Garigiste Test Drive - Fall 2011 (With Winex and WB add-ons)
Tasted Friday, October 28, 2011 by vanpe003 with 1,000 views
Introduction
Twice a year this happens. Fall and Spring. Shipping season. I feel like it's Christmas, while at the same time feeling incredibly stupid for adding more wine to an already overfull cellar. But....with any of these shipments, sometimes I feel smart....the wine that fills a gap and is consistent with my palate. But when I feel stupid, I feel really stupid.....as in "how could you not have seen that train-wreck coming". Garagiste's Mystery Wine #22 fits that bill for me. Overall some good and "really good" wines, but nothing that quite achieves greatness (to be fair, some of the higher end stuff in the shipment didn't get opened this day). A few that disappoint. And one really bad one.
Flight 1 - The Garagiste Stuff (14 Notes)
In general, I was pretty happy with this group of wines, but I don't feel like I'm getting much better reading through the hype as there were still the usual number of "clunkers", though these are minority to be sure. A couple of these are gorgeous. The standout is the Royer, which in retrospect I may have underrated. It's my favorite wine of the bunch. The biggest downer was the "Mystery Wine #22", otherwise known as the '08 Dois Irmaos Pinot. Obviously new to me (e.g. "Mystery"), I heard the raves about the '08 vintage from multiple sources, heard the praises of this wine individually. What could possibly go wrong? "A lot" as it turns out. Other disappointments in the group come from wines I'm more familiar with. Starting in Touraine....until today, I've never had a bottle from the region that I didn't like . The Ricard Vauriou is the first. Unlike the Vilain (from the same producer), it lacks most elements of charm. The other former "go to" that I didn't care for this time around is the L'Oustal Blanc. Nice underlying flavors, but buried by its 15% alcohol.
Flight 2 - The Winex / WineBid stuff (4 Notes)
The Ronchi came from WB, everything else from Winex. With the exception of the Pinino (which may evolve over time), the Winex selections were spot an and of superior value. The Ronchi from WB shows up as too young, at least with the poor treatment I gave it (popped on delivery).
2008 Dois Irmãos Winery Pinot Noir 78 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Insipid, unbalanced toward sour, overhyped, disappointed, pissed off. This is ridiculous, and highlights my "love/hate" relationship with Garagiste. Jon's hype on this suggested a VERY different quality of wine than what was delivered. And to think, I still have 5 more bottles of this swill. WTF am I going to do with those? I wouldn't feel good about giving these away, and it doesn't have enough body to be used as a cooking wine. Oh...and by the way, I like this LESS than the score might indicate. It is drinkable, but if this were served to me as a glass pour at a restaurant, I would politely ask "please charge me for this wine...I ordered it, it's my bad.....but could you please bring me a glass of something decent?". I'm pretty sure this is the lowest I've ever rated a wine, and I'm also pretty sure some might find it better than my score. But to hype this as a high-scoring '08 Willamette is inexcusable.
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2008 L'Oustal Blanc (Isabel et Claude Fonquerle) Naïck White 84 Points
France, Vin de Table Français
In general, I agree with Ron's notes on this wine. On the nose, nice fruit but slightly overwhelmed by a sulfur funk. On the palate, again nice fruit. But this time, slightly overwhelmed by a heat that I'd attribute to the 15% alcohol. I typically like to enjoy white wines for their refreshing character, and this bottle lacks any of that. At present, it is out of balance, with alcohol and heat taking front/center on the palate. I like it better than the score, but against the other whites opened today, this clearly underperforms. Perhaps it would be better when paired with the right food.
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2008 Château d'Escot 85 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc
Others are getting "New World" out of this, but this bottle doesn't present that way. In general, a more "country" character...not necessarily typical Bordeaux, but very French. On the nose, a bit of funk, sweat and earth with just a hint of "green" in the background along with a touch of burnt match. Overall very alluring, but the palate fails to match up to the promise/complexity of the nose. Medium bodied, relatively linear, and without the complexity or depth that the nose might suggest. I don't see this appreciably improving with age, though some of the sharpness currently in the palate may soften.
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2010 Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes Côte de Brouilly Cuvée des Ambassades 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Côte de Brouilly
Pop/pour. This is a serious Beaujolais. On the nose, a bit of perfumed soap (Ivory) that is in no way meant as a negative. That fades relatively quickly and morphs into something more floral, in some ways similar to the Le Vilain P'tit also open. On the palate, surprising depth and complexity. A bit of meat/bacon in the background. Good balance/structure, both in terms of acidity and tannins, the latter of which are fairly forward at this point. Revisit remaining bottles starting 2013. I suspect this will improve considerably by then. Score based on current drinking, but I enjoy this wine more than that score might suggest.
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2009 Domaine Debray Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
Pop/pour. On the nose, a bit of stems that initially veers towards a sour dill. Thankfully that blows off relatively early in the game. On the palate, a fruit that seems delicate, emboldened by a bit of resin and for the present, overpowered by tannins on the finish. Assuming the fruit wins the battle over time, this should be set aside for several years.
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2008 Azienda I Greppi Bolgheri Greppicante 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri
Pop/pour. Score based on current drinking. Reticent on the nose. Better on the palate. Medium weight with berry overtones. Good structure. Relatively tannic for current drinking. Suggest "hold" until 2013.
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2009 Domaine Ricard Touraine Le Vilain P'tit Rouge 89 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine
Up in price by about 33% since I first bought the '07 vintage, but I much prefer this vintage. Brilliant floral/rose perfume on the nose. On the palate, more of the same married up to relatively bright red fruit. None of the rusticity or "country wine" character of the '07. This is a real pleaser, and still a good value at current tariff ($16). Ideally, this should be held for a year or two, or decanted for current consumption.
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2008 Patton Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Pop/pour. Oregon funk on the nose. Trending towards light/delicate on the palate, but has a nice structural balance with acidity and tannins in the right proportion. I would expect this to improve over the next 2-3 years. My remaining bottles will go into hiding until then. Update: the funk on the nose....largely gone with a more perfumed pinot nose taking its place. On the palate, this has settled down....in an incredible way. Still perhaps slightly acidic, but the tannins are essentially gone. A very nice wine al-in-all.
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1990 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Nußbrunnen Riesling Auslese 91 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Pop/pour from a 500ml. I could just stick my nose in the glass for a couple hours without taking a sip. Kind of a woody apricot perfume. On the palate, more of the same. Notable wood. Surprising acidity. Even a touch of tannins on the finish. On balance, a bit "dry"...not a statement about residual sugar, but rather the impression the wood and tannins leave on the finish. Probably not the best of the best, but for me, an interesting experiment in aged Auslese. Something I have very little experience with. But I think some of the other bottles in the grab-bag 6 pack will more than make up for that. Update: better on Day 3. Both wood and tannins seem better integrated and folded into the body of this wine.
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2008 Château Peyrat-Fourthon 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Pop/pour. Not surprisingly, quite a bit too young. Relatively vacant on the nose. A bit of green spice and dark fruit tries to pop through, but not with much success. Quite a different story on the palate. Excellent fruit and balance. Needs a fair amount of time to fully integrate, but structure is there to support aging. Quite tannic on the finish, but not so much that it causes concern for aging. A steal at the price, but don't make the same mistake I did. Hide these away for at least 5 years. This is a more serious wine than the $30 price tag would suggest. 90+ points
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2009 Domaine Jean Royer Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Alright. So I have a dozen or more bottles open after sorting out today's shipments, but this is the one I'm going to sit down with. As my palate migrates away from big fruit bombs, this wine becomes a center of the plate pitch for me. Grenache-driven on both nose and palate. Even at this early age, the nose is incredibly complex, to the point where I have difficulty picking out individual notes. Rather it's like the woman who wears just a whiff of the perfect perfume. A bit of a tease, but it keeps me engaged. Overall, quite elegant in styling. On the palate, what a pleasant change from some of the overripe '07's I've had. This is old school. Lots of fruit but achieves an uncommon balance. Just a bit of heat on the finish keeps my score down. At 91 points, I can honestly say that I enjoy this wine more than that score would suggest.
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2010 Domaine Ricard Touraine Le Clos de Vauriou 85 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine
Agree with the previous note. I'm think/hope that this is a matter of being young. Pop/pour - quite a bit of acidity, to the point of coming across as out of balance. Hoping that air / couple of years in the bottle will help this to fill out.
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2006 Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge 90 Points
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Tobacco trending toward port/madeira on the nose, without the overt alcohol. The same follows through to the palate, which unsurprisingly is a bit tight today. I will hide remaining bottles for 3-5 years - minimum. A well-made wine but the flavors are a bit of an acquired taste.
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2006 Long Shadows Wineries Pirouette 91 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
A Garagiste "Mystery Wine". This is a really tough note for me. I'll explain later. In the meantime, on the nose...pretty shy, with a hint of funk and bandaid coming through against the fruit, both pleasant additions. On the palate, seems to be nicely balanced with an addition of resin to the fruit that gives this some body and length. With air, this opens up a bit on the mid palate while at the same time shutting down on the finish as tannins come out to play. Too early for sure, the rest of my bottles won't see their way onto the front shelf until 2015.
Why this note is difficult - I generally love Long Shadows offerings, as well as Garagiste's "Mystery Wines" that have the original label. When I opened this, my impressions were filtered by the Long Shadows name, and as a result I give this the benefit of the doubt...."tight, needs more time, will probably turn into something pretty good". Then I got to thinking about last year's "Mystery Wines" from Garagiste...the private labeled ones. In particular the several "Renegade" bottlings as well as the "Script and Seal" (the latter of which has actually evolved into something pretty good based on the 2 bottles opened last night). I recall my reaction to those wines, without a sense of pedigree. "What's the fuss about, these aren't that good, I'm glad I didn't pay full price". And I'm afraid that if the same Renegade label were attached to this wine, I might have evaluated it the same way. In summary, blind tastings are humbling.
Oh, and whatever I think of this wine....I am glad I didn't pay full price...:)
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