Tasting Notes From December 2004

Promis
2002 Promis
Toscana IGT
Some jam fruit with green pepper, earth, leather. Fairly deeply colored, clearing slightly at the rim. Slightly woody, dry, tight, and firm in the finish. High-toned finish. Needs food. Eh. $45 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Magari
2001 Magari
Toscana IGT
Old world, woody dry nose. Rich palate with a peppery acidic finish. Dry, savory. Coffee retronasal. Eh. $75 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Pieve di Santa Restituta
1998 Brunello di Montalcino
Rennina
"Rusty hued in the glass. Dry, old world aromas. Extract and tannin are suggested by the nose. The palate is ""sweeter"" and more approachable than the nose suggests. Still tending toward dry and tangy in the finish. The fruit is subdued but tending toward dry cherry and cranberry. $100" Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Pieve di Santa Restituta
1998 Brunello di Montalcino
Sugarille
More perfume and light forest floor. Plum. Tawny at the edges in the glass. Leather, ink. A bit more supple on the palate. Feminine. I have a strong preference for this wine over the previous Tuscans. $180 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Gaja
1998 Barbaresco
Lovely nose - violets, strange berry fruit bordering on strawberry. Wax and a touch of licorice and wood pencil shavings. Smells slightly hard. The attack is semi-sweet, turning more tangy in the finish. Pretty nice. A more feminine wine. $190 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Gaja
1998 Costa Russi
Langhe Nebbiolo
Denser in color and smelling denser and more concentrated to boot. Inky smelling. Sweetish raspberry attack turning somewhat dense and more austere in the mid-palate. Nice, but needs food. $280 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Gaja
1998 Sori San Lorenzo
Langhe Nebbiolo
Tight, waxy nose. Smells backward. Licorice and something like motor oil. All in a good way. Again, much more approachable than the nose would suggest. Violets, extract, and a flavor like black berries. Very nice, and my favorite of the lot. Still, $280? $280 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Gaja
1998 Sperss
Langhe Nebbiolo
Dense, somewhat reticent nose. Some kind of subtle, warm spice and a touch of orange rind. Maybe coriander without the sharpness. Tannic on the palate, but still coming across as relatively balanced. Not giving up much and in need of some serious cellar time. Not up to the two previous wines. $200 Gaja Tasting with Willi Klinger

Abadia Retuerta
1999 Seleccio Especial
Sardon de Duero
A very interesting wine with a fascinating nose of rich earth, minerals, and herbs. Medium-full bodied with black fruit. Moderate acidity. Still slightly tannic - I think this wine could age a while longer without risk. Black and red currant fruit. $24

Taitinger
NV Prestige Rose
Champagne
Deep, yeasty nose with a touch of battery acid. Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Mi Sueno
2002 Chardonnay
Los Carneros
Rich, buttered pear. Good balance and richness. Not good with hot and sour soup, but I think it is a nice Chardonnay. Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

FX Pichler
2002 Gruner Veltliner
Leibner Frauenweingarten
Blind white 2 - Somewhat vacant nose. Wax. Might be GV.Semi sweet attack with a sweet key lime flavor. Decent, but not exceptional. Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Gunderloch
2002 Riesling
Jean Baptiste
Blind white 3 - screwcap. Rather dry with wax and minerals. I appreciate the low level of sweetness in a Riesling in this price range. $15 Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Eitelsbacher
2002 Riesling
Kathauserhofberg Auslese
"Blind white 4 - Pepper, mineral, and petrol on the nose. A ""controversial wine."" Fruit forward, concentrated and slightly sweet with tangy, almost fruit cocktail flavors. Nice. Purchased in Germany. $12" Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Navarro
2002 Gewurztraminer
Mendocino
Blind White 5 - Pretty nose - floral and spice. Perfumey soap, but not in a totally bad way. On the palate the wine is sour and somewhat bitter. Hmm Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Shepherd's Ridge
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
Blind white 6 - fruit rind, lime, clearly Sauvignon Blanc, pepper. Very green pepper. Corked? Dust. Off. Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

George DuBeouf
2003 Julienas
Flower Label
Blind Red 1 - Somewhat peppery nose. Translucent ruby appearance in the glass. Beaujolais? Strawberry fruit. Somewhat dense. Okay. $12 Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

George DuBoeuf
2003 Julienas
Cuvee Prestige
Blind red 2 - Touch of oak on this wine adds complexity and roundness. Darker fruit perception. $16 Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Giscours
2001 Haut Medoc
Blind red 3 - Fruity with some pepper and touches of caramel and plastic. Aussie? Somewhat one-dimensional. Medium-bodied, plump. Boring. However, it is a nice value in Bordeaux. $9 Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Hartford
2002 Zinfandel
Hartford Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Blind Red 4 - Black and green pepper. Medium-bodied with high-toned dark red fruit. Lime zest and citrus add some complexity. Decent. $30 Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Domaine des Vieux Chateau
2000 Vouvray
Moelleux, Mont Louis
Blind white 6 - Bit funky on the nose - not really botrytis…medium-bodied with some wax and herb nuances along with licorice. Dinner and Tasting at Caravelle

Pierre Peters
NV Champagne
Blanc de Blanc
A rather nice Champagne, but what amazed me about it, was that Traci kept the leftovers and let them degas over night. The next day it tasted very passable as a white Burgundy or some other cool climate Chardonnay. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Chateau de Beaucastel
1997 Chateauneuf du Pape
Blanc, Vielles Vignes
Bit funky and oxidized with waxy quality. Concentrated. Bit short. Hmm. Nuts, warm apple juice. Interesting, but I don't like this very much. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Boisrenard
2001 Chateauneuf du Pape
Blind Red 1 - Deeply colored and youthful smelling with concentrated, somewhat internationally styled, kirsch aromas. A touch of red, raw meat. Good. Youthful. My style of CDP. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Vieux Telegraphe
1998 Chateauneuf du Pape
Blind Red 2 - Some wax and gamey funk on the nose, then cherry kirsch and a hint of cinnamon. Moderate to high acidity. Tightish on the palate. Pretty good. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Mon Ameuil
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape
Blind Red 3 - Deeply colored. New world, international smelling with a sweet nose and a touch of powdered sugar and grape koolaid. Sweet, concentrated. I thought this was a ringer. It was a very good wine, despite being a little over-the-top for Chateauneuf. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Las Rocas
2001 Garnacha
Blind Red 4 - Deeply colored. Touch of waxy red fruit and cloth. Big, dense, a bit stewed with black fruit. Some structure here. Ringer. $12 Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Bois de Boursan
1999 Chateauneuf du Pape
Cuvee des Felix
Blind Red 5 - Spicy nose of cinnamon and pinon. Cherry koolaid. Concentrated. No additional notes. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Chateau de la Gardine
1998 Chateaneuf du Pape
Blind Red 6 - An interesting contrast - the nose is very closed, but the palate is explosive with red fruit, some white fruits, and complex minerals. Strawberry, raspberry. Pretty good showing, but I wish the nose showed as well as the palate. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Yalumba
2002 MGS
Australia
Blind Red 7 - Smells Spanish? Ringer here for sure. Sweet nose, somewhat Marquis-Philips like, but missing some of those good qualities. A bit eh… Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Domaine de Janasse
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape
Vielles Vignes
Blind Red 8 - Ripe raspberry and cherry fruit. Decent. Lousy notes James.. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Cailloux
2001 Chateauneuf du Pape
Cuvee de Centennaire
Blind Red 9 - Corked…It would be the most expensive wine on the table, wouldn't it….bummer $125 Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Boisrenard
1999 Chateaneuf du Pape
Blind red 10 - Ripe, new worldish nose, but tight and hard on the palate. Tannic. Potential. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Chateau de Beaucastel
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape
Blind Red 11 - Nice nose - sweet candy - ashes? Firm mid-palate with licorice, meat. Nice texture. A bit closed down, but nice. Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape

Behrens and Hitchcock
1999 Merlot
Las Amigas Beckstoffer Merlot
15.6% alcohol. Beautiful nose on this wine - like macerated black berries and raspberries, the seeds and all. The palate is good, but not as captivating as the nose with a little more heat from the alcohol than is ideal. Full-bodied, sweet red berry fruit and a hard-edged side that suggests this may benefit from some more time. $42

Pride Mountain
1998 Merlot
Napa and Sonoma Counties
A nice showing for this wine. Aromas of red and light black fruit - black raspberries might be closest - tinged with some toasted oak and hints of menthol and earth. Medium-full bodied. Not exactly an soft or easy wine, but not quite full-throttle in your face Merlot. Good. $48

Forefathers
2001 Shiraz
McLaren Vale
Aromas of vanilla mixed with berries and hinted with a green dyll aspect. Full-bodied, ripe, and dense, but somewhat unbalanced. Chewey black and red berry fruit. Okay. $20

Garretson
2000 Syrah
The Aisling, Central Coast
Looking slightly tawny in the glass. Medium-full bodied with a funky balance to it. Aromas and flavors of cool climate Syrah, such lime and black fruit comingled, then a strong suggestion of mesquite bean and some pinon. Rather tangy finish. Okay.

L'Aventure
2002 Estate Cuvee
Paso Robles
Here is a massive wine - 15.6% alcohol, but not noticeably hot. Deeply colored in the glass with a weight and sheen that makes it look thick. Very extracted with a texture in mouth suggesting you are drinking something in suspension, like milk or something. The nose is a gorgeous crushed red berry melange with a touch of liqueur. Somewhat tannic and slightly hard edged or austere on the palate - a sort of nod to the old world, but not off-putting. Give this some time and it will sing prettier. $60

Cheers!
James

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