Wine Impressions - April 8, 2019
Rose:
2017 Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille - very brisk stuff; peppery, lovely aromatics, light and clear fruit but this is acidic - not so much that I didn’t enjoy it but zowie!
Whites:
2017 Holger Koch, Grauburgunder - (Pinot Gris) brilliant acidity, the richness of the fruit is almost masked by the acidity but the wine comes in balance with food; fresh, lightly petrol, good texture, exceptional sustain. Perhaps, a year or two in bottle will mellow this out but even now, it is more interesting than the vast majority of Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio available today.
2017 Luckert, Silvaner trocken - maybe a hint of petrol but mostly white stone fruit and a touch of allspice, mid-weight, with a broad spectrum of flavors framed nicely by bright acids, balanced and finishes long. Gives me hope for a grape I often dismiss.
2014 de Villaine, Cote Challonais, Les Clos Aime - initially quite closed, after an hour or two, an absolutely captivating wine. Great juice!
2015 Comtes Lafon, Meursault, Clos de la Barrone - very easy to drink; soft, round and great flavors but the structure is minimal and there doesn’t seem to be enough acid.
2011 Kistler, Chardonnay, Hudson Vnyd… - better tan most from this producer but, if you have no taste for oak, skip it.
1997 Trimbach, Riesling Cuvée Frederic Emile - terrific wine; structured and deep with amazing length. And it seems to “fit” with whatever food one has with it.
1990 Nikolaihof, Riesling Vinothek - another beauty but in a less assertive style than the Trimbach. The longer it’s open the more complete it becomes.
2010 Puffeney, Arbois Cuvée Sacha - Savagnin and Chardonnay made sous voile. A bit too oxidized for me but certainly an interesting and unusual wine. Several tasters loved it.
2016 Kongsgaard, Chardonnay Napa - sawdust milkshake; way too much oak, cloyingly sweet fruit and flabby. No.
1990 Lopez de Heredia, Vina Tondonia Blanco - nuanced, complex, ethereal wine with finesse and character. A delight to the senses and the intellect. A masterpiece - oh my!
2002 Grosset, Riesling Polish Hill - I get a whiff of shellfish on the nose but others call it saline; full and etched in the mouth with a mile-long finish. An impressive wine even if not my favorite.
2005 Tahbilk, Marsanne - 10.5% abv; bracingly acidic and not much fruit but in a good way (yes, I know); there is something here that grabs me and makes me think that long term aging (30+) would make this magnificent. Actually, I like it now but can easily understand the “sour beer” face I see from another taster.
2006 Brokenwood, Semillon Oakley Creek - like no other Semillon I’ve tasted - none of the waxiness. But beautifully flavored, light and agile, with a bright delivery; a charmer.
1994 Selbach-Oster, Riesling Auslese Zeltinger Sonnenuhr - light mahogany color, not as sweet as expected and really pretty on the palate. At 25, a complete and distinctive Riesling.
2002 Christoffel, Riesling Auslese*** Urziger Wurzgarten - more weight and volume that the Selbach but not as balanced. Even so, a pleasure to drink.
2014 Bevan Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc Drystack Vineyard - past prime
2004 Francois Cotat, Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujolais - tight upon opening and never really opened up over 6 hours; not worth the price of admission
1999 Domaine aux Moines, Savennieres Roche aux Moines - really enticing and strong, opened over the evening and grew gradually from good to great. Chenin at its best.
2017 Chateau Pesquie, Quintessence - pleasant, fresh, quaffable.
2015 Coteau de Vernon, Condrieu - balanced, lovely, fresh viognier that deserves a place in your cellar. One of the two or three best Condrieu of my life.
2010 Guigal, Condrieu La Dorian - quite earthy and not something I want more of.
1999 Dom. Georges Vernay, Condrieu Les Terrasses del Empire - solid, coiled, well made but without inspiration
2016 Vieux Telegraph, Blanc (magnum) - structured, savory and long; a nice wine in its infancy.
2016 Xavier Gerard, Condrieu Côte de Chatillon - correct, maybe a touch fizzy on opening and worth laying down for a few years; not ready yet.
1999 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - lovely, balanced, strong wine with a future but also ready now. The real deal.
2003 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - similar to the ‘99 but fuller.
1996 Chave, Hermitage Blanc - god wine, just spectacular!
2015 Francois Vuillard, Les Contours de Deponcines - too young to drink but promising
2014 Clusel-Roch, Condrieu Verchery - good but not great and better left to age
1992 Chapoutier, Hermitage Blanc Chante Allouette - something is wrong here; tastes like a nice wine with an overlay of barnyard
1999 Chapoutier, Hermitage Blanc La Meal - again, the barnyard that fouls an otherwise adequate wine.
2016 Sine Qua Non, Deux Grenouiles - not unpleasant but hot on the finish
2014 Domaine Pegau, CdP Blanc Cuvée A Tempo - delicious; fresh, deep, wonderful balance, good length; a complete wine.
2016 La Roquete, CdP Blanc - another fresh, deep Blanc; this had more weight than the Pegau but less finesse.
2015 Clos des Papes, CdP Blanc - and again, fresh, mid-weight without undue viscosity; charming
2010 Chateau la Nerthe, CdP Blanc Clos de Beauvenir - here’s where you lose me; it’s not a bad wine and clearly well made but it’s thick and almost smoky; not for me.
2004 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc Vieilles Vigne - viscous and rich but in balance with its acids; a pleasure to drink
2000 Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Blanc - a slimmed down version of the preceding wine and several tasters preferred it but I’ll take the VV
2013 Texier, St. Julien en St. Auban, Vieille Masanne - skin-contact and amphorae for elevage; lovely bright fruit, good grip, and, as expected, the texture is of note. Skin-contact can sometimes obscure variety but not here
2005 Valentini, Trebbiano - complex, earthy, saline, sauvage and one of a kind. Showing well but has years to go.
2009 Texier, CdP Blanc - crystalline, balanced and plenty of verve; gives the impression the cellar will be its friend.
Reds:
2009 J.B. Becker, Spatburgunder Spatlese trocken, Wallufer Wallenberg - (Pinot Noir from the Rheingau); glass closure; quiet nose that while pleasant gave little indication of the variety; on the palate it was rich, texturally intense, perfect Pinot flavors with some nuance and considerable length. Even at ten, this shows youthful. And the textures of this wine were world class - think Richeboug or similar. But I will also say, that there is little here that gives me any indication that this is not French or domestic or . . . Lovely wine, good accompaniment to meat loaf with Mac and cheese but nothing that makes me think of its place. AP 37030 014 11.
2015 Dolde, Spatburgunder Linsenhofer - an earthy note on the nose but again nothing that says Pinot; not as textural as the preceding wine but clearly Pinot in the mouth, quite bright and much better with food than without; gradually gains volume over the evening. And the earthy note persists throughout the experience.
2017 Harrington, Syrah McEvoy Ranch - baby Cornas - more in the Noel Verset style and still quite young but every bit the signature of Cornas. Nice.
2013 Wageck, Spatburgunder Bissersheim - from the Pfalz; this is loose, dark fruited, with the earthy note I seem to be finding in most Spatburgunder. An interesting wine that needs food to compete with its acidity but gives the impression that heavy food might overwhelm it. A curiosity more than a keeper - or so it appears today. And actually, this softens over the evening to become quite pleasant - so much for first impressions.
2013 Holger Koch, Pinot Noir *** - again the earthy note on the nose and in the mouth with significant acidity (enough to clip the finish) and stays more in the treble register than bass. Clearly Pinot, gains volume with time open and the acidity integrates some, although it’s still pretty brisk. But like all the other German Pinots, the characteristic earthy note never leaves.
Maybe that’s their place identifier . . .
2005 Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie - simple and straight-forward with a note of ladies face powder on the nose. One hopes this has better days.
2011 Ceras, Pinot Noir - nothing of interest to me; others liked it more.
2000 Clos Rougeard, Samur Champigny Le Bourg - I must admit that I have yet to have a Rougeard that impresses and this does not change that.
2002 d’Angerville, Volnay Clos des Ducs - way young, great potential. Nice.
1974 Giordano, Dolcetto - what a surprise; wonderful complexity, ethereal texture, good grip all in balance - like a very mature Nebbiolo in delivery but with the subtle, almost feminine fruit of aged Beaujolais. Super wine!
1994 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle - clear, precise Hermitage with a bit of age; the kind of wine that deserves your full attention. Quite good.
1997 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle (magnum) - young, precise, true to its place and grand vin!
1999 Jaboulet, Hermitage La Chapelle - a bit past its best but still of its place and more in common with the preceding wines than not.
1999 Rostaing, Côte Rotie Côte Blonde - If your expectations were influenced by scores, underwhelming. If not, a good example of the AOC and pleasant wine with food.
1996 Cuchet-Beliando, Cornas - tight, tight, tight. There’s potential here but it’s hard to find much to like today.
2000 Cuchet-Belando, Cornas - more generous than the ‘96 but still firm; of its place, well made and good with food.
2001 Voge, Cornas Cuvée Vieilles Vigne - solid, straight-forward but without the depth and nuance I expect from Voge.
2005 Allemand, Cornas Chaillot - polished, complex, gorgeous stuff that I would be happy to drink anytime. Yum.
2011 Alain Verset, Cornas - great wine; open, generous, of its place, glorious Cornas for a fraction of the price of Allemand or the other players. Do not miss this wine!
2013 Juge, Cornas - screeching acidity; fair wine but way to acidic to drink now.
2008 Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas La Louvee - poor; no AOC character and barely passable as generic Syrah - what a waste.
2015 Vincent Paris, Cornas Granit 30 - adequate but no more
2016 Balthazar, Cornas Chaillot - one notch above the Paris but really not of much interest.
2009 Gaillard, Cornas - correct, fleshy and certainly well made but sort of quiet
2013 Gripa, St. Joseph La Berceau - very tight; after several hours in the decanter there is some evidence that this could be good but not today. Hold.
2014 Durand, Cornas Confidence - forgettable
2000 Guigal, Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis - better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick but not by much
1985 Graham’s, Vintage Port (magnum) - ridiculously young. Hold.
2014 Arnot-Roberts, Syrah Clary Ranch - quite good in it’s cool climate Syrah nature
2009 Sine Qua Non, Syrah The Thrill of Stamp Collecting - awful
2007 Guigal, St. Joseph - fair to middling
2015 Sine Qua Non, Grenache Le Chemin vers l’Herisie - god awful
2001 Chevillon, NSG Les Vaucrains - monolithic, closed and a mite funky; obviously angry about being awakened.
2015 LaRue, Pinot Noir Thorn Ridge Vineyard - a feminine Sonoma Coast Pinot at the beginning of its life; good promise
2016 Dom. du Haut les Terres Blanches, CdP - juicy and pleasant
2007 Vieux Telegraphe, CdP - quite good; breadth and depth with structure and balance
2010 Columella, Liberatus in Castro Bonae Spei - a curiosity from South Africa and presumably a CdP type blend. Nice.
2016 Dom. du Marcoux, CdP VV - softer than expected but tasty; others liked it a lot
1998 Bonneau, CdP Reserve des Celestines - funky and odd but not without interest
2009 Usseglio, CdP Cuvée de mon Aieul - an odd looseness to this wine; not unpleasant, just odd
2011 Sine Qua Non, Dark Blossom - Syrah, it says but there is nothing here for me
2009 Sine Qua Non, Upside Down - Grenache candy
Stickie:
1997 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes - a bit sweet for me but well made
Chateau Beaucastel, CdP Rouge vertical:
1978 - poopy and funky but the fruit and structure are resolved and lively, and the texture is remarkable
1989 Hommage - a clear step up in intensity and a wine to savor
1990 - good but not showing it’s best, a little tired maybe
1994 - much the same as the ‘90
1998 - brooding but open enough to impress with potential
2000 - something is wrong here, I’m guessing cooked but who knows
2000 Hommage - welcome to the NFL - certainly the wine of the tasting and about as good a CdP as I can remember. Amplitudes better than all the rest. Whoa!
2001, 2007 and 2010 - these are all quite similar in that they are showing minimal development but good fruit and balance that bodes well for their futures
(Aside: this tasting was notable for the absence of Brett, which surprised.)
Best, Jim
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