Browse Month

May 2009

Marcoux plotters

Armenier “Domaine de Marcoux” 1999 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Vieilles Vignes” (Rhône) – An explosion, but the shrapnel’s a quilt and it takes place inside the warm snuggles of a down comforter. Dark fruit, lush and supple, is just teetering over towards a meatier stage, and there’s plenty of rich, fertile black earth underneath, with the occasional morel in evidence. However, a stylistic warning: there’s also a soft, pillowy layer of vanilla and dusted chocolate, which soften and modernize the otherwise beautifully-supplied wine into something a little more anonymous than I’d like. It’s a fabulous wine, no doubt, but it would be better without the makeup. (4/09)

Pousse café

[vineyard]Landanger “La Pousse d’Or” 1999 Volnay En Caillerets “1er Cru” (Burgundy) – Way too young for whatever it wants to be. It certainly doesn’t lack muscularity, with a grainy tannin and strong, dark, almost leathery fruit that certainly doesn’t immediately recall Burgundian pinot noir…though later, as acid and brighter notes come into play, some semblance of order is restored. Still, it’s…well, I don’t know. This could go either way, it seems. It’s not what one wants right now, for sure. (4/09)

Steven Seagal

[logo]Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau “Au dessus de la loi” (Alsace) – Fleshier than the “basic” Kreydenweiss riesling usually gets, but there are some incipient love handles as well; the wine slides right past perfect poise to a slightly slovenly slouch. It’s a minor issue, though, and there’s still time to regain form. The raw materials of stone and bone carry a little more heft as a result, with something that might charitably be called fruit (apple or pear; it’s unclear) draped from the limbs. A good entry-level riesling, better (or perhaps more accessible) than Kreydenweiss’ usual, but as a result needing a little more wary attention. (4/09)

Are you Cerdon?

Renardat-Fache Bugey Cerdon (Ain) – After dabblings and dalliances with other similarly-constructed pink sparklers, it’s nice to come home to the best of the bunch. More strawberry and less grey minerality than I remember, perhaps, but the marriage of bursting fruit and delicate sweetness is just…well, it’s better here than elsewhere. I’m not a huge fan of $22/per, which is why I’m only an occasional imbiber these days, but that has nothing to do with the wine’s quality. (4/09)

The Visitors

[label]Victory “V Twelve” Ale (Pennsylvania) – Incredibly dense and heavy, but not out of balance in its powerful, alcoholic style. Almost tropical, almost sweet…but then again, neither of those things. Just a big, boozy, bruiser that tastes like some sort of Québécois pastry, with bubbles. (4/09)

Agnus

Dei 1991 Rosso di Montepulciano (Tuscany) – Dead, decomposing, and in no danger of reanimation. No, I didn’t expect a different result. (4/09)

Jackie

Wolaver’s “Ben Gleason’s” White Ale (Vermont) – Bitter for no beneficial reason, more like an orange rind beer than a true white ale. The texture’s right, but the flavors are all wrong. Wolaver’s is usually a very solid label (more solid than the owner Otter Creek), so this result is a little surprising. (4/09)