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All 375 ml bottles.
 1997 Trimbach Riesling Frederic Emile (13% alc.) --
It offers a focused, but lightly presented poached pear and apple
nose...plenty of flowers and crushed stone. The ripe fruit reminds
me a crunchy Honeycrisp apple. It is fruit sweet and long, but
nicely backed by plentiful minerals and mouth watering acidity. The
finish shows some honey and plenty of spice. I had some fears that
this would be too young and undeveloped, but the wine is a
delight...young, precise and elegant.
1995 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico (12.5%
alc.)
-- quite light in color. The nose is just how I'd imagine it -- nice
cherries, dusty earth, leather, and herbs (sage and thyme).
Initially has a firm demeanor on the palate, if a bit austere. Dried
and black cherry fruit mingles, with good doses of earth, herb,
and powdered stone...tobacco asserting itself on the finish. When
sipped with our white bean, onion, and olive dish, the fruit deepens
toward plum, the acids seem to sparkle, and tannins smooth out. Sort
of a "classic" Chianti Classico, which is a style I enjoy very much.
I'd drink these sooner than later.
1995 Fontodi Chianti Classico (13%
alc.) -- this is
beefier, glossy, more extracted CC. Ripe plummy scents, along with
coffee, black olive and a touch of cocoa. It has fleshy and
attractive black cherry fruit up front, but does seem a little too
rotund in the center. Herbs, chocolate, and earth add to the palate.
The finish brings spice and espresso. The tannins are well
integrated, so I'd advise drinking these before it drops any fruit. If the Felsina was "classic", I might call this
"pleasantly slutty."
1995 Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico (12.5%
alc.) -- a murky wine in appearance and persona. Plummy fruit, anise,
and earth tones are in the bouquet. All of the same in the mouth,
with the addition of herb and spice. Reasonable tannins and middle
of the road acids further the case for this being a perfectly good
and reasonable Chianti Classico -- just not a particularly
distinctive or especially interesting one. There were no complaints
with our mushroom pizza.
 1990 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino (13%
alc.) --
initial aromas were those of "wet towels wrapped around a hunk of
Parmesano." This odor peaked at a moldy crescendo about 15 minutes
after pulling the cork, but from there, it rapidly dissipated. The
nose transformed along more conventional lines -- dark cherries,
wild flowers, and pungent anise. In the mouth it is quite smooth and
still vital with round, red fruits. It shows some maturity with its
cedar and tobacco notes...complex with various earth and mineral
notes. The tannins still maintain some grip, but they seem polished
and easy. Excellent wine.
1990 Maculan Fratta Breganze Cabernet
(12% alc.) --
especially dark in color. The pungent, nose tickling scent of bell
pepper (mixed with a cracked black pepper and dark earth) is
unmistakable, but as off putting as I've found that in other wines,
in this case it really works...at the very least, it is very
interesting. The pepper has a fresh and clean persona -- not that
charred, bitter scent that can be found in some pricey domestic
cabs. The palate does not have great dimension, but does have broad
swaths of appealing red fruit backed by an earthy core...tar and
black pepper in the finish. This is a unique wine, which I found
oddly enjoyable.
1992 Ridge Monte Bello (13.4%
alc.) -- The bouquet
lends substantial black fruit, but also good doses of lead pencil,
"camp fire" and cedar...earth and minerals becoming more distinctive
with time. The blackberry/dark plum fruit seems very dense...not at
all soft, but friendly enough to dominate the palate conversation.
The "mineral flecked dirt" center is joined by cedar notes, and a
bit of dark chocolate. It has that wonderful quality of having great
density and power, but always seeming comfortable in its own
skin...no need to show off. The wine has a long lingering finish
featuring minerals and fresh roasted coffee...bit of tar and white
pepper, too. The tannins are broad and substantial (sticking a bit
at the gum line), but never hard or drying. The acids are effective,
as they offer a "dark wine" some lift. This Montebello is a
borderline "wonderful" wine, with room to improve.
 1991 E. Gugal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde (13%
alc.) --
The nose shows a bit more dirt/mud than the last bottle I tried, but
the bacon and black olive partnership still produces good results.
Black cherries and dark earth drive the palate from entry through
the middle...more of the smoked meat and olive from the middle out.
The texture has a coarse feel, though it lends to the wine's rustic
appeal. I enjoyed this wine, though it is likely the least
impressive I've yet sampled.
1994 JL Chave Hermitage Blanc (13%
alc.) -- It shows a
pale yellow color (lighter than I remembered). It has a musky,
lightly oily sense to the bouquet...apricots, pear, and
honeysuckle...perhaps a wisp of gun powder. The fruit (more apricot,
then tangy apple) is full in the mouth, but forward and friendly --
none of that brooding that sometimes comes with middle aged
Hermitage. The center sees a touch of honey, then more wax, earth
and mineral. The wax and mineral (pulverized slate) offer a long
resolve. Delicious! I'm not sure I'll ever love Hermitage Blanc
(especially if I'm buying), but this was a real pleasure -- low acid
and all.
 1997 JL
Chave Hermitage Rouge (13%
alc.) -- I've not
visited this old friend in a while...the last 750 I tried seemed to
be rather closed, but I'm glad to say this small bottle was open for
business. Do you remember your old ball glove -- supple old leather,
seasoned with oil, sweat, dust, and perhaps a drop or two of blood?
One sniff of this wine, and I remember mine. Yes, there is some red
fruit and roasted meat in that bouquet, too -- but mostly (Spinal
Tap reference), I "smell the glove." When sipped, intense Bing
cherry fruit marries nicely with the sun kissed earth, leather,
meat, and rocks. The wine is firm and taut -- smooth, but with somewhat
assertive tannins and nice acids. I'm left with a tangy rock,
pepper and herb resonance in the finish. There is little doubt that
a few more years will bring greater nuance, and probably less
obvious tannin, but it is still a pleasure to drink. It was all the
better with our venison meat loaf and mushroom risotto -- the
fruit seeming more pure, and the texture more supple.
Larry's previous
article Larry Meehan was a one time "boy entrepreneur", now a full time Dad. In the moments when the insanity fades, he is a fairly prolific tasting note writer, minor league party planner/caterer, sporadic wine educator, and consultant for a few retailers who (at their own peril) seem to value his opinions. Hailing from near Cleveland, he frequently gathers with local enthusiasts to share thoughts and a few glasses, but also concocts a number of tasting events that bring friends together from around the country. Larry samples hundreds of wines a year from a myriad of regions -- "Understanding the diverse and constantly changing landscape of wine will be a life long endeavor...I'm glad it is so much fun!" BACK TO LARRY MEEHAN'S INDEX PAGE © Larry Meehan - June 2005
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