WTN: Wines before snow

Snow will come soon to these parts: the leaves are off the trees, the grey skies give a California sameness to the days here, and the temperatures speak of chill but also remind one that indoor thanksgiving and Christmas festivities mean taking our business inside into our own little worlds.

Giuseppe Mascarello, Barolo 'Santo Stefano di Perno', 1997
While not a big fan of the 1997 vintage in Piedmont, this bottle suffers no discrimination. Color a deep strawberry-ish red. Fragrant strawberries and while not quite roses, a sweet summer bouquet of flowers blooms in the nose. Strawberry again in the glass, along with cherry, a faint lapsang souchong tea finish and piquant spice box. light and lively, tannins seem almost fully resolved to my tastes, delicious this moment. Delicioso! A-

Jean-Maurice Raffault, Chinon 'les Picasses', 2003
Related to Olga? Grapes from the same vineyard? A light electric red color. Tobacco and raspberry nose. Effusively fruity raspberry Fruit Loops with an herbal edge. On the second night, it shows leaner with more tobacco and herbs. Very friendly wine, like the puppy dog you can't shake your leg loose from. Around $14

Francois Raveneau, Chablis 'Butteaux', 1999
I'll Butteaux your bread if you butteaux mine. The color is a light glistening pale gold. Aromas of chalk, minerals, and ginergered lemon zest. In the mouth, marble rock is milledd to smoothness and added to the lemon essence and pointy ground gravel. A wine geologists would love.

Seavey, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa valley, 1994
Marred by a slight volatile acidity. Rather simple in profile, blackcurrants and juniper branches. Alright, but not worth $32 for the experience.

Dom. Tempier, Bandol 'la Tourtine', 1999
A muddy dark red color. Sweaty saddle and horseshit on the nose (glass to wife: "What do you smell?" "Smells like crap"). Sweaty-bretty spicebox of Mediteranean herbs (lavender, thyme, rosemary), black cherry licorice with a carbon finish. Good concentration here but lacking a little precision. Good, distinctive wine. Approachable now, but will be smoother with a few more years on it. Assuming the horses don't take over.

Thierry Puzelat, Touraine, 'KO-In Cot we Trust', 2004
Black Arkansas apple red. Smoky incense and black peppercorn aromas. Roasted black plums, black pepper and an alkaline finish on this wine which speaks more of earth than of fruit. Gulpable.

Allegrini, Amarone, 1998
A deepish maroon brick color. Slight plum brandy, cherry and plum forest and aged Barbancourt rum on the nose. Cherry and cola nut flavors along wit hrum cake and candied Christmas fruits. Simple and too modern for me, this taste like it could be California table wine. I used to love Amarone for the combination of sweet and bitter, powerful yet elegant nature of these. Are there any still made this way?

Very good Mark..."wines before snow". Wanna take a flight up here!!!!! Could use another shovellor.

Still got leaves on the trees here (and some green at that!). Our cherry tree still has pretty much all it's leaves hanging on. Lavendar is still flowering.

Still the plants that are to go through the winter are now wrapped up in the (el cheapo) greenhouse and nights can get down to freezing.

No snow for a while for us I'm sure.

regards

Ian

Thierry Puzelat, Touraine, 'KO-In Cot we Trust', 2004
Black Arkansas apple red. Smoky incense and black peppercorn aromas. Roasted black plums, black pepper and an alkaline finish on this wine which speaks more of earth than of fruit. Gulpable.

Nice notes, Mark. We opened a bottle of the 2005 version of this wine this past weekend (snow is on the ground here, btw), my first. Compelling nose of herbs and earth, and sweet fruit. I'm no expert on aging curves, but something about the structure of the wine suggested to me that it might age nicely, as generous as it is today.

Thierry Puzelat, Touraine, 'KO-In Cot we Trust', 2004something about the structure of the wine suggested to me that it might age nicely, as generous as it is today.

Really?

What about the low sulfur content?

How long are you talking?

Does anyone have experience with a Puzelat wine at 10 years or more?

I had an 8 year old 97 sauvignon blanc that was pretty nutty tired and boring. Just one data point however.

Thierry Puzelat, Touraine, 'KO-In Cot we Trust', 2004something about the structure of the wine suggested to me that it might age nicely, as generous as it is today.

Really?

What about the low sulfur content?

How long are you talking?

Does anyone have experience with a Puzelat wine at 10 years or more?

I had an 8 year old 97 sauvignon blanc that was pretty nutty tired and boring. Just one data point however.

Hi, Rahsaan. As I said, I have no great confidence in my ability to predict longevity, so this was just a guess. I know nothing about the sulfur content, and in any event, I was thinking on the order of several years. I based that on the significant amount of structure (as well as stuffing) I found in the 2005 version.

Is there value in comparing a sauvignon blanc to a cot, even if from the same appellation?

Is there value in comparing a sauvignon blanc to a cot, even if from the same appellation?

I am also not an expert, either on aging curves or Puzelat wines, but was just thinking that there is a fairly consistent house style across the wines. One of fragility and susceptibility to rapid death.

So, while lovely, I never thought to put them at the bottom of the cellar.

But, others may have other ideas/information?

I'll chime in here. Having had 4 of Puzelat's wines before, I would tend
to side with Rahsaan, thinking that they are all wines better suited to youthful indiscretions than to noble old age. They seem to be made in a funky style where guessing where they are going would be just that: a guess.

Best,

Mark

[Robin Garr]

I'll chime in here. Having had 4 of Puzelat's wines before, I would tend
to side with Rahsaan, thinking that they are all wines better suited to youthful indiscretions than to noble old age. They seem to be made in a funky style where guessing where they are going would be just that: a guess.

Add me to the great fans of Puzelat who wouldn't think too long and hard about cellaring any of them. Which reminds me, I have an '03 Pineau d'Aunis left that's probably calling out to be slurped ... having been kind of atypical of Puzelat in that wacky vintage, it might just be getting real interesting about now. Anybody pulled cork on one lately?