Saturday Afternoon @ Weygandt Wines

Stopped by the store for and introductory tasting with a new Burgundian producer they're selling; Domaine Bernard et Thierry Glantenay. The team at Weygandt was also tasting the current lineup from Ojai Vineyards, so I was able to try those too.

This was my first opportunity to taste 2008 Burgs. Overall, they seem to be very elegant wines that will take a while to open up.

• 2008 Domaine Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Bourgogne 85 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Beautiful ruby color in the glass. Nose was a little tight at first only giving off subtle cherry and strawberry flavors. The wine itself had incredible amounts of acidity. For my palate, I couldn't really get past the acidity. I imagine the wine would do better with some food. Maybe next time.

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• 2008 Domaine Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Beautiful nose! Intoxicating cherry flavored tobacco, dusty red fruit and some soil. Brutally young, but showed quite well. I found the flavors to be wonderfully subtle but powerful. I likened it to "mithril" - the mythical material that is supposedly lighter than steel but far stronger. This wine delivers powerful red fruit, mushrooms, and florals yet is feather-light on the palate. A great combination.

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• 2008 Domaine Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Pommard 1er Cru Les Saussilles 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Very tight nose. Such a baby of a wine! Underneath the tightly wound nose, subtle meat and sexy florals mingle. Should be a beautiful pommard in a number of years.

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• 2008 Domaine Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Fair amount of raspberry and barnyard on the nose. There was also a classy floral component that I really liked too. Very complex wine that's in its infancy. Upfront, there was pure raspberry, cherry and cassis. Tertiary flavors of tobacco, fertilizer and soil lingered on the finish. Will have to wait on this wine for a while to really show its stuff.

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Was able to sample a number of Ojai's. Not really my style of wine overall, but it's evident the wine making is top-notch and the fruit they're working with is plush and ripe.

• 2009 Ojai Viognier Roll Ranch Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, California

  Very light in color - didn't have the characteristic golden color that most condrieu/viognier's typically have. Nose is a bit restrained and didn't have the honey that I usually get from Californian viognier. The palate bursted with tropical fruits and some vanilla tones. Pretty aggressive viognier.

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• 2008 Ojai Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 85 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Light color, close to clear. Big nose of marzipan, vanilla, white flowers and peaches. Massive wine that's rich, and full-bodied. Fair amount of honey and pears on the palate. I'm guessing there would be a lot of people that would go for this style of chardonnay, but I'm not one of them. Too big, too gloppy, too much. Would like to see this have more acidity and balance.

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• 2009 Ojai Riesling Kick On 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Fresh nose of pears, some delicate apple and smokey oak. Subtle minerals on the palate, this is a richer style of riesling that had apple butter and smokey minerals. Long finish.

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• 2009 Ojai Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Dark nose of stinky cherries, and chocolate. The palate to me was expressive and deep - reminded me of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - lots of chocolate, fudge, cherries and cream. I would not have guessed this was a pinot - the only giveaway was the color. I imagine that most people would find this wine sexy and enjoyable. For me, it was a bit too big. No doubt to me that it was made with high-quality fruit, just not my style.

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• 2007 Ojai Syrah Santa Barbara County 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Wild nose! Smelled like pepperoni, bacon, maple syrup and cream. Interestingly, many of those flavors I typically find in Northern Rhone syrah, these however, were on steroids! Intense meaty flavors abound on the palate as well with rich cherry, some truffles, and winter spice baked in as well. Such a massive wine, but quite an interesting one.

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