Wine Musings Vol#27

From notes taken August, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ***++Robert Ampeau, Volnay Santenot, 1er cru, 1993: To know Robert Ampeau is to dig his whole approach to wine. He holds his wine until he decides it is ready. Maybe 5 years, maybe 10, maybe more. Nice, if you can pull it off. This is the current vintage of this wine! And, as usual, he is right on the money. Delicious, sophisticated, multi layered. Shows a bit of barnyard and tobacco, but plenty of cherry red fruit, cardamom, cola and a nuance of Marco Polo tea (do you know it? It is made by Mariage Freres and worth seeking out) . Oak is nicely integrated, adding some chai spice and vanilla to the palate and the sweet, fine tannins on the finish. Showing beautifully and will drink for at least another 3 to 5 years for sure.

**Campbell Rutherglen Muscat, NV: Hot! Hot! Hot! 17.5% alch. This is a syrupy, port styled wine made from Muscat in the land down under. Amber hue. More of a Vin Santo experience, it offers a hot, alcohol-driven nose, with nutty, white raisin and vanilla stewed peaches on the palate. Astringent finish with some spice. This is clearly why Mad Max was so mad. Dip your biscotti and say, “Gidday!”

***++Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard cabernet, 2001: Stately. I enjoy this old style, mountain cab. This varietal driven wine offers deep, mountain red fruit, cassis, minerals and hints of tobacco. Firm and structured, everything is there, including some well integrated NFO, but in reserve. In fact, it has a vin de garde quality that will reward cellaring. It reminds me of a Californian Leoville Las Cases – or possibly a slightly more modern Diamond Creek VH. A wine of conviction. I dig it.

***MJ Dry Creek Sangiovese, 2002: Made by the Unti family, of zinfandel fame. I admit to a soft place in my heart for Dry Creek fruit. Wonderful purity and elegance. The Volnay of Sonoma. This does not disappoint. Initially very red, cherry fruit and spice, the wine settles into a more sophisticated saddle leather, clove and mocha signature. Palate is spicy, with more red fruit and zippy acids. Long, spicy, sweet finish. Yummy.

***+Rodney Strong, Alexander Valley Cabernet Reserve, 1992: Very well crafted. Delicious, varietal, still very fresh, good depth, balance and concentration, good length on the finish. A very good wine overall that has benefited from aging. I honestly believe that the Alexander valley is underappreciated for its ability to deliver excellent cabernet sauvignon. I have always liked the Silver Oak bottling (yes, it’s true!) and think the Verite wines benefit from this appellation as well.

**Bedell Cellars, Reserve Merlot, 2001: From the North Fork of Long Island. I wanted to like this wine. Not a personal favorite though over all not bad. A wine by numbers kinda wine. What they meant in Sideways when they were dissing Merlot. Mocha, plum fruit, some minerals, pretty blousy. I can just see a bunch of folks tasting this wine and saying, “Smooth!” Moving on.

*+Nero di Vite, Caniette, 2000: There is a story to this wine. First it is from the Marche, as is yours truly. Secondly, one of the owners sent me a bottle when it was released back in the day and I found it delicious. Not super sophisticated but yummy – a poor man’s Caprai 25 anni - exactly what you would hope for in a Rosso Piceno. As it turns out it is imported to the US so I bought a case. The wine I bought here is a disaster. Unbalanced, searingly tannic – it is a shame. The ripe, plump red fruit is there but the palate is a mess. Maybe the imported wine is different? Maybe a bad batch? Who knows. Che tragedia!

Wine Musings Vol#10

From notes taken Febuary, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ***++Cornerstone Cabernet, 1992: A re-do from a corked bottle. As I had suspected, this wine has progressed perfectly. Mountain fruit that has matured and come along very nicely. It will now reward those who stood by it for these 13 years. Heady, sweet and perfumed, perfect black fruit and bramble, velvet, wet slate and chalk, still chewy, a big wine from a soft-ish vintage. Far from finished but drinking great now. Drink this with a nice meal, like a grilled game hen with rosemary and new potatoes and thank Hashem for the little things in life. Well done Bruce!

***+Newton Unfiltered Cabernet, 1991: More fodder for 1991 being the vintage of the 90s in Napa. Deep, if maturing, color to the rim. Wonderfully complex and deftly balanced, almost St. Emillion-like, tertiary aromas of grilled meats, earth, cigar box and velvety red fruit unfold from the glass. Lovely, mature body, thinning just slightly, furry finish. Very sexy wine. If the Galleron is Denueve, then this is Ursula Andress: Less mystery, more body! The time to drink this is now.

**Melville Estate Pinot Noir, 2000: Clone 115, wild yeast fermented from the central coast – like 100 cases made. Deep, very extracted, thick pinot noir (14.5% alcohol). Lush, black cherry, kirshwasser, cream and jammy strawberry preserves. Full palate through to a very firm, almost peppery finish. I am not a huge fan of this style of pinot. It lacks class and finesse, trading those qualities for over-the-top flavors and mouth feel. Others love it (as in “gobs and gobs of hedonistic fruit…”). I am guessing that it, like similarly styled zins and syrahs, will get pruney before it ever knits together to show any elegance. I appreciate the effort and simply choose to disagree with the style.

***Harrison Cabernet Sauvignon, 1993: A horse of a different color! Pritchard Hill fruit. Very nice indeed, particularly with a meal. Classically styled cabernet. Elegant integration front to back. This wine has aged well, showing well knitted notes of blackberry and plum, green tea, minerals and mint. Full mouth-feel with no drop off. Good structure hints that this should hold on for a year or two. Still, the time is now. Eric Brown says, “Delicious”. There you have it.

**+Rodney Strong Cabernet Reserve, Alexander Valley, 1992: A good, solid cabernet. Solid garnet color to the rim. Perfectly resolved, red fruit, minerals, truffles and lavender. Coating entry and full mid palate. Finish is thinning a touch, revealing some of the new oak this has been aged in. Hard to believe this wine has held up as well as it has for 13 years. I think I paid $10 a pop back in the day. And ice cream was a nickel, too! Drink now over the next 12 months.

*+St. Francis Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, 1995: Full throttle zin from the famed Pagani Ranch. High alcohol (15%), unctuous and thick, this wine was a “fruit bomb” on issue. With time, the plum and red fruit has become of the stewed variety and the alcohol has made this more than a little hot on the finish. Oak elements are also of note (chocolate, dill, vanilla) as is some soy. I think this serves as a good case study for those high scoring, high alcohol zins that Robert Parker loves. They are clearly for near term consumption and can be appreciated for their over-the-top styles – but do not confuse them with the best iterations of the varietal (see Nalle, Ridge, Ravenswood or the Rafanelli - the 3 Rs of zin – for beautiful, balanced wines that can age effortlessly). FIN

***Chassuer, Lorenzo vineyard Chardonnay, 2003: The Hunter becomes the hunted! I am a fan of Chassuer wines and have been since before it was cool (Still drinking my 98 Shop Block). Made by Bill Hunter up in Sebastopol, the chards and pinots are serious, well made and unapologetic. Good, pale straw to golden hue with excellent clarity, this young chard shows weight and complexity. The nose is expansive, with buttered popcorn, mission fig and plenty of toast that is well integrated and not dominant. Reminds me of a good Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne. Oily, the palate is full and coating, offering tropical fruit, blood orange and lichee, with cardamom and vanilla crème brulee and a firm, long spicy finish. It is so hard to get the oak thing right - and in this case it is perfectly integrated. While 2002 will undoubtedly earn higher praises for the RRV than 2003, this is a solid effort – and will improve with a year or two in the bottle. 294 cases made. I bought a bunch and I am glad I did!