Tasting Notes From March 2002

2048

Patrick Lesec
1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Galets Blond

Piercing acidity as it hits the tongue. Slightly cloudy with transparent pink color. Cedar nose. Disappointing. $30.00

2049

La Rioja Alta
1993 Vina Ardanza Rioja Reserva

Slight almond oxidation in the nose, like sherry. Pale, slightly browning ruby color. Medium bodied red fruit palate. Moderate acidity. Fading now for sure, probably peaked a couple years ago. Pretty rasberry nose with some balsa wood. Palate grows more tart with time, with cranberry flavors. $25.00

2050

Lake Chalice
2000 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough

Peach and Kiwi with searing acidity. Nice wine, some problems with the finish. $15.00

2051

Meeker
1999 Carignane De Mostene Vineyard Alexander Valley

Liqueur-like nose. Lots of character for a Carignane. Ripe, sweet and long. $18.00

2052

Lewis
1997 Alec's Blend Napa County

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 15% Petit Verdot. Ripe liqueur nose ripe palate with some edgy acidity and structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon. 14.2% alc. $40.00

2053

Danfield Creek
1995 Merlot Mendocino

American oak nose. Deep color. Lots of tannins that seem like they come from underripe fruit. Touch of green as well. $20.00

2054

Chateau Gigault
1999 Premieres Cotes de Blaye Cuvee Viva

Deep color, with a nose of ink and a touch of wood. Ripe, if a bit hard and hollow. Very nice for inexpensive Bordeaux. $15.00

2055

Beckmen
2000 Syrah Santa Ynez

Initially closed, though it opened with aeration. Nose shows pinched pepper and light leather notes intertwined with ripe fruit. Smells French in style. Olives? Full bodied with good concentration, but not showing much nuance. Crozes Hermitage made in the US. Deep black color. $20.00

2057

Campo de Borja
2000 Tempranillo Garnacha Borsao

Nose of smoke, minerals and dry earth, perhaps some wood and iodine as well. Low to moderate acidity, medium length, medium-full bodied. Orange finish? Impressive for $5. Somewhat metallic palate. $5.00

2059

Phoenix
1999 Sangiovese Blood of Jupiter Napa Valley

Chambord raspberry liqueur nose with a hint of vanilla. Medium bodied palate, somewhat astringent from overoaking. Moderate acidity. Occasionally the nose reminds me of Sangiovese mid-swirl. Not bad for California Sangiovese, all things considered. $18.00

2060

Reverdy
2000 Sancerre

Mineral nose with green herb accents. Medium bodied with tremendous acidity…too a fault on its own, but begins to work with food. Paired well with mussels with bacon and also with Pierre Robert cheese. $20.00

2061

Chateau Rayas
1997 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve

Light translucent rose in the glass. Nose of cedar and balsa wood along with cinnamon and a floral component.The cedar-balsa element seems unusual to me knowing that the wine saw no new oak. Palate was initially hard with some raspberry fruit. It opened some with time. Stil not understanding all the hoopla $125.00

2062

Clarendon Hills
1998 Grenache Blewitt Springs

Very tight initially. The finish is marred and tight - acidity? Impressive Grenache no doubt but seems very closed. $43.00

2063

Fisher
1997 Merlot RCF Napa Valley

Variously- unintegrated oak, anise, liqueur-like fruit, dry leaves, tobacco. Complex, full-bodied and long. Very nice. $32.00

2064

Joel Gott
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Calfornia

Deeply colored and rich looking in the glass. The nose shows cedar, some coffee, and currant fruit. Ripe on the palate, but lacks midpalate concentration. Monolithic, but nice for inexpensive Cabernet. Tastes a bit richer the second day, though no additional complexity has developed. The finish shows some tart acidity. I may allow the other bottle to rest a year. Cedar and anise in the nose day two. $15.00

2065

Alois Kracher
1998 Chardonnay-Welschriesling Austria

Damaged. The nose is very funky and the cork shows seepage. Highly disappointing. $15.00

2066

Argiolas
1999 Costera Isola e Nuraghi

Wonderful warm nose of roasted herbs, sauna rocks, and earth. Rich smelling. Ripe palate with a medium-full body. Day two I tasted it out of a Pinot glass on a whim and the nose smells wonderfully rich and floral? Nice wine. $12.00

2067

Australian Domain Wines
2000 The Hattrick Mclaren Vale

Intense nose of charred oak and sweet fruit. Full bodied, fairly supple and sweet. Delicious. Blend of Shiraz, Grenache, and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. Impressive wine, but I got more interest in the Greenock Creek. Dominated by oak right now. $40.00

2068

Greenock Creek
1999 Shiraz Apricot Block

Yum nose of Eucalyptys, stone fruits, and high toast oak. Full bodied, ripe and long. Some tannins in the finish. Delicious. I like this wine despite the lack of critical praise. $51.00

2069

Fox Creek
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Mclaren Vale

Pleasant, dense, full-bodied. Soft. Lacking stuffing and concentration on the palate, particularly next to the Greenock Creek and Hattrick. $46.00

2070

Jermann
1999 Vintage Tunina Friuli-Venezia Guilia

The nose was a little musty and non-descript, but the palate was amazinly creamy and ripe. Full bodied and balanced. Difficult to pull out flavors. Not as good as I remember, but very nice. Too expensive $50.00

Cheers!
James

Send Email to James

Back to James' Tasting Notes Page

© 2002, James Vineyard