During the holiday season we usually aquire a fair amount of bottles as gifts, yesterday I grabbed one with a weird label, photograph of mannequin parts and stuck it in the fridge. I was not familiar with this and had no idea what it was or who made it.
2014 Orin Swift Mannequin white blend.
Pop & pour oak, oak and more oak. Set my glass aside while I cooked to see if it might dissipate with some air, it somehow became more pronounced (maybe because it warmed up some). This is undrinkable, although I did vacuum it and will try again today. I’ve posted a few notes of wines that were just ok, or unfortunately corked but this is my first note that’s this harsh, and I’d add I’m not oak averse. I have to assume this is a correct bottle but I can’t imagine someone ever buying a second bottle of this. I’m curious if anyone else has had it.
72
I’ve had earlier vintages and don’t recall that reaction but I’m not as palate-sensitive as many here. I’d just say that Dave Phinney tends to push boundaries a bit, so I’m interested in other people’s take on Mannequin. .
Interesting - the website says that it’s only 40% new French oak and the wine is only about 80% chardonnay, with a good chunk of viognier and even some grenache blanc and marsanne thrown into the mix.
The appearance of oak is so tricky sometimes - I’ve had wines that I was convinced were 100% new oak only to find out that they were only 10% - and I’ve had wines that I thought had zero had 50% or more. Toasting levels, individual cooper traits, etc can certainly come into play here . . .
Cheers.
Well, not tasted THIS one …
… BUT I suggest to change this thread to
The oakiest wine YOU ever had ???
Well, for me that was maybe a wine from California (CS) made by two guys as a hobby from purchased grapes. I met them in France in a restaurant, and they showed (me and others) a barrel sample from a 0.375 bottle … just oak, oaky toast, toasty oak … bitter, astringent and undrinkable …
My 2nd choice: Bandol 1999 by Tardieu-Laurent … (and the glass bottle weights almost a ton … empty)
I’m blown away. I hadn’t looked it up to see but I was thinking tons of new American and possibly chips.
I was torn about posting this because I know someone worked hard on this etc. and as I stated it’s not a habit for me to post this kind of note. I wish there had a been a big group here last night to see what others thought. My last sip was so astringent I could hardly get it down, I highly doubt there’s enough fruit to outlive the oak if you wanted to cellar it a few years. I guess I’ll also add I’m not averse to viognier or rousanne or marsanne, I’ve had very little Grenache blanc, the last one I had was a Byron.
2009 Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot. It was basically just oak and alcohol. I remember it exactly and nothing before or since has eclipsed the amount of vanilla and wood in that glass. Not at all enjoyable for me.
Just looked it up and it was in 100% new French oak for 9 months. Would’ve sworn American oak based on what I tasted.
I would not be surprised if there were oak additives as well. Those other varieties definitely can add great mouthfeel - and he even blends a bit of moscato to kick the aromatics up. But that bitterness to me sounds like perhaps it was pressed harder to extract more juice and/or lots of oak ‘stuff’ . . .
Cheers!
2009 Stags’ Leap ‘Gypsy Camp’ - my note said “smells like a vanilla bean and tastes like a purple cow.”
Don’t remember the exact vintage but a friend of mine in a Vegas steakhouse about 10 years ago ordered a bottle of Clos Apalta from Chile. It was like drinking a baseball bat. I had splinters in my mouth after a glass. He loved it. By far the most wood (and I don’t mean what some of you are thinking) I have ever had.
Probably a 1997 Silver Oak Alexander Valley cab…
Meomi
1999 Grivot, Echezeaux, tried Nov. 2003. It scared Me, as I had already bought the full assortment.
The VR Beaux Monts, tested in 2007, was also a black wine with cheek-biting tannins, but with heavy decant, almost drinkable.
These 99’ers are all buried deep in the cellar, so I don’t grab one by accident.
Dom. Laurent’s 1995 Burg vintage has also provided Me with 1’st grade spicy wood-sauce, and still are.
Regards, Søren.
2003 Archery Summit Pinot. Hard to tell the grape varietal because all there was, was overripe fruit and TONS of oak.
Remember though, a winery saying “40% new french oak” doesn’t tell the full story.
I wish wineries posted “total oak influence”. Meaning, they used 40% new barrels, 40% 2nd year barrels and 20% neutral. Or 40% new and 60% 2nd year.
There’s a lot of play when you use 2nd year barrels and don’t mention that in the “new oak” disclaimer.
Don’t recall the specs, but a Herman Story Tomboy Viognier, not my style.
This is undrinkable> , although I did vacuum it and will try again today . . . I have to assume this is a correct bottle but I can’t imagine someone ever buying a second bottle of this. I’m curious if anyone else has had it.
I have. Didn’t think it was over oaky, just terrible. I got three bottles as a clearance deal in the grocery store. Used them for cooking some chicken with various dried fruits. Also as a marinade. I think they were eleven or twelve bucks.
The oakiest wines I’ve ever had would be a number of Spanish wines out of the barrel. And then on release, many are still oaky - Mariano Garcia’s wines for example, although his sons are now dialing back a bit, or Peter Sissek’s wine, or the big ones from the Eguren Brothers, or many of the classic Riojas. A few from Sparky Marquis too.
But over years, that oak tends to integrate and none of them are using chips or staves. That’s why there’s no way to establish “total oak influence”. It is really dependent on the wine and I’d suggest also the vintage, as well as the time elapsed since bottling. A wine that comes from 100% new barrels may seem less oaky than another wine that was put into second year or used barrels.
I don’t know that I’d keep the Phinney wines. Those are made for wide distribution and immediate consumption by people who like a bit of RS in their wine. Same market as the Wagner family wines and the Rombauers.
Rombauer chard is mine. Nothing has been close.
Pshaw…you young folks don’t know what oak in a wine is all about. Back in the late-'60’s/early-'70’s; DavidBruce was making his
Pinot & Chards w/ a ton of new Fr.oak. It was to give them a “Burgundy” character he thought. But the wines were incredibly
concentrated and I absolutely loved them. Now that I done/did see’d the light and have a sophisticated palate, I’m not sure what I’d
think of them now. Probably would admire them for their wretched excess, I suspect.
Tom
El Nido and El Nido Clio have to be up there in ranking.
P Hickner
2013 Robert Mondavi Winery Maestro - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/2/2017)
A generous gift from one of my wife’s patients. Sadly, it is so saturated with new oak that it is literally undrinkable. The nose screams green vanilla oak, and the palate tastes like some decent fruit was soaked in road tar, coffee grounds and fireplace ash. Neither my wife or I could take more than a single sip of the wine. (75 pts.)
Foley Claret
Le Plus
Albert Chardonnay