Salil Benegal
Salil Benegal
NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla 93 "Navazos"
Darker and more cloudy than I expect Manzanilla to be. Lots of savory, briny, and nutty complexity here and the palate feels remarkably light and airy with no sign of the 15% alc. It's far too easy to drink, though held up extremely well in the fridge over four days. Once again, I'm wondering why I don't buy and drink these wines more often.
1997 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #6
Corked. Infuriating, as I've had this a couple of other times and it's otherwise tremendous.
2011 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé
No greenness to note here (I've noticed it in other Jouan 11s, though inconsistently) but it's relatively one-note and simple. Pleasant wine with gentle red fruit and some developed earthiness, but leaves me wishing for a bit more in depth and presence.
2013 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé
This on the other hand leaves me wanting nothing more. Delightful, everything I could want from this wine - the aromatics build over a couple of hours into something hauntingly complex with layers of fruit, herbs, flowers, and earth, and the palate presence is striking with remarkable intensity of flavor without weight.
2019 Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray
Joyous, gorgeous wine bursting with fruit and olives. A bottle disappeared way too quickly with pizza, so we opened another and it also disappeared quickly.
1993 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Well this was a treat from a very generous friend, and the first time I've actually been able to sit down and *drink* a bottle of Lafite over dinner, rather than as part of a bigger jeeb. There's a lot of green here but in a good way with lots of forestal/herbal notes, rather than green pepper/more unripe notes - I remarked the aromatics at points reminded me of Rougeard or other very high end Cab Franc. Lots of red and black fruit and more developed graphite/earthiness beneath on a medium weight frame, and the whole package feels remarkably light and vibrant with most of the structure here coming from the acidity and relatively little apparent tannin.
1985 Chateau Gruaud Larose
Birthyear wine for a birthday celebration, still excellent and holding up very well. Red and black fruit, leather, graphite, and other classic Bordeaux flavors and Cordier funk come together seamlessly on a palate that feels silken with the tannin fully integrated. The Cordier funk's gentle and plays a supporting note rather than dominating the fruit. I'm glad I have a couple more, though I'll likely drink them sooner rather than later.
2019 Tyrrell's Sémillon
Very pretty, lightweight with bracing, tart citrus fruit, hay, and a stony mineral character lifted by really bright acidity. A local retailer is now carrying these at $20 and I'm glad for local/easy access to these wines now.
2016 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
From the same retailer but at a considerably higher price, and while it's a step up in terms of intensity and depth, I'm not sure it's enough of a step up for me to justify buying more of these.
2021 Bedrock Alta Vista Gewurztraminer Moon Mountain District
Bought this out of curiosity and admittedly with some skepticism, as I find a lot of Gewurz too cloying or heavy. But this is convincing and I'll ask for some the next time I get an offer - it has the variety's tropical/floral aromatic profile, the palate is dry and feels relatively light with decent acidity, and the alcohol remains in check even as this warms up a bit.
1995 Chateau Magdelaine
Disappointing, advanced and oxidative.
1996 Chateau Calon-Ségur
This on the other hand is firing on all cylinders. As good a bottle of Bordeaux as I've had in a while and one of those rare bottles that brings the table to silence for a few minutes as everyone's just exploring the many layers of dark fruit, graphite, tobacco, and other savoriness. Stunning wine and I'm glad I still have a couple more bottles.
Meanwhile, also drinking a lot more spirits and cocktails than I used to several years ago with wine consumption correspondingly slowing down, the last week or so excepted. Sotols from Flor Del Desierto and IZO were compelling with beautiful earthy and herbal aromatic profiles. A Hacienda de Chihuahua Reposado Sotol was not, seemed a little sweeter and more tequila-like. Might sub it for tequila the next time I make a Oaxaca Old Fashioned or margarita, but not one I enjoyed neat.
Brucato Amaro Chapparal is compelling but bears more resemblance to chartreuse than most amaro I've had. Very strong cardamom, anise, orange peel, and herbal notes; there's a bit of sweetness here and it's very alcoholic by amaro standards (46.5%; interestingly it clouds up like absinthe when I add an ice cube or water.) Liking it a lot as an after-dinner drink either neat or with an ice cube/splash of cold water to chill and dilute it slightly, but not enjoying it so much in blends. Brucato's website and a bartender friend both suggested using it in a Last Word - it was good but I'll stick with the original build with green chartreuse.
Darker and more cloudy than I expect Manzanilla to be. Lots of savory, briny, and nutty complexity here and the palate feels remarkably light and airy with no sign of the 15% alc. It's far too easy to drink, though held up extremely well in the fridge over four days. Once again, I'm wondering why I don't buy and drink these wines more often.
1997 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #6
Corked. Infuriating, as I've had this a couple of other times and it's otherwise tremendous.
2011 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé
No greenness to note here (I've noticed it in other Jouan 11s, though inconsistently) but it's relatively one-note and simple. Pleasant wine with gentle red fruit and some developed earthiness, but leaves me wishing for a bit more in depth and presence.
2013 Henri Jouan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbé
This on the other hand leaves me wanting nothing more. Delightful, everything I could want from this wine - the aromatics build over a couple of hours into something hauntingly complex with layers of fruit, herbs, flowers, and earth, and the palate presence is striking with remarkable intensity of flavor without weight.
2019 Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray
Joyous, gorgeous wine bursting with fruit and olives. A bottle disappeared way too quickly with pizza, so we opened another and it also disappeared quickly.
1993 Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Well this was a treat from a very generous friend, and the first time I've actually been able to sit down and *drink* a bottle of Lafite over dinner, rather than as part of a bigger jeeb. There's a lot of green here but in a good way with lots of forestal/herbal notes, rather than green pepper/more unripe notes - I remarked the aromatics at points reminded me of Rougeard or other very high end Cab Franc. Lots of red and black fruit and more developed graphite/earthiness beneath on a medium weight frame, and the whole package feels remarkably light and vibrant with most of the structure here coming from the acidity and relatively little apparent tannin.
1985 Chateau Gruaud Larose
Birthyear wine for a birthday celebration, still excellent and holding up very well. Red and black fruit, leather, graphite, and other classic Bordeaux flavors and Cordier funk come together seamlessly on a palate that feels silken with the tannin fully integrated. The Cordier funk's gentle and plays a supporting note rather than dominating the fruit. I'm glad I have a couple more, though I'll likely drink them sooner rather than later.
2019 Tyrrell's Sémillon
Very pretty, lightweight with bracing, tart citrus fruit, hay, and a stony mineral character lifted by really bright acidity. A local retailer is now carrying these at $20 and I'm glad for local/easy access to these wines now.
2016 Tyrrell's Sémillon Vat 1
From the same retailer but at a considerably higher price, and while it's a step up in terms of intensity and depth, I'm not sure it's enough of a step up for me to justify buying more of these.
2021 Bedrock Alta Vista Gewurztraminer Moon Mountain District
Bought this out of curiosity and admittedly with some skepticism, as I find a lot of Gewurz too cloying or heavy. But this is convincing and I'll ask for some the next time I get an offer - it has the variety's tropical/floral aromatic profile, the palate is dry and feels relatively light with decent acidity, and the alcohol remains in check even as this warms up a bit.
1995 Chateau Magdelaine
Disappointing, advanced and oxidative.
1996 Chateau Calon-Ségur
This on the other hand is firing on all cylinders. As good a bottle of Bordeaux as I've had in a while and one of those rare bottles that brings the table to silence for a few minutes as everyone's just exploring the many layers of dark fruit, graphite, tobacco, and other savoriness. Stunning wine and I'm glad I still have a couple more bottles.
Meanwhile, also drinking a lot more spirits and cocktails than I used to several years ago with wine consumption correspondingly slowing down, the last week or so excepted. Sotols from Flor Del Desierto and IZO were compelling with beautiful earthy and herbal aromatic profiles. A Hacienda de Chihuahua Reposado Sotol was not, seemed a little sweeter and more tequila-like. Might sub it for tequila the next time I make a Oaxaca Old Fashioned or margarita, but not one I enjoyed neat.
Brucato Amaro Chapparal is compelling but bears more resemblance to chartreuse than most amaro I've had. Very strong cardamom, anise, orange peel, and herbal notes; there's a bit of sweetness here and it's very alcoholic by amaro standards (46.5%; interestingly it clouds up like absinthe when I add an ice cube or water.) Liking it a lot as an after-dinner drink either neat or with an ice cube/splash of cold water to chill and dilute it slightly, but not enjoying it so much in blends. Brucato's website and a bartender friend both suggested using it in a Last Word - it was good but I'll stick with the original build with green chartreuse.
