2003 Vincent
Girardin Volnay Les Santenots, $49.99, 13.5% alc.: Ruby dark
garnet in color, with subtle earth, forest floor and smoke over somewhat
candied black cherry and a certain perfumed quality on the nose, and
these impressions follow through on the palate. Medium to medium full
bodied, very svelte and smooth, with medium tannins and good acids, but
seems to lose a little something on the backside. I tasted through most,
if not all of the Giradin ’03 lineup about a year or so ago, and found
them to be good, if lacking any extra dimensions that might add some
excitement. This was one of those wines, and this sampling does nothing
to change my mind in that regard. Perhaps some additional time in the
bottle will help.
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Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL
~~~
We last tasted the 2001 Haut Bages Liberal with a few
other ’01 Bordeaux
a few
years ago, and at that time, I liked it quite a lot, so when I
found a stash of that AND its predecessor from 2000, I couldn’t resist
the tasting opportunity. We started with the older model.
2000
Haut Bages Liberal Pauillac, $44.99, 12.5% alc.: Deep, dark
garnet in color, this exudes a fragrant bouquet of black currant, cassis
and blackberry that follows through and expands on the palate, where it
gains some earth, tobacco and old wood. It has density without being
over extracted in any way, and despite it relative youth and ample
structure, it’s not only approachable, it’s downright drinkable. Best of
all, it should continue to mellow and improve for at least another five
years. Very nice indeed.
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2001 Haut Bages Liberal
Pauillac, $29.99, 12.5% alc.: Another deep, dark garnet colored
claret, this is rather stingy with its aromatics, grudgingly giving up
some black currant, cassis and dark chocolate; these echo and expand on
the palate with some tobacco and old wood on a medium full bodied frame.
While the similarities to the 2000 are obvious, this one is less
substantial in every way, lacking some of the weight and intensity of
the earlier version. Still, it’s drinking pretty well on its own terms,
and has the structure to age and improve for another five years or so.
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Imported by Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL
~~~
We were blown away by the 2001 Moris Avvoltore Maremma Toscana
when we tried it
a little over
a year ago, so when I happened upon a bottle from the previous
vintage, I didn’t hesitate to pick it up, take it home and open it with
the first grilled leg o’ lamb we could get our hands on, sharing it and
the following selection with our friend Deb Hart.
2000
Moris Avvoltore Maremma Toscana, 75% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 5% Syrah, $45.99, 13.5% alc.: This deep dark garnet is every
bit as pleasing as the ’01 was; the lovely aromatics follow through onto
the palate, offering earthy sticks, smoke, black currants and berries
and dried sour cherries. With excellent structure, concentration and
balance, this promises a lovely future, with at least three to five
years of improvement, but it’s already drinking like a dream.
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Imported by J&J Importers, Bloomfield Hills, MI
We sampled the next wine late during a gathering
about a year and a
half ago, and while we really liked it, we recorded no
particular impressions beyond that. (The 2001 Poggio Bertaio Crovello,
on the other hand, was duly noted, and quite enthusiastically so.) So,
like with the ’00 Avvoltore, when I saw this, I snatched it right up,
and we enjoyed it on the same occasion as the previous wine.
2001 Poggio
Bertaio Cimbolo Sangiovese Umbria, $28.99, 14% alc.: Slightly
rusty dark garnet in color, showing earthy underbrush, “sticksy” dried
sour cherries and dark chocolate flavors and aromas. It has a rich core
of fruit, being nicely structured and well balanced, with excellent
length on the finish. This lovely wine should improve for several years,
but like the Avvoltore, it’s already delicious, especially with that leg
o’ lamb.
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Imported by Vias Imports, Ltd., New York, NY
~~~
We’ve very much enjoyed Neyers wines for the past several years; the
Zins are excellent, and the Hudson Vineyard Syrahs
are as good or better. The following wine was the first Neyers
Syrah that we’ve had that didn’t have a specific vineyard designation,
and I’ll be dipped if it wasn’t one of the best ones yet. We’ve tried it
three times just to make sure, and loved it every time.
2002 Neyers Napa Syrah,
$27.99, 14.5% alc.: Deep dark garnet in color, showing serious Syrah
character, and even some northern Rhone-like nuances. Big black plums
and berries accented with earth, smoke, leather and bacon on the nose
and in the mouth; a soft kiss of oak adds to the package, rather than
detracts. A dense wine, with good tannic grip, and yet it has a certain
sleek quality to it as it opens nicely with extended air, lingering long
on the finish. Very enjoyable already, with a fine future in store.
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~~~
We’ve been
fans of Chateau d'Oupia Minervois for as long as we’ve
been publishing the Gang of Pour pages, and we keep coming to their
wines again and again, and we’re never disappointed.
2003 Chateau d'Oupia
Minervois, $9.35 – 11, 13% alc.: Dark garnet in color, with
black berry, black plum and hints of iodine and black olive on the nose;
rich flavors echo, though the iodine and olive aren’t as upfront as in
previous vintages. Full bodied, with earthy tannins to take it five
years or more down the road, with a reasonably long finish, and just the
subtlest hint of chocolate emerges with air. Not the biggest, thickest
d'Oupia we’ve ever had, but still most enjoyable, and in fact, it does
seem to put on a little weight as it opens. It also seems to have a
little bit more of everything than the following vintage, and we really
like that one too.
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2004 Chateau d'Oupia
Minervois, $12, 13% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, with flavors and
aromas of black plums, berries and currants and though there’s not a lot
of black olives, there’s just enough to give this that typical d'Oupia
character that we’ve come to know and love. Not as big, or as deep and
dark as some of these have been in the past, only medium to medium full
bodied, but it has an elegant feel to it, with moderate tannins, good
acidity and a nice finish. I like this stuff a lot, it’s real wine, and
I’d much rather drink this than those $50 Oz or Cal fruit bombs.
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2004
Les Heritiques Vin de Pays de l’Herault, $8.99, 12.5% alc.: Also
from André Iché’s Chateau d'Oupia, this dark garnet is produced from old
vine Carignan, and while it doesn’t wow you with the first sip, it
becomes increasingly engaging as it opens in the glass. Medium to medium
full bodied, it offers solid, if unspectacular flavors of mulberry and
blackberry shaded with a note of those d'Oupia olives, with modest
earthy undertones. Moderate tannins make for an uncomplicated,
drink-me-now kind of wine with a decent finish. I like this wine quite a
bit, and I like it because it’s unpretentious; it doesn’t try to be
anything other than what it is, that being real red wine at a really
nice price, even for our neck of the woods.
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A Louis/Dressner Selection – Imported by LDM Wines, Inc.,
New York
~~~
Finally, Michele Rolland’s 2003
Clos de los Siete Mendoza created something of a sensation (not to
mention a feeding frenzy) when it was released; Putnam Weekley
sang its praises
loudly, Alan Kerr had
some
positive remarks and I found it to be
pretty
impressive myself – at least for the first couple of times I
tasted it. When the ’04 was released, I dragged my feet for a long time
before finally bringing one home to try; I’d gotten a brief sample at
work, was duly impressed and purchased accordingly for the department,
but not for the home. When I finally caved in, I opened an ’03 AND an
’04 to taste side-by-side, and found that comparison most interesting.
2004 Clos de los Siete
Mendoza, 50% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10%
Syrah, 15% alc.: Deep dark garnet in color, with dusty cocoa over dark
plums and berries on the nose, following through on the palate with the
ripe fruit showing itself more and more with air. Good structure here,
with at least a few years of improvement; smooth textured, sleeker, less
in-your-face, not quite as plump as the ’03, and the fruit’s not quite
as intense either. Is that a bad thing? Depends on your perspective, I
suppose, but I like this one better than the ’03; it seems more
balanced, if still a bit manipulated. Every time I taste these wines, I
have this perverse vision of Michele Rolland with a cell phone to his
ear, barking, “Spoofalate!”
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Imported by Vins et Vignobles Dourthe
Reporting from Day-twah,
ollowing
up on our 
