Tasting Notes From October 2004

Pride Mountain
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
This big monster is finally settling down. Clearly still an intense wine with ink-like concentration, dense black currant fruit, and a hefty wallop of toasty cedar and oak. However, the wine has shed its most painful tannins and seems to be getting into a very drinkable stage. Not exactly complex, but it has lots of things to keep your attention. Improved with a little air. $50

Justin
2001 Isoceles
Paso Robles
This wine was surprisingly soft and approacable. Round, ripe chocolatey black and red fruit tinged with cedar. Decent, but a little pricey for what it is perhaps.

Torbreck
2001 The Steading
Barossa Valley
A wine with one foot in Australia and the other in the Rhone valley. A really nice expression of Grenache, blended with Syrah and Mourvedre. Red fruits, like strawberry and plum with some roasted nuances and pepper. Decent. $30

Brewer Clifton
2000 Chardonnay
Marcella's Vineyard
Rather tight and Burgundian with minerals and hazelnut aromas. Somewhat austere, but concentrated. Might have been a candidate for aging. Not truly my style, but interesting.

Domaine des Aphillanthes
2001 Cotes du Rhone
Cuvee Trois Cepage
Kind of a like-it or hate-it wine. Mona hated it, describing it as olive juice. While it certainly had an olive component, it also had some juicy black fruit. Slightly hard-edged and seeming more Northern Rhone Syrah than Southern Rhone blend to me. I did not like this as much as I have previous vintages, and the price may not be quite as attractive relative to the wine. $27

Forefathers
2002 Shiraz
McLaren Vale
Tough not to identify this one as Aussie Shiraz, given its vanilla and blackberry liqueur aromas. However, it did have some additional aromatics of coffee and a hint of mint, green, or green pepper suggesting a cooler vintage perhaps. $24

Loring Wine Company
2002 Pinot Noir
Clos Pepe Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills
Lovely wine with a spicy nose and lots of rich cola flavored red fruit. A big, fruit-forward Pinot. $40

Quinta do Alqueve
2001 Touriga Nacional
Vinho Regional Ribatejano
Funky, strange wine with a unappealing green plant quality. Some new oak and red fruit. Unbalanced. Not good. $30

Kaesler
2002 Stonehorse
Barossa Valley
A Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend, with proportions of roughly 60% Grenache, 32% Syrah, and 8% Mourvedre. Decent. No detailed notes. $18

Domaine Pierre Amiot et Fils
1997 Morey St. Denis
Premier Cru, Les Millandes
A lovely little red Burgundy. Translucent ruby in the glass with hints of a tawny color in certain light. Aromas of tangy black cherry, copper, and earth. Medium-bodied with ripe red fruits that take the balanced middle ground between soft, hard, sweet, and dry. A pleasant surprise. Thanks to Lance S. of Centennial for the recommendation. $20

Neyers
1999 Merlot
Napa Valley
Showing nicely with nuances of St. Emilion in its cigar, cedar, and red currant, red raspberry flavors. Smoky, in a way not suggesting a lot of oak. Suggestion of mentholatum...14.1% alcohol. I like this for the price. Went reasonably well with a dinner of seared chicken breasts sauced with a raspberry, balsamic, carmelized onion sauce, brussel sprouts, and rice....smells a bit like hard red berry candy… $23

Valdipiatta
1997 Vino Nobile de Montelpuciano

Initially a little thin smelling with an aroma slightly like brown sugar, however the color is dark and healthy with some translucency at the edges. Red and black berry fruit at first, along with the suggestion of brown sugar and sap-like flavors. Aromatically a bit muted. Medium-bodied and a bit vinous with black cherry fruit. Becoming chunky and somewhat tannic/austere mid-palate on. $24

Garretson
1999 Syrah
Fralich Vineyard, Paso Robles
13% alcohol. The color of this wine has a slightly tawny hue. Aromas of hickory, blood, and copper. Rather high-toned, Rhonish and slightly funky. Hmmm. Not great wine. Serviceable with a homecooked dish of risotto with braised leeks and mushrooms. $30

Sean Thackrey
NV Pleiades X
California
Clear at the edges, about 1/8" in. Mostly translucent otherwise with a slight rusty hue. Looks like a Chateauneuf du Pape or a Pinot Noir. Sweet red cherries and berries. Medium-bodied, complex. Suggestions of minerals, wax. Red fruit. A nice little wine. $18

Marquis Philips
2001 Shiraz
9, McLaren Vale
My first thought was, "this has really calmed down and mellowed out." Then I began to think it was a little disjointed and showing some alcohol late. Anyway, it was still pretty tasty, and a huge fruit bomb of vanilla, raspberry, and blueberry milkshake. $30

Zoom
NV Zinfandel
California Selection, Lot 3
14.0% alcohol by the label. Apparently Zoom is made by Rosenblum? I had no idea…Anyway, this wine was a great match for spicy Italian food - namely Penne Arrabiatta and pizza. Shows a slight note of clove on the nose with lots of zinberry fruit. There is a sense of sweetness and residual sugar on the palate. With further sniffing, it smells a little overly fruity, like a Beaujolais or some other tank fermented wine. Excellent QPR and food pairing possibilities though. $10

Schweiger
2000 Chardonnay
Napa Valley
Tasting about the same as last time, with sweet apple juice flavors. Soft, a bit lacking in nuance, but a nice change from some Chardonnays that are missing fruit and dominated by oak. A little flabby. $24

Unti
2002 Sangiovese
Dry Creek Valley
This didn't make a strong impression on me tonight and didn't fare well with a dinner of penne with red sauce. Some cherry and brown sugar notes. Medium-full bodied. The flavors seemed muddled. Just okay. $24

Zonte's Footsteps
2002 Shiraz Viognier
Pathadaway
Screw cap top. 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. Unknown whether the Viognier was cofermented or not. Excellent, albeit heavy, aromatics of peaches, nectarines, and honey suckle over black fruit. Full-bodied, lush, and concentrated. Deeply colored. Pretty nice, and decent value at this price. $16

Vacheron
2003 Sancerre
Rich and concentrated. Full bodied for Sancerre. Creamy lime fruit. Later I picked up some chalk and minerality. Trades the usual Sancerre precision and focus for power. A sense of sweetness from the fruit. Some tasters found this an odd combination of green and sweet. $24 Dinner at DeTapas

Drappier
1996 Brut
Grande Sendree
Rich aromas with toasty almonds. Pretty good. Price? Dinner at DeTapas

Darting
2001 Riesling
Pfalz
Firm smelling with steely, sulfury qualities. This contrasts with the palate which is bursting with sweet Riesling fruit. Medium sweet. Probably not placed correctly in the meal. Dinner at DeTapas

Louisvale
2003 Chardonnay
Stellenbosch
The oak aromas on the nose of this wine are moderate. It does not smell tremendously oaked, but you couldn't miss it. Apple and malo with a bit of light cereal. The oak is much more pronounced on the palate and gives the finish a tannic quality. Eh. $16 Dinner at DeTapas

Franz Hirtzberger
1996 Gruner Veltliner
Smaragd
Oily texture and nose. Lots of petrol. Seems bit more like old Riesling on the nose, but the texture is all Gruner. Served a bit too warm and too old in my opinion. Dinner at DeTapas

Copain
2002 Viognier
Broken Leg, Anderson Valley
Now we're getting someplace. Pretty nose of perfumed apricots, and a tinge of something like licorice. Semi sweet and concentrated on the palate with a somewhat firm finish. Nice. Dinner at DeTapas

GD Vajra
2001 Barbera d'Alba
Superiore
Dense, slightly tannic smelling on the nose, though the palate is a bit softer. Corpulent, but a little hollow. Tree bark and old wood nuances surround, and to some extent bury, a core of black fruit. A rather serious Barbera that I would like to try again sometime. A little pricey. $32 Dinner at DeTapas

Falesco
1999 Montiano
Lazio
"Savory" nose was the word someone chose to describe this. I think it is apt, but the Barbera was also rather savory in that case. Concentrated, sweet tannin structure. Slight roasted nuts and soy sauce with black currant and menthol. Needs time, but promising. One of my better experiences with Montiano. Dinner at DeTapas

Chapoutier
1996 Cornas
Corked Dinner at DeTapas

Loring
2002 Pinot Noir
Clos Pepe Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills
Cool climate nose of citrus-lime, smoke. Rich, concentrated black fruit. Sort of like black cherry but darker. Nice. $42 Dinner at DeTapas

Copain
2002 Pinot Noir
Hacienda Secoya, Anderson Valley
Comparisons are to the Loring tasted along side. Smells a bit similar to the Loring, but more black cherry and cola flavors. Clearly more identifiable as Pinot. Slight earth undertone. Nice. Dinner at DeTapas

Vergenoegd
1995 Merlot
Stellenbosch
Green jalapeno nose. Some olive and dust. Medium bodied currant fruit. Eh. Dinner at DeTapas

Tormaresca
2001 Bocca di Lupo
Castel del Monte
Slightly dry and dusty aromas on the nose. Meaty concentrated wine. Decent. My notes are not doing this justice. There was more to this wine. Dinner at DeTapas

Avondale
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Paarl
This wine has yet to wine label approval, but is supposed to retail for about $15. 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The initial thing I pick out on the nose is a suggestion of (clean) baby wipes. Then it seems to clear up and show more polished black currant fruit. Plush and tasty. This is good value. Tasted again on day 2, this wine had developed a somewhat stemmy aroma that was a detractor for me. Dinner at DeTapas

Veramonte
2002 Primus
Casablanca Valley
Funky green nose - really a strange aroma, but not bad. Polished black fruit. Medium bodied, okay. Dinner at DeTapas

Hartenberg
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Stellenbosch
Polished, rich and concentrated red currant fruit. Decent fruity sweetness. My notes leave a lot to be desired here. $24 Dinner at DeTapas

Reininger
2001 Syrah
Walla Walla
Slightly green and suggesting a cooler climate initially on the nose. Lots of fruit, but a bit vinous. The next day, this seemed grapey and boring. Dinner at DeTapas

Joseph Swan
2000 Zinfandel
Sonoma County Late Picked
Touch of caramel to the nose, with syrupy aromas that tip you off that this wine will be sweet. Sweet brambleberry liqueur on the palate. Thick, concentrated flavors. Decent, but I wasn't in the mood for it. Dinner at DeTapas

Garretson
2001 Viognier
Fralich Vineyard, Paso Robles
A little too sweet with apple juice overtones. Competently made, but not what I was hoping for. Did not have as much apricot and peach flavor as I would have expected from a wine made in this sweet style.

Justin
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon
Reserve, Paso Robles
Wow! This wine is lush and concentrated with seamless flavors of black currant and black berry. Lots of new oak, that comes across in a sweet, creamy, almost Aussie flavor profile. Monolithic, but very satisfying.

Pax
2001 Syrah
Lauterbach Hill, Russian River Valley
First the subtleties - minerals, game, blood. Medium bodied with black fruit. Nice length and texture, but it couldn't stand up very well to the hedonism of the Justin.

Mas Guiot
2003 Rose
Costieres de Nimes
Pretty nose that says "I am dry Rose" with aromas that remind me of dry leaves or something on the nose. Mona says it finishes a bit like cheap bubblegum (in a good way). Pretty nice, not stellar. $8

Kurtz Family
2002 Grenache Syrah Mourvedre
Boundary Row, Barossa Valley
Sweet ripe and juicy red berry fruit. Loads of upfront personality. The alcohol lists at 15%, but I don't get much sense of it. Worked surprisingly well with Indian cuisine - not brilliantly mind you, but they clashed much less than I would have expected. $18

Turley
2002 Zinfandel
Juvenile, California
Showing better than it did to my recollection when I last tasted it at the winery in May 2004. Peppery nose with clove and a concoction of tart red berry aromas. High toned on the palate with bright peppery red fruit over lemony acids. Hides its 15.5% alcohol quite well. Again, good, not great, and not really even up to Turley standards in my opinion. $24

Fairview Downs
2002 Goat Roti
South Africa
A Cote Rotie knockoff that appears to include a dollop of Viognier and Syrah, as well as some other varieties. Black cherry and sappy aromas.A bit hard edged and concentrated with chewey tannin.Decent. $15

Cheers!
James

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