Originally posted 1/24/02
Asher Rubinstein sent out word that he might have one more night free to drink some wine with the boys before he becomes a father and who could resist an invitation like that? So, a Rhone-loving group consisting of Greg Dal Piaz, Len Cohen, Yaacov Barselah and myself gathered at Ashers new neighborhood digs and celebrated his remaining days of being simply a husband.
1989 Columbia- Syrah, Yakima Valley, Red Willow Vineyard
Perfumed nose of sweet raspberries, spice, wet forest floor and a touch of licorice. Mature with good acidity. The fruit has mellowed and combines with some tertiary elements to make this a very interesting wine. It loses a little focus on the finish, but this is one of the better American Syrah Ive had. A-/B+.
1985 Marston Vineyard- Petite Sirah
Well what have we here? Lots of VA and nail polish remover that largely covers up some overripe black fruit aromas. On the palate, a not particularly pleasant combination of stemmy, harsh tannins that will probably never soften, with roasted black fruit and a nice helping of funky earth. For good measure, the alcohol sticks out. Not good. C+.
1996 Potensac- Medoc
Ripe cherry aromas with a keen mineral streak and a whiff of alcohol. Quite backward and hard on the palate at the moment and showing mostly structure and oak. Theres some nice fruit here, but its disjointed and largely hidden. Cellaring will be rewarded with a nice, relatively inexpensive drink, but dont expect anything too complex. B with room for improvement.
1985 Ferraton Pre & Fils- Hermitage, La Cuve des Miaux
Burning hay smokiness with citrus, smoked meat and ripe red fruit aromas. Fully mature on the palate with zippy acidity providing structure. Showed some decent red fruit initially, with sandalwood and a touch of spice. With air, however, the wine really blossomed. The fruit became much richer and showed sweet raspberry and pomegranate flavors which melded together nicelyl with the other elements. I wouldnt hold onto this wine if one prefers some fruit, but its drinking really well now and certainly exceeded expectations. A-.
1985 Pierre Barge- Cte-Rtie
I was alone in the opinion that this wine was corked. I got a strong whiff of TCA that I couldnt shake. That said, it was largely on the nose, as the wine did show some nice fruit, but every now and then I also got a taste of corkiness. While the bottle was drained by the others, I want to try another bottle before I make a decision on it. NR
1999 Texier- Cte-Rtie, "Vielles Vignes"
I got a whiff of this from the decanter when I walked in and it was beautiful, full of sweet raspberries and spice. However, upon my first taste, all I got was a good squirt of lemon juice. Man, does this baby have high acidity! One can clearly tell, however, that theres some exquisite fruit lurking underneath all that acid and tannin. I left the wine in my glass and went back to it three hours later and was rewarded, but not as much as I had hoped. The fruit had come forward just a little bit more, as did some nice earthy elements, but this baby just needs a good deal of cellar time before it struts its stuff. A-.
1989 Domaine de la Rousse- Cte-Rtie
Theres a burnt aspect on the nose with roasted nuts and a faint hint of ripe black fruit. On the palate theres some overripe black fruit, but its shallow and cant breath with the unrelenting and exceedingly harsh structure. A shell of a wine. C+.
1998 Erich Bender- Silvaner Eiswein, Bisserheimer Held, Pfalz
Intensely sweet, but with pretty good acidity. Greg said it reminded him of a Sauternes without the oak and while I first gave him an are you nuts glance, the more I thought about it, the more I had to agree. It was quite viscous and sweet, with honey and pineapple flavors and it really did remind me somewhat of a Sauternes, though thankfully without the oak and with a bit better acidity. A-.
Asher Rubinstein sent out word that he might have one more night free to drink some wine with the boys before he becomes a father and who could resist an invitation like that? So, a Rhone-loving group consisting of Greg Dal Piaz, Len Cohen, Yaacov Barselah and myself gathered at Ashers new neighborhood digs and celebrated his remaining days of being simply a husband.
1989 Columbia- Syrah, Yakima Valley, Red Willow Vineyard
Perfumed nose of sweet raspberries, spice, wet forest floor and a touch of licorice. Mature with good acidity. The fruit has mellowed and combines with some tertiary elements to make this a very interesting wine. It loses a little focus on the finish, but this is one of the better American Syrah Ive had. A-/B+.
1985 Marston Vineyard- Petite Sirah
Well what have we here? Lots of VA and nail polish remover that largely covers up some overripe black fruit aromas. On the palate, a not particularly pleasant combination of stemmy, harsh tannins that will probably never soften, with roasted black fruit and a nice helping of funky earth. For good measure, the alcohol sticks out. Not good. C+.
1996 Potensac- Medoc
Ripe cherry aromas with a keen mineral streak and a whiff of alcohol. Quite backward and hard on the palate at the moment and showing mostly structure and oak. Theres some nice fruit here, but its disjointed and largely hidden. Cellaring will be rewarded with a nice, relatively inexpensive drink, but dont expect anything too complex. B with room for improvement.
1985 Ferraton Pre & Fils- Hermitage, La Cuve des Miaux
Burning hay smokiness with citrus, smoked meat and ripe red fruit aromas. Fully mature on the palate with zippy acidity providing structure. Showed some decent red fruit initially, with sandalwood and a touch of spice. With air, however, the wine really blossomed. The fruit became much richer and showed sweet raspberry and pomegranate flavors which melded together nicelyl with the other elements. I wouldnt hold onto this wine if one prefers some fruit, but its drinking really well now and certainly exceeded expectations. A-.
1985 Pierre Barge- Cte-Rtie
I was alone in the opinion that this wine was corked. I got a strong whiff of TCA that I couldnt shake. That said, it was largely on the nose, as the wine did show some nice fruit, but every now and then I also got a taste of corkiness. While the bottle was drained by the others, I want to try another bottle before I make a decision on it. NR
1999 Texier- Cte-Rtie, "Vielles Vignes"
I got a whiff of this from the decanter when I walked in and it was beautiful, full of sweet raspberries and spice. However, upon my first taste, all I got was a good squirt of lemon juice. Man, does this baby have high acidity! One can clearly tell, however, that theres some exquisite fruit lurking underneath all that acid and tannin. I left the wine in my glass and went back to it three hours later and was rewarded, but not as much as I had hoped. The fruit had come forward just a little bit more, as did some nice earthy elements, but this baby just needs a good deal of cellar time before it struts its stuff. A-.
1989 Domaine de la Rousse- Cte-Rtie
Theres a burnt aspect on the nose with roasted nuts and a faint hint of ripe black fruit. On the palate theres some overripe black fruit, but its shallow and cant breath with the unrelenting and exceedingly harsh structure. A shell of a wine. C+.
1998 Erich Bender- Silvaner Eiswein, Bisserheimer Held, Pfalz
Intensely sweet, but with pretty good acidity. Greg said it reminded him of a Sauternes without the oak and while I first gave him an are you nuts glance, the more I thought about it, the more I had to agree. It was quite viscous and sweet, with honey and pineapple flavors and it really did remind me somewhat of a Sauternes, though thankfully without the oak and with a bit better acidity. A-.