Tasting Notes From July 2002

Chateau de Grande Cassagne
2001 Syrah
"S"

Peppery and somewhat grapey, but with lots of life. Need to retaste this one in about 3 months. $9

Domaine des Cantarelles
2001 Viognier Vin de Pays du Gard

Yum!! I love this stuff. Just bursts with peach and apricot flavor. Spicy fruit, full-bodied, rich, sweet, and long. Shows a touch of soap at times. Amazing value. This is a perfect wine for the Fourth of July - even if it is French. Tasted another bottle two nights later and enjoyed it again. This time the wine tasted slightly over-the-top. Not necessarily Dolly Parton, but we are talking about special order sized brassieres. $11

Hawley
1999 Viognier Dry Creek Valley

Seems to show too much evidence of the barrel it spent time in. Not "oakey" per se, but there is a definite woody quality, like a low toast barrel - maybe American oak but the label says the wine spent time in 5-8 year old French barrles.. Decent sweetness and fruit on the palate but doesn't really show the varety's characteristics. Glad I don't have more of this and I even think I paid half-price. $13

Domaine de Saint Antoine
2001 Cuvee les Oliviers Costieres de Nimes

Yum! Toasty and creamy red fruit. Full-bodied with tongue coating texture. Ripe and supple tannins. Nice. $12

Domaine de Gournier
2001 Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays des Cevennes

13% alcohol. Light-bodied and light-flavored with some hay and tart green apple flavors up front. The finish seems very sweet, as if there is some residual sugar. $8

Abundance Vineyards
2000 Zinfandel Mencarini Vineyard Lodi

Gorgeous blueberry fruit nose - very exuberant. Ripe palate with initial sweetness and blueberry fruit just like the nose. The wine quickly loses cohesion and fades away though. I didn't pick up many secondary flavors, maybe some earth, but I was eating Indian at the time. Fun, inexpensive, short, but great nose. I love blueberry in wine. $12

The Eyrie
1995 Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette Valley Yamhill County

Brown and orange in the glass with a high degree of translucence. Orange and cinnamon nose along with earthy copper. Acidic on the palate. Hard. Vague fruit. I don't care for this wine. It did pair very well with my slow-roasted salmon with pesto, but without the salmon it was worthless. One man's wine is another man's battery acid. I'm glad I only paid $6 for this. $35

Navarro Correas
1999 Malbec Maipu Mendoza

Healthy dark ruby color. Vinous nose with some metallic nuances. Medium-full bodied, moderately tannic. Not much going on and somewhat short on the finish. $12

Everett Ridge
1999 Syrah Coburn Ranch Knight's Valley

Deep color with some iridescence. White pepper and cedar nose - maybe mixed oak. Tannic and hollow on the palate. $24

Mas de Guiot
2000 Cabernet Syrah Vin de Pays du Gard

Leather Rhone nose. Black cherries - lots of them. Medium-full bodied, long black cherry finish. Parker suggested ginger snaps- and I kinda get it. Also, I pick up some olives. The next day it became much more supple and better balanced. Nice little wine. $11

Gallo of Sonoma
Cabernet Sauvignon Barelli Creek Alexander Valley

Huge vanilla American oak-like nose. Very fragant and suggestive of opulence. Creamy chocolate milk mouthfeel. Astringently woody on the back end. $20

Montevina
1999 Zinfandel Lodi

Moderate ruby colors with translucency. Spicy nose of anise with a pretty good size whiff of alcohol (15.5%). Medium-full bodied, decent ripeness and sweetness but still somewhat hard. This seems accentuated by a hot finish. Don't drink this in a warm room, Mona and I found ourselves putting it in the refigerator to cool it down. $11

David Coffaro
2000 Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek Valley

Not showing well. Corked? $12

Andrew Murray
1999 Syrah Roasted Slope Santa Ynez Valley

95% Syrah, 5% Viognier. Deep black-purple-black-cherry color. Captivating nose of creosote, floral, cracked peppercorn. Apricots? Maybe - better to taste blind. Intense in the mouth with a mixture of acid, tannin, and sweet fruit. Probably would have been better a year down the road, but an enjoyable and tasty wine. $28

Abadia Retuerta
1999 Rivola Sardon de Duero

Bordeaux-like nose - really great aromatics - graphite and cherries. $10

Mathews Cellars
1996 Red Wine Yakima Valley

A nose reminiscent of bad vintage Bordeaux. Oakey smelling and tasting. Tawny and clearing. Bell pepper, red fruit, acid. Medium bodied. Extremely disappointing. Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (43%), Cabernet Franc (37%), and Merlot (30%). $40

Luna
1997 Sangiovese Napa Valley

Medium red with some tawny notes. Some translucence and a cloudy aspect. Balsa wood and cherry cola nose. Ripe, medium bodied with acids in check. Drinking quite well. Not as concentrated as the 1999, but very tasty and in my opinion a nice expression of Sangiovese grown in California. $12

Weingut Unkrich
1999 Pfalz Kallstadter Saumagen Huxelrebe Beerenauslese

9% alcohol. On the nose the wine gives up skunk, minerals, peach, passion fruit. Medium bodied due to its sweetness. I was expecting something drier. Sweet peachy fruit with good length and average concentration. Not enough acid to keep the sweetness from getting cloying. $10

Fox Creek
2000 Shiraz Grenache McLaren Vale

60% Syrah, 40% Grenache. 14.5% alcohol. Ashtray, heavy toast barrel, and vanilla nose. Chambord. Deep black color. Ripe on the palate with sweet fruit. Medium-full bodied, low acidity. Has a milky texture with a spike in the back of the palate. Chocolate-vanilla-cherry milkshake. Reasonably priced if you like the style. $23

Argiolas
2000 Perdera Isola dei Nuraghi

Fascinating nose that suggests a white grape - peachy orangey flavors. Medium-full bodied, with ripe, lush, and sweet fruit. Nose also hints at roasted herbs de Provence. Decent value. Label says it was made from Monica grapes. $10

Havens
1995 Merlot Napa Valley

Strikingly like an older Bordeaux. Retains fairly dark color but is clearing at the rim and has a slightly brown cast to it along with some cloudiness. Cigar box and a touch of funk on the nose. Medium-bodied and slightly thin. Soft and supple save for acidity in the finish. Interesting. Maybe better in its youth, though I didn't taste it then. $20

Robert Biale
1999 Zinfandel Robert Biale Vineyard Napa Valley

Focused blackberry fruit in a sandalwood basket with leather trim…yeast. A bit disappointing to be honest. $30

Frankland Estate
1999 Shiraz Isolation Ridge

Makeup nose…soft…boring…pass $24

Mas des Bressades
2001 Roussanne Viognier Vin de Pays du Gard

13.5% alcohol. Healthy gold color in the glass. Medium-full bodied. At first it hits you with a spicy tight aroma that suggests spicy oak, then it molifies into spicy stone fruit (mosly apricot) and finally gets creamy and fruity. This is just the first smell. The nose gets muted after an hour or so. The palate has similar flavors to the nose. Some minerals thrown in for good measure. Not as sweet as the Cantarelles 2001, but a nice little wine. Still trying to decide if this spent time in oak or if the grapes just imbued the wine with that character. $11

Hess Collection
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Deep color with less than 1/8" clearing at the rim with a moderate amount of sediment. Could have decanted, but didn't. Quintessential Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Nice complexity in the nose…variously cedar, mint, currants, cherry liqueur and chocolate. Ripe on the palate with a great concentration of red fruit. Full-bodied with healthy acidity. Tannins are not problematic, but the wine is not soft. Not very successful with seared swordfish, ratatouille, and mustard-roasted potatoes, but not bad with the amaretto-chocolate mousse terrine we shared for dessert. $25

Mas des Bressades
2001 Syrah Grenache Vin de Pays du Gard

This is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah. The nose reminds me very much of a Crozes-Hermitage. Initially subdued but with a fairly expansive palate. Aeration brought about the Crozes quality. Olives, dirt, brett. Good ripe black cherry fruit on the palate with a fairly lengthy cranberry and black cherry finish. $11

Echelon
2000 Viognier Esperanza Vineyard Clarksburg

Flaxen colored with a buttery honeysuckle then soapy nose. Medium-full bodied with lingering peach orange soapy aftertaste. Okay. $12

Havens Wine Cellars
1998 Merlot Napa Valley

Somewhat dank and herbal smelling. With time, the nose takes on some tobacco character. Maybe some Brettomyces. Smells more alcoholic than its 13.4%. Rusty hue in the glass. Cedar wood on the palate. Medium-full bodied. This wine is a bit of a puzzle. Was the winemaker trying to make the best of a bad vintage? Does this wine have flaws or is it done in a light style? I paid well under the suggested retail and I think I might have been unhappy if I had paid the full tariff. $24

Colosi
2000 Sicilia Rosso

Very similar nose to the 1999 vintage of this wine. Roasted rosemary and such. On the palate this seems a bit lighter than the last vintage, and the color in the glass has a healthy color but is translucent, but this may have a bit better balance. Nice sweet ripe fruit with tangy lingering acidity. $10

Domaine des Cantarelles
2001 Viognier Vin de Pays du Gard

Honey-Honeysuckle-Apricot-cinnamon-clove. Over the top this time. Full-bodied with a spicy finish. Gets a bit cloying at times. $11

Trevor Jones
1997 Shiraz Wild Witch Reserve Barossa

Labeled as Dry Grown. About 13.7% alcohol. Full-bodied and complex with lots of different spices and peppery qualities assaulting you from different directions on top of a core of solid black fruit. Has good balance. $60

Equus 1997
Syrah Paso Robles

Full-bodied and inky looking but lacking fruit. The tannins are soft but ever-present and cottony, contributing lots to the mouthfeel. Speculating that the skins got ripe but not the fruit? $20

Didier Dagenau
1998 Silex Pouilly Fume

Very flabby and without much fruit or flavor. Either on its way down or a flawed bottle. $50

Quinta do Crasto
1998 Vinho Tinto Douro

Strawberry seed nose is very captivating. Medium-bodied and moderately soft but with good concentration of flavor. Sweet lush fruit with just enough acidity. Overall the acidity is low. A blend of 50% Tinto Roriz, 30% Tinto Barroca, and 20% Touriga Francesca. $11

Eberle
1999 Chardonnay Paso Robles

Tough to get excited about. Basically just sweet apple juice style Chardonnay. $9

Star Hill
1997 Nebbiolo Pebble Ridge Vineyard Monterey

Tomato, strawberry, tin can, tree sap, mint, violet. Pinot-like. Medium-high acidity. Overall not great, but I was concerned it might not even be palatable. The tin can quality really detracts from the nose and the palate could do with more flesh. $8

Patrick Lesec
2000 Vacqueyras "Grandy"

13.5%. Day One: Deep plum color with a cloudy haze and translucent edges up to 1/2 inch. Peppery and strawberry-raspberry nose. Zesty and Beaujolais like on the palate in many ways, but more structured and firmer. Slight effervescent quality along with green pepper and a chalky texture. Fine, and much better than many Cotes du Rhone, but not something I would actively seek out. Day Two: Many aspects of this wine changed dramatically from day one to day two. The nose took on a strong Eucaplyptus, mint, vanilla flavor and the body became rounder and more balanced feeling. Effervescence is gone. $14

Kunde
1997 Claret Sonoma Valley

This wine changed drastically over the course of about an hour and a half. Initially delicious with lovely floral Cabernet Franc notes in the nose along with sweet toasty oak. On the palate it had wonderful lush fruit with longering sweetness all across the palate. Swirling and sniffing an hour later the wine became a bit sour and monstrously tannic. Some bell pepper emerged. I can't tell which direction this is headed. $16

Cheers!
James

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