Tasting Notes From November 2001

1882

Chateau de Montmirail
1998 Vaqueyras Cuvee de deux Freres

Light color, medium bodied. Complex, but not especially fleshy. Ripe, mostly sweet red fruit, some dry qualities. Seems Grenache dominated as one would expect. Pleasant. Liked it better day two, but not enough to purchase again. $15.00

1883

Pride Mountain
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Still very youthful. Inky appearance with crushed blueberry color. Blue and red fruit on the palate. The nose has various aspects from rust to fruit to charred wood. Full bodied and very dense. Throwing lots of sediment. Fruit in the fore palate then the tannins rear their head and take over. I would like to wait an try this in about two years. $40.00

1884

Alpha Domus
2001 Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay New Zealand

Interesting with aggressive herbal and peppery character, but the acidity it too far out of balance to be pleasant. My first from the 2001 vintage. $15.00

1885

Chateau Pech Redon
1999 Languedoc Les Cades

Pansies? Great little wine. I’m very pleased. Ripe, concentrated, appealing. Dense color. Interesting nose that has green, floral, pepper, and fruit all intertwined. Very nice. Fleshly, balanced, slightly tart in the finish. $11.00

1886

Niebaum-Coppola
1999 Claret California

Nice nose like raspberry liqueur and a touch of Cabernet Franc stemminess.. Ripe, fairly soft, somewhat lacking in concentration. Straightforward red fruit. $14.00

1887

Beringer
1998 Chardonnay Private Reserve Napa Valley

Much ballyhooed and very enjoyable. Interesting nose of apple juice and less than toasty oak. Very complete with good concentration. I've heard this discussed as a benchmark and I found it quite tasty. It should be for the price. $30.00

1888

Escudo Rojo
1999 Escudo Rojo Chile

Has a Chilean nose…how do I come by that description? Strange caramel, herbal funky quality…not Brett and not that unpleasant. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Cabernet Franc. Pretty decent for Chilean stuff. Peanut butter finish? After standing two days it seems to have gained more body and dropped a little acidity. Decent juice I suppose. I like the extra interest of the Carmenere and Cabernet Franc. $11.00

1889

Kim Crawford
2000 Chardonnay Unwooded Marlborough NZ

Strange…would not have picked this as Chardonnay, tastes more like a Sauvignon Blanc blended with Pinot Blanc. New Zealand like grass and acidity. Spicy pear Fruit. $13.00

1890

Castello di Farnatella
1999 Chianti Colli Senesi

Nose of strawberries, balsa wood, oxidation?, rust, cherries, dust. Moderate to high acidity, similar flavors on the palate. Interesting I suppose, but not all that plump and pleasurable. Spicy finish, kinda like cumin or coriander? Some minor damage to the cork. I wasn't all that taken with it. $14.00

1891

Steele
1998 Pinot Noir Carneros

Clear Pinot Nose…light rosy color. Smells variously of watermelon rind, grapefruit, mushrooms, and strawberry. Medium-bodied, decent concentration and ripeness. Well made. $18.00

1892

Babcock
1999 Fathom Santa Barbara County

45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ripe flashy wine. Medium-full bodied with a toasty nose. Somewhat simple, but ripe and possessing good concentration. Has some hints of chocolate and violets. Surprised me that Tanzer didn't even think it warranted an 85. $40.00

1893

Pepperwood Grove
2000 Viognier California

Lacks flavors midpalate where it just turns into a bland white wine, but all around this is an excellent value Viognier. Has a tasty apricot and orange nose, good sweetness, not too alcoholic. Pleasant balance. $8.00

1894

Behren's and Hitchcock
1998 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

Ripe showy nose of chocolate, blueberry, strawberry, and lots of toasty oak. Chocolate milkshake-like in large part with some extra acidity kicking in at the end. Brawny, sweet, well-made stuff for the vintage. Anyone else find this particularly oaky? It seemed well integrated, but pretty heavy-handed. Did not particularly scream "Cab Franc!" $25.00

1895

Delas Freres
1998 Croze-Hermitage Les Launes

Rhone syrah nose of peppery fruit, new leather sans-polish, and a bit of asian spice. Medium-bodied. Fine. $18.00

1896

Bodegas Nekeas
1999 Tempranillo-Merlot Navarra

Maroon with a slight brownish cast in the glass. Slightly simple but still a reasonable value. Nose smells like clean clothes and paint slightly but it really only serves to add interest. Medium-full bodied, ripe, good flavors. Tastes even better I think after sitting a day. Very nice with food. $7.00

1897

San Fereolo
1999 Dolcetto di Dogliani

Dense color, looks as if it has a decent amount of glycerin. Somewhat inky nose of dried cherries, lemon, and balsa wood that reminds me of Chianti or a Tuscan wine, or at least a Sangiovese. Initial fruit. Full bodied, then gets cottony with tannins. Good Concentration. The fruit turns slightly tart and cranberry like. Large scaled Dolcetto, that's for sure. Opens some with air, taking on some perfumed liqueur notes. Slight bitterness in the finish. Apparently made by someone named Bocca whom I should have heard of and garnered tre bichiere from Gambero Rosso. Unlike most Dolcettos I've tasted. Decent price too. $13.00

1898

Jean Jaques Confuron
1998 Cote de Nuits-Villages les Vignottes

Disappointing given the reputation of the producer. Light-medium bodied. Translucent and fairly light. Cleanly made. Light red fruit and chalky earth. Lacks stuffing. Fairly well balanced with a tip toward the acidic side of the pH spectrum. Fine with food mostly because it didn't have much presence. Confuron supposedly makes nice wine…either I don't like Pinot much, or she is a fickle bitch and good ones are few and far between. $20.00

1899

Domaine de Gournier
1999 MSC Vin de Pays des Cevennes-Uzege

Wow! Really ripe nose could fool you into thinking it's new world. But in a good way. Ripe, medium-full bodied, concentrated and fairly interesting. Seems to have a dose of new oak. Ripe, peppery, strawberry liqueur nose with toasty qualities and a bit of something animal or herbal. Deep color with maybe a hint of rust? Medium tannins mid palate. Great mouthfeel and presence. Well balanced. Lots of class and stuffing but retains enough verve to be fun and worth buying by my bucks. My guess is the wine is a blend of Mouvedre, Syrah, and Carignane. Nice Value. I like this stuff. $12.00

1900

Christopher Creek
1993 Syrah Sonoma

Very nice nose of white pepper, liqueur, Brett, and bacon fat. Medium-full bodied, supple, slightly short in the finish but very pleasantly balanced. I really like the way Syrah ages sometimes. $18.00

1901

Mason
1999 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

Great intense grass and gooseberry. Loads of varietal character all the while maintaining balance. I feel like I have witnessed a decline in the quality of this wine from 1997 to 2000. Each vintage has gotten less extreme and more like a bland California Sauvignon Blanc. Still many leaps above others all the same. $14.00

1902

Neyer's
1998 Chardonnay Napa Valley

Intense nose of mineraled oak. Seems very Burgundian in style. Ripe, dense, multi-layered and long. Nice Chardonnay. $24.00

1903

Hanna
1997 Syrah Bismark Ranch Sonoma Valley

Big nose of syrupy blueberries and toast along with a wallop of alcohol. Sweet in the mouth as if it might have some residual sugar, but it could just be the 16% alcohol. Syrah meets Zinfandel. Not too weighty in the mouth, but not particularly complex or interesting. Fruit bomb. Fun wine, but you don't want your friends to see you drinking it. Too expensive. $50.00

1906

Falesco
2000 Merlot Umbria

Ripe and has nice price but comes across Slightly hollow. All Body, no flavor. $15.00

1907

Roggiano
1999 Morellino di Scansano

Ripe Sangiovese nose of dried cherries. Nice balance that leans toward the tart side. Supple, fruity. Nice wine. I'm rather pleased. Not complex. Medim bodied. Slightly translucent in the glass. Some green spices and maybe some leather and some chocolate. $12.00

1908

Bodegas Reyes
1998 Teofila Reyes Ribera del Duero

American Oak nose that comes across as chocolate coconut and vanilla like. Ripe, but unbalanced in the finish. Full bodied. Tasted in tumblers at a Spanish café, leaving little room for real exploration of the wine's nuances. $28.00

1909

Carlisle Winery
1999 Two Acres Russian River Valley

Delicious juice. High brow field blend with Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Mondeuse, Valdepenas. Great fruit and ripeness with added nuances of animal and mineral thrown in. Impressive. $37.00

1910

Pride Mountain
1997 Merlot Napa Valley

Oh so much better than the off bottle I tasted a couple months back. Ripe sweet blue fruit with toasty oak. Nice. Lovely chocolate notes beckoned me back. Back in form. $32.00

1911

Ravenswood
1996 Zinfandel Big River

Very nice! I hadn't expected this one to be holding up this well. Lots of liqueur fruit, sweet. $24.00

1912

Rochioli
1997 Chardonnay Sonoma County

Delicate French oak, very well integrated. Lemon fruit, but done in a ripe way, without undue acidity. Very pleasant medium bodied Chardonnay. Won't stand out in a crowd. $24.00

1913

Shuetz Oles
1999 Zinfandel California So Zin

Medium bodied, ripe, sweet with some clove spices. Pleasant, but not memorable. Lemon/citrus acidity. $11.00

1916

Domaine de Cassan
1999 Cote du Rhone Village Beaume de Venise

Ripe, medium bodied, four square. Fruity dried cherries with some cedary? wood, but not particularly lush or giving on the palate. Might fill out with time but I consider myself a poor judge. Certainly fairly priced for a wine with some extra interest. $11.00

1917

Gallo of Sonoma
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Barrelli Creek Vineyard

Rich, aromatic Cabernet. Apparently sees mostly American oak, but it doesn't come across that way, though it does come across handily oaked. Blue and red fruit. Full bodied. Throwing lots of sediment. Big Cabernet for the price. Somewhat monolithic but very satisfying. $24.00

1918

Argiolas
1998 Costera Isola dei Nuraghi

Some creosote and road tar in the nose. Ripe smelling and tasting. Raisins and herbs. Juniper and or pine. Pleasant, but not pushing all my buttons. Medium-full body, decent balance. $14.00

1919

Enzo Borglietti
1999 Barbera d'Alba

Nose of stones and seeds? Medium bodied, tart but in balance reasonably. Strawberry fruit…lots. Chalk. $12.00

1920

Morgan
1999 Syrah Monterrey

Deep color. This wine is a really nice expression of French style Syrah grown in California. IMHO. Nose shows fruit, leather, olive, smoke, pepper, and tar variously. The palate is borderline too acidic with a decent showing of ripe red fruit and more smoke. $14.00

1921

Domaine Jean Thomas
1997 Sancerre Ultimus

Very tasty Sauv Blanc. Pale in the glass with a pretty, mineral (slate) and green plant nose. Nice body, okay intensity and lots of acid…long tart orange finish. Finds a wonderful middleground between California and New Zealand. Maybe expressing some oak after sitting in the fridge for awhile? $20.00

Cheers!
James

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