Wine Musings Vol#83

Wine of Merit: ****+Ridge, Montebello vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: A definitive Montebello. I have had this wine a number of times but never better than right now. Wonderfully layered, nuanced, complex…a meal in a glass. Elements of broad leaf tobacco, grilled meats, blood, iron, camphor, mature plum and red fruits, truffle. Wild, montrose-like qualities. Full, concentrated palate adds more plum and Indian spices. Full on finish…but everything is packaged perfectly. As good a Montebello as the 1991 and a wonderful treat to drink or hold.

****+Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste, Estate, Paulliac, 1996: Wow. Just a dynamite wine. Powerful, vibrant. Yes, traditional Paulliac elements of black and blue fruits, graphite, menthol, minerals. Cassis. Cedar. Pipe Tobacco. But this one has a perfect suppleness to it, a finely toned musculature that just ripples. Huge palate adds licorice root, more minerals and church incense. Perfect integration with a bottomless finish. After a few sips I no longer felt like I was tasting this wine…it was more like watching a great athlete on the field of play. Big Ups.

****Dunn, Howell Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Fabulous purity and focus. Deep, blue black berry fruit, cassis, dusty, crushed chalk. Just starting to stretch its legs now. Wonderful grip, depth and concentration. Super long but surprisingly supple finish, really great balance. The best Howell mountain I have had since the amazing 1982.

***+Araujo, Eisele vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Classically structured, a statesman of a wine. Perhaps overshadowed today by the Montebello, it still has all of those Eisele qualities that make this wine a poster child for what napa cabernet wishes it always could be. Classic Rutherford dust, cassis and black fruit, menthol, cedar. Good tannic profile from front to back, now starting to resolve. Good grip, depth and balance. Special.

***+Chateau Montelena, Estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1996: Again, a classic. Showing telltale Montelena notes of slightly overripe plum, chocolate and soy. Still very youthful and promising. In good to great vintages this is accompanied by minerals, white pepper and a fullness that allows these elements to intermarry and create a wonderful mélange. Good delineation and structure but mostly a juicy, coating mouthful of wine. Delicious.

***+Chateau Montrose, Estate, St. Estephe, 1996: I was surprised by how civil and well behaved this wine is right now. Still, the blood lines are apparent. Great, mature red fruit, truffle, violets, molasses and exotic far eastern spices. A touch of iodine, butter sautéed Brussels sprouts and Malabar pepper. Not nearly as full throttle as the 90 or 89 I think this wine is a bit more contemplative but not coy. The palate is classically structured and the tannins on the long finish are fine, layered and integrated. A wonderful example of a young Bordeaux just beginning to strut its stuff.

***Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron, Estate, Paulliac, 1996: Very good and again a classic iteration of Paulliac. Blue black berry fruit, lead pencil. Wet slate. Deep, coating palate showcases plums and minerals, with some espresso bean notes. Fine, balanced, slightly drying finish. Very worthy.

***Chateau Ducru Beacaillou, Estate, St. Julien, 1996: A lovely wine. Perhaps a bit more feminine than other vintages of Ducru. Red and black berry fruit, acacia, violets, cedar, cinnamon stick. Spicy, red fruit palate that is perfectly integrated and lovingly balanced. Maybe a bit lost next to the Grand Puy Lacoste. A little tight perhaps? Still, picture perfect St. Julien.

Wine Musings Vol#82

Wine of Merit: ****+Pol Roger, Sir Winston Churchill, Champagne, 1996: Stunning. Crisp acidity, chiseled features, a champagne meant to lay down. Right now it shows bright green apple and citrus notes, great minerals, a hint of almond paste...just wonderful. The palate is refreshing and lithe. The finish offers spice, good length and more minerals. Youthfully exuberant.

****Joseph Swan Vineyards, Estate, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, pinot noir, 1996: Just lovely and surprisingly Burgundian. I always think of Swan wines as rustic and sometimes a bit difficult, but this wine has aged into a classic. Nuanced elements of cherries, black and bing, freshly turned top soil, tisane, clove. Licorice root. Not heavy or brooding at all...in fact very bright and finely balanced. The palate is impeccable, great concentration and grip, adding minerals and depth, lovely balance. Medium long, spicy finish. Kudos to Rod Berglund, who stays the course over at Swan. Really top notch.

***++R&V Dauvissat, Les Preuses, Grand Cru, Chablis, chardonnay, 1996: A great example of grand cru chablis from a great vintage. Intense, laser-focused blood orange and lemon zest. Anjou pear. Wet slate. A touch of fennel and white flowers. Bracing acids, flint and bees wax on the gliding palate. Not oxidized at all. Great the next day in fact. Wonderful.

***+Dominique Laurent, Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, pinot noir, 1996: Lovely and nicely balanced front to back. Excellent fruit, integration and depth. Darker cherry elements, supporting spice and rose hip, underbrush, minerals, cinnamon. The palate shows good grip and length, with fine but pronounced tannins that offer confidence for longer cellaring. Surprisingly old school in style from the more new world oriented Laurent. Delicious.

***+Sylvian Cathaird, Les Malconsorts, 1er Cru, Vosne Romanee, pinot noir, 1996: Delicious. I wish I had spent more time with this wine. Perhaps slightly awkward on opening, with time the wine reveals nuance and complexity; bing cherry, ginger, underbrush, licorice root and smoke all seem to intertwine and emerge as a pot pourri-like melange. The palate is firm and perhaps a bit angular, though again with time it softens, sweetens and fills, adding great tagine spices. A wine for grown-ups. I liked it very much.

***Bernard Defaix, Cote de Lechet, 1er Cru, Chablis, chardonnay, 1996: Similar to the Dauvissat, just a bit less so. Perhaps a bit more rustic. Delicious, citrus fruit and zest, now with an element of citrus pith. Liquid minerals, crushed oyster shell. Not quite as sharply focused on the palate as the Grand Cru. Still very lively and very much in form. An excellent effort.

***Jean Marc Boillot, Les Perrieres, 1er Cru, Puligny Montrachet, chardonnay, 1996: Happily this wine also was in good form. Initially demure, this wine opened to warm crushed gravel, white fruits and a touch of lavender. Perhaps a bit more feminine than its chablis counterparts, with a touch less length. Still, delicious.

***Williams Selyem, Hirsch vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 1996: After the Caithard and the Swan, this is like having a black cherry milkshake. A bowl full of cherries, cola, cream, vanilla, a hint of spearmint and caramelized brown sugar...what this wine lacks in sophistication it makes up for in simple enjoyment. Very fresh and full. I was surprised that it did not have the weight, the smoke or the dark fruit elements I associate with Sonoma Coast pinot. Not very nuanced, deep or for that matter interesting, it is undoubtedly delicious. Fun and tasty.

Wine Musings Vol#81

Wine of Merit: ***+Altesino, Brunello di Montalcino, 2001: Quintessential BdM. Delicious, stately and elegant yet warm and inviting. Dark, black cherry notes, caramelized brown sugar, fresh earth. Full but gliding palate. Furry, resolving finish. Wonderful integration and nuanced layers. Super wine.

***+Cantina del Pino, Ovello, Barbaresco, 2004: Mammoth. Chewy expansive notes of black cherry liqueur, bakers chocolate, clove, brier. A nice high tone of rose petal. The palate is coating front to back, significant presence of new oak ads a hazelnut quality, the length on the finish measured in minutes. Clearly made for the long haul.

***+Vietti, Masseria, Barbaresco, 2001: A favorite. Perhaps more developed than I would have assumed, this wine is nonetheless delicious and ready for prime time. Mature, warm mineral notes of black licorice, truffle, tar and ripe plum. The palate is ripe and coating but not dense and chewy. Lovely integration, with a fine finish.

***Calera, Jensen Vineyard, Central Coast, pinot noir, 1985: An oldy but a goody. Surprisingly fresh. Lovely, mature varietal notes waft up with little coaxing. The wine is full and willing, far from fragile. Nice palate feel, red fruit, tisane, rose hip, Asian spice. Fine, medium finish that suggests no hurry. Delightful.

***Elena Fucci, Titolo, Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture, 2005: A rustic southern Italian charmer. Lovely, big boned aglianico notes of bright, effusive raspberry and cherry, crushed slate, Malabar pepper, licorice root. Eucalyptus. Expansive palate, enormous finish. The Sofia Loren of wines. Give this time and food.

**++Arns, Estate, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 1993: A nice example of the varietal, the vintage and the style of the time. Pensive, red fruit driven style, black pepper, green tea lots of minerals. Thinning slightly. palate is a touch racy but overall elegant. Finish is still firm.

Wine Musings Vol#80

Tasted at the most recent Realm Cellars tasting event in NYC. I did not have enough time to spend with each wine so my notes may seem a bit superficial:

Wine of Merit: ***+Realm Cellars, Dr. Crane Vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: Lovely. Typical, perfumed Dr. Crane nose of red fruit, licorice root, spice box and cassis. Some elderflower perhaps. The palate is smooth and well balanced. The new wood and primary and secondary elements well integrated even at this young age. A somewhat noticeable petite verdot element of pine needle and black licorice at the back of the palate, which I am guessing will integrate more as the wine ages. Lovely, fine, furry finish. A very nice, complete rendering of a Napa Valley cabernet.

***+ Realm Cellars, The Tempest, Napa Valley, 2006: Delicious, in fact downright yummy. A blend of mostly merlot, with a significant amount of cabernet sauvignon, a dollop of cab franc and petite verdot. I liked this wine, and would like it even better at a lower price point. Violets, licorice root, a touch of grilled mushroom, plum and black fruit. A touch of herbs. Very good depth and concentration. Voluminous. Good grip and length. Again, if this wine were priced inthe 30s it would be a bang the table buy. Alas, it is in the 60s...

***+ Realm Cellars, ToKalon beckstoffer Vineyard, Napa valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: Also very nice. I am a huge fan of this vineyard and was bowled over by the 2005 Realm offering. I think the 2006, at first blush, may not quite achieve that mark. It is a wine that takes you immediately to the ToKalon vineyard...all Rutherford dust, laser black fruit concentration, a ton of cassis...is that mint? Very nice. The palate loses me a bit...I did not find the grip and concentration of past efforts. A bit one dimensional. Perhaps even a bit juicy. The finish, like the Dr. Crane, seems to suggest some PV. Good, firm finish. A very nice wine all things considered.

**++ Realm Cellars, The Bard, Napa Valley, 2006: Nice. This is similar to the Tempest in its assemblage, with cabernet dominating instead of merlot, though somehow I found this more grapey and round, characteristics I would associate with napa merlot. A delicious if fairly straightforward wine. Lots of chocolate, some briar, big round gushy plum. My least favorite of the night but still a wine that I am sure will get better with age and will be enjoyable for 3 to 5 years from now. Not bad at all!

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#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.