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Riverview Tasting
Post Oak Lodge (Tulsa, OK)
Tasted November 19, 2005 by mdstenner with 985 views
Introduction
A tasting that showcased mostly value wines. There were 9 tables showing beers and spirits, as well the wine. I tasted only from the wines.
Flight 1 - Recommended Wines (15 notes)
These wines (placed in estimated price order) are wines well worthy of purchasing. The McWilliams and Leasingham Rieslings are very fine (especially for the money the McWiliams is a steal), and the Geyser Peak, Pavilion Cabernet, Echelon, Baroncini, Razor's Edge, Sticks and Terrazas are no-brainer purchases. For over $15 the wines are well worth the money and for something a little special the Honig ($28+ in Tulsa) is worth seeking out. It has the stuffing to last for a good few mores yet and is drinking beautifully now.
White
2004 McWilliam's Riesling Regional Collection
86 points
Fresh, crisp, fruity nose with honeysuckle, apple blossom, and peach aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with a rich mouthfeel, good acidity for food, and fine balance. A great price ($9) for such a good wine.
White
2002 Leasingham Riesling Magnus
87 points
A super $12 Riesling. Aromas of orange and lemon peel, good fruit on the palate, and nice balance. A deft, pleasing, summer picnic wine or one fit for the dinner table.
White
2003 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc California
86 points
Clean and well made Cali SB. Grapefruit dominates the nose and palate and there are hints of citrus and stone fruits.
Red
2002 Pavilion Cabernet Sauvignon
87 points
For $12-13 a well-priced Napa Cabernet. Toasty oak and black currant aromas followed by a combination of red and black fruits in the mouth (more red than black with some supple cherry flavors). The oak is kept in check on the palate, the tannins are soft, and this medium-bodied wine has plenty to offer for the money.
Red
2004 Echelon Pinot Noir
85 points
A well priced, honest and nicely made sub-$15 Pinot Noir. The nose is the best part of this wine with true Pinot fruit aromatics of soft cherry, raspberry and clove hints. Bing cherry notes in the mouth, a light- to medium-bodied style, and a nice balance.
Red
2003 Baroncini Chianti Colli Senesi
88 points
Medium ruby, with aromas of tobacco, cherry, and cold tea. Very smooth in the mouth with plenty of soft cherry fruits and dried herbs and enough acidity to cellar for several years.
Red
2004 Razor's Edge Shiraz
87 points
Another fine showing from this wine. Lots of meat in the attack, a medium- to full-bodied palate, with rich black fruits and a persistent finish.
Red
2003 Terrazas de Los Andes Malbec Reserva
88 points
Dark ruby with a nose of smoky black fruits dominated by blackberry and plums. A nice earthiness in the mouth, supple and open for business. Not the best showing of this wine, but still good. At this early stage a good decant helps.
White
2004 Sticks Chardonnay
88 points
Straw color with green tints. A rich, herbal tinged nose, with hazelnuts, pear and citrus notes. Medium-bodied, with good acidity, lots of expressive fruit, and a good finish.
Red
2001 Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon
88 points
A very nice sub $20 California Cab. A rich, full nose of blackberry, mulberry and tobacco with rich fruits in the mouth (black currant, blackberry and plum), sweet tannins, medium body with a spicy finish.
Red
2002 Norman Vineyards Zinfandel The Monster
88 points
The second time I've tried this wine this year and it is as good as it was 6 months ago. A big nose, as befits its name, of cherry, black pepper, and hedgerow fruits. Lots of flavor in the mouth with plums and rich berry flavors. A very fun Zinfandel (89% Zinfandel, 6% Syrah, and 5% Petite Sirah).
Red
2002 Unti Vineyards Petit Frère
88 points
Lots of black fruits on the nose, with blackberry, pepper, black raspberry, and spice. More of the same in the mouth with plenty of fruit and some complexity. Medium- to full-bodied and fine value for money.
Red
2002 Kendall-Jackson Merlot Vintner's Reserve
88 points
Shoot me, I like this wine! A rich plummy nose, with sweet cherry and toasty oak notes. Nice structure and backbone, a mix of good dark fruit flavors (mostly plum), and a decent finish. Good QPR.
Red
2002 Zaca Mesa Z Cuvée
88 points
Dark ruby, with a beguiling nose of black olive, raspberry, cherry, and musky/spicy, toasty herbs and spices. Smoth in the mouth, with the oak showing but well integrated, soft tannins, and full flavors of raspberry, hints of garrigue, and dried herbs.
Red
2001 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon
91 points
I last had this wine over a year ago and it has matured nicely since then. Honig's basic Cabernet is never going to blow you away but it is an absolutely charming drink that gets better with each sip. Dark ruby, the nose is aromatic and graceful and never owerpowering with cassis, tobacco, hints of oak, and blackcurrant. The palate is medium-bodied with supple and well delineated black currant and cherry fruits. The oak is integrated nicely, the tannins are resolved, and there is a fine persistent finish.
Flight 2 - Wines to consider (7 notes)
All well priced wines that show good varietal flavors but lack a little in complexity, fruit intensity and overall style and QPR.
White
2004 Pavilion Chardonnay
84 points
For less than $10 this is something of a bargain for a Californian Chardonnay, especially if you like pear, which dominates this medium-bodied, nicely balanced fruity Chardonnay. Nicely done.
White
2003 d'Arenberg The Stump Jump
84 points
Pineapple, peach and citrus aromas with good crispness and acidity in the mouth and apple, melon and citrus fruits notes.
White - Off-dry
2003 Schlink Haus Riesling Auslese
85 points
A blend of Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Baccus, Scheurebe. For $12-13 (Tulsa market) this is a well crafted sweet wine with rich aromas of honeysuckle and apricot. There is enough acidity in the wine to prevent the mouthfeel from becoming cloying.
White
2003 Jacob's Creek Riesling Reserve
86 points
The whiff of petroluem on the nose shocked me a little as this has developed fast (storage?). Plenty of lemon and lime in the attack with enough acidity for 4-5 years of ageing.
Red
2003 Yellow Tail Merlot The Reserve Casella Estate
85 points
Much drier than the regular Yellow Tail bottling. A good nose of plums and currant with solid fruits in the mouth and a dry finish.
Red
2003 Pavilion Merlot
85 points
A nicely crafted, simple $10 Napa Merlot. A soft nose of plums and spice, with some medicinal notes that add interest to the finish.
Flight 3 - Wines to avoid (10 notes)
My selection of wines that didn't offer much in the way of flavor or value but which still might have appeal to some drinkers. Taste and beauty are in the eye of the beholder.
White
2003 Domaine St. George Chardonnay Silverstone
82 points
Silverstone is the second label of Domaine Saint George. A nose of pineapple and toasty oak, with vanilla and citrus fruit flavors. A bit heavy on the oak. For $8-9 not a bad deal but better wines out there.
White
2003 Red Bicyclette Chardonnay
80 points
A rather unassuming Chardonnay with pear and apple aromas and flavors, a perfect quaffing wine.
White - Off-dry
2003 Villa Wolf Riesling Saint M
82 points
Nose of peach, apple, and sweet cream sode. Sweet in the mouth with more cream soda and off dry orchard fruits.
White
2002 Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc
82 points
Decent fruit, mostly grapefruit, but nothing special. A quaffer at best.
Red
2003 Red Bicyclette Merlot
80 points
An international styled Merlot with an oaky and plummy nose and a creamy smooth mouthfeel.
White
2004 Leonard Kreusch Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling
82 points
Nose of cream soda, pear, and apple, with primarily sweet orchard flavors (mostly apple) with cream soda notes in the mouth. For those who like thweir Riesling off-dry not a bad choice.
Red
2004 Red Bicyclette Syrah
82 points
A simple wine with soft black fruits, soft tannins and hints of something interesting (herbs, etc). Fine for picnics, and simple quaffing, but there are more interesting reds from France in the price range that offer more for the money.
Red
2004 Twin Fin Pinot Noir
82 points
A sub-$10 Pinot that is pleasing and easy to drink, which has plenty of soft cherry fruits.
White
2004 Masi Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio Verduzzo Masianco
70% Pinot Grigio and 30% Verduzzo. A pretty anonymous wine with decent enough citrus fruit but not a great deal of personality. A bad bottle?
Red
2004 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
85 points
Medium ruby wth a nose with quite a bit of oak, as well as cherry and licorice. Smooth doing down with plum and black cherry flavors, a creamy mouthfeel and barely noticeable tannin.