Essentially, this is a long list of notes from the past couple of months that I never posted, for whatever reason. I know that this is a lot at once, but figured that just in case anyone is looking for a note on one of these wines, I might as well post notes for all of them.
These notes are taken from both my own bottles from home, as well as a lot of other wines from various events that I attended in the late fall/early winter, and never managed to post on. Thanks to others' generosity in the spirit of the season, I was able to try some great wines that are typically well out of my price range. On the other hand, I also had a lot of exciting wines that were more accessibly priced, and still very fascinating.
Notes are listed in order of the vintage, from youngest to oldest.
2010 von Strasser Winery Grüner Veltliner Estate Vineyard Diamond Mountain
Medium-bodied, ripe, bone dry, moderately round, with apple, peach, floral, and lightly spicy notes. Good/very good, but pricy for $41; I could easily find an excellent Wachau Federspiel for considerably less money.
2010 Wind Gap Trousseau Gris Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard Russian River Valley
Rather light-bodied, crisp, very mineral, well balanced, with good underlying acidity, and citrus and melon notes. Very nice.
2010 Domaine Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg
Full-bodied, round, well balanced, just a bit sweet, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral, with notes of peaches, apples, and a bit of wet wool. Excellent.
2009 Bodegas S.A.T. Camaretas Gran Canaria Tinto “Frontón de Oro”
Blend of Tintilla and Listán Negro. Nose of white pepper and volcanic earth. Medium-bodied, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; shows notes of red fruits, blueberries, and spices. Very good.
2009 Livio Felluga Vertigo IGT Venezia Giulia
60% Merlot/40% Cabernet Sauvignon; I would have guessed that the proportion of Merlot to Cab was higher than 3:2. Medium-bodied, elegant, fruity, with moderate tannin. Shows cherry, plum, and berry notes, with some minerals on the finish. Very good.
2009 Cantine Argiolas Cannonau di Sardegna DOC “Costera”
Full-bodied, smooth, rather low in acidity, with black cherry and root beer notes. Decent/good; not one of this winery’s better wines, though, in my humble opinion.
2008 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc
Pretty sure this is 100% Marsanne. Vaguely gluey, floral/mineral nose. Full-bodied, tightly wound, well balanced, focused, and rather oily. Very mineral, with notes of white flowers, white peaches, nuts, white pepper, and truffles. Nice length. Excellent – very attractive – wish I could have had more.
2008 Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots Dessous
Not a 1er Cru, but nonetheless, this site is right next to Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Les Blanchots Dessous should not be confused with the similarly named 1er Cru Les Blanchots Dessus, which is also next door. To add to the confusion, Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay makes both a Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots Dessous and a Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Blanchots Dessus; and some people think that German labels are bewildering?
Anyway, this is quite nice for a village Burgundy; full-bodied, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; nicely focused, very mineral, with pear, apple, and lightly herbal notes. Definitely 1er Cru quality if you ask me.
2008 Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay Bâtard-Montrachet
Full-bodied, concentrated, well balanced, and silky smooth. Nicely mineral, lightly oaky, with attractive tension, fruit, and minerality. Excellent.
2008 Domaine du Château de Chorey Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc Les Combottes
Full-bodied, round, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; mineral, lightly oaky/spicy, with apple and pear notes. Very good.
2007 Movia Ribolla Goriška Brda
This is one producer that I had been long overdue to try. Lightly oxidative nose of chalk, hay, mushrooms, and caraway. Full, round, bone dry, with good underlying acidity; tastes of honey, minerals, nuts, and pears, with some new oak in evidence. Oxidative/straw/hay notes intensify a bit on Day 2. Reminds me a bit of Jura Savagnin. Very good+.
2007 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc 1er Cru Île de Vergelesses
I had this once last year as well. Full-bodied, elegant, round, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; more mineral, with apple and light citrus notes. Very good+.
2007 Domaine Fournier Père et Fils Sancerre Grande Cuvée
Full-bodied, round, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral, lightly grassy/flinty, with pink grapefruit and gooseberry aromas/flavors. Very good.
2007 Domaine Lafage Côtes de Roussillon Les Aspres Cuvée Léa
50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Carignan. Full-bodied, nicely balanced, with moderate acidity; elegant, with notes of dark berries, stones, and spices. Very good/excellent. Really quite impressive for only $21.
2007 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
This was in a decanter for an unspecified time before I tried it. Violet/berry nose. Moderately full-bodied, nicely concentrated, tightly structured, silky, with great finesse. Full of dark berry, cherry, floral, and mineral notes, with some fine earthiness, and a bit of smoke. Excellent focus, and an incredibly smooth texture. Outstanding.
2006 Beringer Vineyards “Nightingale” Napa Valley
A regular pour, not from the Enomatic. Blend of botrytised Sauvingon Blanc and Semillon; from 375 ml bottle. Very Sauternes-like nose of apricots, marmalade, and botrytis. Moderately viscous; less so that Sauternes, and also a bit less oily in texture. Sweet, with fresh tropical fruit, apricot, honey, and orange flavors. Very good/excellent.
2006 Azienda Agricola Fontodi Chianti Classico
100% Sangiovese. Rose/mineral nose. Moderately full-bodied, elegant, and nicely balanced. A bit more evolved than the 2008 that I had the night before, with notes of sour cherries, red plums, red berries, and hints of leather and spices. Excellent.
2006 Tenuta di Sesta Brunello di Montalcino
Full-bodied, well balanced, with moderate acidity; shows cherry, mixed berry, spice, and tar notes, with a bit of leather. Moderately structured for a Brunello, and more or less in between traditional and modern in style. Very good/excellent.
2005 Penfolds Shiraz “St. Henri” South Australia
90% Syrah/10% Cabernet Sauvignon, blended from several regions. Full-bodied, slightly firm, more classic in style; elegant – almost the antithesis of the once trendy Grateful Palate style. Lightly earthy, with notes of dark berries, cherries, plums, and some baking spices. Excellent.
2005 Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé
64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. Good nose of dark fruits. Full-bodied, plush, well structured, with smooth tannins. Shows flavors of crème de cassis and black cherries, along with moderate oak, and some notes of gravel and violets. Excellent.
2005 Cantina Valle Isarco Blauburgunder Alto Adige DOC Eisacktaler
Rather light berry/mineral nose. Light in weight, very elegant, well balanced, with good underlying acidity; tastes of blueberries and red berries, with hints of spices, earth and alpine air. Very good.
2004 Castello del Terriccio Tassinaia IGT Toscana
34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Merlot, aged in used barriques. Nosre of dark fruits, with some roasted herb and graphite notes. Full-bodied, smooth, supple, rich, dry, well balanced, with moderate acidity and smooth tannins. Tastes primarily of blackberries and black plums, with some notes of smoke, black pepper, espresso, and earth. Good length; more obviously terroir-influenced than many Super Tuscans. Excellent.
2003 Fattoria Paradiso Barbarossa Vigne del Dosso IGT Forlì
This unique red wine is made with the Barbarossa grape, which is supposedly only grown by Fattoria Paradiso (though Oz Clarke identifies it with the equally obscure Barbaroux of Provence). Nose of cherries, dried herbs, and tar. Moderately full-bodied, nicely balanced with moderate acidity; spicy, with notes of dark berries, cherries, gravel, and earth. Excellent.
2003 Il Molino de Grace Chianti Classico Riserva
100% Sangiovese. Moderately full-bodied, well balanced, with moderate acidity, and a bit of new oak. Shows notes of cherries, dark berries, spices, and minerals. More modern in style, though still very good.
1988 Château Margaux
Spicy/cedar/dark berry/violet nose. Full, nicely concentrated, well balanced, classy, velvety, with good underlying acidity. Lightly earthy, with flavors of dark berries, cherries, plums, and crème de cassis, with some hints of chocolate and licorice. Excellent/outstanding.