Françoise Cotat, Sancerre, 'les Culs de Beaujeu', 2004
Okay, not a lot of love on this one. Rounder and losing the fresh acidity that an earlier bottle had. Perhaps going down the aging curve quickly? B
Paolo Bea, Umbria IGT, 'San Valentino', 2006
Pretty color of bright cranberry-cherry. Raspberry-redcurrant Starburst candy aromas, along with an agressive seabreeze component on the nose. A bright, snappy lithe wine, full of fresh raspberry juice, redcurrants, oregano aspic and slight carbon-charcoal filter on the finish. I would cellar this for another 3-4 years to tame the twiggy-cherrybark tannins, but this is oh-so-delish right now. 13.5% For the price (under $30, cheep by Bea's standards), this could be a house red.
solid A-
Domaine du Clos Naudin (Foreau), Vouvray, moelleux, 1996
I first had a bottle of this around 2000, and didn't think much of it at the time, but this has come around and maturity has given it welcome overtones, combining wooliness, candied citron, burnt sugar, Earl Grey tea, and a pleasant smokiness. Lowish alcohol (12.7%) and good acidity are just icing on the chenin cake. B+/A-
Wayward Pilgrims of the Vine, Syrah, 'The Shadow', California, 2002
Well we all know this is Steve Edminds famous declassified 'cru' syrah from a less that stellar California year. When I last had this in Sep 2007, I thought it agressive and astringent and not all that interesting. However, time has been kind to this and now this is a delight to drink. The tannins have smoothed out and brought with it a floral stink, plummy-blackberry, salt plums, and a nice piquant finish. 13.9% Worth every penny, and then some: this was a bargain at about the $12 or so this sold for. Should have bought a case. B+
Emrich-Schönleber, Monzinger-Frühlingsplätzchen, S-2005
Lime curd, ginseng and kumquat on the nose. On the palate, a crystalline panoply of flavors
comes through: ginseng root, betel nut, açai berry and dances like a floating butterfly. Better precision and more complexity here than in the 2006, which carried more weight, but felt the riper qualities showed through more and was less etheral. 9.5% A-/A