Opened the 1999 Semillon. Deep golden color. Great nose of lemon oil, apple, melon, hints of cut grass. On the palate, rich honeyed lemon, hints of apple and pear, and a great mineral quality. Finishes with a lot of acidic cut that balances the richness. Very much like an aged Bdx blanc. 93 rock solid pts for those that score.
Very jealous David. Count me as a big fan of the Semillon as well.
The semillon and sauv blanc are very good. Though they do have somewhat of a LdH or Musar style to them, oxidative in a way, and I think different tasters would come down on the side of whether it’s too much or not.
The chardonnay is interesting and tasty, as well, but it tastes off-dry, almost like a dessert style wine, so it may not be for everyone.
The pinot was interesting, rather ashy and old tasting. It’s definitely for people who like old tasting reds, and I’m among that group, though I didn’t quite love this wine, and probably wouldn’t get it again.
I did not detect any oxidative notes in this particular bottle. I usually catch that as a nutty sensation on the finish with Musar and LdH. I can see how they would take those on type of notes based simply on the age of the wine itself.
I think that is a good description of the 1999 Semillon, but I see where Frank is coming from. It is not a wine for everyone. I wouldn’t call it oxidized in the manner that wines that are purposefully oxidized are, but it has some “old wine” oxidation to it.
As an aside, if you’ve ever had a Kalin CH, you should try Salinia Chardonnay Heintz (CH). Kevin Kelly is doing some really interesting things and the current release of that Chardonnay is 2007. While that isn’t Kalin level holding back, it’s a lot more than anyone else I know. The wine really reminded me of the Kalin CH, down to the tightly wound power that sneaks up on you. Full disclosure, we sell Kevin’s wines at our shop and I personally like him a lot.