2004 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand2002 Husch Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, California
Oyster Bay pinot noirs seem to be in search for a style: this one has good fruit flavors that have more of a resemblance with the 2002 Gotim Bru (just below) than perfumed California pinots. This wine is in a burgundian style with cherry fruit in balance with good acidity and light tannins, but I'm not sure I would identify it as a pinot noir. Taste is moderately long, with medium-dark ruby color. A good dinner wine. Regular price $18, less 20% discount.2002 Gotim Bru, Castell del Remei, Costers del Segre, Spain
Rating: Good + => Good ++
Kept over few days, the wine continued to develop, even acquiring some of the typical pinot noir perfumed aroma and taste. It would seem best to hold it for several years rather than opening it now.
Note added Feb. 9, 2007: About a year later, the wine had developed more of an identifiable pinot noir character, but no particular complexity, and the taste was none too long. A good drinking rather than sipping wine.
I remember other years as having more substance, and being cabernet-like. It's still a good dinner wine, fairly dark, with sufficient sour-cherry fruit, firm but not overwhelming tannins and balancing acidity. The taste is moderately long. The wine, a blend of tempranillo, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, will certainly hold for years yet, but I'm not sure that it will develop complexity. Sale price $11, regular price $13.2000 Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Spätlese, Georg Albrecht Schneider, Rheinhessen
Rating: Good +
Color is deep gold with a touch of browning, showing that the wine surprisingly is a bit past its peak at this point. Spätlese sweetness with lots of flavor, intensity and some spice from age - it resembles gewürztraminer. Nice floral bouquet and balancing acidity, with moderately long taste. Amazing price: close-out $6, regular $10.Christmas dinner: Roast goose stuffed with small apples (Empire), red cabbage, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cucumber salad. Always the perfect time to serve German riesling Spätlese. This year was the time to open two wines personally carried back from our May 2003 trip to the Mosel, wines unavailable here because they are small production from lesser-known villages. One fascinating question was whether they would taste as good as they did then, but now removed from the charm of the region. In this case the answer is: generally "yes", although they appeared just a little smaller now.
Rating: Good ++2002 Bremmer Calmont Riesling Spätlese, Weingut Michael Franzen, M-S-R
From the steepest vineyard on the Mosel, and bought right at the top after a strenuous hike. Spätlese sweetness, it still tastes quite young and could use several more years of age. Lovely floral aroma, light golden color. It could use a little more acidity, and the taste could be a bit longer. Original tasting note May 2003.1997 Neefer Frauenberg Riesling Auslese, Weingut Alfons Nelius, M-S-RBought after a tasting during the previous evening from crusty Alfons Nelius himself. At the time it was holding extremely well, and still tastes young now. The sweetness is about the same as the Bremmer Calmont, but there is more depth and some complexity. It also could use a little more acidity, and the taste could be a bit longer. Original tasting note May 2003.2002 Bourgogne Aligoté, Domaine Robert Chevillon, FranceBought as the base wine for kir, it satisfied the criteria of being fairly acidic without a great deal of character and depth. It was less than medium-bodied with moderate flavor interest, but also without flaws. The regular price of $15 was a bit high for what I wanted; a lower-priced Muscadet would have served as well.
Rating: Good
Deep and fairly dark color. Lots of sweet fruit; in fact there seems to be a bit residual sugar that's a little off-putting. Not as aromatic as some pinot noirs, so it tastes a little more like generic wine. Any wood and tannin are well in check. Moderately long taste. Accompanied pork chops with onions and pears, so the bit of sweetness matched the dish. Close-out price $19, regular price $27.2000 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Pierres", Domaine Lamy-Pillot, France
Rating: Good
Elegant and very smooth, superbly balanced, with some complexity, but just a bit subdued. Fairly long taste. Deep golden color. Close-out price $30, regular price $40.2001 Saint Aubin 1er Cru, En Remilly, Vincent Girardin, France
Rating: Very Good
A real find for the price: a lot of burgundian varietal character with lots of fruit, balanced oak, and bracing acidity (a bit much of the latter). The taste is fairly long. The golden color is not that deep yet which, with the strong acidity, argues that the wine can age longer and smooth out. Close-out price $15, regular price $21.2002 Brancott Pinot Noir, Reserve, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good +
Tasted at the same time as the 2001 Rully 1er Cru "La Pucelle", also by Vincent Girardin; the Rully is a pale shadow of the Saint Aubin.
The wine has a firmness from some tannin and wood that places it closer to Oregonian than Californian, but it does show the varietal character. There's good cherry/blackberry fruit under it, and a fairly long taste. Dark red color, A serious rather than seductive pinot noir. Regular price $17, less 20% discount.2001 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese, Darting, Pfalz
Rating: Very Good
Definite Spätlese sweetness, fairly good intensity with a touch of apricot, a bit low on acidity. Moderate length. Good accompaniment to Christmas stollen. Close-out price $12, regular price $17.2005 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, "Private Bin", Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good ++
After a somwhat disappointing 2004 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, this one is a return to form. There's fine acidity, the grassiness has rounded edges, and there's lots of flavor that lingers. It will probably gain some complexity with age as well. Regular price $14, less 20% discount.2004 Blind River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good
If the 2005 NZ SBs I've sampled so far are a good indicator, then this promises to be a very fine year.
One more new winery name to me, and a very good one. The flavors are rounded and intense, with the grassiness cpntributing to the overall complexity. There could be some botrytis, though not sweetness. The taste lingers long. Regular price $15, less 20% discount.NV Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel, Vintners Cuvee XXVII, California
Rating: Very Good +
By comparison, a 2005 Matua Sauvignon Blanc open at the same time was harder and grassier, though a verry good wine on its own.
I seem to remember previous versions to have been better. There's sufficient red-berry fruit, but the flavors seem a little flat, diffuse, and none too long. Regular price $11, less 20% discount.2001 De Loach Zinfandel, Gambogi Ranch, Russian River Valley
Rating: Good
Flavorful and good, with lots of fruit, sufficient acidity, and moderate tannins. A pleasure to drink, but does not have a sip-by-sip complexity. Close-out price $11, original price $16.2003 Brancott "Reserve" Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good ++
Well-balanced with a touch of elegance: the Marlborough grassiness is subdued, while the acidity is not overdone. Moderate intensity and fairly long taste. Regular price $17, less 20% discount.
Rating: Very Good -
Whites:
2004 Sancerre, Cuvée des Moulins Bâles, Célestin Blondeau, France ($13, orig. $18) 2001 Saint Aubin 1er Cru, en Remilly, Vincent Girardin, France ($15, orig. $22) 2002 Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons, Louis Michel & Fils, France ($23, orig. $30)
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