TN: Pre-Twins Game Wines (Zind, Cos, PM Pavots, Spottswoode)

WINE TALK
#1

PRE-TWINS GAME WINES (ZIND, COS, PM PAVOTS, SPOTTSWOODE) - (6/16/2010)

Steve Sigmond scored some tickets to the Twins game against the Rockies and invited Chris and me to join him. We met at Chris’s condo which is walking distance from the beautiful new stadium for steaks and wine before the game. We drank the Zind while cooking dinner and then served the three reds side-by-side with perfectly grilled rib-eyes, spicy haricot verts and sauteed mushrooms (a reprise of dinner at Siggy’s a few weeks ago).

The three reds were distinctly different with the Cos showing great Bordeaux character and the Spottswoode showing what I consider classic Napa cab character and the Peter Michael sort of wedged in between. The Cos performed way above my expectations. I ended up having trouble deciding which wine to declare as WOTN and ended up gutlessly declaring it a dead heat.

  • 2002 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl - France, Alsace, Hunawihr, Alsace AOC
    Opaque yellow color. Big nose of honey, citrus fruit and mineral. Effusive in a straightforward way. More nuanced on the palate. Great weight with expansive flavors of lemon and bitter orange (Chris called it as orange zest with a bit of the pith). Starts a little sweet, but a nice beam of acidity appears by middle palate and really contributes to a great, long finish. This is probably just entering an early drinking phase and is in no danger of falling off anytime soon. I’m inclined to hold my remaining bottles for a few years and see if some additional complexity appears but there is nothing wrong with drinking these now. (93 pts.)
  • 2001 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
    Opened about 30 minutes before serving. Dense ruby red color. Awesome nose featuring dark fruit tinged with fresh red cherry, dried herbs/tobacco, a subdued barnyard/saddle leather and great minerality. Blind I would have called this as Montrose, and it had all you could hope for from a Bordeaux nose. On the palate this seemed a bit tighter, with medium weight, compact flavor expression and a structured/muscular personality. The weight and balance really impressed me. The finish was excellent. Opened up a bit as it sat in the glass, but ultimately needs a few more years in the cellar to really come into its own. Definitely a wine to buy for drinking over the next 5-10 years if the price is right. (93 pts.)
  • 2002 Peter Michael Les Pavots - USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
    Decanted about 45 minutes. Dark ruby red color. Great nose of red fruit, dried herbs and cedar – distinctly California but with nice complexity and nuance. In the mouth this struck me as serious and structured but with plenty of fruit and a silky smooth personality (at least compared to the Cos). Succulent flavors expand brilliantly across the palate, but are controlled and balanced. Tannins appear near the finish and are drying, but this is still delicious. I don’t drink tons of Cali Cabs, but this struck me as a more understated example. This too seemed to be on the early edge of its drinking window and should benefit from a few more years in the cellar. (93 pts.)
  • 2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
    Decanted about one hour before tasting. The color is a youthful ruby red. On the nose this delivered mostly clean red fruit. Beautiful to smell, but by far the most one-dimensional of the wines tasted tonight. On the palate this is pure pleasure. No rough edges, now obvious flaws, but also no peaks or valleys. Delivers plenty of perfectly ripe fruit with just enough structure. Flavors come on strong at the attack and then plateau there through a good finish. I guess you can tell that I liked it but there was just no intrigue – no wow factor. Based on this bottle I doubt this is likely to improve much, but it should drink well for the foreseeable future. This is my first time tasting Spottswoode, and, while impressive, it seems a bit overpriced relative to what you get. (93 pts.)

It turned out to be an absolutely perfect night for baseball – clear skies and 80 degrees with a light breeze. It also didn’t hurt that the Twins won yet again, the result of another strong pitching performance despite some very mediocre batting.
Posted from CellarTracker

#2

great notes. spot on with my experience. i’ve had all but the ZH.

[cheers.gif]

#3

They fixed that with the elixir of magic known as the 07… [berserker.gif]