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Tasting Notes
November/December, 2007

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. 

Australia  California/USA Dessert/Sparkling  Germany  Italy  Rhone/South/SW France  Spain

Australia (except dessert/sparkling)

2001 Shiraz "St. Henri" (Penfold's)
This opens a bit too laid back, but it improves steadily in the glass. There is a hint of mint on the finish, but the oak is integrated exceptionally well. As the wine airs out and expands in the glass, it shows the ability to develop, and also its structure, as supporting tannins emerge. This is beautifully balanced, with a bright, succulent finish, and a pleasure to drink. 91 points.

1996 Merlot Reserve (Richard Hamilton)
This was a great buy Merlot in its day, structured, restrained and focused. For the most part, it aged well and showed well over the years, but I think its time has finally come. The latest tasting shows a wine with some tannins remaining, and good depth, but also pruney notes on the nose, indicating a wine that has turned. It is more Amarone than wine at this point, and not in a good way.  If this bottle is typical, it is time to drink up, and then some. 79 points.

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California/USA (except dessert/sparkling)

2003 Syrah "Walker Vine Hill" (Pax)
This seems big on opening, but that is somewhat deceptive. As this wine evolves and develops, it shows beautiful balance. There is grip on the finish, with well integrated tannins, and expansive Syrah flavors, with a touch of bacon fat. Its finish is sweet, yet crisp and lively, with succulence created by the intermingling of fruit and acidity. This drinks very well now, but note that it became more harmonious after a couple of hours. 92 points.

2005 Syrah "Griffin's Lair" (Pax)
Intense and focused, this shows both power and precision, yet comes around beautifully with air. Its balance is actually impeccable, the mid-palate will ultimately be rather elegant, and the tannins will integrate well. The fruit is bursting with flavor, and shows more and more Syrah typicity with air. This is quite a success, combining flavor, balance, elegance and intensity. 94 points.

2005 "Cuvée Moriah" (Pax)
After the very fine Syrahs, this Chateauneuf-styled blend is less interesting. It seems funky on opening, and that never goes away. Its mid-palate is light, and the wine never rounds into form. This seems simple, and its main characteristic is the annoying aromatics. 87 points.

2002 Viognier (Pride)
This mature Viognier showed beautifully for awhile, the oak muted, and the wine showing fine balance and some brightness. It is was nonetheless full-bodied for the varietal and still flavorful. While drinking beautifully for awhile, it did decline a bit in my estimation as it warmed up, the oak becoming a bit more obvious, as well as the effects of age. Still, for maturing Viognier, this is a pretty good performance. 88 points.

2001 Viognier "Kenman Late Harvest" (Veritas)
This supposedly has only 3% residual sugar, but it seems a bit sweeter than that, and is best used as an aperitif or perhaps a light dessert wine. That said, this Virginia (Monticello) Viognier is beautifully done, lush, round, friendly and quite delicious. This was a pleasure to drink, and has aged beautifully as well. 89 points.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon "Larkmead" (Ramey)
The texture has a lush feel, but the mid-palate is elegant. The wine is surprisingly approachable, surrounded by ripe, well integrated tannins. This opens gradually, and improves steadily, throwing off nice, red berry flavors. Graceful, but not terribly complex, this should be early maturing. 90 points.

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon "Stagecoach" (Veraison)
Sweet and grapey, this is easy and rich, with wide open fruit and just enough acidity on the finish. This is not even close to complex, but it is quite tasty and sure to be a crowd pleaser. 89 points.

2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Quilceda Creek)
Very ripe, and rather dense, this Cab is quite sweet, with candied fruit on the finish. There is good structure underlying the fruit, and well integrated tannins provide good support, and some gravitas to the wine. Notwithstanding that, this seems a bit simple and not likely to develop complexity with age. It is always going to be a crowd pleaser, with its overly sweet and succulent fruit, but that gives it a certain eccentric note and little Cab Sauvignon typicity. For me, that's a problem. Others may be happier. 94 points.

1994 Cabernet Sauvignon (Harlan)
My last taste of this came from a bottle that seemed mature--although brilliant and complex. This bottle is actually fresher. The wine seems to have aged brilliantly, showing impeccable balance. Yet, the fruit is still fresh and flavorful, and there is enough intensity to make the wine seem lively. The mid-palate, while still showing fine depth, has become graceful with age, and in addition to providing waves of flavor, the wine manages to seem graceful as well. It shows touches of earth, and seems well on its way to becoming complex and interesting. It is hard to ask much more of a Cabernet Sauvignon. 100 points.

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Pillar Rock)
There were 650 cases produced of this premium ($125) Cab from California's Stag's Leap District. The Estate was founded in 1995 (first release, 1999). The winemaker is Cary Gott. Although labeled as Cabernet Sauvignon, there is a bit less than 10% Merlot in the blend.  This opens rather dumb, but picks up weight, and shows some liveliness, resulting in a somewhat succulent finish. Air did this a lot of good in terms of all of the wine's components, including fruit and tannins. There is a hint of herbs in the background.  It is remarkable how quickly this wine picked up weight in the glass, going from light and inoffensive, to something fleshier. Even after picking up weight, the wine remains rather elegant in the mid-palate, typical for the region. It has modest intensity and seems ready to drink now, although it continued to display more and more grip as it aired out, drinking much better after ninety minutes.  This is a charming, sunny and pleasing wine whose texture becomes increasingly round with air, and whose fruit becomes increasingly juicy and flavorful. Although it will hold gracefully for a decade, it seems unlikely to develop much complexity in the cellar, a problem at its price level.  If you can ignore the price tag, there is a lot here to like.  90 points.

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Dessert/Sparkling
NV Tawny Port "Old Codger" (Dutschke)
I am a big fan of Aussie tawnies, which often provide exceptional values at prices the Portuguese cannot match. Admittedly, there is a stylistic difference, as the Aussies are usually bigger, sweeter and fatter, with less acidity. However, here, if such is your preference, you get both worlds for a low price of around $12.  This is a very well balanced, lighter styled tawny with good acidity, yet a sweet, succulent finish. It is a pleasure to drink, and downright tasty. For $12, it is hard to beat. 90 points.

2005 Port (Conceito)
This Port is the debut release from this winery, whose name in Portuguese means "concept" in English. It is beautifully balanced, on the drier side, with sweetness on the finish. It is focused and restrained, with well integrated tannins. A couple of hours of decanting is adequate for it to show well, although it evolves graciously in the glass. It finishes a bit light, eventually, and flattens a bit. Its flavors are simply delicious, with, for better or worse, a certain hint of maturity that belies the wine's youth. It is nonetheless a very attractive Port, with classic flavors and impeccable balance, a style that should be perfect with just a little more intensity. 89 points.

2005 Port "Pintas" (Wine and Soul)

Wine and Soul (generally known by its flagship brand, Pintas) has been staking its claim to fame on its table wines, but it has plunged into Ports as well. Some earlier releases were remarkably rich and sweet, simply delicious and decadent, if not always the best structured.  This third release (you can keep track by the number stamped on top of the cork) is more restrained and reticent, while retaining its lush fruit. Some may prefer this demeanor. The tannins are well integrated, and this should be approachable a bit earlier than many Ports in a more brooding style, but it certainly shows more structure with air. It is quite nice, and I like the trend to more restraint and more structure, but this style is not perhaps as well executed as earlier styles. There is considerable substance here, however; this drank way better on Day 3. 90 points.

2006 Pomele IGT (Falesco)
It is rare to find delicious red dessert wines that are not Port or Port-styled. Here's a beauty. This is made from Aleatico in Lazio, with just 10% alcohol. It is bright, lively, reasonably sweet, with the sugar matched by the acidity. It presents a gorgeous whole, succulent and delectable, laced with baked apple nuances. At about $20 on the street for a 500ml, it is a find, and something that is hard to resist. It is probably just best drunk by itself, but it will go with lighter styled desserts. It is meant to be drunk young, within a couple of years of release as there is little structure and virtually no tannins. Serve lightly chilled. 90 points.

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Germany (except dessert/sparkling)

1994 Riesling Auslese "Freinsheimer Goldberg" (Lingenfelder)
This lovely Pfalz Auslese has aged beautifully. The sugar is there on the finish, but it is integrated into the body of the wine, and the acidity and sugar mingle in that special way that German Riesling does so well--and so few other wines match. Its maturity is obvious, but there is lively fruit, too, and it is mouthwateringly good to the last drop, light rather than unctuous, but persistent and delicious. 90 points.

Italy (except dessert/sparkling)

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Rhone/South/Southwest France
2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Vielles Vignes" (Domaine de la Janasse)
I tasted this from barrel at the Domaine, and thought it was terrific, as well as a serious vin de garde. The wine has come along brilliantly. It is rich and ripe, laced with gorgeous red fruit flavors, yet its balance is excellent, and its texture sensual. There is still lurking power in this wine, but the tannins have integrated beautifully and the wine seems quite harmonious. It is delicious now, but realistically speaking this is a wine that should be singing in 2014 or so, and it should be held rather than squandered. 96 points.
 

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Spain (except dessert/sparkling)
2006 Albariño (Do Ferreiro)
This fine Albariño is pungent and crisp, with a touch of grass. It is expansive in the glass, showing a surprisingly ability to coat the mouth and provide grip. Pure and delicious, this is sunny and a pleasure to drink. 90 points.

2005  Albariño (Pazo de Señorans)
With a year of age, this wine shows rather light, but with gloriously fresh fruit. The finish sneaks up on you--seeming simple and fruity and first, and then gripping and long at the last. Perky and lively, this is holding well, but should be drunk in the next year or two for best results, I think. I don't see that it will improve. 90 points.

2004 Monastrell "Estrecho" (Bodegas Enrique Mendoza)
Well, this sure isn't your Daddy's Monastrell. The old, bretty, leathery style of this varietal is not represented here. This is very fruity, yet with bright acidity cutting through it. THere is not much intensity, but the acidity gives the wine a succulent, lingering finish. This is a lovely Monastrell. 90 points.

2004 Quincha Corral (Bodega Mustiguillo)
This unusual wine is mostly made from the obscure varietal Bobal. Intensely tannic to start, it does round into form beautifully, showing fine balance, depth and focus. It is sweet, flavorful and succulent. There is a touch of oak obvious on the finish, but the bright and sweet fruit handles it well.  Delicious and different, this is beautifully constructed. 91 points.

1998 Tinto (Clos Erasmus)

Funky and actually a bit offensive on opening, this showed considerable aromas of VA. Yet, as this aired out in the decanter, it pulled itself together, and what began as offensive, became instead merely eccentric. The wine is otherwise beautifully structured, and multi-layered. You peel one layer away, and something different is underneath. It kept improving for as long as I had it. I am not sure I am sold on it being a great wine, but it is a quite fascinating one. 94 points.

1968 Unico (Vega Sicilia)
Bright, succulent and sunny, this still has grip on the finish, and light cherries nuances, surrounded by earthy notes. It has thinned, and there is little flesh here, but the aging fruit dissolves beautifully on the palate and lingers. I would have to admit that I was not as impressed by this as its reputation would suggest--but it is certainly still a beautiful wine. 94 points.

2005 Termanthia
Just arrived, this is brooding and a bit closed down, but some decanting showed its potential. It is remarkably elegant in the mid-palate, with an graceful, almost ethereal feel--until the tannins assert themselves. The fruit is a bit reticent at the moment, but it peeks up often enough to let you know there is some flavor there, and a likelihood of finding more.  This is going to be a fine ager, and with a few years it should show more than it is now, and merit a score increase. 93+ points.

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