Tasting Notes From January 2004

Paloma
2001 Merlot
Napa Valley
Merlot with some Cabernet in the blend…14.8% alcohol. Fragrant sweet nose of chocolate, raspberries, a bit of toast, and mocha. Rich sweet red fruit on the palate with mint or wax late - Mona and I were unable to completely describe this. Slightly tight in the finish, but a lovely wine. Probably better in 3-6 months. While it is very good, I don't think this will be my wine of the year. $45.00

Consilience
2000 Zinfandel
Rhodes Vineyard Redwood Valley
15.5% alcohol. A rather primary wine with slightly tart, crushed blackberries on the nose and the palate. A hint of toasty blackberry seeds are hinted at in the nose too. Not bad, overpriced at $30+. $31.00

Mason
2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley
A disappointing showing for this wine, and I don't know if this is due to age or bottle variation. Concentrated creamy lemons. A little nuance of tangerine and maybe fig. Okay. Sweet ripe fruit on the palate with moderate acidity. $13.00

Andre Brunel
2001 Cotes du Rhone Village
Cuvee Sabine
13.5% alcohol. Translucent ruby in the glass. The nose shows carbonic maceration, powder, strawberry and raspberry fruit. Very Grenachey and lacking in concentration of flavor. Fruity. Okay, but not my thing. $13.00

Paringa
2001 Shiraz
Individual Vineyard South Australia
14% alcohol. A very nice showing for this wine. Ripe blackberry fruit, a pretty note of vanilla. Lush, medium-full bodied fruit. Ripe and round. No complaints at this price. $10.00

A Tasting of Chateauneuf du Pape, blind at Bellini’s

Donnhoff
2002 Riesling
Estate Nahe
Sweet melony nose - touch of lemon cream and loads of pear and peach. A late suggestion of steel. On the palate it has prickly acids or CO2 on the attack with rich semi-sweet fruit cocktail flavors. Nice Riesling. $17.00

Monchoff
2002 Riesling
Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese
More citrus aromas and steel than the Donnhoff. Somewhat sweet with tropical fruit and peach flavors. Thick in the mouth. Okay, but I prefer the Donnhoff.

Novy
2001 Grenache Mourvedre Counoise
Alder Springs Vineyard Mendocino
15.1% alchol, 49% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre, 16% Counoise. This was clearly a ringer on the nose. Strawberry jam, a bit reduced smelling, rich and sweet fruit aroma, new leather. Doesn't smell like Chateauneuf. Sweet rich fruit on the palate. Lovely syrupy richness that ends a bit hot. Nice.

Chateau La Nerthe
1999 Chateauneuf du Pape

Smells of raspberry liqueur with a hint of toast and sweet tobacco. Roasted fruit. Some peppery Mourvedre. More pronounced Rhone French flair. A bit tart after the Novy, but has a decent quantity of black cherry fruit. Not bad.

Pegau
1994 Chateauneuf du Pape

Pinon, cedar spice mostly on the nose, secondary flavors of sweet red fruit, wet stone, brine. A bit stinky with Brettomyces. Sweet red fruit on the palate, well-balanced with a bit of leather. This is a good showing for this wine, but I didn't like it as much as everyone else.

Domaine Santa Duc
1998 Gigondas
Prestige des Hautes Garrigues
Sweet black fruit and oak. A bit volatile. Smells like a French wine made with new world intentions. Sweet, rich black fruits on the palate. Well extracted. At some point we were guessing Aussie Grenache. I like this lots. This is the best Gigondas I've ever had. Bravo!

Font de Michelle
2001 Chateauneuf du Pape
Etienne Gonnet
Corked

Chateau de la Gardine
1998 Chateaneuf du Pape

Rich smelling in an international style. A sense of polished earth. Likely Chateauneuf, but in an international style. Rich polished fruit on the palate with lots of red and black fruit and balanced structure. Nice showing, some were expecting this to be closed down. In fact, some found this a bit closed down and expect more from it. My last bottle. $30.00

Les Cailloux
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape

Lime, powder, quartz, very high toned nose. Similarly high-toned on the palate with red fruit. Not really my thing, too Grenachey in the pejorative sense.

Domaine Grappilon D'Or
1998 Gigondas

80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and ?. Slightly corked perhaps? Smells monolithic with a strong suggestion of powdered sugar, not something I have picked out in wine before. Rich sweet wine…more a perception of alcohol than fruit. Eh?

Guigal
2001 Chateauneuf du Pape

Dirt, high-toned red fruit. Grenachey red fruit on the palate. This is passable, but seems too cleanly made and commercial. Not for me.

Castano
2001 Hecula
Yecla
Well-made wine with ripe red fruit, a hint of rhubarb, and wax. Fairly lush with hints of peppery Mourvedre. Not bad. Doesn't really thrill me though. $10.00

Wishing Tree
2002 Shiraz
South Australia
Nice ripe red fruit. Good richness and length. A nice quaffer. Of course it couldn't stand up to my Chipotle burrito. $9.00

Forefathers
2002 Shiraz
McLaren Vale
Sweet black fruits in the style of the Marquis Philips wines but with a bit more structure. On the second day this seemed to have shut down and taken on a little funk. Huh? Generally good. $27.00

Borsao
2001 Tempranillo
Tres Picos
Penetrating sweet oak nose with cedar and a scent that reminds me of tobacco leaf and red berries. Rich and fairly concentrated on the palate with good up-front sweetness to the fruit. Somewhat absent late, but who's complaining for $12? $12.00

Silverado
1994 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
On the nose the wine shows a touch of crayon aldong with cedar and red currant fruit. With time it took on a dusty component. Dry earth, a touch dried out, but the attack shows sweet red fruit. Medium-full bodied and a little watery and short in the mouth. Overall a pleasant experience. Gift from Greg Thornbury

Marquis Philips
2002 Merlot
South Australia
Similar in profile to other Marquis Philips wines…This one too is no slouch, but it is softer and more approachable than the others with definite cocoa and mocha overtones intermingled with sweet ripe red and black berry fruit. $14.00

Edmunds St. John
1999 Rocks and Gravel
California
A fruity, Grenache blend that is reminiscent of Cotes du Rhone. Strawberry, leather, ripe fruit. Somewhat blowsy, but decent. $19.00

Pride Mountain
2002 Viognier
Sonoma County
This wine seems to be fading a bit. The nose shows honeysuckle and a touch of minerals and soap. Sweet honey, lemon, steel, and stone fruit on the palate. Decent, but not nearly worth the money. $40.00

Broquel
2001 Malbec
Argentina
This was served too warm at Vino wine bar, but the wine showed some cedary aromatics. Some midweight fruit, but generally I found this wine astringent. Pass.

Ravenswood
2000 Zinfandel
Big River Alexander Valley
Much more pleasant than the Broquel, but this too was served slightly warm. Tea and some Zinfandel spice on the nose. Sweet red fruit on the palate that was turning slightly port-like. Pleasant. $35.00

A Night of 1999 Bordeaux, blind at Amici’s

Chateau Pressac
1999 St. Emilion
Grand Cru
Bit of barnyard on the nose with chocolate, herb, cedar, and pencil lead. Somewhat soft for Bordeaux. Decent richness of flavor, but a bit short in the finish. Overalll decent and mouthfilling. $30.00

Monbousquet
1999 St. Emilion
Tighter nose than the Canon. Has a suggestion of wax, minerals, currant fruit chalk. Later I thought Ivory soap. Not giving up much, but not putting me off either. Thick in the mouth - velvety black fruit and tannin. I thought it might be lacking slightly in concentration, but I retasted this later and liked it more. Nice. $85.00

Canon la Gaffeliere
1999 St. Emilion
Rich toffee cedar pinion nose. Hint of bell pepper. Clearly right bank. Sweet, rich and full-bodied. Nice.

Leoville Poyferre
1999 St. Julien
More left bank on the nose with minerals, pencil lead, tannin, and tar. Rich, well-delineated on the palate. A big wine that needs time. Seamless. Cinnamon finish. This was served slightly warm.

Ducru Beaucaillou
1999 St. Julien
Similar to the Leoville, but slightly more open. Minerals, pencil lead, tannin, etc. Nice.

Pichon Longueville
1999 Pauillac
Corked - Dead. Lots of sweetness and potential though.

Pichon Lalande
1999 Pauillac
Smoke, cedar, oak, pencil lead, pencil wood, tannin and a hint of pinon. Rich sweet fruit that is somewhat monolithic.

JM Boillot
2002 Rully
Premier Cru Blanc
Minerals and beeswax on the nose. Rich, sweet palate. Slightly tight. Nice white Burgundy! How expensive is this?

Laurent Perrier
NV Champagne
Brut Rose
Bretty, yeasty, light strawberry, watermelon, and baked goods on the nose. Rich, creamy palate. Decent Rose, though others at the table thought it was a little off.

Le Mont
2001 Vouvray
Sec
Plastic, wax, fruit rind, green apple, quince. Monolithic, semi-sweet. Rather lacking in concentration. Not for me.

Prado Eneo
1995 Rioja
Gran Reserva
Tannic, spicy cedar, dust, cherry, meat, musle, game - all on the nose. Dry on the palate with evidence of American oak. Sweet, but perhaps lacking in definable fruit. Decent, but I wouldn't buy it.

Turley
2000 Zinfandel
Juveniles California
Yummy Zinfandel here, though the wine is softening some as it ages. Zinberry fruit and spices on the nose, along with some liqueur. Thick, lush pleasing fruit on the palate with enough supporting acidity. Nice Zinfandel as usual. $24.00 Getting on Turley's Mailing List

Qupe
2001 Syrah
Central Coast Bien Nacido Vineyard
I'm not sure this was really the Bien Nacido Vineyard, I didn't see that listed on the bottle. On the nose this shows pleasant plummy fruit with a bit of pepper suggesting the variety. Seamless and well balanced on the palate, though perhaps slightly monolithic. Nice concentration. Dinner with Mom and Dad at Jasper's

Miner
2002 Viognier
Simpson Vineyard
Nice little Viognier with lovely peach and honeysuckle fruit tinged with minerals. Some late acidity and minerals in the finish. Nice. Might be perceived as a little "soapy" or possessing some detergent-like overtones at times. $20.00 Dinner with Mom and Dad at Jasper's

Andrew Murray
1999 Syrah
Roasted Slope Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
Seems a bit off. Peppery, dark Syrah fruit with smoke, olive tapenade. Has a light green streak and hefty acids. Okay. $25.00

Vega Sindoa
2001 Chardonnay
Cuvee Allier Navarra
Wow, what a great value Chardonnay. Butterscotch, honey, tropical melon flavors. Impressive. Full-bodied with great concentration. $10.00

Les Aphillanthes
2001 Cotes du Rhone Village
Cuvee des Galets
Balsa wood, strawberry red fruit. Medium-bodied and a bit simple. Some chalky soil character and a silky-sweet mouthfeel. Decent, and I like it better than most CDRs, but not great. $20.00

Chateau Souverain
2000 Syrah
Alexander Valley
Includes some Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, and Viognier. Initially this was closed and a very different wine than I remember from the winery. With some time on the counter it began to show some more fruit. Strangely, the Mourvedre component seemed dominant, with fur, minerals, wax, and a hint of stone fruit being the main flavors. Off bottle? $18.00

Kilkanoon
2000 Siblings
Clare Valley McLaren Vale
Shiraz and Grenache blend. This wine showed well for the price. On the nose it shows typical Aussie Shiraz flavors of new vanilla oak, black fruits, and liqueur. On the palate it seems a bit monolithic, but has nice concentration of flavor. Ripe, round, satisfying. 60% Shiraz, 40% Grenache. $13.00

Garretson Wine Company
2000 Syrah
The Aisling Paso Robles
Translucent Ruby with clear edges and just a hint of tawny. Sweet American oak on the nose with a suggestion of underbrush and meat. Sweet cherry and red berry fruit. Slightly acid-raw-hot on the finish…warm earth and rust. Decent, but not thrilling. Seems a little bit cooked. $25.00

Naia
2002 Rueda
Verdejo
From Bodegas Aldial. A blend of 85% Verdejo and 15% Viura. Bright, tangy grapefruit and lime flavors. Zippy acidity. Decent. For acid freaks. $10.00

Carlisle
2001 Zinfandel
Riebli Ranch Sonoma County
16.1% alcohol. Interesting nose - primary and grapey. Just oozes with crushed blackberries. Doesn't even hint at its alcohol level. Rich sweet concentrated fruit. Like blackberry juice at times. Yum! $30.00

Karl Lawrence
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Black currant fruit initially. Very fruity with light French oak toast and cedar framing it. A hint of wintergreen-herb and cocoa emerges. With time though, the wine seemed to grow more tannic and astringent, rather austere on the finish and in need of steak or something to cut the tannin down to size. $45.00

Cheers!
James

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