Wednesday, August 11, 2010

FX Pichler, Gruner Veltliner, Kellerberg, Smaragd 2002

Yellow.

Extremely deep earth/lentil, grapefruit marmalade and pepper nose. There's a marrow/meaty richness too, strange as that sounds.

Huge bass notes of marmalade and earth are leavened by treble note of pepper and moderate acid/tannin/mineral chew. Just ridiculous. Somehow refined in the finish, which doesn't seem to quit, and mirrors everything in the nose. Worth every cent and then some.


$75

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Tortochot, Mazy-Chambertin 2006

Red.

Opened yesterday. Very pretty nose of strawberry, red cherry, savory earth and suave oak. Floral notes too.

Deceptively light in the mouth, with nice coverage and a light tannic edge. Herbs, earth and red cherry flavors dominate. Subtle length. Very finely rendered. One of those wines you love more every time you go back to it.



$80.

Achaval-Ferrer "Quimera" Mendoza 2006

Saturated purple.

Opened yesterday. Blackberry, clay/earth, licorice, fig nose. Deep.

Full, round entry. Slightly grainy and quite concentrated. Really packed, in fact. Earth and black fruit flavors. Chewy finish with very nice length. RGS. Can only improve with 5-6 more years in the bottle.


$30. 34% Malbec, 32% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc.

Tablas Creek "Cotes de Tablas" Paso Robles 2007

Deep red.

Vinturi - lifted crushed raspberry, cherry, earth and spearmint nose.

Round and mouthfilling with restrained textural sweetness thanks to relatively strong acidity. Cherry jam and spice finish restricted a bit by acid/tannin synergy. Wildly tasty, though, and in need of a few years in the cellar.


$25. 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Counoise. 14.8% alcohol. Tin-lined screwcap.

Monday, August 2, 2010

DeLille "Harrison Hill" Yakima Valley 1994

Red with some rim evolution.

No Vinturi. Beautiful nose - grilled nuts, hot bricks, spicebox, red cherry, herbs and a bit of pepper as it airs. Effortless complexity.

Round, mouthfilling, mature middle-weight. Integrated, evolved spice, herb, earth and cherry flavors are nicely framed by moderate acid/tannin synergy. Wonderful stuff, with ineffable action that can only come with serious cellar time. A very good example of why Cabernet has the reputation it has.

Day 2 - still killer and even more integrated. Really beautiful wine.


$? Gift from David Winkler. 13.3% alcohol.