2006 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Some grassiness and good acidity in a well-balanced package. Dry without being austere. A bit smaller-scale than other SBs, elegant rather than powerful, with moderately long taste. Sale price $14.2002 Patricia Green Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Rating: Very Good -
Very similar to what I remember about the 2005 Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, so this may well be the winery's style.
A pinot noir of substance, with deep cherry fruit, integrated tannins and oak, good acidity, and long lingering taste. The wine is firm but not hard. What a difference two years made! Regular price $21, less 20% discount (over two years ago).2002 Pouilly-Fuissé, La Cote, Très vieilles vignes, Vin non filtré, Roger Lassarat, France
Rating: Very Good
My notes of Sept. '04 find this wine very much closed in. The components are there, but without the charm, balance or lingering taste. Two years of bottle ageing have brought it to the maturity that realized its potential. Wine Spectator had given it a high rating (90), and they were right this time.
Another North Berkeley Imports selection, which is my seal of approval for fine white burgundy. And that's what this is: real depth and complexity; excellent balance between fruit, acidity and oak; intensity without heaviness; a very long, lingering taste. Deep golden color. As befits a non-filtered wine, there are large flakes of sediment that settle quickly. The regular price is certainly fair, which makes the close-out a bargain. Close-out price $29; regular price $40.2004 Pinot Bianco, "Haberlehof", Alois Lageder (Tor Löwengang), Alto Adige, Italy
Rating: Excellent
Note added 3/11/07: The quality of this wine demonstrated itself with a very small rest that remained in the open bottle out on the table overnight. For almost all whites, those few left-over drops turn unpalatably acidic while the flavor vanishes; in this case, they still tasted like a very good burgundy.
Very well-balanced, although tending toward some fullness and oiliness, a bit low on acidity, good pinot bianco varietal character. Fairly long taste. Lageder continues to be a very reliable producer of Italian whites, and especially of pinot bianco. Close-out price $13; regular price $19.2000 Château Caronne Ste-Gemme, Haut-Médoc, France
Rating: Good ++
Why shouldn't a bordeaux have some softness and approachability instead of hardness and high acidity? This one has mild tannins and some oak, good warm fruitiness and gentle acidity, giving it just a little firmness. Moderate intensity and length of taste, with a touch of complexity. More of a drinking than sipping wine, not one to go out of your way for, but enjoyable all the same. Price unknown.2001 Lilliano Chianti Classico Riserva, Ruspoli, Italy
Rating: Good +
Typical sour-cherry fruit of some intensity, very good acidity and some tannin and oak to give it firmness. Deep dark color, fairly long taste. Has depth and balance but no great complexity. Very good accompaniment to chicken cacciatore. Close-out price $19; regular price $27.2003 Paraiso Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands
Rating: Good ++
Toward the lighter end of PNs, but with that unmistakeable perfumed aroma. Good acidity and sour-cherry fruit, light on tannin and oak. Very drinkable and sippable, a bit low in intensity and only moderately long taste. Accompanied pork chops with pears and onions, so it can handle some sweetness in food. Well-made PN that I prefer to the WillaKenzie (just below). Close-out price $16; regular price $23.2004 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Rating: Good ++
Lots of cherry fruit with some austerity from oak and noticeable tannin. Any PN perfumed aroma is subdued, although it opens up some over time. Taste is moderately long. Deep dark color. Although it has good flavors and some depth, it might be hard to identify as PN in blind tasting. Wine Spectator gave it an 88 rating, presumably on the promise of opening up with age. Close-out price $18; regular price $25.2003 Sutton Cellars Pinot Noir, Suacci Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, California
Rating: Good ++
Eye-opening flavor and depth, warm summer fruit that lingers on in taste and aroma. Excellent balance, so that no one component of tannin, oak or acidity dominates, yet neither is it a fruit bomb. Wonderful PN character. Close-out price $25; regular price $37.2005 Viña Borgia, Bodegas Borsao, Campo de Borja, Spain
Rating: Very, Very Good
Continues to be one of the great wine bargains year after year. The label is redesigned, but the wine is the same: 100% garnacha (grenache) with lots of lush fruit and little if any tannin or oak. It is fermented completely dry, so it has a bit of austerity. Moderately long taste. Sale price 2 for $12.2004 Kallstadter Annaberg Chardonnay Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Unckrich, Pfalz, Germany
Rating: Good
This wine is to be contrasted with the same winery's Borsao, which is a blend of tempranillo and and garnacha, with an oak component, that gives it a bit of complexity.
A most unusual wine that was just asking to be tasted - I can't image that many wine buyers will know what to expect. At 12.5%, the alcohol level is lower than most any chardonnay; the "Spätlese Trocken" signifies that, although from late-picked grapes, the wine is dry. That's almost so, there's a trace of residual sugar but less than many California chardonnays. There's no wood and moderate acidity, so it does have a soft freshness. Well balanced, with moderate intensity and length of taste, it seems to taste more of pinot blanc than chardonnay. Close-out price $9; regular price $13.2002 Saint-Aubin, Le Ban, Henri Prudhon et Fils, France
Rating: Good +
Another minor white burgundy with all the right characteristics in a slightly smaller-scale package. Good acidity, a light touch on the wood, well-balanced, with a fairly long taste. Close-out price $20; regular price $30.2005 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Rating: Very Good -
Not as extracted as the Marlborough SB (below) with some grassiness, medium-bodied with good acidity and a bit of softness. Flavorful, well-balanced, and with a fairly long taste. I prefer this Stellenbosch SB to their over-powering Marlbourough. Close-out price $10; regular price $15.2004 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Very Good
Sauvignon Republic Cellars is a fascinating new concept: a small group of four winemakers and restaurateurs dedicated to making only sauvignon blanc from regions known for very good SB. So far that includes Marlborough (New Zealand), Stellenbosch (South Africa) and Russian River Valley (California), with France and Chile also in their sights. A label to keep an eye on; it's also visually striking colorful triangle.
Highly extracted SB with grassiness, full-bodied, very good acidity, and perhaps just a trace of residual sugar. Lots of flavor, intense and with a fairly long taste. Something about this wine had me not like it as much as others at the start, but it tasted better a day or two later; I guess I like my SBs somewhat leaner and less extracted. Close-out price $12; regular price $18.2005 Lagrein Rosé, Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Italy
Rating: Good ++
A rosé in the French style: dry, lovely light red color, moderate raspberry fruitiness, reasonable intensity and length. Close-out price $9; regular price $14.2002 Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Kabinett, Langwerth von Simmern, Rheingau
Rating: Good
Eye-openingly good, a real find! Lots of depth and intensity, and a spiciness that usually comes with a well-aged Rheingau that has lots of flavor to begin with. Yet from the moderately golden color it doesn't look that old. Long complex taste. It's a pleasure to find that this old-time producer is still making such fine wines (and keeeping the old-style label). Close-out price $12; regular price $15.2003 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese, Josef Leitz, Rheingau
Rating: Very Good +
I've stayed away from 2003 German wines because the big summer heat wave meant higher sweetness levels and lower acidity than I prefer. At the close-out price and with the producer's fine reputation, it was worth taking a risk on this one. In addition, a 2000 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Kabinett by Leitz seemed to have a nice acidity and a bit of leanness more like a Mosel. The sweetness is at the high end of Spätlese and the acidity is somewhat lower, but there's a lovely riesling aroma, good peach-like intensity and a fairly long taste. Light golden color. The wine was a very appropriate accompaniment to roasted chicken. Close-out price $14; regular price $20.2004 Saintsbury Chardonnay, Unfiltered, Carneros
Rating: Very Good -
A surprising venture, for me, into California chardonnay. Maybe it was the Saintsbury name that I appreciate for balanced pinot noirs that are not overly fruity or sweet, or maybe it was the price that made the risk affordable. Although noticeably Californian rather than Burgundian, it had a nice butteriness, with sufficient acidity, lots of fruit, but without excessive oak or residual sugar. Some complexity and a long taste convinced me to grab a few more bottles. Close-out price $14; regular price $21.2005 Canyon Road Sauvignon Blanc, California
Rating: Very Good -
To my surprise, reminiscent of a good New Zealand SB, with racy acidity, some grassiness, and a lively fresh fruitiness that's a pleasure to drink. The intensity is a bit less than the NZ SBs, a with moderately long taste. There's no wood. A great deal at a sale price of 2 for $12.2003 João Pires Vinho Regional Terras de Sado, Portugal
Rating: Good ++
Unusual and unexpected characteristics: at first taste this seemed to have riesling characteristics, having some floral aroma and being off-dry. Then some gewürztraminer character emerged with a noticeable musty-apple component. The color was a deep gold, so maybe there was a bit of oxidation. The acidity was a bit low, with moderate intennsity and length. I had expected a dry and acidic white, given the Portuguese heritage. Close-out price $9; regular price $14.NV Duval-Leroy Champagne Brut
Rating: Good +
NV Perrier-Jouët Champagne Grand Brut
Both the Duval-Leroy and the Perrier-Jouët were very good and, to my taste, not really distinguishable. Both had the flavor, dryness, acidity, elegant balance and lingering taste one expects of a fine champagne. The Perrier-Jouët seemed to have the finer bubbles, but their being served in a sherbet rather than a flute glass was not helpful. Duval-Leroy sale price $32; Perrier-Jouët price not known.
Ratings: Very Good
Red-tag close-out sales this month:Whites:
2003 Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese, Josef Leitz, Rheingau ($14, orig. $20) 2003 Dürkheimer Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett, Darting, Pfalz ($9, orig. $13) 2002 Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Riesling Kabinett, Langwerth von Simmern, Rheingau ($12, orig. $15) 2003 Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Kabinett, Prinz von Hessen, Rheingau ($11, orig. $16) 2004 Kallstadter Annaberg Chardonnay Spätlese Trocken, Weingut Unckrich, Pfalz, Germany ($9, orig. $13) 2004 Saintsbury Chardonnay, Unfiltered, Carneros ($14, orig. $21) 2004 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand ($12, orig. $18) 2005 Sauvignon Republic Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa ($10, orig. $15) 2002 Pouilly-Fuissé, La Cote, Très vielles vignes, vin non filtrée, Roger Lassarat, France
[North Berkeley Imports]($29, orig. $40) 2002 Saint-Aubin, Le Ban, Henri Prudhon et Fils, France ($20, orig. $30) 2002 Montagny, Les Joncs, Faiveley, France ($16, orig. $30) 2001 Pernand-Vergelesses, Marius Delarche, France ($18, orig. $30) 2001 Saint-Véran, Les Mures, Roger Lassarat, France ($18, orig. $25) 2005 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Domaine de la Pepière, France ($7, orig. $10)
Reds:
2001 Lafond Syrah SRH, Santa Rita Hills ($14, orig. $??) 2003 DeLoach Pinot Noir, OFS, Russian River Valley ($28, orig. $40) 2003 Paraiso Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands ($16, orig. $23) 2004 Belle Glos Pinot Noir, Clark & Telephone Vineyards, Santa Maria Valley ($24, orig. $35) 2004 WillaKenzie Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley ($18, orig. $26) 2001 Giant Steps Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia ($20, orig. $??) 2005 Lagrein Rosé, Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Italy ($9, orig. $14)
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