TM


Tasting Notes
May/June, 2008

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. 

Calif/USA  Dessert/Sparkling   Germany  Spain

California/USA (except dessert/sparkling)
2000 Pinot Noir "Rincon" (Talley)
Another three years in the cellar since my last taste have not necessarily been kind to this wine. It still shows some good things, some nice Pinot flavors, but it has thinned considerably in the mid-palate and seems simpler and a bit inoffensive. It is pleasant enough and a nice drink, but it is time to drink up. 87 points.

1997 Zinfandel "Hayne" (Turley)
There was a time when I found this wine forbidding, in its youth; and a time when I thought it had come around, mid term. Now, it seems in a rather bad place. It does have some bright and tasty fruit, surrounded by kirsch notes. But as it airs out, it seems to crack up, becoming harsh and alcoholic, and hard to take. Let's say, one or two sips were plenty. I'm not sure where the wine I once admired and thought had such promise went. Perhaps it was simply best drunk by age 6 or 7 or so. It certainly is not showing well now, and is downright unpleasant at times in its burly unwieldiness. There is a lot going on here--but not all of it is good. 83 points.

1996 Zinfandel "Tofanelli" (Turley)
This has some good points, but is hardly stunning at this juncture. It has nice red fruit, with sharp raspberry notes that turn to brambles and briars with air. It is a little laid back on opening, but pleasant and lively. With some air, the fruit becomes more flavorful, but the wine also becomes more acidic and some alcohol becomes noticeable. I would drink this for safety on the early side now. 89 points.

2004 Zinfandel "Highwire" (Hartford)
This Zin seems a bit hot, austere and rather disjointed. Air did it little good, other than bringing out some bretty notes. The brett might actually have been welcome, as it gave the wine some distinctiveness it otherwise lacked. 83 points.

2002 Zinfandel "Korte Ranch" (Elyse)
This has nice depth for a Zin of its age, and a nice mouthfeel. It becomes a bit more intense with air. Its downfall, depending on your viewpoint, is its flamboyance. It is loaded with kirsch notes and a bit on the ultra ripe and sweet side. I didn't think it was offensive in its flamboyance, especially in the context of a Zin, but it may be an acquired taste for some. Its texture and fruit were actually quite nice. 89 points.

2004 Zinfandel "Kilt Lifter" (Crauford)
This was an auction bottling, one of 60 bottles, Lot 162. It has lovely balance and some intensity and the outset and on the finish. I liked the mouthfeel and the fruit, but it fell off the table with air. It always had a certain hollow aspect to it, and it became shorter on the finish as well, going nowhere in particular. Considering that it is relatively young and prized, it was a bit disappointing. In the grander scheme of things, it was a pleasant enough wine. 86 points.

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Dessert/Sparkling (except dessert/sparkling)
2005 Gewurztraminer Late Harvest (Londer)
This version of Londer's fine Late Harvest Gewurz is delightful, but restrained, a bit off dry and fruity, but not particularly sweet. While not quite as sensational as the "one-off" 2002, which was really an ice wine, it is simply lovely, floral, aromatic and perfectly balanced, with a nice mouth coating finish. Delicious and lively, this is a late harvest Gewurz in a restrained manner that succeeds very well. 89 points.

2001 Vidal Ice Wine (Saw Mill)
I really liked how this opened up, sweet but with increasing amounts of acidity, along with a certain foxy note on the finish. More air and warmth did not do this a lot of good, though, as the acidity seemed less in control and the wine less in balance. Still, considering that this entered my state for $13 per half, it is was a pretty nice bargain in a dessert wine. 89 points.

1994 Port (Dow)
With a very elegant mid-palate, this Port, with 3 hours of decanting and another couple of hours of the double-decanted bottle being open, shows good fruit flavor, but is not fully evolved. It still needs at least another five years to come into balance, although it is getting there. When it does, it should show beautiful fruit flavor, classic Port aromatics. Note that this was served from a 375ml.  94 points.

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Germany (except dessert/sparkling)
1998 Riesling Spatlese "Abtsberg" (Von Schubert - M. Grunhaus)
This opens a bit restrained and reticent, with lemon-lime notes on the finish. But there is a pungent, powerful nose, giving a hint of what is to come. The wine expands and evolves, showing youthful energy. It is lively and crisp, and the acid provides it intensity and verve. Focused and sharp, I'm not sure this is really ready to drink, but it should be an exceptional Spatlese in a few years.  92 points.

2006 Riesling Spatlese "Erdener Treppchen" (J.J. Christoffel)
This vineyard usually produces lighter, more delicate wines than Christoffel's Urz Wurz efforts, but at its current age and in this vintage, this wine seems lush and rich, showing a sugary finish and sensual texture. As it airs out, the mid-palate thins a bit, but the fruity demeanor mingling with the sugar make this a guilty pleasure in infanticide. Luscious and lingering, it is a wine that will be a pleasure to drink young before it closes down. 90 points.

1997 Rieslaner Auslese Mußbacher Eselshaut (Muller-Catoir)
This lovely Rieslaner is drinking beautifully at the moment. It opens lush, sweet but not cloying, with remarkable depth of fruit that projects a feeling of decadent richness. Despite that, and with some air, the wine shows fine balance, and the acidity cuts through its thickness. I could say this is a great time to drink this--the wine is wide open and showing exceptionally well. Yet, it is also very youthful, without nary a hint of aging wine. Considering that it is 11 years old, that is quite something. It has easily another decade to go--more likely, two. 93 points.

2004 Riesling Spatlese "Scharzhofberger" (Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt)
Opening rich and lush, with acid on the end, this seems on the sweeter end of the spectrum, and the less structured end. The particularly good news, however, is that the wine shows more acid and better integration of components with air, the fruit mingling beautifully with the acidity, which emerges to provide some verve and support. The wine becomes relatively more austere--a VERY relative term for this wine. This still tastes very young and has not really begun to close down, but in a decade it is certainly going to seem to be a very different wine. 91 points.
 

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Spain (except dessert/sparkling)
2001 Tinto (Finca Sandoval)
I wasn't sure how this wine was going to come around when I had it near release, but it has developed quite nicely. The tannins have integrated beautifully, although there is still intensity to this wine. It seems elegant and beautifully balanced. The fruit has opened and developed, showing typical Syrah bacon fat notes, along with some nice juicy sweetness. It has good acidity that gives it a certain succulence on the finish. It will thin in the mid-palate with time,  but it should hold until about 2012 or so fairly gracefully.  90 points.

2000 Clos Martinet (Mas Martinet)
This wine is a study in contrasts, opening a little disjointed, but wide open in terms of fruit flavor. It is intense and powerful, and a bit sharp at times. But the fruit is singing and the acidity delivers a succulent and flavorful finish. The mid-palate is quite elegant. This shows notes of maturity (fruit), while still needing some cellaring (structure). It may be that the fruit does not come into perfect balance with the structure, but it should have several years of good drinking left. 92 points.

2001 Clos Martinet (Mas Martinet)
Lush, sensually textured and rather sexy, this is focused and full bodied, with a penetrating finish. It opens tight, but by the end of the evening it evolves into a harmonious, almost seamless wine that is a pleasure to drink. While the 2000 seems a bit sharp edged at times, the parts here seem to complement one another beautifully. This is drinking fine now, but still youthful and not finished evolving. 94 points.

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