1996 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello ****

Earth - damp, light as fog, and brine - and wood and woodland scents on the nose. Blueberryesque, almost dry, on the palate. God...this is dumbfounding. If it gets any better than this, I haven't found it.

Robert Parker Jr. described the wine this way: "80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot that reached 13.4% alcohol represents a severe selection of only 40% of the vineyard's crop. A blockbuster, powerful, concentrated Monte Bello, it possesses an opaque purple color, plenty of spicy oak in the nose (100% American oak has always been used for aging Monte Bello), and a deep, layered, concentrated style. There is plenty of tannin, but it is sweeter than that found in the 1997, and the wine is more concentrated and extracted. There is a touch of oak in the flavors, which are otherwise dominated by minerals and jammy black fruits. This is a terrific Monte Bello that will have 30+ years of life. 95 points."

He got it right.

1999 Dom Perignon ****

I don't drink Dom Perignon as much as I'd like to, and frankly the wine confuses me a little. I don't drink it because it's expensive, and it confuses me because while I have this aversion to wines produced in bulk by international conglomerates, in this case, by LVMH, which produces everything from Bordeaux to wrist watches, I'm never sure what to expect, which is odd from the stately old Dom because the wine almost always tastes the same to me.

Older vintages like the 1990 and 1993 have been enjoyable, subtle, but ultimately sterile. There was nothing "wow' about them. The 1999 is different. Chardonnay on the nose, chardonnay on the palate, chardonnay chardonnay chardonnay. It's light, with very light citrus and floral notes, but this is wine to me first and foremost, not Champagne, not sparkling wine, not a consumer product, not a brand, it's just a pleasing wine tonight, and I'm relieved, because this is what I think I've always hoped for Dom Perignon.

The packaging, too, is gorgeous - a plain black box with the logo and the vintage printed on it - but I don't know why the marketing geniuses at LVMH feel the need to include inside the gift box a pamphlet filled with pictures of beautiful people sitting around doing nothing. The wine is good enough to stand alone, and it should.

(Upgraded from three stars to four stars - 9/26/08.)

2005 Nickel & Nickel Manzana Vineyard RRV Pinot Noir *

From the back label: "Dutton Ranch planted the Manzana Vineyard on a gently sloped hillside in the Russian River Valley. The name 'Manzana", [sic] Spanish for apple, honors the long heritage of apple orchards here." The label goes on to describe how the "cool climate" produces slowly yet fully ripened fruit, blah blah blah.

What this is is another hot Cali pinot. It's big and jammy, "full throttle" as Robert Parker Jr. might say, and it's pure in the sense that I don't detect any flaws. It will please neophytes and may be fun at a dinner party, but it lacks character, and this wine has no place at the dinner table.

2005 Ridolfi Rosso di Montalcino *

Elegant. Garnet color, not quite bright. Damp earth on the nose, with pungent old oak and berry fusion. This is tannic, and the acidity a little sharp, but the fruit is chewy, and it's a fun wine overall.
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Blanche de Bruxelles ***

Brewed with orange rind and spices.  Hmm.  This was good beer.

NV Champagne Chartogne-Taillet Merfy Brut *

A Terry Thiese Estate Selection, picked up from Chambers Street Wines, which is moving down the block.  A more recently disgorged Chartogne-Taillet was in stock, featuring a new label, but I opted for this year old rendition, disgorged if I remember correctly in October 2007.

To be blunt - this reminded me of Veuve Clicquot without the texture, which is what I love about Veuve.  Nearly yellow gold color, with a nice shine on it.  Citrus nose, mellow fruits, but more subdued than the Veuve, with more brioche on the mid-note, and more character on the finish.

2006 Montgomery Place Napa Valley **

Our friend Kyle Olmon - author of the fabulously successful pop-up book Castle: Medieval Days and Knights - brought this over for Saturday night BBQ.  For what it's worth, Montgomery Place is the new label developed by the old sommelier at Per Se.

The wine was dark and rich ... to be expected from a mid-level Napa blend ... but the strength here was in the subtlety of the fruit and the minerality on the finish.  This was big, without being over-the-top; fleshy, but not overtly sweet.

My friends claim that bringing wine to our house is "like bringing coal to New Castle," and so they never try to impress, but this wine did.

2007 Culley Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand **

Screw caps are anathema to me.  I’m a cork conservative, and generally I refuse to buy any wine bottled without a natural closure.  That said, the high quality of New Zealand’s wines, and the virtual ubiquity of that damn screw cap on those big islands, it’s inevitable that occasionally, if only rarely, I will splurge on a screw cap bottled wine.  Fortunately, the Culley was worth it.

Tight and focused with that unmistakable and gorgeous New Zealand sauvignon nose, this was hay color with chalky citrus and sweetly mild mango notes.  Good value.  Now can we get a good natural cork in there - please?!

2005 Nickel & Nickel “Bonfire Vineyard” Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel *

Flat purple color.  Big nose of prunes and raspberries.  Tight and focused on the palate, all fruit now – not showing any minerality, stone or oak.  This may improve with time, but was one-dimensional this time around.

2007 Channing Daughters “Tocai Friulano” The Hamptons Long Island *

The “only tocai friulano on Long Island,” this was refreshing, with a floral bouquet and tight, crisp palate.  The varietal “tocai friulano” is originally Italian, not Hungarian, and recent litigation has prevented wineries in Friulano from labeling their wines with the word “tocai.”  Apparently the EU decision doesn’t prevent a U.S. winery from using the name.

Weingut Helmut Hexamer 2005er Riesling Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Spatlese **

Another Terry Thiese Estate selection picked up from Oak and Steel.  This was pale pale pale yellow color, with sweet gooseberry on the nose.  In the mouth, this was light and fluffy like a dandelion soufflé.  Good value.

2005 Arietta “On the White Keys” **

Hay color.  Fresh bouquet notes honey and pickled ginger.  Full bodied with melon and mild tangerine.

2003 Kongsgaard Chadonnay Napa Valley ****

Almost perfect today, and still a four star wine anyway.  This chardonnay is an aged gold color, with huge tropical fruits, nuts, and full citrus notes throughout.  Big, bright, fruity, intense – just simply a “wow” wine.  In my opinion Kongsgaard sets the bar for chardonnay in California, followed closely by Peter Michael and Kistler.

2007 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rose *

A refreshing pink wine with strawberry and bright acidity on the long finish.  Good value.  I’m beginning to think Guigal can do no wrong.  How good must the high-end wines be?

2004 Pax “Venus” North Coast **

From 152 cases of 100% Roussanne, this wine has experienced a rather tragic dumb phase since the phenomenal days of its release.  Bright gold color, with mild purple wild flowers on the nose, refreshing but not overt or tangy in the mouth, with green pear and white chocolate flavors.  This has never tasted better.

2004 St. Innocent Chardonnay “Anden Vineyard” Willamette Valley *

Pale hay color, with pine nuts and mild honey notes. An appealing chardonnay, which showed particularly well today.

2001 Benton Lane Pinot Noir Oregon *

Still drinking nicely, this was light ruby color, with mild wood scents on the nose and tart, but yummy raspberry on a surprisingly silky finish.

1990 Veuve Clicquot “La Grande Dame” Champagne ****

A perfect 18 year old Champagne.  Still pleasantly fruity with mostly tropical and mild citrus notes, overlaid with butter and biscuits.  Far better than then Dom Perignon.

2003 Alain Voge Cornas Vieilles Vignes ***

This was excellent: Dark ruby color; fresh herbs and mild black pepper on the nose; sweet warm blood, smoke and pepper on the finish.   

2005 Ridge Vineyards ATP Oltranti Zinfandel **

This is still very young tasting after being open three days, and it's still showing primary fruit traits: pure berries and cream. Dark garnet color with rose bramble on the nose. Black cherries and hints of mint on the mid-note. It developed structure over time and should cellar for six to eight years.
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2000 Henri Goutorbe "Special Club" Grand Cru Champagne **

A "Special Club" bottling from Goutorbe, I can't say I enjoyed this 2000 Grand Cru from Ay any more than the house's NV Cuvee Prestige.  Pale hay color with very little bubbles.  Mellow apple cider notes on the nose, followed by buttered white toast and old oak, with minor citrus notes.

The Club Tresors de Champagne -- the "Champagne Special Club" -- is sort of like the Justice League of sparkling wine, currently featuring twenty-six producers:

• Vincent Joudart
  
• Gaston Chiquet
  
• A. Margaine
  
• Roland Champion
  
• Goutorbe Pere et Fils
  
• Fresnet Juillet
  
• Marc Chauvet
  
• Voirin Desmoulins
  
• J. Lassalle
  
• Launois Père et Fils
  
• Pierre Gimonnet et Fils
  
• Janisson Baradon et Fils
  
• Hervieux Dumez
  
• Marc Hébrart
  
• Grongnet
  
• Forget Chemin
  
• Larmandier et Fils
  
• Paul Bara
  
• Nominé Renard
  
• José Michel et Fils
  
• Lamiable
  
• Juillet Lallement
  
• Vazart Coquart
  
• Charlier et Fils
  
• Bernard Hatté
  
• Champagne Moussé Fils
  

My understanding of the way the club works is, a member-vigneron proposes a vintage blend to the club, which if approved by (i.e. voted best by) the club is bottled specially under the Club Tresors label.  I have only tried two Special Club bottlings, from Chiquet in 1999 and now this Goutorbe, but the general consensus in the blogging community seems to be that the Special Club bottling is not typically worth the premium price, considering the generally high quality of the wines produced by the independent member-vignerons.  In any event, it's worthwhile picking up one of these blends occasionally. 

2003 Henry's Drive "Reserve Shiraz" Padthaway Australia ***

Henry's Drive is making some spectacular wines.  I first tried their "Pillbox Red" last year in a blind tasting of ten Spanish and Australian wines and chose it as my favorite wine of the night - it was also the second cheapest.

The other day, I opened a 2003 "Reserve Shiraz" from Padthaway, in the southeast corner of South Australia.  The Reserve Shiraz was a dark garnet color, with chili spice on the nose.  After an hour, it tasted of equal parts mint, menthol, dark cocoa, oak-vanilla, and mild spice.  This wine is exceptional, and even though it will run you more than $45, offers a relative value compared to the prices being paid for Old World wines right now.  It also deserves a spot in the cellar.

And if you care about such things -- Robert Parker scored this 95 points; Wine Spectator, 91.  Both called this wine an exceptional value.

Vacation Whites, etc.

The 1997 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello *** is a sometimes gorgeous wine.  My previous experience with this wine, at a Wine Spectator tasting in 2007, was phenomenal.  Previously, I had tasted one bottle damaged by heat - thin, bland, and boring.  And before that, I had been less than wowed.  This time around, the wine was very clearly Monte Bello, with dark berry fruits, thick tannins, and strong underlying acidity.

The 2006 of Dumol's "Lia," a Russian River Valley Viognier *** was super: rich and ripe fruit, tight body, good length.

The 2003 Kistler "Dutton Ranch" Russian River Valley Chardonnay *** was a pale gold color, with petrol and a little rubbery funk on the nose that dissipated as the wine opened up to reveal lemon meringue pie and custard notes.

We also cracked another bottle of 2004 Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay **.

1998 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello **

Here on Cape Cod for the first two weeks of August after 399 days without a single day of vacation, lounging in the sun, and enjoying some of the finest wines I have.

We opened this 1998 Monte Bello our first day here.  This bottle of '98 lacked the rich fruit I remember of this particular vintage, and showed more dark berry and overt tannins, but is still unmistakebly Santa Cruz Mountain Monte Bello.