Under perform and not

2004 Dom. Leroy, Bourgogne:
A strange showing – almost orange at the rim, stemmy, although not overwhelmingly so, and brittle in the mouth – not at all what I expected based on past bottles. Not enjoyable.

2007 Edmunds St. John, Heart of Gold:
One of the nice things about screw-caps is that you can have a glass and put the bottle in the fridge knowing that you have more time to get back to it. This was three days out and I think it was the better for it; more fullness, slightly softer (although this has plenty of cut), smoother texture and (tell me how this happens?) better length. Refreshing, of course, but after a few days, more delicious then when popped and poured. Stellar with tomato and mozzarella salad.

2004 Harlan Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon:
While I always appreciate the generosity of those who open such bottles for public consumption, I can’t wrap my head around why one would pay such exorbitant purchase prices in the first place. This was a horror show of candied fruit, VA, huge quantities of wood and a monolithic flavor profile that left me flat. The balance is off, the wine is overdone, the alcohol is high and the finish is grapey without appearing to be vinous. I realize my palate is narrower than many folks so I will leave this for others to drink.
(Aside: The 1992 Harlan was a delight when I had it about eight years ago from magnum; fresh, expressive, satin textured and long – it even had some complexity. No other vintage has impressed me and some (eg. 1997) have been some of the least enjoyable cabernets I have tasted from CA. Perhaps, I am blessed; one less expensive label to consider.)

2002 François Cazin, Cour-Cheverny Cuvée Renaissance:
Almost dry; reticent nose with some fruit and mineral tones; medium bodied, somewhat non-descript flavors in the white fruit and mineral range, good acidity and a medium length finish. Better the warmer it got but not as impressive at this stage as it was closer to release. Nothing to write home about with arugula, figs and manchego salad.

2001 Sella, Lessona:
Like reacquainting with an old friend; nebbiolo smells and tastes without any attempt to mimic Barolo, et al; feminine delivery, nice complexity, lovely balance and good sustain. And who’d have thought; charming accompaniment to Phad Thai with peanut sauce.

Best, Jim

Picked up a few bottles of the '01 Lessona after seeing one of your notes, Jim, and agree with your impressions. Like you, I would not have thought it a good match with phad thai. Why you actually have to try these things.

thank you for the update on the leroy 2004. i worked for the md wholesaler when it came out so i got to try it a few times. there was some bottle variation with some excellent, and others as you described.
i ended up not buying any for fear that i would pick out the bad bottles.

I loved the 99 Harlan, and I have loved the Maidens I have had. Like you, I am not sure I saw what the “it” factor was in the 97. I am wondering if in lesser vintages I like them better because they are not so big. I was on their list for a couple of years, but as the prices skyrocketed, I decided ot get off, and I think it was a wise decision.

Now that you mention it, I had a Maiden I liked alot (can’t remember vintage). Of course, neither of these bottlings is within my financial grasp these days.
Best, Jim

Jim–I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I tasted the 97 Harlan pre-release (a pre-Christie’s tasting, I think), and it was great. Then the wine was released and the wine in bottle did not taste anything like the wine I tasted pre-release–I have no idea what happened.

Bruce

[help.gif] It was um…the real thing you tasted pre-release but the winery mislabeled a super premium Harlan cuvee (Ghost Block) and so if you tasted lot 367569 out of 2000 on a bottle run of 200, thats what you tasted which means your original thought was right, its a great wine and a mistake by everyone but the people involved, and lets forget about it ok? ok! [help.gif]

Which is one of the great fallacies of professional wine criticism - this idea that you can sit down and speed taste through 200 wines and get any sense of where a wine is going from only a 60-second snapshot of it.

I dunno - maybe there are professional critics who can predict what’s gonna happen - [u]but I kinda doubt it[/u].

I’ll just add my vote for the Heart of Gold, too. Steve Edmunds says it originated because someone had some extra white grenache and vermentino vines when they were planting some new vineyard space in the Sierra Foothills. He’d been in Liguria enjoying vermentinos so they decided to give the combo a try. What a happy result!

Jim-

You’re showing on the '02 Cazin mirrored mine when I brought it to a dinner in San Francisco Memorial Day weekend. I think it’s closing up shop for now.

Brad

I hope the “for now” comment is correct; I was disappointed.
Best, Jim

I assume you’ve had the '96? They’re showing brilliantly right now. I’m trying hard to keep my hand off them. I believe Joe has commented before that the '59’s are showing nicely.