Sean Thackrey 2006 ‘Andromeda’ Pinot Noir, Devil’s Gulch Ranch, Marin County - Lots of fascinating secondary aromas in a young California Pinot. Like most Thackrey wines, this has a distinct personality. Very high-toned, but not at all volatile. Fresh cut hay, herbs and lilacs vir for attention with the aromas of raspberries and pomegranates. I hate to say it, but this reminds me of what I love about Burgundy.
This, like good Burgundy, is built to age. The acidity and tannins are firmly wrapped around a dense core of fruit. Spice unfolds on the finish. Very good now, but very young on its aging curve. The grip on the wine’s fruit does loosen with a few hours in the glass.
I bought more.
Stony Hill 2005 Chardonnay, Napa Valley - What polish and elegance! Strikes me as Chardonnay for people who really love Riesling. A nose of very golden fruit - ripe yellow apples and Bosc pears. The fruit aromatics have an almost waxy quality to them. Very fresh, and even light in the mouth. Chardonnay richness emerges late in the midpalate and on the finish, but this has a firmness and liveliness that few full-ML Chardonnays achieve.
This reminds of biting into a golden apple picked just before it was ripe enough to fall of its own volition. Mixes the structure and firmess of Chablis with the zippy tropical fruit of an Alsatian Riesling, with the aromas of a village Puligny. And it’s California!
Jean-Michel Gerin 2004 Cote-Rotie ‘Champin le Seigneur’ - I have a soft spot for this wine - my first ever Cote-Rotie was the 95 bottling of this, and it started a long, if sadly more minor than I would like, love affair with the North Rhone. I do love that RMP touts years like 03 and slams (relatively) years like 04. I won’t make the claim that this is GREAT wine, but it is one of many very good 04s that were ignored in the pursuit of 03 and then 05.
For me, this delivers what I look for from the North Rhone. The aromatics are stewed blackberries, black olive tapenade, veggies, upturned soil, cracked pepper, and the oh-so-ethereal North Rhone bacon. These aromas were mostly obliterated by primary fruit in 03.
The wine is rich and medium-bodied. Lovely, intense blackberry and raspberry fruit with hints of green bean, black olive and spice. Tannins are silky in the middle, and firm on the finish. From now to another 10 years. Very enjoyable. A hint of blood? A very warm wine, yet dark. This makes me think of putting my hand on a warm black stone when the sun has set and the air is cooling.