WTN: Tranche warfare

[Jenise]

Several wines from the last several days, with an especially notable Washington white.

2011 Tranche Cellars Slice of Pape Columbia Valley (50% roussanne, 30% viognier, 20% marsanne)
OFS. Brilliant, heady aromas of stone fruits with pretty floral qualities from the roussanne and no tangible sign of the dead-old-lady characteristics of new world viognier. Great concentration and complex minerality carry the finish. Good winemaking in a cold vintage and four years of bottle age make this a standout among Washington whites. This winery impresses with everything they do.

1999 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Unfortunately, nothing like Drew's good bottle two weeks ago. Saturated cork with top mold; browning, tired pinot within. Crap!

2014 Domaine des Lauribert Vaucluse La Cuvee de Lisa Grenache Rose
Followed a very dry California mourvedre rose. One of the palest roses I've seen this season. Fruity-sweet, floral and creamy, overall quite feminine with ranier cherry fruit and fresh bay leaf spice as well as the acidity needed to carry that burden. Not one to ponder; drink very-chilled. A women's book club kind of wine.

2013 Prieuré de Montézargues Tavel Red Rhone Blend
Pleasant and tasty, but on lacks the weight and classicism of Tavel's savory herb and sherry-like qualities and so, just good vs. very good, and for $22 it disappoints. At $12 from anywhere else, it would rate a couple points higher.

2002 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Lambert's bottle; purchased 2nd hand at Wades Wines in So Cal. Too evolved and mature for an 02. No primary fruit, all end-phase secondary--brownish black color, tons of sediment. Must have been passively stored in its prior life. A shame--they charged him close to $200 each for these.

2007 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Larkmead Vineyard Napa Valley
Dark cherry fruit and tobacco, good CalCab typicity. Very sophisticated showing.

2008 Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Reserve Napa Valley
Lambert's. He picks this up for $38, and it's a heckuva buy at that price. Brooding bing cherry, blackberry fruit and espresso with silky tannins. Drink over the next two years.

1999 Château Léoville Barton St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend
Never had a more frustrating Bdx than this. In the 13 years I've owned this case, only one bottle (two years ago) showed well and all the rest have been muddy like last night's. Not quite stewed, and not quite pruney, more like what the denser goods at the bottom of a barrel could taste like--though the wine had very little sediment. Can't chalk it up to 'cooked' because there was one good bottle. What the heck?

[David M. Bueker]

No idea what happened with your Barton, as you know it does not match with my experiences with the wine. Weird.

Maybe yours was exposed to mustard gas while in the tranches.

[Jenise]

I know. That was, btw, my last bottle--good riddance!

Interesting, Jenise, that you had the 2007 Ramey Larkmead Vineyard Cabernet. I purchased three bottles of the 2007 estate C.S. from Larkmead and have only one remaining. I rated them 92 and 93 points on CellarTracker (approachable early--2011--for the first bottle but even better in 2014 for the second bottle.) I am trying to hold off until 2017 on the final bottle to honor it at a decade after harvest.

[Jenise]

JC, do that! I have more as well. The Ramey was in an all CalCab lineup (my only contribution, all the rest from my neighbor) that included a 100 pt Kapscandy, the O'Shaughnessy, the Oberon, a Double Bogey (Cellar Tracker doesn't know this wine, but it must be super trendy as it had a leather label, I'm not kidding), and something else I'd had too much wine to remember by the time it came out to bat clean-up. My neighbor preferred the Ramey to his wines. Classic vs. modern, methinks.