We can't go out on New Year's Eve. It's sort of a house arrest kind of thing. Long story. So we went out last night instead, and to celebrate the craziest, wackiest, most difficult and rewarding year of our lives - and my father's birthday - we went to dinner at Felidia, Lidia Bastianich's pseudo-aponymously titled wonderland of Italian cuisine. To top it all off, we ordered a bottle of thirteen year old nebbiolo from one of my favorite producers, Vietti.
According to Vietti's website, the Masseria "cru" is located in Neive, and the vineyard is planted with 4,600 plants per hectare. The vines are over 40 years old and "were grown by the Guyot system." The resultant wine is aged for 24 months in cask and another month in tank before bottling. Less than 500 cases are produced.
The 1995 Masseria *** was a dark garnet color with good opacity. While not as impressive to me as Vietti's 2003 Masseria **** which was full, wildly berry with menthol and pine notes and the texture of warm milk, the 1995 was a wonderful wine. It was slow to open up and reminded me at first of the 1988 Dunn and 1980 Caymus we tasted last month - woodsy and ephemeral - but this soon led to warm, ripe cherry-raspberry notes and displayed an almost fresh floral mid note in the glass. The finish was slow and not particularly long, but the mild texture of granite pebbles did not dissipate and the wine gained strength throughout the night. In retrospect, I should have asked they decant it.
Happy Birthday Dad!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas Wines (and other crap we drink during the holidays)
"How much crap wine did you drink over the holidays?"
This is usually how I feel after returning from someone else's house over Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or Passover, or [Insert Your Holiday Gathering Here]. This year was different, and I have the economy to thank. Because nothing else besides our economy (is it a Recession or a Depression? No idea? Check out this website to learn more ...) could make me interested in $10 American plonk. (That's not to say I don't drink cheap American wine...just that it's hard to find quality American wine for $10 that does not taste like it was produced the way it was - in massive quantities for people who don't care what they drink.)
To start the fesitivities we opened a Chateau St. Jean California Merlot 2005 * This is by all accounts a good value and one worth picking up to host a dinner party, a wedding, a bar mitzavah, or the return of the prodigal son from his animal quest. Not too sweet and not too light, with a mild vegetal character that add a touch of complexity, this has an intense oakiness which can only come from the profligate use of alternatives, but for $10, I didn't really mind. Chateau St. Jean does not post information on the wine's origins on its website, and it did not respond to my request for additional info.
We also dined with Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State * This has long been my single favorite American wine for $10-$15. Produced in much the same manner as the California Merlot from Chateau St. Jean, the Columbia Crest offering at this price point is a touch plumper and rounder, but shorter on the finish. (Their merlot is equally attractive, and worth having around the house all the time.)
Now after the cousins and aunts and uncles and all their offspring had departed, my father-in-law, who shares my taste for Ridge Vineyards zinfandel, and I performed a sort of Advanced Tasting Program recap for 2008.
The 2006 Geyserville ** is very good. Garnet color, with a focus on the intense red berry characteristics of zinfandel and a mild loamy texture. I prefer the 2006 Lytton Springs *** which is darker, more complex, more robust in texture, not as sweet, and longer on the palate. Neither of these wines displays the soft vanillin of the 2006 Carmichael *** which is (probably) my favorite zinfandel of the year, showcasing more boysenberry and toasty new oak notes.
We also tasted the 2005 Three Valleys * and 2006 Three Valleys * The Three Valleys is Ridge's lowest zinfandel on the totem pole. It has the red berry notes and a mild loamy texture of a second grade Geyserville, but is a touch too sweet and volatile to be included in the vineyard designate blends. Lastly, we opened a 2005 Paso Robles * which has never really wowed me. You find the berry notes and the precision of the winery's vineyard designate zinfandels, but the texture lacks the loam notes and complexity found in the wines from Sonoma.
All of Ridge's zinfandels run from about $20-$35. You can purchase them online at Ridge Vineyards' website.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
This is usually how I feel after returning from someone else's house over Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or Passover, or [Insert Your Holiday Gathering Here]. This year was different, and I have the economy to thank. Because nothing else besides our economy (is it a Recession or a Depression? No idea? Check out this website to learn more ...) could make me interested in $10 American plonk. (That's not to say I don't drink cheap American wine...just that it's hard to find quality American wine for $10 that does not taste like it was produced the way it was - in massive quantities for people who don't care what they drink.)
To start the fesitivities we opened a Chateau St. Jean California Merlot 2005 * This is by all accounts a good value and one worth picking up to host a dinner party, a wedding, a bar mitzavah, or the return of the prodigal son from his animal quest. Not too sweet and not too light, with a mild vegetal character that add a touch of complexity, this has an intense oakiness which can only come from the profligate use of alternatives, but for $10, I didn't really mind. Chateau St. Jean does not post information on the wine's origins on its website, and it did not respond to my request for additional info.
We also dined with Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State * This has long been my single favorite American wine for $10-$15. Produced in much the same manner as the California Merlot from Chateau St. Jean, the Columbia Crest offering at this price point is a touch plumper and rounder, but shorter on the finish. (Their merlot is equally attractive, and worth having around the house all the time.)
Now after the cousins and aunts and uncles and all their offspring had departed, my father-in-law, who shares my taste for Ridge Vineyards zinfandel, and I performed a sort of Advanced Tasting Program recap for 2008.
The 2006 Geyserville ** is very good. Garnet color, with a focus on the intense red berry characteristics of zinfandel and a mild loamy texture. I prefer the 2006 Lytton Springs *** which is darker, more complex, more robust in texture, not as sweet, and longer on the palate. Neither of these wines displays the soft vanillin of the 2006 Carmichael *** which is (probably) my favorite zinfandel of the year, showcasing more boysenberry and toasty new oak notes.
We also tasted the 2005 Three Valleys * and 2006 Three Valleys * The Three Valleys is Ridge's lowest zinfandel on the totem pole. It has the red berry notes and a mild loamy texture of a second grade Geyserville, but is a touch too sweet and volatile to be included in the vineyard designate blends. Lastly, we opened a 2005 Paso Robles * which has never really wowed me. You find the berry notes and the precision of the winery's vineyard designate zinfandels, but the texture lacks the loam notes and complexity found in the wines from Sonoma.
All of Ridge's zinfandels run from about $20-$35. You can purchase them online at Ridge Vineyards' website.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Peacock Tongues Unite!
Steve Heimoff recently linked to my California Cult Wine Release Schedule post, and I need to take the time and space to clear up a couple of his readers' comments. For one, it should be noted that I included a New York winery on the list, Shinn Vineyards, which makes some of the best (and biodynamically farmed) wine on the North Fork of Long Island. It costs about $34 as a future. I even paraphrased Shinn's proprietor, David Page, at the bottom of my post, to underline the fact that the phenomenon of the "cult" wine is a creation of Madison avenue executives.
Second - and this is really the most important thing - the list is for informational purposes. For example: You can’t remember when your Araujo allocation is supposed to come out, and you don’t want to go through your credit card receipts or cancelled checks to figure it out. Well, google "SLAKED Cult Wine" and there you go.
As for the question of whether you want to remember Araujo's release date because you’re a “pinhead” obsessed with “greed and self image” ... well, that’s your own problem. Of course, another perfectly valid reason might be, for example, because you just really happen to like their wine. Araujo, after all, makes some damned fine wine....
I did not nor do I intend to classify wines into what is and what is not a cult wine. The question of what is and what is not a cult wine is purely subjective (and not one I am inclined to consider). What I did intend to do was let buyers know when these wines had been released in the past. Let's say you plan on only buying Harlan and BOND this year because that's what your wine budget allows. Well, now you will be happy to know that Harlan comes out in the fall and BOND in the winter, and you can budget accordingly.
It would be impossible (and foolish) for anyone to try to refute any given buyer’s subjective determination that, say, OVID, is a cult wine, despite the fact that you can buy it for less than double its release price. (Okay, there are exceptions to this; Two Buck Chuck = Cult Wine? Probably not. But generally, I stand by this position.) Mr. Washam HMW’s argument to the contrary is not convincing. Why does the HoseMaster get to decide for the rest of the world that OVID will only qualify for “cult” status when you can purchase it for double release on WineCommune? That’s just his opinion, it’s a purely subjective opinion, and it’s (probably) wrong.
Mr. Leslie’s point that Paloma did not make my list, despite being named wine of the year by Wine Spectator, because it only costs $54, is comical as well. I didn’t put Paloma on my list because I don’t really like the wine, I don’t follow the winery, and I don’t care how many gold stars it received from James Laube. That said - in retrospect - Paloma should probably go on the list, because the list is for others, as well as myself, so if Morton would be kind of enough to comment on my blog and let me know Paloma’s release date, then I will be more than happy to add it to my list, and I’ll even post my top secret recipe for peacock tongue. "Mmmmm ... peacock tongue."
Steve also raised a number of bigger questions with respect to any list list of "cult" wines, and I address those, below:
“How does a winery get on the cult wine list?” The wineries that made my list are pretty much all the wines that I know of that send me emails or letters telling me when they are releasing their wines. For purposes of the list, I didn’t discriminate at all. That said, if I have never bought wine from a specific winery (e.g. Paloma), and I don’t get their correspondence, they probably didn’t make the list. Alban Vineyards didn’t make my list – not because it doesn’t have the status – but because I am still on the damned wait list, as they like to remind me every winter when they send me a postcard that reads, "NO WINE FOR YOU!"
“What keeps a wine off it?” See above.
“Can you buy your way onto it?” I have never received money or anything else of value from a winery - it tends to work the other way around - but I have received a few samples from wineries, and I would accept samples from wineries, if offered. Does that mean they make the list? I’ll tell you when it happens….
“How do you stay on it once you’re on?” Keep sending me emails letting me know when the wine comes out.
“Is the list meaningful?” The list is informational, nothing more. If information is meaningful, and I propose it is, then yes, the list is meaningful.
“Do millenials and younger wine lovers care?” I don’t understand the question. “Care” about what? Are you rephrasing the question above?
“How will the list change in 5 years?” It will probably grow. The wines on this list are all (generally) high quality wines. So for the wine industry’s own good, the list will grow.
Second - and this is really the most important thing - the list is for informational purposes. For example: You can’t remember when your Araujo allocation is supposed to come out, and you don’t want to go through your credit card receipts or cancelled checks to figure it out. Well, google "SLAKED Cult Wine" and there you go.
As for the question of whether you want to remember Araujo's release date because you’re a “pinhead” obsessed with “greed and self image” ... well, that’s your own problem. Of course, another perfectly valid reason might be, for example, because you just really happen to like their wine. Araujo, after all, makes some damned fine wine....
I did not nor do I intend to classify wines into what is and what is not a cult wine. The question of what is and what is not a cult wine is purely subjective (and not one I am inclined to consider). What I did intend to do was let buyers know when these wines had been released in the past. Let's say you plan on only buying Harlan and BOND this year because that's what your wine budget allows. Well, now you will be happy to know that Harlan comes out in the fall and BOND in the winter, and you can budget accordingly.
It would be impossible (and foolish) for anyone to try to refute any given buyer’s subjective determination that, say, OVID, is a cult wine, despite the fact that you can buy it for less than double its release price. (Okay, there are exceptions to this; Two Buck Chuck = Cult Wine? Probably not. But generally, I stand by this position.) Mr. Washam HMW’s argument to the contrary is not convincing. Why does the HoseMaster get to decide for the rest of the world that OVID will only qualify for “cult” status when you can purchase it for double release on WineCommune? That’s just his opinion, it’s a purely subjective opinion, and it’s (probably) wrong.
Mr. Leslie’s point that Paloma did not make my list, despite being named wine of the year by Wine Spectator, because it only costs $54, is comical as well. I didn’t put Paloma on my list because I don’t really like the wine, I don’t follow the winery, and I don’t care how many gold stars it received from James Laube. That said - in retrospect - Paloma should probably go on the list, because the list is for others, as well as myself, so if Morton would be kind of enough to comment on my blog and let me know Paloma’s release date, then I will be more than happy to add it to my list, and I’ll even post my top secret recipe for peacock tongue. "Mmmmm ... peacock tongue."
Steve also raised a number of bigger questions with respect to any list list of "cult" wines, and I address those, below:
“How does a winery get on the cult wine list?” The wineries that made my list are pretty much all the wines that I know of that send me emails or letters telling me when they are releasing their wines. For purposes of the list, I didn’t discriminate at all. That said, if I have never bought wine from a specific winery (e.g. Paloma), and I don’t get their correspondence, they probably didn’t make the list. Alban Vineyards didn’t make my list – not because it doesn’t have the status – but because I am still on the damned wait list, as they like to remind me every winter when they send me a postcard that reads, "NO WINE FOR YOU!"
“What keeps a wine off it?” See above.
“Can you buy your way onto it?” I have never received money or anything else of value from a winery - it tends to work the other way around - but I have received a few samples from wineries, and I would accept samples from wineries, if offered. Does that mean they make the list? I’ll tell you when it happens….
“How do you stay on it once you’re on?” Keep sending me emails letting me know when the wine comes out.
“Is the list meaningful?” The list is informational, nothing more. If information is meaningful, and I propose it is, then yes, the list is meaningful.
“Do millenials and younger wine lovers care?” I don’t understand the question. “Care” about what? Are you rephrasing the question above?
“How will the list change in 5 years?” It will probably grow. The wines on this list are all (generally) high quality wines. So for the wine industry’s own good, the list will grow.
1999 Girard Napa Valley Red Wine ***
A blend of just 50% cabernet sauvignon with 32% cabernet franc and 18% merlot "with all of the fruit coming from the Napa Valley." The predominant scent was succulent road tar with cab-franc-graphite spice underneath. On the palate, the wine suggests olive tapenade, bay leaf, and wild blueberry jam. A touch spicy and a little racy, this (nearly) decade old wine has the texture of warm blood: Plump enough to serve alone; enough acidity to serve with dinner.
This 1999 harkens back to an age of simplicity in style - and marketing - that I long for from Napa Valley. In the meantime, I have found the quality of Girard Winery inconsistent from year to year and from varietal to varietal. In my opinion, the wines haven't shown a typicity or "house style" and their premium wine has changed names so many times since 1999 I don't know what to call it anymore. It has been called "Red Wine," and "Artistry" and most recently "Pritchard Hill". The truth is, however, that neither I nor anyone I know really cares if it came from Pritchard Hill or not. What matters is that the constant renaming of the brand has me wondering if they know what they want to accomplish with their wines. All the hoopla and fancy names, vineyard designations and what not doesn't add to the quality of the wine. Actually, it does the opposite.
The simplicity of this 1999 Red Wine, though ... it's hard to resist.
This 1999 harkens back to an age of simplicity in style - and marketing - that I long for from Napa Valley. In the meantime, I have found the quality of Girard Winery inconsistent from year to year and from varietal to varietal. In my opinion, the wines haven't shown a typicity or "house style" and their premium wine has changed names so many times since 1999 I don't know what to call it anymore. It has been called "Red Wine," and "Artistry" and most recently "Pritchard Hill". The truth is, however, that neither I nor anyone I know really cares if it came from Pritchard Hill or not. What matters is that the constant renaming of the brand has me wondering if they know what they want to accomplish with their wines. All the hoopla and fancy names, vineyard designations and what not doesn't add to the quality of the wine. Actually, it does the opposite.
The simplicity of this 1999 Red Wine, though ... it's hard to resist.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Chateau Cantemerle **
It's supposed to snow here this week, just in time for Christmas, and that means it's officially become Bordeaux season. So on the last trip to the cellar I brought back a couple bottles of Chateau Cantemerle -- one bottle of the 2000, one 2003 -- which we opened last night with hamburgers (90% lean, over toasted whole wheat bread, smothered with Gruyère, grilled onions, and dijon mustard) and Mary Ellen's Double Dutch German Chocolate Cake.
Chateau Cantemerle -- an after-thought to the 1855 classification of grand cru Bordeaux -- remains one of my favorite producers because of its usually high quality and typically reasonable prices. The chateau's second wine - Les Allées de Cantemerle -- also represents a unqiue bargain in good years. To learn more, visit the Wine Doctor.
Ch. Cantemerle 2003 ** ($18) is a garnet color, with dried herbs and overripe red berries on the nose. A mild loam texture, with dried rosemary on the mid palate.
Unfortunately, our bottle of the 2000 was corked.
Chateau Cantemerle -- an after-thought to the 1855 classification of grand cru Bordeaux -- remains one of my favorite producers because of its usually high quality and typically reasonable prices. The chateau's second wine - Les Allées de Cantemerle -- also represents a unqiue bargain in good years. To learn more, visit the Wine Doctor.
Ch. Cantemerle 2003 ** ($18) is a garnet color, with dried herbs and overripe red berries on the nose. A mild loam texture, with dried rosemary on the mid palate.
Unfortunately, our bottle of the 2000 was corked.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
2000 Ch. Giscours ***
Deep blue-purple in color, with fresh blueberry and bay leaf on the nose, this Chateau Giscours ** showed tight acidity on the attack with mild, dry tannins on the finish. Raspberries and tart strawberry emerged after decanting, but this hasn't fully developed yet, and may need another two years in the cellar. Noted "blogger-writer" at TakingPointsMemo.com Zachary Roth delighted in its "peppery" bouquet, but I wasn't feeling it (and he may have been bull-shitting me as usual). It's good alone, and very good with food, but ultimately lands somewhere between two and three stars. (For those who prefer the 100 point system, that's about an 89-90 in my book.)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
California Cult Wine Release Schedule
If you're into California Cult wines, then you might want to know when they come out, and how much they will cost, but there is no comprehensive release schedule for these wines -- anywhere -- and the cults themselves are the last people to ask. Most of the cults aren't even bottled yet when they are purchased as futures, and this fact might give you the "blues." You aren't alone. Check out this little diddy by fellow attorney at: The Picky Eater: Talking California Cult Wine Blues.
So I've taken the liberty of listing the past year's release schedule of a number of California Cult wines. (Please put aside the fact that I've compiled this list because I'm a tool of the marketing gestalt that controls Napa Valley.) This list is by no means complete, and it may very well be inaccurate. It is also very likely the only list of its kind. You'll notice that a number of wineries are listed throughout the year. This is because most wineries that release four or more wines do so at intervals. Quilceda Creek, for example, releases its proprietary cabernet sauvignon and merlot in January, and its estate vineyard cabernet sauvignon (the "Galitzine Vineyard") and its second label "Columbia Valley Red Wine" in August. It should also be obvious that some Cults aren't even from California, such as the aforementioned Quilceda Creek, which hails from eastern Washington.
I've used the average monthly releases of these wines for the past two years, in some cases longer. Release schedules vary from year to year. Some notable wines are omitted: Either I don't like them, I'm still on the wait list, or I don't buy them as futures. If anyone has amendments, corrections, and/or additions, please list them in the comments section -- This is a work in progress.
January Releases:
Sloan ($300+)
BOND ($1000 for a 4 bottle OWC)
Quilceda Creek (proprietary cabernet $125, merlot $100)
Colgin (IX Estate) ($300)
Peter Michael (varies)
Hanzell (pinot noir, $85)
Merus ($125)
Pax ($50-$85)
Kapscandy (Grand Vin $125, Roberta's $110)
Lewis (varies)
Lail (second label)
Kosta Browne (varies)
Brewer Clifton (varies)
Shinn (varies)
Screaming Eagle (average release date uncertain, release price $750)
Ridge Vineyards "Monte Bello" ($85)
February Releases:
Flowers (varies)
DuMOL (second label)
Pisoni (varies)
Brewer Clifton (varies)
March Releases:
Araujo Estate (2nd label and olive oil)
Sea Smoke Cellars (three labels released, $50-$85)
Sine Qua Non (varies)
May/June:
Robert Foley (varies)
Arietta (varies)
Pride (varies)
Kongasgaard (varies)
Continuum ($125)
Ovid ($150+)
Lokoya (varies)
Ramey (varies)
Sine Qua Non (varies)
Hundred Acre "Ancient Way" ($200+)
June/July Releases:
Araujo (proprietary cabernet $200, syrah $110+)
Dunn (Howell Mtn. $80)
Flowers (varies)
Pax (varies)
Blankiet (proprietary $175)
Lucia (varies)
Kistler (varies)
Martin (varies)
Lail (J. Daniel $125, Georgia $100)
St Innocent (varies)
Dom. Serene (varies)
Colgin (CARIAD $300)
Hanzell (ultra premium chardonnay $200)
Dashe (varies)
August Releases:
Quilceda Creek (Estate vineyard $125; second label $35)
Ridge (Z list)
Kapcsandy (second label $75+)
Ojai (varies)
Switchback Ridge ($50-85+)
Girard (Pritchard Hill released $75)
Sine Qua Non (varies)
DuMOL (single vineyard releases $65+)
Abreu ($200)
Bryant Family ($250)
Jones Family ($90)
Martin Estate (varies)
Ramey (single vineyard chardonnays released)
Pride (cabernet and chardonnay released)
Silver Oak (varies)
Lewis(varies)
Martin Estate (varies)
Ramey (single vineyard chardonnays released)
Pride (cabernet and chardonnay released)
Silver Oak (varies)
Lewis(varies)
Shafer (Hillside Select $210)
Scarecrow ($150)
September Releases:
Pisoni Estate (varies)
Lewis (varies)
Harlan Estate ($500)
Hundred Acre (Kayli Morgan, $200)
Arietta (varies)
St. Innocent (varies)
Robert Foley (varies)
Scholium (varies)
Kapcsandy (Rose $30)
Bryce Family Willamette Valley ($35)
October Releases:
Kosta Brown (varies)
Corrison (Napa cab $100)
Dyer ($85)
Pax Wines (varies)
Sea Smoke (magnums only $200)
Lewis(varies)
November Releases:
Hundred Acre (Ark $200)
Dom. Serene (varies)
Futo (second label $150?)
Hundred Acre (Ark $200)
Dom. Serene (varies)
Futo (second label $150?)
December Releases:
Kapcsandy (Grand Vin $125, Roberta's Reserve $110)
Martin Estate (varies)
Dashe (varies)
Hendry (varies)
Corrison (Kronos $150)
Silver Oak (varies)
Hendry (varies)
Corrison (Kronos $150)
Silver Oak (varies)
Planned releases for 2009 (thus far):
January 2009 Releases:
Quilceda (proprietary cabernet, merlot)
Kistler (varies)
And to paraphrase David Page at Shinn Vineyards on the North Fork -- "And that's the news from Madison Avenue."
Monday, December 15, 2008
1988 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain ***
This bottle was purchased from WineBid.com at a huge discount three years ago. We took it out over the weekend to prove that Randy Dunn's Howell Mountain cabernets can age as nicely as any Bordeaux. The wax capsule on this bottle was lightly chipped, but the cork, perfect. The color has darkened over the years; there was no bricking on the edge, and the wine was tight at first with bright acidity and reminded me of aged Burgundy, but after a half an hour it had softened considerably and notes of sweet red berries emerged from the glass. Medium to full bodied with a mid palate of crushed dark chocolate, this will evolve for another decade, but is drinking nicely now.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
2005 Ridge Vineyards Syrah Lytton West ***
From the Lytton West vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, this is a dark blue syrah blended with 6% viognier, which adds a honeyed and floral note to the nose. At only 14.5% alcohol, the wine is very strong in the mouth, almost austere, but the wine is well structured - the tannins are fine and the purple fruit notes dominate. This requires 3 years in bottle to come together, after which it should drink nicely for another decade.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Domaine de la Guyonnière Gevrey-Chambertin
The word that comes to mind as you sip Antonin Guyon's 2002 Gevrey-Chambertin ** is searing. This wine did not always require food to balance out; it was gorgeous by itself after release. I found this bottle in the basement refrigerator recently, shortly after I had purchased its younger sibling, the 2005 ****, for which there are no words to adequately describe, but I digress.The 2002 Gevrey-Chambertin ** has evolved into a puckering villages level Burgundy, with piquant cherry notes and a texture like sharp stones. It dashes the pallate with roiling intensity and demands attention. It's no cheap thrill, but it lacks the density and complexity of, say, Jean Grivot's Clos Vougeout, one of the only grand crus I have cellared from this vintage. Tasted most recently in the early fall of 2007, this was not the same wine. The potential intensity was evident, but not the spice, and not the sharpness.
By comparison, Antonin Guyon's 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin **** is plush and dense, but it suggests that roaring acidity just beneath the surface. As these Burgindies age, and their fruit fades, what remains is that intense, puckering texture of crushed velvet. I can't image the 2005 will ever taste better than it does today, shortly after release, so this is a wine to find and enjoy now. But if you want to know how very good village level Burgundy tastes after six-ten years, this is a candidate to lay down in the cellar.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Under $25 Crowd ... Continued
I have two Italian and two French reds on the table tonight. This first wine was so good it deserves its own title, but seeing as how this was part of the Under $25 Crowd installment, it must be featured here.
The Belpoggio "Stupor Mundi" Rosso Piceno 2006 ** is a 12.5% by alcohol dry red wine from the east coast of Italy -- check this map. The label features a famous depiction of Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor, who was known in his own time as "stupor mundi" i.e., "wonder of the world." Check him out. The wine was too young upon opening, but it revealed its nice dark fruits quickly, and the minor industrial funk that wafted out of this bottle after popping the cork, vanished within an hour, revealing dark berry notes and very good balance. This is a good value and should be requested at your local shop.
Next up we have an Aglianico del Taburno DOC from Cantina del Taburno "Fidelis" 2005 * This is also a good value but is a touch thinner, with less sweet red fruit and slightly tougher tannin on the front end. A nice pizza wine, not much more.
From France we have an Ermitage du Pic St Loup * from the Coteaux du Languedoc. "A standard Pic St. Loup blend of Syrah (55%), Grenache (35%) and Mourvedre (10%), it's produced by the firm Ravaille Freres." This isn't a bad wine, and at $15 it could be an everyday crowd pleaser, but there is, again, some industrial funk on the nose of this wine, and I couldn't recommend it to someone without noting that while this is not plonk, it's not one of my favorites. That said, I've found it pleasing enough over a course of meatloaf covered in ketchup after a tiring day. What more need be said?
Finally, we have a nice and light Bourgogne Aligote from Domaine Roulot * Virtually white gold in color, this is steely with just a hint of citrus and anise. A wine to serve at dinner parties and over striped bass.
Cheers!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
2006 Ridge Vineyards Carmichael Zinfandel ATP ***
From "Carmichael's eastern edge, where the soil is clay loam atop decomposed granite," this 96% zinfandel with 4% co-fermented petite sirah spent fifteen months in barrel and was bottled in March 2008. It is the best Advanced Tasting Program zinfandel released by Ridge in 2008. (The 2006 Lytton Springs *** is close on its heels.) Lucious, with bold boysenberry and vanilla notes, this wine displayed dark cocoa and roughly crushed roasted coffee beans after 24 hours of decanting. Try a bottle now, but it will age nicely for the next eight years.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
2003 Ridge Vineyards Petite Sirah Lytton Springs ***
A wow wine at age five, you would never know this was petite sirah, and it has only been in bottle since November 2005. Composed of 77% Petite Sirah with 23% Zinfandel from the Lytton Springs estate vineyards, this is inky and opaque with blackberry jam, sweet tannins reminiscent of fine Right Bank Bordeaux, and velvety Shiraz-esque texture. Exceptional now, this is also stacked for aging.
Monday, December 1, 2008
1995 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello ***
At thirteen, the 1995 Monte Bello *** is still a child. Composed of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 10% petit verdot, and 3% cabernet franc, the wine is dark and brooding, with complex notes of cedar and blackberry on the nose. I have tasted this twice before, and my thoughts on the wine have been consistent. I keep waiting for this wine to fully reveal itself. It won't. The 1995 Monte Bello still needs at least two and a half hours to decant, at room temperature, at this stage in its evolution, and three plus hours would be preferable. Only then will its ripe red fruits emerge.
As Robert Parker Jr. guessed, this will age easily for "30+ years." Parker scored it 94-96 points, and compared it to "the great 1992 and 1991." There's little doubt this is a very good Monte Bello, constructed for a very long life, but in my estimation the 1995 lacks the density and concentration of the great Monte Bello's of the past decade, notably the 1996 and 2003. Better than the 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002, the 1995 may be the least accessible modern Monte Bello, and the longest lived.
As Robert Parker Jr. guessed, this will age easily for "30+ years." Parker scored it 94-96 points, and compared it to "the great 1992 and 1991." There's little doubt this is a very good Monte Bello, constructed for a very long life, but in my estimation the 1995 lacks the density and concentration of the great Monte Bello's of the past decade, notably the 1996 and 2003. Better than the 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2002, the 1995 may be the least accessible modern Monte Bello, and the longest lived.
Thanksgiving Revisited
To conclude my previous post ... no one was in the mood for a thirty year old Sonoma pinot (the Hanzell 1979) so I opened a bottle of 1995 Hanzell Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir *** for Thanksgiving dinner. Cherry red color with bricking at the edge, this was full on bloody with nice tang on the mid palate. It is bone dry but still fleshy and the finish lasted a minute. We followed up with Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot 2005 ** which is less robust than the 2004, and not quite as fruity, but is more subtle, and a generally good value wine at $16.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)