SteveTimko
Steve Timko
2001 Kurt Darting Dürkheimer Nonnengarten Rieslaner Auslese - Germany, Pfalz (6/2/2012)
This was nice. There was a nice core of acidity to offset the sweetness. Mostly white fruit on palate. Good finish. It went well with dessert.
1996 Bodegas Las Orcas Rioja Solar de Randez Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (6/25/2012)
This was excellent. This was about the lightest red Rioja I can remember. Quite delicate and showing excellent depth. This might be light enough to go with fish dishes. This was more red fruit with maybe a little bit of tobacco and blood on the nose. I just loved how it felt from the attack through the midpalate and finish. And it has an excellent finish. It's the kind of texture that only comes with age. At $30 a bottle it's a steal.
1982 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (6/25/2012)
A pleasant, but not profound, aged zinfandel marred by a pimple of oak. This wine is probably in decline but it will still drink well for a couple of years.
It's dark fruit. Smooth and some depth. I'm guessing it's the 14 percent petite sirah showing after all these years. Good finish. But there's a damn intrusion of oak. Not enough you'd call the wine oaky, but the oak is there. I wished they had cut back a bit on the lumber.
1999 Ch“teau de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Dent de Chien - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (6/2/2012)
Robin and I thought it was just starting to oxidize. Fred and Glenn thought it was fine. I got some nuttiness on the nose and palate. Short finish. Pleasant. Not much depth. Imported by Fine Vines
1976 Schloss Groenesteyn Kiedricher Heiligenstock Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheingau (6/2/2012)
Wonderful nose and the palate was still good, although showing some age. Finding a 1976 kabinett still showing well was quite a surprise. I bought this from K&L and it was identified online as a spatlese. I figured a spatlese from 1976 had a shot but when the bottle arrived and it showed it was a kabinett, I was bummed. It was only $10. It was translucent but the color of apple juice. Looking at it through the brown Rheingau bottle, it seemed to be more clear. The nose had pronounced diesel smell plus there was also some caramel. It filled your nostrils. Quite pleasant to smell. The palate was still good, but the age showed there. It was so old it had lost its distinctiveness. Well worn in that aspect. There was still nice acidity to the wine. Maybe a little nuttiness too. Good finish. It wasn't a profound wine, but it was a nice bottle and an equally nice surprise. Imported by Burton-Dinn.
2007 Domaine des 2 Mondes Viognier Saints and Sinners Sanford & Benedict - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills (6/9/2012)
This is in a great spot right now. On the Julia Roberts-Dolly Parton spectrum of viognier, this is definitely more Dolly Parton. It's definitely seen some wood and it has that fatter texture that wood brings, as opposed to the brightness that comes with stainless steel. There's a nice core of acidity from the attack through the mid palate. Very nice finish. Nice nose. I got honey on the nose when I tried this before. This seemed more floral. Maybe it's because it's spring and we were drinking it in Fred and Robin's beautiful backyard. The white fruit seems more prominent on the palate than the last bottle I had. Just well structured and balanced. This is again one of the best California viogniers I've had. I understand it's not the preferred style of winemaker Morgan Clendenen, but it's one of my favorite whites.
This was nice. There was a nice core of acidity to offset the sweetness. Mostly white fruit on palate. Good finish. It went well with dessert.
1996 Bodegas Las Orcas Rioja Solar de Randez Reserva - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja (6/25/2012)
This was excellent. This was about the lightest red Rioja I can remember. Quite delicate and showing excellent depth. This might be light enough to go with fish dishes. This was more red fruit with maybe a little bit of tobacco and blood on the nose. I just loved how it felt from the attack through the midpalate and finish. And it has an excellent finish. It's the kind of texture that only comes with age. At $30 a bottle it's a steal.
1982 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (6/25/2012)
A pleasant, but not profound, aged zinfandel marred by a pimple of oak. This wine is probably in decline but it will still drink well for a couple of years.
It's dark fruit. Smooth and some depth. I'm guessing it's the 14 percent petite sirah showing after all these years. Good finish. But there's a damn intrusion of oak. Not enough you'd call the wine oaky, but the oak is there. I wished they had cut back a bit on the lumber.
1999 Ch“teau de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Dent de Chien - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (6/2/2012)
Robin and I thought it was just starting to oxidize. Fred and Glenn thought it was fine. I got some nuttiness on the nose and palate. Short finish. Pleasant. Not much depth. Imported by Fine Vines
1976 Schloss Groenesteyn Kiedricher Heiligenstock Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheingau (6/2/2012)
Wonderful nose and the palate was still good, although showing some age. Finding a 1976 kabinett still showing well was quite a surprise. I bought this from K&L and it was identified online as a spatlese. I figured a spatlese from 1976 had a shot but when the bottle arrived and it showed it was a kabinett, I was bummed. It was only $10. It was translucent but the color of apple juice. Looking at it through the brown Rheingau bottle, it seemed to be more clear. The nose had pronounced diesel smell plus there was also some caramel. It filled your nostrils. Quite pleasant to smell. The palate was still good, but the age showed there. It was so old it had lost its distinctiveness. Well worn in that aspect. There was still nice acidity to the wine. Maybe a little nuttiness too. Good finish. It wasn't a profound wine, but it was a nice bottle and an equally nice surprise. Imported by Burton-Dinn.
2007 Domaine des 2 Mondes Viognier Saints and Sinners Sanford & Benedict - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills - Sta. Rita Hills (6/9/2012)
This is in a great spot right now. On the Julia Roberts-Dolly Parton spectrum of viognier, this is definitely more Dolly Parton. It's definitely seen some wood and it has that fatter texture that wood brings, as opposed to the brightness that comes with stainless steel. There's a nice core of acidity from the attack through the mid palate. Very nice finish. Nice nose. I got honey on the nose when I tried this before. This seemed more floral. Maybe it's because it's spring and we were drinking it in Fred and Robin's beautiful backyard. The white fruit seems more prominent on the palate than the last bottle I had. Just well structured and balanced. This is again one of the best California viogniers I've had. I understand it's not the preferred style of winemaker Morgan Clendenen, but it's one of my favorite whites.
