1998 Togni Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Warm reddish purple core which betrays little age, sunset red to burnt orange rims, honestly would never have guessed it age if served blindly. Rugged nose of frill fat, kindling wood, and leather, noticeable bell pepper component, eucalyptus, dense black currant, cherry scents, muscular without a trace of showing off. Medium-bodied, savory with a fine pucker through the attack. Peppery tannin smoothed out but has teeth, about as resolved as gonna get. Biting grapefruit, tart bell pepper, minerally. Here you sense some diminishment of fruit but not much. Smoky, tarry lift through the end. Energetic to the final sip. Honestly, this blows the doors off the 1997 I had last month. Some small percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Franc added.
2019 Bedrock RRV Dolinsek Ranch Heritage. Vivid ruby-purple core with a healthy glow, integrates nicely with the cranberry red rims, catches your eye. The nose feels like berry juice dripping out of your nostrils, bursting with ripeness, then comes a lemony zest and grassiness to swing it in the other direction, light menthol perfume, lots of youthful exuberance. Medium-bodied, active acidity and tannin slap a girdle on it right away, even as the dancing dress goes on next. Citrus adds white grapefruit to the lemon, jumps in front of the berry fruit train to slow it down. Mocha powder to dark chocolate slowly insinuate. Nicely wiry finish that kicks again every time you think it stopped. Charles Mara was a great guy who took a liking me early in my wine journey and he made a killer Dolinsek Zinfandel. So every time I taste a wine from the vineyard I think of Charles. Predominantly Zinfandel, remainder Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, Syrah, Black Muscat, Palomino, etc.
2018 NoneSuch Mourvèdre Enz Vineyard. Shades from violet to plum red to magenta, fine gauziness and does not come off as unnaturally saturated. A floral and citrusy mist settles upon the nose, clings to the cherry, raspberry fruit scents, washed stone and any earthiness also feels scrubbed clean, to me uncommonly fresh and bouncy for a young Mourvèdre. Light-bodied, firm tannic skeleton, the overall body perhaps highlights this too much. That said, there’s juicy sour snap to the cranberry, raspberry fruit, lasts completely through the finish. Pulped lemons and more quarry stone notes. Getting black tea leaf at the end and retronasally. Not really knowing the vintage variations this is a big step up from the 2017, more generous out of the gate while leaving no doubt as to ageworthiness.
2019 Bedrock Contra Costa Evangelho Vineyard Heritage. Plum red and violet core surrounded by a glowing magenta aura, fine cleanliness. The nose immediately starts to lift almost out of reach, wiry cranberry, rhubarb, strawberry fruit, menthol, tea leaf, lavender, complexity may by hampered by its evasiveness but what’s there is pretty. Medium-bodied, right off the acidity shaves off some flesh, no real room for adornment. A nice shock of white grapefruit accentuates the sourness in the blueberry, rhubarb, boysenberry fruit. Eucalyptus with a very mild twig to bark nuance. Not getting much by way of tannin. My preference would be to savor the energy over the next 3-4 years. Unspecified percentages of Zinfandel, Carignane, Mataro, remainder Alicante Bouschet, Palomino, Grand Noir, Mission.
2018 Eberle Zinfandel Paso Robles. Violet to plum red, crystal clear with excellent shine. Nose of cherry liqueur, strawberry jam and caramel yet curiously fresh and does not come off as over oaked, some smokiness and menthol but the focus is on presenting the fruit. In the mouth it’s close to light-bodied and displays a good acidic jolt from the first sip. Green apple and blueberry beat out the red berries here. More vanilla and caramel than preferred but still more or less rightsized. Grill smoke, a little brown dirt. Semi-astringent finish. This is a BBQ wine all the wine, likely best with chicken. Grapes sourced 60% Wine-Bush Vineyard, 25% Steinbeck Vineyard, 15% Cocavin Vineyard. (Synthetic Cork)
2012 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Griffin’s Lair Vineyard. The purple core getting washed out as the burnt sunset red expands, nice clarity and good overall visual vigor. Right out of the chute the nose has more bandaid and fart than preferred, left it alone for awhile but little resolution, strong black fruits, tar and gristle, not doing it for me in the least. Light to medium-bodied, flits well across the tongue. The volatility mars the fun here as well, poop and peanut shells, at moments borderline feral. Blueberry, blackberry fruit of moderate length. Tar, black tea leaf, black olives. Dries out appreciably through the finish. Kept coming back to it wanting to like it but at the end the fact is that I did not.
2018 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Double Diamond. Inky purple surrounded by thin magenta rims, looks like it could be carved out of onyx. Coconut custard, floral musk, vanilla fudge, cassis, cherry liqueur, poached plum scents, too blunt to fashion any length and aromatic staying power. Medium-bodied, there’s an initial swell but hollows out through the mid-palate. Expensive oak, nothing insipidly creamy about it but no doubting the butterscotch, heavy cream and caramel. Thick plum, currant, cherry fruit. On face value I accept this is a “good” wine in terms of winemaking acumen and well sourced primary material. I just don’t know what to do with it, too tiring for casual sipping and outside of a huge slab of beef can’t see it complementing any food. Was wasted on me.
1996 Ch. Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate. Most of the purple in the core turned black, rust red further out with noticeably yellow rims, generally clean and free of silt and such. The nose is super funky with shoe polish, peanut shell to poopy diaper scents, air time does very little to resolve, maybe some incense, touch of cherry fruit, have to say it has mostly dried out. Light-bodied and while dried out here as well, some extra air does help tease out more cherry, red currant fruit. Leather, earth, more leather. Tannin uneven due to lack of fruit. A wine sacrificed to my ego, having enjoyed the idea of possessing it and always “knowing” it was going to improve.
2015 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Sonoma Estates. Basic purple core, scarlet rims, good overall clarity. Nose infused with mint, menthol and caramel, meager cherry, red currant fruit, notable most for the utter lack of anything there. Medium-bodied, polished into a smooth surface, any tannin likely wood tannin. As for the wood, it’s like being tortured with popcorn and butterscotch, I’d easily confess anything. Bell pepper shows the most resistance to the oak. Feels like the cherry, blackberry, currant fruit already drying out but might have always been that way. Minty finish helps as a balm. Man, I’m glad I don’t drink wines like this often. 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc. (Screwcap: Stelvin)
2014 Domaine de Barroubio Languedoc Minervois Marie-Thérèse. While transparent there’s good darkness in the purple core, supported by dark scarlet rims. Gamey, roasty nose, kindling wood and leather, taut red currant, cranberry, red cherry scents, topped off by grapefruit and a minor note of lavender, slashes more than lifts. Medium-bodied with nice polish and fluidity, sensing more acidity to it than tannin. The palate utterly dominated by pink grapefruit, as if garnished with a wedge. Same fruit array, here adding a good puckering twist. Sort of peppery at times, more by way of that pork rind, jerky stuff. Extends well through the finish. Stays within itself and I rather quite like it. 90% Syrah, 10% Grenache.
2005 Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle. Good deal of purple left in the core, then it’s all bright brick reds and oranges, mildest of gauziness to it. The nose has taken on a burnt, pruney nature, more merde than bell pepper, matted straw, sagebrush, leather, distracting volatility. Medium-bodied with plenty of soft give to it, funky sure yet here the purity of the plum, black currant, cherry fruit evident. Minimal sense of acidity or tannin no suggestion that it once was, confirming the sleekness of its youth. Floral paste, lavender, wet saddle leather. No bell pepper to me. Runs hot through the finish, kind of scraping the roof of your mouth. Adequate, was considerably more charming on release.
2014 Domaine Sainte Cécile du Parc Coteaux du Languedoc Pézenas Sonatina. Heavily saturated purple core, clean and just pushes into opacity, the rims have a red clay to red brick hue which usually bespeaks of some age. Dense nose, takes a bit to connect to it, slab like plum to cherry scents, vanilla fudge, molasses, nutmeg, the pork rind to beef jerky element close to seeming out of place. Medium to full-bodied, the acidity has a sharp enough edge to relieve some excess density. Brings a nice mintiness here and whatever them fûts des chêne brought to the nose clamped down by tannin, drier than expected. Tart blueberry, boysenberry fruit. Satisfactory, needs more integration and after awhile the coarseness of the structure wearies. 75% Syrah, 25% Cinsault.
2018 Heitz-Lochardet (Armand Heitz) Coteaux Bourguignons Folie Sauvage. Sparkling ruby-violet shading to magenta at the rims, lively coloration. Powdery texture to the nose, good fullness, enough cherry, berry fruit to be called simplistic, still in turn enough mineral dust and dried grass that it isn’t “frooty.” Medium-bodied, touch of merde through the attack. Quite strong tannin hugs the palate without undue drying. Part savory, part sour cherry, blackberry, plum fruit. Somewhat lemony, more stone without real earthiness. Having zero experience with the producer this was good for price and “pleasing” in a non-pejorative sense. Has its place in the quiver. Inconclusive research but believe this to be 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Gamay Noir. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2014 La Font de l’Olivier Languedoc Côtes de Thongue Vieilles Vignes (100% Carignan). Crystal clear, the core a mix of purple to reddish-black, scarlet to brick red rims, good vigor. Undercurrent of earth and forest brush to the nose before turning to almost solely blueberry, cranberry, raspberry fruit, maybe leather, has an overall flatness to it. Light-bodied, its unoaked nature evident right off, entirely free of artifice. Tarry, earthy, maybe a touch mousey. Same sour berry fruit with green apple thrown in. Acidity rambunctious, not volatile. Mild floral uptick at the end. A “country wine” without undue rusticity. Would work with the stereotypical baguette and hunk of cheese.
2016 Boxler Muscat. The surface dullness does not prevent fullness beneath the surface, not unattractive. Wiry floral musk to the nose, zesty tangerine spritz, guava, persimmon anchor it some, stony lift at the end with a curious rugged if not serrated edge. in my experience this is a very openly knit nose for the variety, subtle length. Medium-bodied with uncommon tautness, keeps paring itself down to the bare essence by the time it reaches the finish. Lime, mandarin orange play nicely with the violets honey coated graham cracker. The acidity swings under the surface, breaks surface at the finish to craft extension. Persimmon, apricot, star fruit flesh thinks out, while a totally “wow” wine now I think another 4-5 years will allow its pedigree to come fully to the fore.
2018 Château Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc. Basic yellow straw, not especially dull nor shiny, you would definitely peg it as white wine. You get a nice squeezing sensation in your nostrils as the grapefruit citrus, pineapple to green apple fruit unfold, accelerated by a strong white smokiness and even a touch of brine, overall muscular pungency. Full-bodied, can’t call it bracing but the acidity hits you bluntly like a crashing wave. Even more grapefruit here, along with lime, citrusy as heck. Sufficient florality to furnish pockets to breathe. Spicy, sour kumquat, pineapple, papaya fruit. Stony aspect close to earthy. Some snap pea greenness too. Likable most when well-chilled, can see it served with fowl or fish in a heavier cream sauce. 75% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle. (Composite Cork: Diam3)
2017 Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé. Simple golden straw color with a glint of green at the edges, solid appearance, unremarkable. Stone dust, lemon to orange citrus, mint and a little oil slick, nose sort of a mishmash, the apple, apricot, pineapple fruit meanders about aimlessly. Full-bodied, if it makes sense you feel more volume than weight, expands too much. Nagging bitter nuttiness. Acidity not in lockstep with what the primary material capable of. Vague mint and flowers. Apricot, peach to apple and pear. The kind of wine where there’s no glaring flaws but it’s quite easy to get bored by it and excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. (Composite Cork: Diam3)
2006 Domaine de l’Ecu Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Expression de Granite. Quite bronzed color, looks its age for sure, fine clarity and shine. Disjointed nose of quinine, honey, yeast and old orange rinds, then smells like burning metal, no fruit discernible to me. Full-bodied, no acidic jolt yet feels firm. Strong citrus element. Leaves your tongue caked in a dust and close to deadened. Again, yeasty and close to tarry. Yet another one of those “throw a bottle in the cellar and see what happens” experiments for me, alas this bottle is dead as a doornail.
2017 Darting Pinot Meunier Dürkheimer Feuerberg Trocken. Maroon cast to the purple base, rose red rims, unusual looking. Ripe plum filled nose with ginger and cinnamon, almost like gingerbread at times, kind of monolithic, develops some smokiness at the penultimate moment, continues the “interesting wine” angle. Full-bodied, lavender, potpourri, lemon peel, leather, chewy even if the tannin are fairly polished. Fruit remains plummy with boysenberry, blueberry support. Then a strawberry punctuated finish. Appreciated the opportunity to taste but not something I’d care to revisit.
2019 Falkenstein Riesling Krettnacher Euchariusberg Spätlese AP #14. Faint white straw hue with very good brilliance and the expected trace bubbles stuck to the glass sides. Nose starts off with stream water and trace smokiness then yields with alacrity to lime/tangelo citrus, apple, pear to apricot fruit, thin dappling of honey, get more soft rubber notes when approaching room temperature, shoves you away as much as dissolves in the nostrils. Medium-bodied, the keenness of the acidity more and more evident as you sip. Quite floral and citrusy. Adroitly performs the trick and being sweet and light of touch at once. Molasses, sauna smoke. Turn to a more tropical fruit profile, incorporating pineapple and mango. This producer is all the rage now so there’s no lack of general data points. This is more compact to me than the 2017 or 2018. Less immediate pleasure but may outlast the other two vintages.
2012 Ziereisen Weissburgunder Baden LĂĽgle. Deepening gold color, flat, but strong through the rims. Beginnings of a caramelized nose, brioche, spritz of tangerine and violets, fruit scents primarily peach and apricot with pineapple thrown in, suspect I would have preferred the aromatic array of its youth. Medium-bodied, yeasty and oddly for ABV feels hot. Acidity level is good, seems too strong for the flesh on its bones. Tropical bite to the pineapple, papaya, nectarine fruit. Almost smacks of jalapeno at times. Not familiar enough with the producer to know if this is representative of the bottling with age.
2000 Marcarini Barolo Brunate. Very credible amount of purple left in the core, bright brick red moving outward, the yellowing at the outer rims gives its age away, even after standing up for days there’s a fine silt throughout. Nose remains reticent, leather, loamy earth, some barnyard funk, trace of menthol rub, tarry, the cherry scents lean towards plum as much as any berry. Medium-bodied, welcomely slim, yet grows in stature in the glass. Considerable licorice through the attack, slowly yielding to rose petals, camphor and tar. Becomes more noticeably tannic as it opens. At the same time the sweetness of the cherry, raspberry to even strawberry fruit more evident with air. Citrusy and stony through the finish, not getting any obtrusive oak. Best guess is that it peaked 4-5 years ago.
2016 Schiavenza Barolo Comune di Serralunga d’Alba. Vibrant crimson purple coloration, trim, transparent, fine surface shine. Well perfumed nose of licorice, tar, polished shoe leather, vanilla bean, root beer, dewy rose petals, enough going on that any cherry or berry scents seem thrown in at the last second. Medium-bodied, while the tannin is somewhat roughhewn overall there’s a very nice suppleness to it. Not sweet but concentrated cherry, raspberry fruit. Some of the prettiness of the nose diminished here, more stony and earthy. It’s an interesting experience and if I may it comes across as a blend of different parcels, like they are learning to dance together. Gave it an hour decant and got better over time but, while no monolith, needs 8-10 years to integrate.
2017 Valpantena Valpolicella Torre del Falasco Ripasso. Plum red to purple in color until it switches to a sunset red, orange at the rims, good clarity. The cherry, red berry start off in a syrupy liqueur like fashion, bracing grapefruit scents as well as a tarry smokiness balance it out, finishes with a meadowy grassiness, overall steady nostril presence. Medium-bodied with enough sappiness to feel a bit richer. Interesting blend of maraschino cherry, watermelon, apple, plum fruit flavors. The grapefruit crests in the mid-palate helps bring crackle to the back half. Again, nice tarry earthiness. Appreciate the ruggedness to it, not just a simple fruity Valpo. Having had this wine going back to the 2010 vintage, it’s a criminal value. Unspecified percentages of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella. (Composite Cork: Uniq)
2019 Cascina degli Ulivi Cortese Piedmont Vino da Tavola Semplicemente Vino Bianco. Cloudy if bright yellow hue to it, the pour leaves a solid amount of bubbles clinging to the glass, basically looks like a pet nat. Lemony nose mixing in brine, hay, yeast, and wheat germ, it does not smell devoid of fruit but I can’t pick anything out, feels like it’s making a fist inside your nostrils. Full-bodied, slightest of effervescence and could be convinced to call it bottom heavy. Has a non-puckering sourness, familial resemblance to cider. Lots of lemon, here maybe parse out apple, pear, apricot pit. Sticks to your mouth pores for a long time. Interesting wine, a glass, maybe two, would be enough for me. Includes small unspecified percentage of Chardonnay. (Bottle Cap)
2014 Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett. Youthful glow to the opaque purple core, strong crimson red rims. Initial blast of peanut shells in the nose not the best first foot forward, sour tautness to the Italian plum, currant, blackberry scents, light menthol and stone accents, perplexing how little is going on here. Full-bodied, soft and pliant, flows into every mouth pore. subtle citrus and floral overtones act as counterpoint to a dry stony, earthy element. Juicy blueberry, blackberry, cassis fruit, still finishes dry. Tannic like someone checked a box to make sure it was there. No flaws yet falls into the nondescript “red wine” category. 49% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 3% Malbec. (Screwcap)
2015 Cardwell Hill Cellars Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Reserve. Light ruby to watermelon pinkish-red in hue, crystal clear, youthfully pretty even with a few years of bottle age. Ginger, cola and lavender pretty up the nose but it lacks a center of gravity so that and the red cherry, raspberry scents sort of spin off into space, does develop more earthiness once open but not enough. Light-bodied, smooth musters up sufficient tannin so it isn’t satiny per se. Here the vanilla, butterscotch oak makes a a decisive stride forward, to me the primary material doesn’t have the oomph to wait for integration. Anise, cola, cinnamon. Not getting any “terroir” vibes. Finish has too much tingle for my liking. Paid a fraction of the frontline price. However, while it may not be fair, an example to me of the need to cut back on auction bottom fishing even though I do so enjoy the “dollar and a dream” action.
![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}