Wine Musings Vol#42

Wine of NO MERIT: ??? Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Paulliac, Bordeaux, 1978: This wine was a DQ - at an important celebration - as it was heavily maderized. The cork was in shambles. I publish this only to remind myself and others that buying older vintage wine on the secondary market is very much akin to buying a watch on Canal Street in NYC. Good luck. I bought this watch...er wine...from what I would have thought to be a reputable source. It was crap and had clearly been stored very badly. I promise myself that from now on - unless it is from an estate re-release or from someone like the Rare Wine Company in Sonoma, I am not buying these email list "rare gems" anymore. Harummph!

***+A. Rafanelli, Dry Creek Valley, zinfandel, 2005: Mmmm. I love Raffanelli zins. This wine is big, bright, brassy red raspberry, spice box, cigar tobacco. Yum! The palate is a bit racy but delivers zingy red fruit and white pepper. Firm but integrated finish. Really delicious and a big crowd pleaser. Great example of a Dry Creek zin – which in my opinion are the best ones on earth!

***+Franciscan, Magnificat, Napa Valley, 2004: A bruiser. This is Franciscan’s Bordeaux-like meritage, assembling cabernet, merlot and a dollop of cab franc for a dynamite wine. Deep, brooding, black fruit, tobacco, cassis and sage. Seamless. Big wine with lots of stuffing, it requires a piece or grilled red meat or perhaps some cellaring time to really show its stuff. Firm palate leads to a big, but well integrated and fine finish. A very nice wine at a very decent price point (I think it can be had for around $45). Excellent QPR.

***+Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Paulliac Bordeaux, 1988: Pulled from the cellar for a special occasion. The wine has matured a great deal in the last 5 years. Still sophisticated and black fruit driven, it has thinned just a bit. Typical graphite, cedar, cassis, forest floor and minerals with some coaxing, just not with the endless depth that I associate with this wine. The palate is full and coating as it opens up over the course of our meal – offering more black fruit, minerals and chocolate - in fact the entire wine experience benefits from air. The finish is firm and pleasing. Really, this wine is a winner, it was just so mind boggling last I had it I cannot help but be just a tad disappointed.

***+Galleron, Napa Valley cabernet, 2000: A mixture of Taplin and Morisoli fruit. I love the Morisoli vineyard. This wine does not disappoint – in fact it is magically delicious! Really great right now, the wine throws off serious, spicy red and black berry fruit, clove, cedar and cassis. Mint chocolate. The palate is nicely integrated and offers great balance all the way to the sweet, polished ending. Really dynamite wine.

***Ridge, Geyersville, zinfandel, 2000: I am a huge Geyserville fan. I love the field blend nature of it…and how it ages and grows in complexity. In 2000, the wine was 66% zinfandel, with a large (17%) petite sirah. Given the long growing season, this wine enjoyed great maturity of fruit – and it shows. Rich, opulent red fruit, briar and white pepper fill the glass. It is still very young and vibrant, it has not yet really developed the nuances that older Geyservilles tend to show. The palate is expansive and full, with more red fruit, spice and vanilla. At nearly 15% alcohol it is chewy, though not thick at all. The finish is long and spicy – the 2000 used more new oak (American) than it typically does. Great wine – and in no hurry at all. Drink if you like ‘em brawny or hold.

***Twomey Cellars, Napa Valley merlot, 2003: Lovely and wonderfully approachable. The 2003 vintage was hardly a blockbuster, allowing the wines to develop early. This wine is already open knit and very giving, showing lush plum and red fruit, violet, lavender and milk chocolate. Some nice rose petal nuances. Very pretty and wonderful with a cheese course. The palate is lush and friendly and the tannins are fine, sweet and long. Lavish wine. Delicious.

***Turnbull Wine Cellars, Estate Napa Valley cabernet, 2004: A huge crowd pleaser. Very accessible and yummy – this wine has all of the right elements all brought together in one bottle. Even if a touch soft, the wine sports an excellent fruit profile, tobacco, spice, a smidge of mushroom and mint chocolate to add to the complexity. Maybe a bit of a recipe wine, but yummy nonetheless. The palate is voluptuous, welcoming and coating, the finish fine and sweet, with a touch of espresso bean. It is like the Tom Hanks of wines; not intensely serious…but how can you not like it! Great value at $38. (By the way…if you want to taste the more serious side of the Turnbull estate try the wine Thomas Rivers Brown is making from up there for the Maybach family. Wow!)

***Medlock Ames, Red, Bell Mountain Alexander Valley, 2003: Delish. 50/50 estate cab merlot. Young but open knit and welcoming. Nice supporting structure. Very Sonoma Mountain-driven terroir elements of ripe red fruit, pipe tobacco, truffle, hazelnut chocolate and baking spices. Lush, round and inviting. Yummy!

***R.H. Coutier, Tradition Brut champagne, NV: Lovely for non vintage champagne. Really singular signature of freshly baked apple pie – cinnamon, vanilla, baked apples, baking spices. All the elements are there. An added element of custard-y, candied citrus zest on the brisk finish is a welcome surprise. Nice acids. Very nice indeed!

Wine Musings Vol#20

From notes taken June, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****Neiman, Caldwell vineyard cabernet, 2002: Wow. This is really a lovely wine. A recommendation from the folks at Amanti Vino. Deep, deep, deep. Very expressive right out of the bottle, it offers valrhona chocolate, blackberry preserves, truffle and lavender. Minerals, graphite and black fruit on the palate suggests mountain growing. Isn’t Caldwell in Carneros? I am going to guess that this wine has as much merlot and/or cab franc as cabernet sauvignon – a “Bordeaux” blend that will in no way be mistaken for Bordeaux, given the fruit driven style. Lush, but in no way fat or flabby. I am guessing this wine will age gracefully, adding complexity and nuance, given its excellent balance and structure. I believe this is a Skurnik wine and not produced in large quantities – but it is definitely worth searching out and acquiring. The most difficult thing for me will be keeping my hands off of it to let it develop fully. Righteous!

****Galleron, cabernet sauvignon, 1994: I have commented previously on this wine. Drinking it next to the Neiman, it is stoic instead of sexy. Amazing that it continues to do so well. This time, the wine shows most of the already noted red/black fruit, sage and briar but also a bright, menthol note, as the mint really comes to the front. Not quite as seamless as last tasted, the finish is pronounced, exposing a slight thinning in the mid palate. Still explosive and worth opening at a special occasion.

***+Daniel, Bordeaux Blend, 1984: Before there was Napanook, there was Daniel – the second wine of Dominus. I believe this was one of Christian’s first vintages. Honestly, I had given up on this wine years ago, having found it, at the time (maybe 7 years ago) falling apart. Just goes to show you. This wine is fabulous. Very much in your face Bordeaux styled wine, showing old school Gruaud Larose like barnyard, mushroom, minerally black fruit and a touch of bell pepper. If I were to quibble, the mid palate is a bit thin (though it too offers big black fruit, minerals and Malabar pepper) and the finish is still searingly tannic, suggesting a lack of balance that I prize in all great wines. Still, it is formidable for what it is – a mature, well made cab based wine of great provenance (and a second label at that). After less than 30 minutes the wine begins to fall apart, showing mostly sweet, floral notes and mature red fruit. If you happen to have a bottle, drink it with a nice steak and consider yourself lucky. Well done!

***Bedford Road, Malborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 2005: Bright and sassy. Still showing a sprtiz of Co2, this wine offers grassy tropical fruits, melon, beach nut and a touch of herbs. Bracing acids and a consistent mouth feel through to the finish. A crowd pleaser and lovely drink on a hot day – Amy LOVES it. Still not as good as the Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc that is my all time favorite QPR (you can get it for $10 a pop at PJs).

**Cline Bridgehead, zinfandel, 1994: A fossil. In an attempt to rid my cellar of old zin, I cracked this. Though it got a big number form RP back in the day, I found it stalky, weedy and unpleasant at release (those were the days when I bought a wine because RP said so. Thank goodness those days are over). Now it is just an angry, old wine – hot and acidic with some stewed red fruit, black pepper and chocolate. With air the heat kinda goes away making it at least drinkable. Good thing Amy cooks with wine.

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!