Browse Month

July 2008

Essen of Emeril

[bottle]Capaia “Baron von Essen” 2005 “Blue Grove Hill” (Philadelphia) – Blueberry and thick, chocolate-cream density. Obvious and simple. It’s drinkable, but it could use structure for both balance and support, and it’s a very momentary pleasure. (7/08)

Easton exposure

[vineyard]Easton 2006 Zinfandel (Amador County) – Comes in columns, with separation and little integration, of sweet black fruit, pepper-spice, wild-eyed – almost olive-like, though the wine doesn’t taste of olives – brininess, and minor structure. The finish is shorter than usual, and there’s a significant final chord of vanilla. This might just need a little bit of time to knit, but I think it’s not quite the wine it has been in recent years. (7/08)

Toothpaste

[bottle]Columbia Crest “Grand Estates” 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley) – Basic, textbook cabernet with the chocolate/vanilla oak sheen one expects from inexpensive New World versions, precious little greenery or complexity, and yet a non-casual bite of tannin buried somewhere in the mid-finish. It’s not bad. It’s not something to seek out, but should a glass be forced upon one, it’s not something that will induce retching. (7/08)

Pinot & Zooty

Trimbach 2004 Pinot Blanc (Alsace) – Supple apricot with a slight molten iron edge to it, and there’s acidity, yet the wine is largely free of edges, corners, or bends. I don’t quite know how they work this voodoo. As an Alsatian pinot blanc, it’s still more blanc-influenced than auxerrois-dominated and good in that paradigm, but it will never seem striking in contrast to, say, a Boxler. (7/08)

The heart of Napa

[grapes]Corison 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) – Great acidity, which I say about once per decade about a Napa wine. Black’n’blue berries, crisp apple, thyme, rosemary, and cedar with the structure one expects. Not yet done aging, of course. Terrific. Corison remains grossly underappreciated. (2/08)

Buffy’s watcher

Gilles Barge 1995 Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune (Rhône) – Spicy earth and old pork, with a beautiful texture and a gorgeous finish. Ravishing. (2/08)

V.A.T.(A.N.)

Vatan 2005 Sancerre Clos la Néore (Loire) – Classic. Mineral-infused grapefruit, thick and rindy. Big, rich, powerful, yet utterly exquisite. (2/08)

Vatan 2003 Sancerre Clos la Néore (Loire) – Heavy makrut lime, flat, and short. A victim of its vintage. (2/08)

Pendulum

Foucault 2002 Saumur-Champigny Clos Rougeard (Loire) – Graphite, thyme, and mint with all the undertones still sub-audible, but clearly present. Throbs with potential. Elegant, with flawless balance, but time will reveal the strength. (2/08)

The search for intelligent bass

Edmunds St. John 2005 Syrah Bassetti (San Luis Obispo County) – Smoked salt on meat and fresh blueberry. Flawlessly poised, medium-bodied now vs. other Bassettis, but absolutely bubbling with potential. This will take a long time to unfold, and an even longer time to develop, but it should be a stunner when it does. (2/08)

Tardives salad

Trimbach 1997 Gewurztraminer “Vendanges Tardives” (Alsace) – Closed and tight, but despite that, there’s lychee, cashew, not-insignificant acidity (though less than in the ’98), and a biting bitterness to the finish, which is fairly typical for ultra-late harvested gewürztraminer. This is in nothing approaching a good place right now, and needs much time. (2/08)