TNs: Cleaning out the wine tasting notebook Part I

[Michael Malinoski]

Below are notes on random wines drunk at home with my family over the past few months, which I haven’t been able to fit into any other postings. I guess it’s just time to clean out my notebook...

Sparkling wines:

NV Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuis 1er Cru. Disgorged May 24, 2012. The first glass right out of the ice bucket is razor-sharp and uber-minerally on the nose, but the second glass when it has warmed up a bit shows much more elegance in the fine aromas of apple, ginger, graphite, blanched nuts and chalk. It’s all precision, minerality and poise in the mouth, with energy, drive and crunch is reserve. The flavors of pear, lemon and stone show virtually no sweetness at all, and the fruit never really fans out much, but I really like the intensity and taut Chardonnay in steel sort of personality. I admit it’s a bit more austere than I ideally go for, but it’s impossible to deny the impressive make-up of this wine.

NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Extra Dry. This presents a precise nose of toasted bread, yeast, apple, smoke and a bit of botanical herb. In the mouth, it’s taut and smoky, with smooth-sipping flavors of apple, toasted bread and mineral. It turns a bit richer and fruitier toward the back end, and overall is a pretty fine aperitif style.

White wines:

2012 Guy Allion Touraine Les Mazelles. I find this wine to have enjoyably bright, zesty, tingly aromas of gooseberries, pea tendrils, juniper, fresh herbs, cantaloupe and chalky limestone. It’s dry and flinty in the mouth, with sharp but not austere acidity. It’s quite tingly and tangy, maybe a bit youthfully cinched up and narrowly-focused. Flavors of bergamot, juniper and botanical herbs could stand to flesh out a bit with some time in the cellar, but otherwise there’s good life and lift here and a nice refreshing finish.

2011 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Wachau. This is tightly-controlled and a bit austere on the nose—showing some taut, tense aromas of white pepper, steely minerals, pear and chopped herbs. In the mouth, it is slightly more expansive and fanned out, with prickly dry flavors of schist, graphite, white pepper, green grapes and kiwi still showing pretty youthfully. It’s light, even-keeled and direct, but I just don’t connect with it all that much at this stage of the game.

2013 Verget de France Vin de France Blanc. This is a $10 blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. On the nose, it’s the musky orange blossom and peach aromas of the Viognier that lead out first, with the sharper tang of gooseberry, grapefruit and cantaloupe folding in behind along with a hint of green apple after a while. It’s ticklish, piquant and kind of fun, with a super-bright and zesty palate presence. The flavors of grapefruit, peach, lime and gooseberry are extremely clean, somewhat uncomplicated and nicely refreshing.

2009 San Fereolo Langhe Coste di Riavolo Bianco. This is showing some age on the nose at this point, with darkly-spiced aromas of mealy apples, pears, honeycomb and butterscotch candy. It’s maybe a tiny bit oxidized on the palate, with bitter peach pit, grilled pineapple and kiwi flavors in a creamy-textured and interestingly toothy package. It’s not very elegant and the acidity is wanting at this stage, putting it out of balance too often for my liking. Remaining bottles need to be drunk, I’d have to say.

2011 Stolpman Golden Point Santa Ynez Valley. This wine puts forth fleshy aromas of tropical fruits, honeycomb, apricots, honey and lilac that are plump and pleasantly rounded. It’s a bit chubby in the mouth, with a broad flavor profile of baking spices, mango, melon, apricot and yellow tropical fruit stuffing. It’s a bit waxy-textured and soft around the edges but generally pretty fun to drink.

2011 François Villard Viognier Les Contours de DePoncins Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes. Aromatically, this is absolutely chock-a-block with aromas of peaches, fruit cup syrup, maraschino cherry, orange blossom, rosewater, plantain and cantaloupe. It’s round and plump in the mouth, with lots of florality to go with peachy, tropical flavors and a nick of bitter minerality underneath it all. It has good vitality on the entry, ample fruitiness in the middle and a little nick of white pepper at the end, making for a nice ride when all is said and done.

2011 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tradizionale. This wine has a surprisingly dark bronze color to it. On the nose, it shows off interesting aromas of baked apricot, peach pit, green grape, white currant, and copper that are fairly tightly-wrapped and understated. In the mouth, it delivers flavors of white peach, white currant, green apple, blanched almond, mineral and bit of wood around the edges in a fairly narrow and direct package. It ends taut and tightly cinched-up and could stand to fan out a bit or engage with the taster a bit more. It’s an interesting wine to taste but I don’t really connect with it a whole lot.

2012 Domaine Le Capitaine Vouvray Les Aumones. Here one finds plump aromas of white peach, lemon peel, honey, wax and green herbs on the nose. That is followed up by a nice little burst of juicy apple, lemon, pear and fig fruit flavors in the mouth, to go along with a slight nick of candied pineapple sweetness. It’s generous and plump, open-knit and easy-drinking, not all that complex but offering easy enjoyment.

2008 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Home Block Santa Cruz Mountains. This does a fine balancing act on the nose, delivering lush aromas of cold butter, lemon oil, white flowers, hazelnut, crushed gravel, honeycomb and fine minerality. In the mouth, it’s tremendously leesy-textured, with a wonderful bolt of energetic yellow fruit. It’s powerful and makes a definite impression, with intense flavors of Napolean lemon drop, nutmeg, hazelnut and bits of briny minerality. It has great drive and structure, but yielding delicious fruit. I’d say it’s the best bottle of Varner Chardonnay I’ve tried to date.

2008 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Sonoma Coast. Per usual, this is a bit cloudy and unfiltered in appearance, with a green-yellow tint to it. It’s richly aromatic of lemon oil, smoky wood, butterscotch and saline brothiness. On the palate, it’s exotically oily in texture, with big bold flavors of pear, lemon, hazelnut, nutmeg and smoky oak that coat the tongue. The finish turns a bit sour-tinged and woody but with great length and clinging persistence. It’s a lovely Aubert with plenty of time ahead.

2003 Peter Michael Chardonnay La Carrière Knights Valley. Here one finds a gorgeously aromatic nose of hazelnuts, vanilla, nutmeg, spiced pears, butterscotch candy, lemon oil, chalk and crushed rocks that is highly evocative and inviting, showing superb layering. It’s sleek in the mouth with rich flavors of lemon, vanilla, oak and mace, but with a more obvious mineral vein than any previous bottle of this I’ve had. It’s absolutely delicious but the length isn’t quite what it once was, so I’d be drinking these up over the next year or two.

2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Mosel Saar Ruwer. I brought this to my in-laws for dinner and it seemed to me that it wasn’t showing that well, I’m afraid. The nose is quiet and restrained right now, with mostly surface notes of blue slate, peach, apple and white flowers that just don’t show the usual depth at this stage. In the mouth, again it just doesn’t seem to be “all there”, holding back a lot and coming across as a bit disjointed and tightly-coiled through the middle. The flavors of dark peaches, baked apples and baking spices are beautiful but not showing the full depth or concentration I’m expecting. It was widely-liked around the table, but to my tastes it’s still raw and in need of some extended cellar time.

Rose wines:

2012 Muri-Gries Lagrein Rosato Alto Adige. This rose opens with a good dose of struck match and sulfur before that blows off to reveal notes of strawberry, graphite, herb and light funk. In the mouth, it’s clean and direct and refreshing, with flavors of strawberry, raspberry and pink citrus fruits that are tangy and juicy if a bit simple and pointed. I wish it had a bit more concentration and staying power, but it’s a pretty decent quaff regardless.

2012 Domaine les Hautes Cances Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Rosé. The nose here is nice and expressive, with aromas of bing cherry, strawberry, lemon and taut minerality. It’s pretty in the mouth, but with fine acidity and dusty minerality in support of strawberry, raspberry and pink citrus flavors. It finishes nice and even, with good refreshing qualities—rather enjoyable.

Red wines:

1998 Domaine Bruno Clair Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode. Haunting aromas of dried violets and lilacs, black cherries, raspberries, birch, suede leather, sous bois funk, singed iron and rose hips rise out of the glass of this lovely wine. It’s pliant and yielding in the mouth, but with a lot of iron and mineral notes allied to tangy acidity that make it a bit sharp at times. Otherwise, though, the cherry, raspberry and chalky limestone flavors are nicely cool and subtly supported by reserved tannins. It needs food to tame some of that acidity, but it’s a really nice drink overall.

2005 Louis Jadot Santenay Clos de Malte. This is quite earthy and savory on the nose, exhibiting interesting though not entirely friendly aromas of black tea, black cherry, cranberry, charred leather, cigar wrapper, tilled earth, black peppercorn and roasted herbs. In the mouth, it feels firm and strapping, with a serious and manly tone to the flavors of black cherry, iron, black olive, iodine, licorice and earth. There’s juicy acidity and pretty nice volume to it, but it just feels a bit somber and rigid right now. It feels like it will be a rock-solid ager, though, so I’m happy to stash some away to check in on again in maybe 5 years’ time.

2004 Frédéric Magnien Côte de Nuits Villages Croix Viollette. The aromas here feel more creamy and lactic, with scents of blueberry and plum fruit to go along with mildly greener-tinged bits of birch, cola nut, white pepper and leafy greens. In the mouth, it’s tangy and tart--with some raw wood tones throughout but also plenty of sweet blue and purple berry fruit flavors. It’s easy-sipping, but it feels like the wood and acidity are starting to outstrip the sweet fruit at times, so my advice would be to drink up pretty soon.

2006 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Santenay Vieilles Vignes. Here one finds a leafy, brilliantly berry-driven bouquet of blue and purple berries, leather, forest undergrowth and a bit of cocoa that’s quite nice. In the mouth, it’s light-bodied and fresh, with flavors of sour cherry and red berry accented by crunchy acidity and leafy streaks. It needs food to soften the harder edges, but I definitely enjoy it.

1998 Frédéric & Daniel Brunier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine La Roquète. This is a cloudy pale garnet color. The nose really exceeds expectations with red floral-tinged aromas of dried cherries, cranberries, olive brine, iron ore, crusty old leather and funky dried sweat emanating effortlessly up out of the glass. In the mouth, it’s light and spicy, not very deep or concentrated, but rather pretty and pleasing. Sweet black cherry, pumpkin spice and black pepper flavors are accented by gentle warmth and mostly-resolved tannins. I like it but can certainly sense it needs to be drunk up.

2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron. This is a lighter, semi-transparent red color. It features mature aromas of tanned saddle leather, light barnyard funk, autumn leaves, baked raspberries, red currants, caramel, balsamico and some interesting malty bits that actually serve to pull it all together quite nicely. In the mouth, it’s lighter-bodied but with loads of fresh cherry and raspberry fruit, anise, and baking spice flavors. It can get a bit dry at times, but it’s really pleasant and pleasing when all is said and done.

2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is much darker-toned on the nose than the Fortia, with wonderfully savory aromas of black pepper, bacon bits, hung meat, leather, black cherry, slate and singed iron. It’s rich and heady in the mouth, with big savory-tinged flavors of dark cherry, plum, licorice, black olive and earthy underbelly. It has great tensile balance, with a serious but pliant personality. It just feels classically-made all around, with loads of enjoyment to offer now, but a long life ahead.

1981 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou St. Julien. This is exceedingly old-fashioned and surprisingly rustic on the nose, showing a ton of rawhide leather and earth aromas to go along with subtler bits of peppercorn, dried sweat, chestnut and horsehair scents. It’s classically-aged in the mouth, with medium to lighter-weighted flavors of sour cherries, mushrooms and persimmon that are earthy and dry. It’s not that deep or concentrated, but does flesh out the longer it sits in the decanter, with the tannins staying supple and balanced throughout. It’s a slightly rustic but gently-flavored old claret that pairs great with our venison loin, but I’m not planning to sit on my remaining bottle much longer.

1981 Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac. This is a bit more subtle and elegant on the nose than the Ducru-Beaucaillou—featuring restrained scents of shoe leather, ash, pencil shavings, toasted orange peel, faint green pepper and wood spices that I like. In the mouth, it’s generally juicier and more lifted than its flight-mate, with slightly darker fruit flavors and plenty of dusty barnyard accents in support of the core flavors of black cherry and dark cranberry fruit. It’s dry and a bit crusty around the edges, but the core fruit is still decently fleshy and finely-balanced. Like its flight mate, I suggest drinking up fairly soon.

2001 Franciscan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. This is a bit simple but quite pleasant on the nose at this stage of its evolution—giving up moderate scents of plum sauce, baked cherries, baked clay and a bit of earthy decay. In the mouth, it’s warmly sunbaked in tone, with a nice little sweet streak to the baked cherry, plum and dusty earth flavors. It’s drinking soft and easy, with no hard edges and a nicely-resolved balance all around. It’s modestly concentrated and pleasingly well-suited to our BBQ ribs, but it bottoms out a bit over time and probably needs to be drunk up quite soon. Still, this was a pleasant little surprise.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines California. The nose here is unsurprisingly sweet-toned, with fun and overt aromas of plums, blueberries, vanilla, menthol and toasty barrel spices bubbling up out of the glass. In the mouth, it’s sweet, luxuriant, warm and giving, enveloping the senses with wild and zesty blueberry, plum, vanilla and oak flavors that have a little prickle of heat but plenty of creamy fruit flavors to counter the alcohol. With our BBQ food, it totally fits the bill and it proves to be a crowd pleaser, too.

2005 Carlisle Syrah Russian River Valley. This wine presents a big and effusive bouquet of smoked cherries, blackberries, camphor and vanilla-tinged oak. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied, filled with delicious black cherry, blackberry and fudgy chocolate flavors in a relatively open-knit and friendly package. There are no real tannins to contend with and a nice plush texture leading to a sweet-tinged finish. It’s neither too serious nor too frivolous, it’s just quite pleasurable.

1997 Peter Lehmann Clancy's Barossa Valley. This pours a bit tawny-colored into the glass and shows considerable clearing at the rim. It looks old and it smells old, too, with the nose displaying slightly cooked-down aromas of sour cherries, decaying flowers, old leather and faint green pepper. My wife and brother-in-law don’t like it at all on the palate and opt not to drink it, though I soldier on while finding some interesting aged bits of baked earth, cherry syrup and caramel to consider. However, I have to admit the alcohol is now poking through quite a bit and the finish is totally thinned out. This is definitely over the hill at this point.

1998 Peter Lehmann Clancy's Barossa Valley. Tried a few weeks later, the 1998 gives a showing much the same as the 1997. It pours a bit brown and presents a rather advanced nose of cooked-down cherries, prunes, cedar, slate and brimstone. In the mouth, it’s pasty and heavy-bottomed, with concentrated but over-ripe or cooked prune and fig flavors. The alcohol is poking out and the wine is a bit of a mess. Both this and the 1997 should have been drunk some time ago.

2008 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva. This is a bit lighter than expected on the nose, but with pretty, airy aromas of red flower petals, candied cherries, new cedar wood, talcum powder and tar in a soft and inviting blend. It’s lithe and smooth-flowing on the palate, with cherry and raspberry fruit flavors and juicy acidity in a tangy and barely medium-weighted package. The tannins are a touch austere toward the finish and the wine could stand to put on some weight over the next few years in the cellar, but it’s light, fun and tasty to drink right now.

2006 Azienda I Greppi Bolgheri Superiore Greppicaia. Served from 375 ml bottle. I find the nose to feature inky dark aromas of blackberry, black plum, dark chocolate, anise, black olive and limestone that are still finding their footing. It shows off lots of glycerin in the glass and delivers dense but tasty flavors of chocolate paste, confectionary black Necco wafer candy and blackberry jam that are very smooth and finely-polished. There’s an obsidian feel to it at times, with just a modicum of drying tannin at the very end. There’s fine cohesion, a slippery-grippy feel and nascent layering that are all quite promising for opening the bottle 5+ years down the road.

2000 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT. Gorgeous aromas of cassis, creamed cherries, red flowers, sweet creosote, wild heather, and sexy wood spices flow up out of the glass in a classy, polished, super-smooth package that’s immediately inviting. In the mouth, it has outstanding body and a great concentration of plum, cherry paste, black raspberry and vanilla flavors that are smooth and delightfully rounded. It’s substantial and full, but just drapes across the palate with ease, and flows along with a slinky, effortless flow. This is delicious and can surely hold for a while, too.

1994 Azienda Agricola Montevetrano Montevetrano Colli di Salerno IGT. Decanted about 2 hours, this wine is just tremendous over the course of the entire evening. At the outset, it smells dark and primordial, with serious and old-fashioned aromas of lava field, cracked hard leather, black cherry, burnt embers, cedar, cigar and dark chocolate that get better and better and increasingly gentlemanly as the night wears on. It flows beautifully in the mouth, with loads of black currant, black cherry and leafy earth flavors showing creamy-textured and rich but also regal-styled and perfectly-balanced. There are still some background tannins in play, but they become increasingly integrated over time. It’s drinking just great, but should hold without issue, too.

1997 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo Le Coste. This was decanted for 4 hours. It has a very nice bouquet that’s full of red flower, cedar, exotic spice, pounded leather, toasted orange peel, tar and dried sweaty funk scents surrounding a core of creamed cherry, dried raspberry and licorice rope aromas. In the mouth, it’s got tangy sour cherry, cranberry and red licorice flavors riding atop tart acidity but wrapped in a refined and smooth-textured package I like a lot. It has quiet forcefulness and energy but mostly hits you with pretty red fruit and floral notes. The finish shows a bit of leathery tannins still, but this is nonetheless drinking as well as any bottle of this wine I’ve had over the past few years.

Sweet wines:

1988 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes. This pours a beautiful golden color from the Cordier-labeled bottle. The nose is the essence of marmalade and baked apricot, with gentle but exotic botrytis spices, liquid caramel and clover honey. There’s a dark, sexy streak running beneath it all, with gorgeous floral overtones popping in and out, as well. I just love it. In the mouth, it is totally luscious, but with precise flavors that spread out through the oily mid-palate. It’s not especially voluminous, showing more of a lithe and driven feel to the flavors of dark peach, candied apricot, marmalade and sexy spices. It’s a beautiful bottle that pairs perfectly with a seared foie gras from the Charlie Trotter Meat cookbook.


-Michael