About a dozen of us gathered at Molana for an anything-goes tasting back in early January. There were 19 wines by my count, so my notes are a bit brief on some of them.
Whites:
2004 Fattoria Coroncino Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Gaiospino. This is a nice find in Italian whites. On the nose, it starts out crisp, with fresh apple, lime pith, hay and chalk aromas. It comes across as richer in the mouth, with a rounded but tightly woven texture to go with flavors of bright apple and spices. Overall, there is good balance and intensity and a moderately persistent finish.
1996 Nigl Veltliner Senftenberger Piri Privat. There is a burnished gold, veering-toward-orange color to this wine. A defining characteristic is that the nose is unbelievably overt and intense, with penetrating aromas of dried apricot, over-ripe nectarine, musky composting earth and (somehow) fresh mint. It makes you think the wine is going to be sweet, but in the mouth it is actually very dry—which is a total disconnect for my feeble brain. It is actually a bit pinched and tinny-seeming on the palate, and it ends on a bit of a sour note. On the whole, it is simply too bi-polar for me (and I didn’t especially care for either pole).
1998 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Champ-Canet. Ok, so this is much better. Here we have a lovely nose of pear, sea foam, stones, chalk and something like faint blueberry pixie stick dust. It is bright and juicy in the mouth with a pleasing spiciness. It is fairly luxuriously-textured--just smooth and classy all around. No one thing stands out, but it is simply pleasing to drink.
1985 Von Volxem Riesling Auslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Zeltinger Sonnenuhr (AP 16). This wine is deep golden colored, with beeswax and lanolin on the plush nose. In the mouth, it is only moderately sweet, with some fruit hanging on but a strong mineral component more evident at the fore. It is pleasant enough, but seems to lack a certain drive or vivacity that would make it more exciting.
2004 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc. This was a late arriver to the party, and I did not get a chance to taste it. I was able to cork it up and take it home to try the next day, though. I sure hope it tasted better when it was first opened, because on day 2 it was weedy and sour and just an undrinkable jumbled mess.
Reds:
2002 Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay Clos des Chenes. This sports a fragrant nose of fresh crushed red berries and dark cherries. In the mouth, it is juicy, surprisingly concentrated and mouth-filling, while showing solid balance and a spicy, rich finish. Give it a few more years, but I think some will like it just fine now.
1999 Jean Fournier Marsannay Les Langeroies. The nose here is earthier and stemmier, with some raspberry and boysenberry fruit underneath. It is decidedly fruity and rather dry on the palate, but with a fair dollop of concentration. A bit of warmth pokes out on the cocoa-tinged, tangy finish.
1999 Sylvie Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes. This has a rich bouquet, with aromas of chocolate, mixed briary wild berries and a hint of leafy earthiness. It is fairly big in structure, but seems to still maintain some lightness of foot. There are some gentle oak and cocoa powder notes in the mouth, along with some zippy, spicy sensations. It is very smooth-textured with well-integrated fine tannins and ends with a pleasing easy finish.
1988 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Rugiens. I like the nose of white flowers, cranberries, white pepper, stems, and talcum powder. There are bright, juicy red berry fruits in the mouth, which also shows totally resolved tannins and an easy-going texture. One of the best wines to drink with the food.
2004 Migration Pinot Noir Anderson Valley. Albert stopped by late in the meal just to say hello and to share this bottle before running off. This is a big, rich Pinot, with cherry fruit, spice cake, pipe tobacco, and a rubber inner-tube note found in the bouquet. The mixed dark berries and plum fruit are almost jammy, but the wine maintains a seamless plush texture. The finish shows a nice mélange of spices and pipe smoke notes.
1996 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero. I really enjoyed this wine. The nose is redolent with wet fresh turned earth, horse barn, dark berries and something like Turkish cigarettes. It is cool and crisp and precise in the mouth with ample body and muscle tone and a complex finish. There are some fine tannins still hanging around and plenty of structure for several more years of positive evolution.
1992 Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch. Not a bad showing for a 14-year old South African Cabernet. The nose sports dark raspberry and cranberry fruit, with a bit of earthy undertone. There is decent concentration of fruit, but it is not a particularly rich wine. The texture is a bit chewy and the finish is somewhat rough around the edges.
1994 Parker Coonawarra Estate Terra Rossa First Growth. This was served blind. Initially, it hits you upside the head with an over-the-top bouquet of pure dark fruit liqueur, sweet plums and musky eucalyptus. There is also a strong leafy Cab Franc type of aroma going on parallel to all this. So, that is no help in deciphering the wine. In the mouth, one finds berry fruits, spices, and leafiness to go with full body and a big warm gooey finish. It holds the line, but just barely. It turns out the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from Australia. Interesting nose for sure, but I must admit I did not find myself necessarily wanting a second glass.
1998 d’Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm. I am sure that I am in a distinct minority, but I have never been a monster fan of d’Arenberg, but I thought this was a stand-out. It is not a style everyone likes, but it hit me in all the right places on this night. The nose is bold and intense, with crushed raspberries, creosote, ash, red currants and lots of exotic spices. It holds a good balance in the mouth, with espresso and gently roasted dark fruit flavors, abundant glycerin to the mouthfeel and a seamless texture. The tannins are surprisingly fine and well integrated on the lengthy, distinctive finish. Good stuff.
1998 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac. For the last red of the evening, this stood up pretty well. There is a very pleasing nose of prune, dark earth, leather, dark ripe fruits and touches of cedar and mineral. In the mouth, there is a pretty decent amount of body, but the wine gives an impression of refinement. There is good intensity of cassis flavor, decided acidity and not as many tannins as I was expecting. Young, but it seems promising.
Sweet wines:
1990 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Cuvee Le Paon. By my count, this is the 8th different Baumard wine I’ve tasted in the last 10 months, and I would have to say this was possibly my favorite. It has an inviting nose of orange blossoms and rose water, nectarine and fresh orange zest. It is round and creamy in the mouth with great concentration of citrus and pit fruits and a nice kick of spices. Overall, it has excellent balance, persistence and presence throughout.
1997 Chateau de Fesles Bonnezeaux. I should have bought some of this back when I worked next door to a shop that carried it. I never did and now, of course, I very much regret it, as this is a delightful wine. It opens with a nose of botrytis, and cream, and quickly evolves to include honeysuckle, cloves and other spices. In the mouth, it has a creamy texture and full body, with layers of sweet honey, apricot and tangerine fruit. A pleasure.
1997 Quinta do Noval Porto Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage. Here’s an LBV I could get used to having around the house. It seems almost corpulent on the nose, like a thick mixed red berry syrup. In the mouth, there is a sweet beam of warm, exotic red fruits, persimmon and spice, later yielding to more of a black currant profile. It is not overly decadent, just rich and inviting. It seemed to fit exactly right at the end of a meal like this.
1982 Borges Vintage Porto. This is my second encounter with this wine in the past few months, and the second time that it came so late in the evening that my ability/desire to write up notes on it were rather dulled. It is a soft, elegantly-styled, easy-going port showing some advanced age.
These "themeless" get-togethers are a lot of fun and provide a great opportunity to taste a range of wines and wine styles. I missed the last one with a nasty stomach virus or something, but look forward to the next!
-Michael
