TN: Recent tastes

[Florida Jim]

2002 Overnoy, Poulsard Arbois-Pupillin:

Pale salmon/orange color; smells of pomegranate and forest floor – but somehow more than that; light-weight, spicy, vinous juice that is a party of flavors in the mouth – most of them difficult to isolate or describe, intense, racy and long. Not as fresh as my last bottle but still head and shoulders more intriguing than 90% of what’s out there.

2005 Vissoux, Fleurie Poncie:

Has shed its succulent baby fat and is becoming more typical of Fleurie; fine grained aromatics; juicy, textural and concentrated in the mouth with some structure showing, and still pretty long. I drank a lot of this on release – it was such a boisterous, voluptuous wine. But what is below all that is on another plane of deliciousness and its just starting to show. Drink or hold.

2005 Tribut, Chablis Côte de Lechét:

A curious bottle – somewhat closed on the nose but open in the mouth with lip-smacking fresh lemon-custard flavors, a hint of salt and some lovely floral tones; medium length. Probably needed decanting or a couple more years in the cellar. Good wine.

2006 Talley, Pinot Noir San Luis Obispo:

When opened, crunchy and interesting; by the time we had gone through this 375 ml, sugary, soft and forgettable. Not much there.

1999 Bruno Clavelier, Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts:

A great terroir, a fine vintage and a winemaker with skills – ruined by poor sanitation; a brett bomb. There is a very nice wine underneath all that horse-blanket but I can’t get to it, won’t try and now I question whether the rest of my bottles are similarly infected. Unacceptable behavior with an avoidable problem. Shameful!

Best, Jim