Tasting Notes From August 2005

Alois Lageder
2004 Rose
Lagrein, Alto Adige
Blind Rose - Moderately saturated pink jolly rancher in appearance. Yeasty dough with a touch of starwberry and cherry fruit on the nose. Medium-light bodied with lightly sweet cherry, strawberry, and watermelon flavors. Good. $17; Barbera & Dolcetto

R. Renaudin
NV Champagne
L'Espiegle, Brut
Creamy mouse nose with a little battery acid and oxidation. Distinvtly red fruit like on the front of the palate, well, red fruit if Rainier cherries count as red fruit. Small bubbles. Good texture. This is the best Champer I've tasted in awhile. Barbera & Dolcetto

Coltibuono
2003 Trappoline
Toscana
Blind White - Green pepper, cat's pee and a little lime zest on the nose. On the palate it is more round and vinous with medium body but no real evident or predominant fruit. Okay. Barbera & Dolcetto

La Sera
2003 Barbera D'Alba
Il Cielo
Blind Red 1- Zingy red berry fruit tinged with high-toned jazzy red fruit. Somewhat like a Beaujolais. Candied red fruit leaning toward strawberry and bubblegum. Quaffer. Okay. Barbera & Dolcetto

Gianni Gagliardo
2003 Dolcetto D'Alba
Blind Red 2 - More structured than 1 with currant and red berry tinged with the impression od old wood foudres or bark. Red berry and red currant fruit on the forepalate turning slightly tannic later. Okay. Almost Tuscan in character but more berry fruit than dried cherry. Barbera & Dolcetto

Aldo Conterno
2001 Barbera D'Alba
Conca tre Pile
Blind Red 3 - Smoky, almost Bordeaux-like nose with meat, charred barrel, and scorched earth over a bed of currants. Nice nose. Concentrated, slightly spicy, slightly woody with caramel, dark fruit. Plush. Fascinating. Tastes expensive. Nice. Concensus favorite of everyone. Barbera & Dolcetto

Boroli
2003 Anna
Langhe
Blind Red 4 - Cedar spice, light oak, and red currant fruit on the nose. I'm guessing Bordeaux varieties. Waxy, slightly tangy red currant fruit on the palate. Stoney. Quaffer with a little extra interest. $13; Barbera & Dolcetto

Vietti
2001 Dolcetto D'Alba
Tre Vigne
Blind Red 5 - Older smelling. Tanky, wax and dark fruit. Some kind of earth. More dark fruit. Cranberry. Bit austere all in all. Tight? Needing time? Past prime? $17; Barbera & Dolcetto

La Nuncio
2001 Barbera D'Asti
Ideale
Blind Red 6 - Not giving up much. Red fruit, wax, some kind of pencil lead thing. Huh? Barbera & Dolcetto

Sebastiani
2003 Barbera
Sonoma Valley
Blind Red 7 - Corked Barbera & Dolcetto

Caplin
1999 Barbera D'Alba
This bottle was some kind of gift to one of the group when they dined at a restaurant in Piemonte. Velvety smelling fruit. Ripe, round red fruit, violets. This is at peak and drinking not too shabby for a complete unknown (to us). Barbera & Dolcetto

Cellars de Capcanes
2001 Vall Del Calas
Montstant
Iodine, yeast, somewhat austere smelling this go-around. Skins of citrus fruit and some kind of herb. Round, and rather soft with rustic red fruit. Higher-toned with bitter chocolate on the palate. Hmm. $20;

Gruet
NV Brut
New Mexico
This is aged for 2 years and has .8% residual sugar. Light, bright lemon fruit. Slightly sweet with perhaps some red fruit on the nose. Not a bad value. 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir. $13; Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
NV Blanc de Noirs
New Mexico
75% Pinot Noir. Nose of cherry stones with a touch of grape. The finish is slightly doughy. Okay. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
NV Brut Rose
New Mexico
Very pink in appearance - rather like cotton candy?. Strawberry pink aromas. Semi-sweet (still just .8% residual sugar) with red cherry fruit and a good clean finish. Not bad at all. 100% Pinot Noir. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2000 Blanc de Blanc
New Mexico
100% Chardonnay with 4 years of aging. More leesy nose. Yeasty, bright lemon fruit with late nuttiness and a bit of sweetness. Apples in the finish. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2001 Rose
New Mexico
(Sparkling Rose) 92% Chardonnay with the remainder being barrel fermented Pinot Noir. Touch of paint initially on the nose, then red berry and strawberry fruit. Tastes drier than some wines here with some talc on the palate. Decent. Mona likes it. $30; Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
1999 Grand Reserve
New Mexico
80% Chardonnay with 20% Pinot Noir. Barrel fermented, apparently with some percentage of new oak, and aged 5 years. Pale with tiny bubbles. Oaky nose with vanilla and buttered popcorn, burnt toast, spice, and some tart apple white fruit. Okay. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
NV Demi Sec
New Mexico
2.5% Residual Sugar. 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Reticent nose. Slightly sweet but with a much thicker body in the mouth. Probably my least favorite so far. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2004 Chardonnay
New Mexico
(still wine). No residual sugar, barrel fermented. Toasty, heavy oak nose with "sweet" white fruit. Toasty, slightly nutty. Decent I guess. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2004 Chardonnay
Barrel Select, New Mexico
Denser smelling fruit than the regular bottling with light toast. Overall more concetrated flavors. Seems a little flat. Perhaps slightly tight in the finish. Not showing very well I would say. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2003 Chardonnay
Barrel Select, New Mexico
Again, denser fruit with better integrated oak. The after taste is dominated by oak. Okay. Mona Kidnaps James

Gruet
2002 Pinot Noir
Cuvee Gilbert, New Mexico
Spicy nose. Peppery with light smoke and pinot funk. High acid and metallic. Eh. Definitely Pinot, but not for me. Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Colorado
Grassy nose. A little chalky with light grapefruit flavors. Starts off okay but turns rather eh? On the palate. $14; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2003 Fume Blanc
Colorado
Includes some muscat which is pretty evident in the nose. Slightly floral, but more funky. Sweet tart lemon lime with twangy acidity. I guess the nose is kind of interesting. $10; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2003 Cabernet Franc
New Mexico
Good nose of violets, earth, smoke, and licorice. The wine appears slightly translucent in the glass. On the palate, this is a little high-toned. Decent enough to haul a bottle home for the nose. $15; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2003 Meritage
New Mexico
A blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Similar nose to the Cabernet Franc. Plush with decent concentration. "sweet" red currant fruit. Decent. $20; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Founder's Reserve, New Mexico
A little tin can sticks out on the nose. Plum with a bit of cinnamon. More tannin. Not very expressive, but tastes denser than the previous offerings. $32; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2003 Sangiovese
New Mexico
Funky, Pinot-like nose with cinnamon and clove spices. Translucent red with some orange in appearance. Medium-bodied red raspberry fruit. Okay to not bad. $16; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2001 Tricentennial Serenade
New Mexico
2/3 Riesling, 1/3 Gewurztraminer. Syrupy tropical fruit nose. Sweet canned peaches. Pretty, but simple. $16; Mona Kidnaps James

Casa Rondena
2004 Gewurztraminer
New Mexico, Late Harvest
Similar nose to the serenade. Touch of spice, but not obviously Gewurztraminer. Quite sweet, simple. Mona Kidnaps James

Karl Lawrence
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
From 375. Currant, mint, dust and menthol on the nose. Concentrated cedar. Black currant fruit and black berry with mocha on the palate. A splash of this the next morning showed it had opened up some and turned more chocolatey and a bit less tannic and intense. Good. $45; Mona Kidnaps James

Condeza de Leganza
2003 Rose of Tempranillo
La Mancha
Inexpensive and nicely made Rose that we enjoyed at The Compound in Santa Fe. Slightly less fruity and more austere than the Rose we had the following night, but pleasant enough. Tending more toward watermelon and slightly underripe strawberry fruit. $8; Mona Kidnaps James

Jaffurs
2002 Grenache
Stolpman Vineyard, Santa Barbara County
Deeply colored with aromas of peppery kirsch. Showing a touch of reduction. A satisfying, mouthfilling wine. I wish more of his wines made it to Texas. This made an inspired food pairing with lamb chops. Mona Kidnaps James

Turkey Flat
2005 Rose
Barossa Valley
From screwcap. Very brightly colored. This rose is made from Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet, and Dolcetto. Listed at 12.5% alcohol, but it had so much body I would have thought it was higher. Lovely red strawberry and red currant fruit with the right balance of acidity and sweetness for my rose tastes. A big Rose. This was our starter at Coyote Café. Mona Kidnaps James

Sine Qua Non
2002 Just for the Love of It
California
A blend of Syrah and Petite Syrah, and I think, my first 100 point RMP wine. Complex, intense, youthful nose of meat, bacon, smoke, floral apricots. Extraordinarily long and mouthfilling with a sensation of tightly wound black fruit and minerals on the palate. Very persistent. Probably in need of time. Comes across as surprisingly balanced for its 15.2% alcohol. Maybe not worth the tariff for me, or really a 100 pt wine, but amazing stuff. Served with dinner at Coyote Café. $350; Mona Kidnaps James

Chateau Carbonnieux
2000 Bordeaux
Blanc
Blind white 1 - Funky smoky nose sort of oily and briny smelling with an undercurrent of grapefruit. Showing similar flavors on the palate. Not my style. Older Bords at Taste

Veuve Cliquot
1990 Champagne
La Grande Dame
Leaning towards apple cider flavors initially with fairly intense aromas of yeast and a lengthy, but tangy finish. Later this seemed to have softened and opened slightly. Older Bords at Taste

Chateau Latour a Pomerol
1982 Pomerol
Blind 2 - Nice nose of cedar, with a touch of mint over black currants. Perfumed. Still showing great color. (Chris K. did let on that this was an '82). Medium-full bodied with cedar, butter, waxy red currant fruit. Less fruit driven as the finish approaches. Good. Probably not getting any better than this. Older Bords at Taste

Chateau La Lagune
1982 Haut Medoc
Blind Star - Rich, buttery saddle leather red minerals, iodine(?). Fading somewhat in comparison to the Pomerol. Decent fruit and nice sweetness, but clearly on the downhill side of peak. Not bad. Older Bords at Taste

Chateah Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
1988 Paulliac
Greg's Blind Bordeaux - Pretty nose showing hickory - which was not something I noticed when I nosed it for cork twenty minutes earlier. More structured. Red fruit candy. This is pretty good, but I think I liked it better when it was first opened. Grew a little more closed with time? Older Bords at Taste

Chateau Branaire Ducru
1995 St. Julien
Blind Question Mark - Denser, younger more deeply colored. Red currant and cedar. Closed and a little uninspiring. Older Bords at Taste

Chateau Potensac
1995 Medoc
Blind Yen Symbol - Not expressive with only some waxy red fruit showing. A little pencil lead/graphite with coaxing. Smells a little austere. High toned and acidic. Acidic to a fault in my opinion and the least favorite so far. Older Bords at Taste

Hess Collection
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mount Veeder, Napa Valley
Blind Van Halen - This was disclosed as being a 1995 - Powdered sugar and more bright red berry fruit on the nose. Seemingly sweeter. A little bit of licorice. Slightly tart but decent. Showing some richness that the Bordeauxs did not. Interesting comparison. Where is this headed? No idea. One I had been cellaring for some time. $25; Older Bords at Taste

Chateau Canon
1986
Blind Snoopy and Woodstock - Deeply colored. Smells more right bank, but definitely Bordeaux. Earth, "melted licorice," rich. Sweet red fruit. Caramel. Others thought this slightly stewed. Sweet red and black fruit. Wow. Damn good. Older Bords at Taste

Castello di Ama
1995 L'Apparita
Rosso di Toscana
Blind Cube - I heard someone also call this "stewey". Not sure I think that. Dense, young. Some powdered sugar and pepper with a fair amount of oak. Bordeaux? Good though. This made more sense once we knew it was Italian. I thought it was a high-end Spanish wine. Older Bords at Taste

Dona Paula
2004 Cuyo
Lujanda, Mendoza
Blind Ear - Solid color. Dense with a slight sour oak nose. Sweet nose that seems to remind me of Grenache. Sweet soft mint. This seemed more new world. Good value $9; Older Bords at Taste

Malleolus
2001 Ribera del Duero
Blind Yellow Capsule - Pine soap nose with menthol. Medium full bodied with some chocolate overtones. Decent dark fruit. Too late in the tasting to really pass judgement. Older Bords at Taste

Pride Mountain
1995 Reserve Claret
Napa Valley
Well here we are. I set this wine aside in 1998(?) for my 30th birthday. The time has come to open it. After a nice meal at Hibiscus with the family, we went home and cracked this open. Well, I should have cracked it open sooner. Aromas of chocolate, mint, a little earth, and a little violet or floral nuance. Medium-full bodied with somewhat fading red fruit. The nose is pleasant, but the palate just doesn't quite live up. Sort of bittersweet I guess. James turns 30

Peter Michael
NV Sauvignon Blanc
Le Apre Midi?
With appetizers at Hibiscus in Dallas. Slightly oaked, solidly concentrated California Sauvignon Blanc, but at this price ($94), there is not much for me to like. James turns 30

Shafer
2001 Relentless
Napa Valley
This wine is a monster. Dense chewey and smoky black fruit. Has the stuffing to stand up I suspect, but this needs time or some serious decanting. James turns 30

Carlisle
2003 Zinfandel
Fava Ranch, Russian River Valley
Nothing new to report on this wine. Completely spiced up on the nose with warm clove and cinnamon spices. Full- bodied with bright black raspberry and zinberry fruit. Nice.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro
2003 Garnacha
Calatyud
This is a medium- bodied, overtly fruity wine. A quaffer. $8;

Martin Codax
2003 Albarino
Rias Biaxas
12% alcohol. Wonderful nose of candied lemon, honey, and apricot. Ligher bodied but with excellent persistence. Gathers just a little tanginess towards the finish. As a bonus, this has one of the coolest corks I've seen in awhile with music staffs all the way around it. Great Value. $12;

Parson's Flat
2001 Shiraz Cabernet
Pathadaway
14.5% alcohol. Rich, sweet, almost syrupy red and black forest fruit. Vanilla. A little hot on the finish. Retaste and take better notes. $35;

Stepping Stone by Cornerstone
2002 Cabernet Franc
Napa Valley
Nice value here, and one of those rare occasions when the notes on the label correspond remarkably to my own tastes of the wine. Aromas of lavender, earth, and some roses tinged with a small amount of oak. Medium-full bodied with pleasing black and blue fruit. There is a slight waxy restraint to the mid- palate. Nice value. $15;

Olivares
2000 Dulce Monastrell
Spain
16% alcohol. Dense sweet syrupy black fruit. Quite sticky and sweet. Amazing that this is Mourvedre - has it been fortified or not? Not overly complex at this stage.

Rosenblum
2003 Petite Sirah
Heritage Clones, San Francisco Bay
15.4% alcohol. Big sweet chewey wine with tons of ripe blueberry fruit. Turns a little smokey barrel char and roasted rock - Rhone like on the nose with more exposure. Retaste tonight. $20;

Cheers!
James

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