Donaldson Family Pegasus Bay 2006 Riesling (Waipara Valley) Vivacious and exciting. Lime, green apple, very ripe lemon, perhaps some other bright and sunny fruitpresented in crystal-clear digital sound. It hasnt developed any analog richness yet, but its young. Quite long, with a steel spine driven straight through the center of the wine. The balance of acidity and sweetness is flawless. Very impressive. (1/09)
A Donkey and Goat 2006 Tamarindo Roussanne (El Dorado) For about five minutes after opening, toasted fruit aromatics rush from the glass, heralding a weighty but not overblown palate. And then, as that initial burst of uncorked goodness diffuses, it goes immediately and completely to helloverwhelmed with volatile acidity, for starters, and bringing up some nasty, decaying animal scents from the cellar. (Smells like a cow vomited and then died on top of it, opines one drinking companion.) Really terrible, and an absolutely horrendous value. (1/09)
Pinon 2006 Vouvray Cuve Tradition (Loire) Shy to the point of invisibility. Only the barest suggestion of waxy whiteness is perceptible, with a very light patina of sweetness. Either drink it in a sensory deprivation chamber, or give it the time it deserves. (1/09)
Ollivier Domaine de la Ppire 2006 Muscadet Svre et Maine Sur Lie (Loire) Drier, in some ways, than the starkest Trimbach or Beyer riesling, yet the core of this wine is friendlier and more appealinga gently-lapping shell-covered seashore rather than a rigid column of iron. And its crisp without being severe. Deployed to accompany a scallop ceviche, it sings through the gaps and spaces, rather than cooperating in a duet of equals, and I think is even better for it. (1/09)
Arabako Txakolina 2007 Txakoli de lava Txakoli Xarmant (Northwest Spain) Filled with the spike and needle of bubbles, quite acidic, and elusive in its bare-bone, eroded-sand fashion. I love the tactility, but the wine within is a little too absent for me. (1/09)
FX Pichler 2005 Grner Veltliner Loibner Klostersatz Federspiel (Wachau) Explodes out of the glass, but I dont know that theres as much shrapnel in the blast as Id like. Its certainly quite aromatic, drifting into unusual realms of quince and Rainier cherry, and then returning to the familiar homeland of liquefied celery and heady minerality. Its presence on the palate is weighty and impressive. And yet, and yetit decrescendos on the finish, tailing off to an acidic void. Oh well. (1/09)
Pichot Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette 1997 Vouvray (Loire) Not bad for thirty-year-old Vouvray. Wait, whats that? OKwell, its advanced, then, with significant bronzing and a concentrated maser of brittle lemon in the middle, nice sweetness, and a fine dusting of chalk. It never really rises to any sort of complexity, but its good enough, if a bit ponderous by the dregs. Probable culprit: the cork is rigid, and wet from bottom to top. (1/09)
COS 2007 Ram (Sicily) A blend of insolia and grecanico. An exotic nose of je ne sais quoi. Really, I have absolutely no idea what to call these aromas. Theyre lovely, though. The palate is wet and clean, but not up to the promise of the nose, and with aeration (an hour or so) the wine gets a little bit ponderous. It does seem to need a bit more chill than the weight might otherwise indicate. (1/09)
A Donkey and Goat 2006 Tamarindo Roussanne (El Dorado) For about five minutes after opening, toasted fruit aromatics rush from the glass, heralding a weighty but not overblown palate. And then, as that initial burst of uncorked goodness diffuses, it goes immediately and completely to helloverwhelmed with volatile acidity, for starters, and bringing up some nasty, decaying animal scents from the cellar. (Smells like a cow vomited and then died on top of it, opines one drinking companion.) Really terrible, and an absolutely horrendous value. (1/09)
Pinon 2006 Vouvray Cuve Tradition (Loire) Shy to the point of invisibility. Only the barest suggestion of waxy whiteness is perceptible, with a very light patina of sweetness. Either drink it in a sensory deprivation chamber, or give it the time it deserves. (1/09)
Ollivier Domaine de la Ppire 2006 Muscadet Svre et Maine Sur Lie (Loire) Drier, in some ways, than the starkest Trimbach or Beyer riesling, yet the core of this wine is friendlier and more appealinga gently-lapping shell-covered seashore rather than a rigid column of iron. And its crisp without being severe. Deployed to accompany a scallop ceviche, it sings through the gaps and spaces, rather than cooperating in a duet of equals, and I think is even better for it. (1/09)
Arabako Txakolina 2007 Txakoli de lava Txakoli Xarmant (Northwest Spain) Filled with the spike and needle of bubbles, quite acidic, and elusive in its bare-bone, eroded-sand fashion. I love the tactility, but the wine within is a little too absent for me. (1/09)
FX Pichler 2005 Grner Veltliner Loibner Klostersatz Federspiel (Wachau) Explodes out of the glass, but I dont know that theres as much shrapnel in the blast as Id like. Its certainly quite aromatic, drifting into unusual realms of quince and Rainier cherry, and then returning to the familiar homeland of liquefied celery and heady minerality. Its presence on the palate is weighty and impressive. And yet, and yetit decrescendos on the finish, tailing off to an acidic void. Oh well. (1/09)
Pichot Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette 1997 Vouvray (Loire) Not bad for thirty-year-old Vouvray. Wait, whats that? OKwell, its advanced, then, with significant bronzing and a concentrated maser of brittle lemon in the middle, nice sweetness, and a fine dusting of chalk. It never really rises to any sort of complexity, but its good enough, if a bit ponderous by the dregs. Probable culprit: the cork is rigid, and wet from bottom to top. (1/09)
COS 2007 Ram (Sicily) A blend of insolia and grecanico. An exotic nose of je ne sais quoi. Really, I have absolutely no idea what to call these aromas. Theyre lovely, though. The palate is wet and clean, but not up to the promise of the nose, and with aeration (an hour or so) the wine gets a little bit ponderous. It does seem to need a bit more chill than the weight might otherwise indicate. (1/09)