Friday Tasting Group: In HONOR of 1 of the Group's Mentors
Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA
Tasted Friday, May 10, 2019 by srh with 284 views
Flight 1 - Group Contributions (12 Notes)
Closing
VERY enjoyable tasting! :)
Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA
Tasted Friday, May 10, 2019 by srh with 284 views
VERY enjoyable tasting! :)
2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
"Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-ha vyd with one single plot at the N of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay, & limestone deeper down. Each variety is harvested manually & separately. Vinification is completed in truncated oak barrels for the reductive grapes (Mourvèdre & Syrah) & in traditional tiled cement tanks for the oxidative grapes (such as Grenache). After the malolactic fermentations, the Perrin family blends the different varieties, & then the wine ages in oak Foudres for a yr before being bottled." 30% ea Grenache & Mourvèdre, 10% ea Counoise & Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and 15% Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, & Roussanne;
N: DEFINITE barnyrd funkiness which DOES blow off into notes of mint (at least breiefly) slightly atop berries
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, *ult* pleasant finish, but with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. The wine's astringency SHOULD work well with food. For now, though may still improve for a yr or 2, then hold for 5 yrs more? 14% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 95 pts Decanter (2x in '17), 93 & 94 RJonWine, 88+? John Gilman, 18.5+, 17, & 18/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding), and NUMEROUS other *solid* reviews & medals on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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1995 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
"The Pianrosso Vyd covers 29,22 acres. The soil is medium grain with good levels of marl, dating from the Eocene period. The altitude of this large vyd varies from 240 to 360 m. Fermented n s/s & glass concrete vats, temp-controlled via cooling plates and jackets. Aged roughly 36 mos in 20-62 hl Slavonian oak protected from both extremes & changes in barrels, followed by > 8 mos in bottle."
N: Cherries with additional berries & spices, with undertones of spice? Intensity lurking
P: LM body; LOVELY, almost swtish frt fairly quickly met by astringent pucker which evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with an attractive bitter/swtness to the still notable, DUSTY tannins. Approachable now with food, this very traditionally styles Brunello DESERVES another 3 yrs or so, then for __ more? 14% ABV; My EXC+, more down the line? 90 pts WA & 84 WS.
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1994 Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco Toscana IGT
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
3,000 cases made.
N: Cherries with notes of minerals, poss earth; Intensity lurking
P: LM body; NICE frt met by some astringent pucker which morphs into a quite LONG finish with a bitter/swtness to the still prominent, DUSTY tannins. NEEDS another 3, maybe 4, yrs more... min, then for __ more? 13% ABV; My EXC/EXC+, the higher with time. 91 pts WS (Suckling) & 87 WA.
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1990 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
N: RIPE berries with some earthiness & poss undertones of pyrazines? But, tough to parse; Intensity lurking!
P: Med body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, poss very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/SWTNESS to the unoffensive, dusty tannins. Approachable now, but could CERTAINLY stand cellaring through '22, then making its 40th. 13% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional-™. 96 pts WA, 95+ Galloni, 91 ea WS & Jeannie Cho Lee, and 90+ RJonWine. [Translates to 94-97 on the 100 pt scale.]
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2004 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga
N: RIPE berries with notes of pyrazines; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, tangy/SWT finish to the dusty tannins. Approachable now with food, this DESERVES/needs through '21, poss '22, then making its 25th? Impressive potential! 14.1% ABV; My EXC+. 95 pts ea WA & Vinous (Tanzer), 91 RJonWine, 86 WS, & 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson.
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1986 Château Sociando-Mallet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
N: Earthiness, though the majority seemed to think it was corked. (I was in the minority that disagreed.)
P: Med body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt with the "corked" component *1st* on the P, but only lasting a couple of secs, then vanishing, though it (or a VERY slight bitterness?) seemed to resurface from time to time. One way or the other, NOT a particularly noteworthy bottle. 12.5% ABV; My VG+/EXC-. 94 pts ea WS & Jean-Marc Quarin, 90 RJonWine, 19/20 La Revue du Vin de France, 18+/20 winedoctor.com, 17/20 Bettane et Desseauve, 16.5/20 The World of Fine Wines, & 16/20 Jancis Robinson.
IF interested, check out the winery's URL where the Bettane et Desseauve review cited above mentions the high % of bottles contaminated by TCA, which would seem to be corroborated by scanning over the TNs here. :(
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1997 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Supposedly 55% C.S., 30% Merlot, 10% P.V, & 5% C.F.
From the same bottle as BHRH below
N: RIPE berries, cola, smoke
P: LM body; LOVELY, ALMOST swtish frt firmed by some astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG finish with a tangy/swtness to the relatively few dusty tannins. In its window, though MAY yet improve for a couple of yrs, then drink through '24? 13% ABV; My EXC/EXC+™. 88 pts WA, + other reviews listed on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg. [Translates as 92-95 on the 100 pt scale.]
FYI, I was one of the Burgundy guessers BHRH mentions. ;)
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2009 Dehlinger 60% Petite Sirah/40% Zinfandel Guadagni Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
60% P.S. & 40% Zin
N: Slightly closed; Smoke with ripe berries
P: LM body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by a bit of astringent pucker which somewhat resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a discrete tangy/swtness to the FEW dusty tannins. For now & through '23, I'd guess. 15.0% ABV; My EXC.
FYI, there's a correctly labeled, parallel strand to this on https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1156541&searchId=324553B7
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2009 Dehlinger Petite Sirah/Zinfandel Guadagni Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
FYI, there's an incorrectly labeled, parallel strand to this on https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1496136&searchId=42C5514F
From the same bottle as BHRH below.
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1994 Ridge Lytton Springs
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
From the same bottle as BHRH below.
80% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 4% Carignan, 2% Grenache, & 1% Alicante; "The old-vine Zin was fermented in small tanks, & the grapes held below the surface of the juice for slower, gentler extraction. The P.S. & Carignan were also in small fermentors, but with grapes floating & the juice pumped over. Naturally-occurring yeasts & malolactic bacteria, respectively, carried out the primary, &, within 2 wks, the secondary fermentation. To accentuate the vyd’s distinctive fruit, we limited the number of new barrels, aging most of the wine in 3 & 4-yr-old air-dried AM oak. After a total of 6 racks and more than a yr in small cooperage, we blind-tasted 1 last time & bottled without fining."
N: RIPE berries with notes of oranges (?), poss an earthiness? Lots goin' on, but tough for me to parse; Intensity lurking
P: Med body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by some astringent pucker which somewhat resolves by a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins, & ult, a PLEASANTNESS. For now & should make its 30th. 14.5% ABV; My EXC+.
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2000 Château Lafon-Rochet
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Should you be interested, you can peruse info for this vintage which I’ve uploaded. 😉
N: Slightly closed; RIPE berries with undertones of earth?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by some puckerish astringency which only somewhat resolves by the LONG, slightly bitterish finish. Might still improve? 13.0% ABV; My EXC-, as this IS *ult* somewhat pleasant. [As of mid May '19, wine-searcher still shows several vendors from $80-$99.]
Note: My TN of 3/8/2019 was WAY more positive.
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2001 Mocali Brunello di Montalcino
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
N: SMOKY oak atop berries; Intensity lurking
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which only somewhat resolves by the LONG, very, VERY slightly bitterish finish with a tanginess & distinct swtness to the dusty tannins. Could stand cellaring through '21, then easily making its 25th, poss 30th? 13.5% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional-. 14/20 pts Jancis Robinson, but some solid reviews listed on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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