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HOW TO USE THESE NOTES: Many of my tasting notes take the style of mini-articles and discuss multiple wines. So, rather than bust them up, I've organized them in the order they were written, with the most recent at the top. I realize this is a royal pain for folks simply seeking a recommendation for a good Chardonnay. So if that's what you're after, please make use of the wine-people SEARCH engine. Just click the button below, wait for the search window to pop up, type in the word "Chardonnay" (for example) -- and follow the instructions on the results screen. If you're using Internet Explorer, you can also search any individual screen -- like this one -- by hitting "Ctrl-F", typing in your search word and pressing "Enter." BAROLO vs. CALIFORNIA CAB (August 27, 1999) Let me be blunt: I’m not crazy about Barolo. I don’t care that it’s "food-friendly" -- I’d rather have flavor. Most days I’d far rather have a good California Cab. But these are interesting times. Barolo is getting much better -- to my taste, anyway -- meaning that it’s often fruitier, less tannic and better balanced overall. Plus, even mediocre California Cabs are getting overly expensive. So I can’t say I was shocked when I lunched today with a fellow wine-wonk and we assessed the following wines: Classic nose of tar and roses. Very full and fruity on the palate, with a bit of tannin on the finish. Wonderfully satisfying and surprisingly approachable. If you’re tannin-averse, you may want to cellar this for another year or so. Otherwise, go for it. (NOTE: The 1995 is even better, but the price went up nearly 50%. Sigh.) 1995 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon "Howell Mountain." Essentially the same price as the Barolo at around $40 a bottle. Nice cherry-vanilla flavors and well-balanced, but there’s no intensity here, and the finish is watery and short. Winemaker Greg Scotland has made some terrific stuff in the past -- I have fond memories of the 1993 Tay -- and Howell Mountain is home to some of Napa Valley’s better grapes. But today we could have done better with a $10.99 1997 Terra Rosa (made from Argentine grapes). Was I disappointed? Very. Surprised? Sadly no. This kind of price/value experience is getting distressingly common, and not just among California Cabs. Weirdly, the best buy of the day came from -- are you ready for this? -- Burgundy! I really liked:
ARE THE ‘88s READY? (August 8, 1999) I think so, but you may not. This year I’ve been tasting a fair share of 1988 Bordeaux and generally enjoying them a lot. Tonight we uncorked a couple more and they played sweet music to me, but others complained that the tannins were still in the forefront. The whites tonight were kind of disappointing. Best of the lot was... . Not bad for an old guy! Plenty of diesel fumes on the nose, with moderate pineapple on the plate, joined by hint of parchment. Slippery texture adds to the pleasure. I’m not bowled over, but it’s WHITE OF THE EVENING. 1988 Chave Hermitage (Blanc) makes a promising start, but then runs out of gas. Right out of the bottle, you taste apples and nuts -- and smile at the finish. You hope things will improve with air. Not to be. Acid pokes through, but no more fruit. And 1996 Ramey Chardonnay has not improved since release. Back in January, this was tight, focused and impressive -- showing little oak and lots of apricot. Now the fruit seems to have thinned out and the oak is about all that’s left. Drink up. Happily, the reds gave us a lot more to cheer about: is as good as it’s going to get. Maybe it was better a year or two ago, but no complaints. First you get a big hit of Bordelaise tar and tobacco, then dollops of currant. Oxidized, ashy flavors emerge with airing, so I wouldn’t hold this wine much longer, but right now it’s giving a lot of pleasure. I brought the **1988 Certan De May and once again Johnson’s Law operates. I prefer it to the 1985. Yes, it does need more swirling and airing, but the result rings my bell loud and clear. The flavors are similar, but there’s no oxidation -- and there’s simply more of everything. Others comment on tannin, but I can’t say I sense much at all. This is there. Goes beautifully with my baby lamb. Predictably bigger is the **1988 Leoville Las Cases. Unlike the 1988 Certan, this wine could use some more time in the cellar. There’s a winge of tannin on the finish. Even tastes a little green back there. But frankly, I don’t care, since there's so much else going on. Winding up the evening, we opened up: . Nuts galore -- filbert, pistachio and marzipan flavors, plus lots of orange peel and pineapple. My one complaint would be that the acidity is a little too strong for the sugar-level. But let’s not quibble. This is one delicious sweety, and a beautiful match to my chocolate-pistachio pyramid. **1992 Muller Catoir Eselshaut Riesling. Softer, much sweeter and beautifully complex, this is more my style of dessert wine. FORWARD AND BACKWARD. (August 10, 1999) Some wines seem always to be ready, willing and gushing with fruit -- while others never, ever surrender without a lot of persuasion. Tonight we had both. The evening commenced with two very unreluctant whites:
Then we matched up:
DEEP VELVET. (August 4, 1999) If you like your Pinot Noir dainty and polite -- some other time. Tonight we listened to Louis Jordan tunes, chomped some sensational eats and indulged in the sensual depths that the grape can provide when it's treated right. First a flurry of warm-up whites:
Then came the reds. They were served blind, but obviously all Pinot Noir: . Very dark -- no help, because they’re all very dark. Very spicy nose. Spicy cherries on the palate. A young, vibrant wine that needs a little coaxing to blossom. Yup, here it comes. BIG! Reminds me of a 1987 Calera when those wines were young. I’ll guess California and a great one. Yes, it’s **+1995 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Pinot #2 is similar in character to #1, without the allspice. Deep, deep raspberry nose and a very velvety texture. This is the most fruit-driven wine of the evening. Doesn’t quite have the complexity of Pinot #1 but it makes up for it in sheer concentration. Pure, sweet essence of raspberry Chambord. I guess California again and it’s not a tough call. Turns out to be **1995 Flowers Pinot Noir Camp Meeting Ridge. Pinot #3 is big too, but different. Pure cherries on the nose, a big dollop of mineral on the palate and some tannin on the finish. Love it! may not have quite the extraction of #1 and #2, but it’s loaded all the same and has even more interest and finesse. Having contributed to the evening I know at least one of these guys is Burgundy and this has to be it. Yes, it’s ***1993 Arlaud Clos St. Denis and gets my vote for wine of the evening. We wound up with another mystery wine that surprised the socks off me... . It’s pretty dark! Lots of petrol aromas. Mouth-drenching flavors and sweet, but very well balanced. I guess it must be German Riesling -- probably a BA. But it’s **1983 Joseph Phelps Johannesburg Riesling! 23% residual sugar and still kicking after all these years! THE BIG, THE HUGE, AND THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP. (July 30, 1999) "So," we asked ourselves... "...what to drink with South American barbecue?" Answer: what a great excuse to open some great big Zins! First, though, we uncorked a couple of well-matched whites:
Then it was on to the large guys:
NOT QUITE WHITE ZIN. (July 28, 1999) Maybe you’ve been told that White Zin is the most uncool wine you possibly ask for. Fine. But think about this: When hot weather hits, true rosé wines can be incredibly refreshing. And, uh, cool. And Zinfandel, when you think about it, is ideally suited for rosé winemaking. When grown correctly, it’s got lots of fruit -- and even when picked very ripe, it offers plenty of acidity. If they grew it in the South of France and made rosé from it, snobs would swoon for it. So how come we all dump on White Zin? Isn’t it possible that, with a little tender loving care, someone could turn this ugly ducking into something attractive and elegant? Well, what do you know. Someone just did. I have to admit that I harbored great deal of skepticism when I uncorked my first 1998 Pedroncelli Sonoma County Zinfandel Rosé. But, as we sat out on the patio, we found ourselves saying, "Hey, this is pretty good!" As the name suggests, it’s darker than your textbook White Zin. Sort of a deep, lurid pink. It offers up a lot of ripe cherry flavors, with enough acidity to balance the slight residual sugar. Bears up quite cheerfully to chilling too -- a necessity if you’re going to drink it outdoors on an 85 degree evening. Do yourself a favor. Pretend it’s not Zin and give it a quaff this summer. At about $11, you won’t be risking much. 97 CHIANTI? GO FOR IT! (July 19, 1999) So far, I’ve been very impressed with the ‘97s from Tuscany and 1997 Terre di Corzano Chianti is no exception. It’s a purple shade of ruby and bulges with black cherry stuffing. My only criticism is the acid and tannin -- the fruit is so delicious now that it seems a shame to cellar it. Personally I would have preferred it a little softer. MUMM’S THE WORD. (July 17, 1999) I’m often underwhelmed by their regular NV Champagne, but *+Mumm de Cramant Grand Cru Brut is a winner! The kiwi and melon scents really seduced me on this sultry evening. Adequate cut, light bubbles and a lot of substance on the palate. Finishes just a little bit shorter than I would have liked, but I’ll take it! CHARDONNAY THAT’S JUST OKAY. (July 16, 1999) I sort of liked 1997 Domaine Saint Hilaire Chardonnay. It’s a straight-down-the-middle French Chard with not a lot of oak. Good, citrussy fruit with an odd squirt of lime on the finish. However, even at $12.49 I can’t persuade myself to buy more. Phylis hates it and it’s not better than the divine 1997 Valette Macon-Chaintres Jeunes Vignes. The latter still rules! MERLOT ON THE EDGE. (July 10, 1999) Bergerac is the buzzword these days for politically correct Merlot. But tonight I tried one from beyond the fringe -- the Cotes de Bergerac. 1997 Chateau Haut Bernasse is a rich, thick, dark concoction. Aromas of damp earth and cassis had me guessing whether I liked it or not, but eventually I found myself warming to the flavors. As the wine airs, you can taste some pepper, cocoa powder and... Well, here’s the rub. There’s no new oak. None I could taste. But is that good? Yes, I know, you shouldn’t overwhelm a modest wine with sawdust flavors. But this wine has real stuffing and could have handled a new barrel or two. And here’s another thing. You can taste old oak. And it’s not a great flavor. At $10.49, this is a good, plain, honest wine. But frankly, I would have enjoyed a little tarting up. COOL QUAFFERS. (July 5, 1999) How’s your weather? Out here it’s 100 degrees and counting. Okay with you if we talk about hot-weather wines? Seems to me the ideal summer quaffer should be:
All this in mind, I tried out three this weekend. One flunked, one passed, and one’s a buy:
THREE CHEERS FOR...BURGUNDY? (July 2, 1999) Pant, pant, pant. Drip, drip, drip. This weekend, the cradle of liberty has been cruelly hot. Thank heaven for air-conditioned restaurants. Tonight we dined a few blocks from Independence Hall -- at Philly’s excellent eatery Overtures, where they served me up a mouth-watering meal of crab cake and venison. Curiously, our wine theme was French, but we did enjoy one sensational entry from America. Here’s what I sipped in between long drinks of water: WHITES:
REDS:
OREGON DIDN'T EXACTLY SHINE in the 1996 vintage, but star producer Ken Wright seemingly did nothing wrong. (July 2, 1999) His *+1996 Ken Wright Canary Hill Pinot Noir is a tight, focused triumph for the vintage that actually seems to need another year or two of collaring. Cranberry and raspberry scents promise a classy, Burgundy-style performance when the wine hits full maturity. Right now, the acid and tannin levels make it taste a little restrained, but decanting and red meat fix that pretty well. PRIDE'S GOT A RIGHT to be proud these days. (July 2, 1999) Seems like every time I taste a new release from this Napa Valley winery, it's another lip-smacker. And their **1997 Pride Merlot hits the bullseye again. It's deep dark, with a mocha-berry nose and lots of sweet fruit on the palate. Tannins show themselves but they aren't as intrusive as in previous years -- and I think it's because there's just so much stuffing, the structure simply sinks into the background. Tain't cheap at $28.99, but I'd consider buying a couple to drink over the next 5 years. BLINDED ON THE RIGHT. (July 1, 1999) So you think you can taste the difference between White Corton and Monterey Chard? Or Pomerol and Sonoma reds? Or even Cab and Merlot? Sure, so do I. In fact, I know I can. The problem is proving it. Saturday night, we gathered for a blind tasting of White Burgundy and 1989-1990 Right Bank Bordeaux. And if you like to huff and puff about terroir and typicity -- well good for you, but you should have been there. Here's what we tasted: APERITIF, served with pate de fois gras and cheese:
FLIGHT I (WHITES), served with smoked salmon and whole-grain bread:
FLIGHT II (REDS), served with grilled tuna:
FLIGHT II (REDS), served with beef kabobs:
DESSERT WINE, served with a Normandy apple tart:
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