2006 Cayuse En Chamberlin
Wow, another over-oaked, over-extracted, manipulated Aussie bomb from Cayuse. Hardly (that was just a quick shout out to the haters!). Hamburgers are to Wimpy as Cayuse En Chamberlin is to me. Except I’ll pay you any day of the week not just Tuesday. Pop and pour was the serving style du jour for this beast. The anticipation is palpable as you know exactly what this wine will smell like, but then it delivers an even stronger Mike Tyson Punch-Out styled KO. Immediate aromas of animal fur, blood sausage, pepperoncini, herbs, pulverized black raspberries and blackberries, and a surprise of violets. 100 point nose for me, all the way. Unctuous and dense in the mouth at first, leading the way to huge, extracted (not over, mind you) dark fruit. I felt like Chaka on Land of the Lost sitting around with black cherries and blackberries the size of Drew Carey’s head. Luckily, the savory components never let this fruit get out of control as sauvage, rare beef, iron, and stony minerality keep it in check. Everything is in balance. No presence of oak with seamless and plush tannins. As any great wine should, it finishes as it begins with length and an aftertaste that I could chew on for days. This wine was a 5 course-dinner and then some. 97pts.
2004 Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg
Golden yellow in color, I couldn’t wait for my first swig. This wine was so refreshing, I wanted to freeze it and make Weinbach Otter Pops so the neighborhood kids could have a more high class popsicle option. Quince, honeysuckle (who doesn’t love to suckle honey?), peaches, and rocks fill the nose with pleasing aromatics as the acidic grip takes hold of your tongue once swallowed. The crisp apple and pear balance out the acid and the minerality on the finish leaves you thinking Chablis. Dry riesling just continues to impress me. Love it. 92pts.