2000 Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru, "Les Gravains", Vincent Girardin, France
Well-balanced classic white-burgundy character, rounder than the 2001 Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche (just below). The intensity is a bit lower than I would like, but the taste is fairly long. Golden color, and holding well although into its sixth year. Close-out price $15; regular price $22.2001 Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche, Vin non filtré, Cuvée unique, Michel Rey, France
Rating: Very Good -
Chablis-like in its acidic steeliness, but otherwise well-balanced with that dry white-burgundy character blending fruit and oak. Moderate intensity with some complexity, but a little short in the taste. Another fine North Berkeley Imports Barrel Selection. Half-bottle close-out price $8; regular price $11.2002 Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett, Ansgar Clüsserath, M-S-R
Rating: Good ++
A textbook riesling with sweetness toward the upper end of Kabinett, but superb acidity. Floral aroma with peach and pineapple flavors, medium intensity and a fairly long taste. Lovely golden color Close-out price $12; regular price $18.2004 Borsao, Bodegas Borsao, Campo de Borja, Spain
Rating: Good ++
Note added 8/1/06: Two more bottles did not have quite the depth or acidity that I remember, although they did improve in the glass, so I've revised my opinion downward a bit.
A great favorite of mine as a luscious house wine at an incredible price. A blend of 75% garnacha and 25% tempranillo, it has lots of raspberryish fruit, but also some structure from wood and perhaps a touch of tannin. The intensity is nicely below fruit-bomb level, although there's lots of flavor, with just a hint of complexity from the wood, and a moderately long taste. Sale price 2 for $12.2000 Palliser Estate Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good ++
Martinborough is a sleepy little place, more village than town, but a center for pinot noirs. The Palliser has some firmness without excess tannins or wood, but also balance from good cherry/blackberry fruit. It's not lush nor overly aromatic but well-constructed. With moderate depth, a bit of complexity, and a fairly long taste, it is a very good food wine. The wine seems to expand in the glass. There's the slightest tinge of orange at the rim. Regular price $20.2001 Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling Spätlese, Prinz von Hessen, Rheingau
Rating: Very Good -
Luscious peachiness with balancing acidity. True Spätlese sweetness, with some body, depth, and long taste. Can easily take more age. Close-out price $14; regular price $19.2001 Gleisweiler Hölle Riesling Kabinett, Theo Minges, Pfalz
Rating: Very Good
On the dry side of Kabinett, although not halb-trocken, with just a touch of sweetness. Deep golden color. Nice riesling character, with moderate intensity, some depth and good length. A bit of Pfalz spice and also good acidity. Close-out price $11; regular price $16.1997 Panther Creek Pinot Noir, Freedom Hill Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Rating: Very Good -
French-style PN, with good acidity and some tannin, and with wood in balance. Moderate fruit with subdued aroma. Seems a bit thin at first but goes well with food. Moderate length, but no particular depth or complexity. The color does not show the age, but the wine is unlikely to improve with more time. Sale price $25.2001 Dürkheimer Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett, Darting, Pfalz
Rating: Good ++
The style appears consistent with my notes for the 1996 version of Panther Creek's Freedom Hill PN.
Deep golden color. Some spiciness from ageing, although it tastes as if it could age more yet. Better acidity than many Pfalz wines. Kabinett-level sweetness. Well balanced overall, but lacking just a little in intensity and length; a 2001 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling-Hochgewächs, Weingut Karl Erbes, M-S-R open at the same time showed more of both, as well as greater sweetness. Close-out price $10; regular price $15.2003 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, Margaret River, Western Australia
Rating: Good ++
Note also, that the vineyard Dürkheimer Michelsberg in the Pfalz is an Einzellage, while Piesporter Michelsberg in the Mosel region is a Grosslage.
This SB is the only one from Australia that I've liked consistently, the others being often too California-chardonnay-like. The Cape Mentelle style may have to do with being a sister winery with New Zealand's esteemed Cloudy Bay. The wine notes for the 1999 Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc describe this one as well, arguing for a laudable consistency over the years. Regular price $15, less 20% discount.2001 Meursault, Faiveley, France
Rating: Very Good
Deep golden color. Everything is there in the right proportions, but at a reduced level. Certainly not a powerhouse, but there's just not enough depth and intensity even to call it elegant. I've had minor white burgundies that were much better. Over-priced at a close-out price of $25, and certainly at the regular price of $45.2001 Garrison Creek Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington
Rating: Good +
This wine, as well as the W. H. Smith Pinot Noir (below), affirms an important buying criterion: No matter what the pedigree or wine mag ratings may claim, try a bottle before buying more, especially at higher prices.
But see notes of May 2006 (just two months later) for an impression of a totally different wine! Bottle variation??
Dark color, lots of soft fruit, mild tannins, inobtrusive wood. Buttery aroma on first opening, which then fades. Low acidity emphasizes the overall softness of the wine. Good intensity, but not much length. This is not a $35 wine, and not one for ageing. Close-out price $15, regular price $35.2004 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good +
Good, but not up to the character and depth of the 2003 Drylands SB. There's good acidity, but the fruit has a bit of mustiness about it. Moderate intensity and length, with grassiness in check. Regular price $16, less 25% discount.2001 Château Trimoulet, Grand Cru Saint-Émilion, France
Rating: Good ++
Firm structure, with an almond component from the wood. Dark red, good fruit without any particular warmth or much aroma. Medium-bodied, straight-forward, with moderate length. Good acidity. Close-out price $30, regular price $21.2000 W. H. Smith Pinot Noir, Hellenthal Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Rating: Good +
Lots of blackberry fruit, some tannin, and also enough wood to leave a slightly bitter aftertaste. Incredible alcohol content for a PN at 14.6% matches the fullness of this wine. Deep dark color with a tinge of orange at the edge, moderate aroma, fairly long taste. There is depth and some complexity now but the wood intrudes. It might become more balanced and complex with time, but did not do so over several days. Close-out price $19, regular price $27 (although a wine mag seems to place the price in the high $30's).
Rating: Good +
Red-tag close-out sales this month:Whites:
2001 Meursault, Faiveley, France ($25, orig. $45) 2001 Macon-Vergisson La Roche, Vin non filtrée, Michel Rey, France
[Berkeley Imports Selection]($8, orig. $11)
Half-bottle2001 Dürkheimer Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett, Darting, Pfalz ($10, orig. $15) 2002 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett, Meulenhof, M-S-R ($12, orig. $17) 2002 Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett, Ansgar Clüsserath, M-S-R ($12, orig. $18) 2001 Gleisweiler Hölle Riesling Kabinett, Theo Minges, Pfalz ($11, orig. $16) 2001 Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling Spätlese, Prinz von Hessen, Rheingau ($14, orig. $19)
Reds:
2001 Garrison Creek Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington ($15, orig. $35)
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