Joel Stewart
Joel Stewart
I'm feeling appreciative...
2007 Lapierre, Le Cambon.....Label says 14%. $24. Bottle shape appears to be custom...nuevo burgogne-ean? And, for all the cartoony vin naturel labels (great to spot at 50 ft, so I love'em for that) Lapierre lables are cool in their suave modern classicism. This tastes like (and is possibly just as good as) the Morgon, which I recall might be for a few dollars less. Nicely delineated red berry juice for adults. If I could be convinced that one or the other was more ageworthy, I'd buy more with that in mind...(probably put my money on the Morgon). This is very well made, nicely structured, food friendly red wine. Ripe, but not overly so. Alcohol is only detected in the afterbuzz, otherwise, everything went well while we watched Hannibals's fava and liver scene on dvd (that film holds up better than expected....Jodie's hair excluded.)
2007 Lapierre, Morgon (12.5%) - Light bright ruby with an elegant nose of pine, mint, black cherry with maybe a little touch of v.a.? This is really impressive stuff. Lovely silky texture and a remarkable spray of colors across the palate before a tight, dry snap on the finish and a lingering afterglow. My favorite of all three.
2007 Lapierre Beaujolais (12.5%) - Stop the presses. Shall I ship these to the US? For some odd reason, these are showing up in the local Kyoto liquor chain store outlets (others were purchased online locally). For all the RP (and Droplets from the Gods) shelf talkers screaming into the eyes at these stores, one might forgive my surprise to see these here....and at $13, no less. Adding further to the mystery, these stores are not overly temp-controlled...knowing that, I eyed this find suspiciously and bought just a couple btls. Then we consumed and rejoiced....and I went back...and then I went back again. I think I've purchased a case now, and I think I may have to go back for more to help us thru the winter. This too is pure red berry juice and gulpable as well as nuanced. '07 Puzelat Tesnieres like, but a bit more fruit. Ripe, bright and taut. Some slight bottle variation, but none of the problems which seem to be associated with US shipments so far....
2004 Camillo Donati, Sauvignon Frizzante, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 13.5% - $25, Champagne cork. This showed an elegance which prompted comparisons with Champagne beyond the cork alone. Fine bead and citrus top notes + rocky minerals seem mainly responsible for that, while more robust, dry and savory notes pull in from the bottom and speak of other places and practices. There's a bit of grip here, pointing to an "orange" classification, but the elegance and balance of the wine win out (and, fwiw, in the glass, this is a lovely, light-catching, misty white pear yellow). Unique nose of raw tobacco and sauna wood at first, then with air, some subtle yeast notes and a bare hint of white grape. Overall, this is like a bottled version of mica-flecked granite blocks: dry, cleanly chiseled shapes, with just a small flower or two growing between the cracks and a few fresh drops of lemon. Really enjoyable.
2006 Camillo Donati, Malvasia, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 13% - $22, Bottle cap. There are orange wines which really test one's concept of what wine is (see the malvasia frizzante version, for example) but this is my idea of a line drive orange right down the middle of the fairway. Nothing odd or off balance here and while there is plenty of tannic grip, it's but one aspect amongst various textures and flavors. Touches of subtle savory notes, a bit of tar and apricot and a subtle dried fruit component. Grapefruit and smokey notes towards the finish. More air softens the grip, unleashes more flavors and over a few days the acidity itself develops in body and citric notes. Very well put together.....though I must admit there were times during this bottle where I felt my limits of interest in the overall "orange wine" style (nothing to do with how well made this wine was). Maybe it's the apricot and mouth-drying apple skin tannin thing. I probably liked this wine best 3 days later when the subtle fruit and tannin had mellowed and the citrus notes came forward and illuminated things more. As for pairings (I'm not sold on the uni thing yet) this wine worked nicely with seared maguro with aioli on a sembei crostini. I think orange and aioli have possibilities...
2005 Camillo Donati, S. Andrea Malvasia Frizzante Secco, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 12% - $24, Bottle cap. This comes out looking like a frizzy, cloudy cider....smelling like a lambic beer....and tasting like a hybrid cross between a lambic and a lighter styled orange wine. More euro-beer on the VA sour yeasty side of it's profile (as opposed to the citrussey Crystal or Cascade hopped NW microbeer profile, which initially got me going on this orange bubbly track at first). There is a nice, minor touch of fruit, citrus, quinine and tannic grip tucked in there, which show the wine side well, and after all there are some cidery notes too. Though it might sound like a jumbled concoction of different animal parts, this wine is anything but disjointed. Bright and vivid on the palate and wholly integrated with a clearly defined taste all it's own. It's liveliness and pure insistence on being nothing but itself is it's strength...so in that sense it is indeed a mythical creature. A wine which gives pause: is this beer, cider or wine? After a few moments, the answer seems to be: it's Donati Malvasia Frizzante Secco, it's good enough to go with dinner, shut up and enjoy it.
1993 R. Lopez de Heredia, Rosado (12.5%) - General note compiled from several bottles consumed over the last 12 months. This wine is in a sweet spot zone now, with room to move. Last year the color was tea brown/red and it was overly heavy on the brothy, soy and bouillon notes. I did not like it then. A year later the RLdH aging alchemy has worked: the lighter colored bottles are becoming increasingly younger, more golden, more yellow apricot showing through the former savory notes. Fat slicing, chrome handlebar licking, razor edged acidity. Comparatively speaking, the '97 is still a baby and though fresh and youthful, it has none of the depth or nuance that the '93 has....yet at least. This wine competes with the '89 tondonia bianco we had earlier this year...and, well, great qpr. In the burg glass it opens up and really runs. Cellar temp. Great with or without food, but if with, simple is better.
2007 Lapierre, Le Cambon.....Label says 14%. $24. Bottle shape appears to be custom...nuevo burgogne-ean? And, for all the cartoony vin naturel labels (great to spot at 50 ft, so I love'em for that) Lapierre lables are cool in their suave modern classicism. This tastes like (and is possibly just as good as) the Morgon, which I recall might be for a few dollars less. Nicely delineated red berry juice for adults. If I could be convinced that one or the other was more ageworthy, I'd buy more with that in mind...(probably put my money on the Morgon). This is very well made, nicely structured, food friendly red wine. Ripe, but not overly so. Alcohol is only detected in the afterbuzz, otherwise, everything went well while we watched Hannibals's fava and liver scene on dvd (that film holds up better than expected....Jodie's hair excluded.)
2007 Lapierre, Morgon (12.5%) - Light bright ruby with an elegant nose of pine, mint, black cherry with maybe a little touch of v.a.? This is really impressive stuff. Lovely silky texture and a remarkable spray of colors across the palate before a tight, dry snap on the finish and a lingering afterglow. My favorite of all three.
2007 Lapierre Beaujolais (12.5%) - Stop the presses. Shall I ship these to the US? For some odd reason, these are showing up in the local Kyoto liquor chain store outlets (others were purchased online locally). For all the RP (and Droplets from the Gods) shelf talkers screaming into the eyes at these stores, one might forgive my surprise to see these here....and at $13, no less. Adding further to the mystery, these stores are not overly temp-controlled...knowing that, I eyed this find suspiciously and bought just a couple btls. Then we consumed and rejoiced....and I went back...and then I went back again. I think I've purchased a case now, and I think I may have to go back for more to help us thru the winter. This too is pure red berry juice and gulpable as well as nuanced. '07 Puzelat Tesnieres like, but a bit more fruit. Ripe, bright and taut. Some slight bottle variation, but none of the problems which seem to be associated with US shipments so far....
2004 Camillo Donati, Sauvignon Frizzante, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 13.5% - $25, Champagne cork. This showed an elegance which prompted comparisons with Champagne beyond the cork alone. Fine bead and citrus top notes + rocky minerals seem mainly responsible for that, while more robust, dry and savory notes pull in from the bottom and speak of other places and practices. There's a bit of grip here, pointing to an "orange" classification, but the elegance and balance of the wine win out (and, fwiw, in the glass, this is a lovely, light-catching, misty white pear yellow). Unique nose of raw tobacco and sauna wood at first, then with air, some subtle yeast notes and a bare hint of white grape. Overall, this is like a bottled version of mica-flecked granite blocks: dry, cleanly chiseled shapes, with just a small flower or two growing between the cracks and a few fresh drops of lemon. Really enjoyable.
2006 Camillo Donati, Malvasia, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 13% - $22, Bottle cap. There are orange wines which really test one's concept of what wine is (see the malvasia frizzante version, for example) but this is my idea of a line drive orange right down the middle of the fairway. Nothing odd or off balance here and while there is plenty of tannic grip, it's but one aspect amongst various textures and flavors. Touches of subtle savory notes, a bit of tar and apricot and a subtle dried fruit component. Grapefruit and smokey notes towards the finish. More air softens the grip, unleashes more flavors and over a few days the acidity itself develops in body and citric notes. Very well put together.....though I must admit there were times during this bottle where I felt my limits of interest in the overall "orange wine" style (nothing to do with how well made this wine was). Maybe it's the apricot and mouth-drying apple skin tannin thing. I probably liked this wine best 3 days later when the subtle fruit and tannin had mellowed and the citrus notes came forward and illuminated things more. As for pairings (I'm not sold on the uni thing yet) this wine worked nicely with seared maguro with aioli on a sembei crostini. I think orange and aioli have possibilities...
2005 Camillo Donati, S. Andrea Malvasia Frizzante Secco, IGT, Emilia-Romagna, 12% - $24, Bottle cap. This comes out looking like a frizzy, cloudy cider....smelling like a lambic beer....and tasting like a hybrid cross between a lambic and a lighter styled orange wine. More euro-beer on the VA sour yeasty side of it's profile (as opposed to the citrussey Crystal or Cascade hopped NW microbeer profile, which initially got me going on this orange bubbly track at first). There is a nice, minor touch of fruit, citrus, quinine and tannic grip tucked in there, which show the wine side well, and after all there are some cidery notes too. Though it might sound like a jumbled concoction of different animal parts, this wine is anything but disjointed. Bright and vivid on the palate and wholly integrated with a clearly defined taste all it's own. It's liveliness and pure insistence on being nothing but itself is it's strength...so in that sense it is indeed a mythical creature. A wine which gives pause: is this beer, cider or wine? After a few moments, the answer seems to be: it's Donati Malvasia Frizzante Secco, it's good enough to go with dinner, shut up and enjoy it.
1993 R. Lopez de Heredia, Rosado (12.5%) - General note compiled from several bottles consumed over the last 12 months. This wine is in a sweet spot zone now, with room to move. Last year the color was tea brown/red and it was overly heavy on the brothy, soy and bouillon notes. I did not like it then. A year later the RLdH aging alchemy has worked: the lighter colored bottles are becoming increasingly younger, more golden, more yellow apricot showing through the former savory notes. Fat slicing, chrome handlebar licking, razor edged acidity. Comparatively speaking, the '97 is still a baby and though fresh and youthful, it has none of the depth or nuance that the '93 has....yet at least. This wine competes with the '89 tondonia bianco we had earlier this year...and, well, great qpr. In the burg glass it opens up and really runs. Cellar temp. Great with or without food, but if with, simple is better.
