Nice cool night yesterday down in Orlando. Fired up the grilled. Dry-aged filet with sea salt and provencal herbs.
Figured a couple of chewy wines were in order. My buddy popped the '05 Clos Les Lunelles. Now let me say, first, than I’m a fan of this vintage and loaded up. Mine are nicely nestled in storage and it will be some time before I start checking back on them. Was cautiously optimistic that this wine would be slightly more approachable given the 80% merlot content and a lesser overall appellation, coupled with a long decant. I wish I could say something positive about this wine. Sludge comes to mind. Dark, thick, heavily extracted. Astringent and tannic. The most overpowering feature, though, was charred wood. Mouth-coating, astringent, burnt oak. This does not pass for wine. Sub-70 rating. I see the CT ratings are 88-92 generally. Last night I was not alone in this opinion. We did not finish the bottle.
The 2007 Montes Purple Angel is 92% Carmenere, cut with 8% Petite Verdot, from Rapel Valley, Chile. Coming off the Clos les Lunelles, popping a young wine that saw 18 months of new oak was probably not a wise move, but we had it on tap, and frankly, I was eager to try this recommended wine. Another modern-styled wine with heavy presence of oak, high alcohol and a slightly medicinal nose, gamey too. More palatable with the steak, passing for wine is as much as I can say. Dark fruits, globular, tannic, ending with a slightly bitter green note. Clearly needs more time, and one that will probably improve a bit, unlike the sludge above.
The evening would be a total waste in the wine category but for the lovely 2010 Merry Edwards Sav Blanc that paired beautifully with a range of cheeses and tropical fruits. A rounder, more full-bodied style of Sav. Blanc. Lovely stuff.
