WTN: Karl Lawrence, Freemark Abbey, Pegau, Pieropan etc

[Jenise]

2001 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
An outstanding bottle, big improvement over the bottle I took to Bill's lunch last February. Everything I want in a cabernet and none of the things I don't. Should hold here for several years.

2005 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma
Heavy, porty, alcoholic. Lacks acidity and includes occasional whiffs of oxidative notes.

2014 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé Stellenbosch
One of the best value roses of the summer. Drinks beautifully at cool room temp, more like a light-bodied summer red than a typical hot day quaffer. Was particularly fine with a Hungarian paprika-intense plate of pork/ham cabbage rolls.

2013 Château de Ségriès Tavel Red Rhone Blend
Am surprised by the low scores on CellarTracker for this wine, which we loved. This is classic: solid cranberry and strawberry fruit with an amaro-like soft herbal bitterness that, with the fruit, came across momentarily like Campari before segueing into a sandalwood-spice finish. Notably, two years out and very fresh/ no sherry flavors, which is often so common in Tavels. For my money, Tavel can't get much better.

2012 Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca Garganega
Deep golden color, minerally and dry with notes of red apple skin. Deeply concentrated with that old vine/low yield kind of intensity. Impressive.

2007 Domaine Pierre Naigeon Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echezeaux Vieilles Vignes
Garnet color, orange rim. Initially, good burgundy nose and heft for a Village wine, but it faded over 30 minutes. Drink up.

1972 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosché Vineyard Rutherford
One doesn't taste many 43 year old Cal Cabs and of those one could have, few '72s would show this well. Poured blind, guesses started in the early 90's and went to Italy, France and Spain before America came up. Exquisite sweet nose and palate with dark red fruits, pencil lead, tobacco and light caramel tones. Oh--and just 11.3% alcohol. A Top Wine of 2015 for me.

1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence Red Rhone Blend
Deep garnet red color with big-bodied, complex sweet cherry fruit and a note of brandy (14.2 abv). Divine, and particularly youthful for a '98.

2001 De Toren Fusion V Stellenbosch Red Bordeaux Blend
Tasted blind. Decanted about two hours. Fresh and lively, great youthful color. Ripe, sweet and lush, very new world--more so than I usually find in DeToren, but spot on for a cab-heavy Bdx blend. Good till 2020 and likely beyond.

2011 Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Gris Marlborough
Heavily perfumed and ginger-spicy, oily and viscuous with no acidity to carry the weight. Gross. Poured it on the rhododendrons.

thanks for notes
Too bad about Karl Lawrence closing, always thought wines were comparatively restrained
Love Pieropan, though I tend more towards Classico and Calvarino. Sounds like you didn't find overt oak
An older de Toren Fusion V did well about 10 years ago, good ringer for modern Bordeaux

[David M. Bueker]

No reason a 2007 Burgundy should be orange at the rim unless it was compromised in some way.

[Jenise]

No reason a 2007 Burgundy should be orange at the rim unless it was compromised in some way.

It was just orange enough to indicate some age--guesses started at 2002 and when that was a no, the next question was 'older then?' We were a little surprised that it was this young.

[Jenise]

thanks for notes
Too bad about Karl Lawrence closing, always thought wines were comparatively restrained
Love Pieropan, though I tend more towards Classico and Calvarino. Sounds like you didn't find overt oak
An older de Toren Fusion V did well about 10 years ago, good ringer for modern Bordeaux

The basic Pieropan is my favorite of the group--Calvarino vs. La Rocca varies with vintage, though I haven't been lucky enough to taste them often. This was great for a blind tasting, though, with a lot of sophisticated palates struggling to place a wine whose flavor makes no sense with any white one would expect from the Veneto.

Yes re KL. And the Toren, while by no means a disappointment, definitely showed more new world than old. I've had other bottles that could have been under Bordeaux suspicions, but not this one.

I agree about the Mulderbosch rose'. It's on a wine-by-the-glass list at a local restaurant and I have had it with lunch there several times as well as purchasing bottles for home use.