Wine Musings Vol#79

Wine of Merit: **** Domaine Philippe Delesvaux, Anthologie, Coteaux du Layon, chenin blanc, 1997: Wow. Initially I feared this wine had suffered poor storage and had been oxidized; the cork was brittle and the color a very dark amber. Lucky for us this was not the case and the wine was excellent, if of disconcerting color. Initially the nose was pure black mission fig jam; a touch earthy, ripe, sweet (the wine has 535 gr. of residual sugar!) and deep. With time, the wine added more traditional botrytis nuances...lichee, ripe persimmon, thick clover honey, nectarine, vanilla orchid. The palate was thick and excellent, adding orange marmalade, caramel, biscotti and baking spices,a touch of brandy. Perhaps influenced by the color, a few said it reminded them of a vin santo. The finish was excellent; spicy and seemingly endless. I am sure storage has played some role here but the experience was outstanding.

***++Chateau de Baucastel, Chateau Neuf du Pape, 1994: A lovely wine. Initially offering complex, rustic, barnyard and grilled meat notes, this wine unfurled with time to offer very focused blackberry, herb, licorice root and iron aromas. Further development in the glass offered a floral hint of violet and lavender. The palate was lively, with more black fruit, pepper, minerals and brier. The palate is fine and firm. An excellent bottle.

***++Beringer Private reserve, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1991: The essence of Napa. Just stuffed with wonderful, deep, red and black stone fruit, cassis, cedar and a hint of chalky, wet slate. The palate is deep, concentrated and chewy, surprisingly youthful yet still deftly integrated. The tannins are fine and the finish long. A great ambassador for the area - a wine I would consider a first growth, or at the very least a super second, of the Napa Valley.

***++Chateau Montelena, estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1995 (from magnum): Speaking of ambassadors! Here is another wonderful example of what the left coast has to offer. Signature notes of mature plum, chocolate, a hint of soy, black tea and licorice. Vibrant. The palate is downright juicy, vivacious and fun to be around. Great balance. More feminine than the Beringer but not fragile or dainty, this wine is stacked. Just plain old yummy. The mag disappeared in a heartbeat. Drinking great right now.

***++Kongsgaard, Napa Valley, chardonnay, 2004: I believe the 2004 vintage of Kongsgaard chards suffers in comparison with the 2003 and 2005. Still very much a worthy wine, it does not show quite the depth and concentration of the other two vintages. That said, this wine is stunning. If a bit demure, it has a stunning mineral focus, accompanied by bright marzipan, Meyer lemon and honeyed kaffir lime notes. the palate is bright and intense, more taught than other vintages, with resounding minerals and a long, Asian spice imbued finish. Great stuff!

***Clos Pegase, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1995: Lovely and surprisingly fresh. Perhaps the first of the "let's take a large fortune and turn it into a small fortune" wineries in the Napa Valley...see Revana, Vineyard 29, Darioush, etc. This wine is nonetheless very legit. Dominated by red fruit, morrels, eucalyptus, tisane and spice, the wine is elegant and expertly crafted. The palate glides, offering good concentration, weight and balance. The finish is fine and medium to long, with spicy oak notes at the tail. Delicious and worth the wait.

***Matanzas Creek, Sonoma, merlot, 1991: I have had some success with older Matanzas Creek merlots, so I had some hopes for the longevity of this wine. It is delicious, if perhaps on the downward slope. Mature plum, blackberry and lavender mix with tertiary bell pepper, garrigue and iodine notes. Hints of mineral, vanilla and violet. The palate is full, receding here and there, with more overripe plum, violet and chocolate. The finish is of medium length and fine. Probably more vibrant and primal in its youth, it is still fun and perhaps more complex now...and very much worth drinking tonight.

A quick P.S.: The ****Aubert, Lauren Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay 2004 continues to be a breath taking, wonderful, amazing chardonnay. My notes from January of last year (Musings Vol#46) remain almost identical this week.

Wine Musings Vol#55

Wine of Merit: ****Castello dei Rampolla, Sammarco, Toscana, Rosso, 1997: A tale of two wines. At first this cab based Italian is decidedly international in style – blind I would have guessed California merlot. Lovely, velvety red fruit, lavender, chocolate…a full coating palate with more yummy red fruit, licorice, chalk and café au lait…just delicious…but somehow a bit of a recipe wine. Amazingly with time, this wine changes completely. Two hours in and this wine introduces strawberry rhubarb, baking spices, soaped saddle leather, a touch racy, great minerality…now that’s Italian! Interesting how the cab works as a back drop – maybe more of a structural support platform - for the two other elements (Merlot and Sangiovese) that are actually very much in the minority in this wine. A real treat!

***++La Spinetta, Pin, Monferrato, Rosso, 1999: Masculine and sophisticated. This is still a very big wine, with I am sure decades of longevity left. It is however also balanced and nicely integrated, and thus wonderful to drink right now. Deep, thick blue fruit, some pine and lots of minerals on the brooding nose, this wine exhibits predominantly Nebbiolo characteristics up front. Palate coating, firmly tannic and evidencing integrated medium toast new French oak, the body is almost more Bordeaux than traditional Piemontese. With time, the Nebbiolo surrenders to at least an integrated element of the Barbera, introducing more traditional Italian red fruit and smoke. An extremely well crafted wine that I will continue to cellar with enthusiasm – and at under $50 an amazing buy.

***+Talty, Talty Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, zinfandel, 2004: Talty is tasty! This was a new winery for me – and a welcomed introduction to be sure. This wine is all about freshness – one whiff and I can close my eyes and be transported directly to the Dry Creek, barrel sampling at a number of my favorite wineries up on Dry Creek Road. Very, very berry driven, this wine is laden with fresh fruit, herbs and minerals and packs a wallop of black pepper to go with (I understand there is a decent dose of Petite Sirah in here – I can taste it). Not overripe or hot at all, it is really about the freshness and a very light hand in the winemaking process. While my zin collection has dwindled down to a select few producers (Doug Nalle being chief among them) – this Talty wine gives me confidence to go back and see what else might be going on out there. Just delicious!

***Matanzas Creek, Sonoma County, merlot, 1990: Wonderful, mature Sonoma merlot. Made back in the day when this label was truly representative of the best merlot made in California. Deep, deep, perfumed black fruits, a touch of soy, spice box and church incense, including a hint of the lavender this estate has become so noted for. Thinning a bit mid palate, it still shows great black/red fruit and liquid minerals. The finish is still surprisingly firm if fine and sweet. Dynamite wine. Give it some air and drink up.

Wine Musings Vol#29

From notes taken March, 2007:

Wine(s) of Merit: ****+Chateau La Fluer de Gay, Pomerol, 1989: Wow. This was our Valentine’s day choice…and if I only had one wine to drink for the rest of my life, this wine would have to be in serious consideration. Still young and somewhat brooding, this wine has great power and great finesse at the same time. Deep, dark to the rim, the wine shows great dark cherry, plum and anise notes, with valhrona chocolate, molasses, sage and perfumed violets. Coating and lush, the wine still has great backbone across the entire palate, showing more plum, chocolate, minerals and tobacco. Strong, fine tannin finish. Amy’s comment” “I don’t think this is what the guy in sideways was talking about when he said I am not drinking any fucking merlot!” Ditto.

****+Vietti, Barbaresco Masseria, 2001: OK. I feel like Steve Martin from the Jerk now. You know, when he says, “All I need is this paddle game. That’s all. And this ashtray. Ok I need the paddle ball game and the ashtray…”. I now admit to needing the La Fluer de Gay AND this Vietti barbaresco as the only wines to drink for the rest of my life…Yum. Perfumed, red fruit, truffles, pine needles, minerals and cigar tobacco. Wow. Lovely. Great depth and nuance. Palate offers more, with an emphasis on minerality and some saddle leather and mocha. Truly a dynamite wine. I think the thing I like about it is that it is so clearly Italian, really showing sense of place, but with great purity and focus as well. Bravo!

***Hitching Post, Cork Dancer, Santa Barbara, pinot noir, 2004: Lovely, warm climate pinot. I prefer the RRV pinots, but this had nice, slightly pruney black cherry fruit, bramble and white pepper. Palate was racy and bright, with nice red fruit and tar through the finish. Not over extracted, with nice integration. Very nice.

****Flowers, Andreen Gale Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2001: Wow. Very nice indeed. Great harmony, balance and integration from this cooler climate pinot. Elegant with just the right lushness. I did not dig this wine on release finding it angular – which was disappointing, given the success that Camp Meeting Ridge gas gad for other wine makers. Well, those corners have smoothed themselves out. Great fruit, weight and palate coating viscosity. Dynamite and hitting its stride.

**++Radio Couteau, Alberigi, pinot noir, 2004: Hmmm…while this wine has the provenance, I find it a bit awkward. Much like many of the newer styled pinots, it has IMHO too much extract and probably too much heat. Maybe too much of just about everything. Which, in the end, may make for an interesting and nuanced wine as it ages. For now, the wine is a big mouthful of wine with cab like firmness on the finish and red and black fruit, brown spice and vanilla that bowls you over. Nice…not my cup of tea.

***Matanzas Creek, Sonoma merlot, 1992: Nice, old school vino. Maturing color, this wine offers mature, overripe plum, red fruit and mocha, ,with a hint of violets. More red fruit, spice and chocolate on the palate, which is losing some of its vibrancy but is still lush and palate coating. Finish is fairly firm, perhaps a bit too given the advanced nature of the wine. Smoke ‘em now.

Wine Musings Vol#14

From notes taken March, 2006:
Wine of Merit: *****Kongsgaard Napa Valley Chardonnay, 2002: What can I say. I wouldn’t change a thing! Simply the best young chardonnay I have ever had. Great varietal expression, perfect balance, perfect flavor integration, wonderful minerality. Worth every penny. I have 2 more in the cellar. I expect that it will improve with age…I just cannot imagine holding out that long.

***+Matanzas Creek Merlot, 1987: Staying Sonoma. There are no great wines...just great bottles of wine. And this was one of them. Inspired by Dave’s merlot notes, I decided to give it a whirl, with a wine I assumed was well past its prime. Instead, a reward of wonderful, rich aromas of ripe plum, gingerroot, grilled meat, lavender and rosemary fill the glass. With time in the glass these evolve to contain grilled bell pepper and dark chocolate as well. The palate offers more luscious stone fruit, minerals and mocha, with a long, spicy finish. Very even and balanced. Not firm, but not falling apart either. Just right. Amy says, “This is just how I remember it!” Of course we have not had this wine in 10 years, but that is why she has such an amazing palate. My last bottle and it went out in a blaze of glory! A real gift.

***J. Wilkes, Bien Nacido Pinot Blanc, 2004: Perfect with sushi! Pale straw to green hue. Small production (under 600 cases) pinot blanc from the central coast. Bright aromatics, featuring white peach, Asian pear and grapefruit. Crisp but surprisingly creamy on the palate, with ripe tropical fruit elements and minerals. Nice, long finish. The amazing $16 value for a 750ml earns it even higher praise. I will buy more.

***++Davis Bynum Le Pinot (Allen / Rochioli), Pinot Noir 1992: Another jewel. Davis Bynum has always made great quality to price ratio driven wines. This wine is from fruit that many of the big boys have used to make wines of great merit. I bought it as a future for maybe $20 a pop. Worth 3X that easily. The tannic edge that this wine had in its youth has vanished, revealing an elegant, fruit driven pinot noir I would put up against almost any other of its ilk. Creamy, pomegranate and roses, cardamom and nutmeg fill the glass. The palate offers black cherry cola, some café latte and cinnamon, palate coating and delicious. The finish is long and spicy. Pure elegance and a dead ringer for a Williams Selyem of the same vineyard and vintage. Wonderful.

**+Hartford Court Highwire Zinfandel, 1997: This is one of those full throttle, high alcohol (14.7%) zinfandels that has still done OK with some bottle age, mostly I think due to its RRV, head pruned old vine provenance. Still showing deep extract and a lush mouth feel, this wine offers aromas of briar, white pepper and roasted stone fruits. Probably best right from the barrel, with age the fruit has become a bit fragile, leaning on the glycerin content, floral nuances and somewhat ephemeral red fruit to make it pleasant. In my opinion, RRV and Dry Creek do best with the low alcohol claret style of zin, so this is a bit of a stretch. Tannins are still very much firm and spicy. This is a wine that has a lot going on but could use some integration and balance. A fun wine.

*Soter Beacon Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2002: Now that Tony Soter has cashed out of Etude, selling it to Beringer Blass, he is doing his own thing in Oregon. I have always been a Soter fan and so looked forward to this wine. It was a big disappointment. 14.5% alcohol, it is way over the top. The deep, black cherry cola fruit is crazy over extracted, the wine hot, thick and flabby. Not dissimilar to Melville pinots. Pass