Tasting Notes From July 2005

McCrea Cellars
2002 Sirrocco
Red Mountain
Pretty nose shows just a hint of brett and pepper. Someone at the tasting actually likened it a bit to Pinot, which I sort of suppose I understand. Blood and iron intermix with sweet strawberry and red berry fruit. Slightly high-toned with a silky texture. Nicely made. $30;

Kenneth Crawford
2003 Syrah
Santa Rita Hills
Sweet black fruit with a slight metallic, high-toned edge on the nose. Deeply colored. A thick, mouth-coating wine on the palate with just the right amount of acid and structure to handle the massive fruit. Hints of lime and citrus? $30;

Palmina
2003 Alisos
Santa Rita Hills
A blend of 76% Sangiovese and 24% Merlot. 15+% alcohol. Deeply colored with tons of black and red berry fruit. Chocolate. Round, with no hard edges. At times this reminded me more of Zinfandel than the crazy blend it was, but it was an enjoyable drink at a fair price. $18;

Rochioli
1993 Pinot Noir
West Block, Russian River Valley
In the glass, clear at the edges with a hazy siena core. Definite Pinot Noir aromas, but tending toward a more Burgundian style, with lots of dirt. Interesting, but not something I would want to buy.

San Vicente
2001 Rioja
Deeply colored and masculine in character with firm red fruit flavors, leather, and bark flavors. Nuances of sweet red fruit. Pretty good stuff. $30;

Chateau au Grand Paris
2003 Bordeaux Superieur
Bit disappointing based on Chris's recommendation, but I guess it is okay. Light, powdery red fruit. Fruit forward with just a hint of stemminess. Medium-bodied. Okay. $10;

Carlisle
2001 Two Acres
Russian River Valley
Saturated, deep ruby red in the glass. Aromas of spice - pinon and eucalyptus - along with sappy red fruit and cedar. Sweet sappy red fruit on the palate. Concentrated, semi-sweet red candy fruit. Pretty nice. Primarily Mourvedre with Valdepenas and a few other varieties. Rather complex. $26;

David Arthur
2003 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
Rather crisp and minerally. Dry. Fails with first course of lobster cake and grilled prawn. Late more French oak. Just okay. David Arthur Tasting

David Arthur
2002 Meritaggio
Napa Valley
Deeply colored. Nice spicy mint nose tinged with dark fruit and toasty/spicy oak. The palate matches the nose with dark fruit and some minty and spicy overtones. Good match with duck confit. Nice wine. 70% Cabernet with Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Sangiovese. David Arthur Tasting

David Arthur
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Elevation 1147, Napa Valley
Musty nose initially. Aromas are dominated by oak. This wine is tight and unyielding right now. Desperately needed the beef tenderloin and blue cheese accompaniment. Don't open for at least a couple years. David Arthur Tasting

David Arthur
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
Fruitier and much more accessible than the Elevation. Black currant fruit, cedar, sweet cherry fruit. Nicely made Cabernet. David Arthur Tasting

David Arthur
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Elevation 1147, Napa Valley
From 6 liter - Aromas of caramelized sugar, red currants, cinnamon oak and spice. Slightly tart on the palate. Much more approachable than the 2002 Elevation. Late nuances of pipe tobacco. Pretty good. David Arthur Tasting

Waterford Estate
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Stellenbosch
Rather peachy on the nose. More tangy and driven by acidity on the palate with fruit that ranges from orange to lemon and lime. Okay. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Novy
2004 Viognier
Russian River Valley
Blind 1 - White - Smells quite obviously like a Rhone wine with lovely sweet peach nectar aromas. Sweet on the attack with nice apricots and white fruit flavors. Slight edgy bitterness creeps into the finish. Pretty sweet, but I like this. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Col D'Orcia
1999 Brunello di Montalcino
Blind 2 - red - Dry cherry with a touch of dry wood and roasted fruit on the nose. Not a bad nose. Speaks of Tuscan Sangiovese for sure. John pegged this as Brunello by the nose, then backed off thinking it was Chianti based on the palate. I can see his logic. The palate starts with some red candy and licorice flavors then turns acidic and thin. Okay. $35; Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Thunder Mountain
1998 Star Ruby
Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains
Blind 3 - red - Ruby, translucent appearance. Interesting nose that smelled variously of dyll, pepper, mint, and slight greeness. The serving temperature on this wine was a little too warm which may have affected the palate. Seems a bit syrupy. Okay. A Merlot and Cabernet blend. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Mas Igneus
2000 Priorat
Vinyes de Coster
non-Blind 3a - red - Interest nose of ink, mint, and dark fruit, and that description doesn't really do it justice. Full bodied, roasted, porty. Very extracted. This wine had been open for two days already. Pretty interesting. Assumed to be a Grenache-Carignane blend. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Linne Calodo
2003 The Outsider
Paso Robles
Blind 4 - Corked - Bummer Paso or Anything at Campisi's

L'Aventure
2003 Estate Cuvee
Paso Robles
Blind 5 - red - Deeply colored. The nose is reticent with a touch of brown sugar and a little suggestion of chemicals. Intense, sweet black fruit and spice on the palate. Teeth staining and rich. This really needs time but has great potential. Don't open for a couple years. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Paloma
2001 Syrah
Napa Valley
Blind 6 - Red - On first sniff - Grapey, flabby, Cotes du Rhone or Spanish Grenache-like nose. Bubblegum. Smells tank fermented. Softish. With more time it seemed to build a little structure and take on more complexity. Touch of spice. This was controversial. I have enjoyed Paloma's Syrah in the past, but this was not showing very well. Consensus was that is probably needs time. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Justin
1999 Isoceles
Paso Robles
Blind 7 - red - Touch of toast and spice on the nose. Big and inky. Nice nose. Rich, concentrated. Showing very well, even if my notes lack a detailed description of the flavors. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Inama
2000 Oracolo
Veneto Rosso, IGT
Blind 8 - red - Deeply colored. Aromas of oak, pepper, and a touch of mint. Inky on the palate. Toasted berry and currant fruit. Really good stuff. Thanks Craig. We were at a loss to guess this wine. Something of a revelation for me. The best Veneto red I have ever tasted. Paso or Anything at Campisi's

Cellars de Capcanes
2001 Vall del Calas
Montstant
Moderately deep in color with a touch of siena mixed into the otherwise ruby-purple hue. Aromas of spice, pepper, plums, and red fruit. Plush and medium-bodied with rich fruit and more interesting elements of pepper and tar. Good. $20;

Mas de Bressades
2003 Cabernet-Syrah
Vin de Pays du Gard
Nicely done. Borderline too fruity, but not quite. Aromas of candied red fruit and suggestions of tank fermentation balanced by pepper. Medium-full bodied with great fruit and length. Great quaffing value. $12;

Margerum
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Westerly Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley
Minerally and delicate. Quite unlike most California Sauvignon Blancs I have tasted lately. Light bodied with acidity lending a sense of effervescence. Candied lemon flavors. Pretty good, not great. Bottle 1586 of 4680. $20;

Pride Mountain
2001 Cabernet Franc
Sonoma County
In a word, Awesome! This wine showed much better than I expected it to. Fantastic nose of toast, violets, red and black fruit. Sweet red strawberries on the palate with a gorgeous retronasal waft of flowers - something like jasmine. Delicious! $52;

Turley
2002 Zinfandel
Duarte, Contra Costa County
Spicy herb nose tinged with menthol. Similarly spicy on the palate. High-toned. Bitter chocolate. In the finish, the 16.7% alcohol peeks out a little. Pretty good.

Fuente del Conde
2004 Rosado Tempranillo
Cigales
Rather deeply colored for rose. Meaty strawberry aromas. Not bad - similar flavors on the palate. A little bit heavy? Decent QPR. $7; Rhone & Spain Dinner

Montlouis sur Loire
2002 Demi Sec
Les Batisses
Semi-sweet with a bit of fruit cocktail syrup aroma. Round and crowd pleasing. As this warmed a bit it took on more stoney and waxy qualities I tend to associate more often with Chenin. Rhone & Spain Dinner

Domaine Couroulu
2001 Vacqueyras
Blind 1 - Roasted stones - clearly Grenache, but not "Grenachey" or light. Medium-bodied and silky with a little bit of oak mixed in with the Kirsch, cherry, and raspberry fruit. Late acidity. Touch of pepper. Pretty nice. Rhone & Spain Dinner

H. Stagnari
2002 Tannat
Vinedos La Caballada, Uruguay
Blind 2 - Deeply colored. Tank-fermented, grapey, somewhat Beaujolais-like nose. Sweet red fruit. Slightly high-toned. Tastes like cheap Spanish Grenache. Well made wine I suppose, but not really my style. Rhone & Spain Dinner

Domaine Santa Duc
2000 Heritage
Cotes du Rhone
Blind 3 - Pencil lead, touch of lemon (or is that lemon juice from the lemon John just squeezed all over the calamari?), Slightly high-toned red fruit. Stemmy. Someone likened it to "Pinot on Steroids" but it really speaks more of Grenache. Okay. I retasted the leftovers the next day and found the wine a bit more interesting. Rhone & Spain Dinner

Numanthia
2002 Toro
Blind 4 - Sweet oak nose with intense dark fruit on the nose. Black currant fruit and more sweet oak on the palate with the wine seeming more acidic and tannic late in the palate. Tastes serious. Coconut nose. Pretty nice - not the 2001, but pretty nice anyway. Bad QPR though. $60; Rhone & Spain Dinner

Val Llach
2001 Priorat
Blind 5 - Nose of pepper, cedar, balsa wood, caramel, "melted licorice" and a little sweet oak. Sweet attack of dark fruit. Medium-bodied with late acidity. Pretty good stuff. Rhone & Spain Dinner

Les Aphillanthes
2001 Cotes du Rhone
Trois Cepage
Blind 6 - Now for something completely different - White pepper with a touch of very light brett or leather on the nose with some juicy strawberry, cherry, and tarragon. Unique smelling. More candied cherry on the palate with somewhat high-toned acids. Medium-light bodied and somewhat dilute for my tastes. Seems devoid of tannin. Okay. Others liked this more than I. $26; Rhone & Spain Dinner

Sacra Natura
2002 Crianza
Vinas Viejas, Terra Alta
Blind 7 - Sweet fenel and herbs on the nose. Port-like, extracted smelling. Caramel and reduction. Medium-full bodied and a bit soft on the palate. Slightly sweet. This had been open for one day. $15; Rhone & Spain Dinner

Muga
2001 Rioja
Blind 8 - Evergreen/pine fresh resin and spice on the nose. Sweet attack. Medium-full bodied. Plush. Okay. Not hitting on all cylinders for me. Rhone & Spain Dinner

Vina Alarba
2003 Calatyud
Blind 9 - Chocolate cherry liqueur, bubblegum. Overripe, soft, very fruity. A bit light on the palate with uncomplicated strawberry flavors. Eh. $7; Rhone & Spain Dinner

Cellars de Capcanes
2001 Costers del Gravet
Les Vinyasses, Monstant
Slighlty clear at the edges with a touch of amber in the otherwise deep red. Black cherry fruit. Ripe, round and soft. A touch of smoke, a little swampy and vinous. Cherry finish. Just okay. I normally really enjoy wines from this producer, so this was disappointing. $22;

Santa Cruz de Artazu
2002 Navarra
Mystery 1 - Concentrated intense blood, tangy acid, bright raspberry and pomegranate. Almost smells like it has some Viognier in it (100% Garnacha). Perfumed. Pretty good stuff. Thanks to Van for pulling this ringer for us. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

Les Clos du Caillou
2001 Tres Vielles Vignes
Cotes du Rhone Village
Mystery 2 - Beautiful nose - sweet fruit perfume with a bit of floral and iron. Sweet kirsch attack with decent length and concentration. Tangy finish. A stellar Cotes du Rhone. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

La Cuvee du Papet
1990 Chateauneuf du Pape
Clos du Mont
Pepper, mature smelling. Touch of brett. Red fruit and meat. Mushrooms. The nose has a powdery quality. Medium- bodied with fading fruit on the palate. Okay. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

P. Usseglio
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape
Cuvee Mon Aieul
Violets, brett, new leather, floral. Big, sweet concentrated Kirsch and raspberry. Blood, copper. Very Nice Indeed.. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

Domaine de Cristia
2000 Chateauneuf du Pape
Renaissance
Inky nose. Tight smelling. Smells like it will taste tannic. Rich, semi sweet attack with black cherry fruit. Seems partly closed, but with lots of upside. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

Le Cailloux
2000 Chateaneuf du Pape
Cuvee Centenaire
Peppery cherry nose with a touch of balsa wood. Intense smelling. Rich, semi-sweet red berry fruit. Sleek on the palate but not giving anything up right now. Nice. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

Chateau Beaucastel
1989 Chateaneuf du Pape
The nose is dominated by brett, horse and earth with a bit of raspberry. Medium-bodied with more raspberry flavors and some chalky earth. Decent, not stellar. I have no experience with this vintage to know what it should taste like. 2000 Rhone Horizontal

Damilano
2001 Barolo
Waxy red fruit. Bit light and rather hard. Not great.

Prunotto
2000 Barolo
Bussia
Deeper in color than the Damilano. Deep red fruit, velvet and anise on the nose. Rather tight on the palate, but you can sense a core of fruit.

Craiglee
2001 Shiraz
Spicy vanilla nose. Soft, plush, and sweet attack with a touch of licorice. Okay.

Corlei
2002 Shiraz
Sour oak and sweet tart nose. Red raspberries on the attack with lemony acids late. Okay.

Mas Carlot
2004 Clairette de Bellegarde
Light nose of waxy white fruit. Light- bodied with some steel and tart apple fruit with suggestions of apricots from time to time. Somewhat interesting. Apparently Clairette is an old varietal. This wine is 100% Clairette.

Melka Cellars
2000 Metisse
Napa Valley
Bit dusty and austere initially on the nose, but has some nice aromatics of tobacco, earth, black currants, some bitter chocolate, and a bit of leafiness. I suspect the aromatics are getting some lift from Cabernet Franc. The palate is dominated by black currant fruit. Slightly sour, green, and austere. Overall, an interesting wine, even a good one if judging by nose alone. Overpriced at $60, maybe even at $35, which I paid, but decent. $35;

Rosenblum
2003 Viognier
Kathy's Cuvee, Santa Barbara County
Loads of apricot fruit nectar and spice. Open knit and a little bit sweet. Essense of apricots and white fruit. A little bit hot in the finish (14.8%), but a lovely, crowd pleasing Dolly Parton style Viognier which is also a great value. My father-in-law really liked this wine. $15; James & Anna's Birthdays at Trulucks

Pride Mountain
1999 Cabernet Franc
Sonoma County
Leafy violets, bitter chocolate, and raspberries on the nose. The palate shows a little more toasty oak, slightly drying, with more red berry fruit. Lovely nose, but this wine is a little behind the 2001 we tasted last week. Probably not getting any better than this. Nice. $50; James & Anna's Birthdays at Trulucks

Lewis
1999 Syrah
Napa Valley
Nice nose of flowers (lavender and violets?) along with something that conveys creaminess - presumably some oak, and a little vanilla (also oak). Concentrated red berry fruit on the palate. The tannins are little cottony in the mid-palate - not drying like the Pride, but chewey, suggesting there might be some upside to this wine. Nice. $50; James & Anna's Birthdays at Trulucks

Voss
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley
From screwcap. Kiwi, lemon- lime, nectarine fruit with a hint of something more tropical. No real evidence of oak (which is good). Tangy citrus fruit on the palate with a clean finish. Pretty good. $20; James & Anna's Birthdays at Trulucks

Behrens and Hitchcock
1999 Petite Sirah
Barcini Vineyard, Napa Valley
The nose on this wine mostly about deep black fruit. Initially the wine is a little ungiving on the palate with somewhat "sweet" red fruit. More tannin and acid at the back of the palate. With time it suggested inkiness with bits of French Oak toast, lavender, and black berries. Creamy, the subsequently meaty and masculine, then tannin. This could probably benefit for a few more years. I have leftovers to retasted tonight. $45;

Carlisle
2002 Three Birds
Sonoma County
Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah, about 15.5% alcohol. Lofty, spicy aromatics with sweet red fruit liqueur and Zinfandel-like spiciness. Kirsch or fruiti di bosco liqueur. Concentrated and rather lovely. Almost a Chateauneuf du Pape on steroids. Nice. $20;

Cheers!
James

Send Email to James

Back to James' Tasting Notes Page

© 2006, James Vineyard