TNs from a casual Saturday night

[Michael Malinoski]

My wife and daughters were away on a camping trip, so I had a couple of guys over to play some cards, hang out, and drink some wine. Nothing was decanted and none of the wines were served blind.

2007 Albert Boxler Riesling Vieilles Vignes. This is moderately dark gold in color, with a rather overt and nicely-layered nose featuring aromas of blue slate, kerosene, baked apple, apricot, fig and faint funk. In the mouth, it’s pleasingly oily in texture, with delightfully polished flavors of apricot, litchi, fig and pineapple that grow in lush sweetness over time, but always staying very nicely-balanced. This is pithy, fun, classy and totally enjoyable.

1999 Les Vins de Vienne Côte-Rôtie Les Essartailles. The nose on this wine isn’t quite what I would expect from this region, but it features fun scents of tangy wild berries, suede leather, tobacco, fireplace ash and tomato vine. In the mouth, it’s brightly lifted and tangy, with medium weight and tart acidity, but loaded with tingly berry fruit interestingly offset by savory flavors of bacon fat, hung meat and menthol. It’s far from quintessential, but I do think it’s drinking pretty easily at this stage, and I enjoy its exuberance.

1988 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Mountain. I love the nose here, which is showing fantastic aromas of black currants and blackberries galore, with secondary notes of carob nut, dark chocolate and leafy earth complementing the fruit very nicely. It’s wonderful on the palate, too, with luscious but cool dark mountain berry fruit flavors layered atop earth and leather notes that together show great intensity, tensile but yielding structure, and a very long, slightly pasty finish that draws you back for more. It’s just an effortless winner all around and totally in my wheelhouse.

2005 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard Russian River Valley. This is dark and boisterous on the nose, with aromas of sweet plums, blueberries, fudge brownie, barbecue sauce and sexy dark spices that are lifted and exotic but in no way overblown or over the top. On the palate, it’s a big sweet berry-laden mouthful of wine, with lovely sweet fruit stuffing showing fine concentration and luscious texture. It’s in a real nice spot for enjoying now, though I could see cellaring it for a while without too much concern, either.

2006 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Alberdi Reserva. I find the nose here to be modern-styled and direct, with a fair dose of raw oak to go along with berry fruit and spice aromas. In the mouth, it’s clean, fresh and tangy. There’s an easy-going structure, medium weight and polished tannins, but I just find it a bit direct and unformed at the present time, without the complexity or nuance I’m looking for. I’ll wait another few years before trying again, but it doesn’t strike me as a particularly long-lived wine for this producer.


-Michael