I went to a tasting tonight of ‘high end wines’ at Hi-Time Wine Cellars Winebar with Veronica Castro and her friend Lorraine.
2006 Altamura Sauvignon Blanc: Rich mouthfeel - seems like a bunch of new oak in this wine (why wouldn’t it be a Fume Blanc?), finish is a bit syrupy, but good fruit and strong acidity.
2006 Kistler ‘Durrell’ Chardonnay - light in color, very interesting nose, but not giving up much, just a bit of floral and citrus. No detectable oak on the nose. I got a huge dose of malolactic on this wine - not my style. Big structure, good acidity, particularly on the mid palate, strong gravelly minerality, and a very long finish.
2006 Sine Qua Non ‘Hoodoo Man’ Proprietary White - Very nice nose of apples and sweet citrus. Substantial, silky mouthfeel, blast of oak comes through on the palate, very bitter and acidic on the finish, and huge alcohol at a claimed 15.8% (seemed like much more)
2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Flax Vineyard - Strawberries and milk chocolate on the somewhat tight nose, satiny mouthfeel, but a rather thin body. Very high acid, but balanced. Bright fruit, some new oak, finish of red fruits, more oak. I surmise that this wine would be a perfect match with salmon or another rich fish with its high acidity and strong fruit presence. My first SVD Williams Selyem, and not a disappointment.
2005 Kamen ‘Kashmir’ Cabernet Sauvignon - Very rich, deep red purple color, big nose of black fruits, anise, lilacs - beautiful. Rich, silky mouthfeel, dark fruits, red meat. Finish starts a bit on the bitter side, but the long finish timeline brings black fruits, some gravel, and just over the course of 30+ seconds it very gracefully fades into raspberries, very pleasant, particularly on the finish. A very well made wine for sure - my WOTN, and not at all my typical ‘style’.
2006 Winter Cabernet Sauvignon - Nose started to shut down in the glass immediately after pouring, which was disappointing, as it started out very fruit-forward. Lighter body, seemed more ‘spoofalated’ to me, as if it was engineered to cover up a bad vintage. Lots of new oak, red fruits, short finish.
2007 L’Aventure ‘Cote a Cote’ Proprietary Red - Very big nose, typical Central Coast Grenache being the dominant component. Big entry, big midpalate, lots of new oak, high alcohol, hot finish, and big tannins. (See the trend?) Yes, everything was over the top, but that’s not to say it was not enjoyable. It’s a very good bacchanalic wine, with lots of ripe fruit and a huge mouthfeel, which is sometimes what you might want.
2006 Schrader ‘PNV’ Zinfandel - This was a wine that Hi Time bought in the Napa Valley Auction as a barrel. Only 62 bottles, and these puppies cost a whopping $175.00!! The nose started out nice - fruits, spices, but then it quickly turned to all alcohol. It smelled of Isopropyl Alcohol, essentially. Huge heat on the palate, overpowering everything. Finish settles down to a spicy red and blue fruit component, more alcohol. I’m guessing this sucker is over 17% ABV EASILY. Very disappointing, and for the price - are you kidding???
I then had a pour of some 2004 Renato Corino Barolo, as it was there, and being poured. Very nice nose of anise and red fruits - not as much floral as what I’ve come to expect (and love) of 2004 Barolo. Very well made, great acidity and grip on the midpalate, and a finish that lasted at LEAST a full minute. Fantastic for the money (around $34.00), and easily life in it for the long term.
Lorraine had a pour of the Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne Montrachet (2005) Clos des Murees, and that was a spectacular young white Burg.