August 2009 Too Much Wine
Lake Elmo
Tasted Tuesday, August 25, 2009 by vanpe003 with 717 views
Introduction
Spent the rainy morning preparing a bunch of wines to go to offsite, and realized I hadn't tried a bunch of the stuff that arrived this spring, through auction / Garagiste / etc. Some good stuff, and it made me realize that this habit has gotten away from me. There's too much "good stuff" in the cellar for me and my friends to prudently drink. Too many wines open tonight to do each of them justice. Yet I could do the same every week and not make a dent. What to do??????
Flight 1 - Reds (7 Notes)
Most of these were reds that I hadn't tried before, and wanted to see a) how they were drinking and b) if they should be sent offsite. A couple disappointments. The 2007 Javelina Leap doesn't match the 2006. Bummer, in that I have a fair amount of it. The other is the Mondavi Reserve, which at least for this bottle had more meat/game than I prefer. All the rest met or exceeded expectations.
Flight 2 - Whites (3 Notes)
I love the Coulee de Serrant....G. hates it. Oh well. This group went 2 for 3, with the only outlier being the Sylvaner, which is pretty ordinary on all fronts.
Closing
Time to critically assess the cellar and figure out a disposition plan. I probably need to do more of these wide-open tastings to understand what still tickles my palate, and figure out what needs to be disposed of.
2006 Audelssa Estate Winery Tephra 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Delicate perfume on the nose with a hint of spiciness. Medium heavy on the palate with a hint of brightness, good acidity, and a backdrop of vanilla. Finely tannic on the finish. Lacking a bit in overall body initially, but picks up some depth with some time open and in the glass. Overall a feminine rendition.
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1997 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A bit of meat, sweat and leather on the nose. On the palate, nice fruit that's a bit overwhelmed by tannins on the finish. Unclear to me which wins out longer term. After some time open, the tannins fade, the meat remains....too much for my tastes, but G's favorite of the reds opened tonight.
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1999 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Smells/tastes slightly cooked to me, with meat and beef bouillon notes too apparent on both nose and palate. A shame, as the overall palate feel is excellent.
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2006 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot Pedestal 93 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Remarkably well structured if a bit tight at the moment. A fair amount of oak/vanilla, yet good balance all the way through, this should be a winner in another 5 years, though it's quite delicious right now. Long finish with a bit of heat. Looking for this to become more behaved with a few years.
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2005 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga
Scored for future potential. Impeccably balanced. Cassis and perfumed fruit on the nose. On the palate, the highlight is a bit of bright cherry. Pretty tight at this point, but good structure with both balanced acidity and a fair if not overwhelming tannic presence on the finish. Another 5 years and this should be drinking very, very well. My only concern is whether or not the fruit will come to play a more dominant role down the line. Update: continues to get better with time open / in the glass. A very elegant wine.
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2005 Collazzi Toscana IGT 89 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
For me, fairly shy on the nose. On the palate, fairly bright with an interesting grassy, herbal component. Medium bodied, with a bit of tannins on a medium length finish. Could be better in several (2-5) years. update: significantly richer, smoother, better the second day. 90-91 pts.
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2007 Javelina Leap Zinfandel Reserve 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Like the regular bottling, the reserve in 2007 seems to have less fruit depth than its counterpart in '06. That's not necessarily bad in the case of the reserve, as I found the '06 Reserve to be quite jammy, preferring instead the '06 regular zin bottling by a country mile. However, back to the '07 Reserve...once again a very nice brambly nose with lots of depth. Unfortunately, the palate doesn't quite match the promise. Less depth of fruit than I would have thought based on the nose, with some acidity and strong tannins on the finish. I'd like to think this will settle down and behave after a few years, but I'm not so sure. This is a wine to break out when you want a drink.
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