TN: Tasting Notes from Some Wines Tasted in 2007:
TN: 2005 Domaine de l’Edre, Cotes du Roussillon Villages. Well balanced on the palate. Rich, but some nice complexity below the fruit, with sea shells, salt and mineral. Long, and a light, elegant finish. My only issue is the level of eucalyptus, which a bit off-putting if you don’t crave that notion. It is a detraction just a bit more than an attribute. Still, it is a lovely wine. Half-bottle in the fridge for tomorrow night. I would, and will, drink these over the next 3-4 years, as I don’t think this one to cellar. $36. 91 points.
TN: 2000 Brusset’s Les Hauts de Montmirail Gigondas. Straight out of the gate, a winner for this Saturday evening. Nice enough spice on the nose, though the nose is not the real show. The palate is very pure and pleasing with lovely spice, rich kirsch and dark berries, and limited Provencial notes. This must have seen some raw wood from what seems like drying wood tannins on the tail, but its fairly well integrated if it did. If the wood integrates further, this should last for another 5-7 years easy and likely improve for a portion of that. Just at a 90 points now, but with room to grow if some complexity develops as the wood integrates. Not thinking that will happen to a large degree, but who cares, it’s a fun wine, light and tasty. A great accompanyment to “Miller’s Crossing” - what a movie, and even better the second time. Albert Finney may be my favorite actor, bar none. $34. 90(+?) points.
TN: 2001 Laurel (Erasmus), Priorat. Not as interesting as two years ago, at least in its present state (and I am uncertain that will change). The nose is rather mute, just some reticent crushed berry. The palate has some very nice spice still, layered over soft, ripe berries. And, yet, this is a shell of its former self, and I am doubtful the wine is simply “closed”. As with many Priorats, I have come to the conclusion that most are not for aging, as the benefits are generally outweighed by the losses. This is still a nice wine, but not more than that. The finish is watery compared to past bottles. Also, I continue to confused by the current pricing of this second wine, which has escalated light years beyond its worth, imho. 88 points.
TN: 1999 L’Arrosee, St. Emilion. Not much of a nose, but the palate, with air, developed into a lighter-bodied essence of St. Emilion. Though the nose never really went anywhere, the palate went from rather uninteresting to lovely with after about an hour. Not for those who require big fruit, and one can properly observe the midpalate is a touch thin and the finish somewhat short. Still, there is a delightful richness just before the breaks are applied. A nice St. Emilion that works with food and is drinking well enough with air. Could improve if some complexity develops. A solid 88+ points. $30.
TN: 2000 Cristia Renaissance, Chateuneuf du Pape. This has improved from my last taste about two years ago, though the wood still holds back the palate, especially, imho. It has developed into a lovely wine, despite the clench of the wood that drys on the finish and, despite creating a sense of volume, also interferes with the purity this wine would otherwise display (though not in that odd, off-putting exotic note some wooded CDPs (like the Cadettes) give off). My wife, who has a very good palate, could not place this as a Southern Rhone - I think because of the wood, as their is plenty of provencial character. The nose is spice from the wood and provencial herbs and dark fruit, in quantity. Nice, but I really wish they would cut back on the wood. Wait a few years or decant for two hours. $32. 90 points, though others would rate it a bit higher.
TN: 1996 Albert Morot Beaune Teurons. Slightly cloudy. On the nose and palate, just lovely. A touch of burg stink. Then its all tart cherry mellowed with a bit of complexity on its 11th birthday. Elements of mushroom and underbrush. A bit rustic and not for the fruithounds, but I loved it. A nice Beaune. $35. 90 points.
TN: 2000 Domaine du Mas Blanc. Junquets, Coullioure. Animal fur and the distinct whiff of body odor on the nose, with the latter following through on the palate (to a degree some would not love, and its not the Northern Rhone odor of the feminine sex, either). Still, a lovely, easy, but intense syrah. Rich tannins on the finish that smooth out with air. Not elegant, but this falls on the right side of “intense and powerful” for my tastes - in other words, it is not over the top. With an odd salty quality that pulls it well back from that threshold. The “body odor” component does not fully go away, so its troubling to some degree, even for those who might overlook it. That said, I am happy to have a case of the 04 on order for $24 per. Interesting wine. $25. 90 points.
TN: 2004 G.D. Vaqjra, Langhe Nebbiolo. Drank over two nights, drinking slightly better the second with no sense of deterioration. Blind, I would have pegged this as a nice, very complete Beaujolais, probably a cru, like a Morgon. Dominated by pleasant red crunchy berries, with just the finish turning toward black cherry. The only real sense of the nebbiolo I am used to is just a hint of tar on day two. Simple, but very friendly and fulfilling, and quite nice with roast chicken. A value. $16. 87 points.
TN: 2000 Falesco Montiano Merlot. Better than the last time I tried it several years ago. Some char from the oak is obvious, but fairly well integrated, especially with a few hours of air. Lovely plum and dark berries, along with a little herb and graphite character. Nice acidity. Some tannin remains on the finish, some drying from the oak too. A little thick and lacking elegance, but quite nice. $34. 89+ points.
TN: 1999 Albert Belle Crozes Hermitage les Pierrelles. Quite a lovely wine, and drinking very well right now. The nose is like a very atrractive, slightly sweaty woman laying out naked on the bed, resting after sex. Slightly sour Northern syrah, just perfectly mature. Liquid and layered on the palate, following the nose. Persistant. An honest wine. $20. 91 points.
TN: 2001 Haut Batailley, Pauillac. Soft and easy despite some drying wood and tannin at the very end. Certainly there is the stamp majority cab, but its easy like a merlot with plenty of firming oak. Blind, I am not too sure where I would guessed this was from within Bordeaux. Not St. Emilion or Pomerol, but I would not have guessed Pauillac either. Fine, but rather boring and lacking real character at this point. Give it another three years to let the wood tannins integrate with the fruit and hope for some improvement. I prefer the 2000 by a long distance. $30. 85 points.
TN: 2001 Chateau de Segries Cotes du Rhone Clos de l’Hermitage. This wine never lived up to billing, but it is now in a super-overripe, sickly sweet disaster. A sign of everything that getting worse in the Rhone. The most over-rated wine I have ever tasted and in decline. $15.99 82 points.
TN: 1999 Joseph Matrot, Volnay-Santenots 1er. With an hour of air, I almost might have guessed this a clean, modern Southern Rhone without the provencial herbs. Quite ripe, rich mainly dark and red fruits, crisp with plenty of cherry liquor spreading across the palate. Loads of glycerin with some tannin on the end. Certainly not old school, but more of a pleasure model. More pleasure than complexity though. Drinking better than last year, this still needs time or at least some air if drunk now. Not bad. 88(+?) points.
TN: 2005 Nigl Gruner Veltliner Kremser Freiheit, Kremstal Austria. Minerals with underlying lemon oil. A spritz on the end for the first few hours. Subtle and uncomplicated in a pleasing enough way, especially on a sunny, warm September day. A hint of sweetness on the finish. Decent, but nothing more. Maybe a few years would help? $16. 85 points.
TN: 2005 F. Magnien Bourgogne Graviers. Decent fruit for a basic Bourgogne, mainly bright cherry, slightly sour and tart, but balanced by some fruit sweetness. With a few hours of air, even just a touch of Burg stink and complexity arrives. Finishes with some drying tannin. I would not stock up in quantity, but a few years will make this quite a nice value for a weekday wine. $16. A solid 85+ points.
TN: 1997 Sociando Mallet. Bordeaux is written on the nose. Mature and slightly sweet fruit wafts into the nostrils. Slightly sour and high-toned with a minerality. Quite a value for a recent acquisition of two cases for $20 a bottle! Mature and delicious if you want a lovely claret and do not need loads of big fruit. Somewhat elegant in its reticence. Drink now and over the next 3-4 years. (Just wait 9 years and you can find the unsold 2006s at release price.) $20. A very, very solid 88 points.
TN: 2000 Soumade Rasteau Cuvee Prestige. Sweet dark berries and fur on the nose. A clear note of violet with air, along with a hint of vanilla bean. Does this see any wood? On the palate, a very fair length with plenty of glycerin and rich, dark fruit. Surprisingly candied with some roasted meat and a sour char on the end, which is a touch off-putting. Is this slightly reduced? An interesting, almost pretty wine, but, for right now, its “like” – not quite yet “love.” I’d like a little more complexity. Probably worth waiting 2-3 years (and even more for the other cuvees). Still, more than worth the $12.99 I paid several years ago. As the night progresses, the char (?) comes to dominate and it loses its delicacy and my interest. I can’t figure this wine out. 86 points?
TN: 2000 La Tour Carnet, Haut Medoc. Built for early consumption, this wine is lovely, soft and, unfortunately, over-oaked, particularly in that it turns rather sour on the finish from the oak treatment. Char, a touch of cold coffee. Very pleasant, but lacking depth behind the superficiality. Needs a few years, despite its earlier accessibility. $20. 87(+?) points.
TN: 2004 Lesec Rubis Chateauneuf du Pape. Garrique, dried herbs. Plenty of glycerin and a liqueur quality that overwhelms the tannin still there on the finish. I’m curious how much wood this sees. Anyway, the alcohol is noticeable, but not out of step at this stage. Just a touch stewed on the finish, and maybe a touch too sweet, but it overcomes all those factors in the end. A lovely, basic Chateauneuf. $21. 89 points.
TN: 2005 Naia Naiades. If you long for a barrel-fermented California Chardonnay of average quality, this is the wine for you. Pleasant, but it tastes like a mass produced wine to please, well, the masses. Verdejo? Perhaps that’s the name of this wineries’ cat. Its certainly bears no resemblance to what’s in the bottler here. Buy the entry level wine if you want, but avoid this modern mess. I am confused by our new Spanish critic’s analysis of this wine, and it is, unfortunatley, telling as to the style preference. $24. 84 points.
TN: 1998 Ch. Grandes Murailles, St. Emilion. Certainly true to St. Emilion, though maybe a bit toward the modern ilk. This is still a bit unformed in its fruit – a little soupy, still. Noticible mocha and drying tannin from the oak on the finish, though not overdone. Give it 3-4 more years to resolve and hope it loses some of its grapiness and adds a touch of complexity, as it probably will. $39 (recently). 88+points.
TN: 2002 Pierre Matrot Meursault. From 375ml. Generally a nice, entry level Meurault, this wine is now all tart apple, leaning toward old cider. This is turning a bend, at least from half-bottle, and not in a good way. Still quite interesting, but it drank better last year. Put the last bottles in the line-up folks. $13. 85 points now.
TN: 1999 Lesec Cornas “Sarah”. Blackberry upfront, blueberry note on the finish. Northern Rhone animal fur. Obviously syrah, and certainly bearing several marks from the Northern Rhone, but this obviously modern, rather soft effort does not say “Cornas” to me in the slightest. Very soft. An odd, very fine powder-like sediment. Not bad. Not great. I would not buy it again. $30. 86 points.
TN: 2003 Pegau Blanc Cuvee Reservee, Chateauneuf du Pape. A little lanolin, waxy and a bit oxidized on nose and palate. Slight hint of orange. Tastes older than its vintage. Wow, just very disappointing. $19.95. 81 points.
TN: 2001 Fort Ross, Pinot Noir Reserve. From half-bottle. Spice and vanilla nose. This is just oak juice. Big fruit, too sweet, this is hardly unidentifiable as pinot, though nothing else jumps to mind either. This is nothing but layer upon layer of oak juice. In a word, “gross.” $19.99 for the 375 ml. Wow - dissapointing, as I think some folks on the board recommended this… 82 points.
TN: 1996 Elderton Command Shiraz, Barossa Valley. The nose is all crushed red berry, incense, and char from the oak. On the palate, the attack is very silky and finishes with noticeable sweet vanilla. The vanilla is way too much for me, but the oak has otherwise integrated very well…i.e. no drying woody sensations. Hand in hand with the O.D. of vanilla is an overt sweetness on the lengthy finish – it’s just too much and overrides any nuance or complexity that may have been found underneath. Still, it’s a very friendly, completely mature Australian Shiraz that many would like – an easy drinker. Not worth the $60 tariff. 88 points.
TN: 1996 Dominique Laurent, Nuits St Georges, les Damodes. I’ve wanted to try an older Laurent for some time now, given all the fuss about his “200%” oak inclinations and the fact that I own a number of 2002s. I was hoping to report happier news. The oak influence remains clear, at least in this bottle. It has somewhat integrated, but there remains a notable spicy, still drying wood note on the finish that did not retreat even with four hours of air. A clear touch of char at the end, from the barrels I suspect. I liked it well enough, but I would not buy it again because of that overlying aspect. Still, well on its way to maturity, there is some very nice red berry character, predominately cherry at first, and a lovely persistence. Some mineral underneath the cloak. With air, the fruit darkens. Alas, it is a textbook case of wonderful material that is being held down by a fashion statement. $39.95. 88 points (would have been a few points higher, but for the oak.)
TN: 2000 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia. Tangy, powerful red cherry with a touch of strawberry. Later, raisens in spades. Tar and herbs in the background. Very 2000 Piedmont, it is ripe and drinkable now, despite a bit of tannin on the end. The nose and the finish roasted. Very intense, this is far from a traditional Barolo. That said, it is tasty in its own, albeit modern and far too ripe, way. Still, I would not buy again. $36. 86 points.
TN: 1998 Ch. Quinault L’Enclos, St. Emilion. Rather modern. The wood treatment is obvious, but integrating and not overwhelming. The fruit is quite nice, though a touch stewed with background notes of prune, which I don’t love. Milk chocolate overlays the fruit and lovingly dominates the finish. Coming along and drinking quite well already with only a touch of drying tannin on the finish. I like it quite a bit, but I am not in love. A touch more acidity would liven it up. A pleasure model, but I wanted a little more given the asking price $50. 89 points.
TN: 2000 Jadot Clos des Ursules, 1er. Cherry and spice. This gained weight over the course of the night, developing layers and a real purity. As with my last bottle, a hint of mint in the background, which I enjoyed. Just a lovely wine considering the vintage. $35. 90+ points.
TN: 2001 Capcanes Cabrida, Montsant. It begins with a rather sweet nose, even a touch confected. Lusher fruit on the palate now, though tannins still dry slightly on the end. This is evolving quickly. Pleasant, but lacks complexity. Unlike the 99 and even the 00, I’d drink these sooner than those more tannic wines. I am no longer enamoured of this cuvee for the money. $30. 90 points.
TN: 2001 Allende, Rioja. Deep, crushed dark berries - that is the positive side of this wine. Spice. Charred oak influence to a fault. Why so much char? A bit of a shame considering some quality underlying material. Wood tannins on the finish. Rather modern, but nice for the price. $20. 88 points
TN: 2002 Chapoutier St Joseph les Granits Blanc. Lanolin with a bit of honey on the nose. Palate flavors follow, but we add in an herbal notion. The fruit is sort of figgy. A thicker mouthfeel, certainly, though not nearly as oily and full as other vintages. Mid-palate is lacking, and the finish is never really inspiring in terms of a pure pleasure quotient – sort of clipped, though there is a certain persistence. Still, a very nice wine. Happy that it was properly discounted for the $27 I think I paid. 88 points.
TN: 2000 Bouchard Volnay “Les Caillerets – Ancienne Cuvée Carnot. Light ruby color. Opens with quite ripe red cherry fruit on nose and the palate follows suit. Menthol. With air, black cherry. Then, just a bit too candied, sweet with a bit of vanilla. Finishes well, though with a touch of wood tannin in the background. Suffers for the vintage, and not nearly as impressive as the 2000 Clos de Ursules (Jadot) I had recently (much more sappy and elegant), but nice enough. $28. 87 points. — I saved a glass in the refrigerator overnight. This has, to my surprise, improved a bit. The plus side is a long finish with very persistant fruit. The downside is that its a touch too candied for my taste and I find myself wishing for a little more sap. A touch modern for some tastes, but very tasty. Still, for a 2000, this is very nice and could improve moderately based on more than surviving overnight. Revised: 88(+?) points.
TN: 2000 Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Marina Cvetic . Opens with plenty of wood with drying oak tannins on the finish. Dark, rich, soft fruits, primarily dark cherries, battle with the wood. Charcoal. A hint of eucalyptus. Vanilla is there, but not overdone like many wines that see serious oak influence. Needs time to integrate the wood, but, with two hours of air, the strong oak notes come to be dominated, just, by the fruit. Lovely, though it does see too much wood. I’ll give my remaining two bottles four to five years at least – this is not a Montepulciano that needs to be hurried. $27. 90 points.