2000 Carneros Creek Pinot Noir, Los Carneros, Napa Valley
Nice varietal bouquet leads to a wine with some character and substance. There is good sour-cherry fruit with acidity and a touch of tannin to give some firmness. Not quite as seductive as some Californians, but with good length that makes each sip enjoyable. Do not recall original price; probably about $18.2001 Rully 1er Cru "La Pucelle", Vincent Girardin, France
Rating: Very Good -
The evident characteristics of a white burgundy, on a somewhat reduced scale. There's the balance between fruit and oak, totally dry, but with a bit much Chablis-like acidity. The wine has a freshness that shows no sign of age yet. Close-out price $15, regular price $22.2001 Rutherford Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California
Rating: Good ++
Offers some pleasant surprises for a California SB: refreshing acidity and no noticeable vanillin or other evidence of oak. Moderate intensity, without grassiness in the fruit, but somewhat short taste. Close-out price $9, regular price $12.2003 Stoneleigh Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good +
Fairly thin and acidic, without much aroma. Moderate intensity, short taste. Regular price $15.2005 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good -
The first of the 2005 NZ SB's, and it's a very good one. After the weak and disppointing 2004 following the enjoyable 2002, from Oyster Bay, I'm delighted with this one. It has the nice balance of some grassiness, dryness and brisk acidity that one expects of a Marlborough SB. The intensity stands up to spicy food, and it has a fairly long taste. A great value at the regular price of $13, less 20% discount.2001 Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe
Rating: Very Good
A very enjoyable bottle, with bright acidity and young riesling fruit all more reminiscent of a Mosel than a Nahe wine. Moderately long taste, floral aroma. Can age for several more years. Much better than the 2000 version. Close-out price $12, regular price $17.2001 Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett, Josef Biffar, Pfalz
Rating: Very Good -
Tasted at the same time as a 2000 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Meulenhof. The Münsterer, although a Kabinett, has a touch more sweetness and acidity, and also a little more depth.
Off-dry, i.e., toward the lower end of the sweetness scale for a Kabinett. Acidity a bit low, and intensity somewhat subdued. It may just be this bottle, but there is a corked character to the wine. Better with food than by itself. Close-out price $11, regular price $16.2003 Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc, Rapel Valley, Chile
Rating: Good
The wine tastes like intensity achieved at the price of high extract, low acidity and too much wood. Overall, there is noticeable bitterness as well as some residual sugar. Tending toward full-bodied, with a fairly long taste. New Zealand need not fear this as a competitor. Close-out price $7, regular price $10.2000 Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir, Great Estates, Monterey County
Rating: Good -
Expansive floral aromas announce a wine with some depth and fine varietal character. Substantial fruit with some tannin firmness and balancing acidity easily supports 14.5% alcohol. The finish is fairly long. A hedonistic wine that's a real pleasure to sip. Close-out price $14, regular price $19 (but listed as $32 by wine mags).2001 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles, Vincent Girardin, France
Rating: Very Good +
What a pleasure to enjoy a 1er Cru Puligny-Montrachet again. The wine is everything one would wish for from a white burgundy: a superb balance of fruit, acidity and oak. The taste is complex and long, so that one wishes to savor every molecule. It has fine depth and intensity without heaviness. Close-out price $25, regular price $35 (but listed at almost twice that much in a wine mag).2001 Hogue Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, Washington
Rating: Excellent
Robert Parker gave this wine a 94 and calls it "one of the stars of the vintage. Its sumptuous aromatics reveal flowers, stones, minerals, and spices. On the palate, it displays gorgeous breadth, width, concentration, depth, and a luscious, sexy, satin-textured mouth-fell. The wine coats the taster's palate with poached pears, flowers, minerals, and spices, whose effect linger in its long, supple, sensual finish."
Reading this orgasmic description I was a little fearful that the wine would be like an over-oaked California-style powerhouse chardonnay. I was then delighted to taste that he was, in fact, right on target. Also of interest is that he gives the price as being $61.50, so even the regular $35 price would have been a great deal.
Disappointing for Hogue, one of the quality for price leaders, this pinot gris tastes flat and dull. The style aims toward some weight with a touch of oiliness and wood, but seems low on the acidity that would give it some freshness. Close-out price $7, regular price $11.2002 Mercurey La Framboisiere, Faiveley, France
Rating: Good -
Not a tasting wine - by itself, it leaned toward the lean and acidic, with some sour-cherry fruit and noticeable oak. There was no noticeable floral aroma, it had medium intensity, and the taste was none too long. On the other hand, it went very well with oven-roasted chicken parts. The remainder appeared to gain some substance over the next two days. Clearly French rather than Californian style. Close-out price $14, regular price $20.2003 Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Pinot Noir, Highliner, Santa Barbara County, California
Rating: Good +
Lots of plum and cherry fruit with a trace of cinnamon, with mild tannin providing some firmness. Balancing acidity, with a fairly long taste. The varietal aroma is not as expansive as some. Very drinkable now, but it opened up some more over the course of the meal. Best to serve with flavorful food; this wine would be a bit much for, say, grilled salmon. Restaurant price $66 at La Lumière, Newton.2001 Cambria Julia's Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Rating: Very Good
This is another wine which shows that individual taste trumps wine mag ratings every time. The Wine Specator gave it only an 80, which means they don't even tell you why they didn't much like it. Robert Parker (Wine Advocate) was somewhat more generous with his score of 86, but not with his description of the wine as "monolithic, tart, lean and austere". That's certainly not the wine I drank. Maybe, since Hitching Post was prominently featured in the film "Sideways", the critics want to be a little more critical.
Another delightful PN, with perfume in the bouquet and varietal fruit, and with some backbone from a touch of tannin. Good acidity, some complexity and a fairly long taste. Price $20, less 20% discount.2003 Riesling, Dopf & Irion, Alsace, France
Rating: Very Good
Tasted at the same time as the very good 2001 Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Spätlese trocken, Prinz von Hessen, Rheingau. The Alsatian is drier, with only a trace of residual sugar, but has less intensity and depth. It seemed a little fat and with lower acidity than expected, probably because of the very hot 2003 vintage. Varietal character, Moderate length. Price $16.2002 Coldstream Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Victoria, Australia
Rating: GoodAnother attempt to find an Aussie sauvignon blanc to like, and another disappointment. This one follows the chardonnay model that I don't care for, with fatness, low acidity, extract and some residual sugar, though not excessive oak. The latter in particular suits the SB herbal character even less than chardonnay. The wine has intensity and a fairly long taste, but is just not my style. Original price $15; close-out price $10.2003 Sancerre, Celestin Blondeau, Cuvée des Moulins Bâles, France
Rating: GoodLess acidity than usual for a Sancerre, probably due to the very hot year. Well-put-together, with balance and some depth, and a fairly long taste. Original price $17; close-out price $12.2003 House of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good ++Seems like a different wine compared to my notes of July '04, somewhat over a year ago. The grassiness is more evident, but it is also a more interesting wine now than the all-fruit younger version. There is some depth, and good acidity, along with a fairly long taste, so it has gone from a house white to a dinner wine. Original price $12, less 20% discount.2000 Château des Anneraux, Lalande de Pomerol, France
Rating: Very Good -Deep color, with lots of fruit wrapped in an austere package of tannin and some wood. Flavorful with good intensity, but not much complexity, and moderate length. Tasted at the same time as a 1999 Gotim Bru, Castell del Remei, Costers del Segre, Spain; the Spanish wine was somewhat softer and less austere, although also showing a tannic backbone. Price not known.1999 Rosemount Shiraz, Hill of Gold, Mudgee, Australia
Rating: Good +Compared to the 2000 Rosemount Shiraz, Hill of Gold, Mudgee, this wine is a bit leaner, with less of the direct fruitiness and some backbone of tannin and wood. As such, it's a little more sophisticated and balanced. Close-out price $12; regular price $18.
Rating: Good +
Red-tag close-out sales this month:Whites:
2002 Coldstream Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Victoria, Australia ($10, orig. $15) 2001 Hogue Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, Washington ($7, orig. $11) 2001 Rutherford Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley ($9, orig. $12) 2001 Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett, Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe ($12, orig. $17) 2001 Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Kabinett, Josef Biffar, Pfalz ($11, orig. $16) 2001 Riesling Sprinzenberg, Geyerhof, Kremstal, Austria ($13, orig. $19) 2002 Pinot Bianco Haberlehof, Alois Lageder, Alto Adige, Italy ($14, orig. $19) 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Casa Lapostolle, Rapel Valley, Chile ($7, orig. $10) 2001 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, Les Pucelles, Vincent Girardin, France ($25, orig. $35) 2001 Rully 1er Cru, La Pucelle, Vincent Girardin, France ($15, orig. $22)
Reds:
2002 Mercurey, La Framboisiere, Faiveley, France ($14, orig. $20) 2000 Saintsbury Pinot Noir, Brown Ranch, Carneros ($19, orig. $27) 2000 Montinore Estate Pinot Noir, Parsons' Ridge, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($24, orig. $34) 2000 Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir, Great Estates, Monterey County ($14, orig. $19)
|
|
|
|