Winebar [5 Whites & 6 Reds] from 9/29/17
Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA
Tasted Saturday, September 30, 2017 by srh with 68 views
Flight 1 (11 Notes)
Closing
I guess this particular selection HAS to be one of my ALL time favs as I wound up purchasing 2 or > bottles of 6/11 wines in the flight, which is a waaaaaaaaay higher % than I've done either before or since!
2015 Domaine Jean Vullien & Fils Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Les Divolettes
France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron
N: Barnyard with minerals & other tough to parse elements, the barnyd pretty much blowing off to a floral, almost honied aspect
P: MF, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by TANGY acidity which SLOWLY morphs into a LONG, slightly tangy, VERY slightly bitter finish with a slightly honied facet. I enjoyed the wide ranging flavors of this food wine which is poss still improving. Drink now & through '19, poss a tad longer. [Tasted @ $17.95, though as of early Jan '20, I saw no remaining U.S. sources for this vintage on wine-searcher].
Note: 1st tasted on 7/1/17
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2013 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Petite Ruche
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
100% Marsanne fermented & aged in vats, malolactic probably blocked
N: Flowers with honeysuckle, poss minerals?
P: Med, poss MF, body; Very RNDISH entry with very NICE, almost swtish ft met by balancing, somewhat tangy acidity which fairly SEAMLESSLY extends through the LONG, ult almost honied finish. LOVELY stuff for now & through '19, I'd imagine! 90 pts ea WS & Vinous (Raynolds), and 14.5/20 La Revue du Vin de France. [As of early Jan '20, I saw no U.S. sources on wine-searcher].
Addendum: I also tasted this on 5/6 & 10/17/17, 4/2/18, & 1/21/19
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2016 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
“Harvested largely by machine during cool (often cold) night-time conditions, the S.B. grapes were picked into ½ ton bins, which were tipped directly into the tank press & lightly pressed. The resulting juice was cold-settled prior to fermentation in s/s, primarily using cultured yeast for cool, slow fermentation. A portion was allowed to undergo spontaneous indigenous yeast fermentation using slightly warmer temp regimes.
"All individual vyd batches were left on lees & kept separate until late July, when the blend was assembled. The wine was bottled in mid-Aug with 13.5% ABV, 3.05 pH, & 6.7 g/l. T.A.”
N: Cat pee, minerals, quite poss barnyd; Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt adequately balanced by an acidity which pretty much extends through the LONG, very, VERY slightly bitter finish with notes of honey. Substantially styled, & may still need 6-9 mos. 91 pts ea WA, WS (3/30/17), Decanter (Button), & WE (Czerwinski, 7/1/17) with an “Editors' Choice” @ $23, 92 & 91 (3x) winealign.com (2/’18), and 17/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding, 11/27/16)! [As of early Jan '20, wine-searcher still shows several sources from $16-$28].
Note: 1st tasted on 1/7/17
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2016 Matanzas Creek Winery Sauvignon Blanc
USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
93% S.B. (71% Clone 1, 7% Musqué Clone, 6% Clone 530, 8% other clones) & 7% Sémillon - Clone 315, a blend of 23 lots fermented indiv in 85% S/S Tanks & 15% Neutral FR Oak Barrels; 13.5% ABV, 6.1g/L T.A., 3.36 pH, & 1.1g/L R.S.
N: Grass atop toast with notes of smoke & floral undertones; More to give?
P: MF, poss Med, body; Somewhat rndish entry with nice frt juxtaposed by an acidity which drives the mid-P & pretty much the LONG, very slightly honied, very, VERY slightly bitter finish. A *food* style for drinking into '20. *Nice* QPR @ the tasted $14.95! 90 pts WE & 87 WS. [As of early Jan '20, it's unclear whether wine-searcher still shows this or the > generic Sonoma Cnty bottling].
Addendum: Also tasted on 3/31/18
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2015 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean - Clos des Murées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
N: VERY *attractive* aromas of toast/spice slightly atop tropical frt
P: MF, poss Full, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt/oak dialectic, this very nicely balanced by an acidity which slowly, SEAMLESSLY morphs into a VERY LONG, spicy, slightly tangy finish with a touch of honey. Simply SENSATIONAL wine with plenty of room to evolve, & with the potential to approach its 10th yr, I'm guessing. DESERVES a MIN of cellaring into '19. [As of early Jan '20, I saw no U.S. sources on wine-searcher].
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2015 Dujac Fils et Père Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
“From purchased frt grown in clay & limestone soils;” Typically, “Fermented in s/s tanks, using naturally occurring yeasts; Aged for 14-15 mos in 1, 2, & 3 yr old FR barriques;” Supposedly 15 barrels “bottled unfined & unfiltered.”
N: ATTRACTIVELY jammy berries with FLOWERS & ending notes of toast
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt met by a finely tannic pucker which pretty much extends through the quite LONG, VERY finely tannic, ult almost swtish, finish with occasional notes of bitterness. NEEDS through '19, then drinking into its 10th yr, poss longer. 91 pts John Gilman (11-12/’16), and 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (11/10/16) [Tasted @ $69.95, as of early Jan '20, I saw no U.S. sources on wine-searcher].
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2015 Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
🙂 Should you be interested, I’ve uploaded info for this vintage which you can peruse at your leisure. 😉
N: RIPE, garrigue with smoky aspects? Intensity lurking?
P: Med, poss MF, body; ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) quickly met by a tannic astringency which only somewhat resolves by the quite LONG, dustily tannic, but ult almost swtish finish. NEEDS 3 yrs min, & then a potential steal IF the poss R.S. is not an issue. [As of early Jan '19, wine-searcher still shows several sources from $36-$46].
Addendum: Also tasted 10/21/17; 2/17, 7/14 & 10/13/18, + 11/30/19.
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2014 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
“From a 7 acre, dry-farmed plot planted to the Mt. Eden clone, harvested 8/4-13/’14 @ 23.8° Brix with a yield of 1.0 tons/acre; 1/3 Whole Cluster Fermentaion in small, open top, one ton capacity fermenters; Aged on the lees; Barrel Regimen: FR Burgundy (75% new, 25% 1 yr); 756 750ml cases & 31 1500ml cases produced & bottled Oct ’15, without fining or filtration, & released Fall ‘17. 13% ABV;”
N: Ripe berries & earth atop toast? Intensity lurking?
P: MF body; Rndish entry with ALMOST swtish frt counterbalanced by an almost puckerish astringency which slowly, SEAMLESSLY transitions into a VERY LONG, somewhat spicy, very, VERY finely tannic, yet ult almost swtish, finish. A *marvelous* wine DESERVING of cellaring through '19, then EASILY making its 10th. I'd even go so far as to say that for what's HERE, *nice* QPR! :) 95 pts ea WA, Dunnuck, & WE @ $62, 94 John Gilman, 93 ea Vinous (Galloni) + Wine & Spirits, 91 Decanter (Panel), & 17/20 Jancis Robinson (3/6/19)! [As of early Jan '20, wine-searcher still shows several sources from $60-$72].
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2014 Burn Cottage Pinot Noir Moonlight Race
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
For DETAILED Winemaker Notes, please cf. LindsayM's upload in the "CellarTracker Articles" section under this specific vintage! :)
N: Jammy berries with notes of slate? Flowers as well? More to give?
P: Med, poss LM, body; Rndish entry with nice, almost swtish frt met by some finely tannic pucker which slowly, pretty much resolves by the LONG, bitter/SWT choc finish. Approachable now, this fairly substantive style DESERVES 'til mid-'19, but could EASILY take > on its voyage into its 10th yr. This would seem to show *outstanding* QPR @ the $31.95 @ which it was tasted! :) 93 pts ea The Wine Front (Gary Walsh), Bob Campbell, & Int'l Wine Report, 92 WS, 91 Burghound, 90+ WA, 85 Vinous (Martin), and 16.5 (2x) & 17/20 Jancis Robinson. [As of early Jan '20, I saw no U.S. sources on wine-searcher].
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2014 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
“C.S. Clone 337 grapes from the renowned F-Block within the Georges III Vyd in Rutherford. (This vyd is the former Beaulieu Vyd No. 3, which was originally planted by Georges de Latour of Beaulieu in 1928.) Soils are primarily sandy loam, with a fair amount of rock from the old creek bed that runs through F-Block. 100% berry-sorted C.S.; Open-top fermentation using native yeasts; 75% new FR oak; 400 cases produced & bottled (unfined & unfiltered) 6/’16, released Spring ’17 @ $125 sugg retail. 14.7% ABV, 5.4 g/L, & 3.61 pH;”
N: Slightly closed; Toast, Rutherford "dust", spice, & berries; Intensity lurking?
P: MF body; Almost rndish entry with swtish frt off-set by just a touch of astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, very slightly bitter/SWT finish with the very, VERY slight bitterness coming & going. Certainly approachable now, this DESERVES cellaring into '19, then drinking for a # of yrs more, though I'm not sure I'D want even to risk waiting until its 10th. Also, I can't be even remotely bullish on the QPR of this. :( 95 pts WA (Perrotti-Brown, 2/’17) & 94 WE (9/1/17) @ $125. [As of early Jan '20, wine-searcher still shows 1 non-auction source @ $100].
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2014 Elderton Shiraz
Australia, South Australia, Barossa
Estate grown, 73% Nuriootpa, 24% Greenock, 3% Craneford, vines 21 - 122 years old.
N: Slightly closed; Vanilla, ripe berries, poss minerals? Intensity lurking?
P: MF body; ALMOST swtish frt nicely off-set by astringent PUCKER which slowly morphs into a LONG, VERY slightly dustily tannic, ult almost swtish finish. Needs/DESERVES into '19, then a potential steal that could well approach its 10th. Nicely done! 94 pts James Halliday, 92 The Wine Front, 91 Suckling, 89 WE @ $27, + 91, 88, & 86 winealign.com . [As of early Jan '20, wine-searcher still shows several sources from $21-$25].
Addendum:: Also tasted 2/10, 3/31, & 8/18/18.
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