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Tasting Notes Printer-Friendly Version
- September, 2006 |
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006 WT092706-01. 04 EVANS & TATE UNDERGROUND SERIES UNWOODED WESTERN AUSTRALIA CHARDONNAY - (AUSTRALIA) Crisp and racy. Only a little sign of tawniness. Minerally, Chablis like style. Nice./ Good acidity and mild glycerol padding. Plenty of power and punch. Good value. 15.8. WT092706-02. 05 BEAUJOLAIS VILLAGES CHATEAU DE VARENNES, GEORGES DUBOEUF - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Deep purple core of 05. Lots of peel extract. Plum peel, berries galore, touch of spice. Demonstrative and total. Bright, Burgundian./ Rich in material, 05 fruit concentrate. Chewy peels extracts. Good acidity, lively, racy. Lots of cherry and plum flavors. Good length. 16.1+. WT092706-03. 05 CHIROUBLES GRAND CRU DOMAINE DESMURES, GEORGES DUBOEUF - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Oh, yes! Chiroubles floral perfumes and elegant texture. Deep and layered. Solid core./ Full and highly extracted, with a long, perfumed, floral aftertaste. Fresh and well tuned, with racy acidity. Plenty of material here. Chiroubles command performance. Ho, hum, just another great, long lived 05. 16.6+. WT092706-04. 03 GEVREY CHAMBERTIN CLOS PRIEUR, MARC ROY - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) 03 rich, intense, and very bright in fruit and fine, new, vanilla-laced oak. Sassy black fruits. Alert for Gevrey, but very Gevrey in its bold pinot cherry, smoke, game, nut, and earth tones. Wow! What a burgundy!/ Intense and powerful, but cool. 02 leanings more than 03 on the palate. Not at all overblown. Frame and form and power. Tasted even better the next day. Useful now; up to 10 years’ growth to go. 17.8+. WT092706-05. 05 DELICATO CALIFORNIA MERLOT - (U.S.) Reduced and very cool as it often is in youth. Monterey fruit here. And ripe inland cherry fruit too./ Cool and racy, fresh and young. Very expressive of merlot cherry and tea. Just needs airing. Always a Delicato strong suit. 14.0+. WT092706-06. 05 LINDEMANS SOUTH AFRICA CABERNET SAUVIGNON - (SOUTH AFRICA) Ripe and polished, sweet and jelly like, with some horse and cow. Superficial./ Good mouthfeel–glycerol, acid, tannin–this is ripe cabernet. More animal. Long and lightly chewy. Good texture of cabernet. 14.2. WT092706-07. 05 LINDEMANS SOUTH AFRICA SHIRAZ - (SOUTH AFRICA) Very jammy shiraz like the Lindemans Aussie version. Dense, heavy, tarry. Some shoe leather and polish./ Definite syrah scents and flavors. Ripe, dried and roasted fruits. Some Cape bret, dekk. Good enough at the price. 14.4. WT092706-08. 05 JUMILLA WRONGO DONGO, BODEGAS JUAN GIL - (SPAIN) Ripe and juicy, grapey, berry like. Fruity, forward, engaging, generous. Good mainstream Jumilla./ Both sweet and snappy–I like that. The warm day-cool night combo of ripeness and fine acidity. Lots of fruit juice flavor. Plenty to offer here. 15.6. WT092706-09. 03 DOURO ADRIANO, RAMOS PINTO - (PORTUGAL) Oh, neat! Very sweet elderberry jamminess. Fine sweet-tart berriness, deep, vigorous, and mineral tinged. Green peppercorn note./ Flavorful and full textured. Lively, spicy, buxom. Smoky, meaty, solid, forceful. Juicy, fine tannin, plenty of material. Delightful wine, commendable at the price. 16.0. WT092706-10. 04 CHIANTI CLASSICO, CASTELLO DI MONASTERO - (ITALY) Bold, powerful, rancio, oaky. Roasted black fruits, tar, Cuban cigar smoke. More serious and more substantial than the 03, good as that was. One taster noted that it is from the Berardenga zone of Chianti Classico and reminded him of Felsina from the same neighborhood. I can see that. Berardenga’s in the south, and both certainly have the warmth and heartiness of southern Classico wines./ Ripe and rich and rancio for 04. Pretty powerful stuff, really. Fine 04 acidity. Delivers. Great value. Very popular with the group. 16.7+. WT092706-11. 03 CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, VILLA BANFI - (ITALY) Sweet, ripe 03 and Banfi CCR style. Smooth with glycerol and alcohol. In form, and appealing./ Sweet plum pudding ripeness, sweetness, intensity, alcohol. Not so severe as the 01, 99, and 98. More like the 97. Lots of appeal. 16.2+. WT092706-12. 04 GEYSER PEAK ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON - (U.S.) Oh, yes! Big, ripe fruit with bold American oak to counter its Alexander Valley extravagance. Vigorous, with lots of black currant and some sweet bell pepper. Bullish./ Garrulous, spicy, and rangy. Sweet oak and ripe fruit in abundance. Cohesive and generous now, better still in a few months, after the oak becomes even better integrated. 16.3+. WT092706-13. 01 CAIRANNE COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES, L’AUTHENTIC DELUBAC - (FRANCE MEDITERRAEAN) 01 acidity, toughness, and contrite nature to open. Cairanne power and licorice form with airing, and some dried-fruit and -meat rancio tones. Chocolate, raisin, and clove notes too./ Powerful, assertive, ripe, maturing, roasted. Great 01 acidity and still some tannin to shed. Winter wine. Needs hearty fare. 16.2+. WT092706-14. 76 RIVESALTES VIN DOUX NATUREL, CHATEAU DE CANTERRANE - (FORTIFIED) Fine madeira like bouquet development with nice rancio and plenty of peel extract. Verdelho like, really. Fig, date, dried apricot, roasted nuts (filbert, walnut), savory spices, mocha, and toffee, Fabulous./ Sweet and fine complex of bottle earned flavors. Definitely in the madeira style. A little sweeter than the verdelho norm, but showing the same liveliness and sweetness-acidity balance. Multi-faceted, layered, lingering. Fabulous. Well priced for 750ml of a 30 year old wine. Compare to what you’d pay for a 30 year old tawny port or madeira. Will last well after it’s been opened too. 18.8. Wednesday, September 20, 2006
WT092006-01. 05 DOLOMITI PINOT GRIGIO, ALOIS LAGEDER - (ITALY) Good green fruit–high altitude, high malic. Apple, melon, citrus, nut. Full too–these Lageders are always full for Dolomite region wines./ Again. This is right for food. Has both the body and the acidity. 15.8. WT092006-02. 05 GEISEN EAST COAST RIESLING - (NEW ZEALAND) Light petrol tone. Flowers, tropics too, lemon verbena, high pitched./ Softly sweet, flowery, lithe. Nice spiciness. Sweet apricot finish. Petit riesling. 15.2. WT092006-03. 05 SIMI SONOMA SAUVIGNON BLANC - (U.S.) Full, with a profusion of grass, grapefruit, and gooseberry aromas. Total sauvignon. California big too./ California full and strong but not overly so. Some feel of high pH, but, really, the acid is zingy too. Good, big food sauvignon. 15.7. WT092006-04. 05 SIMI SONOMA CHARDONNAY - (U.S.) Good toasty, spicy oak and warm Sonoma chardonnay fruit (poached pear, tangerine) in harmony./ Full dill of American oak and suave vanilla coating too. This one I’d call ‘buttery’ instead of ‘creamy’. The usual open-knit, open-hearted stuff here. Soft finish. 15.8. WT092006-05. 05 PENINSULA CELLARS OLD MISSION PENINSULA LEMBERGER - (U.S.) Wow! Cookie dough and baking spices. Sweet red wine nose, packed with fruit and spice cake. A little lemberger feral touch./ Spicy again. Smooth textured, with mild acidity of the varietal but tangy aftertaste. Good example. 16.0. WT092006-06. 03 CHATEAU D’ARGADENS, BORDEAUX SUPERIEUR - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) @ St. Andre du Bois. Gold Medal - Paris. Spicy, ripe fruit of 03 gives almost a wood-aged nuance. Or maybe it is wood-aged. Black fruit with hints of olive, game, and flowers. Surely accomplished. Fine 03./ Again, ripe and thorough. Good fruit peels and acidity to balance its ripeness, completing a fulfilling claret experience. 16.1. WT092006-07. 04 BARBERA D’ALBA RUVEI, MARCHESI DI BAROLO - (ITALY) Cool, black, spicy, tarry 04. Firm. Black and red plums and peels. Well packed with fruit extract material./ Great barbera acidity and fruit vigor. Juicy and right. Long finish. 16.2+.. WT092006-08. 03 VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO, TOR CALVANO - (ITALY) Oh, fine, ripe and dried cherry, coffee, aromatic barks and warm spices, and a touch of oak. Plus Vino Nobile subtleties and floral finesse. Intriguing nettle-like nuance./ Very alluring. Suave and sweet and delicious 03 style. Spicy and succulent. Fine balance, texture, breeding. 03 at its best. 16.8. WT092006-09. 00 CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, CARPINETO - (ITALY) Dark and deep. A little 00 ruddy and leathery, but, really, quite black-fruited and accomplished for the vintage. No hardness, no greenness, no rusticity./ Yes, ripe and dried fruit with notes of anise and citrus peel. Fine muscle, volume, breadth. Chewy texture of fine-grained tannin. Well bouqueted. Long aftertaste. Will improve another 1-2 years. 16.4+. WT092006-10. 05 JUMILLA, PANARROZ - (SPAIN) Reduced still. It’s been that way before in youth. With air, good whole berry fermented red wine fruit and fermentation aromas. Ripe fruit, dark fruit, cassis. Bombastic, really./ Yes, whole berry reduction. Needs a few months. Livelier and fruitier than the 04 at the same age. 14.5+. WT092006-11. 04 COTES DU RHONE VIEILLES VIGNES, DOMAINE DE L’ESPIGOUETTE - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Very spicy and floral. Red cherry, dark berries, violets, cinnamon, and clove. Full of garrigue nuances. 04 dark and peppery. Espigouette charm, gentility./ Full of garrigue, spices, and cracked black and white peppercorns. Tender glycerol in the center, tannic back bite. Lovely, moving experience. 16.4+. Wednesday, September 13, 2006
WT091306-01. 04 SIGALAS ASSYRTIKO, SANTORINI - (GREECE) Lively stony minerality. Apple and peel. Opens to ripe, luscious aromas of apricot and fig, citrus and passion fruit. Smoky patina / Spicy taste. Full and juicy, with perky, sustaining acid zing, solid vinosity, and stony base. Some bouquet development. Good and generous from a textural standpoint. 15.9. WT091306-02. 05 ELK COVE WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT BLANC - (U.S.) Oh, full! Fuller than the pinot gris we tasted at Wine Club Monday. Lots of melon, golden apple, flowers, clove./ Yes, full, with plenty of peel extracts and personality. And there’s a plumpness of texture. Ample, like the A to Z. Classic pinot blanc. Certainly seems like a grape with a good home in Oregon. 16.2. WT091306-03. 05 BENTON LANE WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT GRIS - (U.S.) Nutty-creamy-waxy. Touch of oak? Aromas run deep and emphatic. Apple, citrus, peach./ Yes, deep. Add melon to the flavor set. Bright, nervy, penetrating, with good edge. Not thick and powerful like Alsace, or even some of the best Oregon pinot gris wines. But shows the equilibrium and style of Oregon PG. 16.0. WT091306-04. 05 CASA SILVA RESERVA COLCHAGUA VALLEY CHARDONNAY - (CHILE) Crisp fruit and very light oak dusting. Charming. Not a wine that is trying to say more that what it knows./ Softer than nose would suggest. Clean, friendly, engaging, and silk textured. Oak well in the background on the palate. Understated personality. A wine to take to the table when it’s the food that will be highlighted. 15.5. WT091306-05. 05 ANGOVE’S RED BELLY BLACK SOUTH AUSTRALIA CHARDONNAY - (AUSTRALIA) Perfumed and sleek, with modest oak. Ripe, with hints of green olive and grain./ Suave oak, fine acids, good depth. Honest, unabashed, old time Aussie chardonnay rusticity. A pleasant treat for those that like this style. 15.5. WT091306-06. 04 WENTE RESERVE RIVA RANCH ARROYO SECO CHARDONNAY - (U.S.) Lots of American oak: vanilla, coconut, dill. Met by plenty of ripe peach and tropical fruits./ Bright and tangy tropical fruits and charry oak flavors. Nutty-toasty oak facets too. The oak is still a bit dominant on the palate. Will likely settle in to make as lovely a wine as the 03 we featured this summer. 16.0+. WT091306-07. 05 BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY LES MURELLES, ROUX PERE - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) @Saint Aubin. Lemon and orange peels. Smoky, charry, earthy, spicy./ Again the bright citrus tang, the earth and resin. Weighty and thick textured. Reserved still. 15.6+. WT091306-08. 04 BEAUNE BLANC, LOUIS LATOUR - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Framed by French oak. Showing 04 acidity and structure. Not as succulent as usual, but it is young, and it is 04./ Good mouthfeel supports the Beaune blanc inclination toward creaminess, plumpness. Nicely burnished oak, calcaire, and fine fruit extract texture. 04 race and tang. Fine depth. Yes, this is right for its age, vintage, and origin. Will fill up
nicely. 16.4+. WT091306-09. 04 PULIGNY MONTRACHET, ROUX PERE - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) The oak is rather on top still. Luckily, it’s French, so more subtle than American. Can perceive the Puligny calcaire and the frame and extract of 04./ Oak leachings and vanilla flavors. Puligny frame. Both elegant and generous. Oak still speaks loud. No problem. Time will cure the imbalance. 16.4+. WT091306-10. 05 COTES DE PROVENCE ROSE LES DOMANIERS DE PUITS MOURET, DOMAINE OTT - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Very pretty strawberry and airy floral aromas. Dash of mace. The proper delicacy for a coastal Provence rose./ Tender plumpness countered by good acidity and astringency that leaves the palate cleansed. Dry, racy, handsome. Real flavor punch with plenty of accents. Good alcohol for body, which doesn’t detract from
its lithe demeanor. 16.2. WT091306-11. 05 BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR LA MOUTONNIERE, ROUX PERE - (FRANCE BURGUNDY) Plenty of 05-quality pinot fruit, bright and cool, with peel extracts. Black cherry and spices, and a Chalonnaise pinot generosity./ Bright, lively, black and red fruits and loads of spices. Firm and piercing fruit acidity. Upfront and generous. Vintage quality shows. 15.8+. WT091306-12. 04 VOLNAY, ROUX PERE - (FRANCY BURGUNDY) Oh! The classic, delicate strawberry pinot character of Volnay. Neat, trim, black-fruited style of 04, which seems to be a transparent vintage that lets the fruit and terroir show through in ringing clarity. Lovely./ Spicy oak and fruit flavors with sweet, plump mouthfeel that the nose did not suggest. May be chaptelized, but carried out in a craftsman-like manner.
Very long aftertaste. Finesse here. The wine of the evening. 17.0+. WT091306-13. 04 CHATEAU INDAGE ESTATE RESERVE THE MIST OF SAHYADRI NARAYANGAOAN SAHYARDI VALLEY MARHARASHTRA CABERNET SAUVIGNON - (INDIA) Sweet, reduced black fruit and muddle of brett and dekk. Mist gewist./ Very, very leathery. Both horse and cow hide. Under all, a solid cabernet fruit basis and good acidity and astringency. But, oh! They’ve sold us the farm. 13.5. WT091306-14. PORTUGAL TINTO, TAMARA - (PORTUGAL) From Ribatejo. Castelao, alicante bouchet, and trincadeira varieties. Reduced and stinky as it was when it was a vintaged, appellation wine. Needs air and age./ Palate better and clearer as is often the case with reduced wines. Raw purple fruit and berries. Good briar, peppercorn, garrigue like nuances. Nice texture featuring very fine tannins and plenty of fruit. No
signs of reduction on the palate. 14.8+. WT091306-15. 04 DOLCETTO D’ALBA, PRUNOTTO - (ITALY) Some oak spices, delicately imparted. Warm spices and surprisingly ripe, fleshy, and warm black cherry fruit for 04./ Vigor, texture, power, tannin, balance. Lively, striking, penetrating black fruits with hints of smoke and cola. Ample and ageworthy. Not your basic fruity Dolcetto. Very popular with the group. 16.2. WT091306-16. 04 UMBRIA MERLOT PESANO, FALESCO - (ITALY) 04 blackness and bracketing. Deep and dark, with lots fruit peels influence. Good, toasty, oak extras./ Yes, fruit framed in well. Good grip and extract. Plenty of dry matter. Good future. A departure from the sweet and easy, ‘modern’ Falesco style. Bravo! 15.9+. WT091306-17. 04 IRPINIA AGLIANICO RUBRATO, FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO - (ITALY) Lots of sweet new oak and lush, raisined fruit. Powerful, direct, and almost too forceful on opening. Settles down to a ripe but not raisined impression with airing./ And the palate sweetens up with time too. Good dried fruit and oak in harmony. Rich and big. Great textural appeal and an aftertaste of noteworthy length. The palate really shows
this wine’s worth at this stage. Very popular with the group–favorite wine of several. 16.5+. WT091306-18. 04 ANGOVE’S RED BELLY BLACK SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHIRAZ - (AUSTRALIA) Roasted fruit and nicely toasted American oak/ Polished, rich, sweet, ripe and dried fruit. Vanilla and nut oak aspects. Sleek, lively, penetrating flavors and textures. Good depth. Riper and cooler both than the 03. More fulfilled overall. 15.6. Wednesday, September 6, 2006
WT090606-01. 00 SHADY LANE LEELANAU PENINSULA BRUT - (SPARKLING) 76% pinot noir, 24% chardonnay. Slight copper tone from red fruit./ Nice and fluffy and fresh, with good white-bread dough bottle bouquet and burnished pinot red fruit statement./ The richness framing of pinot noir. Plus lots of bottle-matured flavor. Lush yet dry, with fine northern fruit acidity. Nice. Well liked by the group. 16.7. WT090606-02. 05 SHADY LANE LEELANAU PENINSULA SPARKLING RIESLING - (SPARKLING) Whoa! Ultra fluffy and floral. Talc; powder room. Peach and fuzz. Yes, white peach. Smells like a Bellini./ Full flavored too. Aromas confirmed, plus apple, custard, rose. Near dry. Has this category all to itself. An extravagant, singular sparkling wine. Well liked by the group. 16.5. WT090606-03. 05 SHADY LANE LEELANAU PENINSULA PINOT GRIGIO - (U.S.) Lots of peel aromas, including nut, wax, apple. And peel astringency./ Dry and rather austere. Has grip and astringency. Like a NE Italy version. Not an easy quaff. Food will help. 15.1. WT090606-04. 04 SIRIUS, BORDEAUX BLANC - (FRANCE BORDEAUX) Oak matured. Shows its oak veneer. I still don’t care for oak with sauvignon blanc. Only the occasional white Bordeaux pulls it off well./ Again, the oak vying with grapefruit and pineapple. And some soft yellow fruits, including apricot. Disjointed; not in synch. But not bad. 14.5. WT090606-05. 04 SHADY LANE LEELANAU PENINSULA PINOT NOIR - (U.S.) Light and lively and fresh. High strung. Very pinot. Very cool like an Auxerre pinot. Tart cherry, pomegranate, oak char./ Fresh and vivacious. Strong, pure, and focused varietal character flows forth generously. Very brisk and bracing (i.e. tart). Will prove more successful at the dinner table than at the judges’ table. Well liked by the group. 15.8. WT090606-06. 05 SEBASTIANI SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR - (U.S.) Deep, plummy, purple, slightly reductive still. Ripe California style of pinot with plenty of plumpness assuaged by peels spices and tang. Toasted oak adds touches of chocolate and caramel./ Full flavored. Genuinely pinot. Great roundness and glycerol, plus good acidity and fine tannin to counter. A very nice effort and value once again. Well liked by the group.
16.1. WT090606-07. 05 JUMILLA MONASTRELL CARCHELO, BODEGAS AGAPITO RICO - (SPAIN) Yowsa! Great expressiveness! Rich and powerful. Very ripe for mourvedre, but, that’s Jumilla. Jammy, warm. Plum pudding notions. Also blueberry jam, eau de vie, and floral accents./ Palate adds to the aromatic set: black cherry, raspberry, cassis, tobacco smoke, green olive. Jorge throws in ‘guinda’, a Peruvian drink. Rich and powerful and generous.
Big fruit and power and presence. Sweet fruit meets good acidity. Delicious. Tremendous value. The best vintage I’ve tasted. Well liked by the group. 16.2. WT090606-08. 04 KLOOVENBURG SWARTLAND MERLOT - (SOUTH AFRICA) Heavy Bottle Award. Meat, barnyard, VA, smoke, earth, plum, flowers. Italianate. Plenty of body and power. Big extract./ Sweet, ripe, roasted fruit. Ripeness, animal, power. No merlot character, but it doesn’t matter. This is a big, meat-lover’s red wine for roasts and stews in cold months. Well liked by the group in that vein. 16.0. WT090606-09. 03 CHIANTI CLASSICO, CASTELLO DI VERRAZZANO - (ITALY) Oh, boy! Amazing, exotic, complex nose! Classic viscosity, anise, dried cherry. Also plum, fig, clove, flowers. Full, dense, and sturdy, with 03 warmth and richness and already showing fine bouquet elements of seasoned meat, roasted nuts, and mushrooms./ Rich and genuine, with glycerol confirmed. Plus acid, power, fine tannins. Brandied fruits. Many
layers of flavors. A complete treat. A textbook example of Chianti Classico. Uses the warmth of 03 to best advantage. Well liked by the group. 17.0. WT090606-10. 04 JUMILLA MONASTRELL, JUAN GIL - (SPAIN) Heavy Bottle Award. Rich, suave, polished, deep, thick, jammy. Notes of anise and reduction. Intense and focused, with a cherry brandy or eau de vie essence./ A good mouthful. Solid, round, fruity, ripe, showing plenty of blackness and some suggestions of oak. Young, broad, and clinging. The tannins are full, suggesting that this wine will serve better purposes
a year or so down the line. Liked by the group with that in mind. 16.6+. WT090606-11. 05 SANTA RITA 120 MAIPO VALLEY SHIRAZ - (CHILE) Wow! Pungent, purple loganberry/boysenberry aroma. Some reduction still but not nearly so much as in the first two vintages./ Yes, rich, purple loganberry fruit. Rich texture. Lots of fruit plushness for the price. Doesn’t speak syrah much, but it’s still a fabulous red wine for the money. Well liked at the table that tasted second. The first table found it
too reduced still. Shows what aeration can do. Be sure to decant vigorously to get the flair behind the funk. 15.5+. WT090606-12. 04 COTES DU RHONE CHATEAU DE DOMAZAN, MOMMESSIN - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Sweet red berries with warm savor of sage and black pepper. Soft, juicy, self-assured, charming./ Nice wild berry flavor with touch of sweet meats. Good acidity and tannin. Firm 04 core still, but already attractive enough. 14.9. WT090606-13. 04 COTES DU RHONE RESERVE, PERRIN - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) O4 dark and compact to start. Opens to a fruity presentation., with aromas of black and red fruits (strawberry, cherry) plus spicy tobacco. Opens further to show power, body, penetration, and character. Fresh black-fruit perfume caps the nasal experience./ Rich and dark-fruited. Good acidity, lift, and berried brightness. In part, it’s the vintage
talking. But I suspect a good measure of syrah and mourvedre here too. Well crafted to offer present charms and future attractions too. 15.8+. WT090606-14. 04 RASTEAU COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES L’ANDEOL, PERRIN - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Black fruit (plum peel, black cherry, black currant) and licorice laden–typical of young Rasteau. Solid, spicy, smoky, with fine depth and focus. Yes, youthful and classic. Very, very backward./ Indeed, still in a shell. 04 grip and acidity. Big-time structure, depth, power, importance. But in need of time. Respected by the group.
16.2++. WT090606-15. 04 GIGONDAS LA GILLE, PERRIN - (FRANCE MEDITERRANEAN) Wow! Big and handsome. Wild cherry, anise, peppercorn, other warm spices (clove, cinnamon, allspice) and garrigue herb and flower nuances. Powerful, classic, complete./ Fat, broad, ripe, and distinctive. Plenty of Gigondas alcohol and glycerol. Surprisingly supple and expressive, but there are many secrets yet to reveal. An aristocratic complex of black
fruits, flowers, spices, and herbs. Has Beaucastel direction and pedigree. Appreciated by the group. 16.6+. WT090606-16. 05 SUTTER HOME CALIFORNIA GEWURZTRAMINER - (U.S.) True varietal character. High toned orange peel, mango, rose, and lychee aromas. Good richness. Good value./ Sweet and soft and delicate. Nicely polished and proper varietal expression. Mild acidity supplanted by good alcohol support. 15.3. WT090606-17. 05 SUTTER HOME CALIFORNIA MOSCATO - (U.S.) True varietal character. Ample, classic aromas of yellow fruits and flowers. Easy virtues; sultry./ Again. Good balance of varietal bitterness and sweetness. Consistently good when fresh like this. Well liked by the group, especially at the price. 15.5. WT090606-18. 05 SHADY LANE LATE HARVEST LEELANAU PENINSULA VIGNOLES half bottle - (U.S.) Huge loquat element and aroma of Peruvian bananas (they’re orange inside), says Jorge. I get high-toned pineapple aromas of ripe vignoles. Dense, juicy stone fruits too, and honeycomb. Touch of botrytis? Certainly seductive./ Luscious, sweet, and charming candied fruits. Racy acidic edge. Again, a suggestion of botrytis. Beyond
late harvest; this is of beerenauslese concentration and sweetness, with a degree of ice wine acidity. 17.5+. |
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