Red/purple.
Black raspberry and mint aromas with a saline undertone. Deep but understated, reaching the higher levels on the aromatic orgasmatron scale.
Deep, sweet and saline in the mouth. Huge pools of raspberry coulis and saline action in the mouth. Stiff acid and saline chew keeps it all in check.
? Not sure how to comment. Not complex in the usual meaning of the word, but texturally beyond comprehension. Not something I'm generally a fan of. But..
Day 3 - Similar, deep, Chambord-like nose, with salinity still evident. Killer. Then round, deep and packed/suave in the mouth, with structural elements hitting later and a bit (and only a bit) lighter. This will age very well. Not so sure about the 2001 version.
Interesting to note that Roman Bratasiuk (Clarendon Hills)
and the elder Golitzin at Quiceda Creek (WA) were/are both chemical engineers.
$80
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Forgeron Cellars, Zinfandel, Columbia Valley 2004
Deep red.
Deep, but not precise, nose - maple syrup, oak spice and black fruit.
Round, sweet, creamy in the mouth. Deep, but monolithic flavors of oak spice and black fruit. Good drinking action, just lacks an extra dimension.
Day 3 - Deep, rich aromatic action. Completely plush in the mouth, packed in the mid-palate. Long and satisfying.
Gift - $30?
Deep, but not precise, nose - maple syrup, oak spice and black fruit.
Round, sweet, creamy in the mouth. Deep, but monolithic flavors of oak spice and black fruit. Good drinking action, just lacks an extra dimension.
Day 3 - Deep, rich aromatic action. Completely plush in the mouth, packed in the mid-palate. Long and satisfying.
Gift - $30?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Clos des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape 2000
Red/lighter rim.
Nuanced, complex nose - brown spices, garrigue, iron, a floral note, earth/savory meat, cherry jam, licorice. Seamless, no hint of alcohol.
Round, mouth-filling, with a textural sweetness that is offset by acid/tannin synergy in the mid-palate. Flavors lean toward garrigue and earth, with a saline edge. Structure is reasonably fine, but currently keeps fruit and additional complexity in the brig. Cherry action surfaces with air time. This should be rocking tomorrow.
Day 3 - Cherry jam and incense dominating the nose, with garrigue, spice and meat underneath. Really expressing in the mouth now - brown spices, garrigue, cherry jam and a malt character (no shit). Still mightily structured. Long, slow ride promised here.
$50
Nuanced, complex nose - brown spices, garrigue, iron, a floral note, earth/savory meat, cherry jam, licorice. Seamless, no hint of alcohol.
Round, mouth-filling, with a textural sweetness that is offset by acid/tannin synergy in the mid-palate. Flavors lean toward garrigue and earth, with a saline edge. Structure is reasonably fine, but currently keeps fruit and additional complexity in the brig. Cherry action surfaces with air time. This should be rocking tomorrow.
Day 3 - Cherry jam and incense dominating the nose, with garrigue, spice and meat underneath. Really expressing in the mouth now - brown spices, garrigue, cherry jam and a malt character (no shit). Still mightily structured. Long, slow ride promised here.
$50
Copain, Zinfandel, Arrowhead Mountain, Sonoma Valley 2004
Deep red.
Vibrant balsa wood, spice, earth and cran/raspberry aromas. Hint of celery.
Bright and deep in the mouth, with celery adding interest to earth/spice/cranberry flavors. NIce mid-palate density and flavor flow. Acid-driven chew coats the front teeth. Long finishing flavors of balsa, citrus zest and spice.
Very interesting stylistic contrast to the Ridge Geyserville.
Day 4 - More savory on the nose now, celery gone. Intense red fruit and balsa in the mouth, no sense of weight. Reminds me of Turley's better stuff. Could drink a ton of this.
$35
Vibrant balsa wood, spice, earth and cran/raspberry aromas. Hint of celery.
Bright and deep in the mouth, with celery adding interest to earth/spice/cranberry flavors. NIce mid-palate density and flavor flow. Acid-driven chew coats the front teeth. Long finishing flavors of balsa, citrus zest and spice.
Very interesting stylistic contrast to the Ridge Geyserville.
Day 4 - More savory on the nose now, celery gone. Intense red fruit and balsa in the mouth, no sense of weight. Reminds me of Turley's better stuff. Could drink a ton of this.
$35
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Kongsgaard, Syrah, Napa Valley 2001
Purple/red.
Deep, rich aromas of menthol, grilled meat, soy, toasted nuts.
Round with a saline/acid edge. Interesting, as these wines are, I've read, routinely 3.9-4.0 in pH. Nice sense of naturalness.
But I'm not getting anything too exciting (on the palate) at the moment. Slightly grainy tannin in the long, subtle finish.
Day 3 - Extremely deep nose - menthol, melted licorice, smoked meat. More expansive in the mouth, but similar to day 1. But there is an oozingly deep feel in the mouth, with aromatics echoing, now, in the mouth. Funny, though, I'd rather drink many other Syrahs.
$100
Deep, rich aromas of menthol, grilled meat, soy, toasted nuts.
Round with a saline/acid edge. Interesting, as these wines are, I've read, routinely 3.9-4.0 in pH. Nice sense of naturalness.
But I'm not getting anything too exciting (on the palate) at the moment. Slightly grainy tannin in the long, subtle finish.
Day 3 - Extremely deep nose - menthol, melted licorice, smoked meat. More expansive in the mouth, but similar to day 1. But there is an oozingly deep feel in the mouth, with aromatics echoing, now, in the mouth. Funny, though, I'd rather drink many other Syrahs.
$100
Marques de Casa Concha, Syrah, Peumo, Chile 2005
Deep purple.
Deep aromas - balsamic grilled meat, oak toast, blackberry and earth.
Intense, slightly saline entry. Acid dominant structure clamps down considerably on black fruit and spice flavors, but not ridiculously so. Nice purity and concentration, little complexity. This will probably improve with another 2-3 years in the bottle.
Day 3 - Some musky/coconut aromas now. But better in the mouth, though coconut emerges there too. Density is impressive, particularly for the $$.
$18
Deep aromas - balsamic grilled meat, oak toast, blackberry and earth.
Intense, slightly saline entry. Acid dominant structure clamps down considerably on black fruit and spice flavors, but not ridiculously so. Nice purity and concentration, little complexity. This will probably improve with another 2-3 years in the bottle.
Day 3 - Some musky/coconut aromas now. But better in the mouth, though coconut emerges there too. Density is impressive, particularly for the $$.
$18
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
d'Arenberg "Dead Arm" Shiraz 2005
Opaque purple.
A deep, oozing nose - saline, medicinal/gamey, pepper, dried fig and popcorn.
Round and mouth-filling initially, then hemmed in by an acid/saline edge that coats the front teeth. Coconut also shows up, unfortunately. This, again, seems completely dis-jointed, for no reason. There is no question that the raw material is superb, but you have to question the handling.
A great contrast to the Pertinace, which is also massively structured.
Day 3 - Oak oil and nut as new aromatic contributions. Deep and plush, initially. Then acid-enhanced tannin drives pleasure out of the mouth. Who knows, maybe this will freely express at some point.
I don't get it.
$65
A deep, oozing nose - saline, medicinal/gamey, pepper, dried fig and popcorn.
Round and mouth-filling initially, then hemmed in by an acid/saline edge that coats the front teeth. Coconut also shows up, unfortunately. This, again, seems completely dis-jointed, for no reason. There is no question that the raw material is superb, but you have to question the handling.
A great contrast to the Pertinace, which is also massively structured.
Day 3 - Oak oil and nut as new aromatic contributions. Deep and plush, initially. Then acid-enhanced tannin drives pleasure out of the mouth. Who knows, maybe this will freely express at some point.
I don't get it.
$65
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