Wine Musings Vol#83

Wine of Merit: ****+Ridge, Montebello vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: A definitive Montebello. I have had this wine a number of times but never better than right now. Wonderfully layered, nuanced, complex…a meal in a glass. Elements of broad leaf tobacco, grilled meats, blood, iron, camphor, mature plum and red fruits, truffle. Wild, montrose-like qualities. Full, concentrated palate adds more plum and Indian spices. Full on finish…but everything is packaged perfectly. As good a Montebello as the 1991 and a wonderful treat to drink or hold.

****+Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste, Estate, Paulliac, 1996: Wow. Just a dynamite wine. Powerful, vibrant. Yes, traditional Paulliac elements of black and blue fruits, graphite, menthol, minerals. Cassis. Cedar. Pipe Tobacco. But this one has a perfect suppleness to it, a finely toned musculature that just ripples. Huge palate adds licorice root, more minerals and church incense. Perfect integration with a bottomless finish. After a few sips I no longer felt like I was tasting this wine…it was more like watching a great athlete on the field of play. Big Ups.

****Dunn, Howell Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Fabulous purity and focus. Deep, blue black berry fruit, cassis, dusty, crushed chalk. Just starting to stretch its legs now. Wonderful grip, depth and concentration. Super long but surprisingly supple finish, really great balance. The best Howell mountain I have had since the amazing 1982.

***+Araujo, Eisele vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Classically structured, a statesman of a wine. Perhaps overshadowed today by the Montebello, it still has all of those Eisele qualities that make this wine a poster child for what napa cabernet wishes it always could be. Classic Rutherford dust, cassis and black fruit, menthol, cedar. Good tannic profile from front to back, now starting to resolve. Good grip, depth and balance. Special.

***+Chateau Montelena, Estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Again, a classic. Showing telltale Montelena notes of slightly overripe plum, chocolate and soy. Still very youthful and promising. In good to great vintages this is accompanied by minerals, white pepper and a fullness that allows these elements to intermarry and create a wonderful mélange. Good delineation and structure but mostly a juicy, coating mouthful of wine. Delicious.

***+Chateau Montrose, Estate, St. Estephe, 1996: I was surprised by how civil and well behaved this wine is right now. Still, the blood lines are apparent. Great, mature red fruit, truffle, violets, molasses and exotic far eastern spices. A touch of iodine, butter sautéed Brussels sprouts and Malabar pepper. Not nearly as full throttle as the 90 or 89 I think this wine is a bit more contemplative but not coy. The palate is classically structured and the tannins on the long finish are fine, layered and integrated. A wonderful example of a young Bordeaux just beginning to strut its stuff.

***Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron, Estate, Paulliac, 1996: Very good and again a classic iteration of Paulliac. Blue black berry fruit, lead pencil. Wet slate. Deep, coating palate showcases plums and minerals, with some espresso bean notes. Fine, balanced, slightly drying finish. Very worthy.

***Chateau Ducru Beacaillou, Estate, St. Julien, 1996: A lovely wine. Perhaps a bit more feminine than other vintages of Ducru. Red and black berry fruit, acacia, violets, cedar, cinnamon stick. Spicy, red fruit palate that is perfectly integrated and lovingly balanced. Maybe a bit lost next to the Grand Puy Lacoste. A little tight perhaps? Still, picture perfect St. Julien.

Wine Musings Vol#70

Wine of Merit: ****++Diamond Creek Winery, Gravelly Meadow, Diamond Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1983 : The Grand Daddy. I have a very soft spot in my heart for this vintner, this winery and this vineyard. To drink this wine now, 25 years after harvest, is to realize that ultimately Al Brounstein was a genius, perhaps even a prophet, was right about everything and knew more about how to make great wine than all of his critics will ever know in their combined lifetimes. Fresh as a daisy, more complex than a Stella, as true as the word of G-d, this wine moves me. Wonderful, nuanced elements of freshly butchered fillet of beef, iodine, smoky grilled red pepper, ripe red fruit, warm black lava beach pebbles, chewy licorice root, how this is a new world wine is beyond me. Pressed I would have guessed 90 Montrose! With time in the glass, out rolls the fresh broad leaf cigar tobacco, the note that consistently makes cognoscenti call this wine the Haut Brion of Napa. Full, beautiful, perfectly balanced palate shows more red/black fruit and minerals.
Not worthy – but grateful indeed.

****+Château Ducru Beaucalliou, estate, St. Julien, bordeaux, 1995 : True to form is this Ducru, the “super-est” of all super seconds in my opinion. I always find myself using the term “stately” when describing wine from this estate; this wine has excellent posture, dresses in the best fabrics and has excellent table manners! Brooding dark fruit, cassis, cedar, chalk, wonderful black pepper, violets and stony minerals…give this wine time to unfold itself in the glass and marvel at its layers. The palate is full on, bottomless, still primal but wonderfully balanced and staged. Same goes for the finish. A great wine to drink or hold. Lovely.

****Domaine de Chevalier, estate, Pessac Leognan, bordeaux blanc, 2002: It is true that if I had to be a white wine I would be a grand cru Chablis. That said if somehow Chablis were not available to me, I would be white Bordeaux from Graves with nary a whimper. I just love this wine's complexity, its style, its panache. Bright, aromatic lime blossom, fresh ginger, ripe star fruit (yes, that’s right…star fruit. I also thought it tasted like nothing until I had it in Mexico a few years back. Find it and try it!), honeyed tobacco and an undeniable fresh, ripe Crenshaw melon note all come together just perfectly. A nuance of celery root. Beautiful integration front to back, firm but never biting palate. So fresh! Long finish, with a touch of white pepper and Thai basil. Hard to believe this was $30 at retail. What a steal. Righteous.

****Château Montrose, estate, St. Estephe, bordeaux, 1999 : You know, Montrose is one of those wines. Always alluring, sometimes mind boggling, just the mention heightens the senses and stirs a certain anticipation. Ohhhh…the possibilities; often somewhat wild and savage (when it is at its best), this wine is not quite there yet, though very promising. Still very primal and perhaps even still working off its baby fat, it is magically delicious, beckoning with come hither qualities of ripe plum, fragrant violet and thick, zesty black pepper. The palate flatters…but one senses the muscle hiding beneath. The finish points even more to better days, firm and integrated. Somewhat still one dimensional, I get the sense that this wine will offer even more pleasure and nuance as it continues to age. Yummy now, I believe this holds delights yet to be sampled if one can just avail oneself of the virtue of patience.

Wine Musings Vol#67: Cru dinner (III)

Wine of Merit: ****Chateau Margaux, Estate, Margaux, Bordeaux, 1983: A lovely wine that can easily get lost in a crowd if one isn’t attentive. The 1983 is a special Margaux vintage and this wine held its own. Suave, velvety, nuanced, this was a meal-in-a-glass that however must be consumed with the best table manners and white glove service. Red fruit driven, with hints of grilled meat, smoke, cassis, tagine spices and flowers, I was happy to slow down and focus a bit on this lovely, sophisticated prima donna. In reality this wine is more a grand damme, showing its age more than slightly, more full bodied than svelte, perhaps a bit stubborn but still in complete control of its faculties, still perfectly proportioned, silky smooth and still very much demanding of respect and admiration. Delicious and worthy of the accolades.

**+Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1990: Somewhat controversial. Many loved this wine. I found something off about it. It seemed almost dirty to me, as if the filter used when taking it from barrel to glass was not cleaned well. Others were not so concerned – even placing it in the top 5 of the night. Beyond this detraction, I found the wine a touch vegetal, with some good cedar, minerals and brambly mountain fruit that seemed perhaps a bit dried up. The palate was firm and I thought a touch disjointed. Don Rice commented that he thought something was “wrong” with this wine…and I agree. I love Randy Dunn’s wines - I think the 82 Howell Mountain maybe one of the best mountain cabs I have ever had (next to the 74 Mayacamus)…but this one seemed lacking to me. Perhaps I needed to spend more time with it…but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

***+Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, Estate, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1982: While I am appreciative of all that Bordeaux has to offer, I am I think most appreciative of St. Julien. And amongst the St. Julien houses, Ducru Beaucaillou somehow seems to have my number. And among the great wines of Ducru, 1982 is the standard. So…I am always happy to crack a bottle of this wine. Solid red and black currant fruit, cassis, cedar, broad leaf tobacco, a touch of loam and spice, this wine has wonderful depth and flavor. Coating and layered upon entry, the palate introduces melted black licorice and an excellent mineral profile. A smidge of a drop off mid palate may be this wines only flaw. The finish is furry and sweet and seems to last longer than a wine made in my high school graduating year has any right to presume. Lovely and a rarity in this day…something you can bank on and trust to perform. Delicious.

Spring Mountain Vineyards, Estate, Spring Mountain district, cabernet sauvignon, 1978: I include this only so as to be thorough. This wine was corked. As is typical, much convo ensued about “how corked” it was…for me corked is corked. I was surprised at how youthful and seemingly vibrant the palate was. Still, this is a DQ in my book. Moving on…

***+Peter Michael Winery, Estate, Les Pavots, Knights Valley, 1997: Les Pavots is a Bordeaux-like blend, mostly cabernet sauvignon, that tends toward high extraction and even higher alcohol content. In this case we are talking 14.8%. I have always found it fairly open knit upon release and have often wondered if it really had any aging potential at all. This wine is super ripe and a bit volatile. Prune danish, baking spices, iodine, kirsch and autumnal forest floor elements, this almost has Amarone-like qualities, which in and of themselves are not off putting…in fact I dig them, though I find the heat distracting. The palate feels at once a bit thin upfront and then fat and vague from the mid palate on…perhaps a wine that is best consumed sooner rather than later. I think that the Sonoma Mountain fruit could probably present a more integrated, balanced picture if the wine was treated more even handedly. As it is it is yummy, but perhaps a bit too manufactured.

Wine Musings Vol#54

Wine of Merit: ***Covenant, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: While this is not the best wine I have had over the past month, it is very much a wine of merit. Why? Because it aspires to be not only a great kosher for Passover wine, but a great wine period. Sourced from larkmead fruit, this wine cuts no corners. Juicy, ripe black currant fruit-driven style, this wine also exhibits nice cassis, grilled meats and lavender notes. It is lavishly oaked - perhaps a bit too for my palate, bringing with it almond / vanilla notes and baker's spices. The palate is full and coating but also firm with very good length. This young wine should have ample cellar life ahead of it. Of course the $90 a pop asking price pre-supposes at the very least this level of quality - good to see that it delivers. Also wins the all label award!

***++Chateau Ducru Beaucalliou, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1998: I have posted previously on this wine. Notes remain consistent. Dynamite, St. Julien nose of iodine, camphor, herbs, red and black fruit, tobacco. Velvety palate but with plenty of depth and length. A wine to enjoy now decanted or let rest for awhile still. Top Notch.

***+Rivers Marie, Occidental Ridge vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2006: Lovely. Very Sonoma coast. Deep, deep dark black cherry fruit, forest floor, rosemary, mulling spices. A singularly focused element of blood orange that becomes more pronounced as the wine opens. Beautiful balance – a big wine with plenty of backbone. Serious.

***+Chateau D’Yquem, Lur Saluces, Bordeaux, sauternes, 1997: From split. You know, I love sauternes. Less for the wonderful aromatics, like the candied orange rind, white flowers, nutmeg and lichee that this wine shows, than for the oily, viscous, coating, unctuous mouth feel. It just slithers, coats, envelops you…to quote Old School, “Once it hits your lips it’s so good!” This 1997 does not really show the pumped up aromatics of truly great Yquem…but the palate…ohhhhh my! Very nice indeed, with wonderful depth and great length. I don’t think it will ever achieve the other worldliness of the 1976, nor does it have the stuffing of the 2001…but it will do! Drink or Hold.

***Jocelyn Lonen, Sangiacomo vineyard, Sonoma County, chardonnay, 2006: Super. I love Sangiacomo fruit – both chard and merlot. Bright, spicy, lemony, verbena. A bit racy on the palate…good minerals, nice oak integration. Reminds me a lot of the Shafer Red Shoulders Ranch bottling. Long, spicy finish. All in all very nice.

A few abbreviated updates: The ****Eric Texier Cote Rotie VV, 2001 is still simply mind blowing. An amazing, seemingly unending assembly of flavors, all perfectly integrated and balanced. This wine can be had for under $50 a bottle - which to me would seem to be almost criminal and certainly a screaming buy. The ****Aubert, Ritchie vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2004 is quickly becoming my favorite chardonnay in the world. So consistent, so perfumed, so deep…just a wonderful example of great chardonnay. ***Failla, Keefer vineyard, Russian River Valley, chardonnay, 2005 is also delicious, in a much more understated, malic, slightly more brisk kind of way. More of the Mersault style than the Corton like Aubert. Lovely. The ****Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill cuvee, Eperney, champagne, 1990 is a classic. Outstanding example of bottle aged, vintage champagne. Still vibrant and frisky, it shows great citrus and lavender, with yeasty baked apple notes. lemon curd and cardamom. Endless depth, wonderful palate feel, long finish. Superlative – and very much ready to drink now.

Wine Musings LTD: My Dinner with Robb

My dinner with Robb (March 2007)

OK. Perhaps it should be OUR dinner with Robb. And Drew (Nieporent). At the Tribeca Grill. Wow. It was truly a memorable event – not only because the wines were tremendous but because it was just so great to see and hang out with everyone. I love how wine acts as an excuse for good friends (new and old) to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

Wine of Merit: ****++Zind-Humbrecht Gewurz Goldert VT 1990: In my opinion, this was not only the first served, but the best wine of the night. Ethereal. Lithe. Refreshing. Perfect sweetness. Citrus, white flowers, honey. Extremely rare –and extremely worth it.

****+Sine Qua Non “The Boot”” (also known as The Good Girl) 2000: Stunning. Flamboyant but at the same time serious. A roussanne, chardonnay, viognier mix, I think. So much going on here – almost defies description. Rich, complex, deep, long. Very special. To quote Melissa Rice, “This one should have been named the Hussy!” Voluptuous, with a come hither quality!

****Sine Qua Non, “The Hussy” 2000: Also lovely. Perhaps not quite as rich as the Boot, but equally interesting. 100% roussanne, from 2 different vineyards down in the central coast. This wine is instead very easy to describe. Warm apple pie, with cinnamon and a touch of clove. Wow. Intense aromatics and lovely mouth feel. Another winner.

****+Eric Texier, Cote Rotie Ville Vignes, 2001: Magnificent. The wine that La Chapelle hopes to make in every vintage. A true meal in a glass, with nicoise olives, tar, bacon (oy!), dark, black berry fruit, minerals…the works. The palate is wonderful and integrated, perfectly balanced, not staining and overwhelming. The wine is almost feminine and offers much more sophistication than it does brawn. A wine to look for.

***+Pax, Cuvee Keltie, Syrah, 2003: Perhaps the polar opposite of the Texier. Syrah as jet fuel. Huge, jammy, fat berry nose, with grilled meat and pepper. Tagine spices. Branche Marocian! This wine is almost a cartoon – an exaggerated representation of what syrah can be. Very Aussie in style. Lush, staining and powerful. Maybe time will coax some nuance from it –right now it is yummy but very obvious.

****++Ducru Beacalliou. St. Julien, 1982: Masterful. Perfect Bordeaux, in my opinion. Complex, nuanced red fruit, earth, cassis and cigar box. Perfect weight on the palate, long sweet finish. Surprisingly fresh for a wine made when I graduated high school. Wonderful. I could drink this wine every day and not tire of it.

****Dominus, Rutherford, 1994: One must give credit. This wine is seductive. Complex, loamy earth, red fruit, saddle leather, black truffled olive oil. Violets. More St. Emillion than Pomerol to my taste. Serious, great mouth filling wine. Still very much balanced – maturing in a wonderfully complex way. I love this wine.

***Numanthia, Toro 2003: Very nice though in difficult company. Very international in style – a recipe wine. Does Michel Rolland consult here? I bet he does. Deep color and extract. Lush, merlot like red, plumy fruit. Very showy. Thick, unctuous, palate staining wine. Long, very firm finish. I bet Parker loves this wine. A fun wine to enjoy.

***+Montevetrine, Le Pergola Torte 2003: This was a wine that was hard to evaluate. The nose was somewhat muted, offering red fruit and a focused element of anise seed, with a toasted note (mandel brot?). The palate offered more red fruit, white pepper and good minerality, though again pretty demure. Middle weight mouth feel. Very good, though perhaps better when one can focus on it a bit more.

Wine Musings Vol#30

The big 30! Now we're getting somewhere! Notes taken March, 2007:

Wine of Merit: ****++Kongsgaard, The Judge, Chardonnay, 2003: Guilty! Ok – so this is a wine that cannot get more hyped – 99 RP points, 100 cases, $400 a bottle in some misguided retail establishments. And I will admit that this was my first go with the Judge. Initially, I found this wine not very forthcoming and tightly wound. The palate was the give away that this is truly a monumental wine. Multi-layered, intense, suave and refined, it took some concentration to recognize everything that was going on – peaches, blood orange, herbs, slate – it was all there. Further, as the wine sat in the glass and aired – more of the intensity of the palate showed through. Buttered popcorn, lavender, yellow peaches, white flowers. Still, it was the palate that tantalized me with its length, depth, reserved power and sophistication. The finish only amplified the palate. I have only had Le Montrachet once, and it had this kind of depth and concentration. A wine to talk about.

***++Ducru Beaucalliou, St. Julien, 1998: I love Ducru. It is the statesman of 2nd growth Bordeaux. Wonderfully consistent, powerful but still somewhat reserved. Offering sense of place but still a firm house signature. This wine does not disappoint. Still brooding, it is showing red fruit, herbs, earth and minerals. Firm, well integrated palate. Firm, fine finish. Drink it now to enjoy what a very good, young Bordeaux has to offer or let it sit and mellow and add some depth and nuance. Either way you cannot lose. Great wine for the vintage.

***+Stags Leap, SLV Vineyard, cabernet, 1996: Really lovely. More mature and open knit, this wine also shows great SLD sense of place, with its red fruit, bramble, minerals and leather. The palate adds chocolate and pepper on the finish. Palate coating on entry and even all the way to the finish. Ready to drink now – a wine at its peak.

****Ornellaia, Bolgheri, DOC Rosso Superiore,1993: I have to admit to loving Ornellaia. I have loved it for many years (my first experience being the 1988). It did not receive the hype early on as it was a Bordeaux blend from Italy and not Sangiovese based – but I remember trying it for the first time in the early 90s and being blown away. This was not a heralded vintage, but for Ornellaia, probably should have been. The wine is now showing dark, black cherry fruit, chocolate, some raisin and kirsch liquor that is nothing short of sexy. Palate is still firm and ripe, with a sweet, fine tannic finish. This wine is simply wonderful vintage in and vintage out. Of course, now scores have caught up and the wine has become pricey…but it is still a worth it and a wonderful exhibition of what Bolgheri can do with French varietals.

**+Andrew Will, Klipsun vineyard, 2003: 60/40 Merlot/Cab blend. I tend to like AW wines very much. This particular wine is a bit angular and lean. Aromas of grilled meats and soy, along with black cherry fruit nuances and spice box. Palate is a bit zippy, not as full and coating as most AW wines I have enjoyed. Finish is puckery and a bit out of balance. Admittedly I let most of my AW wines age a bit and this is a young ‘un. Still, it doesn’t seem to have the stuffing or the balance to age for very long. Buy more? Probably not. As a side note, Andrew Will has let the vineyard contract expire with Klipsun and no longer makes this wine.