Purple, red rim.
Vinturi - absolutely loaded nose - think reduction sauce, only fresh. Deep, spicy, fig/date, earth.
Massively concentrated, with huge mid-palate fig/date flavor riding a monster wave of tannin. Unlike many other '03 northern Rhones, this shows no flavor gap. This is monster wine that works. TFK and absolutely thrilling action.
$60
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tatiarra "Cambrian" Shiraz, Heathcote (Australia) 2003
Bright purple/red.
Vinturi - fig paste, lifted herbs and oak spice nose. Vibrant. Savory meat and earth notes with air.
Intensely flavored middle-weight. No fat. This rocks - mid-palate flesh and simultaneous acid/tannin tension. Foodies will shoot a large biscuit over this. Not even close to maturity.
$40. From Ben Riggs and 500,000,000 year old soil. Not your "typical Aussie Shiraz".
Vinturi - fig paste, lifted herbs and oak spice nose. Vibrant. Savory meat and earth notes with air.
Intensely flavored middle-weight. No fat. This rocks - mid-palate flesh and simultaneous acid/tannin tension. Foodies will shoot a large biscuit over this. Not even close to maturity.
$40. From Ben Riggs and 500,000,000 year old soil. Not your "typical Aussie Shiraz".
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Domaine la Bouissiere, Gigondas 1999
Deep red/purple.
Vinturi - spicy/woodsy/savory action plus a citrus lift I don't remember getting in this wine previously. Really deep, delivering more and more with additional air time.
Deep, loaded and reasonably refined with a textural sweetness (cherry jam) that is immediately challenged by stem chew. This is just so killer.. Hated the stuff on release - hard as a brick. Some spicy ketchup action too. Another wine that may never die, despite being a "basic" release. Spicy chew .... Totally FK.
$22. Hilarious.
Vinturi - spicy/woodsy/savory action plus a citrus lift I don't remember getting in this wine previously. Really deep, delivering more and more with additional air time.
Deep, loaded and reasonably refined with a textural sweetness (cherry jam) that is immediately challenged by stem chew. This is just so killer.. Hated the stuff on release - hard as a brick. Some spicy ketchup action too. Another wine that may never die, despite being a "basic" release. Spicy chew .... Totally FK.
$22. Hilarious.
Chateau La Roque, Mourvedre, Vielles Vignes, Pic Saint Loup 1997
Red, some evolution.
Vinturi - game/earth/sausage, wilted greens, "wood" spice nose. Could be mistaken for a wild northern Rhone. More integrated with air.
Round and mouth-filling for a middle-weight. Flavors follow the nose, with less obvious brett influence. Acid/tannin/brett constriction maintains vigor. God only knows how long this thing will live - my last bottle.
$15? Can't remember. Stupid and PFG - still interesting and weird after 12 years. From a Frenchman named Jack. Aged in large foudres (oval oak "tanks") = very reductive.
Vinturi - game/earth/sausage, wilted greens, "wood" spice nose. Could be mistaken for a wild northern Rhone. More integrated with air.
Round and mouth-filling for a middle-weight. Flavors follow the nose, with less obvious brett influence. Acid/tannin/brett constriction maintains vigor. God only knows how long this thing will live - my last bottle.
$15? Can't remember. Stupid and PFG - still interesting and weird after 12 years. From a Frenchman named Jack. Aged in large foudres (oval oak "tanks") = very reductive.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pax "Moriah" Sonoma County 2003
Deep red.
Vinturi - deep, saucy nose - spicy fig, meat drippings/gravy ... and not much else. Shows some heat.
Round, shows a slight textural sweetness, but then the typical grainy/saline structure of Pax kicks in. This really doesn't taste like a wine that's 69% Grenache. Totally shuts down in the finish. Very awkward at the moment.
$55. 69% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, 1% Roussanne. 16.4% alcohol.
Vinturi - deep, saucy nose - spicy fig, meat drippings/gravy ... and not much else. Shows some heat.
Round, shows a slight textural sweetness, but then the typical grainy/saline structure of Pax kicks in. This really doesn't taste like a wine that's 69% Grenache. Totally shuts down in the finish. Very awkward at the moment.
$55. 69% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, 1% Roussanne. 16.4% alcohol.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tardieu-Laurent, Cornas "Vieilles Vignes" 2000
Evolved, deep red.
Vinturi - outrageously killer smoked meat/breakfast sausage, wilted greens, fig paste, earth/oak spice, sumptuous, eminently edible nose. Dried floral action with air time.
Round middle-weight in the mouth, with earth, green "edge" and smoked meat repeating. Significant iron component in the finish. Way more complex and active than the Arietta, which seems dead in comparison.
$55
Vinturi - outrageously killer smoked meat/breakfast sausage, wilted greens, fig paste, earth/oak spice, sumptuous, eminently edible nose. Dried floral action with air time.
Round middle-weight in the mouth, with earth, green "edge" and smoked meat repeating. Significant iron component in the finish. Way more complex and active than the Arietta, which seems dead in comparison.
$55
Arietta "Variation One" Napa Valley 2001
Deep red.
Vinturi - dense, plush, oak-influenced nose. Chocolate, fig and lifted oak spices.
Round and plush in the mouth also, with an acid/VA/tannin constriction that covers the front teeth. All about opulence - nothing complex about this. Which makes it pretty boring almost immediately. Might be better tomorrow.
$75. Merlot and Syrah.
Vinturi - dense, plush, oak-influenced nose. Chocolate, fig and lifted oak spices.
Round and plush in the mouth also, with an acid/VA/tannin constriction that covers the front teeth. All about opulence - nothing complex about this. Which makes it pretty boring almost immediately. Might be better tomorrow.
$75. Merlot and Syrah.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Domaine la Tour Vieille, Banyuls 1996
Red.
Discreet nose shows salt water taffy, spicy fig, earth, and sweet prune. Herbs and other interesting stuff with air.
Immediate, intense sweetness/voluptuousness. Just all over the place - sloppy - in the best sense of the term. Retains a nice acid backbone that keeps at least some of the clothing on. Long and reasonably refined. If this doesn't put a smile on your face, you're dead and should be paired with the Cayron Gigondas.
$25? Grenache-based dessert wine fortified on the skins. From a beautiful, rocky region in France just north of the Spanish border.
Discreet nose shows salt water taffy, spicy fig, earth, and sweet prune. Herbs and other interesting stuff with air.
Immediate, intense sweetness/voluptuousness. Just all over the place - sloppy - in the best sense of the term. Retains a nice acid backbone that keeps at least some of the clothing on. Long and reasonably refined. If this doesn't put a smile on your face, you're dead and should be paired with the Cayron Gigondas.
$25? Grenache-based dessert wine fortified on the skins. From a beautiful, rocky region in France just north of the Spanish border.
Domaine du Cayron, Gigondas 1999
Very deep red.
Vinturi - deep, dense nose - wilted/grilled herbs, blood/iron, savory meat, dried fig, earth/spice. Wild, killer.
Deep and extremely plush, with assertive tannin moving in late. Nose repeated in flavors that go the distance. Herbs and iron on the long, grainy finish. RFG. Needs something dead.
$25
Vinturi - deep, dense nose - wilted/grilled herbs, blood/iron, savory meat, dried fig, earth/spice. Wild, killer.
Deep and extremely plush, with assertive tannin moving in late. Nose repeated in flavors that go the distance. Herbs and iron on the long, grainy finish. RFG. Needs something dead.
$25
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Thackrey "Orion" Rossi Vyd., St. Helena 2006
Purple/black.
Vinturi - wild nose - beef and green chile enchilada. Really want to eat this. Deep.
Round and sweet texturally, with sweet blackberry character and echoes of the enchilada action. Fairly strong acidity and plentiful, but fine, tannin do not kill flavor flow. Really loaded, with great purity. This will be fascinating in another 10 years. Need more of this stuff, too.
$75. Old vineyard thought to be mostly Syrah.
Vinturi - wild nose - beef and green chile enchilada. Really want to eat this. Deep.
Round and sweet texturally, with sweet blackberry character and echoes of the enchilada action. Fairly strong acidity and plentiful, but fine, tannin do not kill flavor flow. Really loaded, with great purity. This will be fascinating in another 10 years. Need more of this stuff, too.
$75. Old vineyard thought to be mostly Syrah.
Betts& Scholl, Hermitage Blanc 2004
Yellow.
"Thick" nose - almond extract, apple jelly.
Round, utterly mouth-filling, as only Marsanne-based wines can be. Deep, slightly chewy and extremely long. Ridiculously so.
Not a great deal of flavor complexity, but the depth and length are from an alternate universe. Retains a lifted character despite the density. Everyone yacks about Roussanne, but Marsanne is a keeper.
$55? Gift from DR. There's some undefined relationship between Betts and Chave here. Whatever. This stuff is RFG.
"Thick" nose - almond extract, apple jelly.
Round, utterly mouth-filling, as only Marsanne-based wines can be. Deep, slightly chewy and extremely long. Ridiculously so.
Not a great deal of flavor complexity, but the depth and length are from an alternate universe. Retains a lifted character despite the density. Everyone yacks about Roussanne, but Marsanne is a keeper.
$55? Gift from DR. There's some undefined relationship between Betts and Chave here. Whatever. This stuff is RFG.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1998
Red, light rim.
Vinturi - nut/earth/popcorn/cherry jam/intense spice/fig nose.
Round, with an earthy constriction (Mourvedre?) almost immediately. Interesting - fairly obvious battle between Grenache and Mourvedre (good and evil?) for dominance. Definitely not resolved. Yet. I'd guess this thing needs another 6-10 years just to reach maturity. I knew I shouldn't have opened this.
$45
Vinturi - nut/earth/popcorn/cherry jam/intense spice/fig nose.
Round, with an earthy constriction (Mourvedre?) almost immediately. Interesting - fairly obvious battle between Grenache and Mourvedre (good and evil?) for dominance. Definitely not resolved. Yet. I'd guess this thing needs another 6-10 years just to reach maturity. I knew I shouldn't have opened this.
$45
Albino Rocca, Brich Ronchi, Barbaresco 1998
Deep, evolved, red.
Vinturi - FK nose - cherry liqueur, toasted hazelnut, earth/truffle, ethereal spices.
Round and mouth-filling for a Nebbiolo-based wine. Intense cherry/spice/earth flavors also show a background citrus zest character, as well as the pungent "chew" that come with it. Still shows strong acid/tannin synergy that comes close to shutting down the mouth. But flavors ride through on a separate track. Wish I had a few more bottles of this.
$50
Vinturi - FK nose - cherry liqueur, toasted hazelnut, earth/truffle, ethereal spices.
Round and mouth-filling for a Nebbiolo-based wine. Intense cherry/spice/earth flavors also show a background citrus zest character, as well as the pungent "chew" that come with it. Still shows strong acid/tannin synergy that comes close to shutting down the mouth. But flavors ride through on a separate track. Wish I had a few more bottles of this.
$50
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Copain, Roussanne, James Berry, Paso Robles 2005
Yellow.
Buttered popcorn, almond extract, vanilla, poached peach aromatics.
Round and mouth-filling, with a sweetness of fruit/texture that plays off reasonably strong acidity and tannic/stony "chew". This builds incrementally. Nothing easy here, which makes it far more interesting. There's some orchard fruit, but this is really about rocks and (informed/great) winemaking technique.
$35
Buttered popcorn, almond extract, vanilla, poached peach aromatics.
Round and mouth-filling, with a sweetness of fruit/texture that plays off reasonably strong acidity and tannic/stony "chew". This builds incrementally. Nothing easy here, which makes it far more interesting. There's some orchard fruit, but this is really about rocks and (informed/great) winemaking technique.
$35
Grosset, Watervale, Riesling, Clare Valley 2004
Very light yellow.
Lime/lemon flesh, petrol, nutskin aromatics. "Fleshy" for a Grosset.
If dry Riesling has a sensual side, this is it. Racy, but expressive/slightly bodacious. Lingering citrus/mineral chew continues to pound the salivary glands through a seemingly endless, piercing, finish.
$25. Stupid value. Tin-lined screwcap.
Lime/lemon flesh, petrol, nutskin aromatics. "Fleshy" for a Grosset.
If dry Riesling has a sensual side, this is it. Racy, but expressive/slightly bodacious. Lingering citrus/mineral chew continues to pound the salivary glands through a seemingly endless, piercing, finish.
$25. Stupid value. Tin-lined screwcap.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Cuvee du Vatican, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2001
Deep red/purple.
Vinturi - deep, low-toned, loaded nose - fig/black raspberry jam, earth/truffle/hazelnut. Savory, sumptuous, killer.
Round, plush and packed in the mouth. Deep black fruit character leavened by spicy stem/acid constriction. Way better than it should be for the price. I remember liking this far more than the '01 Sixtine, which was brutally structured on release.
$25? Stupid cheap.
Vinturi - deep, low-toned, loaded nose - fig/black raspberry jam, earth/truffle/hazelnut. Savory, sumptuous, killer.
Round, plush and packed in the mouth. Deep black fruit character leavened by spicy stem/acid constriction. Way better than it should be for the price. I remember liking this far more than the '01 Sixtine, which was brutally structured on release.
$25? Stupid cheap.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Muga "Seleccion Especial" Rioja 2001
Deep red.
Vinturi - earth, coconut, custard, pepper, toasted nut aromatics. Completely integrated and extremely attractive.
Round and plush, with an edge of acidity that slowly asserts itself. A self-contained middle-weight, no sense that this is "trying". Chewy, spicy, peppery finish that ends with serious acid constriction. Needs animal fat/protein and roasted potatoes. Or cassoulet. Or ragout.
$25
Vinturi - earth, coconut, custard, pepper, toasted nut aromatics. Completely integrated and extremely attractive.
Round and plush, with an edge of acidity that slowly asserts itself. A self-contained middle-weight, no sense that this is "trying". Chewy, spicy, peppery finish that ends with serious acid constriction. Needs animal fat/protein and roasted potatoes. Or cassoulet. Or ragout.
$25
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hacienda Monasterio, Ribera del Duero 1999
Deep red, slight purple.
Vinturi - extremely attractive nose - toasted coconut, spicy black fruit, grilled meat, ground pepper. FK.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight edge of acid-driven tannin. Huge mid-palate material/"plushness". Shows a bit of additional veg/custard complexity. Monasterio is almost always more complete than Sisseck's "Flor". Advantage of a blend, folks. Drink over the next 6-7 years.
$28 on release. Tempranillo and Cabernet/Merlot, maybe CF too.
Vinturi - extremely attractive nose - toasted coconut, spicy black fruit, grilled meat, ground pepper. FK.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight edge of acid-driven tannin. Huge mid-palate material/"plushness". Shows a bit of additional veg/custard complexity. Monasterio is almost always more complete than Sisseck's "Flor". Advantage of a blend, folks. Drink over the next 6-7 years.
$28 on release. Tempranillo and Cabernet/Merlot, maybe CF too.
Sportoletti "Villa Fidelia" Rosso, Umbria 1999
Saturated purple/red.
Vinturi - moderate intensity, low-toned nose - toast, deep, spicy black fruit (fig, date, black raspberry coulis).
Suave, mouth-filling. Just enough vitality. Deep and rich with building acid/tannin synergy that does not shut down the mouth. PFG and likely to drink well for many more years.
$50 on release? Merlot and Cabernet? Can't remember.
Vinturi - moderate intensity, low-toned nose - toast, deep, spicy black fruit (fig, date, black raspberry coulis).
Suave, mouth-filling. Just enough vitality. Deep and rich with building acid/tannin synergy that does not shut down the mouth. PFG and likely to drink well for many more years.
$50 on release? Merlot and Cabernet? Can't remember.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sine Qua Non "Raven #9" California Grenache 2006
Saturated red/purple.
Vinturi - savory oak/meat spice, dried fig, strawberry/raspberry, sumptuous nose.
Round and completely mouth-filling, with an unobtrusive, periphery of the mouth, acid-driven structure. Strawberry is the surprising fruit character here, subtle. I really didn't think much of this initially, but it wears well with time in the glass. Still, I can think of many wines from Spain and France that I'd rather drink for their density/blood, sweat and tears. Which is why I love Pax, for instance. Nothing poof-ball about those wines, love them or not.
$95
Vinturi - savory oak/meat spice, dried fig, strawberry/raspberry, sumptuous nose.
Round and completely mouth-filling, with an unobtrusive, periphery of the mouth, acid-driven structure. Strawberry is the surprising fruit character here, subtle. I really didn't think much of this initially, but it wears well with time in the glass. Still, I can think of many wines from Spain and France that I'd rather drink for their density/blood, sweat and tears. Which is why I love Pax, for instance. Nothing poof-ball about those wines, love them or not.
$95
Mogador 2005 Priorat (Spain)
Saturated purple.
Vinturi - saucy nose shows meat drippings, raspberry/blackberry coulis, earth and a hint of oak spice. Exceptional integration of what I'd assume is close to 100% new oak.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight textural sweetness that is immediately tempered by a strong edge of acidity. Beautifully rendered and built for the long haul. The initial textural tension plays out through the finish. This needs at least another 5 years in the bottle.
$60
Vinturi - saucy nose shows meat drippings, raspberry/blackberry coulis, earth and a hint of oak spice. Exceptional integration of what I'd assume is close to 100% new oak.
Round and mouth-filling, with a slight textural sweetness that is immediately tempered by a strong edge of acidity. Beautifully rendered and built for the long haul. The initial textural tension plays out through the finish. This needs at least another 5 years in the bottle.
$60
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Copain "Callioux & Coccinelle" Syrah, Walla Walla 2004
Purple/red.
Vinturi - nose shows many similarities to the Pax, but finer/more nuanced. Bridges the Pax/T-L gap. Shows a bit of jalapeno.
Much brighter in the mouth than Pax, with a corresponding lack of that wine's depth. A great comparison, which adds another log, so to speak, to my "zero sum game" bonfire. But make no mistake, both of these wines are killer in their own way. Long finish dominated by stem contribution and orange zest flavors.
$45
Vinturi - nose shows many similarities to the Pax, but finer/more nuanced. Bridges the Pax/T-L gap. Shows a bit of jalapeno.
Much brighter in the mouth than Pax, with a corresponding lack of that wine's depth. A great comparison, which adds another log, so to speak, to my "zero sum game" bonfire. But make no mistake, both of these wines are killer in their own way. Long finish dominated by stem contribution and orange zest flavors.
$45
Pax "Griffin's Lair" Syrah 2004 (Sonoma Coast)
Opaque purple, slightly dull.
Vinturi - the usual crazy, primordial, nose - menthol/iodine, grilled meat, spicy fig, raspberry coulis, earth.
Round, mouth-filling and grainy. Not yet showing much fruit character in the mouth, but deep and loaded. No fat, no heat. Menthol/iodine flavor just keeps kicking. Stuck in the mouth. Chewy/grainy .
$45
Vinturi - the usual crazy, primordial, nose - menthol/iodine, grilled meat, spicy fig, raspberry coulis, earth.
Round, mouth-filling and grainy. Not yet showing much fruit character in the mouth, but deep and loaded. No fat, no heat. Menthol/iodine flavor just keeps kicking. Stuck in the mouth. Chewy/grainy .
$45
Tardieu-Laurent, Crozes-Hermitage "Vieilles Vignes" 2003
Deep purple/red.
Vinturi - toasty oak, breakfast sausage, wilted herb, black fruit, spicy fig nose. Oak integrates very nicely with air.
Intense middle-weight in the mouth, with strong acidity (particularly for the vintage) driving flavors that mirror the nose. Nice mid-palate flesh, which many '03 northern Rhones lack. Finishes firmly tannic, with smoked meat and wilted herb flavors echoing. Very cool action.
$30
Vinturi - toasty oak, breakfast sausage, wilted herb, black fruit, spicy fig nose. Oak integrates very nicely with air.
Intense middle-weight in the mouth, with strong acidity (particularly for the vintage) driving flavors that mirror the nose. Nice mid-palate flesh, which many '03 northern Rhones lack. Finishes firmly tannic, with smoked meat and wilted herb flavors echoing. Very cool action.
$30
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