Robert Parker - Wine of the Day
October 6, 2008
02:00
2004 Kaesler Shiraz Stonehorse
2004 Kaesler Shiraz Stonehorse
Kaesler’s deep ruby/purple-tinged 2004 Shiraz Stonehorse (100% Shiraz aged in a combination of French and American oak) exhibits a big, sweet nose of blackberries, cassis, pepper, and spicy oak. Its opulent, richly fruity, full-bodied, yet well-balanced style suggests it will drink well for 10-15 years. Importer: Benjamin Hammerschlag, Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376
Rating: 93 Estimated Cost: $22-$31
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
October 5, 2008
02:00
2004 Barde-Haut
2004 Barde-Haut
A dark ruby/purple hue is accompanied by sweet aromas of black cherries, crushed rocks, flowers, and subtle oak, moderate tannin, excellent ripeness, and a long finish. This charming, medium to full-bodied St.-Emilion offers plenty of punch and depth. If additional complexity emerges, it will merit an outstanding rating. It is a sleeper of the vintage.
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $28-$51
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
October 4, 2008
02:00
2005 Charles Cimicky Trumps (Grenache / Shiraz)
2005 Charles Cimicky Trumps (Grenache / Shiraz)
An outstanding bargain, the 2005 Grenache/Shiraz Trumps (72% Grenache and 28% Shiraz aged 15 months in old French oak) possesses a deep ruby/purple color, copious fruit, superb purity, and a touch of background wood. It is a full-bodied, powerful, amazingly flavorful wine for the price. Enjoy it over the next 2-3 years. Importer: Ben Hammerschlag, Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $15-$20
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
October 3, 2008
02:00
2003 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon
The more expensive 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is denser, more tannic, and more intense in fruit without the spice and earthiness of the Sonoma bottling. It should drink well for up to a decade. Tel. (707) 963-2736
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $20-$28
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
October 2, 2008
02:00
2003 Vinedos Alonso del Yerro Alonso del Yerro
2003 Vinedos Alonso del Yerro Alonso del Yerro
The 2003 Alonso del Yerro is a beautiful, elegant effort emphasizing finesse, sweet tannin, and plenty of texture. Complex aromas of smoke, anise, roasted coffee, black currants, and figs emerge from the glass of this medium to full-bodied, rich, seamlessly constructed 2003. It can be consumed now and over the next 7-8 years. Importer: Jorge Ordonez, Fine Estates From Spain, Dedham, MA; tel. (781) 461-5767
Rating: 91 Estimated Cost: $22-$28
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
October 1, 2008
02:00
2006 Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo
2006 Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo
The mid-weight 2006 Greco di Tufo is made in a steelier style than the Falanghina but reveals greater vibrancy and energy in its pure focused fruit and saline, mineral notes. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2009. Feudi di San Gregorio is a good source for readers who want to discover the considerable breadth of the beautiful wines of Campania. Importer: Palm Bay International, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 362-9642
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $15-$24
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 30, 2008
02:00
2003 Clos les Lunelles
2003 Clos les Lunelles
This 21+ acre vineyard planted on a clay and limestone plateau consists of 38-year-old Merlot (80%), Cabernet Franc (10%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). It was acquired by Gerard and Chantal Perse in 2001, and in less than two years has become the reference point winery for the Cotes de Castillon ... not surprising in view of the commitment to excellence exhibited by the Perses. Made from tiny yields of less than 20 hectoliters per hectare, the blockbuster 2003 tips the scales at 13.5% alcohol. It reveals a peppery, spicy, incense-laced bouquet interwoven with black cherry jam, blackberry, and cassis-like aromas. Full-bodied, opulent, long, rich, and persistent, it is the finest wine I have ever tasted from the Cotes de Castillon. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years.
Rating: 92 Estimated Cost: $35-$60
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 29, 2008
02:00
2006 Husch Sauvignon Blanc
2006 Husch Sauvignon Blanc
The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc shows notes of honeyed grapefruit and melons, medium body, delicious, pure fruit, and a fresh finish. It should be drunk over the next year. All three of these whites are wonderfully pure, fresh, lively wines with textbook varietal character. Tel. 1-800-55-HUSCH
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $9-$11
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 28, 2008
02:00
2005 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape
2005 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf du Pape
The slightly darker colored 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape is cut from the same mold as the 2006, with impressive raspberry, blackberry, and sweet cherry notes intermixed with spring flowers, licorice, and some loamy soil notes. It is full-bodied, has lush texture, decent acidity, and very ripe tannin, which is a good sign in this vintage. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Importer: David Milligan, New York, NY; Fax: (212) 879-1975; Email: dmselects@aol.com
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $24-$38
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 27, 2008
02:00
2005 Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard
2005 Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard
The 2005 Chardonnay “Cold Creek Vineyard” exhibits an assertive personality with its light gold color, toasty, mineral, butterscotch, and tropical fruit aromas and flavors. This leads to a viscous, mouth-coating, full-bodied Chardonnay that has enough power to stand up to full-flavored fish courses and light meats. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. Tel. (425) 415-3300; www.ste-michelle.com
Rating: 90 Estimated Cost: $21-$29
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 26, 2008
02:00
2005 De Lisio Quarterback Proprietary Red
2005 De Lisio Quarterback Proprietary Red
An intriguing blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in mostly old French wood, the deep ruby/purple-tinged 2005 Quarterback reveals notions of new saddle leather, black currants, licorice, and spice box. Full-bodied as well as elegant, restrained, and Eurocentric in character, it should be consumed over the following 6-10 years. Importer: Ben Hammerschlag, Epicurean Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 923-1376
Rating: (90-92) Estimated Cost: $18-$24
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 25, 2008
02:00
2003 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape
2003 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape
The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape possesses a deep ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of new saddle leather, garrigue, pepper, kirsch, and blackberries. Dense, full-bodied, and tasty, it is best drunk during its first decade of life. Marcel and Philippe Guigal, never content to rest on their already impressive credentials, announced that in the future, they expect to release another single vineyard Cote Rotie from a 3.7 acre parcel in the Viria vineyard on the Cote Brune. The first vintage or two will probably be added to the Chateau d’Ampuis. If the potential turns out to be as exceptional as they believe, lovers of these great wines will have a fourth single vineyard Cote Rotie called Viria to contemplate. There are many admirable things about Marcel Guigal, but most significant is that he has been a qualitative locomotive that has brought attention to the Rhone Valley, and has raised the quality bar for the entire region. More importantly, he realizes that most consumers will have access only to his least expensive wines from the Cotes du Rhone, so he has made every effort to continue to increase the quality of both his white and red Cotes du Rhones. His Cotes du Rhone whites have jumped in quality as he has settled on a general blend of approximately 50% Viognier and the rest Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Grenache Blanc. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 90 Estimated Cost: $30-$52
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 24, 2008
02:00
2006 Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino
2006 Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino
Readers should not overlook the superb 2006 Rosso di Montalcino, which is a great value, not to mention one of the best wines in an otherwise unexciting line-up. This delicious, fragrant Rosso presents a fresh, vinous expression of ripe red fruit with terrific vibrancy and expansiveness on the palate. I can only wonder how Banfi’s top wines might turn out if they were made in a more refined, enlightened style. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2011. Banfi makes a wide range of internationally-styled wines from their vast holdings in and around Montalcino. Importer: Banfi Vintners, Glen Head, NY; tel. (516) 626-9200
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $17-$25
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 23, 2008
02:00
2003 Vinas del Cenit Cenit
2003 Vinas del Cenit Cenit
Made from 60- to 100-year-old ungrafted Tinta de Toro vines, the 2003 Cenit boasts outstanding concentration as well as beautiful intensity, purity, and texture. This opaque purple-tinged effort reveals notes of graphite, kirsch liqueur, blackberries, and smoky oak. Rich, full-bodied, and impressive, it can be drunk now or cellared for 10-12 years.
Rating: 90 Estimated Cost: $33-$50
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 22, 2008
02:00
2004 Guigal Gigondas
2004 Guigal Gigondas
The 2004 Gigondas is very tasty, very Provencal, and a super effort for the vintage. Drink it over the next 6-10 years. As always, a tasting at Guigal is an opportunity to receive several years’ worth of wine education in one day (that’s how long it takes to go through all the bottles and barrels). Marcel Guigal is obviously a brilliant businessman, but most importantly, he understands vineyards, how to get maximum quality from them, and how to make wines, at all different price levels. From his Cotes du Rhones to Cote Roties, these wines are as good as one is likely to find. When I first visited Guigal nearly thirty years ago, this was a relatively small firm. Today, his may be the most successful wine operation in France. Guigal attributes his success to hard work and never being satisfied with the status quo. He pays the highest prices of any negociant for the fruit used to fashion his Cotes du Rhone as well as other negociant wines. He has also been extraordinarily adept at buying fabulous terroirs, as evidenced by his purchase of the De Vallouit properties in Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage as well as Grippat’s top-notch vineyard holdings in St.-Joseph. Along with the late Thomas Jefferson, Guigal has always believed that white Hermitage is France’s greatest white wine. With his recent acquisitions of superb vineyard sites, he is hell-bent on proving to the world that Jefferson was correct – that white Hermitage is an amazing as well as long-lived wine. In top vintages, two cuvees are produced, the regular offering (usually a blend of primarily Marsanne with a touch of Roussanne) and the luxury cuvee called Ex-Voto, which is generally 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne from two stunning vineyards. Eighty percent comes from Les Murets (regarded as one of the appellation’s finest white wine vineyards) and 20% from l’Ermite.Tasting through Guigal’s new and up-coming releases confirms his legendary consistency. He is the quintessential multitasker, fashioning inexpensive fine wines as well as super-luxurious, utterly profound reds and whites. When Guigal purchased the Grippat holdings, he received six acres of the Vignes de l’Hospice, a stunningly steep, photogenic vineyard at the top of the northern sector of St.-Joseph, looking down on the town of Tournon. These are the same decomposed granitic soils found across the river in Hermitage’s Les Bessards vineyard. Everything Guigal has produced from this vineyard has been as profound as St.-Joseph can be. In fact, his only competitor is Michel Chapoutier’s 500 or so cases of St.-Joseph Les Granits.Marcel’s talented son, Philippe, is taking over more and more of the business, and appears more than capable of filling the extraordinary shoes of his father, who I doubt will ever retire. I reviewed Guigal’s Cotes du Rhones and Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #173 (October, 2007), but he also continues to be an active buyer of high quality juice from Gigondas. He accomplishes this by tasting hundreds of samples, visiting 50-60 caves, and paying the highest price for his purchases. Guigal is unquestionably the most important producer of Cote Rotie. He buys grapes from nearly four dozen small growers, and supplements that from his own holdings. The single vineyard cuvees are excluded from this blend, but all his Cote Roties are vinified in his cellars. Guigal produces around 2,000 cases of Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis, a cuvee he first made in 1995. About 7% Viognier is included in the blend, and the sources for the fruit are all fabulous sites from both the Cote Blonde and Cote Brune. According to Guigal, research in France’s National Archives prove that in its past, Chateau d’Ampuis produced Cote Rotie from these same sites Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 90 Estimated Cost: $23-$31
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 21, 2008
02:00
2005 I Greppi Bolgheri Greppicante
2005 I Greppi Bolgheri Greppicante
The generous, sweet warmth of Maremma comes through in spades in the 2005 Greppicante. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, it offers perfumed ripe dark fruit and toasted oak notes with excellent concentration and weight on the palate. Although the tannins finish with a slight note of astringency this is a wine that made me smile, and after tasting hundreds of wines from Tuscany that is no small feat. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015. I Greppi is a new project in Bolgheri jointly owned by the Landini family of Fattoria Viticcio in Chianti and the Cancellieri-Scaramuzzi family. Most of the vineyards have only been planted recently, but if these two new releases are indicative of what the estate is capable of we will have much to look forward to over the coming years. Importer: Sherbrooke Cellars, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 722-9100
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $20-$23
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 20, 2008
02:00
2005 Domaine Lafond Roc Epine Cotes du Rhone Villages Lirac Roc Epine
2005 Domaine Lafond Roc Epine Cotes du Rhone Villages Lirac Roc Epine
A real beauty and a sleeper of the vintage is the well-endowed, dense ruby/purple-colored 2005 Lirac. This wine shows gorgeous fruit, tremendous aromatics, with black fruits, licorice, flowers, and some Provencal spices. Lush, heady, and savory, this is a mouthful of beautifully balanced wine that should drink nicely for 4-5 years. This estate has come on impressively over the last five to six years. Although they have always made terrific Tavel roses and good Cotes du Rhones and Liracs, their small production of Chateauneuf du Pape has been raised to a new, exciting level of quality. The wines here are very Provencal, but lush in fruit and accessible, clearly meant to be drunk in their exuberant youthfulness. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
Rating: 90 Estimated Cost: $15-$17
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 19, 2008
02:00
2005 Nicodemi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
2005 Nicodemi Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Fattoria Nicodemi’s 2005 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a wine that readers are likely to find absolutely irresistible. It offers notable clarity in its vibrant dark fruit, with lovely inner perfume and a focused purity that gives the wine a sense of balance and poise. This is an incredibly delicious wine for the money. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2010. Fattoria Nicodemi is a great source for wines from Abbruzzo. Their Cerasuolo is often one of my favorite roses, but the entire lineup is well worth discovering. Importer: Montecastelli Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 414-4898
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $14-$25
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 18, 2008
02:00
2003 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarden)
2003 Golan Heights Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarden)
The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarden) showed far better at the winery than a bottle sent to me as a sample. As this showed in Israel, it was tight and focused, with sleek power and multiple layers. There were touches of olive on the finish, but also classic Cabernet flavors. It was a beautiful performance, and a superb value, quite impressive for the money. Drink now-2015. Importer: Yarden, Inc., New York, N.Y.; tel. (212) 997-9463
Rating: 89 Estimated Cost: $24-$28
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
September 17, 2008
02:00
2005 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Senechal
2005 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Senechal
From 30 year old vines in a chalky site, the 2005 Bourgueil Clos Senechal (for which my note is based on a composite of lots and barrels) features lightly-cooked black- and blueberry, sweetly, pungently aromatic herbs, and high-toned florality, offering a lot of lift and brightness on the palate, firm, fine tannins, and subtle, persistent finishing sweetness of fruit, pungency of herbs, flowers, honey, and chalk-like mineral nuances. I expect this to grow up to exhibit considerable class and refinement not to mention the potential for at least 10-12 years’ fascintating evolution. Importers: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191 and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
Rating: (89-91) Estimated Cost: $19-$30
Categories: Wine Blogs in English
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