WTN: Perplexing wines

• 2003 Niepoort Douro Redoma - Portugal, Douro (11/30/2006)
  An excessively oaky, vanillary, espresso-like nose. Yet at the same time there seems to a great depth to the fruit and genuine complexity. The palate is very sweetly fruity, oaky, very modern in style, yet vibrant. The aftertaste is clean and fresh, and it seems to have fair acidity lurking underneath the copious fruit. Very primary at the moment and a bit bewildering. It seems at the same time utterly spoofulated yet totally terroir-oriented in its unique berry and earth aromas. Odd. Not to my tastes now though it is accessible, and I really can't say if I'll like it with a bit more age on it. Perhaps time to buy one for an experiment. If it turns out anything like the '95 and '97 Redomas, I'm a mad keen fan.
• 2004 Big House Wines - USA, California (11/30/2006)
  What a boring wine - it didn't change at all in glass. The nose is simple, berryish and has that confected and tarry hint that I get (and dislike) in cheap Aussie Shiraz. The palate is quite a bit better than the nose: decent tannins and moderate acidity bring balance to the fruit, which isn't confected on the palate. At 12€ this is a rip off. At half the price it would just about be worth it, but I'd rather have a good Beaujolais.
• 2003 Château La Tour de By - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (11/30/2006)
  A fine effort. Red toned, sweet nose, not complex but pleasurable. The palate is also quite sweetly fruity, with fine structure from both tannins and acids. Long and fresh aftertaste. A very pleasurable, if a bit simple wine. I'd like to taste this in a cooler vintage - it seems unspoofulated and not too badly marred by the overly warm vintage, so might be very much to my taste. I have no other experience with the Chateau. Anyone else know them?

Posted from CellarTracker

Hello Otto!

Tour de By is a very well respected and dependable Cru Bourgeois Superieur (http://www.la-tour-de-by.com). I have a case of the 2002 (bought at 10,5€ per bottle!) and tried one a couple of months ago. I quite liked it!

• 2002 Château La Tour de By - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (2/3/2006)
  After opening quite closed. Nose didn't show a lot but wood (not the toasted vanilla oak smell). Left the bottle open for some hours. With food it was drinking quite well, medium body, quite monolithic, entirely in its youthful primary stage, with a pleasent medium long finish. This wine doen't show any signs of vegetal tastes often found in lesser cabernets. It is well made, in a slightly modern style, and with some decanting, it can be drunk now. It will keep and improve for several years.

Regards, Robert

[Robin Garr]

[*]2004 Big House Wines - USA, California (11/30/2006)

Is that "Big House Red" from Bonny Doon, Otto? It's a party wine, but usually pretty nice for the price (usually under $10 here). The label is funny faux Italian that might fool the unwary into thinking it's an Italian wine (not a scam but a joke), but maybe they have to do it differently for the EU.

Some on the shelf here Otto. In fact will be tasting next week at a "big bang for your buck" affair here in town. Sorry to hear about your Big House Red, what a let down.

Robert, thanks for the note. A pity to hear it is a little in the modern style - from the '03 I thought it was just the warm vintage. Well, I'd still like to try one from a cooler vintage.

Robin, it used to be Donny Boon's, yes, but I think it was sold recently. The producer of this bottle is called "Big House Wines"!

Bob, if it cost under 10$ here, it wouldn't have been such a let down, but a fair if uninteresting cheapy. At 12€, it's highway robbery.

-O-