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David Bowler Spring 2007 Portfolio Tasting
New York City
Tasted March 14, 2007 by dougsmith with 1,435 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!
Flight 1 (49 notes)
Red
2005 Domaine Pélaquié Côtes du Rhône
89 points
Medium ruby color. Nice, funky nose with floral and strawberry elements. High tannins on the palate; this would benefit from a few years' cellaring.
Red
2005 Domaine Pélaquié Lirac
87 points
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.
Red
2005 Familia Marguery Malbec Casa Marguery
89 points
Deep ruby/violet color. Nose of jammy black fruit, tar. On the palate, high tannins and a nice fruity finish. Modern style.
Red
2004 Familia Marguery Malbec
90 points
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.
Red
2003 Fincas Don Martino Malbec Old Vine Viña Violeta
91 points
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.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Soutiran Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut
90 points
Light lemon color with fine fizz. Intense, alluring nose of yeast and baked apples. On the palate this is well structured and silky.
White
2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Cras
88 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Pommard Vieilles Vignes
87 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets
88 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Champans
89 points
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.
Red
2002 Celler Mas Garrian Priorat Clos Severi
88 points
Medium ruby color. Relatively straightforward nose of spice, strawberries and some floral notes. On the palate it is smooth, medium bodied with high tannins.
White
2005 La Viarte Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla
86 points
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.
Red
2004 Saxon-Brown Syrah Parmelee-Hill
93 points
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.
Red
2005 Saxon-Brown Syrah Flora Ranch
91 points
Deep ruby color. More new-world nose of cola, bright cassis and violets. On the palate this is quite full bodied with good presence.
Red
2002 Saxon-Brown Zinfandel Casa Santinamaria Vineyards
92 points
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.
Red
2005 Saxon-Brown Zinfandel Parmelee-Hill
90 points
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.
Red
2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Akiko's Cuvée
91 points
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.
Red
2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
88 points
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.
Red
2005 Freeman Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch
90 points
Light ruby color. Nose of country herbs, red fruit and smoke. Good grip and length on the palate.
Red
2005 Red Car Pinot Noir Amour Fou
89 points
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.
Red
2005 Red Car Syrah Shake Rattle Roll
89 points
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.
Red
2005 Domaine Alary Cairanne
88 points
Deep violet color. Nose of deep black fruits and cassis. On the palate, cassis, fine tannins and a medium body.
Red
2005 Domaine Alary Côtes du Rhône La Gerbaude
87 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône
90 points
Medium ruby color. Nose of complex red fruits and earth. On the palate, good structure and a long bright fruit finish. Very nice.
Red
2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu Cuvée des Galets
90 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine les Aphillanthes Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée 3 Cépages
91 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée Gabrielle
88 points
Medium ruby color. Nose of strawberries and herbs. Quite dry on the palate, perhaps a bit hard.
Red
2005 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien
88 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes
89 points
Medium ruby color. Funky nose with elements of barnyard, leather and red fruits. On the palate, bright berries. Simple but good straightforward wine.
Red
2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades
88 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas La Louisiane
89 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas
91 points
Medium to deep ruby color. Complex nose of flowers and blackberries. On the palate, loads of cassis; smooth, big, with bright fruit flavors. Yummy.
Red
2004 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape
90 points
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.
Red
2004 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Girard
91 points
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.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Raumland Cuvée Marie-Luise Brut
89 points
Light lemon color. Nose of apples, yeast and lemon peel. On the palate, high acidity, medium bodied with apple and fine bubbles.
White - Sparkling
1999 Raumland Riesling Prestige Brut
90 points
Light lemon color. Nose of caraway spice and grapefruit, with racy acidity and lots of bubbles on the palate.
White - Sparkling
2002 Raumland Chardonnay Prestige Brut
88 points
Light lemon color. Very tight nose with elements of butter and apples. On the palate, good structure with green apple flavors.
Rosé - Sparkling
2001 Raumland Rosé Prestige Brut
89 points
Light salmon color. Nose of lemon peel, tart raspberries and yeast. Very clean on the palate, dry, with fine bubbles.
White - Sparkling
2001 Raumland Triumvirat Grande Cuvée Brut
92 points
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.
White - Off-dry
2005 Wegeler Riesling halbtrocken
89 points
Water-white color. Alluring nose of pineapple, mango and spice. On the palate this is off-dry with good balancing acidity.
White - Off-dry
2005 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Riesling Butterfly
88 points
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.
White
2005 Von Hövel Riesling Balduin Von Hovel
91 points
Light lemon color. Nose of apple, spice and minerality. On the palate it is mouth-coating with apple notes and a long finish.
White - Off-dry
2005 Mönchhof Robert Eymael Riesling Spätlese Mosel Slate
90 points
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.
White
2005 Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett
89 points
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.
White
2006 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Estate
88 points
Water white color. Bit closed on the nose with some sweet apple notes. On the palate it has good acidity. Quite young.
White - Off-dry
2006 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken
88 points
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.
White - Off-dry
2006 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese
94 points
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.
White - Off-dry
2005 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Spätlese
92 points
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.
White - Off-dry
2005 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese
95 points
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.