WTN: Brief notes, recent wines

Too lazy to write up detailed notes lately, but here are some brief impressions of recent bottles:

2000 Chateau Malescasse Haut-Medoc: Drinking well, but could hold too. Medium weight with the usual Bdx. cigar-box/tobacco/cassis profile. Excellent value wine.

2005 Terra a Terra Reserva, Quanta Terra, Douro: Still youthful looking with purple tints. Nose somewhat Bdx. like with some oranges creeping in. Really nice structure and length, a joy to drink. Oak is well integrated.

2004 Touriga Nacional, Quinta de Ventozelo, Douro: Looks a bit older than one might expect. Good weight, dark fruits and lots of herbal character. But starts to pick up a disturbing dill pickle note as it sits, finally becoming disjointed. Does not compare well with the above.

2007 Guimaro Mencia, Ribeira Sacra (Spain): Slightly cloudy ruby with a blackberry nose, funky elements. More cassis/blackberry on the palate, with earthy iron/blood notes, slightly dirty and cumbersome. Honest wine but uncouth.

2007 Pinot Noir, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Finger Lakes: Pretty decent color for a FL PN. Cherry and coffee on the nose - nice. Cran-cherry fruit obtains a nice mouth-coating texture without being gobby. A ripe year for the FL reds and it shows. Could use something to make it stand out. Worth keeping some to see how it ages.

2007 Zinfandel, Foxglove, Paso Robles: A second wine of Varner. Polite zineberry, sort of like a Nalle Zin. Just OK, I like my zins more on the wild side.

2005 Baga, Beira Littoral, Caves Primavera: Cheapo Portuguese wine ($6) that is made from that most stubborn grape, Baga. And a good job, too. Bright blueberry/raspberry enveloped in all sorts of tannins (but still well balanced). Simple but really speaks of the grape.

2005 Riesling (Dry), Dr. Konstantin Frank, Finger Lakes: A great example of a nicely progressing dry riesling from the FL. Some age elements creeping in but still quite fresh. Creamy lemon, full bodied with some catchy notes of bacon (!) and wintergreen set against slate. Worth following for a few more years at least.

2006 Quinta das Bageiras Bruto Natural Reserva Espumante: This is the lowest level in the Bageiras Espumante hierarchy - classical method wine, zero dossage and 2 years on the yeast all for $10. Made mostly from Maria Gomes and Bical, this is bone dry and mineral, with a very unique character that sets it apart. Worth trying if you can find it.

Joe, your note on the Quinta de Ventozelo is a tad worrying. I would have thought this would need some extra time in the cellar? Might have to dig out a bottle and check eh.
Thanks for the post anyways!

Joe, your note on the Quinta de Ventozelo is a tad worrying. I would have thought this would need some extra time in the cellar? Might have to dig out a bottle and check eh.
Thanks for the post anyways!

Not sure additional time would help. The problem struck me as one where too much new (American?) oak may have been used. As an aside, Ventozelo is supposed to have some great vineyard sites, but not always lived up to it's potential. Until recently they were owned by a Spanish concern but have have been bought by Real Companiha Velha (RCV), which has some nearby Quintas (you may know them from Aciprestes, Evel or Porca de Murca labels). A Douro winemaker told me that RCV was the 'sleeping giant' of the Douro, due to all the excellent sites they control.