Tasting Notes From April 2004

Elderton
2001 Shiraz
Barossa
14% alcohol. Nice little weeknight wine here. Classically Aussie nose of creamy vanilla oak and blackberry liqueur. Rich black fruits on the palate with a little bit of lemony acidity. Sweet fruit. Rich. Bit monolithic, but who cares? $15

Pride Mountain
1997 Merlot
Napa Valley
Strutting its stuff pretty well, but not the liquified viagra that it was in its youth. Sweet new oak, red berry liqueur, overtones of mocha and chocolate. Full-bodied and richly flavored. Not bad. $32

Aldin
2000 Red Wine
Napa Valley
This is Karl Lawrence's second label and I was much more taken with the wine this time. The first time I tasted it I found it tannic, a bit green, and lacking in charm. This time the wine's nose shows red berries, toasted oak, cedar, red currant and touches of tea and tobacco(?). Medium-bodied and lightly tangy, lightly tannic. Semi-sweet red currant fruit tinged with spearmint. Sweet plums. Kinda makes me wish I ordered some of the 2001 Aldin wines. $24

Domaine Santa Duc
2000 Gigondas
Les Hautes Garrigues
15% alcohol. Decanted for about 45 minutes while we sampled the first 6 courses at Lola's Tasting Room. Large-scaled, muscular wine. Slightly hard minerality with black fruit, a wild animal streak, cedary new oak, and a cinnamon bark component. Somewhat open on the palate and showing a hint of sweet black fruit and more slate-like minerality. I took the last quarter of the bottle home and the next day the wine had grown even tighter and unyielding. No longer very pleasurable to drink. Hold on to these if you have them. $45 Dinner at Lola's Tasting Room

Titus
2001 Zinfandel
Napa Valley
14.5% alcohol. A lovely Zinfandel that is dominated by maple and red berry liqueur flavors. Full bodied, lush, rich. Not as overblown as many, but quite tasty. $25

Pride Mountain
1999 Sangiovese
Napa Valley
from 500ml bottle. Rich flavors of black cherries and brown sugar. Toward the full-bodied end. Interesting.

Huia
2002 Gewurztraminer
Marlborough
Lovely spicy wine with tangy fruit and a slightly sweet nature.

Tablas Creek
2001 Cotes de Tablas
Paso Robles
38% Mourvedre, 34% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 4% Counoise. Very Rhone-ish, like a warm climate cotes du rhone. Plummy red fruit, some waxy nuances, food-friendly acidity. Nice.

A Variety of Wines from Spring Mountain at the Wine Market

Keenan
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Cherries, touch of liqueur. No intrusive oak. Better than many but a bit one-dimensional. $37

Keenan
2000 Merlot
Napa Valley
Eh? Neutral nose of red fruit and oak. Pass. $27

Terra Valentine
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Coffee, raw red fruit tannin. Not bad, but not exciting. $28

Ritchie Creek
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Slight green nuance then more fruity. Blackberry and mountain fruit spice. Nice. $52

Schweiger
2000 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
Smells sweet. Tons of pear nectar. Rich, sweet palate. Tastes like it has more age on it than this. Very nice. Mona really loved this one. $28

Marston
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Nice nose, particularly for the vintage. Black currant and blackberry fruit. Sweet liqueur. I rather liked this one. Not at the price though $56

Vineyard 7 & 8
2001 Chardonnay
Napa Valley Vineyard 8
Heavy-handed oaking. Soso. Tart finish with no middle. Every other person I talked to liked this wine, but we didn't care for it. $40

Vineyard 7 & 8
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley Vineyard 7
Picking themost apt words from the winemaker's notes….cigar box, black fruit, cassis. Some tannin. Decent, not stellar. $68

Pride Mountain
2001 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
New oak nose. Semlls of French oak even though I believe this is made with Virginia oak. Pear fruit. Okay, too oak driven for me. $32

Spring Mountain
2001 Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley
Rather oaky nose for Sauvignon Blanc. Smells more like a Chardonnay in many respects. Medium-sweet kiwi fruit. Slightly tangy and steely. Not my type of Sauvignon Blanc. $28

Spring Mountain
1999 Reserve Red
Napa Valley
67% Cabernet, 44% Merlot, 14% Petite Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. What happened to my notes on this? $80

Guillams
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Nasty green and bell pepper nose. Slightly better and riper on the palate. A bit of astringent tannin on the palate. I don't care for this. $29

Fife
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley Reserve
Sweet nose with a lift of leafy violets from the Cabernet Franc. Pretty nice juice that is drinking well now. This is the best Fife wine I have tasted. $44

Cain
2001 Musque
Napa Valley
Very herbal nose, like Jalapeno with lemon-lime citrus fruit. Eh. $18

Cain
NV1 Cuvee
Napa Valley
Sweet port, cigar nose with a bit of chocolate. Rich, plush fruit but the finish is short and drying. I guess this ranks as a value among these wines. $20

Cain
2000 Five
Napa Valley
Reserved nose of old leather, cigar, sweet, medium-bodied red fruit. Disappointing for what it's reputation would suggest. Surprisingly soft. $68

Barnett
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
hmm - nice nose of cedar, French oak, red fruit liqueur. Balaned with a touch of herb. Powdered sugar on the nose. This is the best red of the tasting. $48

Blind Zinfandels at Aadish (Persian Food)

Zind Humbrecht
2000 Gewurztraminer
Vin d'Alsace
Deep gold color. Smells sweet with tropical fruit syrup. Fairly sweet on the palate with excellent richness. Nice, but a bit too sweet on its own. Would go great with Chinese or something I bet.

JJ Prum
2001 Riesling
Bernkasteler Badstube
Overwhelming odors of sulfur and car exhaust on the nose. Better on the palate with sweetish fruit and a hint of licorice. Fairly racy acidity. I can't get past the nose.

Baumard
1997 Savennieres
Subtle nose of dry canned tropical fruit. Minerals. Rather dry and light. Missing intensity and concentration.

Argyle
2002 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley
Pleasant, medium-bodied red fruit with some cola. The total package leaves me cold though. The screwcap is cool. So is anyone wondering yet, why all these wines are at a Zinfandel tasting??

Selby
2000 Zinfandel
Sonoma County
Blind Zin 1 - At last, on to the Zinfandels. Deep color with a strong sweet clove nose. Maple. Liqueur. Rich sweet red fruit on the palate. Pretty nice. Maybe slightly prematurely aging. 15.5% alcohol.

Joseph Swan
2000 Zinfandel
Russian River Valley Mancini Ranch
Blind Zin 2 - 16.3% alcohol. More of a dry, rather than sweet, clove nose…Dry Creek dust, spice. A bit hot, overly sweet, and out of balance. Porty. The finish is surprisingly tough and short.

Hartford Court
1999 Zinfandel
Dina's Vineyard Russian River Valley
Blind Zin 3 - Dark purple with youthful electric purple froth on the surface. Lemony nose that shows some primary, grapey black fruit. Bit of brisk acidity on the palate with red berry fruit. Surprisingly primary, but nice.

Gamba
2002 Zinfandel
Russian River Valley
Blind Zin 4 - Unusual nose for Zinfandel. Cola, chocolate, menthol. Smells a ibt like Merlot and I get a suggestion of French oak which seems unusual. Cinnamon. Rich black fruit. Nice. Bit monolithic on the palate, but that may be its youth. Creamy. Really a different nose. 14.8% alcohol.

Martinelli
1999 Zinfandel
Giuseppe and Luisa
Blind Zin 5 - Sour-sweet blackberry juice. Touch of lemon and maple. Rich, sweet fruit with prickly acidity. Missing structure and too sweet for some. Most despised this, I thought it was at least interesting and hedonistic. 17% alcohol.

Grial
2000 Carmenere
Colchagua Valley
Blind Zin 6 - ringer. Green sulfur tannin nose. Slightly vegetal. Not Zin, but not awful if this is inexpensive. Red currant fruit.

Turley
2000 Zinfandel
Pesenti Vineyard
Blind Zin 7 - Spicy clove nose with lemony red and black fruit. Decent, not stellar, but very nice. Just screams "CLOVE!".

Rafanelli
2001 Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley
Blind Zin 8 - Meat, blood, yeast, and some tannin on the nose. Medium-full bodied. I like this better than I have the past few vintages of Rafanelli Zinfandel. More claret style.

Marquis Philips
2002 Sarah's Blend
South Australia
This wine is so over-the-top…the nose is like a sweet creamy blackberry syrup and liqueur. The wine is frankly a little sweet with intense, lush blackberry fruit and baking spices. Not for the timid. I had forgotten just how treacly these can be… $15

Schweiger Vineyards
2000 Chardonnay
Spring Mountain District
Deeply colored gold in the glass. Similar to my first two tastes of this wine - loads of concetrated pear fruit in a lush, mellow, creamy style. The oak seems to have been well integrated, and the wine seems to have more age on it than the vintage would suggest. Nice. $30

Chateau Fontenil
2000 Fronsac

This is a pleasant Bordeaux for $20. Deeply colored in the glass. Restrained aromatics of old tree bark and some black fruit and tannin with swirling. Medium-full bodied and somewhat linear today. The tannin is not unpleasant., but it does serve to obscure the fruit and make the wine skate past the tastebuds to the back of the mouth. $20

Carlisle
2001 Zinfandel
Carlisle Vineyard Russian River Valley
16.3% alcohol. This is a wow! Zinfandel. Very primary on the nose, like blueberry juice with a hint of yeast, crushed blackberry, and liqueur. Creamy, sweet, lush mouthfeel. Excellent length and richness. Yum. $30

Loring Wine Company
2000 Pinot Noir
Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills
Looks like the color of rusty rose petals in the glass with significant translucence. The nose shows black cherry fruit, a strong whiff of copper Pinot Noir funk. Tangy black cherries on the palate. Decent, drink sooner rather than later. $40

Pride Mountain
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
A lousy vintage, but Pride did a reasonably good job with it. The color has a browning edge to it even though it is deeply colored. On the nose it smells rather like a garagiste Bordeaux to me. Subtle red currant fruit, a whiff of tannin and mocha. A bit raw and hard on the palate, but overall a very capable wine with reasonably good fruit and concentration. Not up to Pride's usual standards. $50

Domaine les Aphillanthes
2000 Cotes du Rhone
Cuvee de Galets
14.5% alcohol. Not really a great showing for this wine. The nose shows some peppery Grenache strawberry fruit and tree bark. Medium-bodied on the palate with with good concentration and balance, but nothing to really hook me in. $24

Domaine Reverdy
2002 Sancerre
Les Coutes
A lovely wine with a nose of sweet-tart citrus and pineapple along with chalky minerals. On the palate the wine has aggressive acidity mostly tamed by the "sweetness" and intensity of the fruit. Nice. $20

Montepeloso
2001 Eneo
Toscana IGT
Black and impenetrable in the glass. On the nose the wine shows vanilla, along with a Bordelaise-like toasted oak, tannin and mineral profile. Rather high-toned with a mouthful of black fruits and charred oak offset with a cranberry and citrus fruit component. Overall, I think I like this. It tastes like if might cost more than this. $28

Marquis Philips
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
South Australia
Leave it to Marquis Philips to make a wine that is such a crowd pleaser. Mona was "oohing" and "ahhing" when she got her hands on it. A beautiful nose of sweet blackberry fruit syrup. On the attack this is rich, round, supple and lovely. As the wine nears the rear of the palate, this interesting dusty, retronasal chile pepper, mint, greeness comes out and lingers in the finish. Nice value. $15

Michael and Tracy’s 3rd Annual Running out of Space Tasting…Dominique Laurent’s 1996 Red Burgundys

Dominique Laurent
1996 Chambolle Musigny
Les Beaux-bruns
Wet underbrush with a hint of spearmint…though I did have a piece of gum about an hour prior. A bit of funk and an aroma of tannin. Deeply colored with 1/8" clearing at the rim. Rich black cherry and plum fruit. Lots of supporting acidity that leads to a tangy finish. So so

Dominique Laurent
1996 Charmes Chambertin
A bit cloudy with a tawny hue. 1/4" clearing at the rim. Corked? Smells of tar paper. Rich black berry fruit. A bit watery in the finish with more restrained acidity than the previous wine. Studying the nose a bit I also noticed a whiff of alcohol and a weedy-dusty quality. Another taster suggested petroleum jelly, which I thought was interesting.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Clos de la Roche
Pretty nose of pinon spice and mint. Moderately deep color with 1/4" clearing at the rim. Spicy retronasal character mimics the nose. Raspberry fruit with a bit of tangy cranberry fruit and its corresponding acidity. Great spice. Drinking well now. This wound up being one of my favorites of the night and the great standout from the first flight.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Gevrey Chambertin
Vielles Vignes
Deeply colored in the glass. A bit of must and oily petrol on the nose. Rich on the palate, but quite tangy. Cranberry fruit with a late citrus edge. I vacillated between thinking this complex and monolithic. Ultimately rather closed on the palate and not a favorite of mine.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Gevrey Chambertin
La Combe Aux Moines
Deep color with 1/16" clearing and some translucency. Caramel and black earth nose. Tangy black cherry fruit with a decent finish. Tangy.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Gevrey Chambertin
Le Baux Saint Jacques
Deeply colored with no clearing. Restrained nose of black cherry fruit and more tangy cherry fruit on the palate. Touch of pinon spice on the nose and a suggestion of meat. Rich. Not bad.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Fixin
Clos de la Perriere
Very deeply colored with a strong caramel nose. Not much fruit, but I guess it is cherry flavored. Pass.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Mazis-Chambertin
Saturated, fairly dense color. Powdery, chalky soil on the nose and a suggestion that the wine will be hard. A bit monolithic with metalic black cherry fruit and a finish that brings to mind blood. Others really liked this wine, though I was not enamoured of it.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Morey Saint Denis
Clos Sorbets
Slightly cloudy and less saturated in color. Lighter, fruitier than its brethren. Red berry fruit on the palate. Not bad for a lighter styled Pinot.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Nuits Saint Georges
Argillieres
Fully saturated, dark color with no clearing but a bit of translucency. Spice and herbs on the nose but overall the nose is restrained. Rich palate with nice silky length. Finishes tangy - needs food - but rather good overall.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Pommard
Les Charmots
Deep Color - slightly deeper than its predecessors. Light nose smels a bit like pretty, sour flowers. Has a lactic acid smell. The palate shows rich black cherry fruit. The finish, however, seems tangy almost to a fault, but I confess the acidity seems to be building up on my palate.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Volnay
Clos de Chenes
Similar appearance to the Charmots. Has a slightly stinky nose with a suggestion of hay. Monolithic palate of bright cherry fruit with a powery texture and bright acidity.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Vosne-Romanee
Les Beaumonts
Flowery, pretty nose with black cherry fruit. Rich black cherry fruit on the palate. Tangy finish, but this is a well built wine. Medium bodied.

Dominique Laurent
1996 Vosne Romanee
Les Suchots
The nose suggests blood and sweet red, tangy cherry fruit. A bit larger scaled and fuller-bodied than most of these wines. Rich silky texture. Again, the acidity seems to be building up on my palate, but this is pretty good.

MKR
2001 The Iceman
Gewurztraminer
This icewine is a joint project between Manfred Krankl and Alois Kracher. The fruit was harvested from Babcock's vineyards in the Santa Barbara area. 11% alcohol. Subdued nose shows some minerals and a suggestion of leachy fruit and tropical fruit cocktail. More peachy tropical fruit on the palate. Not bad, but I expected something more otherworldly. This is merely tasty.

Kistler
2000 Pinot Noir
Hirsch Vineyard
A blind ringer to finish the night. Rich, penetrating aromas of cola and sassafras. Pepper. A full-bodied, concentrated wine. Walnuts or Hazelnuts. Black cherry cola, black raspberry with nice length and an admirable midpalate. This is a thing apart from Burgundy, but an interesting wine.

Spanish Wines at DeTapas

Basa
2003 Rueda
Blanco
Clean nose of grass and lime zest. Smells rather like a Sauvignon Blanc in many respects. Clean, lean citrus fruit on the palate. "Sweet Green" I heard someone say and it made sense. Kiwi and maybe some fig. Nice value. $8

Vega Sindoa
2001 Chardonnay
Cuvee Allier Navarra
Blind White 1 - Oaky nose. Sweet creamy fruit with tropical fig flavors. A lingering finish shows some cinnamon spice. Bit unusual in that it has a long finish, but a short midpalate. Pretty strong value. $9

Mas d'en Comte
2000 Priorat
Blanco
Blind White 2 - Waxy nose that suggests a white Rhone variety. Also shows some toasty French oak. Rich and lush on the palate with sweet apple and pear fruit. Spicy finish with a suggestion of coriander. Low acid. Pretty nice.

Clerc Milon
1986 Pauillac
This bottle was served blind and labeled as the symbol "Star" as it was off-theme. Black cherry color in the dim patio light with hints of tawny. The nose has a funky, bottle sweet aroma that immediately suggests the wine has some age on it. Tannin and old wood also suggest Bordeaux. Medium-full bodied and at the start of the night rather tannic with hidden black fruit. Later in the evening this really came into its own. It shed tannin and the fruit emerged as more black currant with maybe some nuance of olive. Nice wine.

Vina Tondonia
1994 Rioja
Reserva
Blind Red 2 - Transparent ruby in the glass. Some light strawberry aromas and vanilla on the nose, but mostly it smells a bit dried out with some secondary aromas of dried fruit and dust. Medium-sweet on the palate but without any suggestion of fruit. Vague cherry flavors. This doesn't do much for me. The label also says R. Lopez Heredia Vina Condonia

El Vinculo
2000 La Mancha
Blind Red 3 - Deeper colored in the glass than the previous wine with sweet powdered sugar and high-toned apricot aromas on the nose. I think Traci said it smelled like Baby Aspirin, which I can sort of see. Rich and lush on the front of the palate with sweet, grapey black fruit. A suggestion of wax, saltiness or brine and then a slightly metallic finish. I kept thinking this reminded me of Monastrell. Not sure what the predominant variety is.

Borsao
2000 Campe de Borja
Crianza
Blind Red 4 - Translucent, electric purple in the glass. Vibrant, youthful fruit with a not off-putting suggestion of young grapes. Eucalyptus. Smells nice. Rich fruity raspberry on the second go round. I like this. Nice value. $14

Numanthia
2001 Toro
Termes
Blind Red 5 - First observation is the heavy bottle. Deeply color and a "big" wine all around given the density in the glass and my initial reaction to the nose. Slightly high-toned smelling with some stonefruit and red berries. Rich, sweet, and well structured/balanced on the palate. Does have some unresolved acid or tannin in the finish. Strangely, I don’t perceive oak on the nose, but there is definitely a toasty oak profile on the palate. Pepper as an afterthought. Grenache? This is really nice. $30

Quinta do Alqueve
2001? Syrah
Vinho Regional Ribatejano
Blind Red 6 -Deeply colored. Has an aroma of dried fruit and something I liken to burlap that reminds me of Amarone. Delicious and distinctive nose. Rich, sweet fruit on the palate. Youthful. Some acidity in the finish. I dug this wine - though I never caught the vintage. It's youthful enough to be 2000 or 2001. This is one of Bobby Kacher's new selections from Portugal. $30

L'Arco
2001 Rosse del Veronese
IGT
Apparently a wine made by Quintarelli's protégé. Translucent in the glass with a color a bit like a red rose. Smells a bit like dried fruit and glue. Medium-bodied with excessive acidity. $13

Pride Mountain
1999 Viognier
Sonoma County
Light and mildly spicy apricot fruit with a nuance of minerals. Possibly holding up better than the 2000 we tasted a couple weeks ago. $40

Beringer
2000 Chardonnay
Sbragia Winemaker's Reserve Napa Valley
Amazing wine. Bursts with tropical fruit. Deftly oaked. Leaves me with the impression that it probably saw a lot of new oak, but that the fruit was so intense it still shows through. Full-bodied massice Chardonnay that sets the bar in my opinion.

Araujo
1999 Sauvignon Blanc
Eisele Vineyard Napa Valley
Off-bottle? Very steely, green, compressed. Copper-metallic. The cork looked a little wet. I wonder if this may have had some heat damage.

Garretson
2001 Syrah
Rozet Vineyard
This showed potential, in terms of plump mouthfeel, but overall it was very closed on the nose and the palate, showing only restained black fruits and some pleasant minerality. Hold? $40

Hess Collection
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mount Veeder Napa Valley
Very classic Napa Cabernet with cedar and red currant fruit. Medium-full bodied. My biggest impression of this wine was that the finish had a sort of sour, pickle barrel finish that was sometimes off-putting. $30

Cheers!
James

Send Email to James

Back to James' Tasting Notes Page

© 2004, James Vineyard