2004 Edmunds St. John Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Witters Vineyard
Baked clove spices and juicy deep dark sunny fruits, lots of fun stuff on the nose, and then it makes its way across the palate in a fragrant and fresh manner. Lovely, although if you want to make the inevitable (and unfair) comparison it does not soar my soul in the same way as Foillard et al. Yet.
2003 E. Muller Scharzhofberger Kabinett Auction
Soft on the first day and even though more stone definition emerges over the course of several weeks, it is not impressive, especially for an auction wine. Rich stony crystals but dull and lacking zip. Even for an 03.
2000 Hudelot Noellat Vosne Romanée Les Malconsorts
Fine, fragrant, firm, and grows and grows in the mouth. So elegant, so fun. Went very well with homemade oyster mushroom, olive, parsley, and taleggio pizza plus Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.
2002 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Clos
This grows and grows over several hours and is such an ethereal pleasure in the mouth. Intense silver lime blossoms, tingling with minerals, salty, savory, deep, deep, light wine. It soars, it melts in the mouth, it does everything. Thanks Lou. Goes well with The Maltese Falcon and The Thomas Crown Affair.
2004 Wakefield Clare Valley Shiraz
Interesting, so I must thank Hoke for exposing me to this dark but crisp rendition of syrah. The acids do seem a bit disjointed and the texture is a bit thin, but it could have a place for popping and pouring for crowds without getting Sludged.
1998 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Auslese #219
Smells lovely and with air the rippling creamy cherry fruit comes out and gains firmer and firmer composure with air. Acids are not very tingly, so I don’t know what that means for future development, but the smoky long fragrance gives a lovely spot of enjoyment at the moment. Great with La Grande Illusion.
2001 Edmunds St. John California Syrah
This shows younger than a bottle from a few months ago, with the fine core of sweet sunny slightly greasy CA fruit matched by great soft florals and that lovely delicacy, but fewer of the mature notes I found before. The fruit is also less layered than the previous bottle, but each showing gave me pleasure, so…
1994 Tahbilk Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Again, interesting, so I must thank Hoke for exposing me to this nice juicy crisp cedary cassis thing of a cabernet sauvignon. There is some simple firmness to hold onto, and some resolved supple edges. Nothing to slap your knee over, but respectable wine.