The 2010 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted.

March 11th, 2010

2005 Pieropan, Soave Calvarino:
Initially, very intense and concentrated – reminded me of a young grüner from Knoll or a similar producer – almost too forceful to be enjoyable; but over about an hour it opened and smoothed to become a bright, animated wine full of lemon/honey flavors with nuance and sustain. Certainly showing young but packed with energy and potential. As good a Soave as I have had. 12.5% alcohol. Find this wine

2005 Pepière, Muscadet Clos des Briords:
12% alcohol; this is very fine; smooth but not soft, considerable density while still lively and complex, long and refreshing. Drinks well right now but will obviously age. A terrific wine. Find this wine

2000 Thomas, Pinot Noir:
13% alcohol; just too sulpherous for me. I decanted it and covered it so we’ll try it tomorrow – but honestly, ten years from vintage and sulpher is the over-riding impression? Not working for me.
Day two: balsamic and sour raisins – this was totally shot. Find this wine

1999 Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées:
This is solid and agreeable, albeit foursquare and more black fruit then red. Good, not great, uncomplicated and way over-priced. I have just about had enough of this producer – I hear great things and people say how much they wish she had some grand cru terroir. Baloney. This may be the only wine I’ve had from Barthod that has been open enough to enjoy and this is simple and unremarkable. And the prices being charged these days! – somebody else can pay them – no more of my money is spent at this house. Find this wine

2005 Vissoux, Fleurie Poncié:
Something wonderful, fruit sweet, considerable backbone, smooth, layered and just so juicy and deep – one of those wines that gives definition to the word ‘pleasure.’ I loved this wine on release and even more so now that it has shed some baby-fat and shown its depth. One of the most enjoyable wines in my cellar. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 22nd, 2010

2007 Do Ferreiro, Albariño Cepas Vellas:
13.5% alcohol from 200+ year old, own-rooted vines; white fruit and spice nose, full and appealing; medium bodied but considerable concentration, intense flavors follow the nose, fresh, bright, spicy, balanced and long. Excellent by itself but, with rustic shrimp bisque, off the charts. Find this wine

2006 Silver, Chardonnay:
14.2%, unoaked (all stainless and cement) and made by Mer Soleil; clean, varietally correct and balanced, not a lot of character but some and a medium length finish. Better then expected – so often the unoaked chards. seem hollow – this does not. I understand this is about $23, which seems about right for its quality. Find this wine

2007 T. et P. Matrot, Meursault (375 ml):
13% under screwcap; impressive for its character and individuality as well as its sense of place; probably needs a few years to peak but drinks well now and, no matter what one thinks of the closure, having a Meursault in 375 under screwcap makes this a great country. Find this wine

1999 Juge, Cornas Cuvée SC:
13.5%; Burgundy weight but wonderful syrah intensity with Cornas scents and flavors; black fruit, bright, grippy, smoky, nervous wine that seems barely contained in its structure; from turned earth to grilled fruit to floral tones, the nose alone is worth the price of admission. Along side homemade bean with bacon soup and corn bread, as good a match as there will ever be. Find this wine

2006 E. Prissette, Côteaux de Languedoc:
14% and 50/50 syrah/carignan; smells of cured meat and red fruit (reminds me a little of CdP) but it also has a nice mineral streak in both the nose and palate, very nice balance and a certain elegance. Not especially intense or concentrated but quite drinkable. Find this wine

2004 Giacosa, Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore:
13.5%; much more typical of the grape then a recent 2003; overall impression is a more four-square version of Barbaresco – good aromatics, wonderful texture, slightly rustic and blocky but solid, concentrated and with a considerable finish. I like this far better than the 2003 and it should cellar well. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 18th, 2010

N/V Bellevista, Franciacorta Brut:
12.5% alcohol; steady bead, clean and bright in the mouth with a hint of fruit sweetness and a fairly compact delivery. A pleasant bubbly but overpriced at $42, unless you’re really enamored of this style. Find this wine

1999 Hamacher, Pinot Noir:
While I am a huge fan of wines that impress as being “from their place,” I have no problem with a wine that tastes like it came from Chambolle-Musigny, even if it didn’t. This bottle smelled and tasted like a good vintage of Chambolle-Musigny from Mugnier; feminine, vibrant, harmonious, complex and the perfect balance of tannin, acidity and intense flavors with plenty of red fruit, some dark fruit, a hint of milk chocolate and great purity on the finish. Heavenly today, but no rush to drink. Bordering on profound. 13%. Find this wine

1999 St. Innocent, Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vnyd.:
Big wine and somewhat disjointed; lots of intense fruit but a not so pleasant tartness and a lack of integration and complexity; perhaps I opened this too young – we’ll leave this to tomorrow and see what happens. 13.6%.
Day two: more together but this is just huge; it doesn’t go past ‘pinot’ but it pushes the limits. Requires strongly flavored food. Find this wine

2006 Overnoy, Arbois-Pupillin:
Day in, day out, my favorite wine in the cellar; pomegranate color, scents and flavors, spice, earthiness, underbrush and something vaguely animale; translucent, original, filled with character and easy to drink; 12.5% alcohol. My idea of what wine should be and, this house does it in every/any vintage. Find this wine

2005 Vissoux, Moulin à Vent Les Deux Roches:
An embarrassment of riches – after the fine preceding wine, I am undone; 13% alcohol; fresh, black-raspberry and face powder nose with accents of stone; rich, deep and almost sumptuous in the mouth, lots of dark fruit, a red fruit edge, a complex and considerable mineral element, and, perfect balance; a wash of mineral flavors and impressions on the finish. As close to the perfect MaV as one can come and a joy to drink. Drinks well now and will keep for years. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 13th, 2010

2005 Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Clos des Allées:
Like drinking mountain spring water when you are parched; deep, clean, clear, refreshing, expressive and balanced – flavors and aromas to make you think of alpine rivers and a finish that lasts. A tremendous wine, showing well. Find this wine

2001 Knoll, Grüner Veltliner Vinothekfüllung:
This was my third and last bottle of this wine; the first showed nicely but young; the second was simply one of the greatest wines of my life and I had anticipated this bottle would reinforce that experience – but alas, the closure defeated that – corked in a very mild way and ever so slightly oxidized – such that the whole thing comes off liquor-esque and brassy rather than deep and pure, and the flavors are quite off (curiously, the nose is fine).
I have learned not to be upset by such things but I admit that I had looked forward to this bottle for just Diane and me. Ah well, I will enjoy the memory of bottle number two and, should I ever be able to afford this again, buy it in an instant. Find this wine

2007 Louis Michel, Chablis Montmain:
13%, under screwcap; clean, crisp, character-driven Chablis with loads of cut and good sustain. It isn’t meant to age but its excellent now. About $25. Find this wine

1999 Belle Pente, Pinot Noir Wahle Vnyd.:
Smoke and a slight char on the nose with some VA; nice in the mouth with a satin texture, earthy flavors and good intensity; medium finish. 13.8%. Too much VA for me but the texture was really fine. Find this wine

2000 Gravity Hills, Syrah Killer Climb:
13.9% from Paso Robles; tar, earth and sappy dark fruit on the nose; very concentrated with a sandpaper texture and very powerful flavors of dark fruit and earth with some fresh meat and complex spice notes; big finish with considerable tannin and a wash of mouth-watering acidity. This needs time to come together but it has the concentration of Hermitage, the rusticity of old-school Cornas and the fruit of CA – one of the most intense syrahs I’ve had from the left-coast. About $35. Find this wine

2005 Edmunds St. John, Syrah Bassetti Vnyd.:
Stands as counter-point to the Gravity Hills noted above – it’s pure, deep, integrated and smooth with a silky texture, fresh fruit and gentle nuance that belie its structure. Much more drinkable and every bit as promising for the cellar. Stylish and still intense – finesse with power.
Really good. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 8th, 2010

1992 Sullivan, Coeur de Vigne:
80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot, 13.2% alcohol; this has a smoky, fruit nose with a resolved fruit and smoke palate, lots of structure and a pretty good finish. But it has a slight note of mercaptan playing in the background that is enough to distract but insufficient to destroy. Not something to seek out. Find this wine

1999 Girardin, Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses:
Muddled on the nose and palate without any Chambolle character; still, good with meat-loaf and corn. It’s intense, concentrated and pretty well balanced but it could be from anywhere – and when one is buying Amoureuses, that is unacceptable. Find this wine

1999 Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras:
Much like the foregoing wine; lots of concentration and intensity but muddy, characterless and a bit hard. Okay with food but this is disappointing. Find this wine

1996 Joël Taluau, St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueil VV:
Sandalwood, fading flowers, red fruit and just a hint of dried herb; visceral in the mouth with juicy flavors that echo the nose, a musky, slightly rustic overall delivery and a 1500 thread count texture; smooth, mouth-watering finish. I never had a better cabernet franc. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 5th, 2010

N/V Casal Garcia, Vinho Verde:
10% alcohol and about $6; light spritz, fresh grapefruit and pear aromas; excellent cut across the palate with light flavors that follow the nose, a distinct mineral tang and a clean, fresh finish. I adore this wine. We had it with a fresh pasta dish that included sautéed zucchini, parmesan cheese and a very light cream sauce and it was absolutely perfect. Six bucks and a complete delight! Find this wine

2002 Chidaine, Montlouis Les Choisilles:
13%; the difference in this wine since release is remarkable – unripe pineapple, wool, mineral nose; brisk, tart fruit with substantial concentration and intensity, flavors that follow the nose and have the beginnings of nuance, a texture that coats the entire mouth; and one hell of a finish. From a sweet, somewhat insipid wine to a powerhouse with finesse – nice. Find this wine

2005 Pépière, Muscadet Granite de Clisson:
Utterly closed; do not open this bottle. Find this wine

2005 Tete, Juliénas Clos du Fief:
Open, wonderfully aromatic, perfectly balanced, deep, and with a long and full finish. This may be a wine that will last a long time in the cellar – the stuffing is there and so is the balance – but it is heavenly right this minute. 13% and the top shelf for the AOC. Find this wine

1998 Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape:
Open on the nose with good fruit and meaty aromas; a saltiness in the mouth with round fruit and a worsted texture that seems thick but not heavy, integrated structure and considerable length. Finally, this is showing well, after years of being quite angry. I don’t expect vin de garde from this house but this vintage certainly is. Find this wine

2007 Edmunds St. John, Porphyry Barsotti Ranch:
Gamay from El Dorado County, CA; 13% abv; in a league with the very best Moulin-a-Vent in good years – this is serious wine with tremendous depth and character; very pure, focused, detailed, balanced and long. ‘Nothing else even comes close on this side of the pond. Find this wine

1999 Verset, Cornas:
12.5%, price tag on bottle says $37.99 (I don’t remember when I bought it); I lament here that I have so few bottles of Verset in my cellar – this starts out funky and animale but within half an hour, turns into a wine so distinctly representative of Cornas as to be moving; not a big wine or a plush one yet its full flavored and a magnificent rendition of its terroir. With meat loaf and mashed potatoes, something to write home about. Find this wine

Best, Jim

February 2nd, 2010

2003 Chapoutier, CdP Croix de Bois:
Massive, alcoholic, torrefied, smoky, liquor-like wine-product; 15% abv (or more). No thanks. Find this wine

2002 Michaud, Brouilly Prestige de Vieilles Vigne:
Mute, closed and if I were guessing, a little past prime. This has never shown really well – adequate. 13%. Find this wine

2002 Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Semper Excelsior – Schistes:
Softer and sweeter than a recent 2007 Granite de Clisson I wrote about but every bit as deep and viscous. Still plenty of acidity in the mid-palate and finish cleans and refreshes. 12.5%.

Day two: pineapple tones and less sweetness but otherwise, much the same. Find this wine

1996 d’Angerville, Volnay Premier Cru
13%; it’s pure, very Volnay, fine grained and . . . hard. Maybe it needs ten years. But I have yet to have a 1996 Burgundy that doesn’t come across as hard and I am starting to wonder if I ever will. Find this wine

2003 Giacosa, Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore:
I’ve had this bottling in most vintages since 2000 and this is the least typical, 14%; smells more like South American malbec; it’s big in the mouth with strong flavors that don’t taste much like nebbiolo and intensity like a CA cab. Not a bad wine but certainly not representative of what this house can do in this vineyard. Lacks finesse. Find this wine

1999 Bizot, Vosne-Romanee Les Réas:
12.5%; from first pour, this is beautifully detailed on the nose and palate; sauvage, elegant, integrated, complex and long. Very fine, classy and expressive in that way that the best Burgundy experiences can be – and terrific with chicken and lentil stew. At or very near, peak. Find this wine

Best, Jim

January 29th, 2010

France, Oregon, Chile, Italy . . .

2007 Dom. Pépière, Muscadet Granite de Clisson:
I do not believe that one can do better in the AOC – and I am certain it is one of the great white wines of the world – at a case price of less than $20/bottle. Steel, Fuji apple, rain-water and lemon cream on the nose; similar in the mouth with amazing concentration and breadth, terrific acids, depth, balance and verve; enormous length. 12% alcohol. This wine is alive! Find this wine

1999 Thomas, Pinot Noir:
Lightweight, silken, translucent, fruit filed, complex, bright and really, really long. An extraordinarily beautiful wine that carries its place and its pedigree in such a way as to make me wish I had bought a lot more. One of the longest finishes of any pinot and a delight to drink. Diane’s exact quote; “its one of those wines where you wish the bottle held more.” Superb. Find this wine

2006 Ona, Malbec Anakena:
14.5% on the label (but I’d guess at least a point higher), made by A.F. Iris S.A. Requinoa of Chile (but that’s in the fine print on the back). If you like Bryant Family or Colgin or any of those big assed, frighteningly expansive CA cabs., this is for you. At $18, you can buy cases of this for the price of a single bottle and it’s remarkably similar. A full, milk-shake texture that, while it could be from anywhere, is choked full of broad fruit and chocolate flavors and would make a great substitute for a cocktail. No overt oak (but lots of influence), plenty of ultra-ripe dark fruit, low acid and a mouth-feel that was built out of down comforters. Seriously, if you like the cult cab. style, try this wine. It is a dead ringer and really is made to their spec. Impressive, albeit not for me. Find this wine

2008 Caleo, Salice Salentino:
13%; mostly negromaro; smells of black fruit and licorice; tastes similar but is just a bit to bitter to be enjoyable on its own – fine with food, but neither Diane or I care for it without. About $8. Find this wine

Best, Jim

January 26th, 2010

1999 Texier, Côte-Rôtie VV:
Substantial sediment requires decanting; while still youthful and probably needing a decade more for more obvious development, the signs are there now – deepening fruit, a smoothing texture, a sense of a knitting together at mid-palate, extending length and a dynamic push-pull between the quite evident complexity of this fruit and the distinction of the AOC. Being a fan of Côte-Rôtie, it is always difficult to pick one bottle over another, especially when one throws in vintage (and bottle) variation. Nonetheless, this bottling in this vintage is my benchmark, for both the AOC and the variety. (Please Lord; let me make syrah that even comes close to this.) Its terroir is clear yet does not overshadow the fruit – and the fruit is layered and intense without being sugary or in any way manipulated. A poised tension that works to create something greater than the sum of its parts. This is an exceptional bottle at the very beginning of its best years. Oh my! Find this wine

2007 Bruno Clair, Marsannay Rosé:
Bone dry, flavorful, clean and becomes more interesting as it warms in the glass. I won’t be putting any ice cubes in this one; wine first, rosé second. About $12, 12.5% abv. Find this wine

2005 Terres Dorées, Moulin A Vent:
12% abv; somewhat reticent nose; big, fruit sweet, happy flavors and lots of tannin – showing way too young (although I like the flavors) but became stunningly good with fresh butternut squash ravioli with pumpkin reduction and feta – one of those pairings that I will write down – the drying of the tannin morphed into grip and the wine’s boisterous fruit became mellow and integrated with its structure. I love when that happens. Day two: turns liqueur-esque and somewhat volatile but in a good way; more integrated and rounder – quite persuasive. Find this wine

1999 Bruno Clavelier, Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux Monts:
The nose has a deep sweetness with some sauvage notes, some rhubarb, balsamic and baking spice; sautéed fruit flavors, especially grippy, more balsamic and rhubarb; there is a disconnect between the fruit and the tannin and the only thing that stops this from being drying is that the acid hits at the end to make the mouth water. Youthful, disjointed and yet engaging in some sort of stimulating and essential way. 13% abv. Day two: more integrated, without the rhubarb and balsamic scents and flavors, better fruit intensity and without quite the disconnect mentioned above; still this wine has a lot of tannin and probably needs further cellar time to resolve. Find this wine

Best, Jim

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