(WT070710-01) 09 RIAS BAIXAS ALBARINO, LA CANA $16.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SPAIN) Fresh, attractively scented. Juicy peach and lucuma. Perfect posture. Very fine spritz./ Full and buxom. Big, expressive fruit. Mineral backbone and satisfying, zesty piquance. Flavorful, juicy, dry, balanced. 09 ease, confidence. Quaffable. Invites food. 16.3+.
How many:
(WT070710-02) 09 WHITEHAVEN MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC $19.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Decidedly tropical. Mango. Also peach. 09 ease, immediacy. But not without edgy aspects like cat, grass, capsicum, and minerals./ Passion fruit, grass, citrus peel, capsicum. Soft and easy. Juicy acidity as foil. Gives cut, edge. Very culling and brittle. Tropics flavors, good and generous. Very intense, very expressive. Good power and length too. All the yin and yang that is fine Marlborough sauvignon blanc. 16.4.
How many:
(WT070710-03) 09 THE CROSSINGS AWATERE VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC $13.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Crisp and clear and very classy. Lots of minerals. The aromatic properties are not fully developed yet. / Well, this has the feel if not the flavor formation.. Acid, juice, texture, dryness. Edgy, penetrating,. Sancerre like. Acts like it was just shipped. Give it a couple of weeks for aroma and flavor recovery. 16.4+.
How many:
(WT070710-04) 08 NIEDEROSTERREICH GRUNER VELTLINER SINGING, LAURENZ V & SOPHIE $13.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (AUSTRIA) Very good 08 body, texture, extract. And that's just on the nose./ Full, and fulfilled at this age. Apple and snap pea. Juicy. Very satisfying. Well liked by the group. 16.4.
How many:
(WT070710-05) 09 COTES DU RHONE BLANC, DOMAINE MIREILLE & VINCENT $11.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Really quite full for M&V. Pulpy yellow fruit, especially melon. And good green fruit qualities of a Med dry white. Floral overtones and hint of allspice./ Quite powerful. Dried fruits, exotic floral accents, and dash of spice. Lovin' these 09 Med whites! 16.0.
How many:
(WT070710-06) 09 BORDEAUX CLAIRET, CHATEAU DE FONTENILLE $10.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) Tart, dry, and astringent model of clairet, a style between rose and red. Red raspberry, strawberry, cranberry sauce. Lots of cabernet franc peels extracts./ Compact, solidly built, distinct cabernet franc fruit. Lots of peels strengths. Intriguingly red-wine like. Needs time. Will prove better in fall than in summer...with food. Liked by the group. 15.6+.
How many:
(WT070710-07) 09 RIOJA ROSE, BODEGAS MUGA $11.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SPAIN) Ooh! Fresh, crisp, dry, penetrating. Juicy red plum, cherry, and berries. White peach too./ Flavorful, cool, yet powerful like many a Spanish rose. Sleek, classy, charming, even seductive. Dry, juicy, long. Full bodied food rose. Very popular with the group. 16.7.
How many:
(WT070710-08) 08 MEDGIDIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON DRY, MURFATLAR $7.49 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ROMANIA) Dry, fruity, astute. Genuine sweet currant cabernet fruit./ Snappy, spicy, flavorful. Dry, with good acidity. Lovely. Good now with food. Best Romanian cabernet I've tasted. The group agreed, in part because it was the FIRST Romanian cabernet many had tasted. 15.9.
How many:
(WT070710-09) 08 PELEE ISLAND ONTARIO CABERNET FRANC $9.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (CANADA) Clear and cool-climate and vinous. 08 close and compact, but not mean. Ripe and right. Subtle northern cabernet franc highlights./ Whoa! Dense, strapping, deep. Big red raspberry flavor. Not too black or tart. Has ease and harmony about it. Sincere, and sincerely good. As in previous vintages. This is always well crafted and price-worthy. Admired by the group. 16.2.
How many:
(WT070710-10) 08 MONTSANT, CELLER CAN BLAU $14.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SPAIN) Mazuelo (carignan), syrah, and garnacha. Dark and deep and purple fruited. Good take on 08 carignan. This has a nice edge. Though 08 dark, it's not sullen. You get the high altitude elegance of Montsant./ Broad-beamed, lush black fruits plus smoke, char, black olive. Brisk, brash, bright, savory, juicy, tart. Great form and balance. Young. Rightly poised. 16.1+.
How many:
(WT070710-11) 09 VAUCLUSE CUVEE DE LA DAME VIEILLE, DOMAINE DU VIEUX CHENE $9.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 09 openness. Peels and peppercorn. Zesty, penetrating, youthful. Dark, brooding fruit core. With aeration come black cherry, violets, and woodsy tones./ Ripe, rich, dense, full. Great acidity.. Good edge. Tight and right. Needs air and age to show its pedigree. Popular with the group, several liking it right now. 15.9+.
How many:
(WT070710-12) 07 ANGOVE'S RED BELL BLACK SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHIRAZ $12.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (AUSTRALIA) Deep, dark, charry, sweet, powerful. Deep fruited. Scented red and black berries, cedar, tobacco, menthol. American oak./ Strong American oak. Plenty of power and punch. Lots of sandalwood and tobacco. A sturdy BBQ choice. 15.6.
How many:
(WT070710-13) 07 BONNY DOON LE POUSSEUR CENTRAL COAST SYRAH $16.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (CALIFORNIA) Lift, fruit, flowers. Raspberry. Some peppercorn. Genuine cool climate syrah properties. Some oak vanillin. Persistent./ Cherry and spice flavors. Forceful, tannic, acidic, dry..The palate really needs time to settle in. The group appreciated its Euro syrah qualities. 15.8+.
How many:
(WT070710-14) PROSECCO DI VENETO SPAGO NERO, RIONDO $13.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SPARKLING) Apple and red peels. Pinot noir strawberry. Also raspberry and seeds, brambly zestiness./ Flavorful. Mild acidity. Easy to assimilate. Pretty warm and flat when I got to it. Still nice though. Likely even better when cold and first opened. The best this has tasted, even under the circumstances of a hot, muggy day.. 16.3.
How many:
(WT070710-15) PROSECCO ITALIA EXTRA DRY, GANCIA $9.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SPARKLING) Sweet and fruity enough. A rightful extra dry. Apple and spice./ Yes, good zest, apple, melon, tea, ginger. Extra dry level of sweetness is just right. Good value. 16.0.
How many:
(WT070710-16) MOSCATO D'ASTI, GANCIA $9.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) Thin and dull. Earthy./ The problem with non-vintage bottlings–you don't know the age. This one is clearly too old. Sweet, golden, tawny, watery. No thanks. 14.2-.
How many:
(WT070710-17) 07 COTNARI GRASA DE COTNARI, LEGACY $9.99 07/07/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ROMANIA) Verbena, wildflowers, chamomile. Warm, fermenting grass. Sweetish./ Sweet enough for Cotnari, but drier than most. Kabinett level sweetness. Tea, chamomile, flowers, orange, and apricot. Tangy acidity. 15.3.
How many:
(WT071410-01) 09 COLLI PIACENTINI ORTRUGO, SANTA GIUSTINA $11.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) Brisk and brittle, with tensile edginess. The significant amount of CO2 gives a little bread dough here, like in a bottle-fermented sparkling wine. After aeration, apple, melon, and stone fruits galore. And floral overtones./ Refreshing prickle, piquant and penetrating. Wonderful display of aromatics coupled with thirst-quenching vitality. 16.0.
How many:
(WT071410-02) 09 CHATEAU HAUT PASQUET, BORDEAUX BLANC $12.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) 40% each semillon and sauvignon blanc, 20% muscadelle. Semillon gives good density. Nice, lightly scented sauvignon airs of citrus, pear, grass, cat, and capsicum./ Young, rich, soft, and round semillon contributions. Frisky, pert acid carriage of sauvignon and muscadelle. Melon, pear, lemon, and gooseberry flavors. Shows the quality and abundance of the vintage. 16.2.
How many:
(WT071410-03) 09 DOLOMITI PINOT GRIGIO, MEZZA CORONA $8.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) Not a lot of aromatic display yet. Some floral airs./ Good brightness and lift of high altitude grigio. Fresh acidity. Give it a few weeks to blossom. 15.4+.
How many:
(WT071410-04) 09 ACROBAT OREGON PINOT GRIS $12.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) By King Estate. Brassy color./ Fresh, young, relatively undeveloped. Good etching of the nostril lining. Apple, melon, and nut aromas come with aeration./ Good mouthfeel. Vigorous fruit acidity. Medium body and intensity. Plump, waxy pinot gris sheen. Better in a couple of months. 15.8+.
How many:
(WT071410-05) 09 14 HANDS HOT TO TROT WASHINGTON WHITE $11.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Chardonnay and pinot gris. Well, this one holds little back. Pungent, heady. Some wood. Chardonnay apple. Plus pear and melon. Some exotic floral overtones. Insistent./ Orange zest note. Sweetish, strong, dense. Pinot gris viscosity. Very low acidity for Washington. 14.9.
How many:
(WT071410-06) 09 BLACK STAR FARMS ARCTUROS SUR LIE OLD MISSION PENINSULA CHARDONNAY $14.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Pungent, cool, penetrating. Crisp and lovely. Citrus, apple, pear, melon, and sur lie ‘woodiness', or nuttiness./ Plenty of lees autolysis flavors and feels. Ripe and racy, satiny. Sleek acid frame. Good depth and length. True to varietal. Well liked by the group. 16.3+.
How many:
(WT071410-07) 08 CLOS PEGASE MITSUKO'S VINEYARD CARNEROS CHARDONNAY $21.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Abundant, forthcoming oak toast and spice. Lots of oak vanillin too. And lots of stone fruit. Sugar and spice and everything nice. Elegant too./ Yes, rich vanilla coating. Oak toast. Malo creaminess. Burnished oak tannins. Good Carneros acidity puts all in prospective. Very attractive. Will be popular. 16.2.
How many:
(WT071410-08) 09 MOSEL RIESLING NOBLE HOUSE, DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER $15.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (GERMANY) Mosel crisp, Mosel riesling scented. Lime and peach. Apple, loquat, nutmeg, flowers. Nicely etched. Just right. One of the best in the series./ Yowsa! Flavorful! Sweet peach and sweet citrus. Lively, piquant, balanced, and long. Delicious 09 combo of ripeness and raciness. 16.6.
How many:
(WT071410-09) 07 DOURO, QUINTA DOS ACIPRESTES $8.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (PORTUGAL) Black Portuguese tinta fruit. Light touch of oak. Elegant, uplifting, racy. Very cool for Douro. Reminds me of a Montsant./ Good Portuguese tinta grip, dryness, acidity. Plenty of flair. Young still, with great bouquet and flavor potential. Everything's in place. Could take on spicy fare now. 16.3+.
How many:
(WT071410-10) 07 CHATEAU DU PAVILLON, BORDEAUX $12.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) Owned by the Fertal family. 80% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon. Nice claret nose with a light oaky complex. Ripe and full, fleshy fruit around a firm core of dark matter. Some dekk./ Bright, and full of red and black fruits. Lavender highlight. And some saddle leather. Generous and delightful. Relatively high acidity and the presence of some green fruit on the palate do not detract significantly from its mealtime pleasures. 16.0.
How many:
(WT071410-11) 09 GRAYSON LOT 10 CALIFORNIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON $9.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Some attractive cedar airs. Not as oaky as the 08. Cabernet cassis comes through../ Sweet and creamy. Tastes like caramel ice cream topping. Soft and easy. Market-directed. 15.0.
How many:
(WT071410-12) 08 14 HANDS HOT TO TROT WASHINGTON RED $11.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Syrah, merlot, petit verdot, and mourvedre. Mellow oak and crunchy purple, black, and red fruits. Blackberry, boysenberry, mulberry. Dusting of confectioner's sugar. Good composition./ Plenty of sweet, immediate fruit appeal. Nice oak seasoning. Soft for a Washington red. Made for instant gratification. 15.0.
How many:
(WT071410-13) 07 VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO, GIUSEPPE LONARDI $16.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) 75% corvina, 20% rondinella, 5% molinara. Wow! So nice! Blackberry and mulberry, some jam. And salami pepperiness./ Incense, spice, fig, and all the black fruit in the world. Juicy and bright. Love the acidity and precision. Lithe, vigorous, sleek, classic Valpol middleweight. 16.5.
How many:
(WT071410-14) 07 COTES DU RHONE BELLERUCHE, M. CHAPOUTIER $12.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Rich, ripe, and nutty. Total 07 fruit ripeness, richness, and clarity. Light oak touch. Super composition./ Dark, ripe, smoky. Black fruits, tar, leather, coffee. Insistent, and loaded. Good now. 16.0.
How many:
(WT071410-15) 07 COTES DU RHONE, PIERRE ROUGON $12.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Bright, racy black fruits. Bramble, raspberry seeds, and garrigue. Really upbeat./ Big, ripe, dense, and generous 07 fruit. Strawberry-rhubarb pie. Good acid, race, juice. Great dexterity. A fine example of its genre, at an attractive price. Well balanced, well textured, food-worthy. A nice find. 16.2+.
How many:
(WT071410-16) 09 MALVASIA DE CASTELNUOVO DON BOSCO, LA SERA $15.99 07/14/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) Wow! Perfume, pomade. Total malvasia./ Peach, pear, cherry, flowers, toffee. Flattering sweetness. Red gewurztraminer. The most expressive vintage of this yet. Fresh and vibrant. Good acidity. Well liked by the group. 16.8.
How many:
(WT072110-01) 09 VINHO VERDE FAMEGA, CAVES DA CERCA $7.49 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (PORTUGAL) Lots of spritz. Fresh and right. Apple, pear, and blossom. And some peach too in this vintage of ideal ripeness and joy. Fabulous./ Juicy peach, apple, pear. Great acidity. Very fine. The best ever Famega. Quite the quaffer. 16.5.
How many:
(WT072110-02) 09 LUGANA, TENUTA ROVEGLIA $16.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) An impression of elegance and delicacy as well as solidity. Novel fruit. Unripe pear and apple. Cool and sleek. Fabulous!/ Wow! This is just amazing! As elegant as a wine can be. Supple feel. Shades of berries and stone fruits. Brittle acid edge. Tonic and mineral on the finish. Intriguing. 17.0.
How many:
(WT072110-03) 09 VILLA MARIA PRIVATE BIN MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC $14.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Grass, gooseberry, capsicum, lime peel, and pineapple aromas. The usual reliability./ Sweet and sassy. Sweet grapefruit. The usual NZ yin and yang of sweet and tart. Fresh and attractive. 16.1.
How many:
(WT072110-04) 09 MOHUA MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC $14.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Grapefruit and gooseberry. Also citrus, pear, and some stone fruit. Fat and rich fruit cut by minerality. Nice./ Oh, yeah! Pungent and full textured. Gooseberry and grass. Full, supple feel, with brisk edge framing round fruits. The palate tells all about NZ sauvignon. 16.3.
How many:
(WT072110-05) 09 KLOOVENBURG SWARTLAND SAUVIGNON BLANC $11.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (SOUTH AFRICA) Well, this is more French like. There's terroir–calcaire to be specific. Doesn't gush fruit like the NZ sauvignons above./ Yes, this shows French discretion, acid, extract. Graves like, really. 16.3.
How many:
(WT072110-06) 09 R. STUART BIG FIRE OREGON PINOT GRIS $15.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Pungent, waxy, creamy, Alsace like. Fine, big. Lots of apple./ Viscous, smooth, large, Wow! One big Oregon pinot gris. Good, nerve, acidity. Quite powerful, really.. Best Big Fire I've tasted. 16.3.
How many:
(WT072110-07) 08 MACON VILLAGES, GEORGES DUBOEUF $12.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Apple, nut, toast. No oak as such; just some aromas that often come with oak aging. Could fool me once again though./ A bit earthy. OK acidity. A little chardonnay musque perhaps. Good. 15.3.
How many:
(WT072110-08) 08 MACON LA ROCHE VINEUSE SOUS LE BOIS, CHATEAU DE LA GREFFIERE $17.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Pungent fruit (apple, quince, guava) and some oak and time in oak graininess. 08 large frame and extract./ Rich in extract, acid, and wood. Vanilla, toast. Ripe chardonnay sappiness. Well tuned richness. Good fruit expression and nice shades of terroir. Fine depth, power, style. Large scaled in all aspects. And will grow larger. 16.8+
How many:
(WT072110-09) 09 COTES DU RHONE BLANC, E. GUIGAL $16.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 55% viognier, 20% roussanne, 10% marsanne (all northern Rhone white varietals), and only 15% grapes native to the southern Rhone (bourboulenc, clairette). Apple, green fig, peach, white peach, mango, and dried flowers. Cool and large. Distinguished./ Full of southern demeanor, despite the varietal makeup. Southern power and vinosity. Great acidity. Full body and alcohol. No fruit bomb at all, this begs for food companionship. Love it. 16.6.
How many:
(WT072110-10) 08 BOULDER BANK MARLBOROUGH PINOT NOIR $21.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Waxeye Vineyard, Hawkesbury Road. By Nick Goldschmidt. Sweet tea and tart cherry. Classic 08 NZ pinot noir, and I'm lovin' ‘em./ Juicy cherry and tea. Rich and round, with black fruit galore. Oak gives vanilla, smoke, and spice. Great acidity. Plenty of heft, but well proportioned, with bright immediacy. Real persistence. Yes! Well liked by the group. 16.6.
How many:
(WT072110-11) 08 MOHUA CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR $21.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (NEW ZEALAND) Spicy oak and full fruit complex. Cherry, raspberry, citrus, flowers. Deep, big, broad./ Full framed. Fine oak and fruit complex. Fills the palate. This is rangy, ambitious and powerful (14%). And cohesive. Long finish. Will challenge full-flavored fare. Well liked by the group. 17.0+.
How many:
(WT072110-12) 08 SICILIA NERO D'AVOLA, FEUDO ARANCIO $7.49 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (ITALY) Warm and savory, empyreumatic aromas of the south, plus nero d'avola's wonderful fruit range: currant, black cherry, blueberry. A big boy./ Rich and roasted. Warm and forceful. With good acidity. Mealtime wine. Delightful value. Yes! 16.0.
How many:
(WT072110-13) 08 COSTIERES DE NIMES LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES, MAS CARLOT $14.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 50% mourvedre, 50% syrah./ Good oak and modern, showy, heady fruit. Pungent, exotic, sweet red cherry, cranberry, dried flowers, and Asian spices, especially clove./ Modern, full. Both wood and fruit make pungent statements. Nothing 08 reserved about it. Warm, strong, big. Will be popular. 16.2+.
How many:
(WT072110-14) 07 TWO TONE FARMS CALIFORNIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON $8.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) 07's great fruit. Powerful and sweet, roasted fruit style. Heady, woody, big, bouncy./ Sweet fruited, big, generous. Toast and caramel. A lot of wine for the money. 16.0.
How many:
(WT072110-15) 07 NAPA CELLARS NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON $22.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (U.S.) Dry and powerful. Well managed oak. Cedar cigar box aura. Not as obviously oaky as some past vintages. Or has the great 07 fruit soaked it up? A big, solid, concentrated, well extracted Napa cab. Fabulous./ Sweet and full, with wonderful 07 fruit to match the oak. Best of the series yet. Well liked by the group. 17.1+.
How many:
(WT072110-16) 08 COTES DU RHONE RESERVE GRAND VENEUR, ALAIN JAUME $15.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% cinsault. Ripe and powerful. Large Grand Veneur style. Large for 08. Soft oaky patina./ Little 08 constraint, resistance. Many time is loosening them up. Quite forward red fruits and peppercorn zest. Charming, inviting already, though it will be better in 6 months. Full acidity, firm tannic grip. One large 08. 16.1+.
How many:
(WT072110-17) 07 COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES CUVEE DES GALETS, DOMAINE LES APHILLANTHES $19.99 07/21/10 Wednesday Group Tasting Notes - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 60% grenache, 20% each syrah and mourvedre. Fine, dense, dark and sweet fruit. Fabulous garrigue, roasted meat, tobacco, and berry bush aromatics. Big range of aromas–as good as Villages gets./ Young, strapping, and full of confidence and bluster. Huge, eau-de-vie-intense concentration. The works. Racy, succulent, exciting. Great balance, polish. Long and flavorful. Will go and grow 3-4+ years. Wow! The group was in awe. 17.4+.
(WT070710-01) 09 RIAS BAIXAS ALBARINO, LA CANA $16.99
