Some TNs

[Redwinger]

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.

**********************************************************************

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