WTN: Four This Weekend...(short/boring)

Tried a few over the weekend:
1. TajCllrs Syrah LosCarneros (14.6%; http://www.TajCellars.com) 2006: Very dark color; straightforward blackberry/licorice/Syrah slight earthy bit toasty/oak nose; tart/lean rather hard/tannic some blackberry/Syrah bit toasty/oak flavor; med. rather hard/tannic some licorice/blackberry/Syrah light toasty/oak finish; a rather 4-square/blocky/clunky Syrah that doesn't speak much of Carneros Syrah; bit pricey at $28.00
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2. Cline CoolClimate Syrah LazyCRanch/SonomaCoast (14.0%) 2006: Very dark color; very peppery/cold climate/Syrah/spicy rather strong blackberry/Syrah fragrant nose; tart classic cold-climate/Syrah/cracked black pepper strong blackberry/spicy/Syrah bit tannic flavor; long bit tannic classic cracked-black-pepper/cold-climate/Syrah blackberry finish; can use a yr or two; screaming deal at $18.00
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3. LazyCreekVnyd PinotNoir AndesonVlly/Mendocino (EB; 13%) 1994: Med.dark color w/ slight bricking; attractive light earthy/black cherry/Pinot light toasty/smokey/oak pleasant nose w/ little complexity; soft smooth/elegant/gentle light toasty/smokey/oak slight black cherry/Pinot/cherry cola flavor; short gentle/elegant/smooth/soft light smokey/oak very light black cherry/cola/Pinot finish w/ no tannins; a pleasant/senile/gentle whisp of a wine.
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4. AnnaMariaAbbona Sori dij But DOC: Dolcetto di Dogliani (http://www.AnnaMariaAbbona.It; 13.5%; http://www.OMWines.com; micro-oxygenation) 2007: Very dark/purple color; rather pungent/Utter's out house/slight funky strong plummy/licorice/grapey/black cherry/earthy interesting classic Dolcetto nose; tart rich/lush strong plummy/black cherry/licorice slight earthy classic Dolcetto flavor; long licorice/plummy/black cherry/grapey finish w/ soft/plush tannins; classic Dolcetto in character w/o that hard/acid/tannic nip to the palate. Great price at $13.60
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Taj: This was a new wnry for me that just showed up in NewMexico. The guy at the wine shop was proud that he'd bought NM's entire supply of this wine. I guess it's nothing to celebrate, though.
It comes from Carneros, but it didn't speak much of Hudson or LasMadres vnyds, two of Calif's great Syrah vnyds. The WebSite doesn't identify the vnyd. I thought the wine was rather undistinguished and didn't speak much of cool-climate/Carneros Syrah. It was rather tough/tannic on the palate and may develop some, but I'm not inclined to invest in a btl to try.
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2. Cline: This is, by far, the best wine Cline makes in their portfolio. It blows away their Carneros and Calif Syrahs, both rather boring to my palate. It shouts of cold-climate Syrah. It comes from their PetalumaGap property. It's not quite up to the level of their '05 version, not quite as intense and structured, but still mighty fine juice.
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3. LazyCreek: This old Pinot was a strange one. It was not showing any obvious signs of old age or oxidation, yet there was almost nothing there. It just whispered in your ear "Pinot" and sorta just flitted across your palate w/ hardly any impact. It just didn't have much to say...sorta fading quietly into oblivion w/o a whimper. Just a little boring and a bit too quiet.
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4. Dolcetto: This is an OliverMcCrum selection and a mighty fine, if atypical, Dolcetto it is. Over the yrs, I find I tend to like the Dolcettos from Dogliani more than the other Piedmonte Dolcettos. They tend to be a bit softer & rounder on the palate, a bit more earthy, and not the somewhat tannic bite that the others show. According to the label, micro-bullage was used to tame the tannins on this wine and it gives it a rounder/softer mouthfeel; maybe slightly on the soupy side that you get in RandallGrahm's reds; another micro-ox proponent.
Tom

Oliver might disagree, but I think the micro-bullage was probably used to ameliorate reduction, which is a frequent problem that plagues Dolcetto in Piemonte. Also, Dogliani is regarded, I believe, as a special place for Dolcetto, an especially good terroir better suited to Dolcetto than to Nebbiolo (or Barbera).

Tom
Thanks for posting on the Cline Syrah - I picked up a bottle of Cline cool climate Sonoma Syrah 2005 (purple label - from these guys http://www.jnwine.com - if you search for Cline it will show a picture of the label. It mentions Petaluma gap, so it sounds the same. £8.39 I paid in the sale (but factor in another £1 for the shipping cost). No connections etc.

I'm hoping to fit it into this month for the wine focus - presumably the wine is ready (and raring) to go?

regards

Ian

[Robin Garr]

I'm hoping to fit it into this month for the wine focus - presumably the wine is ready (and raring) to go?

I posted on the 2004 Cline Cool Climate in Wine Focus, Ian, with notes not entirely dissimilar to Tom's. It struck me as a wine that could hold for a bit but did not require aging. It's one of the TNs featured beneath the "Syrah Mythology" article,
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=22347

Ta for this - been offline for about a week thanks to our offshored ISP .... hence no acknowledgement

Oh dear... I'm somewhat uncomfortable about posting this. I've not toned my thoughts down - they're somewhat raw. I'm distinctly worried that I appear to have taken a much more critical view than Otto on the same wine, whose note on CT challenges my conscience. Yet still I can't bring myself to ease back, or soften the blow. Sorry.

2005 Cline Cellars Syrah Cool Climate Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (5/16/2009)
Unsurprisingly deep purple colour with no ageing showing at the rim

The nose is distinctly worrying. A blackberry/vanilla milkshake nose suggests some pretty heavy oaking.

On the palate there's little difference and the vanilla influence is as pervasive as I've tasted in a long time. There's a smoothness to the texture that goes too far towards flabbiness. Though there is acidity, it's fighting a losing battle, as it doesn't integrate with the rest of the wine. In essence it's a vanilla hit, with blackberry supporting and a valiant sortie from the acidity on the finish fails to save the day.

There may be hope in cellaring for 3-5 years, frankly why not.

regards

Ian

Ian, after a couple bottles I have come to the same conclusion. On my first taste I liked the peppery, cool climate aromas of peach stone. But only a couple months ago I opened one of the bottles I bought in my initial excitement, and I didn't enjoy it at all. As you said, it was flabby and more oaky than I thought (I thought oak was supposed to recede with time?). Perhaps most damning of all was that I found it less vibrant and lively than before. I obviously should have posted a note on this bottle also, especially since it was so different to my initial impression. Or perhaps I should immediately discount all wines that I find "in-my-face", even when they superficially have scents to my taste?

So is this a wine that shouldn't be aged at all? Or did I just have a strange first bottle? Whatever it was, I am sorry that I didn't also write my more negative impressions in time!

-Otto

Otto
Many thanks for that - and like you I do expect oak to recede over time, but perhaps (at least initially) the fruit is receding quicker?
I feel rotten writing such a negative note.

regards
Ian

Otto
Many thanks for that - and like you I do expect oak to recede over time, but perhaps (at least initially) the fruit is receding quicker?
I feel rotten writing such a negative note.
regards
Ian

Not really, though. It's OK to to not agree on a wine. We all have different perceptions, sometimes drastically so, of the exact same wine.
I really liked the '05 CoolClimate when it was released, which was over 2 yrs ago when I first had it. Pretty sure I've not had it since then, though. It could very well be that the wine is evolving in a poor way and not how I expected.
One of the reasons I particularly like the wine 2 yrs ago was that it had the peppery/cold climate character and way/way more
interesting than all the other Cline wines of late, which I've found to be rather underwheling and underperforming w.r.t. what they were making ten yrs ago.
The '07 (unreleased I believe), which I had about 2 months ago, was much in the same mold of the '05, on release. Maybe even a bit better. I don't think I've found any of them the be particularly underacid. Maybe w/ a fair amount of smokey oak, though. I see know reason it won't age well, but who the heck's to know unless we do it.
So...Ian....don't lose any sleep over disagreeing with us. It really is OK!!!
Tom

Tom
Ta for that - indeed it's not just disagreement (which to be honest with good folks like Otto, Robin and yourself is never going to cause offence) , but I just don't feel that comfortable writing such harsh words on a wine. Indeed I felt bad after that for kind of putting Otto on the spot I'll just trail off in a pool of guilt if that's ok...!

FWIW I can see what you mean about the fruit - to be fair it didn't seem bad fruit, but I did think it had been mugged and left for dead by the vanillan oak (which for me gave the wine it's flabbiness, despite there being decent enough measure of acidity).

I stoppered the bottle with half to 2/3 remaining and will probably try again tonight or tomorrow.

regards

Ian