Florida Jim
Florida Jim
Impressions from wines had on the road and a couple from the cellar once we got in. ‘Back in Sonoma for awhile . . .
2012 Louis Michel, Chablis Grenouilles - a delicate perfume of lemon skin and something that makes me think of high mountain air; silky texture, complete wine with enough concentration to let me know it’s Grand Cru and enough sustain to make me consider it even after the bottle is drained. I think of this vineyard as the Musigny of Chablis; intense but feminine. And this particular wine as one of the most integrated and balanced Chablis I’ve had in years.
2018 Dirty and Rowdy, Mourvèdre Evangelho - requires and hour or more in the decanter; the nose is not yet developed but the red fruit is clear and the accent of warmed herbs is noticeable; medium bodied, well-balanced and exuberant with good grip and a lovely finish. The longer it sits in the glass the better it gets - which is a vexing catch-22.
2018 Birichino, Cinsault Bechthold Vineyard - if you called it a pretty, light red wine, you’d be right but you’d have missed the complexity and finesse. While this is young it’s still complete. And older bottles of this have shown very similar. I make a point of buying several of these yearly.
2017 Vincent, Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge - another yearly purchase, at 4 this has lost its baby fat such that the structure is evident and the fruit is streamlined. As the evening passes, it melds into a single, Gevrey-esque expression of Pinot . . . and one I like a lot.
2018 Vincent, Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge - clearly a sibling to the foregoing wine with a bit more fruit and less structure discernible. But it also seems a level up in amplitude and impressed me enough to buy an additional case in hopes I’ll forget a bottle or two in the cellar and not find them for a decade - ‘cause that’s the only way it will last that long.
2018 Tissot, Trousseau Singulier - vibrant red fruit smell and taste with nuances of soil, fresh herbs and alpine grasses (or something like that). A benchmark for the grape and a joy to drink.
2006 Sordo Giovanni, Barolo Res. Perno - solid Nebbiolo with depth and character but comes off a bit torrified. Good but not great, although with home-made manicotti in fresh tomato sauce it worked well.
2018 Louis Michel, Chablis - quite crisp and clearly of its place. Something I can and will drink a lot of.
N/V Louis Roederer, Champagne Estate Brut - fine, fresh and with all the verve one could ask for in N/V bubbles.
2012 Cowan Cellars, Pinot Noir Anderson Valley - like an old suit that fits you exactly right, gives in the right places, makes you feel good and, even if your shoes are scuffed or your tie’s not straight, makes you look good. I remember years ago (and long before I made wine) when a Burg-ophile friend said that Anderson Valley held promise for domestic Pinot. He was right.
2019 Vincent, Pinot Blanc - clean, crisp, pure Pinot Blanc with nice spice tones and an etched feel in the mouth. What this grape should be.
Best, jim
2012 Louis Michel, Chablis Grenouilles - a delicate perfume of lemon skin and something that makes me think of high mountain air; silky texture, complete wine with enough concentration to let me know it’s Grand Cru and enough sustain to make me consider it even after the bottle is drained. I think of this vineyard as the Musigny of Chablis; intense but feminine. And this particular wine as one of the most integrated and balanced Chablis I’ve had in years.
2018 Dirty and Rowdy, Mourvèdre Evangelho - requires and hour or more in the decanter; the nose is not yet developed but the red fruit is clear and the accent of warmed herbs is noticeable; medium bodied, well-balanced and exuberant with good grip and a lovely finish. The longer it sits in the glass the better it gets - which is a vexing catch-22.
2018 Birichino, Cinsault Bechthold Vineyard - if you called it a pretty, light red wine, you’d be right but you’d have missed the complexity and finesse. While this is young it’s still complete. And older bottles of this have shown very similar. I make a point of buying several of these yearly.
2017 Vincent, Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge - another yearly purchase, at 4 this has lost its baby fat such that the structure is evident and the fruit is streamlined. As the evening passes, it melds into a single, Gevrey-esque expression of Pinot . . . and one I like a lot.
2018 Vincent, Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge - clearly a sibling to the foregoing wine with a bit more fruit and less structure discernible. But it also seems a level up in amplitude and impressed me enough to buy an additional case in hopes I’ll forget a bottle or two in the cellar and not find them for a decade - ‘cause that’s the only way it will last that long.
2018 Tissot, Trousseau Singulier - vibrant red fruit smell and taste with nuances of soil, fresh herbs and alpine grasses (or something like that). A benchmark for the grape and a joy to drink.
2006 Sordo Giovanni, Barolo Res. Perno - solid Nebbiolo with depth and character but comes off a bit torrified. Good but not great, although with home-made manicotti in fresh tomato sauce it worked well.
2018 Louis Michel, Chablis - quite crisp and clearly of its place. Something I can and will drink a lot of.
N/V Louis Roederer, Champagne Estate Brut - fine, fresh and with all the verve one could ask for in N/V bubbles.
2012 Cowan Cellars, Pinot Noir Anderson Valley - like an old suit that fits you exactly right, gives in the right places, makes you feel good and, even if your shoes are scuffed or your tie’s not straight, makes you look good. I remember years ago (and long before I made wine) when a Burg-ophile friend said that Anderson Valley held promise for domestic Pinot. He was right.
2019 Vincent, Pinot Blanc - clean, crisp, pure Pinot Blanc with nice spice tones and an etched feel in the mouth. What this grape should be.
Best, jim
