2022 Tyrrell’s Sémillon, Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley. Curiously the surface shine makes the yellow straw look lighter, empties out at the rims, immaculate throughout. The nose has a dry texture mixing stone dust with a very fine powdered sugar, then a wiry lemon citrus element, sort of waxy, any fruit is lean, pineapple, pear, guava, fits overall with its keen edge. In the mouth it is medium-bodied and super sturdy, close to chewy. The acidity packs punch, more like a cudgel than a knife. Same fruit array with maybe more peach to apricot, by no means a “fruity” wine. The citrus much more obvious. Tossup between chalky and stony. Gets sour and pulls up quickly through the finish. Unadorned and “racy” yet its lack of geniality diminishes its utility. (Screwcap)
2022 Idlewild North Coast, “Flora & Fauna White.” Crystal clear white to gold hay coloration, slight loss at the rims, highly reflective surface. Melon, yellow apple, pear scents along with a dense florality give it a breezy, swirling feel in the nose, quite pretty, blends in nutty and honeyed notes, fresh enough you don’t search for complexity. Medium-bodied and a bit firmer than I expected, sets itself right off. Acidity is proportionate to maybe demanding, less flightiness than in the nose. Nutty in a way to suggest Gewürztraminer, light bitterness. Same fruit array with more apricot, flirts with a tropical edge. A mixed citrus element jockeys with the florality for your attention. Quite nice, kind of made for deck sipping as the sun sets on a summer day vibe. Unspecified percentages of Arneis, Muscat Canelli, Favorita, Erbaluce, Cortese. Grapes sourced from Fox Hill Vineyard, Lost Hills Ranch, and Rancho Coda. (Composite Cork)
2021 Lagier Meredith Syrah, Napa Valley, Mount Veeder. Dense purple core surrounded by thick magenta rims, surface buffed to a fine shine, glows radiantly in the glass. Notes of soy, leather, bitter dark chocolate, and black cardamom take the nose in many directions, the plum to cassis scents musky and full, glimmer of olive tapenade, pork cracklins. Medium-bodied, a little slimmer than expected as well as more tannic. Which bodes well for aging. Overall, sort of edges in rather than splash. The mixed currant and cherry fruit benefits from a lavender and spice fueled lift. A little more primary here than in the nose. Adopts a chocolaty veneer towards the end. Stepping back to assess, it has good balance start to finish and strikes a neutral posture. Could fit with a variety of meat based dishes. Interested to see its maturation curve.
2001 Viader Napa Valley, “Proprietary Red.” Opaque black purple core, thin dull brick red rims, pleasing surface shine, hard to really gauge, visually it could be older or just how it looks young. The plummy nose gives away some age but it’s also loaded with fresher cassis, cherry, cedar shavings, cocoa, grill smoke, light herbaceousness but nothing distracting, very full and energetic, really nice. Full-bodied, sufficient tannin left to keep framing it, gives it a steady pacing. Thick plum, black cherry, blackberry fruit still rocking and rolling. Even gives you some creamy oak now and then. Cedar, tobacco, potpourri, hints of slate. It may have lost some suaveness while gaining sturdiness. Very happy with where this is at, wouldn’t sit on it forever but no crazy rush either. 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Cabernet Franc.
2016 Harrington Grenache, San Benito County, La Cienega Valley, Siletto Vineyard. Pretty much rust red throughout, yellowish at the rims, squeaky clean and transparent, fine shine. Nose starts off with flatulence and egg shells, takes some time to swirl its way to raspberry, strawberry fruit as well as dried flowers, mocha, stony parched earth, I sense an unwillingness to unfold, perhaps in a dumb phase. Light to medium-bodied, pinpoint tannin and acidity imbues it with an admirable energy. The fruit shades sour, strawberry, green apple, boysenberry. Has a salty to saline fringe, along with bay leaf accents brings savoriness. As it continues to open there’s more white citrus. While less fruity than in its youth it might also be less complex than then. In any event, still enjoyable and to me a Grenache wine to serve to people who don’t like Grenache. (Composite Cork)
2001 Provenance Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Oakville. Reddish black core, dulled rick red rims, good surface shine. Reserved red currant, blackberry fruit in the nose, the oak cream fully absorbed, more smoky now, hint of menthol, in a serene place. Medium-bodied with decent girth, keeps its weight from start to finish. Fruit shades blue to black, chugging along without much loss. Tea leaf, eucalyptus, orange peel, cocoa powder, offers sufficient Cabernet typicity. More minty towards the end. Didn’t change that much over time, to its credit didn’t fall off. If I had to say it’s a few years past peak but not in any danger of meeting the reaper. No problem with this bottle.
2021 Château la Grolet Bordeaux, Côtes de Bourg. Deep purple core with a gradual shift into ruby, fine clarity as well as richness of hue. The nose at first features a dusty earthiness and cedar but in the end the plum, currant fruit wins out, ripe without getting pushy about it. Medium-bodied, very nice plushness and round mouth feel without seeming simple, echoes the nose in this. The tannin does what it needs to and stops there. Hints of tobacco, spice, and that cedar. Negligible oak presence, if any. Light minerality towards the end. Unadorned and undemanding, goes down quickly. Not much to say past that. 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec. (Composite Cork)
2022 Gregoire Hoppenot Gamay Noir, Beaujolais, Fleurie, “Origines.” Dark purple core shading a standard ruby towards the rims, fine shine and no clarity issue. Blueberry, boysenberry, strawberry spring into the nose, friendly from the first sniff, strong florality, incense, not much else going on, in a very primary state. Medium to full-bodied, plush attack that firms up towards the finish. Albeit doesn’t strike me as all that tannic nor acidic. Same “berryish” fruit, more ripe than simply sweet. Here there’s a cornerstone of citrus that come forward more as the fruit recedes. Also a smidge more stony. Appreciate the dry punctuation at the end. No real window into its future and it’s approachable enough now that it probably shouldn’t even be a consideration. As they say, more-ish. (Composite Cork: Diam3)
2020 Charles Joguet Cabernet Franc, Loire valley, Chinon, “Cuvée Terroir.” The dark ruby-violet hue doesn’t interfere with the highly buffed shine and immaculate visual cleanliness. Straightforward red cherry, blackberry fruit scents occupy most of your attention followed by a light herbal streak and subtler leather, pulls itself together for one punch then recedes. Medium-bodied with a lighter finish, closely mimics the nose in that the sweet fruit is the centerpiece and rest adornment. Still, you get a credible amount of earth, forest scrub and grassiness and little of the bell pepper so many folks dislike. Gets tangy as the sweetness of the fruit dissipates at the end. It has plenty of Cabernet Franc markers even if simple. So probably a good wine to serve as an introduction to the category.
2015 Dominique Lafon Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc. Green-white to pale yellow straw coloration, light shine, youthful brightness. Lemon zest, green apple, pear, apricot, pineapple of credible thrust, pinch of powdered sugar, lime and lemon citrus, dusty white stones, develops a smoky finish, displays a pleasing clarity, in a good place. Medium-bodied, firm and with a steady forward motion. Tangy same lime driven citrus. Presents a floral dimension not found in the nose, wet minerality. There’s a fleshy and confident serenity to it, like it knows what it is and doesn’t reach any further. Energetic finish that isn’t breaking new ground but keeps it rock steady.(Composite Cork: Diam10)
2015 Moreau-Naudet Burgundy, Chablis. Just starting to mature golden color, hint of darkening adds visual solidity, good enough shine to offset. Nose unfolds burning oil slick, flint and a lesser amount of chalk, overall more broad than penetrating, pressed flowers, dried orange peel and apple, pear scents, kind of rolls to a halt before you’d like. Medium to full-bodied, acidity zips around through the attack then flies away. As a result, there’s tang but it’s lacking in direction. Naval orange to grapefruit citrus flows into some nuttiness and whisper of honey. Fruit moving in a dry tropical direction. Mineral water, clean stone at the end even though it hollows out some. Probably either passing peak or stylistically not what I expect in a Chablis.
2002 Vacheron Loire Valley, Sancerre. Dark gold color, not quite bronzed, makes it pool more than shine in the glass but by no means dull in appearance. The nose at first is all dough and yeast notes, somewhat medicinal like witch hazel, not registering much fruit, some candied orange peel, gets oily as it warms, would be hard pressed to peg this as Sancerre or really Sauvignon Blanc. Medium-bodied, on the palate it redeems itself to a point with a lot more citrus and even some stony accents. Apple, pear, maybe peach flavors, albeit in truncated form. Acidity still doing its thing and holds it together well enough. Some tea leaf and resin towards the back half. Nowhere near the doughiness found in the nose. Credible finish. Tale of two cities? Loved this on release ($17.99!), another experiment in aging Sancerre. Would consider this a hard single up the middle.
2015 La Bastide Blanche Provence, Bandol, Rosé. Sort of pale rust red or faded rose hue, pale orange rims, fine clarity. Raspberry and red cherry fruity break the surface first, honey, yeast, cocoa then flutter down to coat, moves into a medicinal, camphor like thing, not much lift nor length. Medium-bodied, sluggish, no more than a few steps in it kneels down. Acidity is subpar and tannin close to non-existent. Some sweetness in the strawberry, raspberry fruit but not enough to get past the mid-palate. Mutter of citrus. Here’s the thing. To me a credible Bandol rosé should still be alive at this stage. Maybe not killing it. But better than this, particularly given the lack of any tertiary development. No issue with storage. Confounding. Unspecified percentages of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah.
1995 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Bordeaux, Pauillac. Dark purple core, wide brick red rims straight to the outer edge, no lack of visual vigor. Pencil lead, tobacco, wet straw, after awhile gets smokier and tarrier, echo of cherry, blackberry fruit. Light-bodied, immediately feels like it has shed a good bit of weight. Residual tannin getting a little clumpy. Sour bite in the reddish fruit even with a moment of maraschino cherry, helps it break the surface in the mid-palate. Quite tarry here. Cedar, celery root, more dried out tobacco, orange pekoe tea. Does gain some traction after about half an hour. A good bit of what you want is there it just doesn’t have the weight or heft you want to support things. Fill was great, cork was good. That’s life. 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot.
2006 Louis Jadot Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton, “Hospices de Beaune Cuvée Charlotte Dumay.” Darkened purple core, dulling, rims bricking and also on the dark side. Nose of muddy earth and straw, dried cow patties, some residual spice and tea leaf, the cherry to dark berry scents on the way out, moderates a little given time to open but just a little. Medium-bodied, drying out leaving the tannin as the dominant component. Not perceiving any kind of acidity which would freshen up things. Orange spice, tea, cedar, overall cleaner here. The fruit shades redder and has decent concentration through the attack. All in all it’s lack of life is the main problem. At the same time have to assume the tannin was pretty fierce in its youth too.
2018 Vallana Piedmont, Boca. A dark reddish cast muddies the core, washed out brick red rims, clean throughout, this is pretty much what it’s supposed to look like. Leather, autumnal leaves and twigs, straw notes make the initial impression in the nose, sage and bay leaf, the cherry to raspberry scents close to a hard candy nature, squarish enough to end abruptly. Light to medium-bodied, tight tannin web flung across the palate from the first sip. Luckily there’s ample sweet fruit to break through. White citrus makes a stronger statement, still has that garden herb to licorice touch. Arguably more floral with air. Overall does open some but that tannin is very much in the driver’s seat and makes the final statement. Should be long lived. 70% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolino, 10% Uva Rara. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2022 Mamete Prevostini Nebbiolo, Lombardy, Alpi Retiche, “Botonero.” Light scarlet red with at times an orange or pink cast, trim and transparent, nicely shiny. The ripeness of the cherry, red berry fruit hits you first, then the nose settles into white citrus and muddy earth, despite the fruit the general impression is of a more rustic rumbling. Medium-bodied, evenly distributed from the sip to the gulp, consistent pacing. The tannin is moderate so the red fruit shines unimpeded. Lemon and grapefruit naturally appear next, leather, maybe some pine cone or fennel like notes. After a glass or so the tannin begins to register more strongly. Pleasurable easy drinking wine for a cheese and meat plate or with an equally simple meal. Price is right and there’s no reason to not have bottles like this on hand for when the moment pops up. (Nomacorc Select Green 300)