Browse Month

September 2007

Ang gris

[label]Terre Rouge 2004 Vin Gris d’Amador (Sierra Foothills) – 51% mourvèdre, 34% grenache, 15% syrah. Unfocused and somewhat candied, this stumbles clumsily around its lazy fruit and finally passes out somewhere in a pool of alcohol. A rare misstep from this winery. (8/07)

Nice Gammes

[grapes]Michon “Domaine St-Nicolas” 2005 Fiefs Vendéens “Gammes en May” (Loire) – Very light. Practically a rosé, and I think one should employ it as such. I assume this is gamay, because it shows the dusty-toned and slightly volatile aromatics of gamay I’ve tasted elsewhere on the fringes of the Loire, here with a clamshell mushroom character at its root. This will appeal to a very limited audience, and that’s a shame, because there’s a lot to like here. (7/07)

The Moriers the merrier

Chignard 2000 Fleurie “Les Moriers” (Beaujolais) – The most flawlessly ripe (yet crisp) berries imaginable, but presented in fractal facets glittering with brilliant acid-polished light. Tellicherry pepper and delicate floral notes seem dusted on the top, elusive but present. Breathtakingly gorgeous. Possibly the best Beaujolais I’ve ever tasted. (7/07)

Tête offensive

[chai]Louis Tête 2005 Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais) – Very light, but a boisterous little fruit bomb nonetheless, crisp and mildly volatile, with a keening raspberry/cherry core. (8/07)

A Fleurie of activity

Coudert “Clos de la Roilette” 2004 Fleurie (Beaujolais) – Coming along well, with an earthy, violet-hued aroma giving partial way to more interesting lavender and black truffle underneath. There’s plenty of sprightly acidity and a little bit of balancing tanning, and the finish is a long as it is pretty…though there’s hidden strength, as well. Beautiful wine. (7/07)

They Blewitt

[blewitt springs vineyard]Clarendon Hills 1998 “Old Vines” Grenache Blewitt Springs (Clarendon) – High-toned raspberry and bubblegum with a lash of volatile acidity (not actively unpleasant except to the sensitive). There’s obvious alcohol, but otherwise this is surprisingly shrill, as if age had narrowed it to a shrieking point. It’s interesting enough, but I wouldn’t exactly seek it out. (7/07)

Riesling rising

[bottle]Rosemount 2005 Riesling (South Eastern Australia) – Full of varietal character, and quite drinkable in a pinch, but there’s nothing else to add to that description. It’s basically dry, with the usual high Aussie acidity scraping any remaining sugar from every interior surface, and the finish is a bit abrupt. Still, one can do a lot worse in the Rosemount stable. (8/07)

Dog days

[marlborough]Dog Point 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Classic Marlborough “savvy” riding the rail between green, chile & herb exuberance and riper gooseberry and lightly tropical fruit, with fine acidity and poise. Not great, but certainly good. (8/07)

Not the guy who invented the computer

Babich 2005 Chardonnay “Unwooded” (Hawke’s Bay) – Under screwcap, and heavily reduced. It doesn’t much matter, however, because there’s just not much here to rescue; the mild, melony fruit is wimpy and generally useless. Babich is typically a very solid producer, even at the low end, so this performance is a little surprising. (8/07)