Browse Month

January 2009

Travers the country

[vineyard]Brusset 2004 Cairanne Coteaux des Travers (Rhône) – Fruity and forward, to the extent that I’d be hard-pressed to identify it as a French wine, much less of its place. There’s little structure, but I wouldn’t go so far as the call the ripe strawberry bubblegum fruit formless…it’s just that there’s mostly the simple fact of the initial burst of yum, and then, well, not much else. This feels like a laster rather than an ager, and maybe not even the former. But why wait? Certainly one drinks this because it’s big and fruity, and because one considers those the sine qua non of wine construction. (12/08)

The Hureau of the wolf

P&G Vatan “Chateau du Hureau” 2005 Saumur-Champigny (Loire) – Blackberry in vibrant bursts not always seen among Loire reds…but not to worry, there’s soil, herb, and bite still to be found, along with a significant dusting of black pepper. Forceful. Very good, with potential. (1/09)

Pistol, pistol, pistol

Unibroue 2004 “Trois Pistoles” (Québec) – Tastes denser than it did in its youth, with more of a chocolate liqueur, spice-laden character than it originally possessed. Still quite heavy. Did it benefit from age? Well, it changed a bit. But is it better? I don’t know. (1/09)

Unibroue 2004 “La Fin du Monde” (Québec) – Unlike the Trois Pistoles, this beer did not benefit from a few years’ aging. Lemony and completely swimming with lees, this has tarted up but has also lost the layered richness that defines it. (1/09)

Paste-o

[bottle]A Donkey and Goat 2006 “Tamarindo” Roussanne (El Dorado) – For about five minutes after opening, toasted fruit aromatics rush from the glass, heralding a weighty but not overblown palate. And then, as that initial burst of uncorked goodness diffuses, it goes immediately and completely to hell…overwhelmed with volatile acidity, for starters, and bringing up some nasty, decaying animal scents from the cellar. (“Smells like a cow vomited and then died on top of it,” opines one drinking companion.) Really terrible, and an absolutely horrendous value. (1/09)

Pichler of the litter

[vineyard]FX Pichler 2005 Grüner Veltliner Loibner Klostersatz Federspiel (Wachau) – Explodes out of the glass, but I don’t know that there’s as much shrapnel in the blast as I’d like. It’s certainly quite aromatic, drifting into unusual realms of quince and Rainier cherry, and then returning to the familiar homeland of liquefied celery and heady minerality. Its presence on the palate is weighty and impressive. And yet, and yet…it decrescendos on the finish, tailing off to an acidic void. Oh well. (1/09)

Big old txakolina, don’t carry me too far away

Arabako Txakolina 2007 Txakoli de Álava Txakoli “Xarmant” (Northwest Spain) – Filled with the spike and needle of bubbles, quite acidic, and elusive in its bare-bone, eroded-sand fashion. I love the tactility, but the wine within is a little too absent for me. (1/09)

Bravery & Vallières

JM Burgaud 2006 Régnié Vallières (Beaujolais) – Straightforward gamayness, light and red-pink-purple-fruited, with an engaging appeal. There’s not really much more to say. It’s good. It’s tasty. It’s highly drinkable. It’s no more than that, though. (1/09)

Muga-chaka, muga-muga-muga-chaka

[vineyard]Muga 2007 Rioja Rosado (Center-North) – Seems gentler than it is; a fading salmon sunset with a surprising depth and weight to it, rich with old pinkish fruit, guava, and a bit of persimmon. Then there’s apple skin, which adds a bit of tannic complexity, and a finely balanced acidity, and a mild oxidation, yet the wine remains well-knit and beautifully formed. A sophisticated rosé. (1/09)