Gang of Pour - Larry Meehan's Tasting Notes

As a bit of snow starts to blow through air, I guess it is time to acknowledge the change of seasons in the great Midwest, regardless of what the calendar says. With that in mind, I offer a small treasury of notes from the past few months -- many wines that put me in mind of crunchy leaves, hikes through the colorful woods, and all the wonderful produce and fresh herbs that fall in Northeast Ohio frequently yields.

A small group assembled at North End Market in Hudson to sample some of the nice cheeses, tasty foods, and Oregon Pinot. No seeing eye dogs were necessary, as the wines were served non-blind, and passed haphazardly about the table -- the atmosphere being more festive than scientific.

2000 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir (about $30) -- dark in color, and offering up plenty of buttered popcorn and coffee scents. It comes across as pretty full in the mouth, featuring rich plum fruit. It is not unfair to call it "woody", in fact even those that prefer more oak accents noted a sense of raw lumber. With a few hours, these elements seem less obvious, but still quite influential. The finish is clipped...a bit tart.

1999 Belle Pente Wahle Reserve Pinot Noir ($26) -- I admit a great fondness for Belle Pente Pinots, but have always found the "Wahle" bottlings to be the least appealing for me...this was a different day. It offered a spicy nose, with plenty of cranberry and orange peel...later the earthy/herbal Oregon garrigue is more prominent. The fruit flavor is round, ripe cherry up front, but then nicely braced by acidity through the center. There is a good amount of earth at the core, and plenty of spice and black tea notes as it closes. This is delicious, slightly fruit-tilted Oregon Pinot.

2000 Belle Pente Wahle Reserve Pinot Noir ($28) -- it was not planned as such, but Pam Gillikin brought along the 2000 Wahle. This model seemed quite shut down and/or tight. Chlorine and "aquarium scents" rose from the glass for at least an hour, when more earth and charcoal notes emerged. There is pleasant red fruit flavor inside, along with a splash of vanilla and herbs. It exhibits less body, and less cut than the 99, but I would say it steadily (if very slowly) improved through the night. I'm inclined to hold these for a year or more.

2002 Patricia Green "Four Winds" Pinot Noir ($26) -- "is it Christmas already?" I exclaimed -- the scents of pine and cinnamon were quite pungent. Notes of dark coffee and fresh cut wood were soon to emerge. It presents itself as medium bodied and features a decent bit of rich black fruit, but it is largely clumsy and disjointed. It has a persistent charred note. No wine inspired such passionate commentary as this one --

Roland Riesen "grilled Kobe Pinot" said Pam...perhaps referencing the delicious charred Kobe burger some were enjoying

"strangely acidified...seems unnatural" said Roland Riesen (right)

"green peppers and ear wax" quipped Jenna Warren (with my favorite descriptor of the night)

2002 Caparoso Pinot Noir ($15) -- Robitussin, cherries and spice form the bouquet. It has quite the acidic twang at first, but settles nicely with time into a simple but pleasant Pinot. Red fruit and cough syrup flavors turn rich and slightly sweet. They are backed by light herbs and a hint of coffee. It is decent Pinot Noir for the price.

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Another Pinot tasting...

this one being a bit more formal. All the wines were bagged, but were known to have representation from Northern California, Oregon, and Burgundy. The price points seemed to range anywhere from $15 to $35.

#1 -- nice notes of cranberry and Indian spice on the nose...some flowers later. There is a sweet crush of berries and light notes of cola and cardamom on the first sip. It takes on a slightly gamy/meaty character in the center, but then continues on with rich red fruit. There is plenty of clove and earth at the finish, but no doubt the essence of the wine is sparkling red fruit with nice persistence. This seems slightly atypical to me...certainly California...probably Sonoma Coast. 2000 Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier Carneros (around $30)

#2 -- the nose is restrained, albeit warm with alcohol. There are jammy strawberry scents, along with clove, earth, and coffee. It is wet and juicy in the mouth, then the red fruits take on a soft, buttery presence. There is spice and herb back beats, but it seems sloppy with alcohol...some tannin, but generally lacking grip. I guess it to be a blowzy Oregonian, or a blowzy Burg. 2002 Chauvenet-Chopin Cotes de Nuits ($30)

#3 -- high toned and texturally soft red fruit, spice, clean earth and herbs rise up from the glass...later adding some meat and light cola. It has a vibrant sense of body -- charged with acids, but not really slowing the ripe cherry fruit -- very nice. Spice and cool stone are featured at the close. This is young, but well balanced, exciting California Pinot Noir...probably Carneros. 2000 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir (about $30)

#4 -- It has a subtle nose -- refined red fruits, dark earth and floral notes...seems washed out for a while and then turns mostly gamy. It is full in the mouth, with a woody undercurrent. It has nice red fruit, along with earth and funk. It has good structure, but seems sleepy...needs time to unwind. Certainly a Burg... 2000 Pavelot Savigny les Beaunes "Les Peuillets" 1er Cru ($30 or so)

#5 -- It shows a nose of tea, red fruits and herbs. It is bright and expressive -- good cherry fruit and spice. The fruit is ripe and round...seems fairly dense and creamy...a nice medley of herbs in support. It is not especially distinctive, but fun and pleasant. I was wrong on this one -- thought it to be from Oregon. 2001 K-2 Russian River Valley (Keegan's second label -- $15)

#6 -- a little sulfurous stink and gun powder on the first sniff, so I was pretty certain as to which wine this was (the one I brought). The nose moved more toward forest floor and herbs, along with cranberry and cherry. The palate was smooth, light and agile...medium bodied and lifted nicely by acid. The red fruit is wet and juicy, nicely accented by herbs and earth...a light char, stone and spice are featured in the long resolve. It is well balanced and delicious at present. Certainly Oregon, most likely the Belle Pente. 1999 Belle Pente Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (about $18)

02 A to Z #7 -- The fragrances are initially high toned and dusty, but soon move toward warm, ripe, tutti-frutti scents. It is full in the mouth, with plenty of wet, juicy cherry. There is an overlay of fine, light wood and spice -- nothing unwieldy. The wine has a stemmy quality through the middle, but resounds with tangy cranberry and spice. It is a pleasant, perhaps lower end wine -- hard for me to peg as Cal or Oregon...I lean toward the former. 2002 A to Z Wilamette Pinot Noir (around $18)

The clear favorites of the group were the ZD and the Belle Pente, though most were pretty good in their own right...the K-2 and the A to Z representing pretty good bang for the buck. Interestingly, the group (largely wine trade types) expressed an initial bias against Oregon Pinot, but were quite amazed by the Belle Pente. In terms of what is readily available on Ohio retail shelves, I can understand their reluctance for Oregon Pinot -- prices steadily rise, and there are not nearly enough interesting/quality producers available here in the sub-$30-5 realm.

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Mary and I enjoyed this while dining at one of the area's true gems -- Parker's New American Bistro. There are no pyrotechnics, mountainous stacks, or pretension here -- just marvelous food.

1996 Williams Selyem "Rochioli" Pinot Noir -- an initial cranberry relish gives way to scents of high toned strawberry, Asian spice, mahogany and stone...after an hour or more it becomes increasingly floral. Some of the best W-S I've had the pleasure to sip capture the unique combination of density of flavor and ethereal lightness -- this was one of those. There are soft and smooth textures at the entry. Deep cherry and pomegranate flavors are generously seasoned with ginger, nutmeg, and minerals. It is a wide stream of flavor lifted high by scintillating acids -- mouth watering, but tangy...always bright and lively. The finish is long on black tea and spice, leaving a pleasant, lingering remembrance. A wonderful bottle with dinner...one of those wines you just hold in your mouth and savor.

I had found most of the other 1996 Williams-Selyem Pinots to have reached a peak (with some in decline), but this bottling is very young -- I'd imagine it will continue positive development for at least the next three to five years.

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Way to go Saint Joe!

All three were independently sampled in the course of a 10 day stretch in October -- the appellation proved to be nice accompaniment to frequent grilled fare and a number of delicious heirloom tomato/exotic beet salads.

1999 Domaine de Gachon St. Joseph -- sniffing this is like inhaling an excellent tapenade...some funk, smoke and spit roasted meat, too. It has nice supple textures, where the rich cherry fruit seems to caress the palate. An exotic wood note rides along with the fruit, also joined by good doses of meat and a bit of pepper. It turns more gamy, with a slightly sweeter sense of fruit at the close. My "California oriented" brother in law, Kevin, summed it up -- "tastes really French". Indeed...must have been a compelling sort of French, as he poured himself more. This is a fine expression of St. Joseph. Nicely balanced and structured, it should continue to drink well for the next few years. This was a good buy at <$20 delivered.

1999 Graillot St. Joseph (about $16) -- the bouquet is fairly rustic, featuring a medley of barnyard funk, animal fur, and raw meat. The cherry flavors have a tangy bent, showing more richness with time. Leather, mineral laced earth, and herbs provide accents. Having sampled this a number of times before, I continue to find it somewhat interesting, but yet to evolve into something of great appeal. At this point, the 99 Graillot Crozes Hermitage is a significant step up from this one...that said, it is not at all bad.

1999 JL Chave St. Joseph Estate -- A dark wine. The nose is like a "best of the Rhone" -- black olives, thyme, bacon and minerals -- delightful. It is thick and broad in the mouth, featuring wide swaths of black cherry fruit and roasting meat. It is earthy at the center, where it nicely maintains a core of herbs, blood, and mineral. The acid/tannin combo allows for expression while still maintaining a good grip. Bacon, along with coffee leaves a lasting impression at the finish. The wine still has years of upside -- very impressive.

The Chave St. Joseph now weighs in at $30-5. It is a very expensive St. Joe, but seems very reasonable when considering the quality of this wine -- excellent!

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A few from Piemonte...

Served with grilled sausages, white beans, etc.

1995 Seghesio "La Villa" Barolo -- the nose features a big bunch of flowers, along with fennel and hot tar. The cherry fruit is smooth and somewhat fleshy. Crushed stone and herbs form at the center, adding a good sprinkling of espresso, mineral and peppery anise as it wraps up. The tannins offer a small amount of resistance -- broad, and lending a coarse feel. This is not a long haul Barolo, but another 5 years might still do more good than harm. I like it. It was a nice buy for around $25.

Enjoyed with a Porcini risotto.

1985 Roagna Barbaresco -- this has one of those intoxicating bouquets that seems to only arrive with age -- black truffle, leafy underbrush, aromatic herbs, flowers, light tar, wet rocks, and a pesto of dried cherries. The palate presence is elegant, but dense with flavors. It features dried and Bing cherry interwoven with smoke, porcini, dried earth and a constant mineral note. The structure firmly, but lovingly holds it all together. Citrus peel, tea, leather, subtle tar and peppery spice all add to the long, multifaceted finish. This Barbaresco has an evolved, though sometimes rustic sense, offering loads of sensory information. It has resonance on my tongue for a long while, and in my mind, still. I've had a good number of 86 Roagna (a delightful wine), but every time I try one of these 85's, the differences are just so profound...not a wine to knock you off your feet, but one to carry with you long after the last drop was swallowed.

Be well friends,

Larry