I opened this over the weekend for sampling, for fun.
Deep, plush and sweet - very much in the style of Marquis-Philips. This seems to show mush less oak, though. Maybe a switch to European/French.
The real point, however, is that I tested several recent wines for pH:
Two Hand's Samantha's 2004 = 3.48 pH
Greenock Creek Alice's 2001 = 3.46 pH
Copain Hawk's Butte 2003 = 3.76 pH
Feudi Serpico 2003 = 3.41 pH
Boarding Pass (above) = 3.50 pH
Obviously, there is a world of difference between Copain and the Aussies. You'd expect the Serpico to have a low pH as it is based on Aglianico (but the real point is that the wine "feels" natural). It's the Aussie wines that are the most interesting to dissect. Greenock and Two Hands have a dis-jointed feel in the mouth, their sweetness/roundness don't correlate well with their finishing structure. Boarding Pass does "pass". Even though it's pH is roughly similar, there is a great deal more "flesh" to buffer it's structure. Undoubtedly R Wines uses micro-oxygenation to add flesh/round the tannin.
I have to wonder about the degree of acidulation in all three Aussie wines. But one of them makes it work. I have serious doubts about the other two.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Domaine du Mas Blanc "Clos du Moulin" Collioure 2004
Very deep red.
Clay, cranberry, earth, spice nose. Deep, intense. Raspberry liqueur late.
Structure, fine-grained, hits immediately, framing slightly sweet, middle-weight flavors of cherry/earth/clay. This is considerably deeper than the Junquets. Good length, with significant chew. Absolutely no fat here.
Day 4 - Deep earth/clay, mocha component on the nose, fruit underneath. There's a lightness on the palate that is easily confused (I think I was guilty of this) with a lack of depth/concentration. Very nice mid-palate flesh, with earth and fruit flavors riding through lightly tannic finish. Something ethereal about the way the flavor "hangs" in the mouth. Light and long, very unusual.
$35
Clay, cranberry, earth, spice nose. Deep, intense. Raspberry liqueur late.
Structure, fine-grained, hits immediately, framing slightly sweet, middle-weight flavors of cherry/earth/clay. This is considerably deeper than the Junquets. Good length, with significant chew. Absolutely no fat here.
Day 4 - Deep earth/clay, mocha component on the nose, fruit underneath. There's a lightness on the palate that is easily confused (I think I was guilty of this) with a lack of depth/concentration. Very nice mid-palate flesh, with earth and fruit flavors riding through lightly tannic finish. Something ethereal about the way the flavor "hangs" in the mouth. Light and long, very unusual.
$35
Domaine du Mas Blanc "Junquets" Collioure 2004
Deep red.
Clay and a dominant brine character on the nose. Round.
Middle-weight, seems to lack flesh/concentration, but decent flavor length. Acid/tannin synergy kicks in on the finish.
Day 4 - Wild clove (Lisa says incense) nose now, brine as a sideshow. Even a bit of earth and salami. Very round and mouth-filling now, with clove, salami and earth repeating in the mouth. More obvious structure than the Moulin, or is it less flesh to balance acid/tannin synergy? But the flavors ride through it all, with an ethereal length like the Moulin. I think I clearly under-estimated these wines.
$30
Clay and a dominant brine character on the nose. Round.
Middle-weight, seems to lack flesh/concentration, but decent flavor length. Acid/tannin synergy kicks in on the finish.
Day 4 - Wild clove (Lisa says incense) nose now, brine as a sideshow. Even a bit of earth and salami. Very round and mouth-filling now, with clove, salami and earth repeating in the mouth. More obvious structure than the Moulin, or is it less flesh to balance acid/tannin synergy? But the flavors ride through it all, with an ethereal length like the Moulin. I think I clearly under-estimated these wines.
$30
Eddie Feraud, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2004
Vibrant red.
Lifted, even pungent, nose - resin/garrigue/sauteed meat/kirsch/peanut sauce. Deep, killer nose.
Similar, vibrant, character in the mouth. Tight and a bit linear, but pure, powerful flavor rides through. Long and chewy.
Exciting stuff.
Day 4 - Peanut/earth, garrigue/herb liqueur on the nose. Restrained, expansive, textural sweetness in the mouth. "Acid"/stem chew immediately apparent. Nicely balanced tug-of-war. Flavors and structural chew battle throughout, very long, very satisfying.
$35
Lifted, even pungent, nose - resin/garrigue/sauteed meat/kirsch/peanut sauce. Deep, killer nose.
Similar, vibrant, character in the mouth. Tight and a bit linear, but pure, powerful flavor rides through. Long and chewy.
Exciting stuff.
Day 4 - Peanut/earth, garrigue/herb liqueur on the nose. Restrained, expansive, textural sweetness in the mouth. "Acid"/stem chew immediately apparent. Nicely balanced tug-of-war. Flavors and structural chew battle throughout, very long, very satisfying.
$35
Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape 2001
Dull rust/red.
Lifted, complex nose - red cherry liqueur, garrigue/wilted greens, iron, earth, pepper and great, savory meat and spice notes.
Light-medium bodied. Iron/cherry/earth in the mouth, slightly chewy tannin. Very good, seamless length.
Day 4 - Lower-toned on the nose now - wilted greens, savory meat, oak spice. Extremely round now, even a bit of textural sweetness. Flavors a bit muddied, with acid/tannin synergy cutting into finish. This bottling always seems very lightly extracted and best, usually, on days 1 & 2.
$28
Lifted, complex nose - red cherry liqueur, garrigue/wilted greens, iron, earth, pepper and great, savory meat and spice notes.
Light-medium bodied. Iron/cherry/earth in the mouth, slightly chewy tannin. Very good, seamless length.
Day 4 - Lower-toned on the nose now - wilted greens, savory meat, oak spice. Extremely round now, even a bit of textural sweetness. Flavors a bit muddied, with acid/tannin synergy cutting into finish. This bottling always seems very lightly extracted and best, usually, on days 1 & 2.
$28
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Copain "Hawks Butte" Syrah 2003 (Yorkville Highlands)
Deep purple.
Oak toast, breakfast sausage, wilted greens. Deep and food-filled nose, in complete contrast to the preceding two wines.
Round and completely mouth-filling with no sweetness whatsoever. Packed and grainy in the mouth, as usual for Copain, with chewy, but relatively unobtrusive tannin. Very natural "feel" on the palate, again, in complete contrast to the preceding wines.
Real aromatic, retronasal, stuff going on. Smoky, meaty, tangy ..
Day 3 - Little change aromatically, just a bit more open. Smells like food. You also get the immediate impression that this wine hasn't been subjected to weird acid and/or tannin additions. Naturalness - what a concept. And the palate confirms this. Deep, round and plush from start to finish. A bit of tannic chew kicks in late. Is there any fruit here? Is fruit food?
$40
Oak toast, breakfast sausage, wilted greens. Deep and food-filled nose, in complete contrast to the preceding two wines.
Round and completely mouth-filling with no sweetness whatsoever. Packed and grainy in the mouth, as usual for Copain, with chewy, but relatively unobtrusive tannin. Very natural "feel" on the palate, again, in complete contrast to the preceding wines.
Real aromatic, retronasal, stuff going on. Smoky, meaty, tangy ..
Day 3 - Little change aromatically, just a bit more open. Smells like food. You also get the immediate impression that this wine hasn't been subjected to weird acid and/or tannin additions. Naturalness - what a concept. And the palate confirms this. Deep, round and plush from start to finish. A bit of tannic chew kicks in late. Is there any fruit here? Is fruit food?
$40
Greenock Creek "Alices" Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2001
Purple/red.
High-toned aromas of toasted nut, grilled steak, pepper and earth.
Deep and fairly sweet texture. Acid seems to be the dominant structural force, with high alcohol reinforcing it. Pure black raspberry/earth/nut flavors, but, strangely, disjointed in the mid-palate. This doesn't flow and, currently, delivers no pleasure. Does this need time? Or was it best several years ago?
Day 3 - Nuts and a saline nuance on the nose with pure raspberry in the background. Plush, deep and sweet in the mouth, with moderate, slightly grainy tannin and an acid constriction that really cuts into the finish. This obviously had great raw material, but I'm not a fan of the winemaking regimen.
$90
High-toned aromas of toasted nut, grilled steak, pepper and earth.
Deep and fairly sweet texture. Acid seems to be the dominant structural force, with high alcohol reinforcing it. Pure black raspberry/earth/nut flavors, but, strangely, disjointed in the mid-palate. This doesn't flow and, currently, delivers no pleasure. Does this need time? Or was it best several years ago?
Day 3 - Nuts and a saline nuance on the nose with pure raspberry in the background. Plush, deep and sweet in the mouth, with moderate, slightly grainy tannin and an acid constriction that really cuts into the finish. This obviously had great raw material, but I'm not a fan of the winemaking regimen.
$90
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