WTN - Various Wines

I got lazy/busy for a while, but here are some notes from the last couple of weeks.

• 2001 Cave de Rasteau Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Tradition - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau (9/20/2006)
  Well, this is drinking beautifully now. Medium brick in color, with a classic Rhone nose full of earthy redfruits, leather, some barnyard, and gamy notes. Lovely purity on the M-F bodied palate, quite smooth, with more earthy, leathery, gamy flavours and chocolate/cherry notes. I'm not sure of the cepage, but syrah and mourvedre really seem to be on display here. Great QPR, especially for a co-op wine - shoulda bought more! (A-)
• 2001 Annvers Cabernet Sauvignon Langhorne Creek - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek (9/18/2006)
  Deep ruby with some purple hues. The nose isn't too prominent, with light blackfruits and a hint of mint. The palate, though, is far more effusive, with tons of fruit - blackcurrants and blueberries - mocha, and an earthy note. Lovely purity of fruit and smoothness here, with just enough soft tannins for structure. Even better on the second day. (A-)
• 2000 Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vacqueyras (9/15/2006)
  Hazy notes. This just screamed grenache, with heaps of cherry notes, with a bit of leather as well on the very pure palate. It had a bit of the candied note that grenache can sometimes have though, which took away from the wine a little bit. But a nice Vacqueyras nonetheless. (B+/A-)
• 2002 Kaesler Avignon - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (9/15/2006)
  Hazy notes - opened this last night when fellow winos came over. Much more balanced than I thought it might be, which was a pleasant surprise. Nice, M-F bodied wine, with lots of black and red fruits, soft tannins, and nice concentration but it lacked 'soul', and didn't really reflect the GSM varietals to my palate. Still, a solid wine. (B+)
• 2000 Fox Creek JSM Shiraz Cabernet Franc - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (9/13/2006)
  Dep colored, the nose is a bit on the green/herbal side, with some light plum notes too. Medium-bodied, somewhat angular in the mouth, with cranberries, tobacco, and red berries. Quite restrained and interesting. (B+)
• 1995 Blackwood Canyon Sémillon Reserve - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain (9/12/2006)
  I liked this wine at the winery - even with some oxidation - but even with 4 days open, this bottle was still heavily oxidized. I hear rumours that Blackwood Canyon is no more, so I opened this last bottle for old times sake...seems rather apropos. NR (flawed)
• N.V. Alvear Pedro Ximénez Montilla-Moriles - Spain, Andalucía, Montilla-Moriles (9/8/2006)
  My last bottle, and I'm not sure if they make this style anymore. I bought this about 4 years ago, but it was still great to drink. Very dark in color, with sweet, rich raison and fig notes. Quite different from the 'new' vintage dated Alvear PXs, smoother, less viscous, and a bit more complexity from the solera system used to make this NV version. I havew to buy some vanilla ice cream to finish the bottle off with! (A-)
• 2000 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (9/8/2006)
  Hazy notes. A lovely smooth, rich Amarone. Not too hot or sweet (rather dry, in fact). Still seems quite young, as it lacks complexity right now. But it's still a tasty wine with cheese! (B+/A-)
• 2001 Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir - New Zealand, North Island, Wairarapa, Martinborough (9/8/2006)
  Hazy notes from yesterday. This bottle had a fair whack of barnyard on the nose and palate that never quite disappeared. But the brett added a nice component, IMO. Fairly rich in texture (but not too much), with cherries, earth and mushrooms on the medium palate. It's developed a bit more complexity since my last bottle, and should last a few years yet. (A-)
• 2000 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Montmains 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Chablis (9/8/2006)
  Hazy notes fropm yesterday. Still young, but it started to loosen up after 2 hours. Nice balance, mainly lemon and minerals, and nice texture. Should last a while yet. (B+)
• 2001 Pfaffenheim Tokay Pinot Gris Steinert - France, Alsace, Westhalten, Alsace Grand Cru AOC (9/3/2006)
  A beautiful golden color, the (excellent) nose was classic gewurtz, with lychee, rose petals and tropical fruit. Pineapples and mangos were predominant on the M-F bodied, rich palate. Enough residual sugar to make things interesting: it was a great aperatif! Really singing now, but will last 2-3 more years. (A-/A)
• 2000 Chateau Reynella Shiraz Basket Pressed - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (9/3/2006)
  Leather, plums and mint on the palate. Smooth on the M-F bodied palate, with deep plums, rasberries, a nice earthy/gamy note and bitter chocolate. Drinking nicely now, but will last a few years yet. (B+/A-)
• 1997 Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Mambourg Vendanges Tardives - France, Alsace, Sigolsheim, Alsace Grand Cru AOC (8/25/2006)
  Bought 6-7 of these on sale 3-4 years ago, and I left one to see how it would age. It really just seems to be coming into its prime now. Light golden in color, it seems to have lost its varietal nose (not much on the nose at all). But the palate is superb, with nice varietal notes and a smoky, almost butterscotch-like note. Really rich, smooth and unctous now, much more complex than it wa 3-4 years ago. Outstanding stuff. (A)

Your usual interesting notes John. Mishy had a great time at the Grill last week, some lovely wines too.
JSM? The `97 was/is a lifelong favourite.