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 1998 Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur Clos Vougeot
"Musigni," $45, 13% alc.: A slightly cloudy, slightly rusty ruby garnet
in color, fading at the rim, with a gorgeous nose of mushroom, wet
wintered-over leaves, plum, black cherry and cola; the earthy medium-to-medium
full bodied flavors echo with a lovely texture and a fine balance
of tannins and acids. Not surprisingly, this gets better and better with
air, turning earthier and plumier, seeming to put on a little more
weight and generally showing more and more of everything as it opens. I
love this for its funky qualities, but there’s a solid core of rich
fruit underneath it all, and the finish is fairly long. I decanted a
little over half of the bottle about half an hour before pouring a
glass, and that was all it needed. When that was gone after about three
hours, I couldn’t resist another short pour from the bottle, and was not
disappointed in the least. This might not fly too well with fans of the
current style of Pinot Noir that seems so prevalent in California these
days, but Oregonians just might take to it with more passion and gusto;
I’m thinking especially of Evesham Wood fans here. I wish I had a case
of this, because it’s anything but unremarkable, and it should only
improve over the next several years. Find this wine
Imported by The Stacole Company Inc., Boca Raton,
FL
2004 Domaine Guffens-Heynen Mâcon-Pierreclos,
$29.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw in color, with a tinge of lemon; the
lemon seems to carry over into the flavor profile, because there’s a
definite citrus quality to this that dominates the green apple character
underpinned with a stony minerality, and a subtle note of butterscotch
that emerges with air. The wine is medium-to-medium full bodied, with
excellent cut and good length on the finish. This is quite enjoyable
now, and works well with a nice rotisserie chicken, but I’d like to
taste it in a couple of years to see how it develops. I have another
bottle in the cellar, so maybe I’ll hold on to it for just that reason.
When we tasted this wine for the first time a few
weeks ago with our friend Alan
Kerr, it showed essentially the same, and it followed two of
winemaker Jean-Marie Guffens 2004 Verget Pouilly-Fuissé models, and the
Mâcon-Pierreclos was preferred all around. For comparisons sake, here
are my notes on the two Vergets. Find this wine
2004 Verget Pouilly-Fuissé "Terroir de Vergisson
Clos du Martelet," $33.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw color with a tinge of
lemon; flavors and aromas show bright pear and subtle butterscotch, with
some tangerine, lemon and just a hint of minerality in support. The oak
is there, but in proportion to the other components, and while it has
enough acidity to work, it’s not as crisp as I might have expected. The
finish is decent, but a little something seems to be missing in the
middle. More than I care to pay for what’s in the bottle; maybe it’ll
fill out with some time in the bottle. Find this wine
2004 Verget Pouilly Fuissé "Terroir de Fuissé Vers
Asnieres," $33.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw color with a tinge of lemon;
bright flavors and aromas of apple, pear, tangerine and lemon, along
with what Mr. Kerr described as "sweet citrus, guava" and a subtle musky
mineral undertone. Good cut here, and more there in the middle than with
the Clos du Martelet. The unanimous favorite of the two Vergets, but
again, the Mâcon-Pierreclos took the honors on that occasion. Find this wine
Verget and Domaine Guffens-Heynen Imported by The
Stacole Company Inc., Boca Raton, FL
 2004 Karl Erbes Ürziger Würzgarten Mosel Saar
Ruwer Riesling Kabinett, $14.99, 8% alc.: Pale straw in color, with a
faint perfume of apple, white peach and a subtle herbaceous quality, all
of which echoes and expands on the palate, being both moderately tart
and moderately sweet at the same time. Medium bodied, with deceptively
good cut and a reasonably long finish, this is a nice glass of Riesling
that offers good value for the price tag. The real appeal for me is the
herbaceous shade; it’s there just enough to enhance the overall
personality of the wine without dominating. A nice foil for the Phad
Prik Khing. Find this wine
Imported by Chapin Cellars LLC, Springfield, VA
2004 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlener Sonneruhr Mosel
Saar Ruwer Riesling Kabinett, $19.99, 8% alc.: Pale to medium straw in
color, with apple and mineral aromatics and just the faintest hint of
petrol; the moderately sweet flavors echo nicely enough, losing the
little bit of petrol, but gaining some peach in return. Good cut and
good length on the finish, and though it’s not terribly complex right
now, 3-5 years in the bottle should help it out. Not quite as sweet as
the Erbes, which I preferred slightly. Find this wine
Imported by Cellars International Inc., San
Marcos, CA
 2002 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Rheinhessen
Spätlese, $28.99, 9% alc.: Now we’re talking some serious Riesling here!
Medium straw to pale gold in color, with a steely undercurrent, river
stones and petrol over peach and apricot in both flavor and aroma;
excellent cut, with a not quite unctuous density to it, and a long,
long finish. Yes, it’s a Rheinhessen and not a Mosel, yes it’s a
Spätlese and not a Kabinett, but even more than that, it’s a Gunderloch,
and that makes all the difference. This is in another league than the
two previous wines, and very reasonably priced for what’s in the bottle.
Absolutely delicious, and it should only get better through 2012 and
beyond. Find this wine
Imported by Cellars International Inc., San
Marcos, CA
 2000 Barone Ricasoli Casalferro Toscana IGT,
$49.99, 13.5% alc.: A virtual friend who once worked for William Grant &
Sons sent us some
wines to sample from Barone Ricasoli some years back, and we
generally liked what we tasted; some of it was so-so, but some of it was
pretty damned good, if not exactly "traditional" in style.
This particular wine falls into the "pretty damned good" category, and doesn’t quite cut the "traditional" either, thanks to the French oak (18 months worth) and the dollop of
Merlot added to the Sangiovese. Dark garnet from rim to rim, it exudes a
smoky, sun baked character that features spicy, slightly raisined dried
cherry and black currant, accented with leathery undertones and subtle
oaky notes that range from a little caramelized sugar at first to a hint
of aquarium after three hours or so, while never becoming intrusive. A
fair dose of tannins and the requisite acidity give this full bodied
Tuscan red a bit of a bite on the palate over the first hour or so, but
it gradually smoothes and softens with air, as does the raisined thing,
and the finish maintains good length throughout. Give it an hour in a
decanter before drinking now, and it should work quite well with a
variety of tomato-based pasta dishes and/or grilled red meats. Better
yet, give it at least a few more years in the cellar; it should be good
to go at 10 years and beyond. Find this wine
Barone Ricasoli Wines Imported by William Grant &
Sons, Inc., New York, NY
 2002 Jean Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," $21-25,
13% alc.:
We’re big fans of the 2001 Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," so when
I saw this one during a scouting mission to Cloverleaf on Wednesday, I
snatched it right up. A ruby garnet that fades at the rim, it’s perhaps
a touch cloudy, but not as much so as the ’01; it seems cleaner than the
previous model, though not as deep or as earthy. A little bit of
barnyard blows off quickly on the nose, revealing cranberry, cherry and
rosey Gamay aromatics that follow through in the medium bodied flavors
with some earth (just not as much as the ’01 has) and a hint of
something slightly herbal. A little tight when first poured, it opens up
with about 15-20 minutes in the glass, becoming harmonious and
enjoyable. It seems to have the structure to age and develop for at
least a few years, maybe longer, and finishes with decent length. All in
all, nice stuff here, real wine, and if it’s not quite up to the ’01 for
my tastes, it’s perfectly fine on its own terms. I didn’t drink this
with food, but it’s obviously food friendly for a fairly wide spectrum
of culinary delights. Find this wine
Imported by
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
 2000 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, 375 ml,
$29.99, 13% alc.: This has gone through some changes in a little over a
year
since we last tried it; the medium straw color seems to be
taking on a slight tinge of pale gold, and there’s a nuttiness to its
character that wasn’t there before, perhaps the evolution of the "peanut
butter" thing Kim mentioned back then? Maybe it’s developing at an
accelerated rate because of the 375 ml format, or maybe not. It still
shows the wet stones, beeswax, quince and green apple, with the
excellent cut and the good length, but it’s also starting to show the
first signs of a senior moment. As it opens and warms in the glass, the
fruit and minerality come to the fore, making for a more harmonious
wine. I like this just the way it is (I actually liked it a little
better in April of ‘05); any more of that "nutty" thing, and I’d like it
less. As it is, it’s very refreshing on a warm summers night, with or
without food. Find this wine
Imported by Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY
Epilogue: Kim returned on Sunday, July 2; I picked
her up at DTW, and brought her back to Gang Central for Thai takeout and
a nice Alsatian Riesling. Hopefully this taster will be forgiven for the
following notes that don’t do the delicious wine justice; I was somewhat
distracted…
2004 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Alsace Cuvée Theo,
$33, 13.5% alc.: Pale to medium straw, with quince and apple flavors and
aromas graced with a soft herbaceous quality that really sets the tone
and personality of the wine for me; medium full body, with good cut, a
lovely smooth texture and a long finish. Bone dry, and yet with more
than enough rich fruit to stand up the spicy Thai food. I must have more
of this stuff! Find this wine
Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL
Reporting from Day-twah,
Homie Allones
Other Recent Wine Explorations
Following Up
Part Deux
Following Up
A Rosé By Any Other Name
More Red Wings and
Red Rhônes 2006
5 From Palm Bay
Imports
4 By Egelhoff
Back to July '06 Index
Back to the Underground
Index
Back to the Top
© George Heritier July 2006
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put The Kiminator on a plane to San Diego on the morning of June 25,
2006; she went out there for an eight-day working vacation, so our two cats, Stripey and Little Gray and this taster did our best
Macaulay Culkin here in Day-twah. While I’d always prefer to be WITH my better
half rather than apart from her, in situations like these, one has to
look for compensating factors, like playing Miles and
Trane
LOUD and
smoking Cohibas in the house without hearing about it. And, while I was
so happy that my better half had this wonderful opportunity to spend
time with our friends out left, I did miss her dearly, so it seemed only
right that I should assuage the emptiness with some good wine. No
samples for this taster that week; no egregious pinot grigio, no
slovenly sauvignon blanc, and certainly no fat ass low acid California
chardonnay. Here’s what I enjoyed over that eight day period.