2015 Once & Future Mataro (Mourvèdre), Contra Costa County, Oakley Road Vineyard. Strong scarlet cast to the light purple core, hesitant to call the rims bricking but darn close, clear throughout. The nose feels well layered, plum, blueberry fruit, leather, hint of lanolin as well as menthol, some mocha without seeming “oaked,” not altogether complex, however, very pleasing. Medium to full-bodied, extremely fluid and silky (same as on release). Tannin slight, has an uptick in acidity at the finish, lends punctuation. Red to blue berry fruit, tang and sweetness both, gets to the end just fine. Sweet herbs and pressed flowers teased out by the fruit. Same glimmer of cocoa or mocha. Curiously, found it more complex in its youth. Peaceful, easy feeling.
2011 Bedrock Syrah, Sonoma Valley, Weill a Way Vineyard, “Exposition Three”. Very dark purple devoid of glow but not quite black, the rust red rims have clarity, surface shine is good. The nose is overall demure, plum, cassis fruit, close to prune, notes of horsehide and old potpourri, cement, not deriving what I would consider mature Syrah development. Medium-bodied, generally smooth although there is a light tannic residue grit. Also on the dry side, particularly through the finish. The black fruits a bit fresher here. Florality stronger too. Grill smoke, spiced orange peel, and cedar. Nothing “sauvage” about it, much more calm and collected. Kinda just past peak if you ask me. But you probably didn’t. (Exposition Two was better.) 84% Syrah, 16% Viognier. (10% whole cluster, aged in barrel for 36 months)
2016 Harrington Mourvèdre, El Dorado County, Sumu Kaw Vineyard. Garnet to rust red in hue, hard to attribute much purple to it, clarity unremarkable. While the nose leans on a cornerstone of black fruits the level of wool and leather not insubstantial, licorice, somewhat primary, weighty in the nostrils, what’s there gains decent separation. Just shy of full-bodied, noticeable tannic frame through the mouth entry. The fruit is quite sweet but that tannin helps. A little sour apple at the end. Candied orange peel and potpourri. Quiet earthiness. Long finish. Comes off as unevolved. Funny that back in 2018 I was doubtful there would be tertiary development due to lack of tannin. And today there’s tannin but minimal tertiary development. Life, it’s a crazy game.
2023 Bolt To Wines Grüner Veltliner, Santa Rita Hills. Cloudy deep gold color, more glowing than shiny, strong rims. Quite smoky nose, saltlick, matchstick, herbal matter, on the funky side, difficult to discover any fruit scents, allowing the wine to warm didn’t change anything. Close to full-bodied, probably feels that way as it is super firm. Comes across as more tannic than acidic, makes me think skin contact. Fried lemon peel, saline, quinine, splash of honey. Pineapple, guava, mango, melon fruit has edge. White grapefruit pulp. Certain tingle to it. Better closer to room temperature. (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2017 Harrington Syrah, El Dorado County, Sumu Kaw Vineyard. Just about transparent, reddish plum purple, minimal change at the rims, strikes you as a middle aged wine. Unexpected oak toast and cream blasts through the nose, swerves into pork cracklings, floral paste, sweet tobacco leaf, the generally reddish fruit never settles in, overall uneven. Medium-bodied, light volatility, still the acidity adds more than detracts. Tart cranberry, blueberry, blackberry flavors. Stony and minerally, seems sort of in an early stage or at least not a whole lot of development going on. The oak or whatever it is quieter here (I am sure there’s wasn’t a lot of oak involved and it was neutral). The finish snakes and coils for some time. Really not sure what a final assessment would be. Hmmm. (Composite Cork)
2022 NSO Wines Petit Verdot, Santa Barbara County, Los Olivos District. As expected inky purple and completely opaque, thin plum red rims. The nose expresses some cocoa, buttered toast nuances, floral mist, thick and dewy cassis to cherry scents, displays some grill meat smoke after awhile. Full-bodied, densely layered with velvety softness. Whisper of tannin at the end, for all I know it’s wood tannin. Very fruity but not that sweet. Maybe, maybe a touch of white grapefruit. Well enough made in a monochrome way. Fair price, I’d use it as a good “I’m already drunk but want to open another bottle” wine. (Composite Cork: Diam3)
2011 Château St. Jean Sonoma County, “Cinq Cépages”. Just about black as coal, if you squint there’s purple, rims the thinnest of brick red, looks clean enough but who can tell. The nose is on the short side but not lean per se, tobacco and cedar, plum and black cherry, the oak toast echoes in the background, gets more herbaceous with air, decent aromas for the vintage at this age. Medium-bodied, nicely fluid and smooth, any tannin polished into near absence. Here the bell pepper hogs the spotlight. The fruit more tart than expected, sort of shortens it. More cedar, tobacco, tea leaf. Becomes more monochrome with each sip. That said, alluding again to the vintage, it’s a decent enough quaffer in its idiom and there does seem to be meaningful development. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. 1.5 liter bottle.
2017 Harrington Cabernet Franc, Manton Valley, Cedar Crest Vineyard. Nothing out of the ordinary visually, purple core, moderately bricking rims, average transparency and shine. Nose of flatulence and barnyard floor, pretty volatile and all over the place, the red berry scents all but impossible to get at, if there’s bell pepper damned if I can find it. Medium-bodied, volatility here also interrupts any chance at enjoyment. Fruit level is good plus. Just unstable. More minerally than green. Good amount of leather. Can’t really say much else as this more or less replicates my initial experience back in February 2019. No bueño. (Composite Cork)
2017 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley. Purple fading out of the core, the rims bricking red to orange, clarity about what it was in its youth, slightly fuzzy. The nose seems a bit reduced, cherry to berry fruit stewed, potpourri and old spice, at first thought there was some shoe polish volatility, wet straw, swirled a lot without any change. Full-bodied, tannin pounded into sand and minimal acidity. Ginger, cinnamon and orange peel. The fruit getting tired. Still, there’s nice floral notes and has a lengthy finish. After awhile the flatness of it bums you out. I thought this was gorgeous on release and this has been in 55 degrees since I opened the box. Admittedly, it’s the most entry level bottling.
2000 Château Lagrange Bordeaux, Saint-Julien. Blackening purple with solid bricking, clean, full rims, looks about its age. Cedar, tobacco, loam, and kindling embers bring added dimension to the nose, notes of celery and sage, the black currant, cherry scents can once more fit into their 32" jeans. Medium-bodied plus, tempted to call it full-bodied. Tannins subdued while the overall mouth feel is dry (not drying). The plum, currant, cherry fruit deeper here and has no problem getting to the finish line. For me, this is in a great place and thankfully (I think) I have two more left. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot.
2023 Les Arches de Bellivière Loire, Vin de France, “Pollux”. Glowing, saturated violet to magenta, plush rims, fully transparent, dances in the glass. The nose gushes with white pepper, air time allows more strawberry, rhubarb fruit to show, more minor white grapefruit and crushed stone dust notes, decisive in what it wants to express. Light-bodied, tart mouth entry, the acidity registers quickly. The red berry fruit shades blue here. Dusty, stony passing through the mid-palate. Citrus holds off until the very last moment. The more you sip the drier it feels. Retronasally floral. This works for me, especially for $22. 50% Gamay Noir, 50% Pineau d’Aunis. (Composite Cork)
2010 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron Bordeaux, Pauillac. Opaque black, minimal color, the rims a thin scarlet, hard to tell if it’s showing any age or not, kinda looks steroidal. An excess of toasty oak and cocoa present in the nose, somewhat minty, wound up plum, currant scents, air teases out some tobacco, plump and unevolved. Full-bodied, a real soaker, every inch of the palate feels it. Tannin moderate at best, does deaden the finish a bit. More cocoa, coconut oak stuff. Waft of florality. The black fruits thick and sludge like. Would have preferred something slimmer, more focused. This might turn into something more rewarding miles down the road but right now its foursquare. I am sure it’s crazy expensive. 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot.
2022 Eric Texier Serine (Syrah), Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Brézème. Deep purple with a little glow, heavy ruby rims, nothing stands out visually. Quite focused nose of olive tapenade, charred grill fat, minerals, and black cherry, blackberry fruit, mild reduction, zips through your nostrils. Medium-bodied, wiry and close to chiseled, the acidity compresses every element while tannin tends to clip the finish. So, yes, it’s dry. Enough so that has moments of seeming underfruited. Conversely, there’s a fetching florality. As well as olive pit, leather and gristle to round things out. Progression across the palate is smooth until that finish. I am going with painfully young here.
2022 Les Arches de Bellivière Rhône, Vin de France, “Caragouille”. Filmy light orange color, looks like it coulda been yellow in a parallel universe, some glow to it, to me it doesn’t look all that “intentionally orange.” To its credit the nose is on the fresh side, nice tangerine to mandarin orange pith, some smokiness, something like clay which isn’t pertinent here, moderate apricot, pineapple, kumquat scents, more floral than doughy. Medium-bodied, round with a dry and tacky texture, feels more tannic than acidic. Similar emphasis on citrus. Spicier here and more leesy. Still, decent freshness, just not on the level of the nose. Fruit okay, overshadowed by the citrus. Tangy finish. Candidly, the vendor website didn’t mention this was an “orange” wine or I would have passed. But it turned out a lot better than I had feared. 50% Grenache Blanc, 25% Viognier, 25% Vermentino. (Composite Cork)
2020 Hermann Ludes Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Thörnicher Ritsch, Spätlese Trocken AP #4. Pools well to support the greenish white hue, somewhat flat surface. Salty nose, lots of saline, green to yellow apple, pear, cherry fruit scents, smokier as it warms, lemon zest, has intensity and brawn to spare, persistent. Medium-bodied plus, hits like a cudgel, acidity broad and blunt. More mineral and stream water, lesser degree of saline. Wiry pear, melon, apple fruit, lives up to the Trocken designation. Spicy finish with a squeeze. Well made and balanced, not really my style though. (Screwcap)
2022 Cascina ’Tavijn Ruché, Piedmont “Teresa”. Pretty much basic purple core, opaque, same for the dark garnet rims, looks like wine. There is a hint of volatility to the nose but it’s just that, were it Syrah you’d consider it adding interest, floral, blueberry to blackberry fruit scents, some white citrus, gets leathery over time, volatility does not resolve. In the mouth the volatility isn’t there at first but gains as the clock ticks off. Well endowed in the blue, black fruit department. Extremely floral. The leather and earth have to sneak in. This is the kind of thing that confounds me slash pisses me off. I have this producer’s Ruché in 2004 and 2006 and both were marvelous. It’s clear that since then they have inched towards natty. Why, when it was so good as is?
2020 Quinta da Costa do Pinhão Ida Douro Valley, “Gradual B-Side”. Clear beneath the dark purple core, wide crimson rims, no glow but well hued. The nose is surprisingly berryish, did not expect from the coloration, lavender, violets, vaguely clayish earth, kindling smoke, remarkably primary (hence the remark). Medium-bodied, leaning lighter, tannin is wiry and gives it staying power. Solid level of fruit yet there are sips which come across as green. Here it is citrusy and stony. Very well balanced, even start to finish. Nothing mindblowing, very good value and effortlessly sippable. Unspecified percentages of Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz.
1994 Dow’s Douro, Vintage Port. Credible amount of purple yet in the core, reddish rims with hint of yellow, good clarity further out, nothing to suggest a very older wine. To me the nose is a bit too focused and loses nuance as a result, glazed nuts, ginger and anise spice, golden raisin, fig, lightly grapey, cigar smoke, nothing exemplary, pushes the right buttons and then wafts off. Just about light-bodied, buoyed by supporting tannin. Not close to sweet, same fruit, no noticeable concentration. Good smoky qualities. Spiced orange peel. Finding it on the simple side, a casual sipper. Unspecified percentages of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, etc. 375 ml bottle.