Tasting Notes From October 2002

Villa Maria 2001 Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin Marlborough New Zealand
Passion fruit and orange juice on both the palate and the nose. Good sweetness but doesn't have the characteristic acidity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. $10

Chateau Rayas 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Pignan Reserve
14% alcohol. Rose colored with a good deal of translucence and hints of tawny and cloudiness. Complex but decidedly savory and uninspiring nose of sweaty leather, balsa wood, wet dirt, paint, and Grenache fruit. Initially sweet red berry fruit attack. Alcoholic in the finish. Complete ripoff for the MSRP, but I somehow stumbled across it for $20. $75

Vina Alarba 2001 Grenache Old Vines Calatayud
Electric purple pink in color but mostly opaque. Yeasty pepper spice grapey black berry and black cherry/currant seeds. Lush, low acid sweet fruit. Bit simple but wonderfully supple. Has some additional blackberry spicy flavors on the palate - maybe white pepper. Suggestion of Beaujolais. Nice value! $6

Foppiano 1997 Petite Sirah Sonoma County
Deeply hued and opaque. Creamy vanilla blueberry and blackberry nose. Sometimes comes across as chocolate to me. Rich bluefruit on the palate. Just a great little wine that hasn't changed much at all since I put it in the cellar 3
years ago. Sure wish I had more of this. Outstanding value. $13

Geyser Peak 1997 Petite Verdot Napa? Winemaker's Reserve
Deeply colored and opaque in the glass - nearly black. Lots of sediment. Smells tannic and angry with a graphite/lead pencil toasty oak nose. Good ripeness on the palate - but not particularly fruity - primarily minerals and some vague black fruit. Pleasant oddity, but mostly one dimensional. $22

Jade Mountain 1997 Mourvedre California
Moderately translucent ruby colored - consistently hued. The nose suggests wax - sappy cherry flavors. Good concentration with intense lingering tart cherry flavors. Touch of green herbs. Tannic. Medium-full bodied. Balsa wood. $10

Signorello 1996 Semillon Napa Valley
This time around this wine wasn't quite as pleasing. Melon and butter kinds of flavors with a bit of oxidation. Tastes kind of tired. $10

Franus 1998 Zinfandel Brandlin Ranch Mount Veeder
Intially has a yeasty nose. Opened a bit to reveal blackberry and black cherry flavors. A touch of Kool Aid. Bit reserved and austere. Just okay. $20

This section of notes is from a bring-your-own tasting at Eccolo restaurant in Dallas. About 12 wine-loving Dallasites got together for some interesting wines. Kudos to Christine H. for finding the older Italians in Denver.

Antinori 1982 Solaia
Healthy color with a hint of browning. Cinnamon cedar nose initially - smells very Cabernet-Bordeaux-like. Minerals. Sweet attack with red and black fruits that resolve into cherry. Forest floor and possibly some eucalyptus. Fades in the glass rather quickly. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Giacosa 1985 Barbaresco White Label
Smells acidic and mature. Hint of orange in the body and translucent at the rim. Bit funky and a touch floral. Candy, raspberry bubblegum. Lingering red fruit. Medium-full bodied with decent balance. Interesting, but more of an experiment than a wine to sit down and enjoy. Seemed to pair well with a grilled calamari dish with polenta. Go figure.

Ridge 1985 Park-Muskatine
75% Zinfandel and 25% Petite Sirah. Deeply colored with no obvious clearing. Paint thinner and earth on the nose. Bit volatile. Hint of tea? Rich palate. Surprisingly youthful and not at all what I would have expected from it. Pretty interesting stuff.

Seghesio 1989 Barolo La Villa
Waxy minty cinnamon nose. A couple people also suggested butter and cream. Sweet and rich minty detergent bandaid. Quite fruity and likable on the palate. Nice.

Cogno 1995 Barolo
Mineral nose - smells auster. Hard candy. Better on the palate with red fruit and nice richness. Didn't spend long enough with this one to get much secondary flavor.

Chapoutier 1991 Cote Rotie
Sweet perfumey nose with rich leather, white pepper. Sweet red fruit. Very pleasant. Liked this quite a bit and was glad to see it showing well. Lively for a older wine. $50

Coltibuono 1990 Sangioveto
Smells velvety. Sweet fruit with rich candy cherry flavors. Still has lots of fruit and years left, but no reason not to drink it now. Pride Mountain 1998 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley Cinnamon, mint, pencil, leaf stem nose. Rich sweet fruit and some hints of bitter chocolate. Classic Cabernet Franc characteristics. Nice. Lots of complexity for a young wine. This is much more open and accessible than it was last year. $50

Domaine de Baumard 1990 Quarts de Chaume
I've always been curious about these - this was my first exposure to it. Fruit cocktail, canned vegetables nose. Moderately sweet, medium-bodied and quite fruity. Light and delicate. Might benefit from a hair more acidity.

Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraugey 1986 Sauternes
Heavy botrytis nose - seems a touch oxidized. Petrol. Heavy sweet fruit. Nice, not up to the 1987 I enjoyed a couple years ago. Spy Valley 2002 Sauvignon Blanc Very pale in the glass with an imperceptible hint of green. Zippy nose of lime zest, cat's spray, green herbs. Nice fruit on the palate. $11

Chateau Plaisance 2000 Bordeaux Superieur
12.5% alcohol. Deeply colored and opaque, nearly black at the center. Looks thick. Nose suggests tannin, ink, pencil lead, some black fruit. Cottony tannins on the palate with some slightly obscured black fruits. One dimensional. Needs some time. I suspect a concentration machine was used in producing this wine. $12

Domaine des Cantarelles 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Vin de Pays du Gard
60% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon - Piercing and expressive nose of caramel oak wth black fruit and a touch of rich leather. Touch roasted. Suggestive of Northern Rhone to me in many ways. Black fruits and saddle leather on the palate with a pronounced black cherry finish with a hint of green pepper. Tannins present all across the palate. Medium to full-bodied made to seem thicker by the tannin. Impressive value. $12

Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy 2001 Sancerre Cuvee Les Coutes
Minerals, flint, soil, lime-lemon citrus fruit intermingled with tropical fruit and cherry stones. Medium-light bodied and trangy with fairly good intensity. Nice. $15

Kilikanoon 1998 Prodigal Clare Valley Old Vine Grenache
14.5% alcohol. Raw american oak and balsa wood with strawberry and cherry fruit and Grenachey zest. Touch of licorice. More cherry on the palate. Just okay. $17

These next notes came from a wine tasting organized by a local retailer. The location was a great Chinese-Vietnames restaurant in Richardson called Caravelle. Great staff and (what seems to me) authentic food.

Plumpjack 2001 Chardonnay Reserve Napa Valley
14.7% alcohol. Cream, pear, vanilla, caramel on the nose. Clean and surprisingly elegant. I was expecting something a lot more over the top. Pleasant, overpriced. $43

Willm 2001 Gentil Alsace
Liquid detergent, flowery, spicy, nose. Very pretty nose. Decent value. $9

Willm 2001 Pinot Blanc Alsace
Skunky melon. Not great. $9

Willm 2001 Pinot Gris Alsace
Also skunky on the nose, like the Pinot Blanc, but with minerals. Better on the palate with rich tropical fruit and a hint of residual sugar. Nice. $9

Willm 2001 Riesling Alsace
Wet stone, saline, brine, lime. Yuck! $9

Willm 2001 Gewurztraminer Alsace
Pretty, spicy nose. Rich fruit, off-dry barely. Nice Asian food wine. $9

Domaine Albert Mann 2000 Pinot Auxerrois Vielles Vignes
12.8% alcohol. Vinous with some minerals. Didn't do much for me. $17

Domaine Albert Mann 2000 Riesling Cuvee Albert
13% alcohol. Wet stones, hint of melon. Follows through on the palate. Outstanding with pork dumplings. $19

Domaine Schoffit 2001 Chasselas Vielles Vignes Cuvee Caroline
Riesling-like nose with stone fruit perfume. Not bad. $19

Domaine Schoffit 2000 Tokay Pinot Gris Cuvee Caroline
13.5% alcohol. Deeper color than other wines in the flight with a hint of gold. Butter and perfume on the nose. Rich off-dry on the palate with stonefruit, melon. Mineral and melon finish. Hint of botritys or is it just muscaty? $25

Charles Schleret 1998 Gewurztraminer Herrenweg
13.5% alcohol. Floral Gewurztraminer nose - which I take to mean the lychee nut spice thing - powerfully fragrant. Fruitless and watery on the palate. $35

Domaine Albert Mann 2001 Gewurztraminer
13.5% alcohol. Cheese-like nose. Minerals. Also watery. $20

Domaine Schoffit 2000 Gewurztraminer Cuvee Caroline Harth
13.5% alcohol. Floral and perfumey nose. Richest and most complete of the flight. $25

Jean Marc Boillot 1997 Volnay
Nice, but got lost. Plastic funk. Nondescript and vinous palate. $35

Joseph Drouhin 1998 Pommard
Earthy touch funky, green leaf, cinnamon, strawberry. Wonderfully complex nose. Palate is very dry and tart. Just for smelling. $33

Violot-Guillemard 1997 Pommard-Epenots Premier Cru
Very funky initially - one taster suggested it smelled a bit like marijuana. Clear at the rim to nearly a 1/4 inch. Soft strawberry and plum fruit. So So. $49

Jean-Claude Rateau/Thoenig 1997 Beaune "LesReversees" Premier Cru
Pepper funk Pinot nose. Balsa wood. Sweet cherry fruit nose. Medium-bodied. Tart finish. $43

Violot-Guillemard 1997 Beaune Clos de Mouches Premier Cru
Smells tart and herbal. Doesn't show well on its own, but was excellent as a chaser to Hong Kong Style Beef with Broccoli. Wine lost most of its character in the act, however. $53

Michel Gros 1997 Nuits-Saint-Georges "Les Chaliots"
Tart, not interesting. Pass. $31

Henri de Villaamont 1997 Gevrey-Chambertin
Deeper color than brethren. Cherry, medicinal fruit and similar flavors on the palate. This was a tough flight to like. $33

Seghesio 1999 Venom Rattlesnake Hill Alexander Valley
Sweet brown sugar and cherry nose. 100% Sangiovese I am told. Sweet, but simple on the palate. Dried cherry fruit and leather. Reminds me a bit of a Dal Forno Amarone. Nice oddity. $33

Plumpjack 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Deep color with caramel and inky brown sugar nose (where did I get this brown sugar thing on these two wines?) Toasty French oak. Tannic. Dark fruits. Needs some time - hard and not all that great now. $60

Pahlmeyer 1999 Red Napa Valley
Eucalyptus, mint, anise - sweet smelling. Rich and balance. Nice. Really showing well and no cellaring required. Ouch on the price tag. $100

Hendry 2000 Zinfandel Block 7
Very nice - spicy brown maple sugar. Espresso. Tastes bigger and brighter than the block 28. 15.1% alcohol.

Hendry 2000 Zinfandel Block 28
15.8% alcohol. Zinberry, brown sugar, raisins. This has been open about two days according to the provider. Nice, but its sibling showed more exuberance. Hendry 2000 Zinfandel Block 7 Very nice - spicy brown maple sugar. Espresso. Tastes bigger and brighter than the block 28. 15.1% alcohol. $27

Jaboulet 1998 Croze Hermitage Les Jalets
Pepper, balsa wood, hint of Brett. Tart lemony finish. Seems to be missing its middle. Not great. $13

Spelletich Cellars 1998 Bodog Red Napa Valley
Lavender, herb, chocolate covered cherry. Smooth but with edgy quality. $30

Turley 2000 Zinfandel Juveniles California
Beautiful and exotic smelling nose - cinnamon, clove, anise, flint. Moderate acidity with tight red and black fruits on the palate. Lemony finish. Nose is the best feature. $20

D'Arenberg 2001 The Laughing Magpie McLaren Vale
95% Shiraz, 5% Viognier. 14.5% alcohol. Apricot, shoe polish, stone fruit, ancho chiles, and strawberries on the nose. Smells exotic. Deeply colored and rather thick looking in the glass. Ripe fruit. Medium-full bodied with decent concentration. Bit less complex on the palate. $37

Colosi 2000 Sicilia
Roasted earth, plummy cardboard black cherry fruit. Low-acid orange juice. Medium-bodied with good concentration. Bit of a simple quaffer but very pleasant. Reminds me in some ways of Pinot Noir with lower acidity. $12

Casa Castillo 2000 Monastrell Jumilla
Nice nose right out of the gate - cassis, cinnamon bark, black cherry, candy, earth, and iodine. Sweet fruit. Medium-full bodied with some interesting gravel and stonefruit mid-palate. Pretty nice juice for the buck. $10

Andrew Murray 1999 Esperance Santa Barbara County
Moderately deep color - the wine stained the upper third of the bottle with sediment. Clearing at the rim. Nose of orange juice and smoking rubber. Medium-full bodied with ripe fruit and tangy acidity. Acidity a bit overwhelming at times. $18

Ruston Family 1998 Merlot Napa Valley
Started off slowly - angular and short. Smells like American oak to me. With time it took on some herbal, chocolate, black and blue fruit. Rather short on the palate. Medium-full bodied. Mostly about the nose, but better than my first impressions suggested. $35

Cheers!
James

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