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Tasting Notes
November/December, 1997

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Bordeaux (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1992 Lynch Bages
  The 92s may not be deep, big, ageworthy wines, but they show the ability to taste good. That's not such a bad thing. They lack depth and structure, but the fruit is round, velvety and supple. This 1992, in pristine condition, was all that (and a bag of chips). The texture was beautiful, the supple, sweet and velvety fruit coated the mouth. The pure and sweet flavors of cassis and blackberries left a short but pleasing finish. If this is off vintage wine, bring on some more. It lacks only for depth and concentration. Not much in the way of tannins. Drink on the early side. While it's all there, it will be a consistently pleasing Bordeaux. 89 points.
• 1983 L'Evangile
  Rich, big bretty wine that is surprisingly voluptuous for the vintage. If you like them on the rustic side, this is a star. It is not to my taste, but it is a considerable success in the context of the vintage. 91 points.

  Burgundy (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1989 Ruchottes-Chambertin (Roumier)
  A stunning wine. Find some adjectives, use them. Burgundy doesn't get much better than this. This wine is dense enough and concentrated enough so that it took hours to open. Yet it never seemed heavy or overbearing. As it opened, the nose became more and more perfumed, the berry fruit flavors became more and more pronounced and the texture of the wine became more velvety. The depth and intensity are remarkable. Tasted in Burgundy from Lameloise's cellar. (A point I note since in the USA, where storage and transport matter, a lot of the 89s, are ready to drink; this wasn't quite there.) 97 points.
• 1994 Meursault (Coche-Dury)
  Good performance for a wine of this level in the vintage, but not ultimately a great wine. The wine is medium bodied at best, a little on the light side, in fact. Some notes of pears and the oak outweighs the fruit a little. The wine is saved by a long finish, but is otherwise short in intensity and depth. 86 points.
• 1993 Chassagne-Montrachet "En Remilly" (Colin-Deleger)
  Elegantly balanced wine that lacks some fat, depth and intensity. A little more oomph would have gone a long way, but there's still a lot here to like. 87 points.
• 1990 Savigny de Domaine (Chateau de Meursault)
  This estate isn't exactly known for its red wines, but this Savigny, tasted in Burgundy, is a winner. Remarkably pure and pristine at age 7, with still rich, raspberry and cherry flavors, this wine is pleasing all around. It has some supple tannins for structure, a nice velvety texture and some perfume on the nose. I've had better Savigny, but not many. Drinking beautifully. 90 points.
• 1986 Chablis "Valmur" (Ravenau)
  A butterscotch beginning evolves into a flinty finish. The wine is tannic and intense. It seems deceptively lean at times, but develops well and never seems short on finish or fruit. Fine Chablis. 91 points.
• 1985 Meursault-Charmes (Comtes Lafon)
  Very tannic, with an oaky nose, golden color. At first, I was afraid this wine was unbalanced, but the wood integrated quickly with other components, and fruit notes actually emerged on the nose. Exceptional finish. This wine is drinking well, yet still developing. Its character and class showed in its ability to change, develop and improve. 91 points.
• 1992 Beaune "Vignes Frances" (Louis Latour)
  Served at one of the Hospices de Beaune dinners for the 1997 auction. Surprising, but ripe tannins. This shows raspberry notes on the pleasing nose, that follow through onto the palate. Some velvet on the texture. The finish is bitter and offputting, though, and while the wine provides some flavor, it lacks concentration and intensity. Ultimately a failure, and it is hard to get past that finish. 83 points.
• 1990 Vosne-Romanée "Les Suchots" (Drouhin)
  Believe it or not, this was the second best red wine served at the Diner Aux Chandelles, one of the Trois Glorieuses dinners surrounding the Hospices de Beaune auction. (The best was a decent, but ultimately just OK, 89 Corton.) Too thin and light, the wine avoids total failure by providing some bright red berry fruit, and a bit of charm. Nothing special, but considering its peers, it stood out. 85 points.
• 1994 Chassagne-Montrachet (Crotet)
  Flavorless, thin, ridiculously hard and cheap. A remarkable waste of terroir. Another of the offerings from the Hospices de Beaune dinner. If you can find any fruit in this, you win the prize. 77 points.
• 1985 Vosne-Romanée "Les Beaumonts" (Pernin-Rossin)
  Notwithstanding the mediocrities served at the Hospices de Beaune, this wine, drunk at a famous restaurant and chosen by the sommelier, is my pick for the worst big name red I found in Burgundy in November. Hard and charmless, tannic, unbalanced and pruney, this wine covers all the bases. The finish is bitter, there's an odd menthol flavor in the core, and there seems to be little to redeem this monstrosity. I don't know that I would have guessed this as a pinot noir blind. 75 points.
• 1993 Santenay "Gravières" (Jessiaume)
  I've liked a lot of Jessiaume Santenays. In good vintages, they are solid wines with excellent aging potential. This is no different. Still tannic, a bit unready to drink (at least as tasted near its origin in Burgundy), this thick, powerful Santenay belies the appellation's reputation for producing modest wines. In fact, we had to decant it to get in drinking condition. The amount of rich, deep, thick fruit was something of a marvel in this wine, and it cost all of 160 ff in a restaurant ($28). I was a little disappointed in the finish, and the wine never seemed to open quite enough to provide flavor comparable to its concentration levels. Maybe it needed even more time. 89 points.
• Hospices de Beaune selections
  While in Burgundy in November, I had the opportunity to taste a lot of offerings from the Hospices de Beaune in various places, offered by various people. To avoid clogging this page too much with a lot of notes on a single theme, I've put them all on a separate page. Click here for these notes.

• 1995 Beaune "Clos des Mouches" (Jadot)
  Elegant, cherry flavored wine that drinks well, tastes good, but seems a little too short on depth and finish to be exceptional. 88 points.

  1995 Beaune Rouge (L. Latour)
  Pretty, fresh and ripe, this wine is drinking pretty well now. It seems to lack the structure for aging, but it will be a nice short termer that, when it's "on" will exceed its classification. 85 points.

  1995 Beaune-Bressandes (Allexant)
  A producer I never heard of. Lovely wine, dark chocolate overtones, velvety, round and ripe. The texture is excellent, and the wine shows excellent balance. A little more intensity would be nice. Probably the wine I liked best out of a generally mediocre tasting presented as a kick-off to the 1997 Hospices de Beaune auction. 90 points.

  1995 Beaune 1er Cru "En Gênet" (Arnoux et fils)
  Fresh and friendly, but this is premier cru Burgundy? Too light, too thin. A deal--if it were Bourgogne Rouge. 82 points.

  1995 Beaune-Teurons (Bouchard)
  Supple, ripe tannins surround pleasing but not concentrated fruit. Elegant and silky with reasonable flavor. Good, not great. 87 points.

  1993 Saint-Romain (Patriarche)
  A terrific little wine that busts through its price barrier. Flavorful chardonnay fruit, seductive and approachable, and just enough structure to be still drinking well at age 4. Fresh, and lively, not deep and overbearing. 88 points.

  1992 Marsannay (Chateau de Marsannay, distributed by Patriarche)
  Superb performance by a little guy in a so-so vintage. Opens tight, but the fruit bubbles up with air and turns sweet and flavorful. Structure and reasonable concentration. About $17.50 in France. 88 points.

  1988 Beaune 1er Cru (Chateau de Marsannay / Patriarche)
  Structured wine, with a nice core of very focused, sharp raspberry fruit. Needs time. Personally, I prefer wines a little more on the voluptuous, velvety side, but this will likely continue to develop and show well ultimately. There is some question as to whether the tannins will ultimately outlive the fruit, but there will certainly be a window in its life when it is enjoyable to drink. 88 points.

  1986 Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (Hospices de Dijon, distributed by Patriarche)
  Hard, flavorless wine that is short on fruit, unbalanced and charmless. If they've got a big stock of this, they may as well donate it to charity, because it's hard to see them selling much after people taste it. 77 points.

• 1991 Meursault (Coche-Dury)
  This is a wine that in the context of the vintage and its classification is exceptional, but falls a bit short. The sur lie flavoring dominates the wine, and the fruit is neither rich enough nor fat enough to keep up. This got a little too much of the "big wine" treatment when it was not really a big wine. That said, the finish is excellent and lingering, the intensity of flavor still remarkable. If there is a bit of unbalance, so be it. It is still interesting and no one wanted to leave a drop. 89 points.
• 1990 Pommard (Parigot)
  An estate I had never heard of, a wine that didn't seem terribly Burgundian in some respects. This had some good things going for it, but I found the tannins hard, and not much interested in dissipating. I am not so sure there is the fruit here to sustain this level of tannic assault. The fruit seemed a bit short of flavor, although there was a quick hit of framboise that quickly dissipated. 87 points.
• 1987 Corton (Meo-Camuzet)
  Big and hard, the antithesis of a 1987, this wine seems hardly ready to drink. I think, though, that the fruit will not live to see the moderation of the tannins. The imbalance is small, but there. Still, a considerable success in context of the vintage. 88 points.
• 1987 Richebourg (Jean Gros)
  As good as it gets ten years out in this vintage. Surprisingly rich, sweet on the nose to the point of being port-like, this wine blossoms in the glass and provides lush, rich fruit that is all but miraculous in this vintage. Elegance and charm, together with lush, velvety fruit. 91 points.
• 1986 Meursault-Perrières (Ampeau)
  A wine that combines subtley and intensity. The wine starts a little lean and minerally, and then you find that the austere characteristics are overwhelmed by fruit marked by leesy characteristics, and an intense finish that coats your mouth and lingers for seemingly forever. A wine that surprises and amazes. 91 points.
• 1990 Batard-Montrachet (Sauzet)
  Simply fabulous. Rich, ripe and round, this Batard seems buttery and creamy. The finish is endless, the fruit velvety in a way you cannot imagine for a white wine. Superb Batard from Sauzet. 95 points.

  California/ West Coast White (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1994 La Jota Viognier
  La Jota's Viognier tends to be heavier than most, but it also typically provides excellent flavor, a nice nose and a great finish. This one follows suit. The leesy aromas and flavors are marked, but the wine has good depth for Viognier, and at age 3 is in remarkably good shape, a lot better than most Viogniers are. Will not satisfy Rhone freaks, maybe, who may consider it too big and clunky, but I think this is an exceptional California performance. 90 points.

  California/ West Coast RED (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1992 Zinfandel (Greenwood Ridge)
  This is a wine I have been waiting patiently for. At last! For a couple of years, the acidity levels overwhelmed the fruit and I was beginning to think it would never balance out (acidity problems often don't). This last bottle was suddenly just right, reminding me of why I bought this in the first place. Suddenly, we have a beautifully balanced wine, soft and sweet, lacking in power a little, but with tons of charm and sex appeal. The fruit is just remarkably up front and delicious. It's finally ready, and it was worth the wait. Some may wonder how I can like this and Turley both. Well, unlike some, I have an open mind to different styles, despite some personal preferences. (g) But really, just because French food is my favorite, does that mean I can't ever enjoy Italian? 90 points.
• 1996 Fleur de Carneros (Carneros Creek)
  This is mediocre pinot that has as a redeeming value the fact that it is only around $10 or so. Not much drinkable pinot gets to that range. That said, its normal competitor in this style is the Saintsbury "Garnet" bottling, and Saintsbury does a way better job, providing more opulent, lush, albeit quickly fading fruit. This wine is a bit thinner and more laid back, and will die just as fast. Store cold, make sure it hasn't been damaged before you got it, and drink within a year. At its best, it at least is varietally true and provides some flavor. Not a bad house wine when economy matters. 82 points.
• 1994 Zinfandel "Rossi Ranch" (Topolos)
  Call this controversial zinfandel. If you're looking for a flamboyant pretty boy that assaults your mouth with rich, sweet fruit and swaggers all the way through the meal, this ain't it. This is earthy, rustic zin, some might say bretty, that reminds one more of Bandol. Oh, it has plenty of fruit, reasonably good depth and so on. But its style is probably unique among zins these days. Not for everyone, but, although I thought about it twice, I decided I liked it. No score; it's well made, but you'll either like it or you won't.
• 1994 Zinfandel "Sonoma Valley" from Chauvet Vineyard (Coturri)
  Another entry in the Weird Zin contest, although almost an opposite style. All you have to do is forget typicity. This won't satisfy any cravings for zinfandel. Call it a zinfandel from a Wes Craven-type winemaker? Someone who marches to their own drumbeat, in other words, and isn't above some screams and the occasional bloody mess. The wine is slightly sweet, not flamboyantly so, and has those strawberry overtones I associate more with gentle, mature, Burgundy as it oxidizes. This has a little bit of tannin, but this wine is not about tannin. After some debate, I decided I sort of liked this one in context and with the right mood, although it was annoying in several respects, it's a little too odd to make a habit of, and hard to match with food. I just had to keep saying "It's not zinfandel" over and again. Too offbeat to score and frankly not something to encourage.
• 1993 Mourvedre "Enfant Terrible" (Edmunds St. John)
  Typically one of the great values in California wine at the moment, this comes in under $10, and is becoming better every year. The '93 is ready to drink, showing some rusticity and juicy fruit. It won't improve and will likely start fading, so drink up. The '95, however, blows this away, as this winery keeps improving across the board. 86 points.
• 1987 Cabernet "Special Selection" (Caymus)
  Focused, surprisingly balanced wine with good intensity and elegance considering its depth of fruit. As with most American-oaked wines, the oak is readily discernible and becomes part of the wine, but there is so much here to like, you can't really complain. Lovely wine across the board. 90 points.

  Dessert/Fortified/Sparkling

• NV Pedro Ximenez Sherry (Barbadillo)
  In the Sept/Oct tasting notes, I reported on Lustau's PX Sherry. The Barbadillo is $5 less. A deal? A steal? Well, all PX sherry is not alike. This has nothing near the sweetness or the richness of the PX from Lustau. By Lustau standards, it tastes like a medium bodied sherry, sweet, but not too much. The incredibly creamy richness you find in the Lustau is missing. The intensity, grip and ability to change favorably in the glass is missing. For $10, the Barbadillo is not bad, but if you started out disliking sherry and thinking it tastes a lot like Harvey's Bristol Cream, this will do nothing to change your mind. For the extra $5 it takes to acquire the Lustau PX, you get a world class wine instead. 79 points.
• NV Sherry "Capataz Andres" Cream Solera Reserva (Lustau)
  A traditional cream sherry, though much better done, medium bodied, moderately rich and sweet, excellent for an aperitif. Lacks the intensity of Lustau's Moscatel and the incredible concentration levels of the Pedro Ximenez. This is a blend of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez. 88 points.
• 1970 Port "Boberg Library Reserve"(KWV)
  An amazing wine that I had never heard of. Tasted blind, everyone's first thought was port. Then I started noticing some differences. The wine was lush and rich, more velvety than port usually gets. But there was not much tannic burst. It tasted closest to a young port, but how could young port have, seemingly, so little tannin, even with air? SO it turns out to be a South African imitation that I actually preferred to the 1985 Grahams! As noted, incredibly lush and velvety, soft and gentle, rich and flavorful, this in some respects seemed like a better vision of Port. Certainly, an interesting alternative. 94 points.
• 1985 Port (Grahams)
  Well, I've had this before and I can't say it was showing very well. Compared to the Boberg, it seemed thin and without much flavor. The tannins were supple. Since the last time I tasted this, it seems to have shut down. Or maybe the half bottle was less than perfect. Or, maybe the Boberg overwhelmed it. But it was pretty boring on this night. 88 points.
• 1996 Vidal Icewine Niagara Penisula (Inniskillin)
  Excellent effort from Inniskillin and its Vidal. Basically, I've thought that the big flaw in Canadian icewines has been the frequent use of grapes like Vidal, that is, hybrids. Maybe it's not Vidal's fault. Maybe it's winemaking. Or weather. Still, while they often seem rich and syrupy, they often have odd finishes, flavors and aromas. This wine is a success that avoids most of the flaws and still delivers a honeyed, thick, late harvest wine. All of that mouth coating syrupy character is there, the unusual flavors are muted, and the wine does most things right. Good finish, if still a touch odd, and on the whole quite nice. 90 points.
• 1970 Port (Grahams)
  Terrific port. Opens hard and tight, and you wonder if the tannins have outlived the fruit. And this after 2 hours of decanting. Well, they haven't. Explodes in the glass, and keeps opening and getting sweeter. By the time there is none left, you find yourself looking around wondering why you didn't save more room for port. One of those unanswerable questions. A wine with years to go. 93 points.

  Other/Misc (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1989 Chateau Chalon (Mossue)
  A wine from the Jura region that is basically a French version of a fino sherry. I have never encountered wines like this before in France, but you learn something new every day. In all respects, it seems to be a classic fino, and the casual fino observer would be hard pressed to distinguish it from the real thing. Of course, in the Jura region, they consider this the real thing.
• 1961 Barolo Riserva (Borgogno)
  In terms of elegance and weight at this point, this seems more like mature Burgundy than Barolo, with some cherry wood flavors, too. That happens. But the finish is bitter and green, and a little sour, too. There is still a bit of astringent tannin. In perfect condition, as it was purchased at the winery in Italy, the offputting finish spoils whatever it does right. 80 points.
• 1995 Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang (Daguenau)
  There are a couple of producers in the Loire I have found that make sauvignon blanc like this. With these producers, the grassiness is muted, the wine is perhaps a tad off dry due to the extremely ripe fruit, and your first guess (at least MY first guess) was not sauvignon blanc. Actually, the wine is so fragrant, that my first guess was muscat. Crisp acidity surrounds the sweet fruit, and with air it develops gorgeously and becomes a little more typical. Tour de force sauvignon blanc for even those who don't care much for the varietal. 93 points.
• 1990 Riesling Auslese Mussbacher Eselshaut (Muller-Catoir)
  Stunningly rich wine that hardly tastes seven years old. It screams riesling, it typifies German styles at their best, and leaves a coating of lingering, tropical fruit flavors in your mouth. Try it, you'll like it. 95 points.
• 1994 Riesling Auslese "Durkheimer Spielberg" (Darting)
  An infant that should be cellared for a few years, during which time it will take on weight and character. At the moment it seems thin and appealing, but a minor wine compared to the Muller-Catoir above, lacking the depth and concentration. To be sure, this will never be in the Muller-Catoir's class, but with cellar time, I think it will improve dramatically. The pristine, flavorful fruit still makes it a pleasure to drink. 87+ points.
• 1993 Shiraz "Eileen Hardy" (Hardy's)
  Quintessential shiraz. This wine seems to embody what you think of when you think Aussie shiraz. Marked notes of sweet, American oak surrounded by lush, rich,velvety, sweet fruit make this wine an unadulterated pleasure. Complexity is not the watchword here. Just pure, sweet fruit, and endless flavor. Goes down easy; a crowd pleaser. No this is not the deepest, most concentrated or longest wine you'll find. But it does just about everything else exuberantly. You can't dislike it. 91 points.
• 1993 Barbaresco "Bricco Asili Faset" (Ceretto)
  Surprisingly flavorful nebbiolo, soft and gentle. Lacks the astringency you find in a lot of these wines. Fully open, ready to drink. Not the biggest Barbaresco ever. Not the purist's wine. Simply tasty. 89 points.
• 1982 Barbaresco "Santo Stefano" (Giacosa)
  By any purist's definition of Barbaresco, this is a far greater wine than the Ceretto, above. It's deeper, more concentrated, more ageworthy. Yet, while by many objective measures it is better wine, I still can't like it as much as it displays many of what I consider to be the flaws of traditional Barbaresco: astringent tannins, muted flavors (you get this anyway with nebbiolo but with this style of winemaking tossed into the mix, the tannins overwhelm the fruit for decades), bitter finish. A purist would give it 92 points as a terrific expression of its style. That doesn't mean I have to like it.

  Rhone/Southern French (except dessert/sparkling)

• 1992 Hermitage Blanc (Guigal)
  Structured, balanced wine that shows a bit of a tannic bite, opens nicely with air and never loses focus. Could use a little more richness, though, and neither the nose nor the finish is exceptional. Crisp and refreshing. Solid, middle of the road wine, but not quite a star. 88 points.
• 1990 Cote Rotie (Bernard Guy)
  This is a producer unknown, so far as I can tell, in the USA. His Cotie Rotie is a charming wine that is on the light side, especially for this vintage, but it is saved from banality by pure, sweet fruit and a pretty nose. Elegant, with some virtues, but not deep enough to be first class Cotie Rotie. 87 points.
• 1991 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Reserve (Rayas)
  Served too cold at first it seemed more like a restrained, somewhat older chardonnay. Two hours later, it was still opening and the fruit just seemed to explode in the glass, and the nose becomes fragrant and rich. From an unusual and atypical Rhone varietal combination, this shows like nothing I have ever had. A pricey bottle, no doubt, and I am not sure I like it THAT much, but I certainly don't object to others opening it for me. 93 points.
• 1991 Cote Rotie "La Landonne" (Rostaing)
  I think this wine is at a difficult-to-evaluate stage. The tannins are hard, the wine seems closed, and to me it needs more time in the cellar. It does not seem especially sweet or voluptuous, and the question is one of balance. It will be OK with some cellar time, but it was not exceptionally pleasing, at least to me, to drink now. 89+ points.
• 1982 Domaine Tempier Cuvée Spéciale
  Now, here's rich and voluptuous. Some slight notes of decay on the nose, but the palate is extremely sweet, so that the wine seems almost off dry. The fruit has a gorgeous texture, velvety and round, and the wine delivers flavor constantly. Showing some signs of age. Drink up; I wouldn't hold this unless you have exceptional storage and unquestioned provenance. 91 points.
• 1985 Colliure "Les Piloums" (Dr. Parce)
  Unusual dry wine from Dr. Parce of Banyuls fame. At this point in its life it smells and seems far older than it is, but still seems to have a certain elegance and charm that makes it pleasing. Nothing exceptional at this stage, but it certainly hits lots of right notes. 86 points.
• 
  1995 Cotes de Provence "Cuvée St. Michel" (Domaine du Dragon)
  This estate has made some fruity, flamboyant wines that are a lot of fun, although none has much depth. For the modest price of $10 to $12, though, they usually provide great value. This one, however, is a clunker. The wine is too tart, too acidic, lacks the trademark ripe, sweet fruit and seems altogether out of sorts. If this is typical of this Cuvée (raised in oak, but showing not much roundness or sweetness from oak), it's a good one to avoid relative to the others. About $10. 80 points.
• 1986 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc "vielles vignes" (Beaucastel)
  Stupendous wine. This rare cuvée is legendary, and for good reason. Rich, thick, apparently ageless, this 1986 tastes as if it were vinified in 1993. Absolutely incredible for a white wine that is 11 years old. Spectacularly ripe, spicy too, with a beautiful tropical nose. Redolent of summer breezes on the nose, but the concentrated, lingering fruit won't make you think this is a simple summer wine. 95 points.

Copyright © 1997, all rights reserved, Mark Squires.