RECENT TNS, MOSTLY CA CABS - New York (9/7/2009-9/28/2009)
A slew of TNs from recent weeks that I thought might be of interest, mostly Cali cabs. I’m reporting only the good ones - had some 70s and low 80 pointers but mostly stuff that wouldn’t be bought by savvy Berserkers.
Tasted from enomatic machine
-
2006 Calera Pinot Noir - USA, California, Central Coast (9/8/2009)
Pretty nose - Medicinal cherry on palate; a bit simple. 86-87 (86 pts.) -
2007 Red Car Pinot Noir The Trolley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (9/7/2009)
Sweet nose of round red fruit and oak; a bit simple on the palate, but it may be the oak obscuring what else is here. Fruit is sweet but still nice. Slightly rich but balanced overall. 90-91+. Not sure if I view this as fully worth the tariff, but I’d love to see what this is like in a few years. (91 pts.) -
2005 Château d’Armailhac - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (9/8/2009)
Had just a taste again. A nice nose of reddish fruits and crushed rock with moss and earth creeping in. Palate is tannic, with tart cranberry . Not giving much right now. Style is a bit light. 90 (90 pts.) -
2005 Château Clerc Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (9/7/2009)
Tasted again. Fruit a little deeper and darker than D’Armailhac, with similar rock and earth. Palate on the Clerc is much richer; fruits a bit plummy/ cranberry tart. This is much more tannic than the last time I tasted, probably open for less time. Give it time, lots of it. (93 pts.) -
2005 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/8/2009)
Lots of chalky slate on the nose, slight barnyard, rich red currant fruit. Palate is a bit simpler - sweet red fruit with decent acidity, oak apparent . Not quite worth the $$. Would like to see it in 5 yrs though. 90-91 (90 pts.)
Tasting at Sherry-Lehmann
-
2003 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (9/9/2009)
Seems balanced for food - not heavy on the oak, with decent concentration, but lacking in excitement. 89-90. (90 pts.) -
2005 Cardinale Red Wine - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/9/2009)
A very pretty nose of black and red fruits, and sweet French oak. On the palate, lush and delicious; a bit of a light, subtler style, not hugely complex. Reminds me quite a bit of Quintessa. 92-93. (92 pts.) -
2005 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (9/9/2009)
very pretty nose, perhaps the prettiest of this tasting - similar to the Cardinale but slightly more appealing. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the nose, but is very tasty. The style is a bit less lush than the Cardinale, but there’s a bit more depth, with a slightly darker fruit profile. A bit of minerality on the palate here as well. 92-93, but I prefer this by a hair over the Cardinale. (93 pts.) -
2005 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (9/9/2009)
Winner of this tasting. The pretty nose of fragrant cassis fruit and french oak is beguiling but doesn’t quite prepare you for how good the palate is. Flavors on the tongue are deep, rich and long, with some minerality and character - this one will go the distance. Very very nice stuff - would love to see what it turns into. A serious wine. 93-95+. (94 pts.)
Tasted at various retailers
-
2006 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/16/2009)
This is good, traditional California cab, balanced well for food. On the nose, oak is prominent - this needs time. The nose and palate both feature dark cassis fruit, with a tannic finish. I would decant if opened now, but this should develop nicely. Smooth flavor, well done in a less showy style. (92 pts.) -
2006 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (9/16/2009)
Excellent stuff - much like the regular Groth cab, this is balanced and food-friendly, which I really appreciate in this age of point-chasing cabs that don’t pair well. French oak on the nose, and dark cassis fruits on the palate, with a bit of spice not apparent on the regular bottling, and greater depth. Give this time -with its balance and deep flavors, I think this will age well and keep getting better. Very nice if you can afford it. 93-94+ (94 pts.) -
2003 Ackerman Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/19/2009)
This is smooth on the palate, tasty, a bit lighter than I expected it to be given my experience with the 2004 a few months ago, which was powerful and spicy. This is nice but I wouldn’t necessarily seek this one out from their lineup. Lauren Ackerman described this vintage as a bit more Bordeaux-like for them, and their vineyard site as cooler climate than typical Napa cabs - a result of getting the breezes that blow in from the coast over Carneros. (90 pts.) -
2004 Ackerman Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/19/2009)
Tasted again with very consistent notes - a strong, concentrated peppery cab with some floral/eucalyptus on the nose. Very enjoyable. (92 pts.) -
2005 Ackerman Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (9/19/2009)
In time, this may turn out to be the one I prefer out of the 2003-2005 vintages of this wine; balanced and concentrated, traditional Napa cab flavors - tannic now but tasty and showing much promise. 91-92+ (92 pts.)
Random other interesting bottles
-
2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Côtes du Rhône Mon Coeur - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (9/8/2009)
This is a solid effort that displays both the Chave style and the character of the vintage. Color is purple with reddish tinges, ever so slight signs of age showing. Nose is slight funk (but not brett in my book), prominent brambly berry fruit, and floral lavender tinges. Palate is balanced, with ample fruit, mossy earth, moderate pepper and floral - typical Burgundian style of this producer and bottling shows, except with a slightly stewed, raisiny character to the fruit compared to other vintages like 2006. For this reason, I put this a shade behind the usual rating for this. The hotness of this could be the first signs that this is falling apart, but I think there are equal chances that this is just in transition (significant tannins remain), and may become even more gorgeous with some time. I plan to hold on to my other bottle of this for a few years if I can, to find out. 88-89
UPDATE: sealed a small bottle of this in the fridge, returned to it 4 days later, and the brett was definitely apparent (though still drinkable) (89 pts.)
-
2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (9/8/2009)
Nose of round figgy fruit and baked muffin. Decent palate but doesn’t send me. Tannic still, but there’s a strong finish here that portends a good future with complexity. 90-91+ (90 pts.) -
2007 Weingut Reuscher-Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (9/19/2009)
This is not hugely complex, but this is delicious. A whiff of petrol on the nose; on the palate, pineapple and peach flavors give this a honeyed sense, but it’s still anchored by an underlying acidity that keeps this from being cloying. Excellent QPR for spatlese, that bolsters the argument that German riesling is the best value category out there- hard to think of other categories where you can get wine this good at $19. Reuscher-Haart has been one of the QPR leaders within the category for me. A joy. 91-92. (91 pts.) -
2006 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph Offerus - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (9/24/2009)
Delicious. This is squarely in the wheelhouse of what I expect from a Chave Offerus - an earthy, funky, Burgundian Rhone. There’s fruit, vibrant pepper, garrigue, earth, you name it in here. Terrific complexity and balance, especially for the price range. This is required drinking for serious wine drinkers in my book. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker