Distinctive wines of late

Chenin Blanc Coastal South Africa 2009, Mann Vintners - honeydew and Meyers lemon fruit with a touch of toasty gingery spice, perhaps oak or chips; medium body, round yet with decent acidity, medium length, fresh. Perhaps a bit of pandering to "international" style, but well-done nonetheless. $8 ***+

Cserszegi Fuszeres Neszmely (Hungary) 2009, Akos Kamocsay - lightly spicy-floral-limey nose, somewhat muscatty; milder on palate, medium-light body, very dry, fresh, shortish finish. Reminds me a bit of Malvasia. Fun and fair value at $12. ***

Chablis 1re Cru "Extreme" 2002, Brocard - fine aroma of meadow-lemon Chardonnay fruit with tinges of lovage, straw and gravel; medium body, dense gravelly fruit with a touch of honeycomb and lemon; decent acid, long finish. Yet another fine ageable Chablis from Brocard. ****+

Rioja Rose' 2009, Marques de Caceres - pretty pink color; nice slightly herbaceous mild cherry fruit in nose; medium-light body, fresh with good acid, completely dry but not austere, a whisper of tannin in the finish hints at its Rioja heritage. Year after year, this is tasty and fairly priced ($7) ***+

Dao Reserva 2006, Quinta de Cabriz - slightly gamy and complex aroma with leafy sweet spices, bit of earth, interesting fruits; similar flavors, medium body, smooth and fairly long with some tannin. Carries the classic Portuguese virtues of complexity and smoothness without being cloying. $22.50 ****

Mendocino Estate Coro Mendocino 2004, Eaglepoint Ranch - ripe blackberry-plum fruit with medium strength American oak vanilla, a touch of sage/bay; round medium-full body, good length with moderately grippy dry tannins. A bit of smoky-bacon syrah emerges on day 2. About 2/3 Zin, 1/4 Syrah, rest Grenache and PS. Glad to have it in my cellar, depressed that Eaglepoint Ranch is not making any more. ***(*?)

Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2007, Adelsheim - fine PN aroma with black/red cherry fruit, moderate spice, moderate oak, a touch of sous-bois; velvetty tannins, medium body, slightly earthy PN fruit, nice integrated acidity and length. This has developed nicely in the bottle. Another dagger in the credibility of the bozos who put down this vintage. ****

I enjoy Brocard's Chablis but am not familiar with "Extreme". Is that a mix of more than one 1er vineyard?

The Cabriz reserva is a nice wine, but I prefer the '05 slightly to the '06. You may be surprised to know that it sells for $12.95 around here!

I enjoy Brocard's Chablis but am not familiar with "Extreme". Is that a mix of more than one 1er vineyard?

Yes, at least two 1re cru vineyards, with Kimmeridgian soil from the eastern area of Chablis. In addition to his wines, I like Brocard's experimentalist approach to marketing, trying out different ways to segment his wines and communicate their virtues. This series was based on flavor, with the "extreme" coming from vineyards that supposedly provide a fleshier, fruitier wine and "mineral" coming from those that provide stonier, more austere flavors. I don't know if he still makes these - they are not on his website but the "extreme" is in the market here through the 2007 vintage.

The Cabriz reserva is a nice wine, but I prefer the '05 slightly to the '06. You may be surprised to know that it sells for $12.95 around here!

Lucky you (assuming it's the same wine, maybe I missed some additional qualifier on the label). Is that with normal markups?

The Cabriz reserva is a nice wine, but I prefer the '05 slightly to the '06. You may be surprised to know that it sells for $12.95 around here!

Lucky you (assuming it's the same wine, maybe I missed some additional qualifier on the label). Is that with normal markups?[/quote]

Yeah, there is a bottling that is labeled "Touriga Nacional" that is over $20 here, but several shops have the regular "Reserva" for around $13-$15. The regular bottling goes for around $6 in the Portuguese shops of Newark, and their 'Encruzado' white is worth trying at around $10 (barrel fermented, but the oak works fairly well with that grape). Very good value from Cabriz all around.

The Cabriz reserva is a nice wine, but I prefer the '05 slightly to the '06. You may be surprised to know that it sells for $12.95 around here!

Lucky you (assuming it's the same wine, maybe I missed some additional qualifier on the label). Is that with normal markups?

Yeah, there is a bottling that is labeled "Touriga Nacional" that is over $20 here, but several shops have the "Reserva" for around $13-$15. The regular bottling goes for around $6 in the Portuguese shops of Newark, and their 'Encruzado' white is worth trying at around $10 (barrel fermented, but the oak works fairly well with that grape). Very good value from Cabriz all around.[/quote]

[Jenise]

Sure see a lot of wines coming from that Eaglepoint ranch. Must be a very large property, kind of like Santa Barbara's Bien Nacido?

Sure see a lot of wines coming from that Eaglepoint ranch. Must be a very large property, kind of like Santa Barbara's Bien Nacido?

Nowhere near that big, Eaglepoint is 82 acres vs. 600+ for Bien Nacido. Fine source for Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zin, Grenache.