2011 Bedrock Syrah, Sonoma Valley, Weill a Way Vineyard, “Exposition Two”. The core remains purple, becoming redder, the rims the same with ruby bricking into darker red, appears clear. The nose features substantial grill smoke, molasses, green olive, subtler white grapefruit, the fruit has settled into cranberry, Italian plum and raspberry, overall taut not tight. Medium-bodied, more towards light. Acidity percolates well throughout, assists with pacing where the body comes up short. This highlights the citrus and elevates a more herbaceous side and olive. Little here that I’d consider “sweet,” tart reddish fruit. Maybe you could peg some honey or molasses tones. Minerally residue at the finish. If this ever had excess flesh it’s gone now and what’s left is race ready. 92% Syrah, 8% Viognier. (50% whole cluster, aged in barrel for 36 months)
2018 Harrington Syrah, Marin County, McEvoy Ranch. Back core, heavy crimson rims, has good shine, looks about middle aged. Tarry, coal, charred beef, pork cracklings, the nose isn’t volatile but it is reductive, white grapefruit, sour plum, blackberry scents, slowly starts to open and get floral with some herbaceous bite, Light-bodied, brisk and acidic, quite linear. The grapefruit, tar, green olive, and grill smoke create a boisterous mouth perfume, lots of swirling action. Over time the raspberry, strawberry, red cherry fruit shows quite nicely. Squared up finish. This is pretty much peaking. It’s a tired cliché but this could be a decent Rhône ringer.
2023 Bedrock Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Banfield Vineyard. Trim and shiny violet-magenta hue, plenty of glow, full rims. The nose comes off as sour with a focus on cranberry, blueberry fruit, very dominant, white citrus, powerful without a gentle side. Medium-bodied, stern here as well, the tannin prominent. The fruit sour as the nose hints. Stony, barely floral, not showing much oak influence, mostly as an aftertaste. Props for its purity and single minded purpose. But tight as a drum and offers no hint of when it might soften. Nothing much else to say
2013 Bedrock Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District, Montecillo Vineyard. Going with black over purple in the core, fully opaque, clean brick red rims, very light yellowing, looks aged. Mountain scrub, pine, cedar, tobacco, game fat give the nose a nice lift, the popcorn and cream accents settle in with too much disturbance, the blackberry, cherry scents content to sit at the back of the bus. Medium-bodied, initial impression is sleek and trimmed down. Air time puts on some weight but not that much. The tannin sweet and moderately drying. The cherry, dark berry fruit same as the nose, again no start but gets to the finish with what it had at the start. The pine and eucalyptus help keep it fresh and open. Close to austere at times yet in the end too smooth to earn that descriptor. Thought a bit about where this might go with more time and came up with not much of value.
2021 Martin Woods Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley, Tualatin Hills, Tualatin Estate. The purple core dark enough to nudge up against opacity, dark cranberry red rims in turn, decent shine but looks a little lifeless. Dusty nose of sand, crushed dried leaves, volcanic stone, dollop of fresher garden herbs, terse blackberry and raspberry scents, not hollow or “lacking,” more like someone absent as he stares out at the horizon oblivious to you. Medium-bodied, surfeit of structure and close to puckering. Fruit shows better, redder. More dry soil based flavors without being arid. This is definitely a “terroir” wine. And that’s close to all you are going to get. Needs a few years to soften. Maybe it will. (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2023 Kemmeter Wines Riesling, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, Kemmeter Estate Vineyard, “Three Notes 2016 Vines”. Pale worn gold color with a layering shine, visually fills the glass well. Kumquat, apple and apricot fruit stage the nose for chalk and saline, becomes both smokier and honeyed as it warms, commanding presence. Medium-bodied, quite firm with a tightening grip entry to finish. While the acidity is blunt this doesn’t diminish the feeling of movement. Overall quite dry. Cherry, pineapple, kumquat, the fruit tart here. Close to salty now and then. Rose petals and naval orange zest. Has a sort of “powerful elegance” to it, not a shy wine. The dryness does not reduce the chance to “soak” in it, an element I sometimes find in drier Riesling (this is 11.2%). Screwcap)
2023 Dr. Konstantin Frank Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes, “Winter Ferment Semi-Dry”. Moderately deep gold, as expected more layered than shiny. The nose displays a smoky side first, moves on to considerable tangerine and mandarin orange citrus, the lychee blended in well, suggestive of apple, pear, kiwi fruit, overall not overblown. Full-bodied, shifts it into overdrive here. Stuffed with sweet apricot, pear, melon, cherry fruit, quintessential fruit cocktail. Much nuttier, triumphs over the citrus. Acidity nothing of note, round and pliant mouth feel. Admirably shifts into a lighter and cleaner finish. Understandably not for all palates but there are times I enjoy soaking in the richness of such a wine as this. (Screwcap)
2023 Kemmeter Wines Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, Kemmeter Estate Vineyard, “SanSan”. Layered without much distortion, pale straw yellow, to me good shine for the variety. The first few sniffs are rich but once the olfactory sense settles in the lychee, peach and pear fruit, floral musk not blowsy nor exaggerated, develops more spiced orange peel for pep. Medium-bodied, possesses the expected outward pressure against the cheeks yet doesn’t feel anchored and moves at a steady clip into a clean finish. The citrus a much bigger part. Nuttiness lower. Fruit includes cherry accents. Hard to gauge acidity but seems good. Smooth drinker. Worth noting that it’s 12.9% which can be considered low for Gewürztraminer. (Screwcap)
2023 Scout Vineyards Chardonnay Long Island, McCullough Vineyard, “Stainless Steel”. Basic worn golden ring color, more solid than shiny, average. Ripe orchard fruits and violets, the nose open and easy accessible, doesn’t really give a hint of “terroir,” lower grade citrus, succinct dissolve without extra words. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied and doesn’t have boosted body from oak. Apricot, peach, pear and apple of fine proportion. Same bouncy citrus and flowers. Acidity is okay, hey, it’s domestic Chardonnay, hehe. Perfectly acceptable and clean finish. The wife and I aren’t much for this variety but in a pinch this is nice. Low alcohol (11.6%) (Screwcap) [Note: Finger Lakes producer which sources these grapes from Long Island]
2022 Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes Gamay Noir, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly, “Cuvée des Ambassades”. Fairly dark violet core, wide ruby rims, well saturated and spotless. Ashy, stony nose, rustic at first, last week’s mown grass, swirling gets you a lot more boysenberry, cranberry scents, not as sappy as I have found previous vintages, turns spicy before it wafts away. Medium-bodied with pleasing firmness, credible tannic spine. The fruit shows well with the tannin ahead by a length. More gravel dust and dry earth like notes. A few citrus highlights. Finishes like it hits a wall. Strikes me as a wine made to age, needing good air time today to soften. Notes seem similar to personal impressions of the 2012 and 2016.
2022 Jonas Dostert Mosel Saar Ruwer, “Karambolage Landwein”. Looking at the bottle before the first pour you can see the liquid is filled with fine particulate. Hazy, duh, falls just short of looking full-on orange wine, has some pinkish metallic hues, looks like liquefied candle wax. Very vinous nose with metallic, minerally notes, sun dried orange peels, there’s a tautness to it which makes the pear, apple, berry scents difficult to tease out, saline and vinegary accents polish it off. In the mouth it’s maybe a little less than medium-bodied, the acidity could be bagged as a desiccant, numbing with tacky residue. Citrus carves out a larger presence. Rubber tire, diesel fumes, but it ain’t Riesling. No lift. Very consistent start to finish. It’s not for me but it’s well made in terms of discerning overt winemaking flaws. Worth a shot for the adventurous soul. 34% Elbling, 33% Pinot Gris, 33% Chardonnay. (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2021 La Ca’ Nova Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Montefico Vigna Bric Mentina. Very clear, core a blood red to violet hue, more garnet at the rims. Nose of dried rose petals, cherry liqueur, Indian spice, balsam wood and cedar, really needs time to start yawning and stretching, today needs a decant. Tannin makes it more medium-bodied but I think once that integrates it will come across as more light-bodied. Sweetness of the cherry, berry fruit hard to gauge, should outlast the tannin. Licorice and lavender stand out here. Then that cedar and spice and a bit of citrus. Very tight, have to be of a charitable state of mind to peer into its future. Have to assume that the positive reviews are correct.
1997 Castello dei Rampolla Tuscany, “Sammarco”. Tasted in 2004, 2007, and 2010. Unimpressed, so left one bottle in a “deep space capsule” to see if anything changed. Opaque, dull black core with red, brown, yellow hues of rust and clay. The nose of the main shoe polish, worn leather and nutty notes, the volatility doesn’t let much of the fruit show (assuming it is left), does present a mentholated lift. Medium-bodied but sluggish and devoid of any pacing. There are cherry and plum flavors which dry out by the finish. Tannin reduced to fine clumps. Pretty much dead. Hey, at least I was able to buy it at cost. Unspecified percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese.
2023 Maanschijn South Africa, Walker Bay, “Herbarium”. Glossy violet to magenta, too transparent to really glow but it wants to, bouncy visuals. Buttered popcorn sets the table in the nose, have to circle around it to get red berry fruit, leather, and moderate florals, light and open but too dominated by the aforementioned. Light-bodied and nimble on its toes, acidity frames it well. Importer website says “maturation lasted ten months in neutral Burgundy casks” but here too it seems oaky out the wazoo. The cherry, strawberry, raspberry fruit brighter with a better foothold. Leather, tar and white citrus prominent towards the finish. Smooth enough but there’s an unevenness to it and the final impression lacks direction and punctuation. Can see this going over with the natural wine crowd. 42% Pinotage, 38% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre. (Composite Cork)
2023 Totus Tuus Spain, Penedès, Cava, “Brut”. Good amount of foam on the pour with solid retention, no beads, just a horde of bubbles swirling around. The yellow gold coloration has a faint glow to it, nice touch. Nose of violets, anisette toast, challah bread, and lemon curd, seems toastier when more chilled, something passing for chalk or minerals, the apricot, apple scents stand up, do their part, sit down. Close to full-bodied with no lack of girth. The pétillance relieves some but not all of this, so texture may be up to personal choice. The chalk and stone more effective here. Citrus overshadows that subtler fruit. If something like this can be full-bodied and refreshing, this is it. For under $20 this is a repeat buy. 40% Chardonnay, 18% Xarello, 18% Macabeu, 18% Parellada, 6% Pinot Noir. (Not labeled as vintage nor NV, Lot L-230730)
