Bastardo

Tasting Notes by George Heritier
 




 

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put The Kiminator on a plane to San Diego on the morning of June 25, 2006; she went out there for an eight-day working vacation, so our two cats, Stripey and Little Gray and this taster did our best Macaulay Culkin here in Day-twah. While I’d always prefer to be WITH my better half rather than apart from her, in situations like these, one has to look for compensating factors, like playing Miles and Trane LOUD and smoking Cohibas in the house without hearing about it. And, while I was so happy that my better half had this wonderful opportunity to spend time with our friends out left, I did miss her dearly, so it seemed only right that I should assuage the emptiness with some good wine. No samples for this taster that week; no egregious pinot grigio, no slovenly sauvignon blanc, and certainly no fat ass low acid California chardonnay. Here’s what I enjoyed over that eight day period.

1999 Gaja Langhe Sitorey1999 Gaja Langhe Sitorey, $54, 14% alc.: Dark garnet in color, fading to pink at the rim, with some noticeable barnyard on the nose that blows off with some time in the glass, revealing earthy black currant, dried sour cherries and root beer/cola, all shaded with some subtle mahogany. These follow through and expand on the palate, and while there’re still tannins to resolve here, this is more than just approachable, it’s quite enjoyable. There’s an elegant character to the wine, with excellent acidity and very good length on the finish, and it opens nicely over the four hours that I sipped on it. There may be better Barberas out there, but if I’ve ever tasted one, I can’t remember it.  Find this wine

Imported by Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL

1998 Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur Clos Vougeot "Musigni1998 Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur Clos Vougeot "Musigni," $45, 13% alc.: A slightly cloudy, slightly rusty ruby garnet in color, fading at the rim, with a gorgeous nose of mushroom, wet wintered-over leaves, plum, black cherry and cola; the earthy medium-to-medium full bodied flavors echo with a lovely texture and a fine balance of tannins and acids. Not surprisingly, this gets better and better with air, turning earthier and plumier, seeming to put on a little more weight and generally showing more and more of everything as it opens. I love this for its funky qualities, but there’s a solid core of rich fruit underneath it all, and the finish is fairly long. I decanted a little over half of the bottle about half an hour before pouring a glass, and that was all it needed. When that was gone after about three hours, I couldn’t resist another short pour from the bottle, and was not disappointed in the least. This might not fly too well with fans of the current style of Pinot Noir that seems so prevalent in California these days, but Oregonians just might take to it with more passion and gusto; I’m thinking especially of Evesham Wood fans here. I wish I had a case of this, because it’s anything but unremarkable, and it should only improve over the next several years. Find this wine

Imported by The Stacole Company Inc., Boca Raton, FL

2004 Domaine Guffens-Heynen Mâcon-Pierreclos, $29.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw in color, with a tinge of lemon; the lemon seems to carry over into the flavor profile, because there’s a definite citrus quality to this that dominates the green apple character underpinned with a stony minerality, and a subtle note of butterscotch that emerges with air. The wine is medium-to-medium full bodied, with excellent cut and good length on the finish. This is quite enjoyable now, and works well with a nice rotisserie chicken, but I’d like to taste it in a couple of years to see how it develops. I have another bottle in the cellar, so maybe I’ll hold on to it for just that reason.

When we tasted this wine for the first time a few weeks ago with our friend Alan Kerr, it showed essentially the same, and it followed two of winemaker Jean-Marie Guffens 2004 Verget Pouilly-Fuissé models, and the Mâcon-Pierreclos was preferred all around. For comparisons sake, here are my notes on the two Vergets. Find this wine

2004 Verget Pouilly-Fuissé "Terroir de Vergisson Clos du Martelet," $33.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw color with a tinge of lemon; flavors and aromas show bright pear and subtle butterscotch, with some tangerine, lemon and just a hint of minerality in support. The oak is there, but in proportion to the other components, and while it has enough acidity to work, it’s not as crisp as I might have expected. The finish is decent, but a little something seems to be missing in the middle. More than I care to pay for what’s in the bottle; maybe it’ll fill out with some time in the bottle. Find this wine

2004 Verget Pouilly Fuissé "Terroir de Fuissé Vers Asnieres," $33.99, 13% alc.: Medium straw color with a tinge of lemon; bright flavors and aromas of apple, pear, tangerine and lemon, along with what Mr. Kerr described as "sweet citrus, guava" and a subtle musky mineral undertone. Good cut here, and more there in the middle than with the Clos du Martelet. The unanimous favorite of the two Vergets, but again, the Mâcon-Pierreclos took the honors on that occasion. Find this wine

Verget and Domaine Guffens-Heynen Imported by The Stacole Company Inc., Boca Raton, FL

2004 Karl Erbes Ürziger Würzgarten Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling2004 Karl Erbes Ürziger Würzgarten Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling Kabinett, $14.99, 8% alc.: Pale straw in color, with a faint perfume of apple, white peach and a subtle herbaceous quality, all of which echoes and expands on the palate, being both moderately tart and moderately sweet at the same time. Medium bodied, with deceptively good cut and a reasonably long finish, this is a nice glass of Riesling that offers good value for the price tag. The real appeal for me is the herbaceous shade; it’s there just enough to enhance the overall personality of the wine without dominating. A nice foil for the Phad Prik Khing. Find this wine

Imported by Chapin Cellars LLC, Springfield, VA

2004 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlener Sonneruhr Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling Kabinett, $19.99, 8% alc.: Pale to medium straw in color, with apple and mineral aromatics and just the faintest hint of petrol; the moderately sweet flavors echo nicely enough, losing the little bit of petrol, but gaining some peach in return. Good cut and good length on the finish, and though it’s not terribly complex right now, 3-5 years in the bottle should help it out. Not quite as sweet as the Erbes, which I preferred slightly. Find this wine

Imported by Cellars International Inc., San Marcos, CA

2002 Gunderloch Nackenheim2002 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Rheinhessen Spätlese, $28.99, 9% alc.: Now we’re talking some serious Riesling here! Medium straw to pale gold in color, with a steely undercurrent, river stones and petrol over peach and apricot in both flavor and aroma; excellent cut, with a not quite unctuous density to it, and a long, long finish. Yes, it’s a Rheinhessen and not a Mosel, yes it’s a Spätlese and not a Kabinett, but even more than that, it’s a Gunderloch, and that makes all the difference. This is in another league than the two previous wines, and very reasonably priced for what’s in the bottle. Absolutely delicious, and it should only get better through 2012 and beyond. Find this wine

Imported by Cellars International Inc., San Marcos, CA

 

 

2000 Barone Ricasoli2000 Barone Ricasoli Casalferro Toscana IGT, $49.99, 13.5% alc.: A virtual friend who once worked for William Grant & Sons sent us some wines to sample from Barone Ricasoli some years back, and we generally liked what we tasted; some of it was so-so, but some of it was pretty damned good, if not exactly "traditional" in style. This particular wine falls into the "pretty damned good" category, and doesn’t quite cut the "traditional" either, thanks to the French oak (18 months worth) and the dollop of Merlot added to the Sangiovese. Dark garnet from rim to rim, it exudes a smoky, sun baked character that features spicy, slightly raisined dried cherry and black currant, accented with leathery undertones and subtle oaky notes that range from a little caramelized sugar at first to a hint of aquarium after three hours or so, while never becoming intrusive. A fair dose of tannins and the requisite acidity give this full bodied Tuscan red a bit of a bite on the palate over the first hour or so, but it gradually smoothes and softens with air, as does the raisined thing, and the finish maintains good length throughout. Give it an hour in a decanter before drinking now, and it should work quite well with a variety of tomato-based pasta dishes and/or grilled red meats. Better yet, give it at least a few more years in the cellar; it should be good to go at 10 years and beyond. Find this wine

Barone Ricasoli Wines Imported by William Grant & Sons, Inc., New York, NY

2002 Jean Foillard Morgon2002 Jean Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," $21-25, 13% alc.: We’re big fans of the 2001 Foillard Morgon "Côte du Py," so when I saw this one during a scouting mission to Cloverleaf on Wednesday, I snatched it right up. A ruby garnet that fades at the rim, it’s perhaps a touch cloudy, but not as much so as the ’01; it seems cleaner than the previous model, though not as deep or as earthy. A little bit of barnyard blows off quickly on the nose, revealing cranberry, cherry and rosey Gamay aromatics that follow through in the medium bodied flavors with some earth (just not as much as the ’01 has) and a hint of something slightly herbal. A little tight when first poured, it opens up with about 15-20 minutes in the glass, becoming harmonious and enjoyable. It seems to have the structure to age and develop for at least a few years, maybe longer, and finishes with decent length. All in all, nice stuff here, real wine, and if it’s not quite up to the ’01 for my tastes, it’s perfectly fine on its own terms. I didn’t drink this with food, but it’s obviously food friendly for a fairly wide spectrum of culinary delights. Find this wine

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

2000 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos2000 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, 375 ml, $29.99, 13% alc.: This has gone through some changes in a little over a year since we last tried it; the medium straw color seems to be taking on a slight tinge of pale gold, and there’s a nuttiness to its character that wasn’t there before, perhaps the evolution of the "peanut butter" thing Kim mentioned back then? Maybe it’s developing at an accelerated rate because of the 375 ml format, or maybe not. It still shows the wet stones, beeswax, quince and green apple, with the excellent cut and the good length, but it’s also starting to show the first signs of a senior moment. As it opens and warms in the glass, the fruit and minerality come to the fore, making for a more harmonious wine. I like this just the way it is (I actually liked it a little better in April of ‘05); any more of that "nutty" thing, and I’d like it less. As it is, it’s very refreshing on a warm summers night, with or without food. Find this wine

Imported by Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY

Epilogue: Kim returned on Sunday, July 2; I picked her up at DTW, and brought her back to Gang Central for Thai takeout and a nice Alsatian Riesling. Hopefully this taster will be forgiven for the following notes that don’t do the delicious wine justice; I was somewhat distracted…

2004 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Alsace Cuvée Theo, $33, 13.5% alc.: Pale to medium straw, with quince and apple flavors and aromas graced with a soft herbaceous quality that really sets the tone and personality of the wine for me; medium full body, with good cut, a lovely smooth texture and a long finish. Bone dry, and yet with more than enough rich fruit to stand up the spicy Thai food. I must have more of this stuff! Find this wine

Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL

Reporting from Day-twah,

Homie Allones

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© George Heritier July 2006