Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Braggadocio has always been our collective port of call.
California Dreamin' (Part 2)
- Thread starter Oswaldo Costa
- Start date
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
Bravo. (just keep the Orange One, who seems to like that word, out.)
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Using our home-grown Biodynamic Inventory Management System (BYMS), and taking advantage of the unusual occurrence of six Fruitcake nights within a span of eight days, we went on an extended Calisixnication. Starting with Porter Creek, visited a couple of years ago after Jeff spake well, and were curious to try with some age. Then a Clos Saron newbie, followed by a pair of Liocos, tested because I so much love the 2013 Lioco Saveria Pinot.
1998 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.2%
Toasted oak aroma, with dark fruits and tertiaries. Not much pinosity. Appears quite advanced, with acidity greater than the waning fruit. Bitter finish. With food, quite a transformation occurs; becomes balanced, borderline pleasurable. In short, a civil escort. Two more bottles of this to open someday, perhaps very soon, since it’s on a decently ascertainable descent.
1999 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.5%
Plums and smoked meat. Practically no oak. Not much pinosity, but appealing. Nice upfront sweetness, greater than the (obi) wan acidity. Fruit is quite fresh, almost primary. Makes me suspect there was something wrong with the previous bottle, though its cork appeared pristine. I feared the moderate acidity would be overwhelmed by food but, by golly, the opposite happened. Gosh, wine is such a bitch. In the end, it was actually quite delicious. Too bad it was only the lonely.
Annoyed at the difference between the 98 and 99, surmisingly not solely explicable by vintage differences, on the third night I tested fate and opened a second 98.
1998 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.2%
Plums and graphite, with almost no remaining oak. Good body and balance. Velly different from the first. Didn’t change much with food, but not stellar by any starlight. Obviously, a superior tipple, compared to the first 98, though not as pleasing as the 99. Underscores how commenting on older wines is closer to commenting on older corks, and has even more limited usefulness than might be presupposed by the subjectivity of all perceptual comments.
2014 Clos Saron The Pleasant Peasant 13,0%
Old-vine Carignan, Gideon’s first vintage of this suckerz. Pleasant aroma, bright cherry and damson, with a metallic edge. But a happy damson, decidedly not a damson in distress. Nice body and balance, and nice acidity (to those with a tin ear, nice should telegraph lukewarm enthusiasm). Still primary, of course, and, at this point, not as pleasurable as a semi-carb would be, but has the acidity and svelteness to age like a starlet. Mercifully oak-free, of course, and though not exactly delish right now, exhibits an admirable absence of maquillage. It seems to be whatever the vine gave, nothing more, and you can’t say that about many wines these days (of wine and roses). Good example of “when attitudes become form,” for which it deserves mitigated applause.
2011 Lioco Anderson Valley Mendocino Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.3%
Lots of interesting info on the back label, like pH, TA, RS, Brix, % whole cluster, % new wood, fermentation and maturation lengths, but nary a word on SO2. Smells of burnt wood and tree sap, on bright red fruits with a metallic halo. Attractive mouthfeel, good weight and body, no oak obtrusion. Ends a tad sweet before food, but adjusts afterwards. Ok tipple, but nowhere close to the 2013 Saveria.
2012 Lioco Anderson Valley Mendocino Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir 12.9%
Cherry and hickory smoke. Toasted oak flavor, the yucky kind. 11 months in 20% new oak was enough to ruin it. Otherwise good body and balance, but had a hard time finishing it. Ptui.
1998 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.2%
Toasted oak aroma, with dark fruits and tertiaries. Not much pinosity. Appears quite advanced, with acidity greater than the waning fruit. Bitter finish. With food, quite a transformation occurs; becomes balanced, borderline pleasurable. In short, a civil escort. Two more bottles of this to open someday, perhaps very soon, since it’s on a decently ascertainable descent.
1999 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.5%
Plums and smoked meat. Practically no oak. Not much pinosity, but appealing. Nice upfront sweetness, greater than the (obi) wan acidity. Fruit is quite fresh, almost primary. Makes me suspect there was something wrong with the previous bottle, though its cork appeared pristine. I feared the moderate acidity would be overwhelmed by food but, by golly, the opposite happened. Gosh, wine is such a bitch. In the end, it was actually quite delicious. Too bad it was only the lonely.
Annoyed at the difference between the 98 and 99, surmisingly not solely explicable by vintage differences, on the third night I tested fate and opened a second 98.
1998 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.2%
Plums and graphite, with almost no remaining oak. Good body and balance. Velly different from the first. Didn’t change much with food, but not stellar by any starlight. Obviously, a superior tipple, compared to the first 98, though not as pleasing as the 99. Underscores how commenting on older wines is closer to commenting on older corks, and has even more limited usefulness than might be presupposed by the subjectivity of all perceptual comments.
2014 Clos Saron The Pleasant Peasant 13,0%
Old-vine Carignan, Gideon’s first vintage of this suckerz. Pleasant aroma, bright cherry and damson, with a metallic edge. But a happy damson, decidedly not a damson in distress. Nice body and balance, and nice acidity (to those with a tin ear, nice should telegraph lukewarm enthusiasm). Still primary, of course, and, at this point, not as pleasurable as a semi-carb would be, but has the acidity and svelteness to age like a starlet. Mercifully oak-free, of course, and though not exactly delish right now, exhibits an admirable absence of maquillage. It seems to be whatever the vine gave, nothing more, and you can’t say that about many wines these days (of wine and roses). Good example of “when attitudes become form,” for which it deserves mitigated applause.
2011 Lioco Anderson Valley Mendocino Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir 13.3%
Lots of interesting info on the back label, like pH, TA, RS, Brix, % whole cluster, % new wood, fermentation and maturation lengths, but nary a word on SO2. Smells of burnt wood and tree sap, on bright red fruits with a metallic halo. Attractive mouthfeel, good weight and body, no oak obtrusion. Ends a tad sweet before food, but adjusts afterwards. Ok tipple, but nowhere close to the 2013 Saveria.
2012 Lioco Anderson Valley Mendocino Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir 12.9%
Cherry and hickory smoke. Toasted oak flavor, the yucky kind. 11 months in 20% new oak was enough to ruin it. Otherwise good body and balance, but had a hard time finishing it. Ptui.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
The third and final bottle of 1998 Porter Creek Creekside Vineyard Pinot Noir 13,2% was splendid last night, indistinguishable from a beautiful old Burg. Thank you, cork, for doing your job on this one. And thank you winebid for making such delving possible. I suppose my variable experience with these four Porter Creeks from 1997 and 1998 are one answer to the winebid question, though it's impossible to parse what comes from unknowable previous storage and what comes from corks.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
On consecutive Root nights we opened three 2012s from this lovely trip to the Bay Area and Sonoma in 2015. Riedel Somm glasses.
2012 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Sonoma County Pinot Noir Winegrower’s Reserve 13.4%
Demeter certification. Pleasant pinosity, varnished with some oak. Appealing texture, good acid/sweet balance, attractive acidity, the package growing more expressive as the evening wore on, but the wood kept sticking out at the end of the envelope. Fine grapes, but the vanilla got in the way. Too bad that Demeter, caught between industry lobbies and drinkers trapped in the gilded cage of habit, doesn’t have the guts to banish exogenous flavorings and emollients. And what’s with “winegrower”? Winemaker and grape grower, yes, but winegrower? Maybe as a portmanteau
2012 Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 13.5%
76% CS, the rest Merlot. Elegant aroma, sousbois, blackberries and plums. And Draper perfume, of course. But at least here it's more like cedar/cigar box, which gives me some pleasure, although the usual objections remain. Pleasant tannins, good acidity and light unctuosity. Not at all bad for a grape and wood beverage mostly made with a plaid-wearing lumberjack of a grape. The back label, more informative than usual, reveals the astounding fact that they add 2.5% water, as if we drinkers were, to some corresponding degree, French children.
2012 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Sonoma County Timbervine Ranch Syrah 13.6%
Unlike the Pinot, not Demeter certified. Pleasant tapenade aroma. Savory, balanced, with good weight and no wood flavor (perhaps some impact on the texture). Light and supple, like a good Syrah should be. Best of three, in my estimation. Quercophobe locals concerned with carbon footprint should seek this one out.
2012 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Sonoma County Pinot Noir Winegrower’s Reserve 13.4%
Demeter certification. Pleasant pinosity, varnished with some oak. Appealing texture, good acid/sweet balance, attractive acidity, the package growing more expressive as the evening wore on, but the wood kept sticking out at the end of the envelope. Fine grapes, but the vanilla got in the way. Too bad that Demeter, caught between industry lobbies and drinkers trapped in the gilded cage of habit, doesn’t have the guts to banish exogenous flavorings and emollients. And what’s with “winegrower”? Winemaker and grape grower, yes, but winegrower? Maybe as a portmanteau
2012 Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 13.5%
76% CS, the rest Merlot. Elegant aroma, sousbois, blackberries and plums. And Draper perfume, of course. But at least here it's more like cedar/cigar box, which gives me some pleasure, although the usual objections remain. Pleasant tannins, good acidity and light unctuosity. Not at all bad for a grape and wood beverage mostly made with a plaid-wearing lumberjack of a grape. The back label, more informative than usual, reveals the astounding fact that they add 2.5% water, as if we drinkers were, to some corresponding degree, French children.
2012 Porter Creek Russian River Valley Sonoma County Timbervine Ranch Syrah 13.6%
Unlike the Pinot, not Demeter certified. Pleasant tapenade aroma. Savory, balanced, with good weight and no wood flavor (perhaps some impact on the texture). Light and supple, like a good Syrah should be. Best of three, in my estimation. Quercophobe locals concerned with carbon footprint should seek this one out.
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Rather perceptive of them!
I gave up on Porter Creek a while ago but nice to see notes on them, anyway.
Florida Jim
Florida Jim
That is the first time I’ve ever heard anybody list a water addition. It’s prevalent in the industry but usually kept secret. Kudos to them.
But I still don’t like that wine.
Best, Jim
But I still don’t like that wine.
Best, Jim
Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
I'm not really following the substance of this thread, but writing tangentially to it, based on the title, as one is wont to do here, I recently listened to a number of old Mamas and Papas tracks, and they're a much better group than I was able to appreciate back in the day, notably the vocals. The musical clarity they delivered was a rara avis.
Okay, back to regular programming ...
Okay, back to regular programming ...