WT021710-01. 08 NIEDEROSTERREICH GRUNER VELTLINER PEPPER, PFAFFL - (AUSTRIA) None of us could find the ‘pepper’, though I have gotten a peppery nip from gru ves before, a sort of weissbier sensation. This is understated apple and lima./ Soft and easy like the Wachau a couple of weeks ago. Other 08s have been firmer. The finish is cool, brisk, and dry though. 15.8.
Price
each (at time of tasting) $14.99
WT021710-02. 08 COTES DU RHONE BLANC, DOMAINE BERTHET-RAYNE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 45% each clairette and bourboulenc, 10% grenache blanc. Organically grown. That’s a lot of bourboulenc, and it shows its very crisp, green-grape aroma./ Yes, green-fruited bourboulenc makes a strong statement, even adding some astringency. But that’s not all. With aeration, there’s preserved lemon, stone fruits, loquat, almond, smoke, duck fat,
and honeysuckle. Quite a show. All the varieties are chiming in now. Some glycerol on entry, and a stony minerality to the finish. Lots of entertainment. Still on the compact side. Give it more bottle age. 15.6+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $15.99
WT021710-03. 08 VALLEY OF THE MOON SONOMA PINOT BLANC - (U.S.) Oh, yes! Rich as usual yet pinot blanc green-fruited too. Powerful, succulent. Waxy. True./ Rich fruit filling within a solid frame. The moderation in acidity of pinot blanc, especially warmer climate pinot blanc. Great juice. Well, this is fully up to the quality level of the 07 and 06. Well liked by the group. 16.4.
Price each (at time of tasting) $15.99
WT021710-04. 08 KENWOOD SONOMA CHARDONNAY - (U.S.) Well proportioned measures of oak and fruit. Appley chardonnay; spicy and flattering oak seasonings. Stone fruits and melons too. Gentle on the approach./ Comes on with lots of sweet oak spices and malolactic creaminess. The fruit remains perky though, so the wine has spine as well as flesh. The usual reliability here. 15.9.
Price each (at time of tasting) $12.99
WT021710-05. 09 CALCU COLCHAGUA VALLEY ROSE - (CHILE) 50% malbec, 40% syrah, 10% carmenere. And ‘100% sauvignon blanc’. The desk sample a couple of weeks back showed me red fruit–strawberry candy and cranberry. However today, we all agreed, that if blindfolded we would have guessed sauvignon blanc. Crisp and fresh gooseberry, grapefruit, and orange peel aromas./ Soft and sweetish on entry. Then the acidity shows up. Definitely
sauvignon like. One taster guesses that this was the product of the green harvest, where even red grapes have tart white fruit character. Hard to believe this came from the same batch as the desk sample. 16.0, as an appealing, sauvignon-like wine. But shows no rose character.
Price each (at time of tasting) $9.99
WT021710-06. 07 KENWOOD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR - (U.S.) Real pinot cherry and strawberry aromas. RRV race and class. Convincing pinot./ Both rich and racy. Mulberry, tea leaf, creamy chocolate. Peels, snap, acid, juice, race. And glycerol to enrich the texture. An out and out bargain in RRV pinot. 16.7.
Price each (at time of tasting) $15.99
WT021710-07. 08 NIEDEROSTERREICH ZWEIGELT CHERRY, PFAFFL - (AUSTRIA) OK, I can find some ‘cherry’ here, unlike the ‘pepper’ in the gru ve. Sweet-smelling and aiming to please./ Yes, cherry, and berries too. Dry and full. Not a bit green-fruited like many an Austrian red. Well constructed. Real depth. One big zweigelt. 16.0.
Price each (at time of tasting) $14.99
WT021710-08. 05 TOAD HOLLOW RESERVE RICHARD MCDOWELL VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY MERLOT - (U.S.) Dark fruits, smoke, black licorice, brett. A lot of oak over merlot black cherry character./ Moving into a mature phase aromatically, while some manageable 05 tannins remain. Strong elements of oak and brett. Reserve style. 15.8+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $12.99
WT021710-09. 08 LUBERON GRENACHE-SYRAH, LE PARADOU - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Did Luberon drop the ‘Cotes’ like Ventoux? I guess. 60/40. Fresh and crisp, and a bit lean in the 08 way. But this has cool-vintage garrigue! Crisp, sweet berry fruit. Good stuff!/ Oh, yes! A fabulous display of garrigue and cool berry fruit. Good acidity, of course. Some astringency to work out, or to appreciate with food. Another good 08 southern Rhone
discovery. Well liked by the group. 16.3+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $11.99
WT021710-10. 07 COTEAUX DE BESSILLES CUVEE RESERVEE, DOMAINE SAINT MARTIN DE LA GARRIGUE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Starts out surprisingly cool and compact for 07. Licorice laced. Well built. With aeration the 07 fruit ripeness starts to come out. Even a touch of singed fruit./ Bold and full. This is really substantial. But it needs more bottle age to allow all its aromas and flavors to form. Unusually compact for the vintage. 16.4+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $13.99
WT021710-11. 08 COTES DU RHONE L’OMBRE DES FONTAINES, VIGNERONS DE CARACTERE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% cinsault. Sweet fruited nose for 08. Strong too. Sweet licorice./ More sweet licorice. Dark, secretive qualities of 08. Yes, terse and tight on the palate. Needs time. 15.6+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $9.99
WT021710-12. 08 COTES DU RHONE DOMAINE MAS DU BOUQUET, VIGNERONS DE CARACTERE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% carignan. Somewhat reduced to start. Opens to show woodsy tones, spiced meat, and cedar./ Tight on entry, but sweetens up some with warming and aerating in the mouth. No reduction to the palate. Good volume, power, glycerol, especially for the vintage. 15.8+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $11.99
WT021710-13. 07 VALREAS - COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES, DOMAINE DU VAL DES ROIS - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Spicy and powerful (14%). Tight. Much bigger and more forceful than the 04./ Indeed, full body and texture. Much more material richness than the 04. Real strength and depth. Fine acidity here, as always. Yes! The group was impressed. 16.5+.
Price each (at time of tasting)
$15.99
WT021710-14. 07 CALATAYUD GARNACHA OLD VINES ALTOVINUM, EVODIA - (SPAIN) Sweet fruit up front. Powerful (14.5%). Ripe and large. Blackberry, strawberry, cinnamon, bitter chocolate, even flowers./ Sweet and sassy red fruit. Plummy and cohesive. Good acidity. Stylish and seductive. Great price. Popular with the group. 16.2+.
Price each (at time of tasting) $8.99
WT021710-15. 07 CASTILLA TEMPRANILLO GRANROJO, ROJO MOJO - (SPAIN) Very ripe and bold on the approach. Settles down to show good fruit quality. Not too ripe or powerful after all./ Well balanced. The fruit sweetness is attractive and nicely measured. Better than previous versions. 15.8.
Price each (at time of tasting) $9.99
WT021710-16. 07 ESPANA ESTE, BODEGAS ALTO ALMANZORA - (SPAIN) Generous and good fruit, wholesome fruit. Sweet strawberry./ Sweet and flowing. Raspberry, cassis, walnut brownie. Good acidity and richness in balance. Best ever. 16.3.
Price each (at time of tasting) $10.99
WT021710-17. 09 EMILIANA NATURA RAPEL VALLEY GEWURZTRAMINER - (CHILE) Really quite full (14%). Genuine and generous gewurz aroma profile. Lychee, peach, tonic, ginger. Much more to give than the 08. Flashes Alsace power and intensity./ Yes, much larger and more expressive than the 08. Has gewurz astringency. Short of Alsace on the glycerol. Still, well priced and impressive New World take. 16.2.
Price each (at time of tasting) $10.99
WT021710-18. MOLDOVA CAHOR - (MOLDOVA) The Orthodox Church of Moldova used to import wine from Cahors and sweeten it with honey. Thus the origin of the name. Sweet and somewhat raisined and molasses like, which is all attractive. Liquid dates. Cherry blossom highlights. Good power (16%) to keep it from being too sticky./ Raisin, raisinette, honey, spice, power. Port like. Competes well with the cheaper Aussie tawnies. 16.7.
Price each (at time of tasting) $8.99
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010 WT022410-01. 08 VERMENTINO DI SARDEGNA CRABILIS, PALA - (ITALY) Dry, fresh, vibrant 08 styling with good floral and tropical fruit aromas of the varietal. Plus quince and melons. / Yes, and the good tonic bitterness of vermentino, which foils the light viscosity, as in gewurztraminer and viognier. Good acidity and coolness of the vintage. Good 08 brace. And plenty of meal-worthy body and power. Not as scented as the 07, but better structured. 16.4. WT022410-02. 08 FIRE ROAD MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC - (NEW ZEALAND) Well, I thought I was about ready to pass on remaining 08s and get right into the fresher 09s, but this one still has plenty of stamina. Gooseberry, grass, bell pepper, capsicum. And 08 body and size. And it’s plenty fresh enough–entirely useful./ Yes, 08 body and power and concentration. Big wine. Gooseberry and grapefruit. Love this vintage! Good price. 16.4. WT022410-03. 08 RHEINHESSEN SILVANER CLASSIC, JANZ liter - (GERMANY) Wines labeled ‘Classic’ may have some residual sweetness, but it may never exceed twice the level of the acidity, thus assuring a dry taste experience. The maximum RS in any regard is 1.5%. That’s typical for Brut Champagne, which tastes very dry thanks to high acidity plus the CO2. ‘Classic’ wines have 8 degrees’ higher than minimum must weight, assuring superior ripeness that will guarantee they reach the minimum alcohol content of 12% (11.5% in Mosel-Saar-Ruwer). Each wine must bear a varietal name, and that grape must by traditional to the region. The aim is to achieve a meal-worthy German wine of high quality level, emulating the style of the late 1800s, when dry German riesling from a top site sold for the same price as a Bordeaux First Growth and was seen on most of the grand banquet menus of the period. 14.5%–Wow! But it’s not heavy or spiritous. Crisp and appley take on silvaner. Tingly, penetrating. Real lift./ Silvaner’s soft approach with good acidity following. Dry, mellow, well padded. Full-bodied finish that wants food. Too large to make a refreshing aperitif. Fine value in liter. 16.2. WT022410-04. 08 RHEINHESSEN BACCHUS, JANZ - (GERMANY) Lovely, spicy (nutmeg?), floral. Good bacchus cut and penetration. Pungent and intriguing range of aromas./ Mango, melons, ginger. Perky yellow fruits and soft floral accents. Silky smooth and elegant. Tender, mild sweetness. Good bitter foil of bacchus. Fabulous rendition of the variety. 16.3. WT022410-05. 08 MOSEL GOURMET RIESLING, ULRICH LANGGUTH - (GERMANY) Cool and snappy apple and balsam. Some bouquet forming. Delicate Mosel approach./ Mild mannered. Doesn’t show all that much 08 grip, extract, frame. Off dry, rich enough. Preferred the 07 Renaissance, but, then, it cost 1.5 times as much. Tender, honest Mosel riesling more likely to appeal to beginners than to gourmets. 15.0. WT022410-06. 08 WITTLICHER FELSENTREPPCHEN RIESLING KABINETT, LOSEN-BOCKSTANZ - (GERMANY) Wittlich lies northwest of Bernkastel in a side valley, rather than right on the Mosel. Penetrating aromas of peach, melon, tropical fruits, apple, and blossom./ Haven’t had a Wittlich wine for years, yet this recalls the styling. There’s a roundness and softness within the firm 08 framing. Relatively mild acidity for 08. Proper; typical, good. Well defined Mosel riesling. 16.0. WT022410-07. 08 EMPORDA CORALI ROSE, ESPELT - (SPAIN) All grenache. 13%. Heady, earthy. Needs food./ Vinous, strong. Plenty of body. A forceful, cool weather dinner rose. Use before summer. 15.5. WT022410-08. 09 APALTAGUA RESERVA TRICAO VALLEY ESTATE CURICO PINOT NOIR - (CHILE) 14%–Wow! Some sense of pinot at first, and more comes after aeration. Yet this is really dry and powerful for pinot. The stick instead of the carrot./ Even more pinot character on the palate. Cherry and tea. Sweet berry tang. Good acidity. Some astringency. No pinot padding yet. Maybe it will round out, fill out some with aging. Meanwhile, it would probably work at the table with something hefty. Game? 15.6+. WT022410-09. 07 CHATEAU PICAU-PERNA, SAINT EMILION - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) @St. Pey d’Armens in the southeast below the escarpment. Intense aroma of black cherry, blackberry, plum, and pitch. This is really dark and concentrated for 07./ Boy, this really delivers Saint Emilion generosity! Great build: acid, grip, extract, tannin. How did they come up with all this in 07? I’m impressed. Can see the good NYT review. Good value too. 16.9+. WT022410-10. 07 MONTSANT MAS DONIS BARRICA, CELLER DE CAPCANES - (SPAIN) 85% garnacha and 15% syrah, from old vines of the Mas Donis estate. The best vintage of this ever. No woody excesses as in some past years. The 07 fruit forward character is well balanced by subtle oakiness. Harmonious indeed./ Rich, sweet, and well balanced. Well formed, and showing real depth. Very fine tannin–talc like. Everything hangs together just right. 16.5+. WT022410-11. 06 DOLCETTO D’ALBA BRIC SANT’ AMBROGIO, EREDI LODALI - (ITALY) Wonderfully black and dense for dolcetto. Full of anise and spices. One loaded dolcetto!/ Wow! Sweet fruited and spicy. Very large, almost daunting. Nothing dolcetto dainty about this. Elegant is not the word to describe it. 16.4+. WT022410-12. 07 TOSCANA, SANTA MARTINA - (ITALY) 40% sangiovese; 20% each merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah. Oh, boy! Sweet and scented like the 05. Ripe and enticing. Undeniable./ Whoa! This speaks volumes.. Black and red fruits, mulberry, nutmeg, cocoa. Modern, and proud of it. Fine combo of sweet and sassy. Soft, friendly 07 fruit. Forward and engaging. Lovely effort sure to appeal to a wide audience. 16.8 WT022410-13. 06 TOSCANA, AVIGNONESI - (ITALY) 40% prugnolo gentile (Montepulciano’s clone of sangiovese); 30% each cabernet sauvignon, merlot. Open, scented fresh and dried fruits. And spices. Mulberry, blackberry raspberry, violets, fennel, kiss of oak./ Sweet and ripe and dried fruits. Good acidity balancing its impressive glycerol level. And the right balance of acid and sweet too. Well crafted, as it usually is. 16.7. WT022410-14. 08 ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO, AVIGNONESI - (ITALY) Firm and young 08 style. Large, muscular, ambitious. Lots of grip, material, power./ Large and sweet and loaded for 08. Glycerol too. Full of goodies. This costs a little more than the Avignonesi Toscana and is a little better too. 16.9+. WT022410-15. 07 VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE RIPASSO VIGNETO LA CENGIA, LORENZO BEGALI - (ITALY) Tight, young, large. Rich, dark, sweet, burly, ominous. Brandied cherries./ Sweet fruited and well balanced. Big and concentrated. Little Valpol discretion, little ripasso raisin. Its own style. From Valpantena? We had a ripasso from that zone not too long back which was similar. Maybe it’s regional. Needs time for sure. 16.3+. WT022410-16. 07 EIMSHEIMER SONNENHANG HUXELREBE SPATLESE, GEIL - (GERMANY) Sweet orange jellied candy aroma. None of the usual cat and gooseberry. Unique form of huxel. Super quality./ Creamy, succulent mango, papaya, passion fruit, vanilla. More typical of other huxels on the palate. The gooseberry’s there, sweet and juicy, and there’s huxel astringency. Silky and lush. Has power and persuasion. Champion huxel. I like it lots. 16.5. WT022410-17. 07 WITTLICHER FELSENTREPPCHEN RIESLING SPATLESE, LOSEN-BOCKSTANZ - (GERMANY) Great 07 fruit and bouquet development. There’s much more to this than to the 08 kabinett. More ripeness, sweetness, and concentration./ Peach, apricot, and a refreshing and unique tonic streak. A fully sweet spatlese. 07 race and appeal too. And the 07 tender side; the acidity is ripe and still a little coated.. Young wine. I like its future. 16.7+. WT022410-18. 07 URZIGER WURZGARTEN RIESLING AUSLESE, LOSEN-BOCKSTANZ - (GERMANY) Oh, boy! The real auslese deal! The concentration, the botrytis! And the superior site expression: the slate and the ‘spicy’ red earth. Some bouquet development. Great extract./ Sweet and concentrated. Good level of botrytis. Balanced and lengthy. Great terroir talks. Wow! 17.7+.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 WT021710-01. 08 NIEDEROSTERREICH GRUNER VELTLINER PEPPER, PFAFFL - (AUSTRIA) None of us could find the ‘pepper’, though I have gotten a peppery nip from gru ves before, a sort of weissbier sensation. This is understated apple and lima./ Soft and easy like the Wachau a couple of weeks ago. Other 08s have been firmer. The finish is cool, brisk, and dry though. 15.8. WT021710-02. 08 COTES DU RHONE BLANC, DOMAINE BERTHET-RAYNE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 45% each clairette and bourboulenc, 10% grenache blanc. Organically grown. That’s a lot of bourboulenc, and it shows its very crisp, green-grape aroma./ Yes, green-fruited bourboulenc makes a strong statement, even adding some astringency. But that’s not all. With aeration, there’s preserved lemon, stone fruits, loquat, almond, smoke,
duck fat,
and honeysuckle. Quite a show. All the varieties are chiming in now. Some glycerol on entry, and a stony minerality to the finish. Lots of entertainment. Still on the compact side. Give it more bottle age. 15.6+. WT021710-03. 08 VALLEY OF THE MOON SONOMA PINOT BLANC - (U.S.) Oh, yes! Rich as usual yet pinot blanc green-fruited too. Powerful, succulent. Waxy. True./ Rich fruit filling within a solid frame. The moderation in acidity of pinot blanc, especially warmer climate pinot blanc. Great juice. Well, this is fully up to the quality level of the 07 and 06. Well liked by the group. 16.4. WT021710-04. 08 KENWOOD SONOMA CHARDONNAY - (U.S.) Well proportioned measures of oak and fruit. Appley chardonnay; spicy and flattering oak seasonings. Stone fruits and melons too. Gentle on the approach./ Comes on with lots of sweet oak spices and malolactic creaminess. The fruit remains perky though, so the wine has spine as well as flesh. The usual reliability here. 15.9. WT021710-05. 09 CALCU COLCHAGUA VALLEY ROSE - (CHILE) 50% malbec, 40% syrah, 10% carmenere. And ‘100% sauvignon blanc’. The desk sample a couple of weeks back showed me red fruit–strawberry candy and cranberry. However today, we all agreed, that if blindfolded we would have guessed sauvignon blanc. Crisp and fresh gooseberry, grapefruit, and orange peel aromas./ Soft and sweetish on entry. Then the acidity shows up. Definitely
sauvignon like. One taster guesses that this was the product of the green harvest, where even red grapes have tart white fruit character. Hard to believe this came from the same batch as the desk sample. 16.0, as an appealing, sauvignon-like wine. But shows no rose character. WT021710-06. 07 KENWOOD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR - (U.S.) Real pinot cherry and strawberry aromas. RRV race and class. Convincing pinot./ Both rich and racy. Mulberry, tea leaf, creamy chocolate. Peels, snap, acid, juice, race. And glycerol to enrich the texture. An out and out bargain in RRV pinot. 16.7. WT021710-07. 08 NIEDEROSTERREICH ZWEIGELT CHERRY, PFAFFL - (AUSTRIA) OK, I can find some ‘cherry’ here, unlike the ‘pepper’ in the gru ve. Sweet-smelling and aiming to please./ Yes, cherry, and berries too. Dry and full. Not a bit green-fruited like many an Austrian red. Well constructed. Real depth. One big zweigelt. 16.0. WT021710-08. 05 TOAD HOLLOW RESERVE RICHARD MCDOWELL VINEYARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY MERLOT - (U.S.) Dark fruits, smoke, black licorice, brett. A lot of oak over merlot black cherry character./ Moving into a mature phase aromatically, while some manageable 05 tannins remain. Strong elements of oak and brett. Reserve style. 15.8+. WT021710-09. 08 LUBERON GRENACHE-SYRAH, LE PARADOU - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Did Luberon drop the ‘Cotes’ like Ventoux? I guess. 60/40. Fresh and crisp, and a bit lean in the 08 way. But this has cool-vintage garrigue! Crisp, sweet berry fruit. Good stuff!/ Oh, yes! A fabulous display of garrigue and cool berry fruit. Good acidity, of course. Some astringency to work out, or to appreciate with food. Another good 08 southern
Rhone
discovery. Well liked by the group. 16.3+. WT021710-10. 07 COTEAUX DE BESSILLES CUVEE RESERVEE, DOMAINE SAINT MARTIN DE LA GARRIGUE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Starts out surprisingly cool and compact for 07. Licorice laced. Well built. With aeration the 07 fruit ripeness starts to come out. Even a touch of singed fruit./ Bold and full. This is really substantial. But it needs more bottle age to allow all its aromas and flavors to form. Unusually compact for the vintage.
16.4+. WT021710-11. 08 COTES DU RHONE L’OMBRE DES FONTAINES, VIGNERONS DE CARACTERE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% cinsault. Sweet fruited nose for 08. Strong too. Sweet licorice./ More sweet licorice. Dark, secretive qualities of 08. Yes, terse and tight on the palate. Needs time. 15.6+. WT021710-12. 08 COTES DU RHONE DOMAINE MAS DU BOUQUET, VIGNERONS DE CARACTERE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% carignan. Somewhat reduced to start. Opens to show woodsy tones, spiced meat, and cedar./ Tight on entry, but sweetens up some with warming and aerating in the mouth. No reduction to the palate. Good volume, power, glycerol, especially for the vintage. 15.8+. WT021710-13. 07 VALREAS - COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES, DOMAINE DU VAL DES ROIS - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Spicy and powerful (14%). Tight. Much bigger and more forceful than the 04./ Indeed, full body and texture. Much more material richness than the 04. Real strength and depth. Fine acidity here, as always. Yes! The group was impressed. 16.5+. WT021710-14. 07 CALATAYUD GARNACHA OLD VINES ALTOVINUM, EVODIA - (SPAIN) Sweet fruit up front. Powerful (14.5%). Ripe and large. Blackberry, strawberry, cinnamon, bitter chocolate, even flowers./ Sweet and sassy red fruit. Plummy and cohesive. Good acidity. Stylish and seductive. Great price. Popular with the group. 16.2+. WT021710-15. 07 CASTILLA TEMPRANILLO GRANROJO, ROJO MOJO - (SPAIN) Very ripe and bold on the approach. Settles down to show good fruit quality. Not too ripe or powerful after all./ Well balanced. The fruit sweetness is attractive and nicely measured. Better than previous versions. 15.8. WT021710-16. 07 ESPANA ESTE, BODEGAS ALTO ALMANZORA - (SPAIN) Generous and good fruit, wholesome fruit. Sweet strawberry./ Sweet and flowing. Raspberry, cassis, walnut brownie. Good acidity and richness in balance. Best ever. 16.3. WT021710-17. 09 EMILIANA NATURA RAPEL VALLEY GEWURZTRAMINER - (CHILE) Really quite full (14%). Genuine and generous gewurz aroma profile. Lychee, peach, tonic, ginger. Much more to give than the 08. Flashes Alsace power and intensity./ Yes, much larger and more expressive than the 08. Has gewurz astringency. Short of Alsace on the glycerol. Still, well priced and impressive New World take. 16.2. WT021710-18. MOLDOVA CAHOR - (MOLDOVA) The Orthodox Church of Moldova used to import wine from Cahors and sweeten it with honey. Thus the origin of the name. Sweet and somewhat raisined and molasses like, which is all attractive. Liquid dates. Cherry blossom highlights. Good power (16%) to keep it from being too sticky./ Raisin, raisinette, honey, spice, power. Port like. Competes well with the cheaper Aussie tawnies.
16.7.
Wednesday, February 10m 2010 WT021010-01. 08 CADIZ PALOMINO FINA, BARBADILLO - (SPAIN) Demure and stylish Understated yellow fruit, plus almond and sea salt. Good depth for a palomino table wine./ Fresh, brisk, very dry. Some sherry-like nuttiness. Some nut-peel astringency. Would be good with trout amandine. 15.5. WT021010-02. 08 WACHAU GRUNER VELTLINER, DOMAINE WACHAU - (AUSTRIA) Fresh apple, firm peach, and snow pea. Crisp and penetrating, tangy, chalky, minerally. Style, elegance, and beauty. Exemplary./ Expressive of fresh yellow and green fruits.‘Sweet’ and soft. Easy to assimilate, ready to go. Good price. Liked by the group. 16.0. WT021010-03. 08 EDNA VALLEY VINEYARDS PARAGON VINEYARD SAN LUIS OBISPO CHARDONNAY - (U.S.) Fresh, with good cut and not too much oak. Not as much oak and malo as previous vintages. Peach, loquat, and toast./ Soft, creamy, mellow, and serene. Oak and malo more evident as the wine warms on the palate, yet this remains better balanced than former vintages, showing an attractive, light piquancy on the finish. Try with a creamy
chicken and pasta preparation. 15.8. WT021010-04. 07 BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR VIEILLES VIGNES, DOMINIQUE MUGNERET - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Wow! Crisp and fresh like an 06. Not 07 tender, mild. Lovely pinot cherry expression, very pure. Cote de Nuits black-fruit leanings./ Yes! Pure and fresh and delicious. Cherry, raspberry, and touch of licorice. The best fruit possible from this vintage. Nice acidity and fine-grained tannin. Refined in its carriage, while expressive
and generous. A tour de force in 07 Bourgogne winemaking. Yikes! A group favorite. 17.0+. WT021010-05. 08 MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO PIANE DI MAGGIO, AGRIVERDE - (ITALY) Dark and mute to start.. Doesn’t give like the 07./ Tight 08 style. Has that good, compact 08 material core that shows potential growth. Clings nicely on the aftertaste. After decanting and an hour’s aeration: Much more open. Now there’s vanilla and fresh, sweet cherry fruit. Cavendish tobacco and soft southern smokiness./ Yes, much more accessible.
More like the 07's appeal. Good acidity. Dedicated to please. Nice stuff. Popular with the group. 16.2+. WT021010-06. 07 BARBERA D’ALBA QUATTRO FRATELLI, BOROLI - (ITALY) Fresh and dark and crisp and right. In tune with the character of this wine over the years. With aeration come lovely, burnished black cherry, cassis, and fennel aromas and a floral lilt./ Tight and right. Great acidity, grip, material. In the mouth too, it improves with aeration, becoming more-ish. Well liked by the group. 16.3+. WT021010-07. 07 LA PLAYA BLOCK SELECTION BLOCK 10 COLCHAGUA MERLOT - (CHILE) Good fruit quality and ripeness of 07. Red and black fruits. Cherry, raspberry. Sweet oak and some brett./ Oh, boy, this really struts its stuff on the palate. Juicy and rich 07 fruit. Fine oak augmentation. A great mouthful of 07 fruit goodness. The group agreed that the wine was especially attractive on the palate. 16.3. WT021010-08. 07 COTES DU RHONE, DOMAINE SAINT ANNE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Starts out reduced as six months back, with pure dark fruit under./ Hard; clamped down by sulphur. 14.0++. So begins the forced aeration process. I shook the bottle vigorously. Some results. Got passed around and poured. Another vigorous shaking, while others were swirling their glasses. Well, with enough additional beatings and passage of time,
the wine escapes sulphur’s grasp and begins to reveal itself. Sweet 07 fruit. Intense, 07 ripe, vanilla frosted. Now the nose is come hither like the 07 Villages./ Palate shows good grip and coolness of Gard. Remains backward from sulphur or youth. Juicy and fully packed though. The group enjoyed following its evolution, and gave the wine its support. At least now I can recommend this with the caveat that it need be vigorously decanted and aerated. 16.0++. WT021010-09. 06 RIBERA DEL DUERO, BALBAS - (SPAIN) 100% tinta del pais. Genuine, firm, and fine RDD tempranillo clone expression with good RDD terroir. Even elegant, which is something most RDD wines cannot claim. With aeration come dark berries and raisinettes, signaling ripe fruit. Plenty of oak expression too: vanilla and coconut. Grows to become forceful and generous./ Still tight on the palate. Well balanced though,
and showing the right form and terroir for its origin. Nice future. Aeration continues to bring more fruit forth. The group liked its potential. 16.3+. WT021010-10. 07 ALMANSA, LA HUELLA DE ADARAS - (SPAIN) Good form and balance. Flattering rusticity of the south. Young./ Oh! A floral note. What grape gives this? The wine is predominantly alicante bouschet (called garnacha tintorera locally), with monastrell and cabernet sauvignon. It’s not the violets of monastrell; more like a white flower. Well, that really buoys it up. Nice freshness. And with airing, the fruit becomes
brighter still, and some vanilla comes forth. Good acidity too. Far superior to the 04 we sampled last winter. The group was intrigued. 16.0+. WT021010-11. 07 CONCHA Y TORO CASILLERO DEL DIABLO RESERVA PRIVADA MAIPO CABERNET-SYRAH - (CHILE) 85/15. Full reserva oak treatment. And the big, up front fruit speaks loud and clear too. Berries, vanilla, tobacco, and a ventilating New World syrah aspect. Bold and giving./ Good oak vanillin taste. Powerful, plentiful, sweet fruit. Fulfilling. Better than the highly rated 06. 16.3+. WT021010-12. 08 CLINE CALIFORNIA ZINFANDEL - (U.S.) Raspberry gummies, strawberry creme, cola. Full, forward, sweet, sassy, elemental./ Sweet and creamy, with light oak weavings. Tasty and wholesome. 15.5. WT021010-13. 07 EOS PASO ROBLES ZINFANDEL - (U.S.) Wow! Bright oak spiciness and sweet raspberry fruit, perfectly married. Hefty and dense berry and briar. Lush and abundant Paso zin./ Yes, rich and right Paso zin. Stylish and burnished as well as large. Black fruits, currants, cocoa. Good acid and strength balance the fruit sweetness. The best since the 04. Bring on the baby back ribs. 16.7+. WT021010-14. 07 DRY CREEK VINEYARDS HERITAGE CLONES SONOMA ZINFANDEL - (U.S.) Wow! The perfect presentation of this cuvee, and clearly the best since the 04. Fresh, sweet, ripe, framed, well measured. Dry Creek Valley raspberry and cranberry zin features. Zin black pepper too./ Rich and sassy and right. Sturdy, meaty. And showing charm and restraint too. Perfect form and balance. Totally fulfills my expectations. Yes!
16.9+. WT021010-15. 04 WOLF BLASS GOLD LABEL BAROSSA SHIRAZ - (AUSTRALIA) Rightly black, surly, powerful, highly concentrated 04 shiraz. We haven’t seen the likes of this vintage since. Surprising how fresh it is still. Great oak, and great fruit purity./ Sweet concentration of a raspberry tart with dark chocolate shell and dusting of dark-roast coffee. Delicious balance of fruit and oak, sweetness and acidity...and alcohol.
Wow! The group was impressed by its size and stamina. 17.4+. WT021010-16. 08 CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE WHOLE CLUSTER OLD MISSION PENINSULA RIESLING - (U.S.) Oh, boy, as in previous versions this is full of extract and acidity. Tingles the nostrils. Big and rich, and dry. Apples, melons, peach. This has pizzazz!/ Palate adds lemon and floral touches. Yes, rich, full, large, unashamed. Statuesque really. Just a little sweetness. If it were drier, I’d think I was drinking a Grosses Gewachs.
At a third the price. Fabulous stuff. Well liked by the group. 17.1. WT021010-17. 08 MOSCATO D’ASTI, LODALI - (ITALY) Fresh, light, upbeat. Peach, apple, pear, rose, and cedar./ Sweet and cedary. Nice balance of sweetness and bubbly lift. Fresh and vibrant, silky smooth. Long lasting flavors. Well liked by the group. 16.6. WT021010-18. SAKEONE MOONSTONE COCONUT LEMONGRASS OREGON SAKE - (SAKE) 18%.This has a really FRESH coconut aroma. Just shaved./ Coconut overwhelms the lemongrass on the nose, but it comes out on the palate, providing a bright, racy foil. A good balance of the two components’ flavors. A well crafted product. 16.4.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 WT020310-01. 08 VERDICCHIO DEI CASTELLI DI JESI CARPANETO, BONCI - (ITALY) 08 swarthy, solid, and full. At a good stage. Firm fruits: apple, quince, pear. Also lemon verbena and straw. Crisp and dry./ Full bodied, with 08 dark and plentiful peels, grip, size, creamy texture. Impressively built for table service. Not your delicate, fresh-seafood type. Quite a treat. Well liked by the group. 16.3. WT020310-02. 08 DOLOMITI PINOT GRIGIO, ALOIS LAGEDER - (ITALY) Rich, vanilla frosted fruit cremes. The vanilla is not from oak. Lemon, melon, almond, minerals. Fabulously rich for the region and vintage./ Racy too. Lively acidity. Good grip and strength. Solid, stony foundation. Plus the lush grigio creaminess and body. Very flavorful, silk textured, and lingering aftertaste. Tremendous desire to please. An overachiever.
The group thought so too. No surprise from this source. 16.4. WT020310-03. 09 CRISTOBAL 1492 LOT 2 LA PINTA VINEYARD MENDOZA CHARDONNAY - (ARGENTINA) Fresh apple and lemon chardonnay expression, Crisp. Suggestion of wood? Perhaps, but likely I’m fooled by that facet of ripe chardonnay. If you told me this was Maconnais, I wouldn’t dispute it./ Good plumpness and even creaminess on the palate. Great acidity laced through and through. A super deal in unwooded chardonnay. The group
was impressed.. 16.4. WT020310-04. 08 RHEINHESSEN PINOT NOIR TROCKEN, JANZ - (GERMANY) 12.5%–good and ripe grapes. Sweet black cherry and also the cool-climate tart cherry and tea leaf aspects of German pinot. Some leather./ Yes, lots of game and leather. Dry but pinot smooth. More game and leather on the aftertaste. Liked by many in the group. 14.6. WT020310-05. 07 CHIANTI CLASSICO, QUERCETO - (ITALY) Yeah! My old buddy is back! Sweet sangiovese dried cherry, mulberry, and vanilla. Blackberry and pitch./ 07 fruit forward. Great acidity too. Still some astringency to shake off. Better in 1-2 years. Each vintage of this is unique. Well liked by the group. 16.4+. WT020310-06. 04 CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA SICELLE, PASOLINI DALL’ ONDA - (ITALY) 85% sangiovese, 10% merlot, 5% cabernet sauvignon–the allowable max of non-traditional varieties. Oh, yeah! 04 dark and meaty. Riserva barrel aging clear. The transformation more than the wood extracts. Dried cherry and lots of 04 licorice. Sweet, dried, savory fruits, grilled herbs, tobacco, fine leather../ Yes, real grip, solidity, and core
basis of 04. Burnished fruits, sweet, roasted meats, and licorice. Traditional. Fine grained tannins. Great flavor concentration. Expressive and gratifying. Long, long aftertaste. Classic CCR. The group was in awe. 17.1+. WT020310-07. 08 VAUCLUSE, DOMAINE LA MONARDIERE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 80% grenache, 20% carignan. Fresh, with primary grenache spirit and raspberry undertones. 08 darkness, firmness. Some brett./ Black-hearted. Tight, tart, severe 08 style. This became fruitier and more joyful three days later so will likely improve with bottle age. 15.3+. WT020310-08. 06 COSTIERES DE NIMES G. S., CHATEAU GRANDE CASSAGNE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Grenache and syrah. That cool 06 style. Precise and pure fruit. Black currant and black raspberry./ Black fruits, black fig, dough, spice, tobacco. Complex and elegant. Racy acid vigor of 06. Fine tannin and texture. Deep and pure. Long and clinging. A treat. 16.8+. WT020310-09. 07 ROUSSET LES VIGNES - COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES, CHATEAU SUZEAU - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) 65% syrah, 35% grenache. Lots of the rich ripe raspberry of southern Rhone syrah. Fabulous 07 fruit concentration and delivery./ Yes, pure, rich, ripe raspberry and blackberry. Peppercorn and floral overtones. Delicious flavors. Fine grained tannins. Positive astringency. Very Rousset. Quite the contrast here between the
06 style of the previous wine and 07 of this one–both positive, clearly different. Each well liked by the group. 16.8+. WT020310-10. 06 CASTILLA SHIRAZ-TEMPRANILLO MERCEDES, BODEGAS EGUREN - (SPAIN) 06 tight, peels oriented to start. Gains depth and richness with aeration. And bulk; this is husky./ Yes, 06 tight core, with rich fruit surrounding. This improves steadily with airing. Now the fruit is plentiful to taste. Big, warm, and plummy. And the wine is well balanced. Grows on me. 15.9+. WT020310-11. 06 DE BORTOLI DEEN VAT 9 SE AUSTRALIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON - (AUSTRALIA) Ripe, dark, bold, and convincingly cabernet. Blackberry, black currant, oak, vanilla, and game. Traditional De Bortoli red wine tar and bitters concentration./ Rich in all these respects. Lush and generous. A good mix of fruit and oak elements. 15.9. WT020310-12. 07 ELEMENTOS SAN JUAN SHIRAZ-MALBEC - (ARGENTINA) 50/50. Dark and tight 07 form with a sweet fruit core of blackberry and cassis./ Yes, good, rich concentration of the varieties in sympathy with one another. Not so 07 tight after all. In fact, broad and rich. Full texture, fruit, and fine tannin. 16.5. WT020310-13. 08 RHEIN SWEET DESIRE, VINO MAGNIFICO - (GERMANY) Landwein from dornfelder. Sweet, ripe cherry fruit with a brett-dekk complex./ Sweet and dried fruits Soft and gentle. Again, the animal-leather elements. Should prove attractive to lovers of sweet red table wines. 15.5. WT020310-14. 08 METTENHEIMER MICHELSBERG GEWURZTRAMINER KABINETT, GEIL - (GERMANY) Great 08 coolness and cut. Lovely gewurz orange and flowers aromas. So cool and pure and varietal./ Peach, orange peel, potpourri. Medium body and intensity. Good acidity for gewurz. 08 minerality. Relatively dry. Wow! This gets high marks for varietal beauty. Choose the course carefully, as this is less powerful than Alsace gewurz. 16.4. WT020310-15. 08 LANGENLONSHEIMER SCHEUREBE SPATLESE, SCHWEINHARDT - (GERMANY) Some sulphur to start. This clears steadily though, revealing pungent scheu black currant./ Clearer still on the palate. Sweet orange peel scheu character and appealing scheu softness. Continue to air and age, and you’ll have a winner. 16.3+.
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