Browse Month

January 2008

Desk Clerc

Rothschild “Clerc Milon” 1992 Pauillac (Bordeaux) – A beautiful, though somewhat restrained, nose of tobacco and brown earth rolls from the glass, promising more than the palate can honestly deliver. The wine is definitely hanging on to the end of its maturity curve with a certain conviction, but other than (mostly)-resolved structure, the palate adds little not already delivered by the nose. This is a great pleasure to drink, certainly, but it’s not the sort of thing Bordeaux lovers will be talking about on their death bed. (1/08)

Eternal Salvaneltion

Castel Noarna 2005 Vigneti delle Dolomiti “Salvanel” (Trentino) – One of those rare blends where it’s immediately obvious that there’s more than one grape at work; there’s a spicy (slightly oak-infused, but in a very pleasant way) fatness, a frothy, wintry whiteness, an elegant mélange of flowers, and a fine core of zingy white fruit, all of which seem to be brought to the mix by the component grapes (which are: chardonnay, riesling, traminer, sauvignon blanc, and nosiola). (1/08)

Poverty line

[apples]Poverty Lane “Farnum Hill” Kingston Black Cider “Reserve” (New Hampshire) – So many ciders start out dry and firm, but disintegrate into sticky insignificance on the palate. Not so this bottling, which retains a brittle, skin-like minerality throughout. This isn’t beginners’ cider, by any means. (1/08)

Sweet little thing

[bottle]Roagna 2005 Dolcetto d’Alba (Piedmont) – Very tight at first. With plenty of air, it gradually emerges from its shell, showing strong, graphite-textured tannin, dark berries, and a firm, studious blotch of acidity. Everything here is in beautiful balance, but while the wine can be forced (though aeration) to have appeal now, it’s really going to be much better in the future. (1/08)

Amy Pfoeller

Meyer-Fonné 2005 Riesling Pfoeller (Alsace) – Really terrific, with pear leaves and sandstone-textured minerality wrapped in crisp malic acidity and a bell-tone of balancing sweetness. Very floral and long, with obvious aging potential. (1/08)

zap! pow!

[grapes]Edmunds St. John 2002 “blonk!” (Paso Robles) – Fat and shy, showing about 50% of its potential stone fruit and honeysuckle goodness, and a little more structurally-exposed than I’d like. It’s probably just closed. (1/08)

To the four winds

Thienpont “Clos des Quatre Vents” 2000 Margaux (Bordeaux) – Lush and fruity, but no internationalized bomb; the dark, concentrated berries rest in a stew of graphite and ripe tannin, with cedar and dried flowers floating at the edges. This is large, to be sure, but it’s recognizably Bordeaux, and will easily reward another decade of age. Probably more. (1/08)

Sauternes cross

[corks]Meslier “Raymond-Lafon” 1988 Sauternes (Bordeaux) – Muted and weird. Butter-spiced caramel and orange rind are present, but there’s just not a whole lot to this, and the general lack of a finish hints that damage rather than an adolescent sleep is the culprit. (1/08)

Sauvignon rights

[label]Selaks “Premium Selection” 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Lots of minerality, dry, and restrained, showing good balance and a papery, leafy residue of apple skin. Austere to the point that it resembles the old style of Isabel (which is still marvelously ungenerous, but does it at a slightly higher volume than in the past). (5/07)

Chahdinnaiy

Selaks “Premium Selection” 2005 Chardonnay (Marlborough) – Clove, nutmeg, and browned butter with Mandarin orange. Sultry brown apple joins the spicy fruit basket on the finish, which is a bit sticky. Before that, however, the wine seems in fair balance. Drink soon. (5/07)