Archive for November, 2012

Jim Cowan Photo by Chris Witkowski - click to enlarge

The 2012 archive is presented by date the notes were compiled and submitted. Prior year’s tasting notes may be found here.

November 25, 2012

2002 Dom. Michel Voarick, Corton-Renardes:
Very pretty cherry, horehound, beet root aromatics that are a little sweet and a little savory but not very expansive; tastes of Corton as it is firm, structured and edgy in the mouth. But half way through the evening the wine turns to black fruit and the tannins become quite prominent and somewhat drying. By the end of the night this is all iron and tannin and not something I want more of. I am guessing we got to this just before it falls off a cliff . . . or maybe I just don’t get its aging potential. Find this wine

2004 Giacosa, Nabbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore:
Tasted very generic at this point; not bad but without depth or character. Hold. Find this wine

2005 de Villaine, Côte Chalonnaise Les Clous:
Pretty chardonnay half leaning toward Chablis and with good length. Needs bottle age to be more but also nice now. Find this wine

2009 Calluna Vineyards, Merlot Aux Raynauds:
Simply wonderful; rich but not flamboyant, structured yet with plenty of savory fruit, lively in the mouth and very long. The depth and nuance of this wine are approaching world class even at this young age. As good a merlot as I can remember – from anywhere. Find this wine

2010 Edmond et Anne Vatan, Sancerre Clos la Néore:
Tart and too young to show much of anything; hold. Find this wine

2007 Dom. Saint Siffrein, CdP:
Delicious, and this from someone with little use for Grenache. Smooth, nuanced, tactile and long. Quite nice. Find this wine

2004 Lagier-Meredith, Syrah:
Of whole cloth now with layers of flavor and a lovely texture in the mouth. Not the most complex syrah I ever had but one of the easiest to enjoy. Drink now. Find this wine

2002 Ridge, Mataro Pato Vineyard:
Satin textured, forward fruit, no mataro funk (which I miss), and decent length. A good wine but not a great one. Find this wine

1990 Ridge, Geyserville:
A biological disaster that may also be cooked and corked. DNPIM. Find this wine

2010 Chester’s Anvil, Gewürztraminer:
I am not a fan of this grape but this was pleasant. A little perm solution of the nose but pretty in the mouth, if a little thin. And yet, something about this wine made me take another glass – I have no idea why. Find this wine

2007 Hanzell, Chardonnay:
Another chardonnay that leans toward Chablis but not far enough. Good minerality, clean fruit, some depth, good length. I hear these age quite well so we may be too early to this bottle. Nonetheless, easy to drink. Find this wine

Best, Jim

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I recently got the opportunity to try five wines from the collaboration between Nicolas Jaboulet and the Perrin family. I’ve long enjoyed the offerings from both of these venerable families, and I was intrigued as to what they are producing together. Grapes for Maison Nicolas Perrin are sourced from choice northern Rhône parcels; wine selection and overseeing of the winemaking is Jaboulet’s concern, while blending and bottling is handled by Marc Perrin, who produces the wines at the family winery in Orange. They had been opened for a western Michigan trade tasting the previous afternoon, but when Vineyard Brands Mid-West Sales Manager Anne Keller asked if I’d like to try them, I jumped at the chance. To say that I was not disappointed with what I tasted would be an understatement, and they certainly didn’t suffer from extended aeration. Although made in the “international style,” they show great depth and character. These will not be available as the media review samples we receive from Vineyard Brands, and were poured for presell purposes, so this was pretty much my only shot at tasting them for now. Here are my impressions; prices are approximate markups of wholesale listings. Click images to enlarge. Notes in quotations below are From Vineyard Brands Maison Nicolas Perrin tech sheets.

2010 Maison Nicolas Perrin Hermitage, 70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne, 13% alc., $74.99: A fragrant bouquet of white tree fruit shaded with floral notes echoes and expands in the lovely flavors with nice minerality underneath. Full bodied and thick, almost oily; rich and delicious. I actually liked this so much, I took a second pour before moving on to the reds. You can hold on to this for a few years, but I doubt I’d be able to keep my hands off for very long. “Varieties are vinified separately. Whole bunches are crushed and long fermentation at low temperatures of 12/15C. Ageing in new oak casks during 10 months rounding the wine.” Find this wine

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Jim Cowan visits Springer Vineyard in Lake County where he discusses what is so special about this location for Sauvignon Blanc.