Tasting Notes From December 2001

I also attended a wonderful tasting of 1988 Bordeaux this month. These notes can be found here. Or via the link on the tasting notes main page.

TN # 1922

Cline
1999 Zinfandel Ancient Vines California

Much better than I remember from the winery. Ripe nose that mixes jammy fruit with coffee in a pleasant way. Sweet fruit, short finish. Pleasant, a bit overpriced. $20.00

TN # 1923

Lewis
1998 Chardonnay Napa Valley Reserve

Intially very oaky and butterscotch laden. Opens to become more nuanced and fruity. $30.00

TN # 1924

Sean Thackery
NV Pleiades X California

Fascinatingly complex. At once meaty, inky, iodine-like, ripe, fruity (strawberries and raspberries), mineraled and leathery. Licorice, distinctly different from Anise, and I have always used these synonymously. Medium bodied, clearing at the rim. Has a hardness and a citrus quality that somehow leads me to conclude that it might have some white grapes blended in. My guess is Roussanne. Hint of cinnamon. $23.00

TN # 1925

Chateau Fontenil
1998 Fronsac Deep, almost black color. Ripe fruit with a strong note of bitter chocolate and green bell pepper. Full bodied, slightly hollow mid palate with a thin finish. Nice Bordeaux for $13 $13.00

TN # 1983

Kalin Cellars
1994 Chardonnay Sonoma County Cuvee D

Deep gold color. Ripe nose of honey, apricots, candied lemon. Somewhat Sauterne like. Rich, full-bodied and long with a big dose of acidity in the finish. Lots of tart lemon as well. $20.00

TN # 1984

Domaine Schoffit
1998 Chasselas Vielles Vignes Cuvee Carolina Alsace

Intriguing nose of lychee nuts and candied ginger. Fruity, just very slightly off dry. Peachy orange? Fruit on the palate. Medium bodied, long, ripe. Lingering. Very tasty, particularly for the bargain price I paid. My first exposure to this grape and I must say I don't find it as bland as its reputation suggests. $8.00

TN # 1985

San Fereolo
1998 Brumaio Langhe Rosso

Fairly dense, concentrated. Woody nose with dried cherries, cedar. Smells ripe and sweet. Just barely full-bodied. Ripe. Okay concentration. Could use more stuffing midpalate. Medium finish. $14.00

TN # 1986

Pezzi King
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Dry Creek Valley

Astringent American oak on the palate. Liqueur nose. Cedar. The oak is intrusive, though the body is nice. Somewhat lacking in mid palate fruit. Most of it is up front. $22.00

TN # 1987

Glen Fiona
1999 Syrah Bacchus Vineyard Washington State

Deep color, ripe nose that suggests leather, ripe blackberry fruit, and white pepper. Lots of pepper, maybe some spice. Medium-full bodied, sweet, lush. The nose suggests a Rhone interpretation of Syrah, but the fruit is all about new world. Went surprisingly well with an earthy preparation of striped bass with lentils and a sweet vinegar, but was overwhelmed by a cheese course of parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, and honeycomb. $30.00

TN # 1988

Regusci
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap District Napa Valley

This is the last of three bottles I purchased at the winery in 1998. The wine was delicious at the winery. A fruit bomb, laden with blueberry fruit and low acidity. The first two bottles I tried on return over the course of two years were significantly inferior. The wine appeared to have fallen apart with age. This final bottle showed more like what I expected from tasting at the winery. Ripe fruit, medium-full bodied with blueberries and cedar. Nice showing. $42.00

TN # 1989

Martine's Wines
1999 Vionier California

Ripe, slightly sweet and soapy Viognier with apricot flavors. Not recommended. $13.00

TN # 1990

Deloach
1997 Pinot Noir OFS Russian River Valley Cola and Pinot fruit. Herby. Light in color, quite translucent, almost Rose-like. Medium-bodied, ripe, balanced. Very pleasant. $30.00

TN # 1991

Chateau d'Or et de Gueules
1999 Costieres de Nimes

Disappointing. Medium bodied, some olive herb spice. Moderate acidity. Not enough interest to buy again. $10.00

TN # 1992

Marc Bredif
1999 Sancerre

International in style. Just hints at varietal character. Ultimately seems to fall into the category of bland white wine. $20.00

TN # 1993

Selene
2000 Sauvignon Blanc Hyde Vineyard Carneros

Concentrated juice. Tart green apples, minerals, medium bodied. Overall very tasty. $20.00

TN # 1994

Cuvaison
1998 Merlot ATS Napa Valley

Nose suggests raspberry liqueur. Ripe initial palate with good concentration. The midpalate through to the finish is slightly green, but this wine as a whole was better than I expected. $30.00

TN # 1995

Allegrini
1998 Palazzo delle Torre Veronese

Full bodied and deeply colored. Somewhat lacking in midpalate fruit (hollow) but ripe, sweet, earthy and pleasant. Dry and slightly acidic, but rather lush and low acid for a Valpolicella. Supposedly has some Syrah blended in. $18.00

TN # 1996

Andrew Murray
1997 Syrah Hillside Reserve Santa Barbara County

Intoxicating nose that suggests super-ripe northern Rhone wine…Cote Rotie I suppose - creosote, nail polish, liqueur, bitter chocolate…I kept thinking of new aromas the more time I spent with it. Inky color, but not entirely opaque. The palate is a bit of a different story. Medium-full bodied, and very ripe but with painful acidity on the front and sides of the tongue. Concentrated, tight. This seems to need time. I hope the wine balance out with some time. $34.00

TN # 1998

Pride Mountain
1999 Sangiovese Sonoma County

Freaky ripe Sangiovese fruit. The only thing suggestive of the varietal is a hint of cherry fruit. Full-bodied, ripe, sweet, balanced. The palate is seamless, low in acid, ripe and long. Not much nuance. Can't really accept this as anything more than a very good oddity. From 500ml. $45.00

TN # 1999

Merry Edwards
1999 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Initially not showing much, save for some tea and cola. Ten minutes later it was exploding with blackberry fruit. Full bodied, sweet, lush. Delicious juice. Color me highly impressed. I could drink this stuff all night long. Great balance, fruit. Like it lots. The restaurant had four bottlings, this being the least expensive. The Sommelier later suggested that the "Windsor Gardens" bottling was "the wine of the vintage." Rip off restaurant pricing. This wine was $90 at the Mansion in Dallas. $32.00

Domaine Joblot

TN # 1999 Givry Clos de Servoisine

Very nice stuff. Feminine, ripe, sweet. Very pleased. Day 2, it had lost its zest. $30.00

Cheers!
James

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