2002 Grosset Riesling Clare Valley Polish Hill. Deepened gold hue which is not close to amber, if anything closer to a green glint, pools deeply into the glass. Powerful petrol element to the nose, sauna stone smoke, like a slug to the nose, tends to mask the tropical pineapple, papaya scents but, hey, that’s why it was aged. Full-bodied, the acidity captains the team even as it has developed a mildly creamy texture over time. Smoky with a clear diesel presence, just not as dominant as in the nose. White grapefruit, tangerine citrus revs up through the mid-palate for a nice explosion at the end. Zesty pineapple, nectarine, papaya to guava fruit, angular and lively. Pretty much kicking ass and taking names. Hard to gauge if the closure helped or retarded maturity. (Screwcap)
2001 Proidl Grüner Veltliner Kremstal Senftenberger Trockenbeerenauslese. Pretty much skipped amber and went straight to brown, yellowed rims, good clarity. Smoky nose, remains angular, molasses, ginger root, root beer before it’s all apricot and peach paste, echo of herbaceousness, more steady than explosive, stays the same as it warms. Thick but for its type of wine shows decent fluidity and pacing. Peppery and intriguingly vegetal before switching gears to orange marmalade, cola bean, caramelized brown sugar and grill smoke. Tangy and sweet apricot, apple, nectarine fruit with hints of pineapple. Firmly concentrated and you can arguably drink it faster than much of its peer group. Leaves a tingle behind. (Hand carried back from Austria during my brief tenure with a wholesaler sourcing European wines for the US market, did not end well but loved this trip.) 375 ml bottle.
2015 Flanagan Syrah Bennett Valley. Luminescent purple core, fiery crimson rims, has visual pizzazz across the board. Strong floral lift to the nose, violets and pastille, then some cocoa and grill smoke, ripe red currant, boysenberry scents do not interfere with the overall cleansing sensations. Medium-bodied, tannic but not overly so, adds a little chewiness. Small does of citrus as well as leather, mostly it can be like licking clean stone. More blue-fruited in the mouth, sour if not outright savory. Credible length. First experience with the producer, when I think of Bennett Valley Syrah I think of Florida Jim. Would revisit the winery, not sure of front line price, got this at auction.
2014 Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate Vineyard Au Paradis. Opaque, remains purple looking due to the glow, thick crimson to magenta rims, deeply hued, no sediment developed. Thick and gluey nose of caramel, milk chocolate, mint and ginger spice, heavyset plum to cassis scents, classy enough for its girth but not elegant. In the mouth it’s closer to medium-bodied, while not heavy it’s dense enough you don’t register much of the tannin, or it’s just not there. Much more floral here and the oakiness seems less obvious. Still, mint, menthol accents noticeable and there’s some chocolate as you exhale. Extremely smooth and the plum, cherry, cassis flavors last fully through the finish. I can see why this would strike one as impressive but it needs the proverbial Cindy Crawford mole to add lasting intrigue. 1.5 liter bottle.
2017 Breton Bourgueil Franc de Pied. The violet core not especially dark, yields easy enough to ruby way before the rims come into play. Initially has a band-aid, flatulence funk to it, slowly sheds this to reveal blueberry, blackberry fruit scents, cigar ash, volcanic ash, only vaguely grassy and not getting significant bell pepper presence. Medium-bodied, good kick to the tannin, tends to highlight the sandy earthiness, stoniness which is appreciated. More bell pepper here too but I don’t mind. Semi-sour currant, cherry fruit. Most attractive for its direct messaging, gets right to it and sticks to the basics. Offers more inner mouth perfume once fully opened. Hard to say but I’d consider it a medium-term ager and no crime to drink now.
2018 Lapalu Brouilly La Croix des Rameaux. Bright and vivid ruby-violet, consistent core to rims, looks as fresh as a tank sample. Baking spices, stone and ash play second fiddle in the nose to a solid core of raspberry, strawberry, blueberry fruit, feels inert in the nostrils, not getting any sense of lift. Medium-bodied, drier than expected with a broad tannic weave that diminishes the perception of acidity. More savory than sweet, ginger root, star anise and sage notes. Stony here too, greater citrus presence. Darker fruit complexion, blueberry, blackberry. Dense and packs a punch, comes off as a bit backward, which given my experience with the vintage, is a good thing.
2018 Giachino Savoie Frères Giac. Quite clear, standard ruby-violet hue, rests prettily in the glass, nothing more to say. Sandy earth and loam set the nose, the cheerful strawberry, rhubarb scents waste no time to giving you a hug, some floral paste, nothing unusually compelling here, pleasingly steady presence. Medium-bodied, anise, cardamom, allspice appear and as tis fades it’s a stone-fest, chewing on rocks. That same red berry to cherry fruit no slouch but by the finish the rocks have rolled. Rugged little package that won’t back down to anyone. Unspecified percentages of Persan, Gamay Noir.
2015 Saint-Sernin Cahors Mana. Vibrant ruby-purple, not close to opaque, plays the part. Surprisingly buoyant, juicy nose of red berries and cherries, floral paste and a fresh forest breeze, very little there past the primary fruit. Medium-bodied, not tannic in a dry way per se, more like a fuzzy, abrasive tingle. Still curiously floral and lacking any vin de garde qualities except maybe freshly cut tobacco leaf. The fruit here more plum, currant with a vaguely stewed character. Not sure what to make of this one, doesn’t really taste like Cahors to me. 100% Malbec.
2008 Overnoy-Crinquand Savagnin Arbois-Pupillin. Flat without much shine, benefits from a glow which holds light nicely, closing in on full amber. Fairly aggressive nose of flor, witch hazel, nuts, orange rind, green apple to apricot pit fruit, more compelling for its texture and lift than broad array of scents. Medium-bodied, super tangy and tart, no lack of pucker factor. Explosive nuttiness and yeastiness with the expected dryness so it all gets glued to the palate. Orange to white grapefruit citrus actually sweetens it some. Green apple, pineapple, pear fruit. Gets a touch briny as it warms, saline residue. Spent a fair amount of time contemplating it and still can’t decide if I like it or not.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Gamay Noir Eola-Amity Hills Bjornson Vineyard. Plush purple core with heavily saturated magenta rims, you almost hear it hum in the glass. Crunchy styled nose of white pepper, stone dust, ash to dry hay, compact thrust to the blueberry, cranberry scents, persists well. In the mouth it’s possessed of mouthwatering acidity, bounces around from start to finish. More ashen than stony, heightens the overall dryness. Tart and lively mixed berry fruit, some sour red cherry. Pretty much stopped taking notes to just drink it.
2012 Vallegarcía Syrah Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Montes de Toledo Vallegarcía Family Estate. Good clarity, the liquid is the kind of purple that looks black, thin sunset red rims. There’s definitely some barnyard funk to the nose, rubber notes as well, tilled black earth and wet saddle leather, rugged profile, tends to mask the mixed black fruits. Medium-bodied, sleek and moves with utmost alacrity across the palate. Flowers and orange citrus butters the Italian plum, bing cherry, blueberry fruit. More stony here and devoid of the funk found in the nose. There’s a straightforward simplicity to it which is attractive and nothing seeks attention. The more you sip, the more you like it, isn’t that the point.