We all need reasons to celebrate, why not? Now that NOAA says it's official: June was the warmest on record for the Lower 48. At least these wines were not:
Dom. Joseph Roty, Marsannay, 'les Ouzely', 2008
Crunnchy red fruits. The wood has faded and but stays in the background unlike earlier bottles where it stuffed up your nose. Still youthful. B+
School House Vineyard, 'Mescolanza', Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District, 2009
This is such a cool little big wine that you could picture the Dig Ems frog harping about. Aromatic dust and damson plum on the nose, this is a savory-sided zinfandel, perhaps due to its blend (zin, petite sirah, carignane). Sour cherry, raspberry puree, cement dust, with a sweet end-note, but still having some strong tea bag tannins on the finish. Very nice weight and balance for a wine sporting 14.2%, has a nice liveliness. A-
Mastrojanni, Brunello di Montalcino, 2008
Almost lactic aroma. Sour cherry, with umeboshi plum. Has a strange weight: full at first but then thins in the middle. Wood that needs to resolve. A grenache-like sweetness, which is fine if you like your Italians to taste like Chateauneuf. 15%
Texier, Domaine de Pergaud, St. Julien en St. Alban, 'vielle serine", 2010
Losing the vibrant deep purple this had upon release. A floral aroma, with some iodine and salt marsh plum. Quite different from an earlier bottle I had: having lost lush baby fat, the acidity is showing more now in this medium-bodied syrah, turning crisper as it leans toward red fruit. I'm not sure what this will morph into with age, as it feels thinner than it did at conception, and less charming too. Here's hoping it doesn't shed more fruit. 13% B/B+
Chateau Musar, 2003
Here is a hot year wine that doesn't feel 'hot'. A high toned, red fruited, wine with a spicy finish, just a slight musky feel to it. What's not to like? Needs lamb kebabs. A-
G. D. Vajra, Langhe, Freisa, "Kye", 2006
I like Vajra's Barolo, but this wine I don't understand. Pretty thick and uni-dimensional, with charred mulberry and blackberry juice, some slight camphor and gum mastic notes on the end, only medium-lowish acidity. Interesting to try once, but I won't be fooled again. 14.5% B+/A-
Dom. Joseph Roty, Marsannay, 'les Ouzely', 2008
Crunnchy red fruits. The wood has faded and but stays in the background unlike earlier bottles where it stuffed up your nose. Still youthful. B+
School House Vineyard, 'Mescolanza', Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District, 2009
This is such a cool little big wine that you could picture the Dig Ems frog harping about. Aromatic dust and damson plum on the nose, this is a savory-sided zinfandel, perhaps due to its blend (zin, petite sirah, carignane). Sour cherry, raspberry puree, cement dust, with a sweet end-note, but still having some strong tea bag tannins on the finish. Very nice weight and balance for a wine sporting 14.2%, has a nice liveliness. A-
Mastrojanni, Brunello di Montalcino, 2008
Almost lactic aroma. Sour cherry, with umeboshi plum. Has a strange weight: full at first but then thins in the middle. Wood that needs to resolve. A grenache-like sweetness, which is fine if you like your Italians to taste like Chateauneuf. 15%
Texier, Domaine de Pergaud, St. Julien en St. Alban, 'vielle serine", 2010
Losing the vibrant deep purple this had upon release. A floral aroma, with some iodine and salt marsh plum. Quite different from an earlier bottle I had: having lost lush baby fat, the acidity is showing more now in this medium-bodied syrah, turning crisper as it leans toward red fruit. I'm not sure what this will morph into with age, as it feels thinner than it did at conception, and less charming too. Here's hoping it doesn't shed more fruit. 13% B/B+
Chateau Musar, 2003
Here is a hot year wine that doesn't feel 'hot'. A high toned, red fruited, wine with a spicy finish, just a slight musky feel to it. What's not to like? Needs lamb kebabs. A-
G. D. Vajra, Langhe, Freisa, "Kye", 2006
I like Vajra's Barolo, but this wine I don't understand. Pretty thick and uni-dimensional, with charred mulberry and blackberry juice, some slight camphor and gum mastic notes on the end, only medium-lowish acidity. Interesting to try once, but I won't be fooled again. 14.5% B+/A-
