Kalin 1994 Chardonnay Cuve LD (Sonoma County) The argument against the ageability of California chardonnay is, unfortunately, well-supported by the preponderance of the evidence. There are exceptions, of course, and none are more inexplicably absent from the conversation as Kalin. (Actually, perhaps not inexplicably, as this is a winery that doesnt exactly court fame and marketability.) Beautifully mature, and while this will almost certainly (based on past vintages performance) hold longer, I dont think theres much reason to wait. A mlange of stone fruit and citrus has integrated into a thready core of complexity, around which are wrapped layers of tan minerality, pollen, and the memory of spice. An absolutely terrific wine at peak. (8/09)
Beaux Frres 2005 Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge (Willamette Valley) Overwhelming. Intensity dialed past ultra-high to pure caricature, with a liqueur-like texture (minus the sweetness). Black fruit gelatin. This is like drinking a migraine. One can admire the skill, I suppose, butugh. (8/09)
Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah (California) It will be to my ongoing regret, Im sure, that the succulent appeal of this wine has kept me from aging it as long as it deserves. Dark fruit in the black & blue realm, leather, resolving but not quite diminishing structure, and complexity in micro-flake form...this wine regularly performs well above its pay grade, and has gotten better with each bottle Ive uncorked. (8/09)
Hendry 2005 Zinfandel Block 28 (Napa Valley) 15.2%. To me, Hendry is an underrated producer. Heck, I even like their chardonnay. Mitigating against that, at least for my cellar, is that their prices arewell, theyre low for Napa, but aggressive in any wider context. Thats one thing when discussing the cabernet, quite another when looking at the zinfandels, which are reliably high-quality but priced as if theyre at the pinnacle, which theyre not. Heres a wine with concentrated wild-berry fruit (blackberry, olallieberry, perhaps even some dark, exotic plum), excellent structure, and obvious aging potential. The finish is medium-length but vibrant throughout. I just wish it was a little cheaper. (9/09)
Kalin 1997 Pinot Noir Cuve DD (Sonoma County) There just arent many California wines made like this, and for my tastes thats a shame. Soft, mossy earth and well-aged red fruit, black truffle, and crushed flowersnot Burgundian, exactly, but this is the sort of thing people mean when they lend a California pinot noir that characterization. Id drink this now despite a slight grate and chop to the structure (mostly lingering tannin, though acid plays a role as well), which keeps this from being among the top Kalins Ive tasted. That said, its very good. (9/09)
Dashe 1999 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 14.5%. By all rights, one should be drinking the site-designated Dashe zinfandels now, and this one should be a memory. I cant speak to the better wines, but I can say that at least based on this bottle theres no real hurry to ferret out the stragglers from this stock. It shows a lot of the really appealing signs of maturing zin, like tiny wild berries bearing a significant dust component, gentle coffee aromas, and a dark, organic earthiness; fans of older Ridge will recognize much here, and Id say that even were there no connection between the two wineries. But theres also still-evolving structure, and some unquestionable tightness to the wines core. Theres no harm in drinking it, for certain, but Im still not sure its done with its journey. A really good wine, well-rewarding its time in the cellar. (10/09)
Dashe 2006 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 14.5%. Big, for sure, with zingy and somewhat elbowy smallberry fruit of a mildly explosive nature, black-peppered earth, and good structure. One oddity: after about an hour, the wine essentially disappears, leaving a hollow cylinder of structure behind. But up to that point, its entirely delish. (8/09)
Easton 2006 Zinfandel (Amador County) 14.5%. Leans more to the blueberry and plum side than is typical for Amador zintheres not quite so much of the thorny, wild-vine iconoclasm as there has been in other vintages. Perhaps this is what leaves the tannin and acidity a little more exposed, as well. Some time (not a lot) might help knit these elements. Not a bad wine, but not the best Eastons produced. That said, its still one of the highest-quality zins to be had at a non-premium price these days, which is saying something at least. (10/09)
Shane 2007 Syrah The Unknown (Sonoma County) 14.2%. Blueberry, a little bit of cocoa, and a good deal of malt powder. The ice creams missing, however, and has been replaced by just a touch of booze. Nothing too offensive, and for wines of this type admittedly not my thing I cant see much wrong with it aside from that slight intrusion of heat. (9/09)
Renwood Select Series 2004 Barbera (California) Tastes like over-concentrated chokecherry jam. I prefer to spread, not drink, my confectionary. (8/09)
Renwood Select Series 2004 Viognier (California) Soapy stone fruit, sticky and sappy. Very simple, but OK. (8/09)
Forestedge Rhubarb Wine (Minnesota) Unlike so many fruit wines, this doesnt just taste like the fruit with some alcohol, this actually tastes like wine. Theres a complexity to the tart green-red sharpness, even a bit of what just might be sandy minerality, alongside good acidity and the faintest touch of sweetness to offset. Pretty good. (8/09)
Forestedge Chokecherry Wine (Minnesota) Buried by volatile acidity, and washed-out besides. No good. (8/09)
Cooper Mountain 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve (Willamette Valley) Corked. (8/09)
Rosenblum 2006 Zinfandel (North Coast) 14.9%. Sticky dark-berried fruit with little in the way of structure or life. Its a decent chug, and it does taste like zinfandel, but otherwise there doesnt seem to be much point to it. (8/09)
Gundlach Bundschu 2006 Gewrztraminer Rhinefarm (Sonoma Valley) Quartz lychees, cashews in raw rather than oil form, and a little bit of leafy complexity. Short. A bit sweet, but in balance. (8/09)
Kenward Tor 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Mast-Cimarrossa (Napa Valley) Corked. So massively-fruited that it almost overcomes it. But still corked. (10/09)
Vino de Shingobee 2006 Staghorn Sumac Wine (Minnesota) Past its drink-by date, with the reddish bite of sumac given over to semi-oxidized sucrosity. I think this would have been fairly interesting a few years ago. (8/09)
Tablas Creek 2006 Ctes de Tablas Blanc (Paso Robles) Reticent. Closing? Quite possibly, or it could just be in decline (the latter is more likely, however). Whats left for examination includes bony structure, nut skins and oils, and a bit of stone fruit. Hope lies in the fact that these bare minimums of expression linger for a good long while, but this is a minor wine at present. (8/09)
Tablas Creek 2006 Ctes de Tablas Blanc (Paso Robles) See above note. (8/09)
Snow Farm American Traminette (Vermont) Piercing, even a bit sour acidity with a rubber soul of wrenched, thin fruit that clearly wants to be, but isnt, spicy and aromatic. Theres plenty of sugar left over, but it doesnt substitute for getting the grapes ripe. I appreciate the enthusiasm of a winery that wants to situate itself on Lake Champlain, but things dont always work out like one wants. (8/09)
Beaux Frres 2005 Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge (Willamette Valley) Overwhelming. Intensity dialed past ultra-high to pure caricature, with a liqueur-like texture (minus the sweetness). Black fruit gelatin. This is like drinking a migraine. One can admire the skill, I suppose, butugh. (8/09)
Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah (California) It will be to my ongoing regret, Im sure, that the succulent appeal of this wine has kept me from aging it as long as it deserves. Dark fruit in the black & blue realm, leather, resolving but not quite diminishing structure, and complexity in micro-flake form...this wine regularly performs well above its pay grade, and has gotten better with each bottle Ive uncorked. (8/09)
Hendry 2005 Zinfandel Block 28 (Napa Valley) 15.2%. To me, Hendry is an underrated producer. Heck, I even like their chardonnay. Mitigating against that, at least for my cellar, is that their prices arewell, theyre low for Napa, but aggressive in any wider context. Thats one thing when discussing the cabernet, quite another when looking at the zinfandels, which are reliably high-quality but priced as if theyre at the pinnacle, which theyre not. Heres a wine with concentrated wild-berry fruit (blackberry, olallieberry, perhaps even some dark, exotic plum), excellent structure, and obvious aging potential. The finish is medium-length but vibrant throughout. I just wish it was a little cheaper. (9/09)
Kalin 1997 Pinot Noir Cuve DD (Sonoma County) There just arent many California wines made like this, and for my tastes thats a shame. Soft, mossy earth and well-aged red fruit, black truffle, and crushed flowersnot Burgundian, exactly, but this is the sort of thing people mean when they lend a California pinot noir that characterization. Id drink this now despite a slight grate and chop to the structure (mostly lingering tannin, though acid plays a role as well), which keeps this from being among the top Kalins Ive tasted. That said, its very good. (9/09)
Dashe 1999 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 14.5%. By all rights, one should be drinking the site-designated Dashe zinfandels now, and this one should be a memory. I cant speak to the better wines, but I can say that at least based on this bottle theres no real hurry to ferret out the stragglers from this stock. It shows a lot of the really appealing signs of maturing zin, like tiny wild berries bearing a significant dust component, gentle coffee aromas, and a dark, organic earthiness; fans of older Ridge will recognize much here, and Id say that even were there no connection between the two wineries. But theres also still-evolving structure, and some unquestionable tightness to the wines core. Theres no harm in drinking it, for certain, but Im still not sure its done with its journey. A really good wine, well-rewarding its time in the cellar. (10/09)
Dashe 2006 Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 14.5%. Big, for sure, with zingy and somewhat elbowy smallberry fruit of a mildly explosive nature, black-peppered earth, and good structure. One oddity: after about an hour, the wine essentially disappears, leaving a hollow cylinder of structure behind. But up to that point, its entirely delish. (8/09)
Easton 2006 Zinfandel (Amador County) 14.5%. Leans more to the blueberry and plum side than is typical for Amador zintheres not quite so much of the thorny, wild-vine iconoclasm as there has been in other vintages. Perhaps this is what leaves the tannin and acidity a little more exposed, as well. Some time (not a lot) might help knit these elements. Not a bad wine, but not the best Eastons produced. That said, its still one of the highest-quality zins to be had at a non-premium price these days, which is saying something at least. (10/09)
Shane 2007 Syrah The Unknown (Sonoma County) 14.2%. Blueberry, a little bit of cocoa, and a good deal of malt powder. The ice creams missing, however, and has been replaced by just a touch of booze. Nothing too offensive, and for wines of this type admittedly not my thing I cant see much wrong with it aside from that slight intrusion of heat. (9/09)
Renwood Select Series 2004 Barbera (California) Tastes like over-concentrated chokecherry jam. I prefer to spread, not drink, my confectionary. (8/09)
Renwood Select Series 2004 Viognier (California) Soapy stone fruit, sticky and sappy. Very simple, but OK. (8/09)
Forestedge Rhubarb Wine (Minnesota) Unlike so many fruit wines, this doesnt just taste like the fruit with some alcohol, this actually tastes like wine. Theres a complexity to the tart green-red sharpness, even a bit of what just might be sandy minerality, alongside good acidity and the faintest touch of sweetness to offset. Pretty good. (8/09)
Forestedge Chokecherry Wine (Minnesota) Buried by volatile acidity, and washed-out besides. No good. (8/09)
Cooper Mountain 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve (Willamette Valley) Corked. (8/09)
Rosenblum 2006 Zinfandel (North Coast) 14.9%. Sticky dark-berried fruit with little in the way of structure or life. Its a decent chug, and it does taste like zinfandel, but otherwise there doesnt seem to be much point to it. (8/09)
Gundlach Bundschu 2006 Gewrztraminer Rhinefarm (Sonoma Valley) Quartz lychees, cashews in raw rather than oil form, and a little bit of leafy complexity. Short. A bit sweet, but in balance. (8/09)
Kenward Tor 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Mast-Cimarrossa (Napa Valley) Corked. So massively-fruited that it almost overcomes it. But still corked. (10/09)
Vino de Shingobee 2006 Staghorn Sumac Wine (Minnesota) Past its drink-by date, with the reddish bite of sumac given over to semi-oxidized sucrosity. I think this would have been fairly interesting a few years ago. (8/09)
Tablas Creek 2006 Ctes de Tablas Blanc (Paso Robles) Reticent. Closing? Quite possibly, or it could just be in decline (the latter is more likely, however). Whats left for examination includes bony structure, nut skins and oils, and a bit of stone fruit. Hope lies in the fact that these bare minimums of expression linger for a good long while, but this is a minor wine at present. (8/09)
Tablas Creek 2006 Ctes de Tablas Blanc (Paso Robles) See above note. (8/09)
Snow Farm American Traminette (Vermont) Piercing, even a bit sour acidity with a rubber soul of wrenched, thin fruit that clearly wants to be, but isnt, spicy and aromatic. Theres plenty of sugar left over, but it doesnt substitute for getting the grapes ripe. I appreciate the enthusiasm of a winery that wants to situate itself on Lake Champlain, but things dont always work out like one wants. (8/09)
