Redwinger
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2000 Beckmen Grenache, Purisima Mountain
I haven't opened one of these in quite a while, so I decided to see how they are doing. Everything is just fine.
Bright strawberry aromas which carry forward to the palate. Some eathy notes and a nice long pepper and spice finish bolstered by some soft tannins. A bit oak, but it is just part of the overall package and does not dominate at all. I don't recall the price on this, but something under $25 seems familiar.
We liked it a lot
I've not had a lot of wine from this vineyard, but regardless of producer, each bottle I've been fortunate to taste has been a joy to drink.
Best,
Curly
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Just another wine that demonstrates you don't have to spend Big $$$ to find a bottle of wine that delivers quality.
This is the "lowly" QbA from v. Schubert that retails here in Indiana for about $13 IIRC. Initial nose is full of ripe pear aromas that eventually turns control over to the peachy side of the spectrum. There is some sweetness that came across to me as something akin to a Spatlese, but there is just enough acidity to cleanse and refresh the palate. Enjoyable honey notes on the follow.
#9-03
Imported by Valckenberg Int'l, Tulsa
Curly
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These are more impressions (no notes taken so I’m relying upon my increasingly failing memory) than notes on several wines tasted in various venues over the last week or so. None were decanted and most consumed within an hour of the bottle being uncorked.
1998 Constant Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa)
This wine has been retailing for well North of $100 locally and it seems the distributor is offering steep discounts to unload it on any unwary retailer. Unconfirmed word is that it will soon be seen for $60-$75. A small group of the hyper-critical gathered to see what this wine was all about. In a nutshell, it won’t see any Curly $$$ even if the price droppedto $8.99. I realize that 1998 was a tough vintage in Napa for Cab, but this wine exhibited all the hateful qualities to the max. The little fruit that was present was green, under-ripe/stemmy and completely overwhelmed by the oak. Bleh.
1999 Alban Reva Syrah
Still quite reduced, although IIRC significantly less reduced than the last time I tried a bottle of this about 18 months ago. I’m part of the minority who finds a manageable quantity of reduction adds to the complexity and interest level of a wine so YMMV. Tar, blackberries, licorice, iodine and burnt rubber make up the flavor profile was intriguing and kept drawing me back to the bottle for just “one more” small pour. Good now, but I suspect even better in a few years.
1997 Spottswoode Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the nicer Cabs I’ve tasted in a while. Everything seems to be integrating nicely and drinking quite well now. This would be a good choice for a ringer in a Bdx tasting. I liked it a lot.
1998 Le Vieux Donjon CdP
After reading various reports that the 1998 Donjon was awaking from its’ slumber, I decided to try one of these. Unfortunately this bottle had not thrown off the covers from the nap. Quite closed down on the palate with a solid core of acidity hiding what I believe to be enough underlying fruit to bode well for a bright future…just needs a few more years to begin to strut IMO.
1994 Clape Cornas
That is not a typo!! This was a 1994, not a 1993 Clape which has become my calling card at various tastings throughout the Midwest. Very accessible and drinking well right now. Enough funk to let me know this is a Rhone along with rich black fruit. I also noticed the cigar ash/ash tray smoky profile that I associate with this producer. Not as burly as many Cornas, but a joy to drink.
That's it for now.
Curly
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I'm pretty sure this outfit will go bust.
Redwinger
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Totally agree on the 2001 Donhoff Estate. Excellent wine at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, all mine have been consumed.
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There is a big difference in the Parker(90+) and WS (80pts) rating for this wine which I thought was interesting.
I don't pay a lot of attention to most wine critics, but when it comes to Rhone wines my experience has been that WS misses the fairway more often than not. Given the weak $, I can only wish more unfavorable reviews for one of my CdP favorites, so the price stays semi-affordable.
FWIW, I enjoy the Donjon CdP's after 8-10 yers in the cellar. Patience will be rewarded.
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2002 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
Decanted for just over an hour. The 2002 is much more fruit forward than the 2001 and the 1999 editions of Doug’s Zin. The nose is all about red fruit/strawberry/raspberry (dare I say Zinberry?) and this follows on the palate. Initially there is some heat that at least suggests the alcohol might just be a tad higher than the “standard” 13.5% mentioned on the label. However, this heat does seem to diminish over the several hours the wine was consumed. The fruit has a riper quality to it that I don’t recall in the few other Nalle’s I’ve had the pleasure to try. The finish is all-Zinfandel…pepper and spice that seemed to last for a good minute, although I must confess that I did not pull out my official Athen’s Olympic stopwatch to time it. The mid-palate was a bit on the shallow side, however I wouldn’t bet that this won’t fill-in a bit with some additional bottle time.
Overall, the wine was a good match with the brined/grilled Iowa farm raised pork, but it just came across a bit more angular than the previous vintages that I’ve tasted. Ever the optimist, I’m going to purchase at least a couple more and hide them in a corner of the cellar for a few years and see what happens.
Curly
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Shemp,
I'm with you and Florida Jim on that 1991 Saugere C-R. The preliminary chatter on some of the various boards about the Moe Fest prompted me to open one the past weekend. It was excellent and I didn't get any overwhelming influence of the oak that a few others noted. (Arpy reports that this spends 6-8 months on 25% new oak)
Thanks for the update on the Larel Glens in another thread. I have a few bottles from the mid-90's and will take your recommendation to let them sleep for a few years.
Curly
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I've heard a number of favorable reports on Horton wines, although I've not personally tasted/visited.
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2001 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
The nose is a bit reticent at first, but the bright refreshing strawberry/raspberry fruit eventually emerges. Good solid finish with enough spice and pepper to make it interesting. The tannins/acids lead me to believe this is a Zin that will last a few years in the cellar. Excellent balance, and most importantly, this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.
I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events. This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food.
If you like Rocket Fuel© Zin with gobs of extracted, ripe, jammy, fruit with lots of backend/nose-hair searing heat generated by alcohol levels ~16%+, then do yourself a favor and avoid this wine. You will hate it.
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Winger, I am intensely jealous. Although a recent convert to Doug Nalle's Zins, I lust after them as much for what they are as for what they are not, and you describe that perfectly. I can only rue the fact that I haven't followed this one from even close to the beginning, unlike a certain online personality that shall remain nameless here.
Know what / who I mean?
}8^)>
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I follow your drift. Check your PM.
Red
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If all else fails, try findwine@frederickwildman.com.
Wildman is the US Importer for POL, or was the last time I checked, so send them an email with the wines you are looking for and they'll hopefully get back to you.
I tried to do a quick lookup on www.winesearcher.com but drew a blank on the basic version of winesearcher.
Redwinger
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2001 Nalle Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
A case of this recently arrived at Chez ‘Winger in felonious Indiana via the grape juice underground railroad, so I figured it was the perfect match for the menu of grilled chicken to be enjoyed out on the deck on a balmy Saturday evening. What a great call!!
The nose is a bit reticent at first, but the bright refreshing strawberry/raspberry fruit eventually emerges. Good solid finish with enough spice and pepper to make it interesting. The tannins/acids lead me to believe this is a Zin that will last a few years in the cellar. Excellent balance, and most importantly, this is a food-friendly wine which I can’t say very often about the style of Zinfandel that seems to be in vogue lately.
I’ve only had a few small pours of Nalle at a couple of off-line tastings and frankly it always seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the monster wines that seem to show well and dominate these types of events. This is clearly an elegant, perhaps feminine, style that really shows its’ best when savored over the course of a evening with food.
If you like Rocket Fuel© Zin with gobs of extracted, ripe, jammy, fruit with lots of backend/nose-hair searing heat generated by alcohol levels ~16%+, then do yourself a favor and avoid this wine. You will hate it.
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At Chateau Redwinger, we've sipped through a bit of Lots #31-#33 over the past year. Lot 31 was my favorite of those "vintages", but 32 and 33 were quite respectable considering the $10 tarrif. Well, Lot #34 recently arrived and it is definitely not a worthy successor to the previous efforts. Sweet candied fruit, with no acidity or tannic structure whatsoever. OK, I'll say it! It was flabby and cloying. Someone mentioned that if this was communion wine at his church he'd change faiths.
Redwinger
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It's illegal to do that in Ontario, unfortunately. Restaurants can lose their liquor licence if they allow it and get caught.
It is illegal in many jurisdiction in the U.S. as well.
I have read that a few states, and perhaps France as well, are considering legislation to lift this ban in hopes of reducing DUI incidents. The rationale being that the current ban "encourages" patrons to slug the entire bottle and then climb into their auto for the drive home with a higher BAC.
Bill
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Why do so many of these WTN posts seem like classified ads, if not outright advertisements from someone who might be involved in the sale of the wines? I'm suspicious. I'm sure I must be missing something.
Also, why aren't prices included (in many of them)? WTF?
I think there is a tendency to either pull punches or not post at all on wines that don't show well. This results the majority of notes posted here and elsewhere tend to emphasize the positive experiences. Personally I find both positive and negative notes to be useful.
BP
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The appearance of Mitch Tallan in Indianapolis for some bicycle road races was cause for a few of the local winos, sans GoatBoy, to converge upon Casa Redwinger for a bit of wine and fellowship. On to the beverages:
2001 Emmanuel Darnaud, Les Trois Chenes, Crozes-Hermitage
Horse collar, funk that immediately dispels any notion that this offering might be a New World wine. Dark and somewhat brooding at this point in its’ development. Lots of fruit is joined by some smoky bacon components that I tend to favor in my Northern Rhones. I liked this a lot. This is a producer I don’t know a lot about, but will certainly keep an eye out for his future releases.
Imported by Fine Wines, Melrose Park, IL
Rocket Science, Red Table Wine #101
This produced and bottled by Caldwell Vineyards (Napa) with Melka doing the winemaking. A blend of Syrah and Merlot .
Very tight early on and never did seem to open over the course of the evening. Mitch astutely observed that it was disjointed at this point in its’ evolution with the individual varietal components not quite integrated.
1999 Patrick Lesec, “Aurore”, CdP
Extremely light both in color and texture. Some earthy funkiness was going on that reminded me of a Pinot-like CdP. Little discernable fruit to this taster. Quite disappointing. I’ve not had this wine before, so I’m lacking a reference point, but I couldn’t help wondering if there wasn’t some low level TCA going on??
1999 Dasche, Todd Brothers Ranch, Sonoma Zinfandel
Some VA/heat/alcohol on the nose that I hadn’t noticed on previous occasions. This did seem to blow off/diminish over time. Nice rich mouth feel accompanied by ripe blackberry fruit. Long peppered finish. We like this a lot.
1989 Chateau Certan, Pommerol
No doubt about this one….CERTANly corked. Bummer.
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Curly and his palate have drifted away from Australian Shiraz over the last few years, however the two following wines were enough to make me want to have at least a few of these laying around when the situation demands something that gets your attention.
1999 “The Standish” Shiraz, Barossa
Dark extracted color. Lots of rich black fruit framed by mint/eucalyptus/licorice/anise and enough acid and oak to balance the complex package. No need to rush out and drink these up. Plenty of life ahead. Apparently the source of these grapes had historically found their way into Grange. Tasty stuff!
Imported by Epicurean, Seattle
2002 Messena, The 11th Hour Shiraz
Holy shit! This is thick with a viscosity more like toxic sludge than wine. You didn’t pour this from the bottle, it just was some black/purple/ink semi-solid that sort of oozed from the container. Blackberry, cassis, along with blueberry and some gripping tannins on the finish confirm that this monster is still a baby that will need a few years in the cellar to come together. The 11th hour and the Standish were strikingly similar to me, which should not come as a shock since Dan Standish is the winemaker for both.
Another Epicurean Import
2000 Melville, Indigene Clone 115, Pinot Noir
Predominantly dark cherry fruit, cinnamon, floral perfume, spice/clove and a muted earthiness on the nose all transported efficiently to the palate. Medium bodied. Some oak present at the end. A lingering finish that unfortunately also had a touch of heat associated with it. I did like this wine, but it left me wondering if I wouldn’t have enjoyed it even more with an alcohol level closer to 12.5%-13% as opposed to the 14.8% listed on the label.
2000 Loring, Clos Pepe
This is definitely the darker side of the Pinot spectrum when compared to the Mellville. Very extracted to the point it became somewhat ponderous on the palate. The oak which I’ve noticed on previous occasions was still present, but not a major issue at all this time. A well made wine that just failed to hold my interest for very long. However, it is easy to see how this producer has gained a loyal following with those who enjoy this style of Pinot.
1998 Etude, Carneros Pinot Noir
Definitely a different animal from the Melville AND the Loring Pinots. More restrained and refined. Some cherry cola fruit sparred well with the zippity acidity. Quite refreshing late in the evening after a solid dose of fruit driven wines. WOTN for a couple of the tasters. I suspect it is at peak now. If the fruit starts to fade, the acids will ultimately prevail IMO. Real nice wine.
1999 Mr. K. DBS (Dreid Berry Selection) Viognier
A joint venture between Krankl and Kacher to develop/promoted American desert wine. I’m sure this was some pricey stuff, but it left me going ho hum. At least a couple of others around the table seemed to enjoy it a lot more than I did. Again, not hateful, but I expected more. Guess I just prefer a nice higher pradikat Riesling with a bit more acidic backbone.
It was fun!
Redwinger
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a relatively new negociant with an affinity for pinot. i tried the '01 carneros. i think there was a really good wine somewhere in the bottle, but had a lot of trouble finding it through the haze of sugar.
FWIW, I have not tried the Carneros bottling, but most reports I've read, and discussions with a few friends with palates I trust, put the RRV a notch or two above the Carneros.
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2002 Castle Rock RRV Pinot
I've read a bunch of notes (mostly positive) about Castle Rock wines and have been anxious to try one. Unfortunately, I've never seen them at local retail until last week. I hope the retailer still some left when I go back for a case tomorrow, because NJ and I really liked it a lot. It's not often I get to say that about $8-$11 Pinot.
Solid core of red cherry fruit, just enough earthiness on the nose to remind you this is Pinot afterall, a touch of oak that did not intude, and a spicy finish that lingers. A lot to like in this package.
Redwinger
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I don't think this is a discussion about whether it is OK for geo t. to decant wines for as long as he wants - they're his wines and it's his palate so he can put them in a blender if he so chooses. There is no right and wrong when it comes to taste - your own palate is always right for you.
For me I find it interesting that he feels that extended breathing improves a Burgundy and others don't - so I think it is worthwhile to discuss. I don't think anyone is trying to convince him NOT to decant Burgundy. I certainly am not.
Decanting Burgundy is a question that comes up again and again and I think expanded explanations on the subject by someone like geo t. who obviously has an educated palate enlightening, educational and interesting. In a discussion contrary points and questions bring out more information and points to be considered. Debates are not very interesting or educational when everyone is on the same side.
I agree with what you've just said, Craig. However, I think the "debate" ended someplace on page 1. Your position has been well stated that you don't believe in decanting older Burgs based upon your experiences and the experiences of others who have palates you trust. Fine.
The original poster believed the particular wine in question benefitted from some time in the decanter. I also believe he responded adequately to each question posed. It appears to me the debate is ended and everyone is comfortable with their position and I doubt either "side" would be persuaded by any amount of empirical evidence, which fortunately doesn't exist.
Redwinger
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I am a newbie on this site, but have been posting on various wine internet sites for close to 10 years (I usually wind up getting banned for inappropriate behavior, so I'm appreciative of being pointed to sites such as this
). I haven't been hanging out here long enough to get a sense of the personality of this on-line community, but I find myself somewhat bewildered by this thread.I am surprised/stunned that what started out as a favorable tasting note thread on some red Burg has somehow morphed into an almost pedantic discussion of decanting Burgundys. I've never looked upon wine and its' associated trappings, such as decanting, in absolute terms that could be reduced to, or driven, by some formula. If and when that happens, I suspect wine will lose a lot of its' appeal for me.
Heck, if Geo wants to decant it for a week and someone else wants to drink it with a straw, I'm inclined to agree with both positions 100%.
Have a weekend folks.
Redwinger
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No Burgundy needs 8 hours breathing to show off, let alone one that is 14 years old.
Disagree strongly. They can need as much as 24 hours of air before opening up when they're not yet fully mature.
That's insane, a sure fire way to destroy a good wine.
I should correct that, and say that it's one thing to observe how a wine develops over time and another entirely to suggest a wine 'needs' such a long time to breathe.
Scott,
I agree with you 100%. I can vouch that Geo t is quite insane. In fact, it is one of his most endearing qualities.
Redwinger
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I recall having this wine about two years ago and you can put me firmly in the camp of those who think it was darn good. My recollection closely mirrors Georgie's bottle.
But, as I'm sure will happen, Scott will chime in once again that he disagrees.This only will lend further credence to the argument that my palate is shot.
Redwinger
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OK, my first post on this site.
2001 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (NZ)
This Marlborough SB producer is consistently one of my favs from Kiwi-land. It had been awhile since we tried the 2001 and since the first 80 degree weather has visited the heartland, the time seemed right to give it a go while sitting on the deck.
The wine is now a golden color reflecting some sign of its' age. The profile of grapefruit and grass that I recalled in its' younger days is still there, but just in a smaller doses. For the first hour the profile was distinctly melon-ish which I found refreshing. Then suddenly the profile changed to tart green apples with a sour-ish finish that was somewhat annoying to this taster. Still plenty of acidity left, but I'm planning on drinking up my last 2 bottles of this very soon.
Redwinger
WTN: 2000 Beckmen Grenache
in Wine
Posted
I've not tasted the 2001 Beckmen Grenache, but an acquantaince, with a palate I trust, prefers the '01 to the '00 vintage. He also claims it to be drinking nicely now, so if you have multiplke bottles, you just might want to pop the cock on one of them. If you do, please post a note.
Bill