TM


Tasting Notes
January/February, 2010

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. 

Bordeaux  Burgundy Calif/USA Dessert/Sparkling Germany  Rhone/S/SW France Spain

Bordeaux (except dessert/sparkling)
1995 Chateau Potensac QPR Winner

About the only quibble here is the mid-palate depth--yet, at age 15, it actually gains weight in the glass and is far more charming after an hour or so open. It opened smelling a bit older than I had hoped. Yet, those nuances largely blew off. Elegant and graceful, beautifully balanced, this lovely and inexpensive wine is a pleasure to drink, lingering on the finish, sunny and lively. It drank decently the next day, too, although it was at its best on Day 1. It is another example of how effortlessly Bordeaux seems to age. Fifteen may be old in some places; for this inexpensive wine, it is just par for the course. I will say this, though--it is at peak, and unless you are a fan of antiques, this is a good time to drink it. It won't get any better, and it may even start gradually declining. 89 points.

1998 Chateau Faugères QPR Winner
This lovely little Bordeaux--only about $20 on release--is a bit compact, and it is aging rather fast, already showing clear tertiary aromas and flavors, a touch of forest floor. Other than that--it's a deal. Elegant, bright and sunny, it is a pleasure to drink, chock full of flavor and easygoing. Modest in the mid-palate, and probably thinning just a bit, it remains persistent on the finish. This Saint Emilion is a lot of fun. 89 points.
 

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Burgundy (except dessert/sparkling)
1996 Vosne Romanée (Dominique Laurent)
This very fine village wine continues to reward my belief in it. It often seems to show as well as wines with far higher status. At age 12, it opens tight and rather austere, tanninc and crisp, but utterly gripping on the finish. It takes awhile, but after 30 minutes or so, the fruit comes out and there actually is some sweet fruit underlying the structural components of this wine. It continues to evolve well all evening long, a piercing, pointed and powerful Burgundy that has complexity and good fruit. 90 points.

1990 Chassagne-Montrachet (Ramonet)
This red Chassagne rarely leaves me entirely satisfied, but I have to admit that this bottle is the best of the ones I've seen, whether due to its continued evolution, or the reality that as wine ages individual bottle experiences tend to become more..individual. Certainly, it deserves some credit for holding this well. Elegant and bright, it has little depth and a touch of game, and seems tightly wound still. Its fruit is drying a bit, but there is some flavor. Impressive for its status and age, it is still a bit compact and austere at this point. 87 points.

1990 Nuits St. Georges "Les Damodes" (Lecheneault)
Simply lovely, this powerful and pointed Burg opens tight, with drying tannins and lots of acidity. It was simply gripping. It took all evening for it to open up, but when it did, it became silkier, the tannins and fruit melded together and made the wine more harmonious, and it lingered on the finish. It also remained rather intense, but in a good way. Very nice. 91 points.

1999 Volnay "Champans" (Girardin)
Well constructed, with a nice backbone and good acidity and mid-palate concentration, this is betrayed by its reductive nose. It is hard to get past that nose. The palate is better, although those characteristics linger. At this point, it is hard to presume the off aromas will blow off. 83 points.

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California/USA (except dessert/sparkling)
1997 Insignia (Joseph Phelps)
Holding beautifully (remember, Californians can't age and '97s in particular will fall apart!), this shows elegance, yet fine fruit, some tertiary notes and tobacco, and seems more and more complete and harmonious every year. It does seem mature--not in danger of dying or over the hill--but not likely to get better at this point.  The tannins are ripe, and it remains one of my favorite Insignias. 95 points.

1997 Chateau Montelena
Served next to the Insignia on this page, a tough act to follow, this not only followed but bested it. Some context is always good. This wine is always one of the Exhibit "As" of why you don't have to spend ridiculous amounts of money for cult wines. With an extra layer of depth over the Insigina and a mouth-coating demeanor, this is ripe, increasingly complex, and very satisfying. It is aging very slowly, and has many years to go. 97 points.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon "Tychson Hill Vineyard" (Colgin)
Served next to the fine 1997s on this page, this seemed seriously outclassed and relatively uninteresting, ripe, laced with sweet oak and caramel notes, and not showing much acidity or intensity. It seemed plump and a bit stolid, although I did like the finish. This has its merits, but I confess it did not win me over as it seemed to lack some verve and complexity. Perhaps time will remedy that. 90 points.

2006 Pinot Noir "Summa Old Vines" (Rivers-Marie)
I have to applaud this winery for its attempt at Pinot typicity--making a very elegant, bright wine with a Burgundian feel in terms of structure and a succulent, crisp finish. In terms of flavor profile--not so much similar, and not as interesting. The wine has a very ripe taste, and the fruit seems surprisingly rich in flavor considering how modest the mid-palate is, but with a lot of tomato and strawberry. There is a lot to like here, and it is a step up on some of the '05s, but I'm not completely convinced by the Pinots here yet. I will say, it grew on me, showed pretty well the next day, and its sunny delicacy in its structure made it easy to like. It was a little hard edged the next day, though, its alcohol occasionally showing. 89 points.

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Dessert/Sparkling
2007 Port "Pintas" (Wine & Soul)
Sweet 'n' sexy, this is a Port for those who like a little sugar and something a little more approachable. That's not to say it has no structure, because it does, but this just exudes flavor and fruit, seeming almost more like a LBV on first taste. Then, the tannins assert themselves and provide some welcome backbone to counter the sweet fruit and sugar. 92 points.

2007 Port "Quinta Vale D. Maria" (Lemos & Van Zeller)
This Port, (made by Sandra Tavares da Silva, co-winemaker at Pintas on this page) is big, deep, rich and beautifully structured, a Port that has great fruit, but also great density and the ability to project flavor as well as intensity. I liked this a lot, and it showed very well--although rather tight--the next day, when it lost a little of its flesh, but gained a little focus and some character. This melds structure, sugar and fruit together beautifully. 93 points.

2007 Port (Quinta do Passadouro)
The Passadouro (from the co-winemaker, Jorge Borges of Pintas on this page) is stern at times in its youth, very focused and tightly wound, with classic Port aromatics. Sweet and rich, it evolves nicely, then tightens quickly on the finish, but shows very good balance. I rather liked this better the next day. 90 points.

2007 Port (Duorum)
Bright and tight, after decanting for some 6 hours, this shows a lot of acidity and power, but it seemed rather lean, too. I loved the aromatics, and of the Ports on this page, this was the one that seemed the sternest, the most powerful, the most traditional and the most intellectual. It is an impressive early release from this exciting new venture. 90 points.
 

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Germany (except dessert/sparkling)
2007 Riesling "Dhron Hofberg Grosses Gewachs" (A.J. Adam)
This lovely trocken Riesling is in beautiful balance, showing bright and perky, but well integrated, and without a hint of shrillness. As it warms up, it shows a certain fruity character, despite its dry demeanor, with that touch of lemon on the finish. It is showing very well young. 90 points.

2004 Riesling Spatlese "Ohligsberger" (R. Haart)
Sweet, but pointed and very focused, this seems exuberantly young, well balanced, combining some sex appeal and elegance. It is hard to believe this has 5 years on it already--another testament to how well Riesling ages from this region. Rich and lush, yet with that underlying crispness, it is a pleasure to drink. 91 points.

2001 Riesling Kabinett "Johannisberger Goldetzel" (Johannishof)
Transparent and lovely, this off dry Kabinett has tons of power, showing off piercing acidity. Yet, it mingles well with the fruit and off dry demeanor, making the wine crisp, but friendlier. This is holding up beautifully, hardly showing a trace of age. 90 points.
 

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Rhone/South/SW France (except dessert/sparkling)
2004 Condrieu  "Les Chaillets" (Cuilleron)
Bright and light, this flashes some fruit and a more oak than I'd like, and seems to be aging fairly rapidly. It is still pleasing to drink, but left me more than a little unimpressed, despite the pedigree. I think I'd prefer drinking this soon.  87 points.

1994 Coteaux du Languedoc "Cupa Numismae" (Chateau La Roque) QPR Winner
Ah, well. All good things come to an end--by that I mean that this is the last bottle, not that it is dead. Considering that this wine cost about $10 retail on release and it is not 15+ years old, it is a very fine performance. Admittedly, it is a little past prime. The wine opens seeming a bit lifeless and the fruit shows tertiary nuances. All that said, though, it still improves a bit in the glass after the first few minutes and it is charming, smooth and pleasing. There is still some tannic grip on the finish, which becomes obvious after the wine is open 15-20 minutes. The fruit develops more flavor and it was nice enough so that I wanted more. It's hard to argue with that, 15+ years and $10. Drink up--it's on the way down, drying out after 60-90 minutes, I think, but just barely. It certainly will show some cracks in the near future, if you don't think there are any there yet. 87 points.

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Spain (except dessert/sparkling)
2001 Aalto PS
Laced with sweet oak, this is rich and delicious, not nearly as stern as the Mauro on this page, but far more approachable and sexier. It is hard to dislike this wine, although the oak averse will find some reasons. 95 points.
 

2001 Mauro Vendimia Seleccionada
Tight, focused and able to age well, this wine is coming along beautifully, showing earth and complexity, along with that very fine structure. It is still a bit closed for my taste, and still has the capacity to age and improve in the cellar, so give this a few more years. It is a winner, but it is not all it can be yet. 96 points.

2001 Palomero (Bodegas Uvaguilera)

Sweet and sexy, with lots of oak showing, it leavens its oaky demeanor with complexity, also showing some gamey notes, leather and a little forest floor. I just loved this sexy beast, with its caressing texture, but those who are less fond of gamey notes will want to look elsewhere. 95 points.

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 QPR Winner I give this award to wines that are particularly good values, even if well beyond bargain wine pricing. They are not "best buys," which I define as under $20 wines. Every Best Buy is a QPR winner, but the reverse is not true.  Note: wines tasted at trade shows and the like generally will be displayed with ranges, as it is more difficult to get a good read on a wine in those conditions.  Also, many notes on the E-Zine often come from food and wine events, rather than classic, controlled conditions.

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