2004 Core Elevation Sensation Alta Mesa - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (6/8/2008)
I have been tip toeing through the Core wines and I had this in the cellar, but then I saw one on the shelf of a store and decided to give it a try. The aromatics reminded of a young ripe syrah. At the front of the palate I got a lot of sweet red berry fruit. On the verge of being candied but the acid kicks in just enough. We had this next to a Chinon which made the sweet fruit stand out to much but I still enjoyed the clean seamless profile. I didn't notice much tannin. Nice stuff but my final opinion will wait to it has some age and has time to settle down. (88 pts.)
2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (6/3/2008)
This wine is packed. Solid and thick. The nose has a nice funk along with leather and dark fruit. Interesting. A small amount of bell pepper. Not my favorite thing but with this it is in check. The texture is thick but it worked for me. The gripping tannins came on at the finish. They definitely achieved ripeness of the fruit but kept all the animal elements. Longish finish. (90 pts.)
2004 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Santenay 1er Cru Passetemps - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru (5/26/2008)
Winex had this on close out for $15 ... One of the very few (maybe the only) 04 they picked up. The nose was slightly green and stemmy. Nice, just not that interesting. There is a good amount of fruit and the ripeness is decent. Really enjoyable from the front to the middle but the finish was short and a little drying. I think a few more years might sort out the finish but I doubt this will ever be overly complex. I'll probably pick up some more. Considering the price and food friendliness of the wine, this is a fine deal. (87 pts.)
Jason