Opaque purple/red.
Smoky, toasty oak (or is it creosote?), fig, date and deep, melted, licorice nose.
Intense and dense in the mouth without any sense of roundness or textural sweetness. Packed - Pax-like. Fairly significant acid component, which gives this a dis-jointed impression.
$60
Monday, October 13, 2008
Calera Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard 2005 (Mt. Harlan)
Light red.
Earth/spice/underbrush, cran/strawberry and a slight stem character on the nose.
Round with some textural sweetness. Flavor is completely bound up in the mouth, with a fair amount of acid/stem tannin constriction. Better with some air, I think.
$45
Earth/spice/underbrush, cran/strawberry and a slight stem character on the nose.
Round with some textural sweetness. Flavor is completely bound up in the mouth, with a fair amount of acid/stem tannin constriction. Better with some air, I think.
$45
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Carlisle, Sonoma County, Zinfandel 2002
Red.
Sweet red cherry, earth/loam, spice and subtle oak nose.
Quite round and plush in the mouth, with a textural sweetness nicely balanced by an edge of acidity that hits the front teeth. Not complex, but easy to enjoy. A big wine, BTW (15.8% alcohol), that sommeliers will love.
Opened yesterday (all acid structure)
$25
Sweet red cherry, earth/loam, spice and subtle oak nose.
Quite round and plush in the mouth, with a textural sweetness nicely balanced by an edge of acidity that hits the front teeth. Not complex, but easy to enjoy. A big wine, BTW (15.8% alcohol), that sommeliers will love.
Opened yesterday (all acid structure)
$25
Taltarni, Shiraz, Pyrenees Victoria (Australia) 2004
Deep purple/red.
Ripe/deep/creamy blackberry, fig, menthol, spice and juniper/pepper nose. No heat.
Middle-weight and more constricted in the mouth, with relatively strong acidity clamping down on flavor expression. Pepper/juniper carries through, however, and a tight citrus character too. Slightly grainy tannin comes out of the finish. Really good, interesting action, particularly for the $$
My first Shiraz, if I remember correctly, was the 1984 from Taltarni.
$18
Ripe/deep/creamy blackberry, fig, menthol, spice and juniper/pepper nose. No heat.
Middle-weight and more constricted in the mouth, with relatively strong acidity clamping down on flavor expression. Pepper/juniper carries through, however, and a tight citrus character too. Slightly grainy tannin comes out of the finish. Really good, interesting action, particularly for the $$
My first Shiraz, if I remember correctly, was the 1984 from Taltarni.
$18
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Clos du Caillou "Les Safres" Chateauneuf du Pape 2006
Red, slight purple.
Deep, low-toned nose - clay/earth, fig, licorice?, black raspberry.
Round, sweet and mouth-filling. A bit of heat initially, then strong acidity and clay/earth character moves to the fore. Acid-driven structure coats the front teeth in "mineral' chew.
Very "modern" CdP. This has been filtered, I'd guess. No sediment of any kind.
Day 7 - No oxidation. Clay/earth front and center now, which makes me think there's a considerable Mourvedre component. Probably wrong. Still an oozer of a nose. Still loaded/packed in the mouth - red cherry jam - like you're eating some. The mineral-like acid dimension still cuts through it all. This rocks. WTF?
$65
Deep, low-toned nose - clay/earth, fig, licorice?, black raspberry.
Round, sweet and mouth-filling. A bit of heat initially, then strong acidity and clay/earth character moves to the fore. Acid-driven structure coats the front teeth in "mineral' chew.
Very "modern" CdP. This has been filtered, I'd guess. No sediment of any kind.
Day 7 - No oxidation. Clay/earth front and center now, which makes me think there's a considerable Mourvedre component. Probably wrong. Still an oozer of a nose. Still loaded/packed in the mouth - red cherry jam - like you're eating some. The mineral-like acid dimension still cuts through it all. This rocks. WTF?
$65
Felsina "Rancia" Chianti Classico Riserva 2001
Red, some rust at rim.
Iron, earth, leather, hazelnut, with red rasp/cherry underneath. Effortless aromatic complexity.
Definitely a ripped middle-weight in the mouth. Taut start to finish, with flavors similar to the nose, only more muted. This needs some savory meat. Another Italian red that is a fine antidote to the creamy, fruit-stupid wines coming from all corners of the earth these days.
$35
Iron, earth, leather, hazelnut, with red rasp/cherry underneath. Effortless aromatic complexity.
Definitely a ripped middle-weight in the mouth. Taut start to finish, with flavors similar to the nose, only more muted. This needs some savory meat. Another Italian red that is a fine antidote to the creamy, fruit-stupid wines coming from all corners of the earth these days.
$35
Turley "Duarte" Zinfandel, Contra Costa County 2006
Red.
Deep, fruit and earth nose. Not complex, but sumptuous.
Nice filled-in textural sweetness, reasonably bright, with seemingly strong acidity. Another example of Turley's Zin meets Pinot style.
$25
Deep, fruit and earth nose. Not complex, but sumptuous.
Nice filled-in textural sweetness, reasonably bright, with seemingly strong acidity. Another example of Turley's Zin meets Pinot style.
$25
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