René Lequin-Colin Santenay 1er Cru "Le Passe-Temps" 2007
It smelled of wonderful, sexy Pinosity for the first few minutes open then changed into a style with more vegetal and tart aromas (I haven't had much Santenay, but it changed into the style I see often from Mercurey - are these two usually similar?). Quite full bodied for I what I thought was a lighter terroir. Perhaps the oak was a bit too obvious at times, but maybe that isn't a horrible crime in a youngster. A pleasant enough experience that I look forward to trying the white from them that also recently became available here.
sunnuntai 31. tammikuuta 2010
keskiviikko 27. tammikuuta 2010
New grape to me: Monica (Argiolas "Perdera" 2007)
After posting on relatively obscure grapes like Sousón, Caíño tinto and Brancellao, it is nice to post on a more mainstream grape that is also new to me.
Argiolas "Perdera" 2007 DOC Monica di Sardegna; 13,5% abv; from Monica, Carignano & Bovale grapes. I don't know how much of each but 85% must be Monica in this appellation.
It has a pleasantly sweet smell, quite grape-like (as in the way that e.g. Muscat reminds one of actual grapes) - something I hadn't noticed before in a red wine. Garrigue and a slightly funky scent of well-hung game appear with air, but it never loses its lush fruit. Quite full bodied, it starts out fruit-dominant but gladly the tannins become pleasantly noticeable towards the finish. Not terribly long, but pleasant enough finish with some nice astringency to refresh the palate after all that sweetness. At over 14€ here, this isn't good value, but it was a wine with more interest than just ticking off two new grapes. At non-Alko prices I thought it was a nice fruit-forward drop, one that doesn't go the fruit route to excess and actually has a bit of honest structure. Fun wine.
sunnuntai 24. tammikuuta 2010
A. J. Adam Dhron Hofberg Riesling Kabinett 2008
A. J. Adam Dhron Hofberg Riesling Kabinett 2008
Yup, I see why this producer sees only great praise. 7,5% abv; 65 g/l RS; 9,8 g/l acidity. Light as water. Lovely, intense, pure scent. Crisp acidity, lovely raciness. It is steely and tastes off-dry despite the amount of sugar. In other words, it actually seems more like Mosel Kabinett (rather than Spätlese with Kabinett printed on the label) than any other recent Kab I have had. "F**k me this is awesome" is the best understatement I can come up with to describe my feelings on this wine.
This is a tiny producer, however. In 2000 when he started out, he only had 1 ha; now he has doubled that to 2 ha. He has gone from a tiny producer to a tiny producer, so this might be hard to find.
back label
Yup, I see why this producer sees only great praise. 7,5% abv; 65 g/l RS; 9,8 g/l acidity. Light as water. Lovely, intense, pure scent. Crisp acidity, lovely raciness. It is steely and tastes off-dry despite the amount of sugar. In other words, it actually seems more like Mosel Kabinett (rather than Spätlese with Kabinett printed on the label) than any other recent Kab I have had. "F**k me this is awesome" is the best understatement I can come up with to describe my feelings on this wine.
This is a tiny producer, however. In 2000 when he started out, he only had 1 ha; now he has doubled that to 2 ha. He has gone from a tiny producer to a tiny producer, so this might be hard to find.
back label
perjantai 22. tammikuuta 2010
Rosé and Red from Valmiñor
Adegas Valmiñor Rías Baixas Rosado 200812,5% abv. From the O Rosal valley, a blend of Sousón and Brancellao (I had never heard of these grapes before). A very deep colour for a pink - it could easily pass for Pinot Noir. I am a little wary of such deep rosés as they too often try and fail to be reds and end up clunky. I shouldn't have worried. On opening, the scent is very peppery but it turns vegetal and mineral with a bit of air and with even more air some sweet aromas start to appear (strawberry and toffee though no oak). All throughout this transformation it retains a lovely, bright, red berry aroma that promises delicious tartness on the palate. Bracing acidity, wonderfully light on its feet despite being quite concentrated and having some fruitiness. The finish is fairly long. Quite a lovely rosé.
Adegas Valmiñor Rías Baixas Tinto 2008
12,5% abv. A blend of Caiño tinto, Sousón & Brancellao from the O Rosal valley. Deep, youthful colour, almost purple. This is in a tough spot aromatically: reductive, lactic and inexpressive in its other aromas. But those inexpressive aromas, when I can coax them out, are very pleasant. It is a scent that reminds me much of the one Blauer WIldbacher red that I have had: dusty blueberry (but not from new oak as it sees only a short while in French barrels). Bright, high acid, palate cleansingly tannic and invigorating palate - again it reminds me of Blauer Wildbacher. I really love the grip in this wine but I can also see that it might be a bit much for many. I think I like this very much (at least the taste) but I would like to try it again when the scent has opened up more.
keskiviikko 20. tammikuuta 2010
Drouhin Côte de Nuits-Villages 2006
Drouhin Côte de Nuits-Villages 2006
I last had this in April and liked it then very much but found a slight toasty note to it, though I had always thought that Drouhin didn't go heavy on oak. Gladly that has completely disappeared. Sadly, the rest of the lovely aromas are also becoming less expressive. This is still a hugely enjoyable wine with lots of brightness with red berry and beetroot Pinosity; good structure, lively acidity, refreshing finish. Very nice, but I think it might be closing down.
I last had this in April and liked it then very much but found a slight toasty note to it, though I had always thought that Drouhin didn't go heavy on oak. Gladly that has completely disappeared. Sadly, the rest of the lovely aromas are also becoming less expressive. This is still a hugely enjoyable wine with lots of brightness with red berry and beetroot Pinosity; good structure, lively acidity, refreshing finish. Very nice, but I think it might be closing down.
tiistai 19. tammikuuta 2010
Nugan Alcira Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Coonawarra
Nugan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Alcira 2006
19,74€; 14,5% abv; 7,4 g/l acidity. 24 months in French oak of which 80% was new and 20% once used.
This is certainly a robust wine. It smells of eucalyptus and dark fruit, quite a bit of oak but not in such overwhelming amounts as I thought when I saw the figures! It even develops some vegetal aromas with air.
Despite the back label saying that this is a smooth wine, I am happy to say that it had proper structure. The tannins weren't those super-soft, almost unnoticeable tannins of spoofulated wines, but were honest, hard and rugged. They tasted real! It was full bodied and thick but it did have a perverse balance to it: much fruit, much tannin, much acidity, much oak - and amazingly, also much more drinkability than I expected. That must be because this wasn't a formless blob. So, not really my style of wine, but at least it was an interesting change to the other (super-soft) Ozzies we have had.
I have often wondered why "smoothness" is a positive thing in wine? What's wrong with having a proper structure? We don't drink tea so dilute as to have no tannins, so why are so many wines made like that?
19,74€; 14,5% abv; 7,4 g/l acidity. 24 months in French oak of which 80% was new and 20% once used.
This is certainly a robust wine. It smells of eucalyptus and dark fruit, quite a bit of oak but not in such overwhelming amounts as I thought when I saw the figures! It even develops some vegetal aromas with air.
Despite the back label saying that this is a smooth wine, I am happy to say that it had proper structure. The tannins weren't those super-soft, almost unnoticeable tannins of spoofulated wines, but were honest, hard and rugged. They tasted real! It was full bodied and thick but it did have a perverse balance to it: much fruit, much tannin, much acidity, much oak - and amazingly, also much more drinkability than I expected. That must be because this wasn't a formless blob. So, not really my style of wine, but at least it was an interesting change to the other (super-soft) Ozzies we have had.
I have often wondered why "smoothness" is a positive thing in wine? What's wrong with having a proper structure? We don't drink tea so dilute as to have no tannins, so why are so many wines made like that?
maanantai 18. tammikuuta 2010
Ninth Island Pinot Noir 2008 - with smoke taint?
Ninth Island Pinot Noir 2008 - Tasmania
15,42€; 13,5% abv; 6,6 g/l acidity; 5 g/l RS. It has quite pleasant cool-climate aromas of vivid red fruit, but also, strangely, some seaweed, smoke, vanilla and tar despite not seeing any oak! It has a pleasant level of acidity and is pleasantly light and bright. Crunchy finish. I thought the palate was much more pleasant than the scent. Not great but not something to spit out either. But how does an unoaked PN taste smell so oaky? Chips? I had a better impression of this producer...
Nayan Gowda on the UK wine forum suggested that smoke taint might also be the cause of such aromas. I had never before heard of such taint, but apparently parts of Australia in '08 suffered from bad fires.
15,42€; 13,5% abv; 6,6 g/l acidity; 5 g/l RS. It has quite pleasant cool-climate aromas of vivid red fruit, but also, strangely, some seaweed, smoke, vanilla and tar despite not seeing any oak! It has a pleasant level of acidity and is pleasantly light and bright. Crunchy finish. I thought the palate was much more pleasant than the scent. Not great but not something to spit out either. But how does an unoaked PN taste smell so oaky? Chips? I had a better impression of this producer...
Nayan Gowda on the UK wine forum suggested that smoke taint might also be the cause of such aromas. I had never before heard of such taint, but apparently parts of Australia in '08 suffered from bad fires.
perjantai 15. tammikuuta 2010
A lovely Texier and a not so lovely Ozzie
A friend of mine recently moved from Lapland back to Helsinki so we met up for some steaks and a couple wines. Finding the right wines to share with him is always a bit of a challenge as our tastes could hardly be more different - he is a huge fan of Australian monsters and big Southern Rhônes.
But I thought I might try him out on a more elegant Southern Rhône, Texier - still within an area that he likes, but also a producer that I like very much. I was glad to see that he did seem to enjoy it. Texier St.-Gervais VV des Cadinières 2005 is a wine I have posted on so many times that perhaps one more note isn't needed. But I thought this was the loveliest it has ever been: previous bottles have shown that it could become a great wine; now it was a great wine. Nice dark fruit, savoury and lively and refreshing for Grenache but still with the typical warm, sweet fruit I expect of the grape. It isn't a heavy style at all. Lovely. If this is representative of its evolution, drink and hold.
Jussi opened a The Islander Estate Vineyards Bark Hut Rd 2004 a strange blend of 60% Cab. Sauv., 35% Shiraz and 5% Viognier from Kangaroo Island in S. Australia. This is one of Jacques Lurton's projects. It seems quite massive and clunky after the Texier - though Jussi had tried to select a wine more to my taste than most in his collection as this apparently is from a cool climate. After the initial super-massiveness calms down to only massiveness, I see a very strong perfumed, peachy aroma emerge - maybe a bit too much Viognier? Sweet. With even more air some tobacco/Cab aromas emerge. But it is all the time too clunky to bring true enjoyment to me. Gladly the oak (a third new French barrique IIRC) and the high alcohol (14% abv) aren't too noticeable. I have to admit that Jussi has opened up more interesting Ozzies with me before! But like I said, finding the common vinous ground can be difficult. But it was still very nice to meet up with him and his wife.
But I thought I might try him out on a more elegant Southern Rhône, Texier - still within an area that he likes, but also a producer that I like very much. I was glad to see that he did seem to enjoy it. Texier St.-Gervais VV des Cadinières 2005 is a wine I have posted on so many times that perhaps one more note isn't needed. But I thought this was the loveliest it has ever been: previous bottles have shown that it could become a great wine; now it was a great wine. Nice dark fruit, savoury and lively and refreshing for Grenache but still with the typical warm, sweet fruit I expect of the grape. It isn't a heavy style at all. Lovely. If this is representative of its evolution, drink and hold.
Jussi opened a The Islander Estate Vineyards Bark Hut Rd 2004 a strange blend of 60% Cab. Sauv., 35% Shiraz and 5% Viognier from Kangaroo Island in S. Australia. This is one of Jacques Lurton's projects. It seems quite massive and clunky after the Texier - though Jussi had tried to select a wine more to my taste than most in his collection as this apparently is from a cool climate. After the initial super-massiveness calms down to only massiveness, I see a very strong perfumed, peachy aroma emerge - maybe a bit too much Viognier? Sweet. With even more air some tobacco/Cab aromas emerge. But it is all the time too clunky to bring true enjoyment to me. Gladly the oak (a third new French barrique IIRC) and the high alcohol (14% abv) aren't too noticeable. I have to admit that Jussi has opened up more interesting Ozzies with me before! But like I said, finding the common vinous ground can be difficult. But it was still very nice to meet up with him and his wife.
tiistai 12. tammikuuta 2010
Serge Batard Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie "Les Moineries" 2007
With temperatures having risen nearly 20 centigrade, all the way to -3 C, it was time to open a crisp, summer white while sunbathing...
Serge Batard Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie "Les Moineries" 2007
14,85€; 12% abv. A single-vineyard Muscadet from over 70 yo vines.
The color seems strangely evolved (already a fairly deep gold), but the rest of the wine seems youthful. The scent is quite lovely and strongly mineral with much, bright citrus and seashell aromas. Very crisp with so much phenolic grip that it seems almost tannic! But then it finishes with a richness that I haven't seen in the other '07s. The ensuing battle of richness vs. crispness on the finish is an exciting spectacle - but the surprise winner is not the richness nor the crispness but the steely purity. I loved it.
I thought that Serge Batard equals Dom. Les Hautes Noëlles, but I see no mention of HN on the label. How is this wine connected to that?
torstai 7. tammikuuta 2010
Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2007
I enjoyed a bottle of an old favorite of mine that has been available for an amazingly long time at Alko (since the 2004 vintage!). I hope it will continue to be available for a long time. All vintages so far have been amazing quality for the price we pay in Finland.
Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2007
12% abv; still good value though the price has gone up from 12,20€ to 13,95€. But there has been a wonderful change since the 2006: this is now under screwcap!
The scent reminds me of an elegant style of N. Rhone Syrah: much pepper when first opened, dark and meaty but juicy fruit. Medium-light body and with much fun and vibrant fruitiness, but also intense and racy from the palate-cleansing bite of structure. No new oak aromas (it sees only big casks). Though a cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, Bründlmayer's has seemed to me more like a hypothetical cross of Syrah and Gamay. Hugely enjoyable, light wine (those vintages like '04 and '07 that stay below 12,5% abv have seemed to me most successful).
Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Zweigelt 2007
12% abv; still good value though the price has gone up from 12,20€ to 13,95€. But there has been a wonderful change since the 2006: this is now under screwcap!
The scent reminds me of an elegant style of N. Rhone Syrah: much pepper when first opened, dark and meaty but juicy fruit. Medium-light body and with much fun and vibrant fruitiness, but also intense and racy from the palate-cleansing bite of structure. No new oak aromas (it sees only big casks). Though a cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, Bründlmayer's has seemed to me more like a hypothetical cross of Syrah and Gamay. Hugely enjoyable, light wine (those vintages like '04 and '07 that stay below 12,5% abv have seemed to me most successful).
tiistai 5. tammikuuta 2010
Ridgeview Fitzrovia 2007
I got to try one more Ridgeview today. Good stuff it was, too!
Ridgeview Merret-Fitzrovia 2007 - England, West Sussex
46% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Noir, 22% Meunier; 12% abv; 9,5g/l dosage, only 5g/l acidity. Salmon pink. The nose is really lovely though perhaps in a slightly off-beat way. The Pinot aromas are very forward and at the moment completely overshadow the Chardonnay. This smells strongly of soy and damp earth, but also has vibrant, sweet red fruit to counter the savouryness. Elegant mousse. Good crispness despite high dosage and fairly low acid, Though it starts fruit-forward, the finish is steely and pleasantly bracing, perhaps even slightly balsamic: despite the bubbles, it actually seems more like red Burgundy than sparkling wine at the moment which must be why I was a bit surprised yet completely mesmerized by the aromas. Good stuff.
Ridgeview Merret-Fitzrovia 2007 - England, West Sussex
46% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Noir, 22% Meunier; 12% abv; 9,5g/l dosage, only 5g/l acidity. Salmon pink. The nose is really lovely though perhaps in a slightly off-beat way. The Pinot aromas are very forward and at the moment completely overshadow the Chardonnay. This smells strongly of soy and damp earth, but also has vibrant, sweet red fruit to counter the savouryness. Elegant mousse. Good crispness despite high dosage and fairly low acid, Though it starts fruit-forward, the finish is steely and pleasantly bracing, perhaps even slightly balsamic: despite the bubbles, it actually seems more like red Burgundy than sparkling wine at the moment which must be why I was a bit surprised yet completely mesmerized by the aromas. Good stuff.
lauantai 2. tammikuuta 2010
Jackson Estate Pinot Noir 2008 & Penfold's Kalimna Bin 28 2006
Jackson Estate Pinot Noir Vintage Widow 2008
14% abv; 19,60€. Quite a dark color for PN with even a bit of purplosity. Dark and sweet fruit but it is still obviously a PN, certainly not a caricature of the grape. There seems to be quite a bit of chocolatey oak, too, but gladly it is rather the wine that shines through. Sweet fruit, quite tame in structure. Moderately long finish but with a touch of heat. This lacks the ethereal brightness I hope to see in PN and is a rather too obvious in its charms, but I can still understand why it is so popular. I won't buy it, but I won't spit it out in anger either.
Penfold's Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz 2006
22,80€; 13,5% abv. This smelled really weird. It's not long since I had the 2005 which seemed like a pretty normal S. Aus. Shiraz. The aromas of this wine promised bitterness. The closest sensation I can imagine is the skins of peanuts, or maybe chili pepper. Gladly it doesn't seem as jammy as many S. Australians, nor does it have such strong aromas of dried fruit. Full bodied, tarry, darkly fruity, and more refreshing and interesting on the palate than I would have guessed from the scent and gladly lacking the unpleasant bitterness that I expected from the scent. Strange scent; attractive palate for S. Aus. I don't know what to think.
14% abv; 19,60€. Quite a dark color for PN with even a bit of purplosity. Dark and sweet fruit but it is still obviously a PN, certainly not a caricature of the grape. There seems to be quite a bit of chocolatey oak, too, but gladly it is rather the wine that shines through. Sweet fruit, quite tame in structure. Moderately long finish but with a touch of heat. This lacks the ethereal brightness I hope to see in PN and is a rather too obvious in its charms, but I can still understand why it is so popular. I won't buy it, but I won't spit it out in anger either.
Penfold's Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz 2006
22,80€; 13,5% abv. This smelled really weird. It's not long since I had the 2005 which seemed like a pretty normal S. Aus. Shiraz. The aromas of this wine promised bitterness. The closest sensation I can imagine is the skins of peanuts, or maybe chili pepper. Gladly it doesn't seem as jammy as many S. Australians, nor does it have such strong aromas of dried fruit. Full bodied, tarry, darkly fruity, and more refreshing and interesting on the palate than I would have guessed from the scent and gladly lacking the unpleasant bitterness that I expected from the scent. Strange scent; attractive palate for S. Aus. I don't know what to think.
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