Bill Buitenhuys
Bill Buitenhuys
Noshed and slurped in Charlotte last week...
Uplands Cheese Co. Pleasant Ridge Reserve (Dodgeville, WI) Firm, cows milk cheese with soft clean flavors of clover and flowers. Ok.
Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog (Arcata, CA). Ya, its now ubiquitous but its one of my domestic faves.
Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill (Thomasville, GA) yum. Farmy, creamy, grassy, and luscious Camembert-styled cows milk cheese.
2007 St. Innocent Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill Vineyard (Willamette Valley) Its a very rich pinot blanc with lots of heft throughout ending in a zippy citrus/tropical finish. A tad ponderous for me.
2007 Weingut Markus Huber Grner Veltliner Obere Steigen (Traisental) Refreshing yet a bit broad with no depth at all. Pass.
2006 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuve (Willamette Valley) Very nice, subdued pinot that can be commended for restraint. Decent dark cherry flavors with a smoky, softly tannic finish. Overall not a lot of complexity but very enjoyable.
2006 Jean-Louis Tribouley Vin de Pays des Ctes Catalanes Orchis (Roussillon) An old vine grenache brought in by Weygandt that is compelling in its complexity. It starts with this blueberry and kirsch mouthful that morphs to walnut skins and cheese rind (believe me, it works) and then back to the dark fruit again. The balance is exquisite and a solid vein of minerality runs throughout. Its young but flavorful now but I can see this getting even more complex in 2-3years.
2004 Le Calle Poggio d'Oro (Montecucco) A simple sangiovese with ripe fruit, dusty tannins, nice balance and only a hint of wood in the aroma. The touch of acidity makes this a decent enough mid-week dinner companion.
2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cte du Py Vieilles Vignes (Beaujolais) This bottle was open from the get-go with snappy red fruit and crisp acid throughout. The firm tannic structure has softened slightly to the point of being penetrable and there is a noticeable increase in the aromatic development. The complexity increased over 3-4 hours indicating to me that this wine has a few years to go in improvement. Love it.
2006 Occhipinti Il Frappato Sicilia (Sicily) Im a huge fan of the nero davola and this was my first bottle of the frappato. Wow. Wonderfully omnipresent acidity, high toned red fruit, soil laden aromas, balance and finesse that one rarely finds in the heat of Sicily. It doesnt have the chameleon depth of her nero davola but its a fascinating and joyful wine.
Uplands Cheese Co. Pleasant Ridge Reserve (Dodgeville, WI) Firm, cows milk cheese with soft clean flavors of clover and flowers. Ok.
Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog (Arcata, CA). Ya, its now ubiquitous but its one of my domestic faves.
Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill (Thomasville, GA) yum. Farmy, creamy, grassy, and luscious Camembert-styled cows milk cheese.
2007 St. Innocent Pinot Blanc Freedom Hill Vineyard (Willamette Valley) Its a very rich pinot blanc with lots of heft throughout ending in a zippy citrus/tropical finish. A tad ponderous for me.
2007 Weingut Markus Huber Grner Veltliner Obere Steigen (Traisental) Refreshing yet a bit broad with no depth at all. Pass.
2006 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuve (Willamette Valley) Very nice, subdued pinot that can be commended for restraint. Decent dark cherry flavors with a smoky, softly tannic finish. Overall not a lot of complexity but very enjoyable.
2006 Jean-Louis Tribouley Vin de Pays des Ctes Catalanes Orchis (Roussillon) An old vine grenache brought in by Weygandt that is compelling in its complexity. It starts with this blueberry and kirsch mouthful that morphs to walnut skins and cheese rind (believe me, it works) and then back to the dark fruit again. The balance is exquisite and a solid vein of minerality runs throughout. Its young but flavorful now but I can see this getting even more complex in 2-3years.
2004 Le Calle Poggio d'Oro (Montecucco) A simple sangiovese with ripe fruit, dusty tannins, nice balance and only a hint of wood in the aroma. The touch of acidity makes this a decent enough mid-week dinner companion.
2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cte du Py Vieilles Vignes (Beaujolais) This bottle was open from the get-go with snappy red fruit and crisp acid throughout. The firm tannic structure has softened slightly to the point of being penetrable and there is a noticeable increase in the aromatic development. The complexity increased over 3-4 hours indicating to me that this wine has a few years to go in improvement. Love it.
2006 Occhipinti Il Frappato Sicilia (Sicily) Im a huge fan of the nero davola and this was my first bottle of the frappato. Wow. Wonderfully omnipresent acidity, high toned red fruit, soil laden aromas, balance and finesse that one rarely finds in the heat of Sicily. It doesnt have the chameleon depth of her nero davola but its a fascinating and joyful wine.
