Wine Musings Vol#107

What? A new wine musings? Could it be? Well after a much needed rest, the muser has decided once again to muse. For now. Just to mix it up a bit. I feel like Gary Vee (lol). Here are a few from the vault that merit mentioning...

****++Wine of Merit: Roses de Jeanne, Le Creaux d'Enfer, Champagne, NV (2006): Back with a bang! This is an utterly profound 100% pinot noir, saignee sparkler from Cedirc Bouchard. Very small production from a very small (.032 hectare) parcel in Champagne. Nuanced notes of minerals, pomegranate, rhubarb and tamarind. Very aromatic, with wonderful detail. The palate is chiseled and energetic, good acids, great depth . Long finish. Majestic.

***++ Chateau Leoville Poyferre, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1995: Bulls eye on this wine's drinking window, though in no hurry at all. Expressive elements of cassis, blackberry, cedar, iodine and grilled bell pepper. Wonderful concentration and depth, front to back. Finish is fine and adds sweetness. Exactly what I hope for from a claret. Wish I had bought more back in the day.

***++ Laurel Glen, Sonoma Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1986: Meal-in-a-glass nicoise olives, tar, grilled mushrooms, maturing red fruit, sage. Full on the palate, wonderful balance and depth to the fine, furry finish. Really a stand-out of the evening. I wish they (Napa/Sonoma) still made them this way. A gift.

***+ Restalte, Ribera del Duero, Crianza, 2005: Pure exubernace in a glass. Aromatically explosive stuff. Wonderful effusive notes of red/black raspberry, rosehip, tisane and yes, tagine spices. Somehow very well balanced on the palate, with some new world chocolate and vanilla. But I keep coming back to the nose. My mother-in-law used to have a huge, thickly cut diamond ring that she called "The Wower". This wine is wower material. Great QPR.

***+Merus, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: No explanations, no excuses. No one will confuse this wine with anything other than a big, brawny, Napa cab. What it lacks in sophistication it makes up for in sheer pleasure. Thick, blueberry pie, treacle and espresso notes. All singing, all dancing. Not much on focus or precision on the palate, just more big, bombastic fruit, mocha and vanilla. Not my everyday cup of tea (or should I say slice of pie) but fun while it lasts. Yum.

*** Windgap, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles, grenache/syrah/mouvedre blend, 2007: Awesome. Raspberry, white pepper, bacon and maple. Lively. More red berry and pepper on the palate. Full, coating but still bright...yummy. Pax has really hit a homer with this Wind Gap label. Kudos.

Wine Musings Vol#78

Wine of Merit: ****Leoville Poyferre, estate, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1996: Signing in full voice. Just great, room-filling aromatics. Garrigue, blackberry, nicoise olives, licorice, cassis. Clear-eyed, focused and very much on point. The palate glides. More berries, chocolate, integrated, a touch of clove. Finish is fine and long. A wine to enjoy now or cellar for another 10 years. A pleasure - and probably still a value from that vintage as it was not a huge scoring wine upon release (88 WS, 93 RP).

***+Newton Cellars, Napa Valley, Unfiltered cabernet sauvignon, 1991: Just right. Evolved. Mature red plum fruit, funghi trifolati, grilled fennel, tar. The palate is velvet, more plum and chocolate, coating. Finish is succulent and of middle length. A wine that is giving it all it has right now.

*** Chateau La Nerthe, Chateauneuf du Pape, Blanc, 2004: Love it! Great, zesty white from the sunny part of France. I am crazy for white chateauneuf, especially in ripe vintages. This wine just has wonderful joie de vivre, great concentration and boyancy! Floral, expansive, happy notes of grilled pineapple, clover honey, cardamom, fennel, a touch of lilac or lavender. The palate is full yet firmly structured and the finish long and spicy. Van Gogh is a glass. Bottled sunshine.

***Jocelyn Lonen, Bohn Vineyard, Russian River Valley, sonoma, Reserve chardonnay, 2006: Very nice indeed. I think this represents a good benchamrk for RRV chardonnay; lovely, bright citrus zest, lime blossom, nuances of sweet tropical fruit. A note of bees wax and mild tobacco. The palate is rich, viscous and oily, adding some mineral and marzipan sugar. The finish is spicy and long, a touch of nutmeg. No one would confuse this with a white burg and no one should. A smile.

***Bedell Cellars, Cupola, North Fork Long Island, 1998: I do not profess a great deal of knowledge about Long Island wines. This is a meritage of sorts, representing a typical Bordeaux blend with cabernert, merlot, cab franc, petite verdot and malbec. I have to say...it is delicious! Age has added nice complexity to the nose, with ripe black berry fruit components, a touch of bell pepper and truffle, violets and licorice root. The low alcohol and still bright acids makes this wine a joy to have with food. Perhaps the mid palate could use some stuffing. But for a 10 year old wine you take the mid town tunnel to get to, I was impressed. Well done!

**++Duhart Millon, estate, Paulliac, Bordeaux, 1996: Buoyed by the Poyferre, I struck out for gold again. No such luck. A very decent, perfumed wine, this iteration seems a bit tired. Lovely red and black fruits on the nose, cedar and cassis. A hint of minerals. The palate thins a bit in the middle and the finish is on the short side. Probably a wine to drink up, wistfully thinking about what could have been.

Wine Musings Vol#25

From notes taken July, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ***Siduri Van de Kamp Vineyard pinot noir, 1996: From 2X magnum. I had fallen into and out of love with Siduri pinot noir over the years. Adam and Diana Lee are about the nicest people in the world and care a great deal about they product the create. But the wines seemed to start out strong and then become awkward and angular and I stopped cellaring them a few years ago. Well, it is time to re-think the strategy, This wine is surprisingly fresh and fruity. Lovely black cherry, spice box, cola and green tea notes. The palate is full and bright, showing more black/bing cherry, red licorice, lavender and cream. Very good integration through to the firm but sweet finish. Lovely.

***+Domaine l Aiguelière, Cote Ruosse, 1995: What’s Up Languedoc? This wine has always been a meal in a glass, often too much of a good thing. A previous bottle had suggested some mellowing so I cracked one. This was still very youthful and expressive, but more integrated and fruit forward than in the past. Still showing camphor, petrol, humus soil, mushroom, roasted red and green bell pepper and a ton of mature red fruit, this wine is not for the meek. Still, it is unique and incredibly well crafted. Great palate with more red and black fruit and a firm but deftly integrated finish. I dig it.

***Andrew Will, Washington State, Merlot, 1992: Yummy. I dig the whole Andrew Will disdain for the “international palate” – we share an appreciation for balance and wine integrity. I also like the quirky vibe Chris Camarada exudes – reminds me a little of Nils Venge but with a Pac Rim sensibility. This wine is from the early-ish days and is well crafted, showing excellent varietal expression. Chocolate, blackberry, violets. Mineral palate with more berry fruit and mocha…a touch of pine needle. Finish is resolved but not soft. A lovely wine that is ready to be enjoyed with a nice meal. Andrew Will, Matanzas Creek and Beringer Bancroft Ranch merlot from the early 90s are worth seeking out right now.

***++Pignan Reserve, Chateauneuf du Pape, 1995: Made by Chateau Rayas, this is a CndP that is almost more pinot like than your typical southern Rhone. This wine is silky smooth on the palate, all red cherry fruit, black currant jam, herbs and white pepper. It has gained some subtlety with age. More berries and gaurrigue on the palate, some bramble and a firm-ish finish. This wine does not suck.

***Domaine l Aiguelière, Cote Doree, 1995: The other wine from this estate in Montpeyroux. 100% Syrah. Not quite as flamboyant as the Cote Rousse, this wine is still rustic and rough around the edges in a very artisanal way. Black fruit, lavender and minerals, and HUGE black pepper make this a mouthful of wine. The palate is downright chewy showing more slate minerality and plum and berry fruit, earth and truffle. The finish is firm with coating tannins and more of that signature black pepper. An interesting wine that has a long life ahead of it.

**++Pavillon des Connetables, 2000: Leoville Poyferre’s 3rd wine! That’s right, they have a third label. A bit of research shows that this is wines from young vines on the estate. Very St. Julien, excellent stock, though still reserved. Brooding red fruit, some slightly vegetal elements, nice cassis and earth. Palate shows very little right now, though it clearly has depth and structure. I would imagine that it will be fleshing out over the next two to 5 years. Worthy.