WTN: Cuilleron, Vissoux, Aupilhac, Farnetella, etc.

I am making an effort to clear out wines from the mid-90s where I suspect that they are close to their “drink up” dates. The results are variable; no disasters here but some cases of mild disappointment. At the same time, where the food requires it, I am opening young bottles. Here is a sample of bottles opened in the last ten days or so.

Rioja Viña Amezola Crianza 1996 – Bodegas Amezola de la Mora – Alc. 12.5%
This is a strange wine not without a certain elegance which is flawed by quite marked acidity which blended badly with vanilla notes and by a lightness of body which was inadequate to stand up to a lamb stew. I suspect a touch of VA here which is illustrated by Germaine’s descriptor “cherry vinegar”; she did not take a second glass but I was able to find some interest here; 14.5/20.

This is the second wine from this bodega where I have suspected VA. I don’t think that Gert imports them any more.

Saint-Joseph AOC “Les Pierres Sèches” 1998 – Yves Cuilleron – Alc. 12.5% - is unmistakable Northern Rhône Syrah with its sour cherry aromas, marked acidity and slightly metallic build up towards the finish. Medium weight with attractive elegance but a bit simple and unbalanced towards acidity indicated by its seeming more tart as the bottle progressed. I don’t remember this impression from earlier bottles so I guess that I left this one a bit too long; 15/20.

Crozes-Hermitage AOC “Tête de Cuvée” 1998 – B. Chave – Alc. 12.5% - is similar though bigger and fuller but unfortunately marked by more astringent acidity and I suspect by some VA. Again I could enjoy this but Germaine did not finish her glass. Have other people had acidity problems with 1998s from Northern Rhône or have I been unlucky with these two? 14.5/20.

Coteaux du Languedoc AOC Montpeyroux 1998 – Domaine d’Aupilhac – Alc. 13% - is made from the usual regional cocktail of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan, it has well repaid its ageing and really sings. Deep colour and body and harmonious with mature dark fruit, secondary aromas of tar and garrigue and good length; 16.5/20.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC 2004 – Masciarelli – Alc. 13% is an excellent basic cuvée and has, I think, deepened and complexified its already attractive dark fruit and grip. My last bottle, alas; 15.5/20 ++.

Chianti Colli Senesi DOC 2005 – Castello di Farnetella – Alc. 13% is, year in year out, a dependably gutsy and tasty basic Chianti which can take some age. This one has the usual dark fruit with cherry notes and tang but less firm structure and more suppleness than in most vintages; 15.5/20 +.

I have considered my bottles of Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso – Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC v.q.p.r.d. (what does this signify?) – 2003 – Rubini – Alc. 12.5% one of my less satisfactory purchases because unbalanced by caramel oakiness. This last bottle is beginning to integrate though the remaining vanilla and smoke notes are still somewhat disjointed against the emerging attractively original aromas and sour, tangy fruit; 14/20 but maybe on the way up.

Fleurie AOC “Les Garants” 2006 – Pierre-Marie Chermette – Domaine du Vissoux – Alc. 13% is absolutely delicious with bright fruit, prune hints, fine minerality, medium body and good length; I sense that it is still holding something back; 16/20.

Ladoix AOC “Les Nagets” 2003 – Domaine Maratray-Dubreuil – Alc 13% is an excellent effort for a difficult year showing attractive full and bright fruit, good body, metallic hints towards the finish but none of the candied notes which disfigure many 2003s. Not particularly Burgundian but a good drink; 15.5/20.

(Here is a note on my scoring system –
20/20 = Perfection, perhaps a handful in a lifetime
19 & 19.5/20 = Great wine, perhaps a handful in a decade.
18 & 18.5/20 = Exceptionally fine, lucky if a handful in one year.
17 & 17.5/20 = Really excellent.
16 & 16.5/20 = Very good; happy to offer these to friends.
15 & 15.5/20 = Good wines which we are happy to drink and would buy at < € 18, say.
14 & 14.5/20 = Worth drinking and buying at < € 6, say.
13 & 13.5/20 = Boring wines but drinkable at cafés and restaurants if nothing else.
12 & 12.5/20 = Worse than boring and barely drinkable.
< 12/20 = Don’t bother.
Wines from my own cellar tend to cluster around the 15s and 16s.)

[David M. Bueker]

Tim,

I've had more than a few '98s in recent months, and I think '98 might have been quite a lot more acidic than we originally thought out of the gate. Even some Guigal bottlings have seemed rather acidic, and they are usually smoothed over for mass-market appeal.

Of course I like the wines that way, but YMMV.

is absolutely delicious with bright fruit, prune hints, fine minerality, medium body and good length; I sense that it is still holding something back

I had convinced myself to hide these for a while but now I want to open one up. Although others have echoed that sense of "still holding back".Thanks for the note.

Just curious about the Les Pierres Sèches and oak. Was it overly oaked at first? If so, did it improve with age at all?

Bryan

Thanks for the notes Tim. The most interesting notes are the ones about aged wines that one has aged himself. I like to see the harsh truth of ageing - does it really improve wines or is it glitter in the mist? Certainly patiently waiting for a fine St.Joseph from a heralded vintage to reach the magical 10 years of age only to find that it hasn't just not improved its gotten worse, that will make one rethink the whole cellaring thing, especially with the cost of wine these days.

Please give us more pearls of wisdom.

Just curious about the Les Pierres Sèches and oak. Was it overly oaked at first? If so, did it improve with age at all?

Bryan

Bryan, I seem to recall buying Les Pierres Sèches after a tasting when it was the least oaky in his line-up of 3 Saint-Josephs. I was never troubled by the oak but waited some 5 years from the vintage before opening the first bottle. However according to his website all 3 cuvéees see 18 months of barrique ageing but new or used oak is not specified - http://www.cuilleron.com/indexGB.htm .

Thanks for the notes Tim. The most interesting notes are the ones about aged wines that one has aged himself. I like to see the harsh truth of ageing - does it really improve wines or is it glitter in the mist? Certainly patiently waiting for a fine St.Joseph from a heralded vintage to reach the magical 10 years of age only to find that it hasn't just not improved its gotten worse, that will make one rethink the whole cellaring thing, especially with the cost of wine these days.

Please give us more pearls of wisdom.

Agostino, ageing wine is a lottery.

In some cases, e.g. top Médoc, some Barolo producers in good vintages, one can be fairly confident that it will bring a celestial transformation in the best bottles after 15-20 years but with conventional corks there will always be under-performing bottles in a single batch through ullage, oxidation, etc. as well as TCA.

In other more borderline cases, there can be successes like the Aupilhac in areas like Languedoc where the wines are usually best young and disappointments where 10 years+ ought not to be a problem like my two Northern Rhônes from 1998 and the 1995 Rioja.

That said, my greatest wine experiences have, with one exception, been from well aged bottles, e.g. Ch. Latour 45 and La Tâche 62 in the 80s, a Corton 29 and Huet's Vouvray 47 in year 2000 and so on. The one exception was a celestial 1998 icewine from Dönnhoff tasted in the early 00s in the grower's presence.

So, if you never age wine, you are going to miss most of the potentially greatest wine experiences.

Just curious about the Les Pierres Sèches and oak. Was it overly oaked at first? If so, did it improve with age at all?

Bryan

Bryan, I seem to recall buying Les Pierres Sèches after a tasting when it was the least oaky in his line-up of 3 Saint-Josephs. I was never troubled by the oak but waited some 5 years from the vintage before opening the first bottle. However according to his website all 3 cuvéees see 18 months of barrique ageing but new or used oak is not specified - http://www.cuilleron.com/indexGB.htm .

Tim, newbie question time. I was wondering if acidity is tempered down at all thru time. I know in your case the two n. rhones didn't.

And I'm curious what your scores were on those two wines when drunk 2-3 years ago, or lets say when they were at their peak.

Bryan

Tim, newbie question time. I was wondering if acidity is tempered down at all thru time.

Not usually, since that is what helps the wine age.

However, like tannins, acid can 'integrate' with the rest of the wine over time.

And some wines (some Chablis, some red Burgundy) can fill in with fruit as they age, which may make the perception of acid different.

Tim, newbie question time. I was wondering if acidity is tempered down at all thru time. I know in your case the two n. rhones didn't.

And I'm curious what your scores were on those two wines when drunk 2-3 years ago, or lets say when they were at their peak.

Bryan

Rahsaan has answered the first question about acidity. What probably happened with these two is that the fat and body declined exposing the acidity though the volatility on the Crozes may have increased over time.

I don't have a note of previous bottles of the St. Jo and Crozes but from memory I guess that I would have rated them close to 16/20.

[David M. Bueker]

Again, from the Neal Rosenthal tasting 10 days ago (he's the USA importer of Cuilleron) the "lower level" cuvees of St. Joseph see a majority of older oak.

Again, from the Neal Rosenthal tasting 10 days ago (he's the USA importer of Cuilleron) the "lower level" cuvees of St. Joseph see a majority of older oak.

I was hoping Tim's not would have indicated this in some fashion. Maybe I should pick up an 05 of this bottle and give it a shot and see how it compares to the L'Amarybelle. They are on sale in Vancouver and I can get some in a few weeks.

Bryan

That said, my greatest wine experiences have, with one exception, been from well aged bottles, e.g. Ch. Latour 45 and La Tâche 62 in the 80s, a Corton 29 and Huet's Vouvray 47 in year 2000 and so on. The one exception was a celestial 1998 icewine from Dönnhoff tasted in the early 00s in the grower's presence.

So, if you never age wine, you are going to miss most of the potentially greatest wine experiences.

Good holy bejeesus. Tim, are you proposing I buy a Chateau Latour, say the 2000 (a bargain I'm sure), cellar it patiently, and drink it when I'm approximately 86 yrs old?

I think you must be blessed by divine intervention to come across the wines you mentioned.

Anyways, I've got a good stash of Nebbiolo in the cellar but I'm increasingly wary about its ageing potential, especially Barolo and Barbaresco. The tannins never seem to resolve.

How long would you wait for a bottle of R.Chevillon, Nuits Saint George, Les Vaucrains 1996 red burgundy? I've got only one bottle.

thanks,
Agostino

Good holy bejeesus. Tim, are you proposing I buy a Chateau Latour, say the 2000 (a bargain I'm sure), cellar it patiently, and drink it when I'm approximately 86 yrs old?

I think you must be blessed by divine intervention to come across the wines you mentioned.

Anyways, I've got a good stash of Nebbiolo in the cellar but I'm increasingly wary about its ageing potential, especially Barolo and Barbaresco. The tannins never seem to resolve.

How long would you wait for a bottle of R.Chevillon, Nuits Saint George, Les Vaucrains 1996 red burgundy? I've got only one bottle.

thanks,
Agostino

Agostino, I agree that Château Latour and its peers and DRC are now out of reach for ordinary mortals (my Latour 45 cost £ 2.25 in 1960, then about 4000 Italian Lire!). However similar celestial transformation in kind if not degree can be had from a host of other wines, for example well performing 2ème - 5ème Médocs, good Northern Rhône sites and growers, fine German riesling sites and growers and so on, and I think that it is well worth playing the ageing lottery with these. With my 70th birthday now past, I have stopped buying Bordeaux for laying down but am still taking a chance with wines which promise great drinking pleasure 10 years from now.

As to the Chevillon Vaucrains 96, I wouldn't touch it yet. 96 is a high acid vintage and none of the Burgundy reds which i have opened so far have lived up to their initial hype and I am beginning to wonder if they ever will. This is important to me too, as I have quite a few slumbering in my cellar. I hope that someone reading this can reassure us. On the other hand, I hear encouraging reports that some of the 96 Médocs are beginning to wake up.

As to the 96 highly hyped white Burgundies, many bottles are oxidized.

Again, from the Neal Rosenthal tasting 10 days ago (he's the USA importer of Cuilleron) the "lower level" cuvees of St. Joseph see a majority of older oak.

I was hoping Tim's not would have indicated this in some fashion. Maybe I should pick up an 05 of this bottle and give it a shot and see how it compares to the L'Amarybelle. They are on sale in Vancouver and I can get some in a few weeks.

Bryan

Bryan,

I can only reiterate that oak never bothered me with Les Pierres Sèches and, if it had obtruded on that last bottle, I would have mentioned it. Please let us know your impressions of the 2005.