Wine Musings Vol#108

Something Old. Something New...

Following are the somewhat sparse tasting notes from the annual wine event we host at Stately Grossman Manor last week. Most wines are directly from my cellar. A few were brought by folks who can equally attest to provenance. Where there is an exception, it is noted. This year our theme was to taste mini verticals of 3 of the same wines over fairly long periods of time (i.e. 60s to the first decade of this millennium), along with a mystery wine of the same varietal. The idea was to track aging curves and changes in style where applicable. To whit:

The first flight consisted of wines from Les Clos, a Gran Cru vineyard in Chablis for those not familiar.

Wine 1 was wonderful. Bright, crisp, citrus zest, marzipan, brine...classic Chablis. Great mouthfeel long finish. The power of the wine made me think 2007, instead it was the 1970 Les Clos (Bolter bottling) ***++.
Wine 2 was a bit oxidized showing some butterscotch. Under that however more flint, citrus and white flowers. I guessed the 1996 Brocard Le Clos *** and that was what it was. I have had 96 recently and it was not as much evolved. Might be a storage issue as I had to buy this retail to fit the tasting. YMMV.

Wine 3 was the table favorite. Lovely, filled-out, essence of orange blossom honey really stood out. Mineral and stone fruit palate. An amazing rendition of chardonnay. It was the 2007 Kongsgaard The Judge ****+ and I knew it.

Wine 4 was very much like wine 1, very tight with more tropical fruit. A prominent pineapple and coconut element! I thought wine one a bit more crisp, thus my preference. Delicious and with lots of time ahead of it. It was the 2007 Brocard Les Clos***++.

The 2nd flight was Delas Les Bessards. kinda. My bottle of 1969 St. Christophe was over the hill. So we had 2 Delas Hermitage and 2 other. Turned out to be a great flight:

Wine 1 was elegance in a glass. It was the most evolved and had nuances of herbs, grilled meats, white pepper and black and red fruit. Silky mouth feel, resolving finish but with no holes. Lovely. It was the 90 Chave Hermitage**** and I would say that it is in it's prime right now.

Wine 2 was clearly very young and made in a much more modern style. Black fruits, lavender, caramel/coffee. Big wine. I was surprised that it was the Delas 2009 Les Bessards***+. I would have pegged it for new world. Parker 100 points? Not tonight.

Wine 3 was gorgeous. Perfumed and nuanced. A super alluring note of sandalwood, red fruit, pink peppercorn, herbs. I loved this wine and thought it was the Chave. Instead it was the 1996 Les Bessards****

Wine 4 was a show stopper. Powerful, vibrant, this wine has verve. Spearmint, iodine, bell pepper. Huge, palate staining with pronounced structure. Dave called it a La Tour like wine and I agree. Amazingly, it was the 1995 Thackery Orion ****+. Wow.

The next flight was Chateau Gruaud Larose.

Wine 1 showed tell tale GL Nicoise olive, black fruit, licorice, leather and a bit of funk. I love these wines. I thought it was the 1990 Gruaud Larose ***++ and it was.

Wine 2 was similar I thought. More bell pepper and a racy red fruit driven palate. I thought it was the 78. Instead it was a 1994 Mount Mary Quintet, from Lillydale **++. Very controversial. I liked this wine very much, Dave did not at all, as did others. In any case, it was a perfect fit for this flight as it was very Bordeaux like.

Wine 3 was dusty and somewhat muted. Still showing some black fruit and green olive, it was for the most part pleasant but not of particular note. Surprisingly dark color. I have had better luck with the 1978 Gruaud Larose **+ in the past, but this bottle was tired.

Wine 4 was fantastic. Still a baby, it was initially closed, but with some coaxing showed excellent black fruit, shoe polish, licorice and minerals. Wonderful depth and super long. It was the 2000 Gruaud Larose****. A wine with a long future in front of it.

The next flight was Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Wine 1 was everything I love about Mouton. Sexy, red fruit, cedar, menthol, cassis...really alluring. Full on the palate. Velvety. It was the 1998 Mouton****+ and one of my favorites of that decade for drinking right now.

Wine 2 was in one word DEEP. Black fruit, cassis, mineral laden classic big boned Bordeaux. Not a wine for tonight but I appreciate the depth, structure and promise for the future. it was the 1986 Mouton****+.

Wine 3 was maybe my wine of the flight. beautiful, nuanced, great depth. Red and black fruit, lead pencil, little bit of cigar box...heavenly. Solid on the palate and a fury finish. Could have knocked me over when I saw that it was the 1967 Mouton****+. Fabulous wine. Go figure.

Wine 4 was tired and a bit flabby. Some red fruit, soy, mint chocolate covered raisins. Very surprised that it was the 1991 Phelps Insignia**+. perfect provenance and in my cellar since issue. perfect fill, perfect cork. Underwhelmed.

last flight. Baumard Quarts de Chaume.
Wine 1 was lithe and sublime. Pretty stone fruit, a touch of petrol and wild flowers. it was the 1971 QdC***++. Loved it.

Wine 2 was clearly not QdC. A bit less generous, not to say thin, more obvious notes of honey and citrus, it was the 2001 Lafaurie Peyraguey, sauternes***. Not bad, but outclassed in this field.

Wine 3 had more weight than the first wine, but a very similar profile. Perhaps a more pronounced nectarine and quince element. Again, I liked it very much. Still built for the longer haul. It was the 1990 QdC***++.

Wine 4 was my WOTN. Wow. Amazing. The 2007 QdC****+ has a vibrancy and verve that almost knocked me over. Powerful orange blossom, nectarine, mango, peach, lavender honey notes. great acids, full mouth feel with a precise line front to back, spicy finish that lasts minutes. Lots of baby fat but clearly a wine that will be among the best QdCs I have ever had. Superlative.

Wine Musings: Vol#106

Wine of Merit: ****++Diamond Creek, Gravelly Meadow, Diamond Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1981: They just don't make them like this anymore and it really is a shame. Simply a magnificent wine. A definitive cabernet by any standard (well, ok, at least by mine. No one will confuse this with a Schrader). Tobacco, graphite, red currant, green peppercorn. With time grilled meats, leather. Great structure, front to back. Wonderful, deep minerals mid palate. Amazing balance and integration. Fine, endless, puckering finish. Another ten years left on this bottle. Crazy Good.

****+Gruaud Larose, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1990: Another wonderful, sophisticated, beautiful wine. A meal in a glass. Blackberry, violets, iodine, blood, nicoise olives, oolong tea, oven roasted Brussels sprouts. So much going on here...and yet perfectly integrated. This wine just unfolds, wave after wave, with time in the glass. Palate coating, long, excellent grip. In no hurry at all. Great wine.

****Kongsgaard, The Judge, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2006: Perhaps not its finest showing, though still among the best chardonnays available, regardless of provenance. The nose shows that wonderfully typical lemon oil, meringue, anjou pear, cinnamon stick. Hazelnut and a touch of butterscotch. The palate is a little less forthcoming than usual. A bit tighter too. Still, lots of white fruit and citrus. Medium length finish. I think it might be time to drink these up.

****Chateau D'Yquem, Sauternes, Bordeaux, 1989: Always a lovely way to finish a meal. A touch of initial astringency on the nose fades to reveal honeyed peach, apricot, maple and blood orange. Beautiful attack on entry with a coating mouth feel and a note of baked apple and cinnamon. Lingering, spicy finish. Yummy.

****Cedric Bouchard, Roses de Jeanne, Le Creux D'Enfer, Champagne, NV: Perhaps one the best pinot noir saignee champagnes I have ever had. Intense, lively, ebullient in every sense. Bright strawberry, blood orange, queen Anne cherries and rhubarb fruit. Grilled peaches. Superb minerals and a touch of sage. Racy acids, tangy mid palate. A very intense champagne experience. Love it.

***++ Robert Ampeau, Savigny Les Beaune, Burgundy, pinot noir, 1990: Wonderful, mature savigny. Lovely notes of game, red fruit, citrus, green tea, some barnyard. Lithe and medium weight on the palate, red fruit driven, with no drop off, front to back. Finish is medium length and resolving. A great transition wine from the white to the reds.

***+GTS Vineyards, Estate, Diamond Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 2005: A lovely wine. GTS stands for George Thomas Seaver and yes, this is his vineyard and wine. The wine is made by Thomas Rivers Brown on Tom Seaver's behalf and it shows TRB's house style. Ripe, voluminous, blackberry jam, mulling spices, Christmas pudding notes jump from the glass. The palate is velvety, generous and coating with lots more black fruit, fig and crushed rock. The finish is long and firm, the only real element that tells me this might be from Diamond Mountain, a terroir that generally produces monster wines that are unapproachable at this stage. Just a delicious wine, though I would quibble with the heavy hand.

**Chateau Troplong Mondot, St. Emillon, 1964: Past its prime but not completely without merit. Unraveling, slightly sherried notes of tangy BBQ sauce, caramel, chocolate and plum. More lively on the thinning palate, with better plum notes and hints of mineral and herb. Finish surprisingly pronounced. Older wines like this are always about storage conditions and other variables outside the bottle as well as in, so your mileage may vary significantly. Still, a fun experiment.

Wine Musings Vol#60

Wine of Merit: ***++Chateau Gruaud Larose, 2nd growth, St. Julien, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, 2005: Wow. What a stately wine. Believe the hype for this vintage. I am a gruaud head and was surprised when my Dad opened this up – I imagined that it would be impenetrable at this age. Instead it was a joy. No question that this wine is still primal and still a brute – but it is perfectly balanced, limitless in its depth and well integrated front to back. Great black fruit, chalk a touch of loamy soil, this wine will progress and nuance as it ages. Now it can be enjoyed for its succulence, power and grace. Wonderful wine – I’m excited I got a case! What a buy at $50 a pop!

***+Eric Texier, Brezeme, Vielles Vignes Perqualt, Cote du Rhone, 2005: I have commented on this wine in the past and was less than overwhelmed. Well, it has hit its stride and then some. Wonderful, meal in a glass nuances and textures. Dynamite wine that offers so much more than what I think of as typical CDR (in fact it is 100% syrah). Rosemary, black olive, lavender, tar, scorched earth…just layers and layers. Lots of thick, ripe mixed berry pie just unloads from the glass. Wonderful, velvety mouth feel and considerable depth. Coating front to back. Fine, sweet medium length finish. Delicious and a great value. Drink or hold.

***Fattoria Le Puppille, Saffredi, IGT, Toscana, 2004: A remembrance of our recent trip to the Maremma …and what a wonderful concoction of cabernet, merlot and alicante! Initially a bit reticent from the glass, this wine filled out quickly. Like many of the French varietal oriented Maremma wines, the varietal nature of the grapes cannot but be influenced by the wonderful, exuberant “Italianess” that the Maremma imbues into its soils. Very much in a fruit driven style, the nose of this wine is juicy, ripe blackberries and sugarplums, floral lavender, rosemary and pine needles, earth and a wonderful, powdery “C Howard Violet Chewing Gum” thing that I adore and that fills the senses. Surprisingly, the palate showed some thinness in the middle, though it added a very nice black pepper and leather note to the fruit and flowers. The finish was long and chewy. While I often take serious points away for a lack of integration and balance, this was a very nice wine. I have read where some have afforded this huge scores…I would consider it fun and very much worth a romp. At $80 this seems upside down to me.

**Walter Hansel, Estate, Russian River Valley, chardonnay, 2002: Past its prime. Walter Hansel makes wines that impress a great deal at first blush – the term “burgundian” is often thrown about. Not this time. Tell tale dark golden hue. Wine offers lovely minerality , some white peach but mostly faded fruit and a touch of madiera. Lots of hazelnut from toasted oak barrels. Palate is still firm and a bit racy. Lots of spice and a slight bitterness on the finish. A style of wine that flatters in its youth but struggles with bottle age.

Wine Musings Vol#38

Wine of Merit: ****Chateau Gruaud Larose, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 2000: I opened this by mistake, thinking it a 1990. It was a fortuitous mistake. Huge and brawny, this wine and the 86 Barton really are not that dissimilar, though one is the before and the other is the after. This wine makes me think of a bottomless well…black, deep, endless. The nose is surprisingly generous, offering that Gruaud funk, blackberry, briar, tar…great stuff. The structure suggests this wine will reward cellaring for decades. Superlative. You know, it is a pity Bordeaux is costing so much these days…the wines are really worthy and in a completely different class from even the best Cali cabernets.


***++Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1986: Ok – let’s get one thing out in the open right from the start…I LOVE well crafted St. Julien wines. So rich, so powerful and yet so nuanced...just wonderful. This wine delivers. Great color and depth. Aromas of blackberry preserves, cassis, nuances of iodine, minerals, forest bottom. Palate initially seems to have thinned a bit, but then opens up to reveal more black fruit, licorice with a full, coating feel. Tannins are still very much present but wonderfully integrated. Righteous.


***+Blackbird Vineyards, Proprietary Red Wine, Oak Knoll, 2004: This is a merlot based wine made by Sarah Gott that has been garnering quite a bit of praise lately. It is, in fact delicious. Not the “new world Pomerol” that they suggest it is – instead I would liken it to old school Matanzas Creek (of which I am a big fan): Deep, blue, red fruit based, great concentration and balance, generous use of new oak. Great notes of black currant, dark chocolate, violets…great stuff. Full, coating mouthfeel, lots of depth right to the finish, sweet, long tannins. Dynamite wine. At $80, not sure if it is a wine I will buy in every vintage…but it does not disappoint.


***+PlumpJack Reserve, Oakville, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: See Husic…sort of. This wine exhibits a bit more balance and nuance, though the base notes are very much the same. I won’t repeat the notes (they really are very similar) other than to say that these are wines that can be had with a nice cheese plate or chocolate dessert and I am sure will really show well. Fun wines that I am glad to drink…but not to cellar.


***DeLille Cellars, Chaluer Estate Blanc, Washington, 2006: A Sauvignon blanc / Semillon mix that blinded I would have guessed white Graves. Really super, fresh lemon zest, slate, mission fig a touch of petrol. With time, more of the barrel fermented Semillion shows up adding toast, almond and vanilla. Bracing acids but not zippy, great mouthfeel…a serious white that is a great food wine. Reminds me a bit of the Kalin Semillion. At $30 a pop it is very much worth seeking out.


***Medlock Ames, Bell Mountain, Alexander Valley, sauvignon blanc, 2006: I had not tried this wine before…and I was blown away! One of a select few that set the standard for California sauvignon blanc (I would place it right up there with Peter Michael Après Midi and Rochioli Estate). Fresh, lithe, bright and energized, this sauvignon blanc has wonderful, sweet lichee, white peach, honeysuckle, vanilla and lavender notes. Not cloying or racy, this has surprising depth and grace for a wine so young, with dynamite, clean minerality from mid palate to finish. Good stuff.

***Husic Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2002: Husic is one of those new-to-the-scene $100 a pop cabernet wineries that have sprouted up all over the place in Napa Valley, as boomers age out of the work force and decide to pursue their life long dream of hob knobbing with Heidi Barrett and Francis Ford Coppola (See Revana, Vineyard 29, etc.). Good by me! In any case, this wine seems to follow the ultra-ripe, extended maceration, high ferment temp, lots of new oak, full throttle strategy that generates big scores among some. It is delicious. Lush, plum and prune Danish, almond paste (hamantashen! How often do you see that in a wine note?) notes. Lots of hazelnut, espresso bean and chocolate, along with cardamom and cigar box. Briar. The mouth feel is lush and velvety and unwinds to offer blackberry preserve and licorice. Finish is round and sweet. I appreciate it, just not really my style.

**++Chasseur, Lorenzo’s vineyard, chardonnay, 2003: Jonesing for a positive Chassuer experience…this wine delivers. Initially coy and even a bit funky, it opens to reveal big, ripe chardonnay fruit, butterscotch and baked pear. Lush, round mouthfeel. Some minerals on the finish with a slight edge of bitterness. More Corton than Mersault, I like this wine but it seems almost one dimensional, so round and buttery is the perfumed nose. Reminds me of a Beringer PR chardonnay – not an ager but good.

Wine Musings Vol#23

From Notes taken June, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****Notorious, Patricia Green Cellars, Yamhill County pinot noir, 2004: It’s a big promise – and it delivers. Nice. Very burgundian – but clearly from Oregon - with earth, black truffle, cola and ripe black cherry. Nutmeg and Asian spices. A touch of pine needles.

****Chateau Gruaud Larose 1978: Wow. I have had this wine many times and it has never been this good. Surprisingly powerful right from the bottle. Nose of petrol, sous bois, ripe black fruit and menthol. Big. Palate is full, with a much greater purity of black and red fruit. Exotic spices. Finish is firm. Meal in a glass. The reason I fell in love with G-L many years ago.

*****Kongsgaard Cahrdonnay, 2003: Same as last time. Best new world chard I have ever had. Period. Orange marzipan, candied lemon zest, mascarpone. Chiffon, perfect meringue with a taste of hazelnut. Mission figs. The cocaine of chardonnay.

***+Donnhoff, Neiderhauser Hermansholle, Spatelese, troken, 2002: I am sure that the description is not the complete label – what is it with the Germans? Anyway, this Riesling is the real deal. Lichee, roasted pine nuts, anise – sweet but also spiced. Viscous but not cloying at all – focused and intense. A serious wine. I loved it and bought a case. Easy to drink a lot of. No wonder they Germans lost the war. They cracked a few of these and before you know it – wham!- here come the allies and Fritz can’t even stand up. Delish!

***++Aubert, Ritchie Vineyard, Chardonnay, 2004: Interesting wine. The palate is wonderful. Great, pear and meyer lemon. Nutmeg, anise. Bright and youthful, with great balance and integration. The color is downright cloudy. I mean like, cloudy chance of rain, cloudy. Perhaps it is not stabilized. Delicious.

***Ferrari Carano Cabernet Reserve, 1992: A serious wine with a groovy label. I have always liked this cab – it shows great grip, dust tannins and wonderfully full, fruit driven mouth feel across the entire palate. Probably a touch better younger – this wine still pleases as it has gained in stature and sophistication, showing some bramble and pepper along side the black fruit and menthol. Solid.

Wine Musings Vol#11

From notes taken February, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****+Didier Dageneau Pur Sang, 1996: Crazy Didier Dageneau. He makes great Loire whites! Calling his wine a Puilly Fume, which I guess it is, is like calling a Ferrari a Fiat (which I guess it is). Anyway, this is a 10 year old Sauvignon Blanc that is fresh, vivid and wonderfully complex. Out of the glass it is all about the freshness, with bright lemongrass, grilled grapefruit and fig. With time the wine unwinds to show more garrigue, the wonderful flint and wet stone of the terroir and even some tobacco. The palate is fresh and lively and deftly balanced to the perfectly integrated finish. Too young still? It boggles the mind. A Doug Polaner repped wine, by the way. Max, how does your brother rep all the best wines? Not for the meek – like $70 a pop. Try his other wine, Silex – it will rock your world (excuse the pun). And your wallet ($100+).

**+Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast, 1996: A bit tired. Maturing color, a bit hazy. Varietal. Ripe red fruit, cinnamon, green tea and cola. The mid palate is just right trending toward thinning. The finish is short and a tinge of green and slightly bitter spice belies the new oak it was barreled in (American?), now that the fruit is not there to support it. I think this might be the first release after Ed and Burt sold to the Millbrook guy. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Belland, Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot, Clos Pitois 2002: Funny how red chassagne montrachet has become the exception, not the rule. Used to be the other way around. Anyway, from the famed Morgeot (1er cru) vineyard. This wine right now is not forthcoming and reveals only good structure, hinting at varietal fruit elements. I also pick up a green edge, cola and maybe a slight sweet vegetal (beet?) aroma. Maybe it was the beet salad I was eating. :>) I would defer judging this wine til it is ready to have an honest conversation. Seems like it is built for the longer haul, though.

****+Gruaud Larose 1990: Now that’s what I am talking about. Thanks Gary! Mature but big boned cabernet from St. Julien. I love this wine – and love it more every time I have it. Wonderful stone fruit, briar, slate, cassis and tobacco – man, why smoke Cubans when you can drink this stuff. Typical Gruaud animal / leather notes, though I notice they have become less pronounced the more Parker gives them higher scores. Oh well. Perfect balance with more minerals and black fruit and smoke on the palate. Furry finish. Enjoy now or over the next 5+ years for sure. I bought mine on release for $27 a pop at Brewers World, back in the day. Set you back $140 these days.

***Inniskillin Vidal ice wine, 1998: Take off to the great white north! From the Niagara region. Wow! This stuff is so yummy. Seriously mature, honeyed color. Thick, juicy and sweet. The nose is honey, orange blossom, lavender and grilled peaches. Explosive palate, adding tobacco notes, chai and excellent purity of tropical fruit (papaya?). Finish is firm and spicy but never bitter or medicinal. Ageless. Heavier than the Bonny Doon Vin de Glacier (made with Muscat Canelli) and a bit less complex than some of the best Freemark Abbey Edelweins (botrytis Riesling), this is a wine that is fun for the whole family, though not cheap ($50 for a split). It’s a beauty, you hoser!