Been awhile since I caught up on notes. May into early June is prime bearded iris bloom season, demands all my attention.
2019 Gobelsburg Kamptal Cistercien Rosé. Very pale salmon pink color, however, it glows well in the glass. Unspecified percentages of Zweigelt, Sankt Laurent, Pinot Noir. Red berry and lemon comprise most of what the nose offers, odd note of bubblegum, then doles out rose petals, straw and a suggestion of wet chalk, pleasing textural fullness. Medium to full-bodied, too heavy for maximal freshness. Acidity more or less gets a B+. Bright strawberry, red cherry fruit, trails off at the end. More stone, chalk here than anticipated based on the nose. Floral cloud at the end saves the finish. Main problem here to me is the lack of cut, want more edge and salivation. This is one of the few rosé wines I try to buy each year, good but the 2014 still stands on top of the heap for me.(Screwcap)
2018 Bedrock Zinfandel RRV Carlisle Vineyard. Trim if glowing and saturated violet to pink magenta, very bright presence in the glass. The nose offers an initial burst of meadow grassiness than it’s all iHop with strawberry, boysenberry, blueberry syrup scents, solid underlying stoniness with credible white grapefruit pith, licorice, menthol, persists extremely well, if in a blunt hammer-like fashion. Medium-bodied, the level of perceptible acidity seems high which lends a suppleness to its wiry frame. Anise spice, pressed flowers, tea leaf, grapefruit brings dimension. Think it’s not yet in full control of its powers. Luckily have one in the cellar. Have tried the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 and would put this one a notch below the 2016.
2018 Sandlands California Red Table Wine. Nice shift throughout from violet to ruby to a pinkish magenta at the rims, unblemished and vivid. The nose has lift but also a roundness which creates space for the berry, green apple, cherry fruit scents to play, there’s a dollop of caramel, not especially floral but comes across as mentholated, meadowy more than earthy. In the mouth it’s light to medium-bodied, carries enough weight through the finish to tilt favor to medium. There may be tannin there but it’s the acidity which sounds reveille, nudges it forward every time the blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry fruit wants to soak in. Law of diminishing returns kicks in quickly whilst analyzing. Always wanted to say whilst. 34% Cinsault (Bechtold Vineyard), 33% Carignane (Spenker Ranch), 33% Zinfandel (Kirschenmann Vineyard)
2018 Bedrock Contra Costa County Pato Vineyard Heritage. Clear if dark purple core, blends into equally dark magenta, intensely colored. Some baking spices and orange pekoe tea to the nose but it’s all about heavily concentrated black fruits which defy parsing, some roasted coffee bean and toffee, but any oak cowed by the fruit. In the mouth it’s full-bodied but more fluid than you’d expect based on the nose. Tannin firms up more than throttles. Again, the plum, cassis, blackberry fruit suffers from undue density. Orange zest and some florality, no meaningful oak presence. Air time does zero to change it. This all might suggest a long term ager but strikes me more as medium-term, just one of those wines which will never evolve into something substantially different. Unspecified percentages of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Mourvèdre, other.
2018 Sandlands Carignan Contra Costa County. The purple core clean and transparent, heavily saturated rims of pinkish magenta, would glow in the dark. Interesting nose, grapey like a peeled white grape, there’s some background volatility a la shoe polish before stabilizes into violets, camphor, anise, tea leaf and apple, peach, elderberry, rhubarb scents, lacks the tart brightness you associate with the grape, still enjoyable to sniff for sure. Medium-bodied, plush an takes a little time for the structure to show. Of course, the “sourness” more obvious in the mouth with blueberry, blackberry, wild raspberry fruit adding wattage. Clay earth, loam more than stone per se. Satisfactory but expected a more jaunty profile.
2014 Qupé Santa Ynez Valley Los Olivos Cuvée. Light violet to ruby red, transparent but has thrown a little sediment. Spicy, tarry nose that almost feels backward, asphalt, coffee grinds, pine sap, maybe even some olive tapenade, the cherry, dark berry fruit struggles to find its voice. Medium, if not light in body, the tannin strong and must have seemed stronger in its youth. Still, it’s supple and round without any rough edges. Violets and Indian spices appear briefly before the olive pits, meat gristle, tarry earth. The more you sip it the more stinky and “animal” it seems which, depending on one’s preference, might be a good thing. Long, savory finish, a lip licker. The lighter body might be confusing to some but it’s arguably punching above its weight. 57% Syrah, 29% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache.
2016 Liparita Napa Valley Left Bank Reserve Red Wine. Solid purple core with bright scarlet rims, a bit exaggerated hue-wise but nothing untoward. Sluggo nose that makes it hard to discern, the de rigueur ripe currant, cherry, dark berry scents, cedar and smoky oak, tobacco leaf, nothing compelling or horrific, just find it uninteresting but to be kind it is youthfully unevolved. Full-bodied, equally blunt here, no suave flow. The oak here is creamier and a touch sweeter. In turn the blackberry, red currant, cherry fruit lighter and kind of loses its grip at the end. When’s there’s nothing to really say it’s time to stop saying it. 87.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5.8% Cabernet Franc, 3.4% Petit Verdot, 2.3% Merlot, 0.9% Malbec. (Composite Cork)
2019 Idlewild Mendocino County Flora & Fauna Red. Vague gauziness to the violet to cranberry red coloration, fully saturated through to the pinkish rims. Brisk, penetrating nose of blueberry, sour cherry, blackberry fruit, has a dusty texture in the nostrils more like ash than minerals, finishes with a growing measure of white citrus, scrubs away. In the mouth it’s light-bodied with the skeleton of a heavyweight contender. Here you get clean earth and stone, not a trace of funk or sous bois and then that citrus, but to greater effect. The cranberry, blueberry, blackberry fruit concentrated and borderline savory. This comes off a distinctly stylistic, like if you followed the producer you could pick this out of a blind lineup with ease. 53% Dolcetto, 44% Barbera, 3% Nebbiolo. (Composite Cork)
2017 Sandlands Chardonnay Coombsville Haynes Vineyard. Fat golden color, just looks chubby in the glass, more blockish than flat, easy to look at. Crisp nose, enough toast and lime juice to evoke something like a pricey villages Puligny, light pickle brine, slow building floral lift, fattened some by a whipped cream accent, ripe peach, apricot, pear scents, there’s makeup but it’s artfully applied and not overwrought. Medium-bodied, spicy first then toasty then creamy, quality textural shifting. The lime/lemon citrus gets a little heavy handed but that’s a quibble, helps cordon off the vanilla, whipped cream. Mango, pear, peach, apricot fruit more ripe than juicy, keeps its contours. The acidity is a plus and doles out a smack when anything gets out of line. I’m not a lover of Sandlands Chenin Blanc wines so just got one of these (not even sure I was allocated more). But were I able I’d buy more without hesitation.
2019 Bedrock Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Flat yellow to white straw hue, has a glow to it, helps fill the glass. Nose of limeade, bubblegum, cotton candy, sweet green melon, cherry, apricot fruit scents, built for excess and pleasure. Full-bodied, round with a soft texture, acidity feels slight. More citrus here, adds some bite. Likewise a dusty minerality helps. Similar fruit profile, ripe and juicy more than sweet. Semi-floral finish. Nice enough, quite content to drink it but wouldn’t serve to the uber geek crowd. Grapes sourced 93% Uboldi Vineyard (Kenwood), 7% Judge Vineyard (Bennett Valley). (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2016 Fogline Chardonnay Petaluma Gap Fogline Estate Vineyard Zephyr’s Block. Rich golden color, looks like what it is, heading into middle age, dull and clear, good bit of tartrate crystals on the cork bottom and bottle neck. Taut nose in terms of feel but it’s dominated by butterscotch, buttered toast and lime, has a good floral side, muted pineapple, apricot, pear fruit scents. Medium to full-bodied, the lime to lemon citrus fashions a sour mouth entry. While the acidity is uneven there’s enough dry or zesty moments to stem the march of that caramel, butterscotch stuff. Deeper resonance in the apricot, peach, melon to pineapple fruit. Seems like a couple more years of waiting to let the oak subside would be worth it, doesn’t seem like the rest would change that much in the interim.
2018 Calluna Chalk Hill Estate Blanc. White hay, close to clear and hueless, some green flecks. Nice minerally prickle in the nose before descends into honey, orange pulp, candle wax, mint, the pineapple, guava, green apple fruit tropical but the bite is muzzled. Medium-bodied, tends to lay flat across the palate, no real lift to it. Lanolin, wax, sauna smoke, lime zest, jalapeño, the two constitutive grapes seem more at odds than willing to work together. Apricot, pineapple, mango, apple, close to cherry fruit. Slugs you hard but can’t provide a reason. 67% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Sémillon.
2002 Joël Taluau Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes. The purple in the core has vigor yet, the broad crimson rims in turn don’t betray a wine of its age. Sinewy bell pepper infused nose, tobacco ash, graphite, straw, if bell pepper doesn’t bother you then it’s quite clean overall, the blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry scents juicy and undiminished. Medium-bodied, time has tamed the tannin and it is compact and gets right to the point. It’s all identical to the nose with the addition of white grapefruit pith and more distinct earthiness. Ripe and tart cherry, berry, red currant fruit, lasts fully into the finish. Hits all the food groups. For the $15 I paid on release should have bought at least two cases.
2017 Bernard Gripa Rhône Vin de Table de France Cerise. Pretty much skips purple to get to black in the core, broad crimson red rims, clean throughout. Dense nose, close to grapey character to the plum, blackberry scents, ginger spice, leather, tree bark, cedar bubble up now and then, a real slug to the nostrils. Full-bodied, if it makes sense to be dry and syrupy at once this is it. The tannin massaged into a compliant state. Overabundance of plum, blackberry, cassis fruit, stains the palate. More baking spices, so primary now it’s anyone’s guess what terroir is underneath the blubber. Super tasty in a mindless way, always a need for wines like this. If it goes somewhere down the road, bonus. 50% Syrah, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon.
2013 d’Aupilhac Languedoc Lou Maset. Some violet to the core, on the main it’s scarlet to rust red, not showing appreciable aging yet. Muscular nose with a strong, steady lift, semi-rustic profile of leather, asphalt, meadow grasses and a suggestion of witch hazel/rubbing alcohol, the dark berry to cherry scents muted. Medium-bodied, ruggedly suave here and really delivers so you can ignore the nose. Horsehide, tar, asphalt, clay set the stage with the mid-palate bursting with lemon zest, olive pits, garrigues. The tannin makes the first impression but by the finish and after some sips it’s the acidity is charge, really gives it a spark. There may be some upside but right now it’s a precarious balance and probably best to not waste that moment. 40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Carignan.
1999 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Zero purple left, a mix of red clay, orange rust, touch of yellow furthest out, sort of translucent with a soft gauziness even after a careful decant. Autumnal nose of fallen leaves and forest matter, twigs, bark and the detritus of summer’s life, funk and shoe polish present and not a wine for those averse to such flaws, candied cherries, potpourri and dried grapefruit peel round it out, again this is not for everyone. Medium-bodied, the structure remains evident (was overbearing in its youth), light volatility leads to horsehide, dried sinew, leather notes. Less forest floor, maybe more mushroom. The cherry, blackberry fruit is fading yet retains a syrupy texture. Taciturn from age like it knows its on the way out. 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, remainder unspecified.
2018 Chanteleuserie Bourgueil Cuvée Alouettes. Lively violet to magenta, clear in spite of the saturation, well-stuffed rims. On point nose of sour dark berries, leather, muddy track, just a suggestion of bell pepper, you’d have to be especially sensitive to this to be put off. Medium-bodied, has sufficient tannin to help it seem compact. More tarry, smoky here, loses a good bit of the barnyard funk. Ripe and chewy currant, cherry, blackberry fruit, lasts well into the finish. Less bell pepper presence here than in the nose. Monochrome yet as most times this bottling delivers exactly what you paid for. And that’s worth something.
2016 Grand Veneur Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Les Champauvins. Dark purple core. scarlet to magenta red further out, richly hued, the liquid clear. Heavy set nose of potpourri, wet wool, campfire ash, presents a darker fruit array than expected, more plum, black currant, blackberry than anything else. Full-bodied, delivers on the message the nose gives and saturates the palate from cheek to cheek. More freshly floral here, married up with orange citrus, and cocoa notes for a good bit of makeup. Decent tannin, helps given the depth of the black fruits. Tangy finish appreciated. No nuance to it but likewise no lack of flavorful drinking. 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2015 Juvenal Grenache Rhône Vin de France Perséides. Trace of violet to the core, on the whole it’s a grimy brick red hue. Wafts of grill smoke, ashen earth and saddle leather interweave with robust blackberry, boysenberry, cherry fruit, darker in complexion than expected, credible staying power. Round and lush without seeming too soft, maybe it’s the outward pressure as it fills the mouth up. Spicy, can’t speak to the winemaking but could be wood tannin. The cherry, blackberry, blueberry fruit gobby and here too no sign of brighter red fruits. Incense, leather, pressed flowers. It doesn’t seem like an outright lie that it’s Grenache but not the most graceful rendition.
2017 Pizay Morgon La Centenaire. Purple core, while deeply hued it’s not the bright saturated look, mostly it’s a dark crimson red, liquid has good clarity. You really feel it soak into your nostrils, that wet cotton ball sensation, zesty blueberry, raspberry scents which really try to lift, violet pastille, orange pekoe tea, sticks closely to the script. Medium to full-bodied, probably showing baby fat and will slim down with age. Sneaky sort of tannins which accrue as you sip until it starts to clamp down through the finish. Both red and black berry fruit, dense enough for cherry to come through. Orange peel, ginger root, loses any trace of florality found in the nose. Flavorful, not especially well balanced, don’t see it becoming so down the road. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2010 Clos de l’Elu Crémant de Loire l’Albatross. Light surface dusting on the pour, the liquid has taken on a very dark gold color, the glass close to filled with a storm of bubbles. Toasty nose, brioche to challah bread, light briny nuance now and then, probably more citrusy than minerally/stony, no distinct fruit scent distinguishes itself. Good body, on the dry side, the pétillance perhaps too strong, gets a little foamy. Lemon, orange citrus sparks the flame, bitter nuts, less bready. Here the peach, apple, pear fruit clearer. Stony, if blunt, finish. Was not sure what to expect here and it showed well, sufficient tertiary development with plenty of vigor remaining. Didn’t have on release to make a comparison. 80% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay.
2019 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre l’Authentique. Pale straw gold color, average shine, Sancerre isn’t about visual impact. Soft nose layered with green melon, pear, apricot to pineapple scents, bubblegum, violets, dollop of honey, topped off with a chalky dusting, good staying power. Full-bodied, extremely tropical, the sour bite likely helps to compensate for what feels like just below average acidity. Lime zest, floral musk, mint flow in first followed on soon enough by the pineapple, mango, nectarine, green apple fruit flavors. Quite tangy. Those looking for classic Sancerre might need to look elsewhere but with a good chill on it hit the spot pour moi. (Composite Cork: Diam3)
2018 Patrick Piuze Chablis Terroir de Chablis. Solid old gold to straw color, flat, I guess it penetrates into the rims, didn’t have much to start with. [Don’t end sentences with a preposition.] Lemon curd, spearmint, stone more like boulders than pebbles, apricot fuzz, yellow apple, pear scents, does not texturally come across as dry nor juicy, close to zero lift, even after it warms some. Full-bodied, soft and close to sluggish, not feeling any acidity. Basement ripened apple, pear, peach fruit, flavor without edge. Here there is a glimmer of flintiness but regardless of the bottling name I’m not getting any terroir. With that out of the way, perfectly serviceable more as unoaked Chardonnay than as Chablis. FWIW, the last bottle of current release Chablis I bought was the 2014 of this bottling and it pretty much kicks this one’s ass.
2018 Terre Nere Etna Rosso. Magenta-violet color, really sparkles in the glass, youthful brightness. Simple nose of strawberry, raspberry fruit, mild floral musk and lemon zest, topped off by a bit of dusty ash, satisfying for what it is. Light-bodied, whipsaw acidity, the mouth is salivating from the first sip. Minerally, slightly tarry, an herbaceous element seems to weave in and out. Juicy red berry, rhubarb fruit, all treble and no bass. Succinct enough finish flavor-wise but you feel it in your mouth a good while after you swallow. Maybe my best experience with this bottling since the 2014 vintage. 98% Nerello Mascalese, 2% Nerello Cappuccio. (Composite Cork: Diam10)
2018 Produttori del Barbaresco Nebbiolo Langhe. Some violet in the core, predominantly sunset red to clay red, clean, average shine. Ripe cherry, strawberry fruit gushes through the nose, black licorice, pressed flowers and a mild citrusy nuance fill it out quite nicely, maybe some caramel as it opens, more dewy than lifting. Full-bodied if a bit chubby, the acidity frames the mouth entry well but after that it gets steamrolled by the fruit. Noticeably less licorice here, same for any minerality. Conversely, the juicy citrus expands. Weakens through the finish but this may just be the result of exaggeration prior. No sense aging it, good for simple meat dishes which aren’t too sauce dependent so the fruit gets to shine.
2018 La Stoppa Emilia-Romagna Trebbiolo Rosso. Reddish purple core, dark scarlet rims, clean liquid and okay surface shine. Juicy nose with distinct volatility, horse sweat, damp forest matter, slowly moves onto cocoa, strawberry to red cherry fruit, tea leaf, camphor, displays a muscular lift with a good tingle behind it. Medium-bodied, sappy and clings to just about every available mouth pore. Kind of tannic but not in a drying way. Has the volatility I usually find in this bottling yet somehow that’s almost kinda why I buy it. Syrupy strawberry, raspberry, black berry fruit. Maybe some florality. In some ways it’s like getting a bucket of ice water thrown in your face, really wakes you up. 60% Barbera, 40% Bonarda (Croatina). (Composite Cork)
2017 Col d’Orcia Tuscan IGT Spezieri. Fully transparent ruby-violet in hue, sparkles like it was just spit shined. The nose kind of rushes at you like someone pushed it from behind, candied cherry, berry fruit, some tar and ash as well as an unexpected mintiness, lifts quickly enough to quell what seemed like alcoholic burn (even at the relatively low ABV). Medium-bodied, smooth and balanced like wet cement, flows across the palate with ease. Here caramel, toffee notes disturb the purity of the berryish fruit but not decisively. Punctuated by some Granny Smith apple. No flaws, nothing exaggerated in an unseemly manner, just entirely uninteresting. Did expect a little more nuance from it. Unspecified percentages of Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, unspecified international varieties. (Composite Cork: Diam5)
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Bjornson Vineyard. Fresh purple core with broad ruby rims, transparent, full rims. The core of the nose is sinewy but there’s ample flesh via the blackberry, boysenberry scents, weaves in ginger spice, anise, lemon zest, and a certain stoniness, suspect it will gain more clarity with age. Medium-bodied, feels soft through the attack while firming up at the end. Nothing obtrusive in terms of tannin nor acidity. Close to sugary strawberry, apple, raspberry, blueberry fruit, emboldened by the cinnamon, nutmeg spice. The citrus and stone components don’t quite find their footing. Nothing close to green nor grassy about it. Packs in so much flavor now that you kind of wonder if the bones will ever show. Have one bottle laid down, if I pay attention will consume in medium term, say 5-6 years.
2018 Vincent Wine Company Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Redford-Wetle Vineyard. Ruby-violet on the whole, touch more pinkish at the rims, no trace of filminess. There’s a sappy quality to the nose texture, grounds the cranberry, raspberry scents, mixes in cocoa, cola bean, marjoram accents, not especially citrusy but does slowly reveal a stony component that it’s reasonable to expect will take more ground over time. Medium-bodied, after a few sips not registering much acidic zing but there’s tannin more than willing to stomp out any dissent. The underlying earthiness and stoniness dull it some out of the gate so it’s awhile before the palate consistently registers the raspberry, cherry, blueberry to light strawberry fruit. While I very much enjoyed this wine I am left with the strong impression that it’s best years are some time down the road.
2007 Ken Wright Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton District Shea Vineyard. More rusty red in the core than purple, not much difference at the rims except becomes watery. The nose is full of cedar, Indian spices, incense, generally old oak, cherry pie and dark berry jam next, comes off alcoholic even with the lower ABV, may be because it lost too much fruit. Full-bodied, tends to slouch in the mouth, not perceiving any acidity and just the remnants of tannin, probably was a “bigger is better” wine in its youth. Spicy, metallic with tomato skin accents. A leather, animal hide element muffles what fruit is left. Manages to carve out a lengthy finish, to what purpose who knows. (Synthetic Cork)
2015 Mas Doix Priorat Les Crestes. Unblemished dark purple core, relatively thin scarlet rims, good surface shine, youthful. Nose slightly alcoholic, gingerbread, spice orange peel, incense, and violets play nicely with the core of dark berry scents, does not lift nor sag noticeably. Medium-bodied, smooth and fluid, glides through the mouth while you know it’s there. Lavender, violets appear first before cloaked by incense, mukhwas, and balsam wood notes. Blackberry, raspberry, maybe blueberry fruit flavors. Dries out considerably through the finish, feeling underripe. Okay wine but just that. 80% Grenache, 10% Carignan, 10% Syrah.
2018 Valderiz Tempranillo Ribera del Duero Valdhermoso Joven. Glowing purple to magenta in color, transparent in spite of the super saturation. Mild earthiness to the nose pleasingly distracts from the overripeness of the cherry, blackberry scents, something akin to menthol but then nothing else. Medium-bodied, sappy with tannin that feels artificial and clumpy. Close to grapey plum, black cherry fruit. Notes of sandalwood, lemon peel and a dusting of minerality take it to beyond basic plonk. Truncated finish. In the final analysis no real complaints because this is what $10 gets you today. And the $10 can be spent in vastly worse ways. (Composite Cork: Diam1)
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