Lusseau Chteau Haut Lavigne 2007 Ctes de Duras (Southwest France) Bones and bouquet garni (heavy on the bay), but otherwise mostly about clarity. Its not watery or thin, but it is light, with its skeleton fully revealed. A summer wine. (3/09)
Lungarotti 2005 Rosso di Torgiano Rubesco (Umbria) Spiced strawberry (light on the former, heavier on the latter) as tasted through a gravel filter; not that the wine is stripped in any way, but that it picks up the taste and texture of choppy rocks, to its benefit. There are some richer soil notes as well, and perhaps a dusting of black pepper later on. Solid. Not inspiring, but theres a fair suggestion of balancing structure as well, and based on history it would probably be worth holding this for a while to see what develops. (3/09)
Meerlust 2003 Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) Very heavy, and losing a battle with its barrel tannin. Quite toasty in proportion to its fruit. Golden fig and peaches in amber are still hanging about, but probably not for much longer. This is a chore to drink. I set it aside for a day, at which point the oak toast has receded and a bit more acidity (which the wine heretofore lacked) has come to the fore, but the oak tannin has strengthened. Drink several years ago, if you must drink it at all. (3/09)
RL Buller & Son Tawny Port (Victoria) Smells like butter, and not the freshest kind either. Sickly-sweet, with the emphasis on sickness; in fact, theres a hint ofwell, I dont want to gross everyone out, so never mind. If you can avoid smelling the wine, the palate is actually quite fruit-forward and enjoyable, with more red stuff than one expects from a tawny, and certainly more acid than seems likely. But that smell never really goes away, unfortunately, even over several days. (3/09)
KWV Full Tawny Port (South Africa) Stale butterscotch, nasty old barrels, and brackish water. Insipid dreck. This is awful. (3/09)
Koningshoeven Tripel Trappist Ale (Netherlands) Caramel, metal, spice, and density, but they hollow as the beer persists. Just barely good. (3/09)
Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale (Netherlands) Dense and powerful, like drinking dark brownness with a Scotchy, peaty core. Very intense. I quite like it, but in small doses. (3/09)
Les Brasseurs de Gayant Amadeus Bire Blanche (Flanders) At first, the heavily-flavored (orange and coriander) sprightliness of this white ale is immensely appealing, with a detergent-like feel and a chalky texture. But it eventually starts to grate, lending not verve to what is otherwise a very light beer (even in this style), but a cloying artificiality. Good in quarter-portions, then. (3/09)
St. Bernardus Prior 8 Abbey Ale (Belgium) Solid and classically-styled, with layers of spiced pastry and stone fruit, yet not too heavy. Just right, Id say. (3/09)
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Abbey Ale (Belgium) Everything that the Prior 8 has, turned up a notch or two on the dial, yet without sacrificing balance. Intense, yes, but while its heavily-flavored, its not heavy-without-purpose. Very, very good. (3/09)
Fernndez Ron del Barrilito Rum *** (Puerto Rico) Old brown sugar with little pinches of herbs (thyme, perhapsmaybe tarragon). This seems like it will deliver more density than it actually possesses, but in fact theres still a good bit of transparent primary-ness here. For me, thats a negative, because the closer rum gets to clear, the less I like it, but for others less enamored of the barreled style, it might be a positive. (3/09)
Lungarotti 2005 Rosso di Torgiano Rubesco (Umbria) Spiced strawberry (light on the former, heavier on the latter) as tasted through a gravel filter; not that the wine is stripped in any way, but that it picks up the taste and texture of choppy rocks, to its benefit. There are some richer soil notes as well, and perhaps a dusting of black pepper later on. Solid. Not inspiring, but theres a fair suggestion of balancing structure as well, and based on history it would probably be worth holding this for a while to see what develops. (3/09)
Meerlust 2003 Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) Very heavy, and losing a battle with its barrel tannin. Quite toasty in proportion to its fruit. Golden fig and peaches in amber are still hanging about, but probably not for much longer. This is a chore to drink. I set it aside for a day, at which point the oak toast has receded and a bit more acidity (which the wine heretofore lacked) has come to the fore, but the oak tannin has strengthened. Drink several years ago, if you must drink it at all. (3/09)
RL Buller & Son Tawny Port (Victoria) Smells like butter, and not the freshest kind either. Sickly-sweet, with the emphasis on sickness; in fact, theres a hint ofwell, I dont want to gross everyone out, so never mind. If you can avoid smelling the wine, the palate is actually quite fruit-forward and enjoyable, with more red stuff than one expects from a tawny, and certainly more acid than seems likely. But that smell never really goes away, unfortunately, even over several days. (3/09)
KWV Full Tawny Port (South Africa) Stale butterscotch, nasty old barrels, and brackish water. Insipid dreck. This is awful. (3/09)
Koningshoeven Tripel Trappist Ale (Netherlands) Caramel, metal, spice, and density, but they hollow as the beer persists. Just barely good. (3/09)
Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale (Netherlands) Dense and powerful, like drinking dark brownness with a Scotchy, peaty core. Very intense. I quite like it, but in small doses. (3/09)
Les Brasseurs de Gayant Amadeus Bire Blanche (Flanders) At first, the heavily-flavored (orange and coriander) sprightliness of this white ale is immensely appealing, with a detergent-like feel and a chalky texture. But it eventually starts to grate, lending not verve to what is otherwise a very light beer (even in this style), but a cloying artificiality. Good in quarter-portions, then. (3/09)
St. Bernardus Prior 8 Abbey Ale (Belgium) Solid and classically-styled, with layers of spiced pastry and stone fruit, yet not too heavy. Just right, Id say. (3/09)
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Abbey Ale (Belgium) Everything that the Prior 8 has, turned up a notch or two on the dial, yet without sacrificing balance. Intense, yes, but while its heavily-flavored, its not heavy-without-purpose. Very, very good. (3/09)
Fernndez Ron del Barrilito Rum *** (Puerto Rico) Old brown sugar with little pinches of herbs (thyme, perhapsmaybe tarragon). This seems like it will deliver more density than it actually possesses, but in fact theres still a good bit of transparent primary-ness here. For me, thats a negative, because the closer rum gets to clear, the less I like it, but for others less enamored of the barreled style, it might be a positive. (3/09)