this stuff every night. So exciting! At $30 a pop, it should be illegal.

****Rochioli, Russian River Valley, pinot noir, 2005: This wine is all elegance…which is no surprise as Rochioli is all about elegance in every wine it makes. Creamy, nuanced red fruits, cardamom, rose petal and a touch of earth, this is a stately wine. Deftly balanced and seamlessly integrated, with no drop off at all across the palette, this wine will reward bottle aging with even greater nuance and sophistication. A wine I would be proud to serve on any occasion. Bravo!

***++Chateau Haut Brion, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux 1998: This is a wonderful wine. The nose is ethereal: Expansive. Deep elements of black raspberry, graphite, cedar, minerals, cassis all integrate together to offer a tour de force of what great Bordeaux could offer. The palate is not quite as forthcoming, showing a more mature, resolved signature with more berry fruit, minerals and a slight drop off mid palate. The finish is firm and decisive. Superlative.

***+Medlock Ames Bell Mountain vineyard, Alexander Valley, chardonnay, 2005: I loved this wine. Lithe and lively, this is much more Mersault than new world chard. Laden with minerals, hibiscus and Anjou pear, this wine has no flab. The palette offers more of that delicious, laser focused minerals with bright Meyer lemon zest. Whatever oak is present is restrained and completely integrated. Delicious.

***+Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac Leognan, Bordeaux Blanc, 2002: I love white Graves. This is a super interesting, complex white Bordeaux. Honey dew, petrol, verbena and key lime all converge to offer a sophisticated signature on the nose. The palate shows more white flowers, clover and cut grass and a caramel / vanilla note that matchers the floral characteristics. Lively if somewhat round, this wine is delicious and worthy of attention all by itself.

***+Shea Vineyard Wine Cellars, Estate vineyard, Willamette Valley pinot noir, 2003: Hard to make bad wine from the Shea vineyard. It has great bones! I have enjoyed this wine in the past and it still presents very youthfully and full of promise. Deep, Willamette red and blackberry compote fruit, with forest floor notes and some nice, wafty church incense. The palette is expansive and almost lush, with big velvety red fruit, chocolate and a touch of rosemary. The finish is long and fine. A winner.

***Col Solare, Columbia Valley, red wine 2001: That crazy Antinori family. They are like truffle pigs when it comes to finding winemaking opportunities. Here they partner with Chateau St. Michelle to make a lovely, smooth talkin’ meritage from Washington state. Mostly cab, merlot and with syrah and malbec thrown in for good measure. As such, the wine is jammy, blackberry and plum flavors, thinning slightly in the mid palate. Lavish oak notes add mocha and vanilla, as well as fine, Asian spice on the finish. A very nice wine to have with some grilled red meat on a warm summer evening.

***Deutz, Blanc de Blanc, champagne, 1998: Yummy and fresh. Fresh, Macintosh apples fill the glass. Yeasty and warm, this wine is delicious, with focused apple and nutmeg notes and baking spice. Delicious and welcoming….this is a warm, welcoming wine that will be a crowd pleaser whenever it is served. Good stuff.

**++Diatom, Clos Pepe, Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay, 2005: I think this is made by Greg Brewer, of Brewer Clifton and Melville fame. While I know these folks do not make shy wines, I was shocked to see that this wine purports to have 15.7% alcohol. Once opened, however, the wine was lively if not crisp, with a sweetness on the nose and palate that suggested residual sugar. Aromas of honeydew, gardenia, and sweet clover honey waft from the glass. The palate is indeed expansive and fleshy, with beechnut and citrus zest but not fat. The finish is long and spicy, showing off some lavish oak notes. Very nice if somewhat of an obvious style.

**+Bjornstad Cellars, Porter Bass vineyard, chardonnay, 2005: Greg Bjornstad has had a hand in some of the better chards and pinots in California, notably DuMol, Kistler, Flowers and Kosta Browne, amongst others. This wine is not really like those. Lean and crisp, this has a young Chablis like lime, green apple and sweet pea nose. The palate instead is zippy and a bit bracing, almost a touch under ripe. The accompanying lemon curd and marzipan notes do not really hold up against the acid, creating a bit of a hole in the middle. The finish has bite and is a touch astringent. All in all, not bad.