Wine

Tasting notes for the good stuff..

Tasting Notes

1997 Dominus

5 stars Wow. Not enough I can say here. I never seem to worry about how much I pay for a bottle of wine until it's time to open it - then anxiety abounds. Will it be ready? Was it too much money? Will I enjoy it? Am I crazy? Luckily, one waft of this Dominus, and I was content. The nose sort of pours itself out of the glass and spreads like dry ice; full of pungent wet earth and tart plummy fruits. Cigar box, cinnamon, and chocolate. Every really great wine I've tried I liked the nose at least as much as the palate. Beautiful mouthfeel, velvety and voluptuous, but still very soft. There's a noted difference between this (Cab/Cab Franc) and some other Cali Cabs in feel that are Cab/Merlot. Really, REALLY good.

2004 Ironhorse T Bar T Vineyard Cuvee R

3 stars A longwinded name for a great white blend. 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Viognier. I seem to be growing an affinity to white blends like this and Conundrum. Great citrusy fruits, blended with flowery notes and enough of the viognier to not make it as puckering as sauv blanc can sometimes be. Add a hint of minerality and it's just a pleasant drink, especially with Asanti Dill cheese.

2003 BV Rutherford Cabernet

1 star From a half bottle. Ok structure, maybe a little austere. Dumb nose, just not much there.

Conundrum 2005

3 stars One of the better screwcapped bottles I've ever had, along with maybe Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Made by Caymus, Conundrum is a slightly insane blend of white grapes including sauvignon blanc, muscat canelli, viognier, chardonnay. Tasted several times, most recently the sauvignon blanc was most apparent, but cooled without any of the somewhat common grapefruity pucker factor. Green apple, citrus, grass, herbs. Very nicely balanced; a favorite white blend.

Dow's 10 Year Port

Just one glass, but pleasant. Not the best environment for a tasting note, but this was a sweeter tawny, with cinnamon and raisin. I preferred the Graham's more.

1992 Ravenswood Cabernet

3 stars Found this on one of the out of the way shelves at Schneider's; how often does a store stock older, mature wines? So I snatched it. Had it on New Year's Eve. It was good wine, not a lot of fruit left, possibly too old? Great structure, nice tannins, but supple and integrated. Great, mouth-watering finish, pure cabernet, but soft.

Blandy's Bual 5 Year Old Madeira

3 stars Good, solid madeira. Bual is semi-sweet, medium body. This has great structure, it's solid madeira; I assume it's just missing the maturity needed to have all the flavors and smells vintage madeira is supposed to have. It's under the surface waiting, the body is great, and the finish is over a minute.

2004 Truchard Chardonnay

4 stars Beautiful, golden color. Good nose, flowery, fresh, honeysuckle, but still connected to the earth. The real stunner is the palate. This is what California (Carneros in this case) Chardonnay should be. There's butter and oak, but it's very nicely integrated, with good acid and good balance. Where I've grown to think of white Burgundy as superior to California Chardonnay, this makes it a choice and distinction between styles.

Graham's 10 Year Tawny Port

3 stars Pleasant, good balance. A relaxing wine. I was perhaps more focused on the Ashton VSG in my hand at the time.

2002 Marimar Don Miguel Pinot Noir

2 stars Interesting Pinot, not the soft, seductive type of wine. More tart and fruity, with a bit of wet earth. Seems to have the goods, but just doesn't quite put them all together.

2004 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie

What a great name. Interesting blend: Shiraz with a touch of Viognier (5%). Deep, dark purple. Very opaque. Lots of fruit with a touch of mint. Dusty. Still young, but it packs a serious punch.

Saint Veran White Burgundy

I randomly decided to try a bottle of White Burg because I was getting so sick of overdone California Chardonnay. It was a welcome surprise. Fresh acidity, fruit, and minerals that lets the grape shine through.

So far, I've had several Saint Veran appelation wines, and have really enjoyed them.

Alvear PX Sherry 1927 Solera

4 stars It's always fun to drink old wine, even if it is a solera, there's a sense of history. The oldest wine in this bottle was made before the Depression.

It's alcoholic maple syrup. Thick and unctious without being cloying; instead it's fresh and balanced. Fig and raisin, other sweet fruits, and maple syrup. Great, thick, balanced complexity. Great over vanilla ice cream, some may not like it.

1952 Leacock Verdelho Madeira Jubilee Selection

3 stars Neat old stenciled bottle. Apparently the original cork since I totally destroyed it in pulling it. Actually it sort of disintegrated. Jubilee Selection is apparently wine set aside for either the Coronation of anniversary of the Coronation of Queen E2 in 1953. This was a very dry madeira, and not at all shy about it. Big, lots of flavor, and potent to. Very English. Lots of coffee and marmalade. Fun historically and as an experience, not my idea of Madeira - I'll stick to Boal and Malvasia.

1976 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja

5 stars Color in an old wine is interesting, it shows it's age, still ruby red in the center, bricking out to orange, and then clear at the edge. In the decanter it's still a deep red. Initially slight funk that blew off on the nose. Then a truly complex nose! It continually changed throughout the night, with no notes of oxidation. Among other things, a pure earthy smell.. notes of fresh, tart fruits - which I assume is a trademark of tempranillo, but it was different than other reds - also bacon, cheddar, glycerine, charred wood, peanut butter, and birthday cake of all things. Fresh and light in the mouth, great feel, still nice tannin, but softened and aged. Enough acidity to feel bright and lively. Subtle finish, but long, it's wonderful to taste such an elegant wine with lower alcohol levels. Pricey, but I'm getting more. This was the apotheosis thus far.

2004 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir

3 stars This was surprising.. bigger and fuller than I expected, but exquisitely pleasant. Lots of fruit, good acidity, but still very young. Will plan on keeping the other 5 2004s for awhile, this will definitely improve.

2003 Georges Duboeuf Fleurie Cuvee Prestige Beaujolais

3 stars Nice, young, fresh red wine. I felt like chewing it. Great everyday wine, it's not profound, but it's great to drink and enjoy.

2004 Walter Hanzel Cahill Lane Chardonnay

4 stars This is the way California Chardonnay should taste. There's oak and butter here, but it's not so overwrought that it's the only thing you notice. Good fruit, and a mineraly streak that goes well with the acidity. Really enjoyable.

2001 Castelnau de Suideraut

4 stars First 2001 Sauternes I've had. Golden color, closer to yellow. Pear and apricots on the nose with a bit of a nutty feel, and the obvious botrytis. Very pure, I love wine that makes you think of the earth. Wonderfully balanced in the mouth, long lingering finish, fresh acidity, very sweet but amazingly light - not cloying at all.

1995 Chateau Coutet Sauternes

3 stars Deeper amber color, almost no gold, all orange. Fresh nose, botrytis, fruit (what though? Pat thought apricot)... Good balance of sugar and acid, but not bursting forth like Yquem. Orange peel and other things.. decent finish.

2001 Martin Ray Diamond Mountain Ranch

4 stars Reminds me of a baby Diamond Creek. Great nose, bit of earth, smooth, dark fruit, bit of smoke. Complex and inense on the palate, not overripe, but just right.

1997 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes

5 stars The anticipation of this one was amazing. At first it's so subtle that I was taken aback. Amazing color, moves from straw to golden to an orange tint with the light. Very light in the glass, the sugar is coating. Amazingly pure nose.. just liquid gold. Bits of honeysuckle, flowers, mist, and a smokey character that reminds me of good single malt scotch. Very, very sweet, but also amazing acidity to balance it. And that's what this is, all balance and elegance. Touch of orange peel at the end, and a very long finish. Nothing is overdone, nothing is mindblowing, its just purely seductive in what it can do. To quote, "Yquem is, it seems, history, poetry, perhaps life itself rolled into a wine and bottled." -The Wine Doctor

2002 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel

3 stars Deep, purple color. Nose still somewhat closed, but hints at big dark fruits. Wonderfully complex palate - cigar box, earth, currant. Great mouthfeel, full but svelte with good acid balance. Enduring finish. A very enjoyable wine.. buy more and wait a bit..

Osborne Pedro Ximenez Sweet Sherry

2 stars Brown, tawny color, very light. Figs, raisins, and touch of cinnamon nose. Same on the palate, perhaps overrich. Almost syrupy in the mouth, very interesting texture, lots of weight yet still tactile and swirling the same way water does. An interesting change, but just doesn't seem fully realized.

1994 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon

4 stars This was made during my Aunt Lisa's tenure on the winemaking team. Ruby red, pure. Very elegant nose, immediate. I understand bottle age more, the softness of this cab compared to more recent wines was apparent. The tannins, while still present, felt more integrated, more harmonious and less powerful. It was very easy to sip this wine and imagine an evening spent with Lisa. Hopefully Mom got that too.

2000 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill

4 stars Unbeliavable nose, completely unique compared to other cabs I've had. Big, full, evokes dirt, earth, rocks, not minerally though.. lots of fruit. Great tannins and power in the mouth. Truly complex and balanced. This is perhaps the first big WOW from a wine I've gotten, and it's certainly the first bottle I look back on and think, "That's the one that got me hooked"

1995 Chateau Lynch Bages

3 stars Perhaps a bit underwhelming for what I was hoping for. Nice red fruit and a bit of earth on the nose, solid palate, shorter finish than expected. Good, not what I was looking for (although my expectations were probably off)

1994 Seghesio Old Vines Zinfandel

4 stars Found this on the bottom rack of my Dad's cache. Great Zin, not at all over the hill, although perhaps lacking a bit of that tangy punch of a younger bottle. I loved it.

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia

2 stars The structure of this wine is the only thing worth commenting on. It's finely architectured and huge. But the nose and palate were closed. Sad, but my fault. Needs years.

The Wish List

One day, I'll drink something like these.....! Some are obviously more realistic than others. Yes, I have an affinity towards older wines. There's an added dimension of history involved, and it certainly becomes a more cerebral experience.

  • 1834 Barbeito Malvasia Madeira
  • 1863 Barbeito Boal Madeira
  • 1947 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja
  • 1964 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva Rioja
  • 1920 Lopez de Heredia Gran Reserva
  • 1802 Acciaioly Terrantez Madeira
  • 2001 Chateau d'Yquem
  • 1967 Chateau d'Yquem
  • 1921 Chateau d'Yquem
  • 1992 Dominus
  • 2002 Dominus
  • 1928 Chateau Filhot
  • 1900 Chateau Margaux
  • 19th Century Bordeaux
  • 19th Century Tokaji Essenzia
  • 2001 Harlan
  • 2002 Harlan
  • 2002 Bond
  • Early Napa Cab (Inglenook?)
  • A good Cheval Blanc
  • A good Petrus
  • 1795 Barbeito Terrantez Madeira
  • 1945 Taylor Port
  • 1908 Taylor Port