SteveTimko
Steve Timko
Linda is a friend of mine from college and she started dating (and eventually married) Bennett Traub, who some of you may know from eBob. That's how I got in wine. Bennett was generous to share much of his wine during my visit this year with we all had great fun together. The real stand outs from his cellar were the 1982 Clape Cornas and the 1989 Tempier La Migoua. He teased me with the 1979 Tempier La Tourtine, the first year they offered a single-vineyard wine, I guess, but no luck. Maybe in the future.
Bennett lurks on Wine Disorder, so to impress him talk me up say how much you look forward to my notes.
1999 Cronin Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Ysidro District (11/16/2008)
Prior bottles of this wine have started out with a distinct cranberrish flavor but seem to flesh out as it gets air. That was slow hoppening tonight and maybe didnt' happen at all. Bennett said the wine was decent but was out of balance because of too much acid. I liked the match with the fat on the duck from Westminster. This one doesn't have the mushroom and earthy flavors of other bottles. This one seems more oriented to red fruits. It seems more like traditional California pinot noir. Again not much of a finish.
1995 Cronin Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (11/16/2008)
Going strong. On the nose some red fruits and some spices, maybe nutmeg. A little bit of pinot funk that became more apparent as the wine got air. On the palate, dark red fruits and decent complexity. A nice finish. Balanced. A nice example of Santa Cruz Mountains pinot.
2006 Avanguardia Cristallo - USA, California, Sierra Foothills (11/14/2008)
Nice wine. A blend made up mostly of rkatsiteli. Balanced, but higher aciid. The nose is white fruits and some flowers. The palate is minerally with more wet stone and maybe flowers. Decent finish.
1989 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuve Spciale La Migoua - France, Provence, Bandol (11/14/2008)
Whereas as the 1994 Cabassaou we had was peaking, this was tight as a drum upon opening the bottle. After about a half hour Bennett decanted it and it opened right up. A completely different wine compared to the undecanted wine. Bennett said the Migoua tends to be the more feminine of the three single vineyard Tempier wines. I get that with some flower smells on the nose as well as licorice and some meat smells. On the palate, some nice complexity with layers of dark fruit and maybe a streak of black cherry that is strongest in the mid palate. Good balance and excellent finish. Bennett said he won't touch another one of these for five years.
1994 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuve Spciale Cabassaou - France, Provence, Bandol (11/14/2008)
I bought three of these bottles from a California wine store that had been purchased out of someone's collection and this was the second bottle I've oopened. This one was quite a bit more youthful than the first. I had felt some urgency opening it after the first, which seemed thinner and perhaps just after it's peak and maybe drying out if not yet dried out. This one though seemed like the wine is just peaking now and has a few years to go.
Black fruit and minerals on the nose. Also some meat smells. On the palate, vibrant black cherry flavors along with some other red fruit. The tannins have resolved nicely. Balanced and elegant. Bennett thought it had characteristics of a St. Emilion. I liked this better than the first I opened. Now the question is what kind of shape is the third and final bottle?
1982 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas - France, Rhne, Northern Rhne, Cornas (11/15/2008)
Lots going on with this wonderful wine. Decanted for sediment. On the nose. smokey and mushrooms with some bacon fat and other meaty smells. On the palate, it's both rustic and delicate, almost feminine. Dark plum flavors along with spices, lots of leather and meaty flavors. Balanced and excellent finish. Still just a little bit of tannin. A textbook example of great depth and structure. A Kermit Lynch import.
1997 Luna Vineyards Sangiovese Riserva - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/13/2008)
Never had Luna sangiovese before and it ranks up there with Vino Noceto as the best I've had in California. Nice darker fruit smells on the nose, along with some chocolate. On the palate, there's good balance along with more chocolate and darker red fruits. The structure seems to be built around a core of acidity. Very Eyetalian. There's still fruit left so this might improve for another year or two. Drank at Trattoria Limone.
2000 Beckmen Vineyards Grenache Purisima Mountain Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (11/13/2008)
Quite nice grenache. On the nose, lots of spices, chocolate and pencil lead. On the palate, lots of spices, with an emphasis on the plural. Pepper and other spicey flavors I can't identify. Red fruits and some darker fruits. Nice complexity. Very much California grenache but quite appealing to a grenache whore like myself. Good finish. Perfectly balanced at 13.9 percent. Drinking well now, I can't imagine it's going to get better. Drank at Trattoria Limone.
I also had a nice Texier Hermitage from a dinner last week at Bistro Laurent in Paro Robles.
1999 ric Texier Hermitage - France, Rhne, Northern Rhne, Hermitage (11/11/2008)
Quite nice. Initially on the nose, a lot of smoke and some earthiness as that blew off. On the palate, smoked almond, meatiness and olive oil. Linda noted initially the acid seemed high but that receded as the wine got air. Good flavors.Decent finish. I've got one bottle left and if I were to drink it now I wouldn't decant, I'd pull the cork and let it breathe for about 90 minutes. Drank at Bistro Laurent. A Louis/Dressner import.
Bennett lurks on Wine Disorder, so to impress him talk me up say how much you look forward to my notes.
1999 Cronin Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Ysidro District (11/16/2008)
Prior bottles of this wine have started out with a distinct cranberrish flavor but seem to flesh out as it gets air. That was slow hoppening tonight and maybe didnt' happen at all. Bennett said the wine was decent but was out of balance because of too much acid. I liked the match with the fat on the duck from Westminster. This one doesn't have the mushroom and earthy flavors of other bottles. This one seems more oriented to red fruits. It seems more like traditional California pinot noir. Again not much of a finish.
1995 Cronin Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (11/16/2008)
Going strong. On the nose some red fruits and some spices, maybe nutmeg. A little bit of pinot funk that became more apparent as the wine got air. On the palate, dark red fruits and decent complexity. A nice finish. Balanced. A nice example of Santa Cruz Mountains pinot.
2006 Avanguardia Cristallo - USA, California, Sierra Foothills (11/14/2008)
Nice wine. A blend made up mostly of rkatsiteli. Balanced, but higher aciid. The nose is white fruits and some flowers. The palate is minerally with more wet stone and maybe flowers. Decent finish.
1989 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuve Spciale La Migoua - France, Provence, Bandol (11/14/2008)
Whereas as the 1994 Cabassaou we had was peaking, this was tight as a drum upon opening the bottle. After about a half hour Bennett decanted it and it opened right up. A completely different wine compared to the undecanted wine. Bennett said the Migoua tends to be the more feminine of the three single vineyard Tempier wines. I get that with some flower smells on the nose as well as licorice and some meat smells. On the palate, some nice complexity with layers of dark fruit and maybe a streak of black cherry that is strongest in the mid palate. Good balance and excellent finish. Bennett said he won't touch another one of these for five years.
1994 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuve Spciale Cabassaou - France, Provence, Bandol (11/14/2008)
I bought three of these bottles from a California wine store that had been purchased out of someone's collection and this was the second bottle I've oopened. This one was quite a bit more youthful than the first. I had felt some urgency opening it after the first, which seemed thinner and perhaps just after it's peak and maybe drying out if not yet dried out. This one though seemed like the wine is just peaking now and has a few years to go.
Black fruit and minerals on the nose. Also some meat smells. On the palate, vibrant black cherry flavors along with some other red fruit. The tannins have resolved nicely. Balanced and elegant. Bennett thought it had characteristics of a St. Emilion. I liked this better than the first I opened. Now the question is what kind of shape is the third and final bottle?
1982 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas - France, Rhne, Northern Rhne, Cornas (11/15/2008)
Lots going on with this wonderful wine. Decanted for sediment. On the nose. smokey and mushrooms with some bacon fat and other meaty smells. On the palate, it's both rustic and delicate, almost feminine. Dark plum flavors along with spices, lots of leather and meaty flavors. Balanced and excellent finish. Still just a little bit of tannin. A textbook example of great depth and structure. A Kermit Lynch import.
1997 Luna Vineyards Sangiovese Riserva - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/13/2008)
Never had Luna sangiovese before and it ranks up there with Vino Noceto as the best I've had in California. Nice darker fruit smells on the nose, along with some chocolate. On the palate, there's good balance along with more chocolate and darker red fruits. The structure seems to be built around a core of acidity. Very Eyetalian. There's still fruit left so this might improve for another year or two. Drank at Trattoria Limone.
2000 Beckmen Vineyards Grenache Purisima Mountain Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (11/13/2008)
Quite nice grenache. On the nose, lots of spices, chocolate and pencil lead. On the palate, lots of spices, with an emphasis on the plural. Pepper and other spicey flavors I can't identify. Red fruits and some darker fruits. Nice complexity. Very much California grenache but quite appealing to a grenache whore like myself. Good finish. Perfectly balanced at 13.9 percent. Drinking well now, I can't imagine it's going to get better. Drank at Trattoria Limone.
I also had a nice Texier Hermitage from a dinner last week at Bistro Laurent in Paro Robles.
1999 ric Texier Hermitage - France, Rhne, Northern Rhne, Hermitage (11/11/2008)
Quite nice. Initially on the nose, a lot of smoke and some earthiness as that blew off. On the palate, smoked almond, meatiness and olive oil. Linda noted initially the acid seemed high but that receded as the wine got air. Good flavors.Decent finish. I've got one bottle left and if I were to drink it now I wouldn't decant, I'd pull the cork and let it breathe for about 90 minutes. Drank at Bistro Laurent. A Louis/Dressner import.