David Bowler Spring 2007 Portfolio Tasting
New York City
Tasted Wednesday, March 14, 2007 by dougsmith with 1,427 views
Introduction
Thanks to David Bowler for setting this up and for Mikhail to getting me the info. Quite a nice lineup of wines we tasted today. As always must be said at a large-scale tasting like this, pours were usually quite small, and the time spent on any given wine was much less than really necessary to evaluate the quality and characteristics.
So all notes and scores must be taken with a large grain of salt!
2005 Domaine Pélaquié Côtes du Rhône 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Medium ruby color. Nice, funky nose with floral and strawberry elements. High tannins on the palate; this would benefit from a few years' cellaring.
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2005 Domaine Pélaquié Lirac 87 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Lirac
Medium ruby color. Nose of red berries, earth and leather. High tannins on the palate, bit flat on the finish. Fruit is a touch fake.
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2005 Familia Marguery Malbec Casa Marguery 89 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Deep ruby/violet color. Nose of jammy black fruit, tar. On the palate, high tannins and a nice fruity finish. Modern style.
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2004 Familia Marguery Malbec 90 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Deep ruby color. Complex, meaty nose with animal notes, black fruits and tar. On the palate this has very good balance and a long finish, quite smooth although plenty of youthful tannins remain.
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2003 Fincas Don Martino Malbec Old Vine Viña Violeta 91 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo, Agrelo
Medium ruby color. Explosive, smoky nose, redolant of fragrant wood, spice and floral notes. On the palate it is full of blackberries and smoke with youthful tannins.
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NV Soutiran Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Light lemon color with fine fizz. Intense, alluring nose of yeast and baked apples. On the palate this is well structured and silky.
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2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Cras 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Light lemon color. (Yes, this is a white). Intense nose of smoked meat and butter, with some complex mineral notes in the background. On the palate however this was quite closed, with only the barest touch of butterscotch. May need more time.
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2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Pommard Vieilles Vignes 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard
Light ruby color. Bit closed on the nose, with a touch of red raspberry and menthol. On the palate it has high tannins and good structure; still youthful. 86-88 pts.
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2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Light ruby color. Nose of red berries with an interesting sort of new vinyl note. On the palate this is very tannic with a good light red berry finish. Quite elegant. 87-89 pts.
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2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Champans 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Light ruby color. Light nose of raspberry, red cherry and blackberry. On the palate it has nice acid grip, fine tannins and an elegant finish. 88-90 pts.
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2002 Celler Mas Garrian Priorat Clos Severi 88 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Medium ruby color. Relatively straightforward nose of spice, strawberries and some floral notes. On the palate it is smooth, medium bodied with high tannins.
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2005 La Viarte Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla 86 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Colli Orientali
Light lemon color. Nose of lemon peel and some funkiness. Not sure if this gets any oak treatment, but it seemed I detected some on the palate. Or perhaps it was more of that odd funkiness of the varietal.
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2004 Saxon-Brown Syrah Parmelee-Hill 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Deep ruby color. Very old-world Syrah nose of black fruit and smoked herbs, perhaps a touch of leather. Full presence on the palate with great follow-through and a long finish. Yummy stuff.
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2005 Saxon-Brown Syrah Flora Ranch 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill
Deep ruby color. More new-world nose of cola, bright cassis and violets. On the palate this is quite full bodied with good presence.
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2002 Saxon-Brown Zinfandel Casa Santinamaria Vineyards 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
This is a field blend Zin. Deep ruby color with an intense nose of ripe plums and spearmint. On the palate it is explosive in flavor with still-youthful tannins. Nice stuff.
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2005 Saxon-Brown Zinfandel Parmelee-Hill 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Deep ruby color. Primary Zin nose of black fruit and pepper with some notes of violet. Good structure on the palate with a residual sweetness. This will probably get better with a few years in bottle.
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2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Akiko's Cuvée 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light ruby color. Complex nose of earth, smoke, red berries and spice with some floral notes. On the palate it has good acid grip with a long finish. Good stuff.
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2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light ruby color. Somewhat overly oaked nose, with elements of smoke, meat and dusty earth. On the palate it has good acidity but is a bit thin.
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2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Light ruby color. Nose of country herbs, red fruit and smoke. Good grip and length on the palate.
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2005 Red Car Pinot Noir Amour Fou 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Medium ruby color. Smoky, roast meat nose resembles Syrah more than Pinot. On the palate it is also quite Syrah-like with full body and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Not a bad wine, but varietally odd.
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2005 Red Car Syrah Shake Rattle Roll 89 Points
USA, California
Deep ruby color. Nose of prunes and deep black cassis flavors. On the palate, lots of cassis and smoke. It comes across as a touch one-dimensional, but with good focused fruit.
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2005 Domaine Alary Cairanne 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Cairanne
Deep violet color. Nose of deep black fruits and cassis. On the palate, cassis, fine tannins and a medium body.
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2005 Domaine Alary Côtes du Rhône La Gerbaude 87 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Deep violet color. Nose of deep black fruits and cassis. On the palate it has youthful tannins, but the fruit tends a bit towards fakeness.
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2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Medium ruby color. Nose of complex red fruits and earth. On the palate, good structure and a long bright fruit finish. Very nice.
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2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu Cuvée des Galets 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu
Medium ruby color. Complex nose of red and black fruits and a touch of roast meat. On the palate this is smooth and well balanced with a bright strawberry finish.
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2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée 3 Cépages 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Light to medium ruby color. Complex nose of smoky, earthy black and red fruits. Good balance on the palate with a splashy bright fruit finish. Yummy.
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2004 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée Gabrielle 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Medium ruby color. Nose of strawberries and herbs. Quite dry on the palate, perhaps a bit hard.
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2005 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Cairanne
Deep red/violet color. Nose of deep, jammy black fruits. On the palate it has a big mouthfeel but a bit hollow and tannic at this point. May require some cellaring.
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2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Medium ruby color. Funky nose with elements of barnyard, leather and red fruits. On the palate, bright berries. Simple but good straightforward wine.
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2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Medium ruby color. This wine is pretty closed, with some notes of pure red and black fruit flavors. Could be in a bad moment right now.
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2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Medium ruby color. This wine presented quite dumb on nose and palate, with interesting notes of toasted bread and raspberries. May be in a bad stage right now.
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2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Medium to deep ruby color. Complex nose of flowers and blackberries. On the palate, loads of cassis; smooth, big, with bright fruit flavors. Yummy.
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2004 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Medium ruby color. Nose of smoky herb, strawberries and a touch of menthol. On the palate, it's quite smooth with fine structure and balance.
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2004 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Girard 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Medium ruby color. Complex nose of roast meat, turned earth and strawberries. On the palate it has youthful tannins and a long finish. Needs some time, but very good.
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NV Raumland Cuvée Marie-Luise Brut 89 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light lemon color. Nose of apples, yeast and lemon peel. On the palate, high acidity, medium bodied with apple and fine bubbles.
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1999 Raumland Riesling Prestige Brut 90 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light lemon color. Nose of caraway spice and grapefruit, with racy acidity and lots of bubbles on the palate.
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2002 Raumland Chardonnay Prestige Brut 88 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light lemon color. Very tight nose with elements of butter and apples. On the palate, good structure with green apple flavors.
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2001 Raumland Rosé Prestige Brut 89 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light salmon color. Nose of lemon peel, tart raspberries and yeast. Very clean on the palate, dry, with fine bubbles.
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2001 Raumland Triumvirat Grande Cuvée Brut 92 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light lemon to water-white color. Intense nose of brioche, pears and yeast with notes of turned earth. On the palate it is mouth coating with good acid grip and fine bubbles. Notes of green apples on the long finish.
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2005 Wegeler Riesling halbtrocken 89 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Water-white color. Alluring nose of pineapple, mango and spice. On the palate this is off-dry with good balancing acidity.
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2005 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Riesling Butterfly 88 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Light lemon color. Nose of green apple, spice and minerality. On the palate this presents a little closed; quite close to dry with medium body.
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2005 Von Hövel Riesling Balduin Von Hovel 91 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Light lemon color. Nose of apple, spice and minerality. On the palate it is mouth-coating with apple notes and a long finish.
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2005 Mönchhof Robert Eymael Riesling Spätlese Mosel Slate 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Light lemon color. Nose of sweet apples and complex minerality, with a touch of spice. On the palate it is mouthcoating with notes of pear.
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2005 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett 89 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Light lemon color. Complex nose, with elements of spring flowers, grapefruit and some animal notes, almost a Sauvignon Blanc 'cat's pee'. On the palate it's a touch flat, off dry with lots of apple flavor.
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2006 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Estate 88 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Water white color. Bit closed on the nose with some sweet apple notes. On the palate it has good acidity. Quite young.
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2006 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken 88 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Water white color. Closed on the nose; all I could manage to get was a bit of apple. Good acidity on the palate. Too young now but has balance.
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2006 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese 94 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Light lemon color; closed on the nose with elements of honey and apples. On the palate it is positively silky with racy acidity and a huge persistence. Still way too young to evaluate precisely but the stuffing is there.
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2005 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese 92 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Light lemon color. Crazy nose of wild strawberries and mango. On the palate this is thick with strawberries, intense with long persistence and great acid balance. Yummy.
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2005 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Light lemon color. Closed on the nose, but waiting on the palate is a mass of red and white fruit: raspberries, apple, pear, even a touch of mango. Great balance and an endless finish. Should be wonderful in a few years.
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