Wine Musings Vol#98

Wine of Merit: ****Woodward Canyon, Columbia Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1989: A revelation. Superb. Very reminiscent of a Pichon Comtesse de Lalande of the same vintage. Somewhat feminine and red fruit driven, elements of nicoise olive, graphite, cassis, lavender and toasted black bread, a floral tisane note. Gliding on the palate, with more red fruit and cassis. Lingering, fine, resolving finish. Just gorgeous.

***++Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1995: Still quite vibrant and fresh. Wonderful, nuanced cabernet notes of leather, autumn leaves and cherry pipe tobacco. Plum/Panforte and tar. Full coating palate, lovely depth and grip. Fine, tingly finish with more mint and berry fruit. Perfect drinking window. Great!

***+JC Cellars, Frediani vineyard, Napa Valley, petite syrah, 1998: I am not a big petite syrah fan. That said, this was a wonderful wine! In my cellar since release, the wine has developed wonderfully integrated black fruit, caramelized fig and spicy broad leaf cigar tobacco notes. Calla Lilly with time in the glass. Super interesting but all integrated and nuanced. Balanced, full palate, lively peppery, meaty finish. A big - and very pleasant - surprise. Wonderful!

***+Bodegas Muga, Rioja Reserva, Tempernaillo, 2001: A wonderful wine at a great value. Spicy red fruit, iron, grilled meats, saddle leather, garrigue and a touch of iodine. Great complexity with clean flavors and focus. Palate is a touch racy with good attack, more red fruit and Malabar pepper and no drop offs. Fine, long spicy finish. A dynamite food wine that continues to improve and nuance.

***+Del Dotto, Napa valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1997: Prototypical. Wonderful cassis, cedar, plum and tobacco. Pronounced creamy, chocolate mint. Great depth and richness but not overripe or exaggerated at all. Flattering, generous mouth feel front to back. Long, lingering spicy finish. Yum!

***Windgap, Fannucchi vineyard, Trousseau Gris, 2009: A lovely, lighter weight summer sipper. Bright, lemon citrus zest and juicy green apple notes. Candied ginger and cardamom. Excellent snap and acid bite. Pure mineral backbone all the way to the finish. With time in the glass, a floral, almost acacia note is added. Bring on the summer heat!

Wine Musings Vol#85

Wine of Merit: ***++Laurel Glen, Counterpoint, Sonoma Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1991: A wonderful surprise. I have always admired this sonoma mountain producer but I was floored by the complexity, nuance and grip of this second label edition. I couldn't help but think of Figeac with its mature red/plum fruit, Indian tagine spices, loam and sois bois - but also Graves, given the pronounced graphite, smoke, autumn leaf and mineral elements as the wine expanded over time. Wonderful delineation and depth on the palate with more plum and mineral. Tannins are fine and the finish still long. Great wine punching well above its weight.

***+Schweiger Vineyards, Estate, Diamond Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1994: Lovely. Great, integrated mountain fruit elements. Blackberry, baker's chocolate, nicoise olives, brair. Palate is generous and coating but never fat, with a pronounced mineral note. Finish is lively but nicely built in to the overall palate impression. Just perfect to drink right now, though it will likely hold on for awhile.

***Beaulieu Vineyards, Georges de Latour, Private Reserve, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1992: An excellent example. Not nearly as ripe as previous bottles, this wine showed elegance, stature and strength. Deep red and black fruit, cassis, licorice, chalk and menthol. Firm, integrated palate with good length and a velvety depth.

*** Richard Partridge, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1998: I believe this was the first vintage for this winery. An auspicious start. Open knit, full aromas of chocolate covered black cherry, cassis, cedar, clove. Round mouth feel with integrated vanilla/hazelnut, plum and spice. Good balance and length. Lovely to drink now.

***Del Dotto, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1995: Nice wine. Tangy, plump red fruit driven style. Slightly over ripe. Cafe au lait, grilled meats, a touch of gaurrigue. Oak is integrated, palate silky, finish medium length. An overall good bottle of mature Napa cabernet that should be consumed over the short term.

**++Robert Sinskey, SLD Estate, Stags Leap District, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: Very nice, if a tad underwhelming. Typical, spicy red SLV fruit. Complementary notes of grilled fennel and incense. Good fullness and weight, more fruit and with some minerals on the palate. Perhaps a bit vague. Yummy, if under performing.

Wine Musings Vol#9

From notes taken January, 2005:

Wine of Merit: ****+Galleron Cabernet, 1994: This is it. The bottle you hope for as you drink through all of the other “good not great” stuff. A Catherine Deneuve wine. Wonderful for all of the right reasons, perfect proportions, sophisticated and romantic. At first somewhat reticent, with coaxing this wine unfolds to impress. Lush, velevety black and red fruit, great depth and structure, olive candy, sage, Rutherford dust, eucalyptus, currant. Perfect balance (which I prize above other qualities) and a firm if seamless finish. I have 5 more bottles and have picked out the occasions at which I will serve them over the next 6 months.

***Varner Home Ranch Chardonnay, 2003: I did not think the Varner pinot special. The chard is a MUCH better effort. Elegant if restrained. A lovely baked apple, cinnamon and white peach thing going on, oily meyer lemon on the palate, nice texture, nicely integrated finish. Requires some coaxing which in my book bodes well. A very solid effort. My chardonnay cup currently runneth over (just bought a bunch of Chasseur Lorenzo vineyard – yeah boyeeee!), otherwise I might be tempted to buy a few more.

**+Patz & Hall Durrel Vineyard Chardonnay, 2004: Very nice, if not in a stand-outsih sort of way. I love the Kistler Durrel. White peach, pear, rice pudding. A slight spritz of secondary fermentation. Lots of oak that dies not dominate but is at the forefront. Firm finish with bracing acids suggest that this could benefit from cellar time, though I am not sure the fruit will hold. A prototype for Sonoma chard. Buy more? No.

**+Olson Ogden Unti Vineyard Syrah, 2003: I dig the Unti zins. This wine explodes from the glass. Bright cinnamon, blueberry, and currant flavors. Garrigue and brine olive notes. Unctuous and thick with a cliff like drop off. This wine is a bit awkward and all over the place, finishing hot. A fun wine for wine geeks to taste, not a bottle to have with a meal. My father-in-law, not a wine guy, says, “This wine has a bite to it. It is not smooth”. ‘Nuff said.

****Del Dotto Cabernet, 1993: Wow! Exotic Nap cab. Lavender, deep red fruit, mocha, nutmeg, ripe persimmon (we had a persimmon tree in my back yard growing up in Italy and I could almost see it when sipping this wine). Oak is present but perfectly integrated. Tannins remain firm and furry adding structure but in a seamless way. Age is starting to show a bit in the mid palate but I am polishing the apple here. Really, really nice! This is the first Del Dotto vintage and I am sorry I bought only this and did not follow it more closely. I will make up for lost time.

***+Robert Keenan Mernet, 2001: Patience required. I continue to believe that 2001, much like 1991 and 1995, will end up being a very good, long lived vintage. This is an excellent effort. While 50% merlot (25% cab/25% cab franc), this wine still offers excellent structure and grip. Like a young La Consellainte in an excellent vintage, this wine is deep and somewhat brooding, offering black truffles, mocha, minerals and a licorice root thing along with velvety red and black fruit. Different than Bordeaux, the fruit imprint has a distinctly mountain-like terroir. With more time in the glass the wine reveals a nutmeg, pumpkin pie thing which I really dig. Great structure across the entire palate, this wine will improve with cellaring and reward that patience with increased complexity. Nils Venge makes this wine and I love his stuff (try his Saddleback Cellars, Plumpjack or Venge Family wines…and remember he made the 1985 Groth Reserve). Kudos, Nils!