Pegau, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2001

Evolved red, brick rim.

Vinturi - wildly expressive, complex nose - grilled & wilted herbs/tomato jam/kirsch/pepper.

Round and mouth-filling with grainy density/concentration and considerable tannic clout. Shows great flavor complexity in the mouth as well - garrigue/tomato/cherry/grilled meat/earth. Thank God some folks still include stems. Crazy finish keeps kicking out the flavor jams..


$60 FK.

Clos du Caillou, Reserve, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1999

Red.

Vinturi - wonderful, expressive nose - woodsmoke, cherry jam (or coulis?), truffle/earth/tree bark and sexy oak spice.

Restrained sweetness in the mouth with significant acid/tannin synergy. Has a full mid-palate of fleshy red cherry coulis and a purity/fineness that is typical of the wines from the late/great JD Vacheron. Not sure that this will ever fully express in the mouth.


$65

Chateau Peyros "Vieilles Vignes" Madiran 2003

Saturated purple/red.

Nose of earth/iodine, black fruit and horse shit. Far better than it sounds.

Expressive in the mouth, though far less dense than Bouscasse' (and maybe better for it?). Still wildly intense and lifted, with a load of tannin that will make many shit their pants. But its real - and needs real food - like Bouscasse'. Stuff that's loaded with fat, carbs and pleasure. Pork and lamb fat would be a very good place to start..

$30? Cheap for something that changes perspective. 60% Tannat, 40% Cabernet Franc.

Chateau Bouscasse' "Vieilles Vignes" Madiran 2003

Deep red.

Relatively open-knit nose. Bordeaux-ish. Herbs, toast and black currant.

Expressive in the mouth too (for Tannat). Round and simultaneously quite tight and tannic. Needs fatty meat and butter dishes in the worst way. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but this shows unusual nuance and typical crazy structure.



$25? Owned by Alain Brumont of Chateau Montus. A movie script of a life in wine if there ever was a good one. 100% Tannat.

Kongsgaard, Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2004

Light yellow.

Butterscotch/buttered pineapple/truffle/popcorn nose. Deep.

Shows an alluring, initial, textural sweetness and lightness of touch. Great concentration and corresponding cut/chew. Loaded, with ridiculously long finishing flavors of pineapple, sulfide/truffle and mineral action that works the salivary glands. All mineral late, coating front teeth in crushed rock.. FK.

Samsara, Syrah, Melville Vyd., Santa Rita Hills 2007

Opaque Purple.

Opened yesterday - nose is simultaneously deep and wildly perfumed - strawberry/fig coulis, citrus blossom, earth, licorice, camphor. Killer.

Great breadth in the mouth, but no textural sweetness. Citrus character amplified in the mouth, becoming increasingly "zesty" in both flavor and feel as you move into the mid-palate and finish. Shows multiple layers, with plenty of depth to balance strong acidity. Really distinctive, interesting CA Syrah that should get even better with extended bottle aging. RFG.


$45? Gift.

Bielsa, Garnacha, Vinas Viejas, Campo de Borja 2009

Saturated purple.

Opened yesterday. Nose of the freshest boysenberry/raspberry coulis imaginable with citrus blossom lift and light earth. Complex, deep and ridiculously attractive. This was crazy yesterday too.

Round, packed and deep with a textural sweetness that is again, crazy (This is $10). Loaded start to finish, no hiccup anywhere. I can see this benefiting from 2-3 years in the bottle and drinking well far longer than a $10 bottle has any right to. This has to be the greatest wine bargain I've ever seen. TFK.

$10! The '08 was killer too.