Wine tour

[Florida Jim]

2001 Maximin Grünhäuser, Riesling Kabinett Abtsberg:

Nose of honey-coated pineapple, fresh Rainier cherries and nutmeg; the same flavors on the palate which gains weight with air but never loses its bright, nearly edgy acidity; medium length. A.P. # 3 536 014-13-02, 7.5% alcohol and lovely. Served with assorted light cheeses as a first course. About $18.

2003 Scrubby Rise, Chardonnay Wirra Wirra Vineyards:

13.5% alcohol, it does not see any wood, only 15% of the wine goes through malolactic, under screw cap; clean, restrained but clear chardonnay fruit on the nose with Chablis-esque fruit and stone on the palate and good cut, decent concentration and intensity, nice balance; medium finish. Delicious chardonnay that can’t even spell t-r-e-e and honestly tastes like its variety. $9, Wilson-Daniels imports, and, I’m going back for a case tomorrow. Stood up to grilled tuna.

1991 Caymus, Cabernet Sauvignon:

Yes, there’s too much wood here and that element oscillates back and forth between dill and graham cracker, but the fruit underlying can not be denied; its structure is fully resolved, smoothly textured and it tastes complex and delicious – what an immense pleasure this wine was, despite the wood treatment. I wonder what it could have been with a more restrained barrel program; likely, awesome – even now it’s damn good. Essence of cassis throughout. And in those days, the price was within reason. Fine with cheese.

2003 Colonnara, Verdicchio dei Castellie di Jesi Lyricus:

An instance where stemware makes a difference; I enjoyed this out of smaller stems previously and today, out of Vinum syrah stems – out of syrah stems, it rocked!

Alluringly complex nose of smoky flint, sweet resin, pear and freshly cut grass; on the palate it is layers of pear, sour apple, fresh herbs and bitter almond that are smoothly textured but bright, concentrated, intense, complex and perfectly balanced; long, bitter almond finish with a hint of black pepper. (Somewhat reminds me of greco di Tufo but this is more intricate and precise). I should say that none of the “sour” or “bitter” descriptors used above are indicative of the wine as a whole, rather they are elements in the otherwise ripe fruit nose and palate. Thus, the overall affect is complexity not displeasure. 12.5% alcohol, imported by Winebow, and refreshing. I got several cases at $4/bottle, which is a pretty good deal. But even at three times the price, this is real wine and ready now. Superb with turkey sandwiches.

Best, Jim