Wine Musings Vol#76

Wine of Merit: ****Parusso, Bussia, Barolo, nebbiolo, 2003: Wow. Quite the pugilist. I admit to being a huge fan of Armando Parusso and his wines. They go from wonderful examples of their varietal and region to wines that are downright otherwordly. This is a wonderful example. Black cherry fruit, tar, tobacco, briar, espresso coffee. Violets. Great chewy texture. Full and deep wine. Clearly a wine that can be cellared for a long time. Powerful yet graceful.

****Daniel Rion, 1er cru, "Les Vignes Rondes", Nuits St. Georges, 2002: Really lovely and showing perfectly right now. Mature, red fruit and garrigues notes. Black olive, violets, balanced and integrated palate. Just a gliding sensation on the palate. Fine, perfectly integrated finish. Grace exemplified. A wine I will seek out and cellar.

****Alban Vineyards, estate, Edna Valley, roussane, 2006: Wonderful; a true delight. Great concentration and balance. SQN-esque, actually. Baked apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream notes, nutmeg, hazelnut, cinnamon, lavish. A round, filling mouth feel perfectly integrated to a yummy, citrus finish. Just dynamite. Again, a wine I will seek out and cellar, though I am unsure of the cellaring window here.

***++JJ Prum, Spatlese Wehlener Sonnenuhr, riesling , 2006 ; Just great. The 2006 vintage has gotten lost between the stellar 2005 and 2007, meaning it is most likely easier to find at retail and a buy. Honeysuckle, petrol, grilled peaches, pineapple. Perfect concentration. Long, mineral finish. I could drink this for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

***(*)Vincent Dauvissat, "Le Clos" chablis, 2006: A similar comment to the Prum here in reference to vintage. I found this wine chiseled and a bit austere, as a young Chablis often is. Excellent minerality, linden and lemon pith, bracing acids and tart white Asian pear. Powerful, with telltale, briny crushed oyster shell that I find a central characteristic of many great wines from this region. Firm and most likely a wine that will benefit from years of cellaring. Statuesque.

***+Ca' Marcanda,, Magari, Toscana IGT, 2005: This is a stand by I can always trust...and I thought this was showing very well. Red berry and black stone fruit, floral, spice box, clove, pipe tobacco and chocolate. Velvety and lush. Fine tannins on the finish. Delicious. It has become pricey of late, which is too bad. A lovely example of what used to be a very sensibly priced "Super Tuscan" IGT.

***+Ridge, Lytton Springs, sonoma, zinfandel, 2005: This is really not a zinfandel as much as it is a field blend of zinfandel, grenache, mouvedre and petite syrah. I found it lovely. Harmonious, red and black berry fruit, black pepper, lavender, tagine spices and briar. Wonderful balance. A wine that can age well or be consumed young. I thought it was great.

***Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, malbec, 2005: Made by the folks that make Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux. A very powerful, deep wine. Mostly Malbec with other Bordeaux varietals in the assembly. Perhaps a bit over the top for me. A brute. Clearly in need of cellar time to sort itself out a bit. Wonderful purity. Could be excellent.

Wine Musings Vol#47

Wine of Merit: ***++Ca’ Marcanda, Magari, Bolgheri, Toscana IGT, 2000: Our Maremma journey continues. This wine is produced by Angelo Gaja, he of Barolo and Barbaresco fame. “Magari” can be translated from Italian to mean “If Only”…and while I do not know the context for this wine, I can say that “Magari all wines were this delicious!” Similar to Ornellaia, Magari is focused on Bordeaux varietals, in this case 50% Merlot with the remaining 50% equally divided between Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc. And yet this is clearly, wonderfully Italian. Just a dynamite wine. Immediately expressive, the Italian coastal merlot and cab franc eagerly offer deep, ripe plum, saddle leather, grilled meats and licorice. Palate nuances include more red and black berry fruit, chocolate, tobacco and spice. While opulent and open, this wine still offers a perfectly integrated tannic backbone that keeps everything in balance from start to the long, fine finish. Exceptional.

***++Aubert, The Quarry Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2004: Having recently opened both the Ritchie and Lauren vineyard iterations, I thought I would try the Quarry. I am familiar with the vineyard from Peter Michael Winery and wanted to see how if at all it changed in Mark Aubert’s hands (of course Mark made Peter Michael wines before moving on to his namesake endeavor). I suppose the bottom line is that this wine is equally delicious, though nuanced in different ways. Where both the Ritchie and Lauren wines are oily, unctuous wines, I find this vineyard designate a bit more high toned and bright. The fruit profile just seems more vivid, slightly more malic and the mineral notes more pronounced. It offers heady, perfumed aromas of lemon curd and marzipan, but key lime and green apple are added. The palate is still full and rich, with new wood integration adding delicious spice and café elements. Still, it is not quite as round as the others, the acids a bit brighter. This wine is in no way a lesser wine, just a slightly different style, perhaps more Mersualt to the others Corton. And I have had wines from this vineyard that age effortlessly for a decade – and I bet this one will too. A lovely addition to the portfolio (though I understand that this vineyard will not be included in 2006).

***+Flowers, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2002: This is a deep, sappy pinot. Darker fruit, floral tisane and briar notes are intense but not overpowering. The palate is muscular and toned, offering more red fruit, deep minerals, Asian spice and very nice new oak integration. Acids are still bright but not racy. The finish is long and while firm still very much in balance with the overall wine. I have to say this is not the first Flowers wine that I have found to improve significantly with bottle age – the rough edges really do smooth out, allowing for appreciation of the depth and nuance these wines can deliver. Maybe Walt Flowers should be thinking like Ampeau and releasing these things later in their life…I think this wine could probably continue to improve with a few more years in the cellar, though it is delicious now.

**+Lion’s Run, Vintner’s Reserve, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: A wine and winery I had not seen before. Evidently it is a Gary Galleron boutique project. Given all of the Galleron successes, certainly worth trying. This wine is extremely ripe, showing off a black cherry, chocolate liquor and a pine needle bouquet. Thick in the mid palate, more ripe fruit, melted licorice and chocolate, along with lavish oak elements. Medium finish. A nice wine to drink with a chocolate desert or a cheese plate.