The temps are dropping... the passive cellar, having peaked in September at 64F, which I'm perfectly content with, is now back down to 59 and will probably get to 54 or 55 by February... and we seem to be drinking reds, reds, reds:
Goodfellow Family Cellars 2022 Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir, Whistling Ridge Vineyard. Utterly beguiling nose of flowers, crushed berries, and incense. Seems like everything's been squeezed up into the midpalate by the wine's back-end structure: there's tons of depth and density here, even though the (very precisely drawn) flavors are largely high-toned and red-fruited; and I wouldn't call it shut down, but even with a couple of hours, the very fine tannins on the finish remain pretty unyielding. Gives me a good sense of what's to come, which is what I was going for -- I'm new to Goodfellow and need to make some sacrifices for the sake of learning. I'll wait 6-8 years before touching another.
Franck Balthazar 2021 Côtes du Rhône. I only had a small taste of this on night 1 but it was as I recalled from earlier bottles: a juicy and savory combination of red and blue fruit, straightforward and appealing, solid value. Still good a night later.
Mas d'Amile 2020 Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux. We had dinner out a few weeks back with some new friends; this and an Olga Raffault Picasses were the finalists that night, and we went with the Raffault, so when we went back on our own a couple of weeks later, we had to get this. Pleasantly aromatic but only modestly expressive in the mouth for the first half hour, then opens up well. Not sure of the proportions of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignane in the blend, but I'd guess there's at least 20% Syrah, as it has a discernable presence, adding depth without dominating the profile. Overall, I'm pretty impressed; in some ways this is a very middle-of-the-road wine, but it's lively and engaging, so its "middleness" means it's flexible at the table and can please people with varied palates, without being dull. At <$USD30, good value, too (and moderate abv of 13%).
Gramercy Cellars 2011 Columbia Valley Syrah "Lagniappe." Nicely developed but not tired: lithe dark blackberry fruit, some funk, some black olive, and a peppery/tarry finish that walks up to the line of bitterness but, satisfyingly, doesn't get there. With air, this becomes rounder and richer in texture, losing a little of the finely wrought detail of the individual aromas, but gaining a sense of completeness. Like this a lot. One more bottle and will enjoy within 3-5 years -- or maybe more, as we had the last 250ml of this two nights after opening and it was still in great shape.
Château Brane-Cantenac 2010 Margaux. My first bottle of this, and it still needs time, though it's not unpleasant now. On opening, floral perfume, high-toned red fruit, very bright, lots of acidity, and then a wall of tannin. Decanted about 3 hours before dinner and checked in occasionally: the fruit grew blacker and the aromas came to encompass some tobacco and graphite; also a delicious liquorice note on the finish. At the table, this remained very bright and focused, and made a fine with braised and mustard-glazed short ribs. Overall, this seems to me to be giving generous hints, but still only hints, of what it might become in another decade; it has the balance and elegance to blossom.
Scherrer Winery 2013 Alexander Valley Zinfandel, Old and Mature Vines. My last bottle; consumed most of my small stock of this several years back. Dark, sweet fruit, a little stewed (but not in a bad way), spice, and an unctuous mouthfeel without any alcoholic heat. The intensity of the fruit has dropped off, relative to the scale of the wine, without much compensating increase in complexity, but the fundamental balance and quality still show through.
Julien Sunier 2014 Fleurie. Pretty strawberry fruit with a kick of savory olive, and enough remaining structure to be vibrant. Mature but not past it. Very good.
Frog's Leap 2011 Rutherford Petite Sirah. Continuing the ranarian theme. Still-fresh dark berry fruit, a little floral, a little leathery, tannins partly but not wholly resolved. This is very good, and has the all-88-keys breadth of flavors and aromas I like in really good PS, but it’s marred slightly by a distractingly bitter note on the finish. I wonder whether that would have gotten more or less prominent with another 5 years of age.
G.D. Vajra 2018 Barbera d'Alba. Big but reasonably well balanced, solidly made with good varietal character, but not a lot of charm. Serviceable, especially as a replacement for:
Crivelli 2022 Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato. A decade ago, this was the bottling that turned me on to Ruché. Then it disappeared from my market. When I’ve been able to find it since then — a few vintages ago and now this — it’s been a hot, sloppy mess, at least to my taste. Down the drain.