Light red.
Suave oak spice/toast, red cherry, and slow-roasted meat aromas.
Round and slightly sweet textural impression, with acidity driving fine tannin onto the front teeth. Nice red fruit throughout, with nothing out of place. Could use a few years in the bottle.
Very tasty, and will get better.
$45
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
La Rioja Alta, Gran Reserva "904", Rioja 1995
Red.
Subtle, refined nose. Macaroon, maple-glazed ham, pepper. You need to sit with this.
Lean and acid-driven in the mouth. As might be expected, completely different in nature than most Spanish wines you encounter these days. Redcurrant, coconut, pepper and mineral chew. Absolutely no fat or textural give. I must admit, I'm having a hard time enjoying this, but it seems obvious that some good food (ham/fatty pork?) would work wonders here.
Archetypical food wine.
$60
Subtle, refined nose. Macaroon, maple-glazed ham, pepper. You need to sit with this.
Lean and acid-driven in the mouth. As might be expected, completely different in nature than most Spanish wines you encounter these days. Redcurrant, coconut, pepper and mineral chew. Absolutely no fat or textural give. I must admit, I'm having a hard time enjoying this, but it seems obvious that some good food (ham/fatty pork?) would work wonders here.
Archetypical food wine.
$60
Monday, September 8, 2008
Mas Mallola, Priorat 2005
Deep red.
Intense shoe polish, oak spice/nut/sulfide and deep black fruit nose.
Deep and sweet textural impression, immediately tempered by strong, cheek-coating acidity and moderate tannin. Another wine where structure and flavor ride on two different tracks. Weaving in and out. Taut.
I'd guess this is dominated by Carignan.
Day 3 - Mellow nose now - spice, shoe polish, pepper and black fruit. Acidity hits later and softer. Deep, sweet black and red fruit impression. "Minerally" finish.
Very good stuff.
$40
Intense shoe polish, oak spice/nut/sulfide and deep black fruit nose.
Deep and sweet textural impression, immediately tempered by strong, cheek-coating acidity and moderate tannin. Another wine where structure and flavor ride on two different tracks. Weaving in and out. Taut.
I'd guess this is dominated by Carignan.
Day 3 - Mellow nose now - spice, shoe polish, pepper and black fruit. Acidity hits later and softer. Deep, sweet black and red fruit impression. "Minerally" finish.
Very good stuff.
$40
Les Cailloux, Chateauneuf du Pape 2003
Light red.
Toasted hazelnut, garrigue and cherry jam aromas. Pepper and meat nuances.
Round, plush and mouth-filling, with acid driven (stem?) tannin providing fairly stiff structural support. Cherry jam and nut flavors manage to find their way through to the finish. Smoke and prune. Disjointed, I'm sorry to say. Everyone loves L.C., and I thought I did, but I've had problems with several vintages lately.
Day 3 - Nose is great, but I'm still getting weirdness I think is from stem inclusion. Quite spicy, but also has a flattened (not fresh) fruit quality. This is hard to enjoy.
$35
Toasted hazelnut, garrigue and cherry jam aromas. Pepper and meat nuances.
Round, plush and mouth-filling, with acid driven (stem?) tannin providing fairly stiff structural support. Cherry jam and nut flavors manage to find their way through to the finish. Smoke and prune. Disjointed, I'm sorry to say. Everyone loves L.C., and I thought I did, but I've had problems with several vintages lately.
Day 3 - Nose is great, but I'm still getting weirdness I think is from stem inclusion. Quite spicy, but also has a flattened (not fresh) fruit quality. This is hard to enjoy.
$35
Martinsancho, Verdejo, Rueda (Spain) 2007
Straw/yellow.
Slightly pungent nose - similar to NZ SB - but here we get more ripe fruit and less herb action. Grapefruit zest, nectarine/ peach aromas.
Lean entry brightened by a medley of fruit flavors mirroring nose. "Mineral" feel cuts through it all. Long, chewy and bright, with no fat whatsoever.
$22
Slightly pungent nose - similar to NZ SB - but here we get more ripe fruit and less herb action. Grapefruit zest, nectarine/ peach aromas.
Lean entry brightened by a medley of fruit flavors mirroring nose. "Mineral" feel cuts through it all. Long, chewy and bright, with no fat whatsoever.
$22
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Marcassin Marcassin Vyd Chardonnay 1999 (Sonoma Coast)
Light yellow.
Lemon oil, sulphide/truffle, almond extract, caramel on the nose.
Deep, yet restrained in the mouth. Contradictory? Absolutely. Huge depth with an overlay of mineral/phenolic/acid structure.
Monster mid-palate flesh, creme brulee/caramel flavors throughout. Incredibly long and chewy. Absolutely killer wine.
$95
Lemon oil, sulphide/truffle, almond extract, caramel on the nose.
Deep, yet restrained in the mouth. Contradictory? Absolutely. Huge depth with an overlay of mineral/phenolic/acid structure.
Monster mid-palate flesh, creme brulee/caramel flavors throughout. Incredibly long and chewy. Absolutely killer wine.
$95
Guigal, Hermitage Blanc 1999
Gold/slight copper.
A bit odd on the nose - which might be expected - spun/caramelized sugar, candied pineapple, aldehydes, almond extract nuance.
Deep, extremely, in the mouth. Mineral/phenolic edge, subtle, keeps things lively. Very ripe pineapple flavor runs the distance.
$50
A bit odd on the nose - which might be expected - spun/caramelized sugar, candied pineapple, aldehydes, almond extract nuance.
Deep, extremely, in the mouth. Mineral/phenolic edge, subtle, keeps things lively. Very ripe pineapple flavor runs the distance.
$50
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