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WTN: Recent bottles

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John S

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WTN: Recent bottles

by John S » Sun Jan 21, 2018 10:06 pm

Here's a partial list of bottles I've pulled from my cellar lately. After drinking so many whites in the summer and fall, I've started the seasonal transition to reds for the winter.

  • 2004 Château de Saint-Cosme Gigondas Valbelle - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (2018-01-21)
    Several people on CT had suggested this was on the downslide. This bottle was vibrant, still quite youthful, especially with the healthy tannins, and with secondary flavours only just beginning to appear. This was a full bodied, well structured wine, with ample earthy cherry, game, spices and leather notes and a long finish. It still has lots of life left I think. (A-/A)
  • 2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines - Portugal, Douro (2018-01-18)
    Drank over two nights. This reflected the vintage a bit too much for me. The fruit was rather overripe for my tastes, and the wine was a little too monolithic and pedestrian. That said, it was well structured and not completely overdone. I thought it was better as a younger wine, though again perhaps that's the hot vintage talking. (B+)
  • 2010 Romain Duvernay Vacqueyras - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vacqueyras (2018-01-17)
    This is a powerful, well structured Vacqueyras, with all the requisite garrigue, plum, earthy cherry and spicy notes you'd expect from this appellation. No rush to drink this given the power and tannins that still remain, but this is drinking nicely now. (B+/A-)
  • 2009 Cantina di Santadi Shardana Valli di Porto Pino IGT - Italy, Sardinia, Valli di Porto Pino IGT (2018-01-11)
    I enjoyed this wine again last week. It's a big, deep. rich wine, no doubt, but not over the top or hot at all. There are a blend of black and blue fruit, some slight leather and game notes, a great velvety texture and a long finish. This still could be cellared longer, but it's certainly drinking well now. (A-)
  • 2006 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (2018-01-01)
    Still very dark purple in colour with only a tiny bit of bricking. A powerful nose of blackfruits, mint and oak notes. The palate is still powerful as well, medium to full bodied, with similar flavours as the noise on show. A bold, exuberant wine, as Majella cabs normally are. But they do settle down a little with some age, as this one has, although it's still a big wine with some overt oak notes remaining. But the fruit, tannins, acid and oak are pretty well balanced, and this should last quite a while yet. (B+/A-)
  • 2015 Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (2017-12-29)
    Hazy notes from a couple of days ago. My main memory is the wonderful, floral nose: a mix of red fruits and sweet flowers. The palate was medium bodied, with more red fruits and some herbal notes. Great QPR here, a fresh, clean Loire cab franc for very little money. (B+)
  • 2010 Vinyes del Terrer (Joan Morell) Tarragona NUS del Terrer - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona (2017-12-24)
    This was a deep, big, ripe, concentrated wine with solid tannins that managed to stay out of over the top territory. The cabernet is the dominant grape at the moment, with lots of blackfruit flavours with a touch of minerality. Not showing much complexity now, I'll wait on my other two bottles for several years. (B+/A-)
  • 2011 Pratesi Carmignano - Italy, Tuscany, Carmignano (2017-11-27)
    Very dark in colour, with a nice, powerful nose of blackfruits, a herbal note, dark chocolate and tobacco (very cab-like nose). It is a concentrated, powerful, full bodied palate, with flavours echoing the nose and healthy tannins at the long finish.Very youthful still, but certainly drinkable now and best with food. It stood up easily to a strong puttenesca sauce. (A-)
  • 2004 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (2017-11-23)
    This was drinking extremely well last night. A beautiful nose of leather and earthy red fruits started things off. There was great balance to this traditional styled CDP, and rather elegant, medium bodied flavours of plums, cherries, earth, leather and iron.This is great now, but there's no rush. (A)
  • 2004 Domaine Brusset Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (2017-11-23)
    Hazy notes from last night. At first, the wine was a little tame if tasty, but after a couple of hours it turned into a savage, gamy, earthy wonder that I like to see in a Gigondas. Powerful, concentrated and very gamy, this has the rustic nature that Gigondas can provide. (A-/A)
  • 2013 Domaine Gentile Patrimonio - France, Corsica, Patrimonio (2017-11-17)
    Had this a few days ago: brought it back from the winery. It had a beautiful floral nose, and a mix of red and black fruit, but was more tannic and closed than I remembered. Wait on these if you have any, I think (B+).
  • 2004 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2017-11-13)
    Didn't take notes, but I really enjoyed this last night. A beautiful nose and flavours including mango, pineapple and lime. There a nice lift on this sweet wine via the healthy acidity. Lovely now, but will last many years yet. Sorry it's the last bottle, as of course it was the best! (A-)
  • 2004 Jos. Christoffel Jr. (Christoffel-Prüm) Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (2017-11-12)
    Hazy notes from last night, but this was drinking well now. Starting to meld into a complete wine, with the mainly stonefruit and some tropical fruit flavours making a very tasty medium to full bodied, fairly sweet wine. A little more acid would improve the wine, but there is no rush to drink this. (B+/A-)
  • NV Michel Loriot Champagne Brut Authentic Meunier - France, Champagne (2017-09-29)
    Hazy notes from two nights ago. This was an interesting, impressive champagne. All Pinot Meunier, this starts off somewhat lean but really comes into its own with a little air and higher temperature, when it seems much fuller bodied and rich. Red berry flavours and toasty notes are what I remember. I bought more to give them some more age, if I can keep my hands off them (06/2014 disgorgement). (A-)
  • 2010 Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (2017-09-13)
    Didn't take notes last night, but this was an impressive wine. Deep, rich blackfruits, a hint of supporting oak, some ripe, smooth tannins to provide a little structure, a velvety texture and both power and elegance were what I remember. Sad it was my only bottle! (A-/A)
  • 2008 Tamarack Cellars Reserve DuBrul Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Rattlesnake Hills (2017-09-13)
    I drank this last night alongside a Abeja Cab 2010. This was a little less impressive than the Abeja, with this wine being a little riper, less structured and with a hint of sweetness that I often find in WA cabs. But it had better complexity, more things going on in the glass, probably due to it being a Bordeaux blend. Solid wine drinking well now. (A-)
  • 2007 Bürgerspital zum hl. Geist Würzburger Stein-harfe Scheurebe Kabinett - Germany, Franken (2017-09-03)
    I found this in a hidden corner of the cellar and thought it would be past its prime, but this held up very well. Classic, crazy scheurebe notes but not too extreme as with the age it had harmonized into a lovely medium bodied, well integrated, off dry wine with mainly citrus and tropical fruit flavours. No immediate rush on this wine, but probably at peak. (B+/A-)
  • 2003 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Auguste Favier - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (2017-08-19)
    Browning on the edges, with almost a port-like nose. This was a sad, stewed wine that reflects the worst of the vintage. No heat on display, which was good, but the fruit was really overripe and amorphous. Overripe plums is the best description I could come up with. The last Southern Rhone 2003 that I have: good riddance to (often but not always) bad rubbish, as they say. I should have drank this on the younger side, as this is not improving over time. (C)
  • 2006 Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mittelrhein (2017-08-08)
    This continues to age really well, much better than anticipated. Drinking very well now, probably at its plateau, with very well integrated stonefruit flavours which melds with the acids left in the wine. It is medium bodied and off dry, but finishes on the dry side that gives a nice yin/yang dimension. Drink up soonish. (B+/A-)
  • 2014 Doran Vineyards Chenin Blanc - South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl, Voor Paardeberg (2017-07-03)
    Didn't take notes, but this was a lovely oaked chenin. The oak is well judged here, allowing the fruit (mainly stonefruits with some tropical fruits) to shine through.Still on the young side, but certainly very nice now. (B+/A-)
  • 2014 Mud House Wines Pinot Noir Estate Claim 431 - New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago (2017-07-03)
    Similar impressions as the last bottle. Great QPR pinot, with everything in balance and nothing out of place. Medium bodied with redfruits (mainly cherry) and a hint of stems and oak.Ready for drinking now, but no rush. (A-)
  • 2004 Celler de Capçanes Montsant Cabrida - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (2017-06-26)
    Glad I waited on this wine. Deeply coloured, and a powerful nose of dark plums, cedar and a hint of mint. Very concentrated on the full bodied, pure palate, with deep redfruits, smoke, cloves and very healthy but ripe tannins; the tannins did dissipate on the second night. But the tannins provided great structure and there was enough acidity to keep things fresh for such a big wine. Definitely a big, hot climate grenache, but not over the top. Impressive. (A-/A)
  • 2002 Château de Chamboureau Savennières Roche aux Moines Chevalier Buhard - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières Roche aux Moines (2017-04-16)
    Still going strong. Golden in colour, with lots of botrytis on the nose, mainly oranges and apricots, tobacco and other stonefruit. It's got a lovely viscous texture, a full bodied, mouth-coating palate with more stonefruits (apricots and nectarine) and an extremely long, long tasty finish. (A-/A)
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Jenise

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Re: WTN: Recent bottles

by Jenise » Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:31 pm

Some interesting stuff you've been drinking lately!

Re the WA stuff: haven't warmed up to Tamarack wines at all. Very modern, crowd-pleaser style, a good step up from 14 Hands to be certain but still catering to the tastes of the grocery-store buyer. Vanilla oak guaranteed. Abeja is definitely in a different league. However, that 2010 Abeja will taste the same in five years as it does today. The wines don't age, don't develop any secondary nuances or profundity. They just get older and then, I guess, they're gone. But nothing interesting happens to reward you for hanging on. They're more interesting when they're young, but $50 drink-now wines aren't my thing.

And you drank an 04 CdP. I love how the 04's are currently drinking.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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David M. Bueker

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Re: WTN: Recent bottles

by David M. Bueker » Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:28 pm

Whole lot of 2004s in there. Any particular reason?
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John S

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Re: WTN: Recent bottles

by John S » Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:16 am

Not really, I kept enjoying them, so just kept opening them for a little while...

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