2003 Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva, Italy
Textbook chianti classico, with cherry/sour-cherry fruit, tannin backbone and good acidity. This firmness goes well with food. Medium-bodied with a fairly long taste. Close-out price $18; regular price $25.2005 Santa Ema Amplus One, Reserve, Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Rating: Very Good -
Fleshy with lush blueberry/blackberry fruit, and just a bit of structure. Moderate acidity, intense flavors with some butteriness and some spice, and a fairly long taste. A blend of 75% carmeni¸re, 20% syrah and 5% carignane. Close-out price $13; regular price $20.2004 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Spätlese, Lingenfelder, Pfalz
Rating: Very Good -
Nice riesling character, with some depth and intensity, good acidity and a lingering taste. At 10% alcohol, Spätlese sweetness does not overwhelm. The label features "Riesling" in large font, with "Spätlese" and "Grosskarlbacher Osterberg" in much smaller font toward the bottom; those of us who care have to search for these details. Close-out price $13.50; regular price $27.2006 Buena Vista Pinot Noir, Carneros
Rating: Very Good -
Nicely floral in aroma and flavor, lighter than medium-bodied, with just a touch of firmness, raspberry fruit. Easy-drinking and enjoyable, but the taste is unfortunately none too long. Close-out price $15; regular price $23.2006 Saint Romain, sous la velle, Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson, France
Rating: Good ++
Bracing acidity, dry, a bit subdued on fruit but the oak is commensurate with it. Moderate intensity and length. Recognizably a white burgundy, but just a little small-scale. Close-out price $29; regular price $40.2004 Casa Lapostolle Syrah, Las Kuras Vineyard, Cuvée Alexandre, Requinoa, Cachapoal Valley , Chile
Rating: Good ++
Impenetrably dark color, massive fruit with a good deal of wood and some tannin. Blackberry/plum aroma and flavors, with acidity a bit low. Fairly long taste with a bit of complexity. A lot to chew on. Much better after leaving the bottle open for two days - needs lots of time to mature. Serve only with flavorful and robust meat. Close-out price $16; regular price $24.2001 Penfolds Shiraz, Bin 128, Coonawarra, Australia
Rating: Very Good -
A good wine, flavorful, with moderate length. There's just nothing especially memorable about it, whether depth, aroma or complexity. Regular price $20, less 20% discount.2005 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River, Western Australia
Rating: Good +
Sibling winery to New Zealand's esteemed Cloudy Bay, so it's not surprising that the style is similar. Well-balanced and leaning toward elegant rather than powerful, there's not the grassiness or strong acidity of many sauvignon blancs. Medium-bodied with a fairly long taste. Close-out price $11; regular price $20.2006 Pio Cesare Arneis, Langhe, Italy
Rating: Very Good -
More body than many Italian whites, with a touch of fatness, but good balancing acidity. There's an intriguing component of dried herbs. The taste is fairly long wih a touch of complexity. Close-out price $13; regular price $22.2006 Meritage, Teperberg Family Estate, Teperberg Selection, Judean Hills, Israel
Rating: Good ++
A Bordeaux-type blend, though not a Bordeaux-style wine: it's 70% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Fleshy and full-bodied with lots of dark, soft fruit with a bit of structure. Kosher. Tasty and having moderate length, with no particular complexity. Went well with a spaghetti with meat sauce. Close-out price $9; regular price $13.2004 Dalton Sauvignon Blanc, Safsufa Vineyards, Upper Galilee, Israel
Rating: Good ++
This one fully deserves a rare "poor" rating; it was undrinkable and hence was poured down the drain. Not only did it taste unripe, but there was an unpleasant component to it that must have represented some kind of spoilage or contamination. Mercifully short taste. Being mevushal kosher is no virtue here. Close-out price $7; regular price $13.2004 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett, Hoffmann-Simon, M-S-R
Rating: Poor
Golden color, with lovely riesling aroma. Peach-like intensity and depth, with complexity in the fairly long taste. Good acidity balance. Sweetness is at the border of Kabinett and Spätlese. It has aged very well, and now resembles a Rheingau more than a Mosel wine. Close-out price $11; regular price $17.2006 Terlaner Classico, Cantina Terlano, Alto Adige, Italy
Rating: Very Good -
One of the best producers in Alto Adige. A blend with 60% pinot bianco, 30% chardonnay and 10% sauvignon blanc. Some weight without heaviness, a touch of softness with very good acidity, and a long flavorful taste. The pinot bianco dominates, and is not weighed down by wood. Very well balanced. The flavors were not that different from the Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc (below), but the Terlaner has a touch of leanness by camparison that gives it a bit of a welcome edge. Close-out price $15; regular price $20.2004 Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese, August Kesseler, Rheingau
Rating: Very Good -
Nice riesling character. Sweetness is at the border of Kabinett and Spätlese. A bit of spiciness from age, but the intensity is a bit subdued and hollow - one expects a little more than can be delivered. Moderately good acidity, fairly long taste. Close-out price $11; regular price $22.2005 Kumeu River Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand
Rating: Good ++
Even better than the fine 2004 - superb balance with lots of depth, intensity and lingering taste. Very good acidity without grassiness. This is an example of elegance with strength. Close-out price $12; regular price $19.2006 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc, 20 Barrels, Casablanca Valley, Chile
Rating: Very Good +
Fairly full-flavored without being heavy, with depth and length. Nice balance with sufficient acidity and a touch of softness. Nothing lean or grassy here, but also not overbearing. Close-out price $15; regular price $19.
Rating: Very Good
Red-tag close-out sales this month:Whites:
2004 Château Cruzeau, Pessac-Léognan, France ($16, orig. $22) 2007 Sancerre, Cuvée des Moulins Bâles, Celestin Blondeau, France ($16, orig. $22) 2006 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc, 20 Barrels, Casablance Valley, Chile ($15, orig. $19) 2004 Dalton Sauvignon Blanc, Safsufa Vineyards, Upper Galilee, Israel ($7, orig. $13) 2006 Arneis, Pio Cesare, Langhe, Italy ($13, orig. $22) 2007 Terlaner Classico, Cantina Terlan, Alto Adige, Italy ($14, orig. $20) 2006 Saint-Romain, "sous la velle", Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson, France ($29, orig. $40) 2004 Pouilly-Vinzelles, Climat "Les Quarts", Bret Brothers, France ($35, orig. $53) 2004 Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Spätlese, Lingenfelder, Pfalz ($13.50, orig. $27) 2003 Serrig Herrenberg Riesling Beerenauslese, Bert Simon, M-S-R ($19, orig. $38)
[375 ml]2004 Hirsch Riesling Zöbing, Kamptal, Austria ($14, orig. $25)
Reds:
2005 Petite Sirah, Rhodes Vineyard, Rosenblum Cellars, Redwood Valley ($15, orig. $25) 2005 Zinfandel, Aparicio Vineyard, Rosenblum Cellars, Amador County
[Rosenblum is known for its zinfandels]($20, orig. $28) 2003 Mueller Pinot Noir, Emily's Cuvée, Russian River Valley
[Some rave reviews, so I'll exceed my usual limit]($34, orig. $50) 2006 Maven Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand ($10, orig. $20) 2006 Meritage, Teperberg Family Estate, Teperberg Selection, Judean Hills, Israel ($9, orig. $13) 2005 Santa Ema Amplus One, Cachapoal Valley, Chile ($13, orig. $20) 2004 Vosne-Romanee, "Au-dessus de la Rivière", Frédéric Magnien, France ($27, orig. $40) 2003 Chianti Classico Riserva, Carpineto, Italy ($18, orig. $25) 2003 Moulin-à-Vent, Clos de Rochegrès, Chateau des Jacques, Louis Jadot, France ($20, orig. $30)
|
|
|
|