Tasting Notes From September 2003
Chase
1999 Zinfandel
Hayne Vineyard
13.9% alcohol. Initially shows some yeast and bourbon barrel and cherries with a touch of oxidation.Vanilla and tea. Good complexity for a Zinfandel, but not loads of Zinfandel flavor. At times I thought it smelled rather Spanish in style but the palate is much sweeter. Maple. This is the best low octane Zinfandel I have had in a long time. Wines like this will make me eat crow about alcohol and Zinfandel.
$30
A blind tasting of 1998 Bordeaux at Rouge
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
1997 Pessac Leognan Blanc
Smoky, nutty minerals. Sweet palate with lingering caramel flavors. Quite oaky, but an interesting change of pace.
$50
Chateau Cantelys
1998 Pessac Leognan Blanc
Less oak and more grapefruit and acidity than the Smith Haut Lafitte. Brisk acid, more new world in style. Fennel component on revisiting.
Chateau Cote de Baleau
1998 St. Emilion
1 - Tar minerals old wood. Sweet tannin makes it approachable. Black currant and mocha flavors. Decidedly right bank.
Chateau la Pointe
1998 Pomerol
2- Perfumed and pretty on the nose with a floral note. Accessible, soft currant fruit. This is nice for current consumption.
Chateau Chauvin
1998 St. Emilion
3- Deeply colored, opaque in the glass. Showing some corkiness, but some of us still found it rather drinkable. Lush black fruit. Lots of potential. Retasting it later the TCA had become more pronounced and offensisve.
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte
1998 Pessac Leognan
4- Deep color. Sweet oak with a touch of pickle on the nose. Rich fruit. Possible potential here and lots to like. Yum. Shows some coffee with time.
Chateau Haut Cardinal
1998 St. Emilion
5- Austere mineral and tannin nose. Cocoa and bittersweet chocolate. More accessible and sweeter on the attack than nose suggests. Good length. Finishes with light red fruit.
Chateau Angelus
1998 St. Emilion
6- Oh, here we go. Mocha, espresso. Sweetish nose that is decidedly right bank. Big sweet palate. Espresso and jam. Shows class, breeding. Nice potential. My Wine of the Night. Thanks to Michael Vickery for bringing this.
Chateau Haut Marbuzet
1998 St. Estephe
7- I was convinced this was the Faugeres that I brought, but it wasn't even St. Emilion. Deep color. Sour animal on the nose. Silky and tannic smelling. Decent. Needs some time?
Chateau Faugeres
1998 St. Emilion
8- Deep color, sweet oak nose. Dried red fruit. Nice concentration but a bit monolithic. Espresso. This was a "zero" for Howard…huh? I think this could get better.
$25
Chateau de Bourgreneuf
1998 Pomerol
9- Lightly stemmy green streak. White pepper. Bit tart. Greenish palate. Red currant.
Chateau La Fleur de Bouard
1998 Lalande de Pomerol
10- Moderately deep color. Sharp nose, somewhat more lush on the palate and then sharp again in the finish. ???
Torbreck
2001 Woodcutter's Red
Barossa Valley
An interesting wine for its peppery, Rhony personality. Medium-bodied with strawberry and plum fruit flavors, a hint of herbs and leather?. Mona described it as smelling a little plastic. High toned in nature, so I suppose it should be versatile with food.
$17
Brancott
2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
Different this tasting - had a more aggressively green nose with hints of jalapeno and bell pepper. Herbs, dust. Decent sweetness on the palate, but with a retronasal dustiness again. Would this be better chalked up as bottle variation, or variations in my palate?
$9
Stonegate
1995 Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
A pleasant wine. Shows lots of currant and strawberry fruit, along with some cedar and a bit of red fruit liqueur. Has a port-like aspect on the nose, perhaps the result of time in the bottle or poor storage at some point. This has been in our cellar for three or more years, but was bought late off the shelf at retail. Medium-bodied, and the color is showing just a hint of browning. Still fairly dark in color and opaque over all. A pleasant surprise.
$25
Lewis
2000 Alec's Blend
Napa Valley
This wine is a bit of puzzle to me. Larry loves it, but I tend to find it pleasant, a bit overly oaked, and the grape flavors muddied due to the blending choice. Okay, but not something I want to drink often.
$30
Mom's 54th birthday
Patz and Hall
1999 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley
This Pinot was showing well on this occasion. Leafy red fruits that make its variety obvious. Medium-bodied, good acid cut for food. Pretty nice.
$30
Mom's 54th birthday
Neyers
1999 Merlot
Napa Valley
14.1% alcohol. This wine was a bit disappointing. On the nose it showed lots of potential with red liqueur, coffee, and wet earth notes. On the palate it has a sweet attack but a muddy midpalate and an rather abbreviated finish. Overpriced and I paid $9 less than retail.
$28
Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa
2001 Chardonnay
Cuvee allier Navarra
Outstanding Chardonnay value! Rich, polished nose of ginger and coconut, cinnamon, spicy pear fruit. Good length and sweetness. Like it. This is like a baby Beringer Sbragia Chardonnay.
$11
Albada
2000 Garnacha
Calatayud
A pleasant wine with juicy strawberry and other red fruit flavors. Medium-full bodied, slightly kool-aid like sweetness. Some grip, but could be more concentrated. Has a hint of tar or creosote adding interest on the nose and in the finish. Reasonably good value.
$12
Castano
2001 Hecula
Yecla
This wine was showing well tonight. At times it reminded me of a baby Carlisle Two Acres. Shows tons of black cherry fruit accented by a waxy quince(?) nuance. On the palate the fruit theme continues with lush fruit, a good amount of sweetness and richness, and an edge of minerality and hardness that remind you this is Monastrell. Compelling wine.
$12
Gary Farrell
2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Redwood Ranch
Zippy fruit on the nose, lime, lemon pear, crystals. Richer and sweeter on the palate with a creamy midsection. Pretty good.
$17
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
Gary Farrell
2001 Chardonnay
Russian River Valley
Minerals, spicy pears, and a fairly hefty amount of French oak minerality on the nose. Rich pear fruit with a hint of sweet. Good.
$25
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
Gary Farrell
2000 Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley
Spicy, almost Zinfandel-like nose. Strawberry and tomato fruit. Metallic edge. Decent richness and a Pinot-esque, acidy finish lingering light leaves.
$29
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
Gary Farrell
2000 Zinfandel
Maple Vineyard Dry Creek Valley
Muddy nose. Sweet maple. Rather soft. Not my style of Zinfandel.
$26
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
Gary Farrell
2000 Merlot
Hillside
Dust and a hint of coffee along with an even smaller hint of liqueur. Bit austere on the palate. Tough. Needs time or was harvested a bit underripe.
$26
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
Gary Farrell
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sonoma County
Good sweetness - currant jam on toast - on the nose. Somewhat tannic. Decent. This and the Pinot were the most compelling of the reds.
$27
Gary Farrell Tasting at Sigels
A weekend in New York City
Lorca
2000 Pinot Gris
Monterrey
Great acids with a sweet edge and peach citrus fruit. Quite tasty.
$16
Dinner at Grammercy Tavern, NYC
Copain
2001 Syrah
Eaglepoint Ranch Mendocino
Very interesting wine in that it seems to have one foot in the Rhone valley and one foot in California. Smoky Rhone nose with melted licorice, creosote, liqueur - terroir. Rich, full bodied and spicy. Nice wine that could benefit from a few months or more in the bottle. I like it better than Parker's score of 90 points. Went very well with Mona's rabbit, less successfully with my sea bass with cepes and faro.
$45
Dinner at Grammercy Tavern, NYC
Schneider
2000 Cabernet Franc
Long Island
Starts off well with violets and a stemmy quality I associate with lighter-styled Cabernet Francs like one finds in the Loire. However, the mid palate and finish are non-existent. Ho hum
$20
Dinner at Grammercy Tavern, NYC
St. Helena
2000 Viognier
Napa Valley
Watery and slightly bitter in the finish. Some apricoty notes.
Morrel Wine Bar, NYC
Terrabianca
1999 Campaccio
IGT Toscana
Full-bodied with tooth-staining tannins. Black cherry fruit and a hint of new oak. Nice, needs some time. This is in my top 5 Italians so far this year.
$30
Morrell Wine Bar, NYC
Scott Paul
2001 Pinot Noir
Pisoni Vineyard
This Pinot was rockin'. Slightly reticent on the nose. On the palate it showed rich black fruit with beautiful texture. Done in the ripe Pinot Noir mold. Like it.
$40
Morrell Wine Bar, NYC
Feudi di San Gregorio
2001 Fiano di Avellino
Floral, honeysuckle. This is good.
$18
Dinner at Babbo, NYC
Antoniolo
1997 Gattinara
Vigneto Castelle
This Nebbiolo reminded me strongly of Pinot Noir. Semi transclucent in the glass. Delicate fruit with cherries. Some acids in the finish. This is a wine that is more difficult to like.
Dinner at Babbo, NYC
Alain Graillot
1999 Croze Hermitage
La Guiraude
Intense wine. On the nose it shows sweet tapenade, smoke, dark fruit, terroir. Still young.
$30
Dinner at Montrachet, NYC
Clarendon Hills
2001 Grenache
Clarendon Vineyard
Off in the nose…smells like glue and alcohol. Porty. Balsa wood. Sweeter on the palate with the glue like flavor returning retronasaly. Eh?
$40
Dinner at Montrachet, NYC
Eric Texier
2000 Cotes du Rhone
Brezeme
Slightly cloudy in the glass. Lots of horse and animal on the nose. Medium-full bodied with reserved black fruit.
$10
Woop Woop
2003 V
South Australia
This appears to be mostly Verdelho. Comes in a screwcap bottle. This received rather poor ratings from Parker, but I thought it was a very pleasant little white with lime zest and stone fruit flavors all packaged in a sweet tart package. Decent.
$10
Robert Craig
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon
Mt. Veeder Napa Valley
Deeply colored with no clearing. A big wine with a thick palate impression due to lingering tannins. Rather rough and tumble on the outside with a core of black currant fruit. Cedar and eucalyptus nuances. Nice wine.
Dinner at Oishii with Mom & Dad
Field Stone
1999 Chardonnay
Reserve Carneros
Very low acid Chardonnay with creamy French oak and pear juice fruit.
$10
Dinner at Oishii with Mom & Dad
d'Arenberg
2002 Laughing Magpie
McLaren Vale
Pretty nose of overripe apricots and peaches. Sweetish black fruit on the palate. Full bodied, with good concentration. Nice.
$40
Dinner at Oishii with Mom & Dad
Neyers
2000 Zinfandel
Tofanelli Vineyard
Sweet liqueur nose with yeasty bramble fruit. Sweet and a bit like a dessert wine. Perfect way to end the meal.
$30
Dinner at Oishii with Mom & Dad
Spy Valley
2003 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
Like green liquid granite and a bit of steel. Initially I thought it could use more fruit and it seemed very dry and green. Impressive intensity though. The next day I found it had better and "sweeter" fruit, still lots of intensity. I want to open another bottle before making any conclusions. Tanzer rated this 91, higher than any other New Zealand wine in the issue.
$12
Domaine le Aphillanthes
1999 Cotes du Rhone Villages
Cuvee 3 Cepages
Deeply colored and mostly opaque. Nose shows a touch of sweet black fruit and tree bark along with minerals and graphite. Seemed rather restrained and a little hard or closed on the palate. The next day it seemed more open knit with good sweet fruit on the palate. Pricey at $24, but a heck of a Cotes du Rhone.
$24
The Wishing Tree
2002 Shiraz
Western Australia
This looks like a tasty value Shiraz, along the same lines as the 2001 Paringa Shiraz. Sweet red fruit, ala Kool-aid with some vanilla notes. Pleasant quaff.
$10
A blind tasting of wines at Oishii
Chapoutier
1997 St. Joseph
Blanc Les Deschamps
1 - Stinky, skunky, smoky nose. Burnt nuts. Oxidation, coconut. Fat and low acid in the mouth. Marsanne? I don't care for this.
Mas Carlot
2002 Cuvee R
Costieres de Nimes
2 - Interesting nose of baby powder and sweet stone fruit. Very ripe Riesling. Good value. This is better than the first time I tasted this wine.
$10
Zind Humbrecht
2000 Pinot Gris
Clos Windsbuhl
3 - Sweet nose of melons, apples, asian pear. Rich palate with a pineapple finish. This is great Pinot Gris. 14.5% alcohol.
Didesheim Kieselberg
2000 Riesling
Pfalz
Lychee flavored, sweeter Riesling. Okay.
Nigl
2001 Gruner Veltliner
Privat
5 - Gruner? Peanut butter. Waxy and saline. Bigger mouthfeel with moderate acids. Interesting but not necessarily pleasant. Needs time maybe.
$35
Nigl
2001 Gruner Veltliner
Alte Reben
5.5 - Similar to the Privat but more accessible and with much more fruit. Wax, tropical fruit, less saline, vague melon fruit and minerals.
$30
Cloudy Bay
2002 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough
5 - Clearly New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or a very ripe Sancerre or Pouilly Fume. Sweet candied lemon fruit. This is pretty nice.
Cooper Mountain
1998 Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley Oregon Grab Horn Vineyard
Clove and cinnamon on the nose. American oak? Very weird wine. Not easily identifiable as Pinot Noir. Medium-full bodied with structure but a good amount of fruit.
Schneider
2000 Cabernet Franc
Long Island
Earthy violets. Cottony tannins initially then becomes a little watery and soft in the finish. The nose shows some toasted oak, earth, violets, and stems.
$20
Foppiano
2001 Petite Sirah
Paso Robles
This is a big chunky wine with a spicy nose of clove and baking spices. Thick in the mouth and showing some rustic tannins. Sweet fruit and tannins share space on the palate. Bit grapy. Nice value and a neat expression of Petite Sirah.
$12
Cline
2001 Mourvedre
Ancient Vines Contra Costa County
15.5% alcohol. Slightly translucent dark ruby in the glass. The alcohol doesn't really show on the nose. Instead one gets ripe black cherries, balsa wood, and a touch of an unidentifiable animal/wax/sap component. Ripe on the palate, though lacking slightly in intensity. Ever so slightly hot and bitter on the finish, but a pleasant wine overall for a grape that can be tough to love.
$15
San Fereolo
2000 Dolcetto di Dogliani
Superiore
13.5% alcohol. A thick wine with ample tannin and slightly austere fruit. Medium-bodied despite the texture of the tannins. Dark fruits and old wood.
$10
Cheers!
James
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