TM


Tasting Notes
March/April, 2006

Tasting Notes Contents Page

QPR Winner   I give this award to wines that demonstrate an excellent Quality to Price Ratio. They are sometimes more expensive than the wines featured in my Best Buys section (which is cut off at $20), so while every Best Buy is also a QPR Winner,  not every QPR winner is an official Best Buy.  QPR winners are simply wines that are great values for a relatively  reasonable price. 

Alsace  Australia  Austria Bordeaux   Burgundy  California/USA  
Dessert/Sparkling Germany  Italy  Rhone/South/SW France

Alsace (except dessert/sparkling) 
2004 Gewurztraminer "Lieu Dit Harth--Cuvée Harth" (Schoffit)
Refreshing and lively for Gewurz, this is still lush, with classic Gewurz notes and youthful freshness. I'd drink this on the young side, though, as the wine, while delightful and charming now, is also a bit basic in some respects, as shown as it airs out. Still, very nice. 88 points.

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Australia (except dessert/sparkling) 
1998 Chardonnay (Curly Flat)
This wine has a youthful color, but the palate is not as promising. The nose and the flavors are all of oak at this point, although the buttery concoction has some appeal and flavor.  It is soft and a bit formless, awakened after a bit of air by a touch of acid in the background. It did not respond well to more air, and eventually faded, flattened and became more and more oak dominated, until it was hard to find the fruit. This improved for about 10 minutes and held for a little while longer, but disappeared well too fast, becoming nothing but a mouthful of oak. Needs drinking. 82 points.

2002 Chardonnay (Curly Flat)
The oak on the nose partly blows off, but is powerful at first.  This seems intense and beautifully structured, with mouth watering, simply gripping acidity on the finish.  There is an oak overlay, but it integrates rather well, and the acidity freshens the wine. With air, it shows some steel and more purity of fruit, but the acid does begin to dominate it a bit too much. Still, this is a wine with some verve and class, and an interesting overall demeanor. 88 points.

2003 Chardonnay (Curly Flat)
Fresh and pure, this is lively, although not quite as acidic as the ‘02, with a lovely finish, too.  It has a certain purity of fruit that  I liked, less obstructed by either acidity or oak, as in the prior two wines, but it also lacks the intensity and verve of the ‘02.  It is a close call as to which I liked better between this and the ‘02.  It is mostly a matter of preference and style. I think the ‘02 will age better, and ultimately surpass it,  but this drinks better now and has a more charming demeanor, at least at the present.  The finish did shorten a bit with air. This is nicely drinkable now.  87 points.

2004 Chardonnay (Curly Flat)

The nose is of a young, exuberant wine, with lots of oak. It has nice grip, and lively, fresh fruit in the mid-palate. It is expansive and evolves nicely with air, and seems to drink well right now.  As with the ‘02 and ‘03, it is hard to decide between the three. There is a certain stylistic similarity. They all have good acid, with the ‘02 being the most prominent in that category,  and fruit that acquires more typicity with air,  partly and gradually overcoming the vanillin overlays from oak. The exuberance of this youthful wine makes it very appealing at the moment. 87 points.

1999 Pinot Noir (Curly Flat)
There are touches of tar and acid around the edges. The wine is restrained, with a nice, typical Pinot Noir balance, but the fruit is fading and reacts poorly to air, flattening out and becoming simple and uninteresting.  Nothing is going on here that merits holding this a second longer. 83 points.

2000 Pinot Noir (Curly Flat)
There is a lovely nose here, followed by bright fruit on the palate. This is elegantly constructed, and the flavors are pure, nuanced by raspberries, turning to strawberry with some more air as it broadens. For all of the good it does, the finish is modest and there is little depth. There are moments when you thing there is no “there” there, although you appreciate the classic Pinot elegance and the style projected. Still, quite pleasant. 85 points.

2002 Pinot Noir (Curly Flat)
This is an improvement over the ‘00, largely because of the roundness, and the extra layer or two of depth.  There is some intensity on the finish, nice texture, and lovely cherry-nuanced flavors.  Round and ripe, and nicely constructed. 89 points.

2003 Pinot Noir (Curly Flat)
This opens with sweet fruit, and bracing acidity on the finish. The acidity takes over the wine at some points, and is occasionally overbearing, but ultimately this seems to be a pretty nice Pinot presentation, with structure and some nice fruit. The ‘02 has superior depth and texture, however, and far more charm. 86 points.

2004 Pinot Noir (Curly Flat)

Very ripe, this seems to have some menthol or eucalyptus on the finish, something that combines with the ripeness of the fruit to give it a somewhat eccentric flavor profile.  It flattens out quickly with air, not quite showing much distinction. There seemed to be a lot of ripe, young fruit here, but it goes for naught, at least as this shows now.  Some called it “medicinal.” Maybe it will improve with some cellaring, acquiring a little more typicity.   85+ points.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Shirvington)
A grapey nose, laced with violet, starts this off in an appealing fashion.  It is young and primary, obviously, with nice, sweet fruit. There is some obvious acidity and some ripe tannins for structure, but make no mistake, this is a fruit forward wine. Although the fruit is sweet, and rather delicious, it is not a fruit bomb in style, that is, it is nicely presented with an elegant feel in the mid-palate, relying on flavor not density.  It needs to take on some complexity and integrate and calm down, but this is a promising wine. 90 points.
 

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Austria (except dessert/sparkling) 
2004 Gruner Veltliner Trocken "Loibner Steinertal" (Alzinger)
Oily in texture, with a lively finish, this turns steely and lighter with air. I liked its texture and its flavors, and suspect it will be early maturing. This would make a nice shellfish match, I suspect. 87 points.

2001 Gruner Veltliner "Ried Achleiten" (Josef Jamek)
The nose is a bit stinky, developing that mushroom note that we sometimes see. The finish is fine, and the wine seems high in glycerine, mouth coating and relatively rich and ripe. This drinks well and seems mouthcoating.  Very pleasing texture.  89 points.

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Bordeaux (except dessert/sparkling)
2003 Chateau Chasse Spleen
This seems a bit dumb and tight, with some moderate tannins and a relatively modest mid-palate. There are some touches of game and herbs, but the fruit is hard to find at the moment. This seems to be a rather laid back Chasse Spleen, at best. 85-87 points.

2003 Chateau Poujeaux
Beautifully balanced, this projects a certain liveliness from the ripe, but tingly tannins. It is elegant and charming, and while neither deep nor profound, will be pleasing for short to mid-term drinking. Not ready now, but I suspect another two years will show it in decent form. 87-89 points.

2003 Chateau Clarke

This is showing a bit dusty, with some astringent tannins. It also seems a bit simple, with modest fruit, a rather straightforward, relatively routine wine.  It does hint at some power lurking underneath, but the balance with the fruit may be less than optimum. It is admittedly a bit hard to evaluate at the moment and in a trade tasting event given its power. 86-88 points.

2003 Chateau Camensac

Tight and focused, this rather intense Haut Médoc is assertive at the moment, but not showing much depth of fruit.  However, I liked the fruit flavors and for mid-term drinking I would expect this to develop nicely. 87-89 points.

2003 Chateau Cantemerle

There’s a touch of barnyard on the nose, but the palate seems clean, laced with rhubarb and cherry notes, and showing rather ripe. This is fruit forward and tasty, but of only modest depth.  It was hard to find a lot of structure, but it also had a lot of charm. 86-88 points.

2003 Chateau La Lagune

This is a very serious wine, one of the better La Lagunes I have had in recent years. It is relatively full in the mouth, with significant tannins on the finish. It is a serious wine that is powerful and well constructed. 91-93 points.

2003 Chateau Brane Cantenac

Ripe cherry fruit leads this off. The attack is soft and feels velvety and sensually appealing, but there is a bit of a kick at the end. Appealing and rather seductive, I liked the texture of the wine and its flavors and it seems to have the supporting structure, too. A potentially fine Brane. 89-91 points.

2003 Chateau Cantenac Brown

Supple and textured like velvet, this is ripe and round, with just enough tannins on the end to provide some verve.  The wine’s overall presentation is very appealing, and for mid-term drinking it should be a crowd pleaser. 87-89 points.

2003 Chateau Giscours

The supple tannins sneak up on you here, as there is more than I thought at first. It is beautifully focused and balanced, and while seemingly open now, this should develop into a very nice, mid-weight wine in a few years.  I think this has the potential to exceed my score, but it is a bit hard to evaluate just now. 88-90 points.

2003 Chateau Kirwan

A beautiful mouthful, ripe and full, with delicious fruit. There is not much power on the end, and in the time I had to spend with it, I could not find much in the way of tannins, but it is seductive and mouth coating. I think this will be a pleasure to drink through its lifetime. 90-92 points.

2003 Chateau Labégorce

Billed as a “traditional” Margaux, this evidently means that the wine has finesse--or less charitably that it seems a bit light and in need of a little more punch.  The tannins on the end are ripe and supple and much needed.  In fact, I rather enjoyed the elegant demeanor of this wine, but I would drink it in the mid-term, within ten years, I think. There is a place for this wine, but it is certainly neither particularly long nor distinguished. 86-88 points.

Chateau Rauzan-Ségla

Focused and tightly wound, this Margaux projects some power and intensity. There is a touch of game on the nose, a nice mid-palate and good fruit flavor. This should repay some cellaring for about five years or so quite nicely. 89-91 points.

2003 Chateau Beychevelle

Smooth and seeming simple, this has modest depth, drinks pleasantly, and seems foursquare and routine.  It has a certain pleasing demeanor, to be sure, as Beychevelle usually does. 86-88 points.

2003 Chateau Gruaud Larose

Soft and delicious, this young Gruaud seems surprisingly wide open, with very supple tannins, but not much evidence of power or density common for the winery.  It was hard to dislike the delicious fruit, though. Rather sexy and simply delicious, if this fleshes out in the cellar it will merit a higher score. 89-91 points.

2003 Chateau Lagrange

Smooth and focused, this hints at an extra layer or two of underlying depth that is hard to find in the short time I had to spend with it. The fruit is beautifully ripe and flavorful, and the texture caressing and provocative. In the short while I had to spend with it, it suggested having a lot more potential than I saw, so consider that this might be subject to an uptick in score. 89-91+ points.

2003 Chateau Léoville Poyferré

Lush and seamless on the attack, this shows structure underneath, although it is fruit forward and the presentation dominated by fruit at the moment. Expect this to evolve beautifully as it goes forward, proving its balance and its inherent charm. 91-93 points.

2003 Chateau Talbot

Full and spicy, with black currant notes, this has a beautiful feel to it, and fine fruit. I could not find much in the way of tannins in the time I had to spend with this, but the Estate says that with air and time sufficient tannic structure is there. At the moment it seems a bit too soft, even if very appealing. 88-90 points.

2003 Chateau Clerc Milon

Beautiful notes of black currant and cassis lead this wine off, and it seems very much Pauillac. There doesn’t, on the other hand, seem to be great depth, and as with a lot of the ‘03s at this stage in their development, it is hard to find the structure underneath in short snapshots.  Still, this seems like a potentially very attractive wine with a potential for becoming something even better. 88-90 points.

2003 Chateau Lynch Bages

Smooth and seductive, this seemed sensually appealing, but a bit dumb in flavors at the moment.  I think this wine is developing nicely and will become a nice albeit not great Lynch Bages. 88-90 points.

2003 Chateau Pichon-Longueville (Pichon Baron)

If I was complaining about not being able to find much tannic backbone, here was a wine showing rather differently than most. Tight, very focused and with some obvious tannins up front and on the finish, the structure here seemed to hide the fruit for a change, rather than the other way around. Silky and tightly wound, this needs some time for its parts to integrate, and the fruit to reemerge.  90-92 points.

2003 Chateau Pontet-Canet

Beautiful and lively, this finishes with tingly tannins that make the wine seem awake and vibrant. It is not big per se, but classically defined, with more than adequate depth, and with nice black currant notes on the fruit.  This will be a pleasure to drink.  90-92 points.

2003 Chateau Lafon-Rochet

The medium body is focused and pointed, with nice texture and good flavor. The wine is not particularly lush or deep, but should drink nicely in a few years, and show nice balance.  89-91 points.

1989 Chateau Clerc Milon

This opens a bit dull and simple, showing little but some classic nuances. Forty minutes of air did it a world of good, and the fruit showed sweeter and more lively. This became a wonderfully appealing wine that, while not particularly deep or profound, touched all the bases and delivered cassis and currants in an elegant demeanor. 89 points.

1990 Chateau Pavie-Macquin

This has oodles of delectable fruit, but something seems wrong and off. The wine has a nail polish nose and seems uninviting as a result of off aromas, following through onto the palate. From this bottle, this is highly questionable. Will have to retaste. 80 points.

 
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Burgundy (except dessert/sparkling)
1997 Chablis "Les Clos" (Dauvissat)
Fresh and pure, this sunny Chablis features gorgeous fruit, with a touch of the tropics.  It has well integrated acidity that gives it a lively and charming feel, without being overbearing. This tastes young, and has years to go, but is pretty much irresistible now.  Elegant and delicious. 94 points.

1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Pucelles" (Domaine Leflaive)
More acid comes out with air, but at least initially this seems to be oak, lees and butter and little else. It has a lush feel, with terrific depth in the mid-palate, but it really needed some air to come around, even a little.  The acid appearing with the air was a welcome relief, and just what the wine needed.  There is a lot to admire in this wine, and it may yet develop a little more grace with age, which it badly needs. As I was drinking this in the first few minutes it occurred to me to wonder what the Burg-0-Philes would say if the label said "Kistler" instead of "Leflaive."  90+ points.

1999 Meursault-Charmes (Henri Germain)
Powerful, with mouth watering acidity, this provides a gripping finish as a result. The question with this wine was whether it was going to relent just a little and let the fruit poke through. Happily, it did, even becoming rather friendly with air as it opened. I found myself liking this a lot, although I suspect that with age it will develop some austerity. At the moment it is refreshing and interesting.  91 points.

2001 Chassagne-Montrachet "Morgeot" (Bernard Morey)
Sweet, rather hedonistic fruit leads this off, and this wine at first just seems remarkably succulent and very sexy. I thought there was a touch of bitterness on the finish, though, and the development of the wine was not as impressive as its presentation right out of the gate. Still, there were moments where you just wanted to hug this friendly puppy. It is a wine suffused with charm and friendliness. 91 points.

2002 Chablis "Vaillons" (Verget)
Pure, soft and easy, this is nuanced by peach flavor, and is friendly and supple. Its texture is seductive, and while it is easy to imagine this developing with more age, it may be hard to resist now. This can and will develop, but its primary nature now is a little short on complexity. Let's see it come together in the cellar. 90+ points.

1983 Corton-Pougets (Jadot)
This is not exactly a great wine, but it gets credit for exceeding expectations. Yes, it starts out tasting a bit old and seeming a bit musty, but most of that changes with a little air. It actually has nice flavor, with strawberry nuances, on the finish, and tastes pretty good. It is soft and harmonious, and there is very little left in the way of structural elements. Whether you call that supple or the beginning of flabby, is up to you.  Although the wine clearly needs drinking, and seems a bit inoffensive and simple, there is not much in the way of decay evident on the palate and little that I could point to as "complex."  Not great. Not bad. Has its moments. Drink up. 85 points.

1988 Clos Vougeot (Daniel Rion)

We had this next to the '89. I think the '89 was a far superior vintage for this bottling, lusher, deeper and riper, but it was also a bit stewed and cooked somewhere along the way, so no note on the '89. Even so, I think I would rather have drunk the defective '89 over this somewhat charmless '88.  This shows some earthy notes, and lots of power and acid.  The nose shows oxidation, but the mid-palate has some good fruit flavor, particularly initially. With more air, the wine becomes rather astringent and it seemed to me that it overwhelmed the fruit. This had its moments when it preened and seemed impressive, but ultimately it seemed to be austere, without charm, and often, without fruit. A brooding wine. 87 points.
 

2002 Nuits St Georges "Les Damodes" (Lecheneaut)
This is a disjointed mess at the moment, but it has some promise. The fruit is sweet and ripe, and that's the first good sign.  It also has beautiful, seductive aromatics.  At the moment, though, the acidity and tannins clash, and the wine is harsh and disjointed on the finish.  This needs some time to come together, and in fact, I'd say three more years in the cellar would help this a lot, at which point it would be young, still, but hopefully more harmonious. There's a lot going on here. 90+ points.

1999 Charmes-Chambertin (Girardin)
Lush and velvety, this is round and ripe, laced with cherry notes.  There is some acidity on the finish, but well integrated, and not particularly aggressive. If this lacks the verve of the Lecheneaut, above, it compensates with seductive texture and a round, full mid-palate. Quite delicious. 92 points.

1997 Gevrey-Chambertin "En Motrot" (Denis Mortet)
This has a beautiful nose, pungent and laced with raspberries. That, however, is the last really good feature of this wine. Oh, it has a certain enjoyable silky quality to it, a certain brightness and elegance that make it reasonably pleasurable, but it is thin and simple, too, and lacking a mid-palate. It is a touch sharp, too.  This may well have been a much nicer wine a couple of years ago, but it gives every sign of being a wine that needs drinking. At least if you want to have some fruit left. 85 points.

1996 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Charmes" (Daniel Rion)
Beautiful fruit mingles with acid in the back to produce a lush, nicely structured wine. The mid-palate is sweet and ripe, the fruit almost sappy. It is nuanced with black cherry notes, and very flavorful. It never becomes a fruit bomb, though, showing plenty of structure all the time. This is young, and showing evidence that it needs more cellaring, although it is so sexy now that it is hard to resist. Very nice. 93 points.

1995 Vosne-Romanée (Rouget)
Bright and a bit sharp, this has nice raspberry aromas and flavor, with a somewhat thin mid-palate. It does blossom with air, and the acidity began to integrate. The fruit developed some broader cherry notes, and there was just a hint of more weight. I liked this more as time went on. 88 points.

1995 Echezeaux (Rouget)
Bright and elegant, this has a modest mid-palate, and some tannins on the finish.  It has a beautiful, lingering finish, by far its best feature. While not particularly deep, it does put on a little weight with air, after it wakes up, and seems elegant and attractive. It also seems a few bricks short of exceptional, a little too casual for my taste. Others liked it more. 90 points.

1996 Echezeaux (R. Engel)
Tannic and tightly wound, this wine is rather closed. It is full bodied, with a dense mid-palate, but it is hard to find the fruit, as it seems austere and mute. With air, it gradually opened and developed flavor, but never quite showed itself to be fully open and expansive. For best results, consider this to be a few years away and in need of cellaring. It certainly seems to have excellent potential, though. 90+ points.

1996 Vosne-Romanée "Beaux Monts" (Grivot)
Hard and tight on the end, with some herbal notes, too, this was a wine that evoked some controversy, but I rather liked it. Its good points were succulent, juicy fruit, surrounded by a bright, lively structure that gave it a friendly, sunny demeanor.  It did not develop terribly well with air, primarily because the herbal notes became more pronounced, though the wine otherwise developed more harmony,  but was great fun in many respects. 89 points.

1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Referts" (Sauzet)
This opens with heavy lees notes, but it is laced with such gripping acidity that you hardly notice. The acidity drives the finish home, and makes it linger a little longer, and there are actually other flavors on the finish, minerals and pure fruit.   Elegant and increasingly well balanced with air, this becomes somewhat ethereal, and one could argue that the acidity is a touch too high. Still, this drinks wells and shows nicely. I think it needs another two years of cellaring myself.  90 points.

1999 Clos Vougeot (Chantal Lescure)
Almost flamboyantly sweet on opening, this happily became more typical and calmed down a lot with air. The fruit had nice, ripe cherry notes. The wine drinks simply and easily, without a lot of intensity, but has appealing texture as well as flavor. I was hoping for a bit more evidence of structure, but this has its moments. 89 points.

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California/USA (except dessert/sparkling)
2001 Carignane "Buchignani Ranch" (Ridge)
This has the sort of mechanical, by-the-numbers feel to it that a lot of basic Ridge wines have, often due to the familiar oak overlay. Ridge gets a free pass from those who like to rant about oak, alcohol, industrial wines and lack of restraint. But there is a certain sameness to Ridge's basic product line, an "everyday" vin de table feel. Here, we get what we normally get at this level, a wine that shows prominent amounts of American oak, to the point where the Carignane tastes pretty much like most of the Zins; a wine that is easygoing and friendly, but not particularly complex or distinctive, and with some elevation in alcohol. This is only 14.3. You could do worse. Still.  The good news is at this level the pricing is very reasonable, and you simply have to treat these as everyday wines. In fairness, this is hardly supposed to be their top of the line.  On the other hand mid-twenties pricing isn't so cheap in a certain sense either, and it is hardly a $10 quaffer.  86 points.

2001 Chardonnay "McCrea" (Kistler)
A bit too buttery and oaky on opening, this has a pale, yellow color, and some brightness on the edges. There is good fruit here, but it is obliterated, at least initially, by the oak. Some air helped this out a lot.  It kept the butter, but lost some of the pure oaky notes, and turned out rather well, showing its depth to good purpose now, and keeping the seductive texture. Pretty nice. 90 points.

1995 Chardonnay "Lorenzo" (Marcassin)
Golden hued, this is soft, with its components well integrated. It projects an harmonious, seductive feeling and overcomes some overt oak on the nose and initial attack. The finish is superb, its best feature. This did not stay at the top of its game all the time, though, and while there were moments that I really loved this, I thought it did show some signs of fading after aeration.  Drink up!  89 points.

1998 Cabernet Sauvignon "Herb Lamb" (Colgin)
Oh, well...pickle juice again. In some vintages that I have reviewed, the green, vegetal notes in this wine can be overwhelming. After having a fine 1997 recently, notably a very ripe year, I was hoping that was a thing of the past. But it is back in spades here.  I was told by the winery that the green notes, the olive, are typical of Herb Lamb vineyard. If so, it is a very good thing that Colgin is developing other sources of fruit, because this must surely be the most overrated vineyard in California. To me, this goes well beyond a nuance of olive, and delivers way too much green, making me think, simply, vegetal. Some commented on, and liked, the floral bouquet, picking out lavender.  The wine has a medium body, seems curiously low key, although it has some supple tannins, and very much ready to drink after some decanting. The longer it aired out, the greener it got. There's not much depth here, either. This is hardly a great year to begin with, but from this winery this is certainly a disappointment. I was happy to dump it. 80 points.

2002 Chardonnay "Hudson" (Kistler)
Sweet fruit leads this off, with a certain tropical note on the finish. It is beautifully balanced, restrained in oak, and absolutely charming. This manages to be delectable without being over the top, or off key in any way.

2003 Pinot Noir "Olivet Range" (Inman Family)
Lovely.  Sweet and sappy, this combines great taste with an elegant structure and demeanor. It has good weight, a certain roundness that was seductive, and lots of charm. It is not particularly powerful, nor particularly well structured. It seems pretty much ready to drink now, and is hardly a vin de garde, no matter what. But its balance and fruit are very appealing, and there is some respect for Pinot Noir weight and typicity. I'd rate it higher if it had more aging ability. 89 points.

1995 Chardonnay “Stargazers” (Chaddsford)

This aging Pennsylvania chard still has some life left, but not very much. It is consumed by oak, and the fruit has faded considerably. There’s a creamy note to the wine that is overdone, and has some odd nuances, perhaps a hint of caramel, perhaps the beginnings of oxidation.  It shows deceptively at first, but the taste is all oak, and the texture all cream. Well past prime. 78 points.

1998 Petite Sirah "Frediani Vineyard" (JC Cellars)
This wine has come along better than I thought it could. I really hated its demeanor on release, and it seemed highly questionable. This is by no means a great bottle, but it at least tastes like wine. It is on the simple side. There is a lot of acidity around the edges, perhaps a bit too much. There is a bit of tartness to it. The fruit flavor is hard to find, particularly at first, but it does show something after thirty minutes of air, or so. The off notes that this projected young seem largely to have integrated. Drinkable, but a long way from being a good value or great bottle. 86 points.

1999 "Insignia" (Joseph Phelps)
As with most Insignia, this is a friendly puppy, but it is a bit more austere and compact than normal. I have to say at the outset that Insignia in many respects is my role model for Cal Cabs/Blends.  It is a wine that is clearly New World. Yet, although it is delicious, approachable and fruit forward, it is also balanced and easy to drink. Through the '90s, this was a benchmark wine for Napa. This shows the trademark sweet, lovely fruit, and its balance is simply impeccable. It is suave, and seems to be drinking decently after some air. It is bright and succulent on the finish, but as noted, it does seem a bit more compact than normal. One might argue that a little more cellaring will help, but I think this is pretty much what it is--which isn't bad. Soft and harmonious. 91 points.

1999 Cabernet Sauvignon "Eisele" (Araujo)
This vintage in Napa in general underwhelms me, and so, too, here. This has a bit more upside than the Insignia, above, but I'm not sure it will ever be more charming. This seems a bit light and supple, at least at first. It is tightly wound and rather disjointed, with lots of stuff going on--acid, herbal notes, and some astringency with air. I didn't particularly like the herbal--some might say "green"--notes that the wine seemed to have, but its structure was impressive as it sat and aired out. This needs some cellaring--and hopefully, you'll like its flavor profile in a few years when it is more ready to roll. 90+ points.

1999 "Jericho Canyon" (Rudd)
Beautifully balanced, impeccably harmonious, this is smooth and velvety, with just a hint of olive. It has nice grip on the finish, and a fine, lingering finish it is.   There is a certain bit of gravel or slate, as a nuance. The overall presentation is very appealing. In a lineup of fine 1999s, this was my winner. 93 points.

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon (Beaulieu)
This is merely the regular. You wouldn't expect much from it, and I didn't get much. I had a bunch of these acquired on a lark and for a song, and about 1 in 5 was decent (not exceptional). You can't blame storage here, which I know was perfect. The fill was fabulous and the cork unstained except at the bottom, a perfect seal. Nonetheless, oxidation and maderization were prominent in the nose here. The palate was a bit better for a very short while. It does show nice weight and depth. But the pruney notes and the maderization shine through strongly in short order. This wine has outlived its useful life. Pretty much undrinkable. 70 points.

1995 Chardonnay  "Cuvée Cathleen" (Kistler)

Heavy lees notes mingle with mineral nuances, and this shows intensity and a lot of everything, including oak and a buttery overlay. It has remarkable weight and depth, and a pungent nose. What makes it a star, though, is its ability to improve with air, to begin integrating its parts, absorbing the oak, and show some brightness around the edges of the wine. It is certainly mouth coating and mouthfilling.  Ultimately, although I wasn't so sure at first, I liked it a lot. 94 points.

1999 Zinfandel Late Picked "Jimsomare" (Ridge)
This excellent ATP selection (Ridge's specialty, mailing list program) has most everything. There is some trademark Ridge oak treatment up front, but mercifully, that integrates quickly because it would be a shame to obliterate this fruit. The fruit here is simply glorious, sweet and succulent, utterly delicious, unrelentingly flavorful. The wine has structure, too, some tannins for support, and hints of brightness. This is a fine effort from a benchmark Zin producer. 92 points.

1998 Pinot Noir "Beaux Freres Vineyard" (Beaux Freres)
This opens rather brooding, with a pungent nose, but the palate blossoms with air. Delectable cherry notes pop up as the wine expands, and there is some acidity on the finish. The ripe, succulent fruit is a pleasure to taste, and a bit on the mouthwatering side. I was surprised to find some tannins coming out with more air, which suggests, together with the acidity, that this wine has the structure to age gracefully.  The fruit is ripe, but this is by no means a fruit bomb, nor jammy. It is a complete wine.  I don't think this is at peak, and may not be for another couple of years. It should last gracefully until at least 2013. 95 points.

1999 Pinot Noir "Beaux Freres Vineyard" (Beaux Freres)
Elegant, with a complex nose, showing just a touch of game that follows through on the palate, this is by far the lightest of the three BFs on this page. Supple, bright and lively, this is a charming wine with delicate flavors and a silky feel. 89 points.

2002 Pinot Noir "Beaux Freres Vineyard" (Beaux Freres)
A powerful, wonderfully fragrant nose leads this young wine off. The fruit is sweet and simply delicious, evolving into classic Pinot Noir notes with air. It seems to drink amazingly well for young BF, flavorful, elegant, light on its feet, dancing across the palate while retaining reasonable depth in the mid-palate. This may well close down, though. The sweet fruit gives way to some grip on the finish with air, and its succulence begins to integrate with other components of the wine. It struck me that this might be what the 1998 was young, although I suspect the '98 has more pure power.  It will be interesting to see where this goes. 93+ points.

1999 Pinot Noir "Rochioli Riverblock" (Williams Selyem)
This opens with a beautiful nose, redolent of cherries, and it has a certain silky feel. But it is very sweet, perhaps too sweet, seeming a bit candied on the finish. It was a bit too much for me, frankly, just seeming a bit discordant. Some may like it more. 88 points.

1997 Pinot Noir "Camp Meeting Ridge" (Kistler)
It opens rather woody, but also focused and with reasonable depth in the mid-palate. It is not thick or heavy.  It seems supple, too, ready and opening after some initial tightness.  It expands beautifully, and although there was always some noticeable wood, its cherry notes took over and the fruit was delectable. This became more and more charming with air. 92 points.

2002 Pinot Noir "Goldridge" (Dehlinger)
This exuberant young wine is not how I view most Dehlinger, which have often seemed brighter, and more restrained. This is simply bursting with flavor, and adds a full, mouthcoating mid-palate. It is lively, too, not just tasty, and there is some acidity around the edges, all of which drives delectable raspberry notes into the palate. This seems already to be drinking well, but that may not last, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it shut down.  In the meanwhile, its exuberance brings a smile to your face, yet it remains rather elegant. 93 points.

2004 Viognier/Roussanne (Kongsgaard)
Rich, with a touch of butter, this shows mostly Roussanne in nature, and not so much Viognier, although the percentages are pretty close. The Viognier is overwhelmed by the Roussanne. It is simply delicious, sweet and lush, although as it airs out it shows some class and harmony as well as delectable fruit. Very nice. 92 points.

2002 Tithings (Alban)
This cellar rat blend is rich and supple, with sweet, succulent fruit. It is simply delicious, redolent of plums, with a touch of chocolate. It has ripe, tingly tannins, but seems pretty smooth. Then, rather suddenly, there is a turn to some harshness, as the structure takes over. And just as suddenly, a few minutes later, the wine began to integrate again and calm down. It is mouthwateringly good at times, perhaps a bit too heady and powerful at others. 90 points.

1997 Syrah "Roll Ranch" (Ojai)
On opening (after it had been open for about an hour), I loved this. It seemed beautifully focused, with a core of sweet fruit that was delectable, and beautiful texture. It was rather disturbing that the wine pretty much starting cracking up after awhile longer, though. At its best, this had a beautifully intense mid-palate, but even allowing for the fact it had been open for at least an hour before I got to it, it was a little disturbing how quickly it began to fade in the glass. 89 points.

2003 "Isosceles" (Justin)
Blueberries and oak, sweetness and pizazz.  This is a wine that can be quite tasty in many vintages, but rarely to me seems to have much complexity. It's on the flamboyant side all the time, and there are moments when that seems like a good thing. It is often unrecognizable as a Bordeaux-blend and comes up way short in the typicity category.  That said, it's always a crowd pleaser for its tasty fruit and easygoing, friendly demeanor. 89 points.

2003 Chenin Blanc "Ernesto Wickenden Old Vines" (Foxen)
This opens tight and rather acidic, mouthwateringly so. It is, however, full of fruit flavor, too, and it melds itself into a wine that drinks well, with focus, grip and flavor. It's a nice presentation all around. It is drinking nicely now. I'd be interested to see if this can age, which is the final achievement for someone making New World Chenin. I'll gamble that it can, to a reasonable degree. 90 points.

2003 Pinot Noir "Ashley's Vineyard" (Consilience)
Big and dense, this opens soft and supple, full of raspberry notes, but without showing much structure or liveliness. I really liked the sweet fruit on the end, which got brighter with some air, and enlivened the wine, which badly needed it. With air, too, it thinned a bit, and acquired some balance. There are a lot of pinot lovers who can't abide pinots this deep without more acidity, but this is valid expression of the varietal with its own merits in my view. That said, any Pinot lover who thinks it is too chunky and dense certainly has a valid point, too. I'll take this for what it is. It sure tastes good. 89 points.

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Dessert/Sparkling

2003 Chateau Coutet

Sweet and elegant, this is beautifully balanced and well structured. The sweetness is particularly evident on the finish, the wine not being particularly unctuous in the mid-palate. Very friendly and very appealing. 90-92 points.

2003 Chateau La Tour Blanche

Exotic and flamboyant, this sexy wine is utterly delicious.  It tinged with pineapple and mango. Sweet and delectable, it is hard to resist right now.  The nose is powerful and pungent, projecting powerful citrus aromas, making many promises that the wine keeps perfectly. Fragrant, sexy, and hedonistic. 94-96 points.

2003 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Tightly focused, showing some tannins and a big caramel overlay, this projects lots of flavor, with sweetness coming in up front and on the finish.  This seems to be a wine leaning more to power and structure, diametrically opposed to the La Tour Blanche, above, but perhaps a more traditionally styled Sauternes. 90-92 points.

2003 Chateau Suduiraut

Beautifully balanced, elegant and sweet, this is laced with apricot nuances, and shows pure, pristine fruit.   There are touches of unctuousness in the mid-palate, and the wine is simply delicious. 91-93 points.

1989 Grauburgunder Beerenauslese "Haardter Herrenletten" (Muller-Catoir)
This Pinot Gris has seen better days. It has good weight, but little flavor left, other than dried apricots, and dying fruit.  There's little sugar, and little of interest, and it seems very much over the hill. 79 points.

1998 Chardonnay Trockenbeerenauslese #9 "Nouvelle Vague" (Kracher)
Like most such wines from Kracher, this is simply beautiful, rich and unctuous, youthful and exuberant. It tastes so young that the apricot notes are only beginning. Some more age and a little oxidation will make them more pronounced, I think. This also has fine acidity, it is both succulent and mouth watering. Very nice. 95 points.

1997 Sauternes (Chateau de Fargues)
Woody and laced with caramel and botrytis notes, this is a focused "structure" wine, rather than something succulent and fruity.  It melds together well, though, and shows fine focus and penetration. 89 points.

2000 Sauternes (Rieussec)

A beautiful golden color precedes the first taste here. The wine is extremely ripe and succulent, rich and delicious, with beautiful fruit. It is hard to find the structure at first, but the botrytis and power come out with more air, and there is plenty here. A beautiful wine. 93 points.

1999 Riesling Beerenauslese "Niersteiner Hipping" (Karl Schmitt)
This makes a beautiful presentation, sweet, with sunny notes from well integrated acidity. The flavors linger, and the finish is beautiful, laced with apricot and peach notes.  The sugar asserts itself a little on the finish. Tasty and charming. 93 points.

2000 Viognier Trockenbeerenauslese "Costello" (Alban)
Apricots are traditional in wines this ripe, and so here they are. This opens surprisingly pointed, a little sharp, but as it warms up, a certain lush, velvety feel becomes the wine's texture.  There is always a certain restraint evident here, though, for a wine billed as a TBA.  This is neither particularly deep, nor particularly long, but it is certainly tasty.  This seems to be drinking well at age six, and shows no signs of decay. 90 points.

1996 Champagne Rosé  (Deutz)
Crisp and long, with remarkable grip and power on the finish, this beautiful pink has a long life ahead. Bright and intense on the finish, it also shows some toast as it warms up, avoiding shrillness.  The mouth-grabbing finish is memorable. 95 points.

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Germany (except dessert/sparkling)
1989 Riesling Auslese “Ebenburger Stephansberg” (Rapp)

Being neither familiar with the vineyard or the producer, I found this to be a pleasant surprise. It is gripping and powerful, with high acidity on the finish, but also nice depth of fruit. The wine is mature, but not overly mature. The sweetness is not noticeable at this time, the sugar mostly having been blown off, or being imperceptible due to the acid. The acid is in balance, though, and the wine shows nicely, and develops well. 90 points.

2003 Riesling Auslese Trocken "Brauneberger Kammer" (Paulinshof)

This is a not-too-often seen in these parts Auslese Trocken, which might strike some as a contradiction in terms, but it's not, quite, if you fully understand the pradikat system. Still, this late picked wine in a warm year is fruity and rather charming, completely avoiding the austerity Trockens can sometimes have.  It is supple and ripe, round and velvety. With air, it shows a bit of steel and tingly acidity, as well as a little more weight. I am not much of a Trocken fan, but this is a good introduction to Trocken for those who are scared of them. :) 92 points.

1997 Riesling Spatlese “Ungsteiner Herrenberg” (Fitz-Ritter)

Gripping acid is the only thing you notice while the wine is cold and just opened, but it is a pleasant surprise to find more. There is just enough sugar on the end to prevent the wine from becoming shrill, and while I thought it finished a touch bitter, the fruit asserted itself and proved it was not yet ready to fade.  Focused and penetrating. 89 points.

1971 Riesling Auslese "Zeltinger Sonnenuhr" Sanctus Jacobus  (Vereinigte Hospitien)
There is a rounded, burnished note of maturity on the mid-palate flavors, and it is just a touch sweet on the finish.  If it is on the cusp, it is still a wine in prime time, showing fruit flavor still. It has a mid-palate that feels substantial and ripe, and a beautiful finish. It took a little bit of air to wake this up, and then it drank beautifully. It was a slow starter, but finished well. I initially thought it was dull next to the '69 Spatlese reviewed below, but this opened to the point where it overtook the Spat. 92 points.

1969 Riesling Spatlese "Kreuznacher Narrenkappe" (A. Anheuser)
This is open and expansive, seeming perfect at this point in time, fresh and pure.  With a little bit of air, it takes on some hints of complexity, before finally giving in just a little to age. This is so friendly, it is a pleasure to drink. I would like to call it "obvious," but out of context, that would sound like an insult. This is just a wine that takes its age in stride, and makes no concessions. On its own, it may not be a brilliant wine, but one thing it surely has done is hold brilliantly so that you can judge it for whatever it is, rather than just as "good for its age."  90 points.

1989 Riesling Spatlese "Niersteiner Hipping" (G.A. Schneider)
It's hard to believe this is a Spatlese, and hard to believe it is 17 years old. It tastes fresh and lush, and is rather sweet, even though it is at an age when the sugar starts to blow off a lot of Auslesen. It seems shockingly young, and is completely delicious. If there is a critique to make, it does not have much perceptible acidity, not much zest or zing. Still, it seems so fresh and young, that there is a certain liveliness inherent in its seeming youth. 93 points.

1990 Riesling Spatlese "Alsheimer Fruhmesse" (Seidel-Dudenhofer)
It took awhile to air out and warm up, but when it did, this still showed life. The fruit is maturing, with apricot nuances on the finish, and the wine is very bright. When you get to the end, everything is in place, but nothing is particularly exceptional. The acidity in the wine will let it age further, but I'm not sure the fruit will be along for the ride. Best to drink up. 87 points.

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Italy (except dessert/sparkling)

1995 Barolo (Seghesio)

This opens bright, but otherwise mute and dull. The acidity level is too high and seems moderately oppressive, at least initially, but it improves dramatically over the course of an hour and a half or so.  It finally shows some fruit and flavor, some nutty notes, and begins to seem like wine.  I was impressed that it picked up weight and fleshed out.  About five years away, this holds promise. 90 points.

1999 Barolo “Monprivato” (B. Mascarello)

This opens sharp, with some nail polish notes on the nose.  The mid-palate is smooth and supple, with a nicely balanced, harmonious feel. There is a lingering finish. The nuances of what I suspected to be some volatile acidity lessened with time, and this showed better as its parts integrated, although it remained rather underwhelming for the couple of hours that I sat with it. Double decanted for 3 hours before being reached. 88 points.

2000 Barbaresco Bordino (Tenuta Carretta)

Rich and almost chocolately, this seems sumptuous and sexy, easily approachable in the first hour or so of its life. It is round and a touch creamy in texture,  and has a new wave feel to it. Make no mistake, though. This is a wine with tannins underneath and the longer it sits, the more they assert themselves. It has nice weight in the mid-palate and presents itself well.  90 points.

2001 Barolo “Ciabot Mentin Ginestra” (Clerico)

The nose promises very ripe fruit, and the palate provides young, exuberant fruit, surrounded by a considerable oak overlay. The tannins are fighting with the fruit at the moment, as each part of the wine here seeks to assert itself. The fruit is just on the verge of losing the baby fat, entering phase two.  When the tannins finally come out, the wine projects considerable power. This looks to be a wine that you want to try drinking around 2010-2012, but in the meanwhile, it has a short window where you can drink it if you drink fast--before the tannins assert themselves. It is rather disjointed, though. 92 points.

1999 Chianti Classico "Rancia Riserva" (Felsina)
Robust and full bodied, this shows intensity and power, together with great grip, a lingering finish. It expands and acquires more typicity with air, but never loses that lovely lushness.  Very nice, and very tasty. 92 points.

1999 Vino Nobile Riserva "Salarco" (Fassati)
This opens beautifully, with sunny, bright fruit, and a bright finish. It starts, however, lush and rich, with a new wave feel. There's a touch of olive around the edges, and tannins pop out with more air, providing welcome intensity and structure. Voluptuous and sexy. 90 points.

1999 Brunello di Montalcino (Lisini)
This opens tight and focused, disjointed, and a little hard to get a grip on. At one point, I thought it seemed a touch hot. After noting that, I checked the label, and it was marked at 14.5%.  Still, I thought heat issues receded into the background as the wine came together. There is fine depth of fruit in here somewhere, but it is hard to find, although when you do it is fresh and tasty.  There's just a touch of game on the finish, too, as it airs out, which I rather liked.  This needed a lot of air to come together, but eventually it did, as the fruit got sweeter and sweeter, and the structural components slowly knit together. This is a wine built for the longer haul, and you shouldn't really think of popping it  now. I think it will be much more attractive around 2011. 92+ points.

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Rhone/South/SW France (except dessert/sparkling)
1994 Coteaux du Languedoc (Chateau La Sauvageonne)

The '92 of this wine was one of the ones that made me interested in Languedocs. This vintage, after starting hard and tannic, became even better. And at age 12, it is still drinking beautifully, and was available for less than $15.  Of course, the small production (around 500 cases) made it hard to find, and since, the estate has seen various convulsions. I'm not sure who distributes it in the USA any more, and ownership has changed hands. But here we are...and this is beautiful, having aged gracefully, showing sweet fruit still, a certain richness, but beautiful balance and classic Syrah notes. Twelve years old. $15.  90 points.

1991 Cote Rotie (Rostaing)
Silky and smooth, with just enough brightness on the edge to wake it up, this seems fully mature, but still in a good place. It throws off typical bacon fat aromas and flavors, and drinks easily, being rather elegant and pleasing, if not quite distinguished and exceptional. 89 points.

2000 Cote Rotie "Cuvée de Plessy"  (Barge)
A load of barnyard leads this off, and there wasn't, frankly, a lot else to make it memorable. Oh, the wine does nothing particularly wrong, all the parts are in place, but none is exceptional. It is a routine Cote Rotie, mediocre and middle of the road. 85 points.

2003 St. Joseph "Lautaret" (Durand)
This opens flamboyantly, grapey and remarkably sweet. It was so sweet and grapey that I thought it might have a touch of carbonic maceration, but that began to blow off. This was a lot of fun, although I'm not sure I detected much structure. Enjoy it for its seductive qualities. I didn't like this at all on first taste, but the longer it sat, the more I enjoyed it.  90 points.

2000 Hermitage (Texier)
Heavy notes of game and barnyard lead this off.  It is very bright, sometimes too much so, I thought. I kept waiting for it to go somewhere, and it never did, seeming foursquare, although rather lively due to the acidity. This did a lot of individual things well, but I never thought the parts came together well. It was hard to love. 88 points.

1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Chaupin" (Janasse)
Tightly wound, this features lush fruit with a velvety texture wrapped around a firm backbone. It is a beautiful presentation. The flavors come out on the wine only after some aeration, and it slowly but gradually integrates its parts. This is not at peak yet and should not be for a couple more years.  A fine performance. 94 points.

2001 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Boiserenard" (Beaurenard)
Simply beautiful, powerful, dense and sweet, this puts it all together.  The tannins are firm but ripe and well integrated.  They give the wine a pointed focus, and the potential for long development. This is nowhere near ready and should not be opened at this juncture, or, I suspect, for about five more years if you want the wine to really be open. A superlative Chateauneuf, this should develop beautifully in the cellar. 95+ points.

2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Renaissance" (Cristia)
Sweet and delectable, this is also a bit sharp, very focused, and pointed. It is very tight at the moment, and the fruit seems to be a step behind some of the structural components, but it should evolve nicely and come together well. 92 points.

2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape  (Janasse)
Classic CdP in aromas and texture, this bright, sunny wine expands in the glass with air, and becomes very flavorful, featuring strawberries and herbs. It is on the lighter side, and brighter rather than lusher. Charming and friendly. 89 points.

2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée Felix" (Bois de Boursan)
Smooth and bright, this supple wine opens easy and then finally shows some intensity on the finish.  The fruit sweetens with air, and a little touch of game comes out, too. Focused and flavorful, this shows just enough structure as tannins pop out to support the seemingly seamless whole. Like a lot of 2000s, it is seductive and supple, and approachable early, but it is also not quite ready. It can open more. 92 points.

2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Reserve des Deux Frères" (Usseglio)
Big and dense, with ripe but significant tannins on the finish, this full-bodied CdP is a beauty. I loved the mouthfeel, the impression that your palate was fully engaged, and the concentrated mid-palate. Yet, as it aired out, it showed balance and typicity. This is very young, but approachable now, but much better in a few years, though. As nice as the fruit is, it is also to be appreciated for its backbone and structure. It is a complete Chateauneuf that should age gracefully and open slowly. I could see the score of this increasing as it opens up. 95+ points.

2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Clos des Papes)
Exuberant, sexy and hedonistic, this opens with a touch of kirsch on the nose, and gloriously sweet fruit. This young wine is exuberant and flashy, but it would be a mistake to think that is all there is. There is structure here, tannins and acid, which are particularly obvious on the finish. As the wine airs out, it gains balance and starts to show more typicity. It is simply an exuberant, young wine that needs some cellar time to knit together, granting that it is utterly delicious and hard to resist now. There will come a time around 2010-2013 when this has more harmony than you might think it has now, but I wonder how many people will keep their hands off of it between now and then.  Some have smelled that kirsch note and complained about the wine, but I think you have to be rather churlish to dislike this, even at this very young age. When it knits together more, it should calm the relatively few critics, other than those who think real wine is that which has no discernible fruit flavor and tastes weedy and oxidized. 95 points.

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