I tried to post many of these last week but somehow the post got deleted… These are ome winners and losers from an eclectic group of wines over the past month. The Salon was especially disappointing–a restaurant had it for $195, but it was terribly oxidized. The 98 Drouhin Griotte I replaced it with didn’t suck…
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2004 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (7/28/2009)
Light color. Intense nose of citrus and exotic fruits. Medium-bodied and somewhat oily on the palate. Has come together nicely in just a few years with great acidity and strong minerality. Exceptional balance. Barring Pre-Mox, this has many years of positive evolution ahead. (93 pts.)
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1982 Salon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne (8/9/2009)
Oxidized and undrinkable. NR (flawed) -
2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese - Germany, Nahe (8/6/2009)
This is closed right now. Nice wine but a bit simple and sweet. Little depth and no typical Donnhoff fireworks. Wait a few years on this one. (87 pts.) -
2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (7/30/2009)
Unctuous. Oily and mouth-coating without carrying significant viscosity, this was a finessed, lovely Rhone white. Reserved honeysuckle on the nose and a palate of stone fruits, honey, and nuts. Far from a bruiser, this was a great, subtle white wine. Good acidity for a Rhone white and a medium finish. My reservation, though, is that this seems to lack intensity at the moment. I don’t have enough experience with Hermitage Blanc to know if this is shut down, but that’s my suspicion. I have no doubt that this will last and evolve and improve for quite a long time. (91 pts.) -
2007 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/20/2009)
Really nice wine. Very young, obviously, but displays the 2007 tug-of-war between striking acidity and richness. After losing a bit of effervescence, this blossomed into a beautiful riesling. White flowers, cherries, and exotic fruits characterized this sweet but balanced wine. Seductive spice took this to another level. Classy stuff. (91 pts.) -
1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja (7/28/2009)
A stunner–absolutely textbook aged Rioja that couldn’t possibly be from anywhere else. Quite dark and young-looking in the glass but the nose shows graceful secondary development. A lovely nose of tobacco, earth, and sous bois is followed by a complex, savory, and earthy palate. As someone else said, leather and truffles. Nice minerality too. Medium finish. This has rounded out and gained depth with its age, but it will clearly last at this level for at least a decade if not more. Wonderful to drink now though. (95 pts.) -
2006 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Chileno Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (7/21/2009)
Drank twice in the past month and for me, this is definitely the best of the 06 Alesias. Dark ruby. Pure pinot nose was quite intense after an hour or so in the decanter. Raspberries and red currants–with a bit of exotic spices on the palate. Nice depth, acidity, and balance. Does not have the complexity or intensity of the Rhys bottlings, but it’s not far off. Delicious. (91 pts.) -
1998 Joseph Drouhin Griottes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griottes-Chambertin Grand Cru (8/9/2009)
Medium ruby color. Nose reveals pure pinot red fruits with some secondary development (earth and truffle). Nice intensity, depth, and acidity on the palate–medium bodied showing beetroot, raspberries, and minerals. Very vigorous. A bit more rustic than Drouhin’s top-tier Chambolle’s–and certainly not as seductive as the Musigny–but quite charming and very Gevrey. This wine is modeately tannic and dry on the finish. Somewhat coarse. All in all, this wine is in a good place right now. (93 pts.) -
2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (7/28/2009)
My first Dugat-Py and a totally wild Burgundy. By far the darkest, densest, and most intense 2000 Burg I’ve tasted, this was a powerful testament to Bernard Dugat-Py’s winemaking abilities. Intense Pinot nose of barely controlled wild cherries. The palate is a very powerful expression wild cherries, framed by minerality. Great concentration here, moderate tannins, and powerful acidity. Noticeable oak. This was not as developed or initially seductive as other 2000 nuits grand crus i’ve had, but I suspect this has a lot of positive development ahead of it. (93 pts.) -
2000 Château Sociando-Mallet - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (7/30/2009)
Clearly a good wine from a great vintage, but this had a strong vegetal component on the nose and the palate that I couldn’t get past. Nice fruit and density, but the green bell pepper flavor overwhelms at present. Maybe with more time the green will integrate. (86 pts.) -
2002 D.R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/28/2009)
A 95 point nose and among the best noses I’ve experienced on a CA cab. Intoxicating dark fruits and cassis blossomed from the glass. The palate didn’t quite live up, though. Medium-bodied, chocolaty, with nice development and great fruit, but its lack of acidity made it come off a bit sweet and one-dimensional. Still, good juice. Drink up if you have them–I don’t think this will improve. (89 pts.)
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