Winebar [2 Shared Reds, 3 Chards, & 6 Misc Reds] for 5/26/17

• 2010 Two Hands Shiraz Zippy's Block Marananga

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  N: Iron with ripe berries
  
  P: Med body; Nice frt met by firming structure mid palate, this touch of friming QUITE resolving by the VERY long, ultimately almost swtsh finish. VERY nicely made! :)

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• 2005 Château Pouget

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  N: Earthy (mushrooms) atop berries with smoky undertones
  
  P: LM, poss M, body; Nice frt on entry (almost swtish?) nicely balanced by structure; LONG, very slightly firm finish. ELEGANT, & definitely in its window of drinkability, though it could WELL improve a tad over the next couple of yrs.

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• 2015 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  N: Mushrooms, forest floor atop toast? Lemons coming forward with air/warmth?
  
  P: MF, poss M, body; Rndish entry with almost swtish frt met by ALMOST puckery acidity, this morphing into a LONG, but somewhat disjointed (?) finish. While I'm currently tasting a HUGE difference between the N/front P & the almost nondescript rest, IF this comes around... :) Note: With air/warmth [I had it in my tasting glass for a good 3 hrs] this definitely improved, lending me to believe I've likely been too harsh on it. [Also, I heard several EXPERIENCED tasters remarking they CLEARLY preferred this over the Champ Canet which was next in the flight.] 89-91 pts, Vinous

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• 2015 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Canet Clos Jacquelotte

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  N: Slightly closed/muted; lemons initially, then other (tropical?) frt/toast/earth
  
  P: MF, poss M, body; Almost rndish entry/swtish frt NICELY balanced by acidity, this morphing into a VERY long, VERY slightly honeyed/very slightly bitter finish. Deserves/needs (?) cellaring into '19, then drinking for the ff several, POSS more. For my palate a FAR "safer" bet than the previous wine in the flight, though that was distinctly NOT the opinion of FAR more experienced tasters than I.

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• 2014 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay Karia

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  N: Toast somewhat atop lemons, but attractively so
  
  P: MF body; Somewhat rndish entry with decent frt/oak & BRACING mid palate acidity, this morphing into a long finish with only the barest hint of oaky harshness. A reasonable value for drinking over the next 6-12 mos -- before, I suspect, oaky edginess dominates the frt. 91 pts WE, 90 WA, 88 WS, 87 Wine & Spirits, 87 & a Bronze from the '16 Decanter World Wine Awards, and 84 Jeannie Cho Lee. [This vendor's $23.95 seems VERY competitive.]

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• 2014 Marchand & Tawse / Pascal Marchand Nuits St. Georges Les Longecourts

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges

  From the producer's web pg: "This beautifull vineyard is situated right at the bottom of the famous 1er Cru "Les Saint-Georges" on the south of Nuits Saint Georges."
  
  N: LOVELY cherries with spicy notes & undertones of earth?
  
  P: MF, POSS M, body; Almost swtish frt quickly met by pucker, this slowly & fairly seamlessly resolving into a LONG, slightly spicy, VERY slightly astringent finish. Deserves into '19 min, then drinking, I'd guess, for 2-3 yrs afterwards. Nicely done! 89-91 pts Vinous [This vendor's $51.95 would appear to be VERY competitive!]

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• 2014 Beni di Batasiolo Barbera d'Alba Sovrana

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  N: Very slightly closed/muted, but seems ripe with minerals slightly atop berries?
  
  P: MF body; Almost swtish frt/oak met by some mid palate pucker, this fairly seamlessly pretty much resolving by the VERY long, VERY slightly tart (but with aspects of swtness) finish. DESERVES cellaring 18-30 mos, then a potential steal for drinking into '23!

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• 2012 Edwards Vineyard & Cellars Petite Sirah

  USA, California, South Coast, Ramona Valley

  100 cs produced from 100% estate grown grapes; 14.8% ABV
  
  N: RIPE, dust slightly atop berries?
  
  P: MF, poss F, body; Almost swtish frt [& JUST a TOUCH of heat?] quickly met by astringent mid palate pucker, which at least somewhat resolves by the LONG, slightly astringent finish. NEEDS at LEAST until 2020, & I'd not be surprised if SOMEWHERE along the line it winds up being... elegant. As someone here said re a previous vintage, "a Petite Sirah lover's PS" -- from an appellation you might not associate with ANY type of "quality" wine! [This vendor's $34.95 is VERY competitive!]

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• 2013 Emiliana Coyam Los Robles

  Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley

  “48% Syrah, 24% Carmenère, 11% Merlot, 10% C.S, 3% Malbec, 3% Mourvèdre, & 1% Petit Verdot planted on their own roots in the Los Robles Vyd (on the foothills of a mountainous outcropping in Lo Moscoso) in deep soils of colluvial origin which are quite rocky @ the surface; The Vyd is @ 245m elev, yields an ave of 6 ton/ha, & was manually harvested between 3/27 & 5/25/13. Selected bunches were destemmed, & the individual berries were selected by size via a vibrating table for better precision. The grapes were then gently dropped into s/s tanks for fermentation with native yeasts at 24–26 °C with a program of pumpovers determined by enological criteria. The new wine then remained on its skins for a 5-day post-fermentation maceration at 22–24 °C, for a total maceration time of 20–25 days. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally in oak barrels. The wine was aged for 13 mos (85% FR oak, 15% AM oak; 34% new, 33% 1 prior use, & 33% 2 prior uses), during which time it stabilized naturally without any treatments. 14.5% abv, 2.24 g/L R.S., 4.84 g/L T.A., & 3.63 pH; 18,268 cases bottled Nov ’14.”
  
  N: Attractively jammy
  
  P: Med, poss MF, body; Ripe, ALMOST swtish frt met by some ALMOST swtish tannins & sufficient pucker for firmness, this morphing into a LONG, very slightly tart but ultimately ALMOST swtish finish. Approachable now for acid loving, structure tolerant palates, this DESERVES 18-30 mos, I'm guessing, to TRULY shine. Moreover, it would seem to have PLENTY of stuffing for drinking past 10 yrs of its vintage date! :) EXCEPTIONALLY impressive! 94 pts Tim Atkin, 93 Suckling, 92 WA, 90 (3x) winealign.com, 88 @ '17 Decanter World Wine Awards, 17/20 Jancis Robinson, & Silver @ '16 Int Wine & Spirits Comp. [This vendor's $24.95 would appear to be 'bout as good any in the U.S.]

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• 2015 Turley Zinfandel Rattlesnake Ridge

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  N: INTENSE jammy boys (poss lingonberries?); VERY attractive!
  
  P: Med, poss MF, body; Swtish frt (in the vicinity of threshold R.S.?) & very slight heat met by some pucker latish mid palate, this morphing into a LONG, spicy, VERY slightly tart finish. A decadently ripe style that nicely accomplishes what I THINK they attempt -- & may actually even age QUITE well. 93 pts WS & 90-93 Vinous (Galloni). [This vendor's $43.95 *squashes* the wine-searcher competition, though they may well have VERY little of it. :( ]

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• 2013 Mollydooker Enchanted Path

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  69% Shiraz & 31% C.S.; 16.5% ABV, 2.2g/l R.S., & 3.64 pH
  
  N: JAMMY with smoky notes; More to give?
  
  P: Med, poss MF, body; ALMOST swtish frt (I would have SWORN approaching threshold R.S., though the winery's stats belie that) with some heat, mid palate acidity ATTEMPTING to balance; Long, very slightly tangy/bitter finish. I don't even know WHAT to predict for this as I'm categorically NOT "feelin' it" -- particularly @ this vendor's $67.95, which even then is almost 25% LESS than the only other U.S. vendor currently listed on wine-searcher! 93 pts WS

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My first ever Turley & Molldooker wines. I was not at ALL impressed with the latter.