8/28/2021 - jrufusj Likes this wine:

With an aviation cocktail after... Still terrific colour., not quite young but somehow bright. Cherrry, Vosne spice box, loam, toasted berries and leather on the nose. Bright cherry acidity, raspberry (still), a tiny hint of grip, and a long finish. This has aged magically, and it is screaming red fruit spice and soil. (My phone autocorrected soil to soul. Maybe that was prescient.) One of the best old wines I've had in a long time. Im actuallly not sure I favour Les Ste. Georges over Boudots as the shadow Grand Cru. From magnum FYI

9/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

With bleu cheese enchiladas with a very light jalapeno sauce. Light straw yellow and clear. Nose of gravel, pepper, herb, and peachy apple, with a bit of high-toned tropical citrus. The citrus note is odd, as all other elements present as very low register. No displeasing, but a bit odd in a slightly disjointed way. Palate is rich and full, with substantial body and a little less acid than I had hoped for to match the dish and with much less complexity than the nose. Finishes a bit short. Not a bad match and not a bad wine (particularly given the price point), but there are better choices out there in GrüVe land.

10/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

With spinach-feta quesadillas. Very bright and clear light straw. Stone, shell, apple and citrus on the nose. With time a bit of salty sea tang comes out. Palate is just as bright and clear as the wine looks, with good acid and bright and ever-so-slightly-sweet lemon/apple/pear fruit. Finish brings out more seashell, sea air, and a little bitter herb. Too many words would ruin the wine. Just drink and enjoy. A screaming deal at ~$10 Tokyo retail!

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Good depth of color in the maturing red range. Earthy but clean nose with dark berry and cherry fruit, some damp leaves and hardwood sap. On the palate, sweet ripe bulky cherry-berry fruit and a pleasing meatiness that is reminiscent of shiitake mushrooms. Lingering sweet finish that packs a little hidden muscle along with nice ripe grape savour. May be ready, but needs significant airtime to open up. Was just starting to show a little more earthy depth when we had to head home.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Very young looking deep reddish purple. Olive and Christmas plum and pepper lead off on the nose, which settles down into a little earth and some cherry. Foursquare and solid on the palate with rich cherry, some more earth, and good solid fruit sweetness – still very young. Good body and intensity, solid depth throughout the palate, just enough acid brightness to keep it fresh. Tannin is noticeable but tame. A very pure and pleasing representation of Corton.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Less redolent of spice than the Jayer, but it is still there. Beautiful but simpler, with darker fruit on the nose and palate. A little more of the vintage character, with just a hint of roasting to the fruit. Great depth in the middle and bottom of the mouth – filling and expanding. Rich, ripe, beautiful dark cherry and plum sweetness, especially on the finish. With time in glass, this tires a bit faster than the Jayer. Enlightening, but a bit unfair to Rouget to flight these together. This is a damn good wine that was put in the shadows my its more humbley titled uncle.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Very young looking with beautifully deep red color. Redolent of clove and cinnamon spice, immediately recognizable as Vosne Romanée (but not as a simple village wine!). Vibrant red fruit – cherry, deep raspberry – and sweeter black fruit – blackberry. A sweetness underlying the nose that just screams of perfect ripeness, not a hint of the roasting that some ‘90s can show – incredibly fresh. On the palate, moves into lovely sour cherry, a note of framboise but without any heat, stunning depth and complexity with earth and more spice coming out on the finish. If I had tasted this blind, I never would have pegged it as a village wine. Matt Kramer describes Romanée Conti as a perfect sphere. That’s the image that sticks with me for this wine – all elements in perfect balance with not a pimple or bump. Fresh, long, complex, fruity, spicy, sauve – all in balance. Perhaps the most fitting tribute to a great man was to drink one of his more humble wines and have it steal the evening. Thanks Steve.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Surprisingly bright, aging red with orange tinge. Expressive and beautifully expansive nose screams mature burg with pine, earth, mushroom, a bit of washed rind cheese. Behind these tertiary elements is a nice remaining dose of deep but bright strawberry fruit. On the palate, the fruit is much stronger and not fading at all. Great fruit and acid balance. As it sits and develops, clay and iron and even a raisiny edge come out, but the raisin never tastes roasted or flat. Over the course of an hour, it begins to fade a little in the mid-palate, but the finish is still building. Nice long finish highlighted by iron, earth and textural muscley strength. After even more time, the tiny last bit in the glass gives a haunting aroma of dark-roasted coffee beans. Another underrated vintage that I love.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Oxidysed.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Rich yellow-gold. Touch of vanilla oak on the nose, along with citrus over crisp apple, brie rind, and warm stone. A tiny hint of volatility or heat, but that passes quickly and doesn’t reappear. On the palate, great mineral to open, turning smokey on a mid-palate that features rich ripe white fruit, cream and granite, and a whiff of anise, especially on the finish. Full, sweet but clean, great showing for an underrated vintage. After a long time in the glass, settles into a lovely lemony sweet slightly candied mode but never gets cloying or loses freshness. Beautiful now but with time in hand.

10/2/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Damn Good Burgs and a Toast to Hanky J (Keyaki Grill at Capital Tkyu Hotel): Bright copper orange, deeply colored, with a vigorous mousse that settles into spurts of bubbles after ten or fifteen minutes. Nose shows sweet apple, smoke, bass-register raspberry, a slight honeyed character. Palate is initially closed up tight, like perfectly structured water – great body and acid to balance. Eventually opens to show coppery mineral, some bright light stone fruit and a long, long finish of peach and herb. This has tremendous balance, great cutting strength combined with freshness. In fact, it has everything but powerful flavor on the palate. But that will come with time. Hands off!

10/16/2004 - jrufusj wrote:

Pretty cherry red. Nose of deep plum and cherry fruit, with a little spice and a lot of sassafrass. Rich and sweet on the nose, captivating even. However, teh sassafrass note is jarring to me in a Barolo. On the palate, this had a good degree of acid balance, very smooth tannins, and deep cherry fruit. Overlaying and surrounding this was a smoot silkiness and vanillin sweetness that somewhat masked the purer fruit flavors. On the finish, which has good persistance, the fruit breaks free of the oak a little (and there is even a bit of earthy tar), then the sassafrass comes back and dominates. Clearly a well-made wine with intriguing taste and nose, but not to my style and not why I drink Barolo

9/9/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Dinner with Friends (Herm Bl, Loire Sparkler, Napa SB, Giacosa Barbera) (Tokyo): Medium cherry hue, clear and bright – even radiant. Nose of deep sappy herbs and bright cherry, along with a nice bit of leathery funk. Palate is absolutely incisive with great acidity that might be tough alone but just sings with a stout vegetarian, reduced-tomato pasta sauce. Nice cherry fruit, much deeper than on the nose, some more herbs, even a hint of something deeper – coffee or spice? Tannin comes out on the finish, but in a cleansing and resolving way, rather than a harsh one. Brash and brawn with balance. Not sure how this would have done alone and didn’t get to see because it was too damn good with the food to save any.

9/9/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Dinner with Friends (Herm Bl, Loire Sparkler, Napa SB, Giacosa Barbera) (Tokyo): Lightish grassy yellow. Nose is immediately redolent of grass, but quickly moves past that into white peach and grapefruit, with a wee bit of white pepper. Palate is similar in flavors, mostly peach and grapefruit, with decent acidity but not quite the zip I like from Sauv Blanc. Much closer to an unoaked Graves than anything from the Loire or New Zealand. I used to like this wine a lot when I was first starting to take wine seriously in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. Nothing wrong with it now, but nothing of real interest. Better than the normal random bottle brought by fellow guests, but not something I’d buy.

9/9/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Dinner with Friends (Herm Bl, Loire Sparkler, Napa SB, Giacosa Barbera) (Tokyo): Picked up as a curiosity and to have around for times that bubbles were desired, but not the fullness (or price) of a Champagne. Despite age, the color is on the lighter side of yellow and mousse is still lively, even though we drank this out of water goblets. Nose is simple but pleasant, showing a bit of bread, much ripe peach and apple, and perhaps a wee bit of freshly cut fieldgrass. Palate presents as a bit sweet and heavy initially, but picks up a little zip after a few sips. Flavors are again fairly simple like the nose – mostly peach and apple, but with a bit of honey. Not as zippy as I would like, particularly from the Loire. Chenin blanc flavors but without the evident acidity to make it work. Not bad, but I’m not racing back for more. Perhaps I’m jaded. Everyone else liked it more and would consider it for a value house sparkler. I just thought it lacked freshness. Perhaps it should have been consumed younger, though it showed no notes typical of an over the hill bubbly.

9/9/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Dinner with Friends (Herm Bl, Loire Sparkler, Napa SB, Giacosa Barbera) (Tokyo): Rich and deep yellow color, with a bit of a waxy hue. Nose is simple but rich with suggestions of lanolin and slightly candied tropical fruit. Palate is of medium weight and shows simple apple and apricot fruit. As it warms up, a bit of richer fig fruit comes out. A bit hot on the abrupt finish. An odd combination – never quite fat, but more because it lacked the weight to be fat (and was, in fact, a bit hollow in the middle), not because it had any tautness to it. Disappointing. Two days later from the fridge, this has evolved a ton. Nose has taken on a bit of herb and creamy lemon. Palate has that same lemon cream I love from (and look for in) Hermitage Blanc, along with a bit of stoniness. Still a bit hot and still a bit light in the middle, but much more interesting and with a little more verve. Nonetheless, not something I’d be looking to buy again. Some age will be kind to it, but won’t do enough.

9/3/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Thai Dinner at Home with Basic Rieslings (Home in Tokyo): A pretty greenish yellow that seems even to hint at the lightest peach, but I must just be anticipating the nose here. On the nose, an immediate impression of a bouquet of assorted white and yellow flowers backed by peachy fruit with an undercurrent of lime. Initially seems a bit too sweet on the palate, but then a zing of mineral comes traipsing through, trailing fresh acidity that turns the sweetness to that of a very young and still firm peach. On the finish, more of the floral goes on forever, along with some greener fresh herb. Intermittent sips for two following days in the fridge see the floral element settle down, the sweetness become less pronounced, and much more gentle tropical fruit and grapefruit emerge. Eaten with mango and sticky rice, it was best to catch it on day one. With savory food or alone, it was been better on the third day.

9/3/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Thai Dinner at Home with Basic Rieslings (Home in Tokyo): Very, very light in color and crystal clear like springwater. The refreshing appearance carries through on the nose where a very primary cherry fruit (that I find trademark for Dönnhoff) is joined by apple, lemon, and a bit of a tropical hint. On the palate, fresh and tight, but still with a great fullness of flavor and body without ever getting heavy. Still primary, not a lot of complexity showing yet, but terrifically balanced juice that leaves that haunting cherry taste long after it is gone. I always seem to think of Dönnhoff QbA’s and Kab’s as being water with weight and flavor and cut because they’re so damn easy to drink but still pack a great refreshing flavor punch. A very enjoyable wine of which I’ll be happy to drink more, but with a flavor profile and fullness that does not work as well with Thai.

9/3/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Thai Dinner at Home with Basic Rieslings (Home in Tokyo): A light yellow that is deepening a bit from the last bottle I had a year or so ago, but still fresh looking. Nose is predominantly pear and lime, but with a bit of stone and spice. The spice seems to have come out considerably over the last year and the fruit on the nose seems a bit less sweet but no less rich. On the palate, has the same great raciness that makes this such a great accompaniment to Thai food. Good streak of stony mineral, along with peach, pear, and a great lemony acidity. On the finish, a bit of floral honey comes out, but only the very lightest honey. Light, dancing, and cutting beautifully through the spicy food – Saaring, not searing!

9/3/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Thai Dinner at Home with Basic Rieslings (Home in Tokyo): A fair bit darker and without the coppery hints of the 2004, this is a solid deep pink even tending into a little red. The nose shows a fundamental earthiness, along with strawberry and a bit of cherry fruit. Palate is fairly substantial for a rosé, but with none of the hints of sweetness that were in the ’04. A bit of gravel, the lightest hint of peach, but mostly just straightforward berry. Enjoyable, but lacking a bit of liveliness. I’ll buy more, but with a bit less excitement than previously.

9/15/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

With roast chicken, rice, and green pea/shallot salad. No idea where this came from as I didn’t buy it. But it has a Korean back label, so it must have been a gift when I lived in Korea (2002-2003). Color shows a bit plummy darkness amidst the red that is concerning. Nose is simple and straightforward with sweet roasted plum and little mulberry. Palate is all sweetish plum with a hint of dust. With no noticeable tannin or acidity, this has not lost its fruit, but has no structure to hold it together. A simple wine that probably should have been consumed three or four years ago and may also have been heat damaged at some point.

9/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Gagnaire -- Champagne, Burgs, Alsace (Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo): Lemon with a hint of green in the glass. Initial nose of peach and apricot, sweet hay, a bit of honey, maybe the slightest touch of petrol. With time, the expected lemon and lime come out. Rich and full on the palate, perhaps from a combination of alcohol and RS. Never quite fat or overblown, showing a good depth of stone fruit and mineral flavor, but never quite showing the delineation or food-defining capability I love from riesling. Sense of sweetness is more apparent on the finish, as are more hay and mineral. Good wine in its own way and perfectly enjoyable, but not the reason I love riesling.

9/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Gagnaire -- Champagne, Burgs, Alsace (Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo): I’ve found the M-M wines since the late ‘90s to be solid and dependable, but rarely exciting. Though I am not a huge new oak fan, I’ve not found the oak issues that others have. This one has a healthy deep red color and gives off a nose of darkish cherry fruit, a little dark berry, and a good degree of earth and coffee. Full and just a tad chunky in the mouth, it is not entirely rough or rustic, but has a pleasing foursquare solidity to it. More cherry, more earth, just enough acid, and a slowly developing depth of flavor that is very satisfying. One of the better M-M wines I’ve tried, but still very much in the normal vein. At the lower end, I enjoy their Fixin and seem to find a bit of that character in all of their wines. This was no exception. A good match with the basic solid flavors of an assortment of rich pork dishes.

9/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Gagnaire -- Champagne, Burgs, Alsace (Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo): From half bottle. Bright gold with a hint of orange, leaving a seductive trail as it swirls in the glass. Nose is driven much more by fruit that by floral elements. Yes, there is a bit of rose and white field flower if one looks for it, but there is much more in the way of rich, syrup-macerated tropical fruit – lychee and guava. On the palate, the wine is in balance for drinking alone, with enough acid to balance the sweetness. But this falls a little short with the foie, as it doesn’t quite cut the richness. Flavors of apricot and peach are added to the fruit from the nose and a bit of floral spice comes out on the lingering finish. I like this a lot and think it is unfair to judge it against the foie. By biggest takeway, though, is that this is a version of gewurz that I can really enjoy – rich, a bit exotic, but with the sometimes excessive spicy/floral element present in only a pleasingly restrained way.

9/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Gagnaire -- Champagne, Burgs, Alsace (Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo): Another wine that is very rich in color and even seems a bit viscous in the glass. At first, the nose shows pure apple fruit with a little hint of green apple tartness, some citrus peel, and an undefined waxy richness. The palate is very full, even big, with slightly honeyed pear, apple, and more citrus. Only with time does any of the Gouttes d’Or minerality come out. Unfortunately, time also brings out some heat on the nose and in the finish. The longer this sits, the more it picks up a nice bit of mineral, but it never sheds its bit of heat. An enjoyable drink, ripe rich fruit with a mineral backbone, but not quite in balance.

9/1/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Gagnaire -- Champagne, Burgs, Alsace (Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo): Bright and rich yellow in the glass, a bit darker than I would have expected. Mousse is small, tight and vigorous. On the nose, a very primary shot of ripe apple. And I mean really, really ripe apple. This is not a good start. And then I hit the palate… Nice bit of slightly bracing acidity and a huge mineral and lemon character reins in the still ripe fruit. Absolutely primary and in need of significant time, but this is a 2000 that has a ton of stuffing and seems to have the structure to match. With time, the nose settles down as well and shows some chalky mineral to go with more subdued fruit. It’s got Mesnil bones, but they are really cloaked in baby fat. I think this is going the right direction and I’ll but some to put away, but only time will tell.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Deep and rich gold with a dense texture that moves languorously around the glass. First blush on the nose is major botrytis with a panoply of rich sweet fruits – apricot, ripe fig, orange and more exotic citrus. With a little time open, this develops spice notes and even shows a bit of deeply underlying stoniness. On the palate, extraordinarily concentrated, but absolutely in balance. If you can imagine the most agile dancer somehow moving unfettered through a big pot of honey, then you’ve got the measure of how beautifully the acid balances the sweetness and texture. Palate is equally complex to the nose and the finish just won’t end. A truly stupendous wine. I’m often wary lux cuvées, as they tend to be a bit too much of everything, but occasionally it is possible to put 10 lbs. of potatoes in a 5-lb. sack and have it all hold together. This one does hold together – and magically. I can only imagine how amazing this will be in time.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): A blanc des blancs bottling with the bulk of the fruit from Montgueux and a little from Buxeuil. Base wines are from ’97 and ’98. Light gold in the glass with mousse that is a little fast and foamy, but still persistent after the initial rush. Nose shows very ripe chardonnay aromas of apple and pear, backed up by a hint of the tropical. Palate is big and round, perhaps a bit course, with straightforward fruit flavors that follow the nose. On the finish, there is a hint of an intriguing cheesy-leesy character. Nice direct ripe flavors, but not what I look for in a BdB. Have to respect the fact that this is clearly a wine of its location, with broad and ripe Côte des Bars flavors. I just can’t help but think that it would have been improved by a little pinot-provided structure.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Rich looking yellow gold that was indicative of the richness to come. Let me say up front that this wine had enough acid and mineral that, in a dispassionate sense, it was able to balance the oak and richly tropical fruit. However, it struck me as just too much of a good thing. A dose of butterscotch on the nose that never really receded, along with sweet vanillin and – somewhere behind it – some sweet buttery pineapple and roasting apple. Not a good start. The palate is where it started to come back together with the aforementioned mineral and enough acid to keep it from going fat. Under this was very good tropicalish fruit, ripe but not overly so. Big on the finish. If this note sounds ambivalent, then I’m getting the message across. Good materials, may integrate in time, but just a bit too much of everything without that amazing lift and precision that the best big wines have. I just hesitate to be too negative as it is so very young.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Nice rich yellow color and a rich nose to match. Obvious oak that is creamy rather than toasty and that does not get in the way of the tropical fruit – linchee and a bit of pineapple – or the ripe appley pear. On the palate, a rich and similarly creamy feel, with some vanilla, but more fruit. Through it all, though, was just enough mineral and just enough cut that I was reminded why this is one of my favorite new world chardonnays. Not something to drink everyday, but an absolute crowd pleaser that I can thoroughly enjoy.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Absolutely DOA. Oxidised.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Simple story here… Wake – sleep – wake – sleep. This wasn’t entirely gone by any means and, when it was awake it had a bit of the extremely crisp apple and sharp-salty savor I like from aligoté, but it was a shadow of itself. Nice to see that Coche reins in the oak for this bottling and that, when fresh, it would probably be a pretty nice (though pricy) drop. If anything, confirmation that I like my aligoté younger, so as to savor its brittle youthful cut. I still need to try an aged Lafarge or de Villaine, but I think I’ll generally stick with youthful versions of the grape. Thought it would be a cool ringer, but was not to be. Oh, well.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Surprisingly light and unevolved color, even for an Ampeau. Nose initially shows a note of butterscotch oak that quickly fades to leave a healthy nuttiness over sweetish but bright lemon and crisp apple. Behind that is a nice smoky mineral character. Palate is full and round but not fat, with plenty of appley citrus and some cream. More nuts and smoke on the finish. Big enough, nicely typical with smoky Puligny mineral and a nod across the commune line with Meursault nuttiness, but somehow lacking the precision and exciting edge that I want from such a wine. Plenty good, but somehow a bit disappointing. Still my favorite of the chardonnays tonight, if only for reasons of style.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Clear and bright, limpid enough to be described as water with texture, except that it has good light yellow color. Very expressive nose dominated by that signature bright incisive cherry and stony dust, but supported by a strong degree of tropical fruit. On the palate, big texture that rolls around very smoothly but manages to have a bit of cut as well (though less than in other vintages). Still in a primary stage, the palate pretty much follows the nose except for some spice that begins on the mid-palate and builds on the finish to combine with a tiny touch of cool kirsch. Bigger and not quite so incisive as I would hope, but packed with flavor. Will be interested to see how this ages.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Deepening pale straw color and a nose that moves about two feet ahead of the glass. At first, seems a bit like petrol, but turns out to be an extremely flinty-minerally smell – intriguing and pleasant. Under that is ripe apple and some peach. On the palate, a little bit of sweetness and good texture, though perhaps a bit course. The mineral is significantly toned down here to leave some more ripe apple and peach, with just a bit of limey citrus. Maintains its strength through the middle, but dies away quickly on the finish after a slight honeyish tickle. My first Finger Lakes riesling and – while I would have no way to peg it as Finger Lakes – it clearly came from somewhere different, somewhere I’d not tasted before. That’s reason enough for me to try more.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): The theme was summer wines and this was the low-end and (possibly) high-value example, or so I hoped. A blend of mostly vermentino with a bit of ugni blanc. Very pale lemony color is a good indicator of the pale lemon and herbal scents on the nose. Palate is fresh and a bit tart with more lemon, some light grapefruit, and bit of grass. Simple and fresh, but needed to be served a little cooler and needed some equally fresh and simple shellfish to accompany. I like this wine and will enjoy it exactly that way. However, in this environment and with a rich goat cheese salad, it was clearly uncomfortable and behaved accordingly. Horses for courses and such. When I first tasted this blind in a shop that only carries French wines, I was stumped. I kept wanting to say Italian, but logic said it couldn't be so. I wound up guessing sauv blanc. Oh well, that's what I get for forgetting Corsica exists!

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Oxidised. There was a bit of discernable light grass and citrus underneath, but hard to get to much more than that.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): A few days ago, I posted a pretty positive note on this wine. I was eager to try it again to confirm my impressions. Not as bright and limpid as the Tavel, though still clear enough. Strawberry and sweetness on the nose – not quite cotton candy but a very textural sense of sweetness. Whether from alcohol or sugar I don’t know, but this becomes cloying and doesn’t really work with food. Radically different than my impression the first time I tasted it and not for the better. To be fair, this probably works better without food and serving next to the Tavel worked to its detriment. Worth one more try, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope as I’m afraid the answer is that this only works without food.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Rich reddish side of orange, very clear and bright. Raspberry and cranberry on the nose, intriguingly herby and garrigue-accented on the finish with a hint of refreshing quinine. But – in between – just a little bit too much of a good thing, as the rich fruit trampled the lightness and freshness I look for in a summer rosé. But a good and serious wine, regardless. Does seem to get a bit hot as it warms in the glass. Putting aside my preferences, this is a winner. It is definitely of its place and that’s a good thing. I just happen to prefer other places for rosé, like Beaujo, the Loire, and Bandol.

8/25/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TTG#10: Summer Wines? (Tokyo American Club): Lightest salmon copper with a tiny bead moving in wispy puffs like smoke signals saying “delicious”. At first, noses is closed up tight, tight, tight. Palate has a nice creaminess balanced with crispness as the wispy bubbles move smoothly over the tongue, then pop. There is a palpable sweetness adding to the creamy texture, but this is still all in balance. When it is still fresh in the glass, this is all about texture until an almost riesling-like cherry explodes on the finish. With time in the glass, it opens up more and more to show some light flaky-dough yeast on the nose, along with tart but ripe peach and berry. Citrus joins the cherry on the palate along with a hint of cinnamon. As much as it opens up, it is clear that this is very young. One of those wines I would have loved to be able to seal up and taste the next day. I managed to keep a bit in the glass for an hour and a half or so and it was still just beginning to blossom. Damn good wine!

8/15/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

Presented to me blind as something to sip on while I browsed one of my favorite wine shops. The proprietor is good about showing me interesting things and trying to trick me. This is a deep yellow, heading to gold color with a bit of visible richness. One whiff of the nose and I’m immediately thinking mature Loire chenin blanc (slight but pleasant oxidation, sweet baking apples, some lanolin). I could not have been more wrong, and that was evident as soon as I took the first sip. Rich and round in the mouth, balanced but without the vibrant acidity I would have expected from Loire chenin. Fruit on the palate is more ripe apple, macerated white grapes, a little melon. Persistent finish shows peach and almond. Made predominantly from grenache blanc in an intentionally oxidative style, it was enjoyable as a novelty but I’m having a hard time imagining how I would match it with food. Also having a hard time imagining how they were allowed to use the "Clairette" appellation, given composition.

8/13/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

A Sunday Barbecue with Friends (Tokyo): Deep and rich red in the glass. I had been told this was already drinking well, but still had a lot of time left to evolve. Appearance would indicate this was true. Nose has an interesting earthy spiciness, along with a heavy (but not obscuring) dose of oaky vanilla sweetness. Palate has a neat textural duality – somehow this seems both rough (tannin and tactile earth) and smooth (fruit roundness and a bit of silky oak) at the same time. Rich and sweet dark fruit combined with chocolate and earthy spice (especially on the finish). My first experience with the wine and with the grapes. This style is a real departure for me, but it was just the trick with barbecued ribs. I’m not quite sure how to describe it – perhaps a combination of an Arnoux-styled and accented Burg with a ripe vintage Southern Rhone. Interesting…doesn’t fit with what I normally eat and drink, but has earned a place in the “wines with rustic grilling” lineup. For those who want to accuse me of being one-dimensional (i.e., exclusively acid-headed), please file and refer to this note on a thoroughly modern wine I liked.

8/13/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

A Sunday Barbecue with Friends (Tokyo): Clear and pretty in the glass with a typically bursting perfume of orange flower, sweet peach, and honey. Palate followed with lightly sweetish lemon on apple, more flowers and peach, hints of more tropical fruit, and a bit of unexpected mineral. The profile was just what one would expect, but it was perhaps a bit dilute. Finish showed yet more of the floral character. Reminds me that, while I enjoy one occasionally, viognier is really not my favorite grape. Not a bad example by any means and a good buy for fans of the appellation at around $30.00. Clean and uncluttered by excessive oak or sweetness. I guess my biggest complaint is that I can’t ever figure out how to drink these. Perhaps I should just close my eyes and enjoy. Would have done best as the first wine of the afternoon.

8/13/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

A Sunday Barbecue with Friends (Tokyo): Nice medium size and volume mousse. A bright and expressive nose of ripe clean pear and apple, plus a hint of yeastiness. Drunk pretty quickly by the group, so the nose never had a chance to develop much. Still young and needing time to show complexity there. On the palate, this was bright and incisive with great definition. Good acid balance, just enough roundness and apparent sweetness to be lovely alone as an aperitif. Terry Theise always refers to a pencil lead character in Avize Champagnes. This is the first time I’ve ever gotten it so clearly, as it leapt out on the finish. Superb balance of roundess/size with freshness and cut. At this age, all about texture and balance (and that burst of Avize signature), it is convincing me that I need to be buying ‘98s in general. My first encounter with the grower, it will lead me to buy more.

8/13/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

A Sunday Barbecue with Friends (Tokyo): Pale yellow straw with a few remaining hints of green. Clean nose of light grass and grapefruit, refreshing. The kind of nose that leads one to expect spritz that isn’t there. On the palate simple and clean with more grapefruit and a little bit of melon. Decent acid, lacking a bit of concentration but nicely fresh for a simple summer quaff. Second time I’ve had this, I’d consider buying at the right price. Alas, they don’t want the right price here in Tokyo. A decent value at the $8 to $10 that wine-searcher indicates in the US.

7/16/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TN: A Great Sunday Afternoon (86 Meursault, 2x76 Burg, 89/90 Hermitage, etc.) (Tokyo): Maturing, but not fading appearance. Nose shows a bit of rich cassis and blackberry fruit with an additional whiff of licorice for richness. Palate is round and smooth with a bit of residual tannin that stays nicely out of the way, but is never seductive or lush. A bit of the expected ripe plum comes out toward the back of the palate. Good, solid, balanced, but perhaps lacking a bit of concentration. Nose promises a little more than the palate delivers.

7/16/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TN: A Great Sunday Afternoon (86 Meursault, 2x76 Burg, 89/90 Hermitage, etc.) (Tokyo): Lighter in color than the Chapoutier, with a dark red showing hints of lighter ruby. Nose is initially restrained in size but complex in character with bits of meat and leather and cherry and black fruit. Palate has that combination of elegance and hidden size that promises a lot, but it doesn’t initially deliver much. With time (a good bit of it), the volume on the nose gets higher and that same meatiness comes out amidst the darkish fruit on the palate, followed by a kick of spice on the finish. It’s opening ever so slowly but steadily. Despite considerable ripe tannin, it still shows a balance and purity that promises much to come. Opened ten years too early if my guess is any good; I’d love to have tasted this the next day.

7/16/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TN: A Great Sunday Afternoon (86 Meursault, 2x76 Burg, 89/90 Hermitage, etc.) (Tokyo): Still deep and dark and looking pretty young. Nose immediately screams northern Rhone, with bacon fat and a dose of barnyard along with an undercurrent of dense dark fruit. Palate seems blocked somehow, with a little meatiness and some chocalatey dark fruit but not much more. Give it time… Even with time, this never really develops, though it is still pleasant to drink. Shows the hulking size and some of the deep rich elements one looks for from a Chapoutier Hermitage, but never really opens up and just seems blunted. No noticeable TCA and problems seem more barnyard oriented, but something is keeping this from showing its stuff. Awkward phase? Maybe, but I’m guessing somehow flawed.

7/16/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TN: A Great Sunday Afternoon (86 Meursault, 2x76 Burg, 89/90 Hermitage, etc.) (Tokyo): Color has lightened significantly from what I imagine the ‘76s originally looked like, but still carries a bit of cherry brightness. Nose is initially closed and palate seems a bit thin. But soon, lesson learned again (see Jobard above). Nose picks up a bit of warm but fresh earth, just ripe cherry and black fruit, and a good degree of decaying leaf. Palate begins to show a bit more of the vintage character, with a level of ripeness and warmth that is uncharacteristic of Montille. There’s even a little gently roasted plum in here, but there’s still that signature acid that makes even a vintage like this live forever. Never as fresh or bright or piercing as leaner vintages can be, but still gaining detail throughout the afternoon. This is the wine I keep coming back to.

7/16/2006 - jrufusj wrote:

TN: A Great Sunday Afternoon (86 Meursault, 2x76 Burg, 89/90 Hermitage, etc.) (Tokyo): Advanced but not decayed red that is tending toward orange, almost like an older nebbiolo. Nose immediately shows the ripeness of the vintage in a still appealing ripe plum character with a bit of hot earth. Palate is a bit more tired, with no freshness and fruit that long ago lost its crunch. Rapidly moves more and more into a roasted character, with only the earth to hint at its origin. Wilting and slightly spirity finish confirms that – whatever it might once have been – it is now no more than a confirmation that 1976 was damn hot.