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Salbatting order

[label]Tablas Creek 2006 “Côtes de Tablas” Blanc (Paso Robles) – Reticent. Closing? Quite possibly, or it could just be in decline (the latter is more likely, however). What’s left for examination includes bony structure, nut skins and oils, and a bit of stone fruit. Hope lies in the fact that these bare minimums of expression linger for a good long while, but this is a minor wine at present. (8/09)

Tablas Creek 2006 “Côtes de Tablas” Blanc (Paso Robles) – See above note. (8/09)

How now, brown gaauw?

[bottle]Overgaauw 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch) – Vibrant green things – herbs, stems, vegetables, leaves, grasses – poised at their ideal midpoint between the underripe harshness of pyrazines and softer impressions of tropicality (though there is a hint of pineapple as well). There’s minerality…large rocks, decidedly indelicate…and a fine balance. A bit outrageous, in a manner that will remind some quite strongly of Marlborough, but it’s fuller-fleshed than that. The more I taste, the more I agree with a number of South African winemakers who believe that, at the moment, their country’s most accomplished and terroir-revelatory wines are its sauvignon blancs. (7/09)

Research

[bottle]Ken Forrester “Petit” 2008 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) – Sweet apricot and a hint of banana skin, but not a tropical fruit-salad wine; rather, sunny, polished, and summery fruit, clean and simple. There’s just enough acid, and maybe even the suggestion of chalk…though that may be self-suggestion. A wine for now, now, now. (7/09)

Getty

[vineyard]Pirie “South” 2006 “Estelle” (Tasmania) – 50% riesling, 30% gewürztraminer, 20% pinot gris. An aperitif-styled chilly chugger of a wine, full of crystal sweetness and pretty, almost icy fruit. No complexity, but I doubt any was desired. A wine for laughter. (7/09)

Buyer & Cellar

[bottle]Villa Maria “Cellar Selection” 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Lemon-lime, grapefruit, grass…all ripe, clean, and vibrant, with balanced acidity and just enough persistence. A little crystalline minerality as well, though this is a fruit-dominated wine, for sure. (7/09)

Villa Maria “Cellar Selection” 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – See above note, crediting the consistency of the closure. (7/09)

Earth, wild, and fire

[vineyard]Wild Earth “Blind Trail” 2007 Pinot Noir (Central Otago) – Such a pleasant, direct wine…sappy fruit (mostly berries), a bit of sweet earth, round-textured but with acidity, and finishing surprisingly strong. Nice. (6/09)

Indian percussion

[label]Tablas Creek 2005 Rosé (Paso Robles) – Dead. (5/09)

Tablas Creek 2005 Rosé (Paso Robles) – Old orange, bronzed and with a background static of something vaguely metallic, like canned orange soda that’s been left just a bit too long. If one can get past that, the spice that’s developed is actually quite pleasurable, though the lack of intense, primary fruit leaves the wine’s alcohol – always on the high side for a rosé, though it’s among the majority of the genre in that sense – more present than one wants. There’s really not much to learn here, other than that this wine was much better in its youth…and as with almost all rosés, that was already a given. (5/09)

…and shoot

Dog Point 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) – Grass, unidentifiable yellow fruit, and a particulate texture with some rocks in the blend. Structured, but not overly so, and balanced. Makrut lime is the topnote. Very nice. (5/09)

Moen & Groen

[vineyard]Neil Ellis 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (Groenekloof) – Vibrant metallic green of a more pine-like hue. There’s grass, capsicum, and nerve, but there’s also a cold, rocky minerality. Not quite as precise as the previous vintage, but still clearly delineated. (5/09)