A few wines over the past couple of weeks. Also, found a stack of handwritten tasting notes so including these here too (none older than a few months).
2005 Château de Coulaine Chinon Le Clos de Turpenay. Opaque purple core, broad dried blood red rims, plenty of visual vigor. Just a trace of bell pepper to the nose, tar, cigar leaf, compact mixed black fruit scents don’t ever fully unwind. Full-bodied, richly layered with an emphasis on black currant, black cherry fruit, tastes like it was bottled yesterday. Tannin still going strong, clearly popped the cork too soon. Leather, tobacco, tar similar to the nose, even less bell pepper here. Offers a floral perfume through the finish for extended finish. Wow, the glass gets drained quickly. Last tasted 2008 and better now.
2000 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet. Plum red to brick red, orange rims, strongly hued but looks its age. Nose of cowhide, sous bois, and black tea leaf, good sap left in the raspberry, blackberry fruit scents, not as complex as hoped for, a bit clunky. In the mouth it’s full-bodied with sandalwood, orange peel, licorice, spice box notes and still that leathery underpinning. Remains somewhat tannic but the dark berry, cherry fruit starting to trail off so no need to hold further. The spiciness fills the finish. Good showing, waited too long. 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre.
2000 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. No purple, all autumnal reds, oranges, and yellows. Very smoky nose, tar, charred beef, the red berry fruit starting to become muted, floral though and not lack of overall aroma. Turning lighter in body, the acidity brings zip and freshness. Earthy, tarry and gamey, here the red cherry to blackberry fruit still retains a core. Bracing white grapefruit citrus presence and less floral than in the nose. Sometimes the sourness is close to bitterness suggesting it’s time to drink them up. Based on previous experience, 2015 may have been its peak. Mainly Grenache, remainder Syrah, etc.
1999 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie. Duskily opaque purple core, thin red magenta rims, not looking all that aged. High-toned nose but not volatile, some peanut shells and merde, wet animal fur, pulped grapefruits, nicely focused red currant to cherry fruit, stonier earth shows before the dissolve, fully matured aromas. Medium-bodied, tannic but way acidic, luckily the cherry, currant fruit strong enough to carry it past the structure. Touch of caramel left. Much more stone and tarry earth than game or animality. Shoulders squared through the end, rustic honesty. Really firmed up since release, goodbye baby fat.
2000 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Régnié Vallières. Kind of forgot about this one. A little purple left in the core, mostly muddy/rusty browns and reds, hardly any sediment thrown. There’s a medicinal quality to the nose, fallen leaves and poor brown dirt, no fruit nor funk, smells more hollow than aged. Medium-bodied, the tannin has resolved in a clumpy manner. Nice dark berry to plum fruit upfront, hints of flowers and citrus. Then leather and dirt. Gains weight with air time but this does not address the short finish. Ideally should have popped the cork 4-6 years ago but for the $12 paid in 2004 this is doing more than okay today. Hard to find examples of aged Régnié as a point of comparison.
2015 Château Saint-Roch Maury Kerbuccio. Rich purple core, glowing crimson rims, saturation bomb. A little bit of olive tapenade, cold meat fat to the nose, struggles to develop any florality, likewise the chunky black fruit scents barely unfold. Full-bodied, would be sluggish were it not for the pleasing jolt of acidity through the attack. Slightly redder fruit, more heft than juiciness. Spicy, hint of grapefruit or blood orange, tea leaf, tar. It remains primary so want to consider it a fruit bomb but hard to do so with as dry as it is. Truncated finish. Majority Grenache, remainder unspecified percentages of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan.
2015 Joseph Dorbon Arbois Les Bernardines Vieilles Vignes. Washed out crimson red with a hint of orange at the rims, shiny surface but dull below. Liqueur-like character to the strawberry, rhubarb, raspberry fruit scents, some merde under this though, this buttressed by matted grasses and tree leaves. Medium-bodied, really stinging pinpoint acidity, jolts you awake from the first sip. The red berry fruit more compact here as well as drier. A vague florality battles that grassy quality. Good amount of animality present through the finish. The Poulsard seems to dominate the blend. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Poulsard.
2002 René Muré (Clos St. Landelin) Riesling Vorbourg Clos St. Landelin. Dark amber color, neither especially shiny nor flat. The nose thankfully answers the worries about the color, plenty of rubber, stream water, and stone, no dough nor yeast notes, orange peel, nectarine, pineapple fruit scents, feels bound up. Good palate heft, here the savior by far is the acidity which supercharges it. Needed, as it’s on the backside of its peak. More direct stone, mineral water and the citrus breaks past orange into white grapefruit. Poached apricot and peach fruit, modicum of pineapple. Dry texture, get more tacky as you sip. With air, squares up nicely through the finish. Should have pulled sooner but still drinking well. Paid $10 for it, one left I think.
2014 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Aligoté. Flat gold surface, decent layering with a green glint. Creamy nose, crème fraîche, smoky diesel, tangerine citrus, more subtle peach, apricot to pear fruit, good persistence and length. Medium-bodied, flat to monotone in feel. Dusty acidity, cloaks the palate. Tauter fruit, green to yellow apple, apricot and at times verging on cherry. The lemon, tangerine citrus accelerates through the mid-palate to the finish. More oil slick at the end too. No need to push it further, ready now. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2007 Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos La Néore. Flat gold color deepened by age, holds decently into the rims, block-like. Minty nose with diesel/petrol, lemon drop, beeswax, coconut oil, paucity of apple, apricot, persimmon fruit then opens into sage led herbs. Full-bodied, the acidity on the weak side so it sags a bit. Smoky, more chalky than minerally. More lemon drop followed by celery, pine sap, raw dough. Shortened palate presence. I wasn’t crazy about it but the person I popped it for was so all is good.
2015 Domaine Albert Grivault Meursault Clos du Murger. Clean yellow gold color. Minty, chalky nose, at times like lemonade, the fruit more a blend than distinct, no real calling card. Medium-bodied and leaning towards full, good acidity but still in the leaner Meursault camp. Mix of lemon to lime citrus. Broad and diffuse with a creamy mid-palate. Peach, apricot, apple fruit. Turns leaner by the finish. A little too polished for my taste.
2015 Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Vaillons. Basic yellow color, nothing to note. Floral nose of orange blossom, mint, and peach, pear scents, sticks to the script. The acidity is weak, would guess it’s 5-6 years older than it is. Orange pulp, mint, standard apricot to peach fruit. Dough, bubblegum on the finish with an oaky tang. Takes on more breadth as it warms. Would never guess Chablis and based on that hard to consider it an ager. One of the biggest surprises in recent memory (in a not so good way).
2016 Bedrock Syrah Weill a Way Vineyard. Opaque purple core, thin crimson rims, richly hued. The nose remains in a primary state, floral and ripping with boysenberry, blueberry fruit, the oaky vanilla fudge aspect appears to be knitting in while there’s a glimpse into raw bacon, just mindless enjoyment right now. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied and satiny smooth, glides through the mouth. Not feeling any tannin, the acidity on the quiet side. More mixed dark berry fruit with a nod to cherry. Violets, orange blossom and mint. Quick burst of white grapefruit at the end. The fruit leaves the impression that it will last for some time, however, to be seen if the structure can hold it together for meaningful tertiary aspects to develop.
1999 Harlan Cabernet Sauvignon. Black, opaque core, razor thin crimson rims, impossible to visually assess its age. Big bruiser of a nose filled with floral musk, plum, cassis, black cherry scents plus cedar, mocha crisp, cigar wrapper, plump but not heavy presence, barely out of adolescence. Full-bodied, sappy, velvety feel with a spark at the end. Cocoa, mocha blend and a touch of green pepper. The tannins are peppery and turbulent but not all that drying. Sweet and sour cassis, cherry, blackberry fruit then more sweet cedar, caramel. Here too it is youthful and fresh. At this point it is anyone’s guess if there’s future evolution ahead. Approximately 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.
2017 Sandlands Refosco Napa Valley. Purple core is dark but lightened by the rust red shades, rims a full crimson. The nose has a green leafy herbaceous character more than grass, some leather, as it opens turns prettier with a bountiful violets led florality, throughout is a densely ripe plum to black currant fruit base. Medium-bodied, feels heavier due to the substantial tannin. The florality the opposite here, flush through the attack then blows off. Nice white grapefruit presence. For all of its structure it’s pretty fluid and not a throwback chewy wine. Black currant, mixed black berry fruit of moderate ripeness. Entirely guileless. Not sure why but something nags me about it that it won’t make very old bones.
2012 Joseph Swan Zinfandel Mancini Ranch RRV. Transparent, light red ruby throughout. Based on previous experience with this bottling, decanted for a couple of hours to help it open. Jolly Rancher nose of watermelon, strawberry, red cherry fruit, a little lemony, pressed flowers, lingers almost unnoticed. Medium-bodied, closer to light, tannin about as high as the grape is capable of. Savory garden herbs and saddle leather before that candied red berry fruit sets in. Well integrated, assume the decant helped. Still, finish gets clamped down. Reasonable to expect that it’s ultimate balance point would be in 2-3 years but equally reasonable to not wait to find out. Much better showing than two years ago.
2004 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS. Glowing purple to ruby red, heavy saturation. Nose of beef jerky, leather, the oak oddly non-obtrusive, even with poached plum and black cherry scents actually soft spoken. Full-bodied, thick and layered, here the molasses, caramel to French vanilla oak accents are big time. More of that plum, cassis, black cherry with a hint of charred bacon. For its size and scale, to its credit it is not sloppy nor tiring to drink. (Note: This is really not my kind of wine.)
2017 Harrington Mourvèdre Sumu Kaw Vineyard. Kind of rusty to dull crimson in color, clear, looks older than you’d expect. Nose of baking spices, damp wool, stony dirt and tree bark, the boysenberry, raspberry fruit scents more angular and with lift than resonant. Medium-bodied, tannic and acidic both, immediately coats the palate. Electric jolt to the cranberry, boysenberry, blueberry fruit, sour in a good way. Here there’s a whisper of tart citrus as well. But there’s an astringency which suggests slightly underripe phenolics. Hard to guess which of these elements will gain the upper hand over time. Thus, kind of suspect best as a medium-ager to avoid the issue altogether. Liked the 2016 better.
2009 Beau Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley. Clean purple core, saturated scarlet rims, fills the glass well. Offers a fresh and open nose with a subtle array of licorice to mint, a certain gaminess, compactly ripe black fruits, straightforward, no surprises, good staying power. Full-bodied, supple in spite of its thickness, here the oak comes at you unloading caramel, vanilla cream, molasses and mint. Huge uptick in the fruit too, sugary cassis, plum, cherry flavors. While it’s basically just fruit and oak, it’s good within that idiom.
2014 Ultramarine Charles Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Noirs. Deep golden color, fat and slow moving bubbles. Nose filled with brioche, challah, honey alongside pear, green melon, green apple fruit as well as mint, lemon curd, thick presence. Full-bodied, fat carbonation, more minerally and chalky here and at moments almost bitter. Overall dryness stunts the expansion of the pear, yellow apple, apricot fruit flavors. The acidity is at a plus level and brings out a lemony quality. Moments of licorice. Rattles your teeth through an extended finish. (Disgorged 11/15/2018)
2017 Moss Wood Chardonnay Margaret River Wilyabrup. Bright yellow color. The nose is zingy with lime, minerals and crisp vanillin toast action, lowkey peach to apricot fruit scents, if one were to draw a comparison it might be to a village Puligny. In the mouth it’s nicely perfumed, more lime, tingly palate presence with white orchard fruit flavors. Very nice, could age a bit but not sure about the 20 years for full maturity the producer website states. (Screwcap)
1978 Castello di Montegrosso Barbaresco. Brick red, very good clarity, sienna to orange rust, aged yet for its age youthful enough appearance. Nose of cedar, coffee grinds, saddle leather, old pressed flowers, the fruit still mostly plum and cherry scents, not yet prune, some vague reduction like characteristics. Medium-bodied, no tannin nor acidity to speak of, but so much fruit that’s it remains amazingly vigorous. The cherry, raspberry fruit does turn towards plum/prune, sweet and longlasting. Offers cedar notes to great effect. The white grapefruit and blood orange citrus pulsates throughout. Tangy finish if a touch raw. Eye opening for the degree of verve yet possessed.
2007 Querce Bettina Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. The ruby-violet turning more crimson red, incipient bricking at the rims. In the nose does not sacrifice lift nor power with ample maraschino cherry, licorice, orange peel to pine needle and then sous bois, on the simple side but it’s plenty richly generous. Medium-bodied, dry and sandpapery texture, the acidity kicks and squeals. First up are leather and grapefruit accents before woodsiness and anise, turns curiously rugged given the relative softness of the nose. Mix of indistinct red and black fruits. Sinewy length, the fruit is quite nice now but it won’t match the structure long term.
2016 Greenhill Philosophy Red Blend Virginia (no AVA designation but winery located in Loudoun County). The small core is dark purple, broad rust red rims, spotless throughout. The nose still too dominated by sweet oak nuances but this moderates with air, an abundance of juicy blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry fruit, some tobacco ash or crushed minerality and no meaningful greenness. Medium-bodied, smooth enough with welcome rougher texture from acidity and even from some wood tannin. Here there’s a nip of bell pepper at the end. In the end it does feel like it was “worked over” but the end result is still pretty nice. 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petit Verdot, 25% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc. (Composite Cork: Diam10)