Just catching up on some notes…
1987 Spring Mountain Cab
Had no idea what I’d get here, and was delighted with the results. This still has plenty of life with chokecherry and sweeter currant aromas and flavours. Best of all, it has a lovely flowing feel to it as it makes its way through my mouth. No sign of tiredness whatsoever, very nice bottle of wine.
1995 Kalin Cellars Cuvee D Chard
Yum. How about I stop there? No one does this like Leighton does. Someone on the board compared it to a Jura Chard and I like that a lot. It’s otherwise very hard to get to what this is—only the very slightest sign of oxidation, you’re presented with apples, florals and marzipan and all of it is precisely delineated. Held up over about 3 days. So differently wonderful.
2014 Neyers Evanghelo Mourvedre
Had this open for a day or so, and while there is requisite coffee grounds, earth and dark cherry to sniff at and taste, this is still way gangly and angular. It should grow into a fine bottle, but you need to leave it for 5 years at least.
2012 Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Duc de Magenta Morgeots Clos de la Chapelle
I won’t say this bottle was funky, but it took a long while for most of the reduction to blow off and it was always a part of the wine. On the palate, too, the mineral side dominates, and both my friend Heather and I picked up oak presence, which is rare to rear its head in this cuvee. It is still deep and long with unripe bosc pear as the main fruit component. Good, but I have enjoyed previous bottles more. No sign of premox on this one.
2013 Sonkin Persona Syrah
I thought this was showing very well indeed at 6 years out. The fruit is rounded and plush, there are some sweetmeat accents and also a trace of herbs at the back. Soft, but not too soft on the palate, it has traded some early boldness for juicy red and black fruit. Really very nice
2014 Ramonet Bourgogne Aligote
Very clean with lemon and a small smidge of buttercream on the nose. Crisp enough on the tongue, but—even with this house in play–not really anything special to talk about.
2011 Dreissacker Hasensprung Ries
This is a giving and fairly open bottle with scents of honeysuckle, apple and a bit of mineral. To taste, it is fairly crisp and clean with aromatic replays and the sweetness as a light frame or underpinning. It misses some back-end depth but is an enjoyable wine.
2000 Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Bianco
I’m one of the people that loves these types of wines. This did not disappoint for me. Light sherrying on the nuzzie leads to truffle-infused lemon and baked apple mix on the palate. It doesn’t have the extra gear that the Tondonia does, but for $25 US or so that I picked this up for, I’m not complaining one little bit.
2008 Barossa Estate Ebenezer Shiraz
Bouquet of plums, cocoa and blackberries. This is still fairly structured dans la bouche, but one can appreciate the earthy restraint to the black fruit here. Quite interesting to try this 11 years out.
2016 Kutch Sonoma Coast PN
Strawberry and cherry with a dash of sweet herbs in the aroma, this gives way to a balanced and fresh berry-staining taste with a slant of watermelon mixed in there. Bouncy and uncomplicatedly poised, probably the best SC I’ve had of Jamie’s
2010 Rhys Bearwallow PN
There’s some evocation to the nose, lifted raspberry and crabapple with very light baking spice in the background. Polished on the palate, it seems to have reached its apogee and is a nice glass of berry and cherry fruit, but it is, for me, missing the presence that I find in the Santa Cruz bottlings. Not that it’s bad–the first taste was delicious—but it sort of stays at that level for me.