Tuesday, May 5, 2009
TN: 2007 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis La Forest
Popped and let sit for 30 mins. This baby possessed such a vibrant yellow color that it furthered my already high expectations. After about 5 minutes of swirling, I think I resigned myself to the fact that I opened this too early (it was fairly open two months ago). It was so tight that my wrist hadn't been this sore since the first time I laid my eyes on the gorgeous Heather Thomas in an episode of the Fall Guy. After tons of coaxing, I finally could distinguish some Meyer Lemon and granite on the nose. Muscular, with enough acid to provide a backbone that would make a T Rex proud, hints of spicy apple, and enough stones to put African blood diamonds out business...this is built for the long haul. This may be the first time that I've felt guilty popping the cork too early but it was so good in February. Still a 92 point wine, with the stuffing to be a 95 pointer in 5-10 years. 92+ pts.
Night of Zind-Humbrecht, Kutch, Switchback Ridge, Cayuse, Saxum
Dudes,Sorry I'm tardy with my notes and comments. Work and family seem to get in the way of all the fun! Travis and Mario, thanks for hosting and putting out a kick ass spread of cheese, meats, salad, and hospitality. I'm definitely glad I hadn't eaten beforehand. Fun to meet a couple of new Seattle wine guys --Tim and Tom -- and always good to see Tom Lee, who is a beacon of wine reason amongst all of our wine blabbering! On to the notes...
2005 Francois Villard Condrieu Le Grand Vallon -- Served blind. Creamy roundness with a spiced baked apple tart note and dried pineapple. A lush white and once it was revealed, it made sense that it was viognier. I liked it alot. 92pts.
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer -- Dale is a big fan of ZH so I'm lucky to get to drink his bottles. This was another winner. Nice deep copper color with a nose of passion fruit, stones, along with honey. Dense in the mouth with a geat lush texture balanced by tropical fruits, minerals, and acid. Not as spicy as I was expecting but very good with Mario's spicy shrimp nonetheless. 92pts.
2006 Kutch RRV -- I am on the waiting list for this so was excited to finally try one. As with most pinot for me, it had a knockout nose but disappointed in the mouth. Nose of cola, stewed strawberries, and even a little underbrush. Medium bodied with a thin mid-palate did me in. Just not much going on for me. 87pts.
2005 Galardi Terra Di Lavoro -- This was thrown in and served blind. Strong nose of vanilla oak, baking spices, and dark fruit. Strongly tannic and acidic, this baby needs years to integrate all its parts. When that happens, it will be a very special wine. 90 pts. now with potential to be in the 93pt range.
2004 Switchback Ridge Merlot -- Not a big drinker of merlot but have heard good things about all of SR's wines. Very pleasantly surprised with this wine --thanks Tom Lee. Creamy nose of vanilla, dark fruits, and mocha. Filled with spicy plums, currants, and toasty oak all in balance. Delicious. 91pts.
2001 Blankiet Cab -- I don't think I even got to try this. Not sure how I missed it.
2006 Cayuse En Chamberlin -- After Jay Miller's tasting, we were all looking forward to drinking this and it lived up and even surpassed our expectations. 100 point nose with huge amounts of beef stew, fur, funk, pickles, and black fruits. Decadent mouthfeel giving way to layers of dried beef, blood, sour cherries and cabbage, all made tolerable by the copious levels of New World fruit. Gangbuster finish that leaves that wonderful Cayuse taste lingering for mintues. 96 pts.
2006 Saxum Bone Rock -- It was cool to bring this as a couple people had never drank a Saxum before, so I figured why not bring out a big gun. Decanted for around two hours, this puppy was rockin' from the get go. Big nose of blackberries, blueberries, jam, meat, and spice. Waves of ripe dark berry fruit in the mouth along with chocolate and even some spicy oak. As usual, everything is seamless so there's no hint of heat or tannin. This was so good now but will get even better with a few years under its belt. 95pts.
Wish I would have stayed a little later as I found out Travis and Mike opened a Carlisle Zin to cap off the night! By the way, great write up Tim!
2005 Francois Villard Condrieu Le Grand Vallon -- Served blind. Creamy roundness with a spiced baked apple tart note and dried pineapple. A lush white and once it was revealed, it made sense that it was viognier. I liked it alot. 92pts.
2002 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer -- Dale is a big fan of ZH so I'm lucky to get to drink his bottles. This was another winner. Nice deep copper color with a nose of passion fruit, stones, along with honey. Dense in the mouth with a geat lush texture balanced by tropical fruits, minerals, and acid. Not as spicy as I was expecting but very good with Mario's spicy shrimp nonetheless. 92pts.
2006 Kutch RRV -- I am on the waiting list for this so was excited to finally try one. As with most pinot for me, it had a knockout nose but disappointed in the mouth. Nose of cola, stewed strawberries, and even a little underbrush. Medium bodied with a thin mid-palate did me in. Just not much going on for me. 87pts.
2005 Galardi Terra Di Lavoro -- This was thrown in and served blind. Strong nose of vanilla oak, baking spices, and dark fruit. Strongly tannic and acidic, this baby needs years to integrate all its parts. When that happens, it will be a very special wine. 90 pts. now with potential to be in the 93pt range.
2004 Switchback Ridge Merlot -- Not a big drinker of merlot but have heard good things about all of SR's wines. Very pleasantly surprised with this wine --thanks Tom Lee. Creamy nose of vanilla, dark fruits, and mocha. Filled with spicy plums, currants, and toasty oak all in balance. Delicious. 91pts.
2001 Blankiet Cab -- I don't think I even got to try this. Not sure how I missed it.
2006 Cayuse En Chamberlin -- After Jay Miller's tasting, we were all looking forward to drinking this and it lived up and even surpassed our expectations. 100 point nose with huge amounts of beef stew, fur, funk, pickles, and black fruits. Decadent mouthfeel giving way to layers of dried beef, blood, sour cherries and cabbage, all made tolerable by the copious levels of New World fruit. Gangbuster finish that leaves that wonderful Cayuse taste lingering for mintues. 96 pts.
2006 Saxum Bone Rock -- It was cool to bring this as a couple people had never drank a Saxum before, so I figured why not bring out a big gun. Decanted for around two hours, this puppy was rockin' from the get go. Big nose of blackberries, blueberries, jam, meat, and spice. Waves of ripe dark berry fruit in the mouth along with chocolate and even some spicy oak. As usual, everything is seamless so there's no hint of heat or tannin. This was so good now but will get even better with a few years under its belt. 95pts.
Wish I would have stayed a little later as I found out Travis and Mike opened a Carlisle Zin to cap off the night! By the way, great write up Tim!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Huge news for Washington wine fans!
Looks like Quilceda Creek isn't the only winery that can boast at parties about producing a 100 point wine. Charles Smith Wines, owned and made by "rock star" winemaker Charles Smith of K Vintners fame, has now joined that exclusive company. Paul Gregutt, longtime Seattle Times Wine Guy and the reviewer for the NW in the Wine Enthusiast, has bestowed a lofty 100 point score on the 2006 Royal City Syrah. Here is the link to Paul's review:
http://www.paulgregutt.com/paulgregutt.com/PG.com/Entries/2009/4/27_100_point_wine.html
As someone who has enjoyed several K Vintners wines but wasn't a huge fan of the three highly scored Charles Smith Wines -- the Heart, the Skull, and Old Bones -- it will be interesting to give this wine a shot. He is now allowing people on his mailing list to order it for $80 now, with delivery in the fall. I'm still deciding whether or not to purchase said wine. I do know one thing though...the wine wsill be polarizing, I'm sure. Congrats Charles on the 100!!
http://www.paulgregutt.com/paulgregutt.com/PG.com/Entries/2009/4/27_100_point_wine.html
As someone who has enjoyed several K Vintners wines but wasn't a huge fan of the three highly scored Charles Smith Wines -- the Heart, the Skull, and Old Bones -- it will be interesting to give this wine a shot. He is now allowing people on his mailing list to order it for $80 now, with delivery in the fall. I'm still deciding whether or not to purchase said wine. I do know one thing though...the wine wsill be polarizing, I'm sure. Congrats Charles on the 100!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
TN: 2007 Shane Syrah Valenti Ranch
Essentially popped and poured. Dark blue-violet out of the bottle, you could tell this puppy was going to be tasty. Heavy aromas of blackberries, meat, smoke, and creamed corn (Dale was the first to offer up this spot on character). Palate dense with copious amounts of blue fruit, blood, smoked meats, rocks, and some lip smacking acidity. A generous finish that lasts a good couple minutes leaves me estatic that I found out about Shane Finley and his hand-crafted juice. Dale immediately signed up for the list at that moment and then promptly ordered three bottles. Run, don't walk to get your hands on this. 94pts.
Not sure if this tasted so good because we had just powered down a corked bottle of 2000 Beaucastel, or if it was just that good. I'll go with the latter and look forward to drinking some more!
Not sure if this tasted so good because we had just powered down a corked bottle of 2000 Beaucastel, or if it was just that good. I'll go with the latter and look forward to drinking some more!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday lunch with Fevre, Saxum, and Gaja
Had lunch with a couple of homeys on Friday at Bis on Main in Bellevue. Great lunch spot if you are in the area and a very good wine list.
2007 Fevre Champs Royaux
A big fan of the 05 but not as much of the 06 so was interested to see where the 07 fit in. Tasty stuff--just as good as the 05. Laser yellow in color with gravel, lemon peel, and unripe pear on the nose. Very similar charactersitics on the palate--bright acidity, tart green apple, and some decent minerality. Damn zippy! 89pts
2006 Saxum Booker Vineyard
I waited as long as I could before popping one of these babies. Opened immediately upon arrival, it sat for around an hour or so before we dug in. Typical Saxum profile of brooding purple with magenta edges. Nose of violets, raspberry/blueberry hybrid, smoke, and braised meat. Surprisingly well balanced in the mouth with heat and tannin on one side battling it out against sweet fruit on the other. Unlike soccer and hockey when a tie seems very unsatisfying (as in the old saying that a tie is like kissing your sister), this tie is the kind you like and my sister was no where to be found. While this wine will definitely improve with time, it was very accessible right now so don't hesitate to pop one. 93pts
2001 Gaja Barbaresco
Opened from half bottle with little breathe time. It's fun to drink wines back to back that couldn't be more different in styles but thoroughly enjoy each. Brick red color with aromas of underbrush, strawberries, tobacco, minerals, and tar. Very structured with ample acid and tannin with just enough pure fruit and richness to do a decent job of balancing out the wine. A gripping and powerful finish leave me with the thought that this wine has 20 years left, easy. 92pts
2007 Fevre Champs Royaux
A big fan of the 05 but not as much of the 06 so was interested to see where the 07 fit in. Tasty stuff--just as good as the 05. Laser yellow in color with gravel, lemon peel, and unripe pear on the nose. Very similar charactersitics on the palate--bright acidity, tart green apple, and some decent minerality. Damn zippy! 89pts
2006 Saxum Booker Vineyard
I waited as long as I could before popping one of these babies. Opened immediately upon arrival, it sat for around an hour or so before we dug in. Typical Saxum profile of brooding purple with magenta edges. Nose of violets, raspberry/blueberry hybrid, smoke, and braised meat. Surprisingly well balanced in the mouth with heat and tannin on one side battling it out against sweet fruit on the other. Unlike soccer and hockey when a tie seems very unsatisfying (as in the old saying that a tie is like kissing your sister), this tie is the kind you like and my sister was no where to be found. While this wine will definitely improve with time, it was very accessible right now so don't hesitate to pop one. 93pts
2001 Gaja Barbaresco
Opened from half bottle with little breathe time. It's fun to drink wines back to back that couldn't be more different in styles but thoroughly enjoy each. Brick red color with aromas of underbrush, strawberries, tobacco, minerals, and tar. Very structured with ample acid and tannin with just enough pure fruit and richness to do a decent job of balancing out the wine. A gripping and powerful finish leave me with the thought that this wine has 20 years left, easy. 92pts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
TN: 2006 Carlisle Syrah Dry Creek Valley
After dubbing the 06 Carlisle Sonoma County Syrah about the best $20 wine you could buy, I decided to give the "over-priced" $27 Dry Creek Valley Syrah a shot. It was damn good. Didn't have the depth of the Sonoma County but still quite a solid QPR at $27. If my wife found out that I actually thought $27 was essentially cheap for a bottle of wine, let's just say I wouldn't be here. Can't wait to give the 07 RRV Syrah a spin!
Deep, dark purple in the glass. It just looks dense and hefty. Oodles (a rarely used scientific term) of blue fruit on the nose with cracked black pepper, blackberry, and spices. Definite high levels of "fruit weight" in the mouth along with ripe blueberries and blackberries. Can also taste a hint of minerality and an acidity that energizes the palate. The only criticism I have for this wine, and it's a small one, is a tad bit heat on the finish which just suggests I may have needed to let it rest for another 6 months...But where is the fun in that. 91pts
Deep, dark purple in the glass. It just looks dense and hefty. Oodles (a rarely used scientific term) of blue fruit on the nose with cracked black pepper, blackberry, and spices. Definite high levels of "fruit weight" in the mouth along with ripe blueberries and blackberries. Can also taste a hint of minerality and an acidity that energizes the palate. The only criticism I have for this wine, and it's a small one, is a tad bit heat on the finish which just suggests I may have needed to let it rest for another 6 months...But where is the fun in that. 91pts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
TN: 2005 Cayuse God Only Knows Grenache
If there ever could be a wine that can overwhelm yet be so restrained and understated, this is that wine. The best analogy I can come up with is this...You have just scored general admission seats to your all-time favorite band's gig (for me that would be Pearl Jam or Alice 'n Chains or Iron Maiden). You camp out a couple days in advance so you'll be one of the first people in and secure your rightful spot in front of the stage. The anticipation from everyone in the arena is palpable--we are about to have our ears drums blown out! The band finally saunters on stage without electric guitars and a huge drum kit but with acoustic guitars and a single drum. They announce tonight will be a special "unplugged" concert. You can tell everyone in the crowd is a bit shocked but once the show begins they are blown away by how powerful, amazing, and moving a stripped down "unplugged" show can be. that's how this wine made me feel.
A gorgeous meduim-dark red out of the bottle. Initial aromas of enriched red fruits, an ever so hint of smoke, rocks, and a floral component that I could never quite pin down. So lush and smooth in the mouth with crushed strawberries, raspberry ganache, and a little tobacco to leaven out the sweetness. All components seemed to be in perfect harmony. I can't mention enough how luxurious yet understated the mouth feel was, simply intriguing. It finishes very strong with some cocoa notes and sweet spice. I think this wine will continue to develop more complex flavors and undertones as it ages. 95 pts.
A gorgeous meduim-dark red out of the bottle. Initial aromas of enriched red fruits, an ever so hint of smoke, rocks, and a floral component that I could never quite pin down. So lush and smooth in the mouth with crushed strawberries, raspberry ganache, and a little tobacco to leaven out the sweetness. All components seemed to be in perfect harmony. I can't mention enough how luxurious yet understated the mouth feel was, simply intriguing. It finishes very strong with some cocoa notes and sweet spice. I think this wine will continue to develop more complex flavors and undertones as it ages. 95 pts.
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