Saturday, March 01, 2003
Here are some notes on wines tasted of the past week.
2001 Canto Pedrix Tavel Rose
Always one of the best value priced true Tavel Rose wines, the lovely pale pink color is bone dry, but loaded with sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors. Possessing a lingering finish, the wine has that typical Tavel austereness while still delivering the finish that makes you want to drink this wine down to the last drop.
1999 Domaine d'Aupilhac Vin d'Pays Mont Baudile Blanc
This white which Sylvain Fadat swears is not built to age long never ceases to impress everyone who tastes it. A blend of Ugni Blanc, with some Rousanne, Marsanne and Vermentino, the wine also has its share of Chardonnay and Grenache Blanc it now offers up a well developed limestone and mineral character all backed with gobs of citrus fruit. It reminds me of 7 Up with its lemon lime quality and soft tropical orange flavor palate. In a word, yummy.
1994 Domaine d'Aupilhac Vin d'Pays Mont Baudile Old Vines Carignane
Fadat owns 25 percent of the mountaintop vineyard that overlooks his home in Montpeyroux, an inheritance from his grandfather from whom Sylvain learned growing technique. At age 8 and a half the wine has taken on an almost ethereal Bordeaux like quality and flavor. Tasting this wine it is no surprise now why Fadat loves this grape so much. Candidly this may be the best bottle of Aupilhac wine I have opened (excluding the Les Clos--limited production and not USA imported). Smooth, lush and deep, the wine throws off some cigar and tobacco, while wrapping your tongue with blackberry and black cherry flavors. The finish is so elegant that you forget your drinking a wine from the Languedoc and think it came from some place farther west in France.
1994 Domaine d'Aupilhac Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux
This red wine is a typical style of wine that the Languedoc is known for. Made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre the wine 94 vintage has really hit stride and is at the point where it has become perfectly ready to drink. The tannins have gone away and the wine is now very fruit forward and loaded with hints of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and plum flavors, all interspersed with black pepper. While I suspect the wine has a few more years ahead, unlike the Carignane which has likely a decade more of life to it, this wine is more than a bistro wine and gets credit for being the kind of wine that got me hooked on the Languedoc.
1998 Kings Creek Pinot Gris Mornington Peninsula
From Australia, this ultra interesting white is a real charmer as it has the nuances and flavors not usually found in Pinot Gris. Here's a wine that is about 180 degrees different than what you find in the more insipid Italian Pinot Grigio. Flavors of mango, kiwi, cantaloupe and honeydew first come to mind, each in a dried state, while the delicate acidity keeps the wine in perfect balance. It was awesome with Unagi and Lobster as well as with Scallops.
1998 Clos Claire
Another Aussie import, this dead ringer in the finish for a German Mosel based Riesling, it offered flavors of ripe tropical melons and peach nectar. At age five the wine has become very smooth and developed, with a minerally base and an almost Alsace like flinty finish.
2000 Von Hovel Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling Kabinett
A touch of lemon spritz and apricots on the attack and a well balanced base makes this wine a textbook German Riesling.
1995 Cave Vinacole de Huniwihr Gewurztraminer Frohn Alsace Grand Cru
Possibly one of the best Gewurztraminer's I've had in recent years, this wine made by the tiny cooperative in Huniwihr is sadly not imported and was in my cellar as the result of a hand carrying it back from Alsace in 1997. Made in a perfectly traditional style of winemaking the resultant flavors should come as no surprise as the flavors of lychee nuts and rose hips assaulted both the nose and the palate while delivering an amazing level of fruit concentration all encased within its deep amber color. Super fine and silky, the flavors of dried figs and golden raisins, peaches, apricots and honeydew melon all come forward with a hint of mint and menthol in the finish. An outstanding performance.
In the next report, a horizontal of three 1995 Saint Chinian reds and some thoughts on the recent Chalk Hill wine dinner
2001 Canto Pedrix Tavel Rose
Always one of the best value priced true Tavel Rose wines, the lovely pale pink color is bone dry, but loaded with sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors. Possessing a lingering finish, the wine has that typical Tavel austereness while still delivering the finish that makes you want to drink this wine down to the last drop.
1999 Domaine d'Aupilhac Vin d'Pays Mont Baudile Blanc
This white which Sylvain Fadat swears is not built to age long never ceases to impress everyone who tastes it. A blend of Ugni Blanc, with some Rousanne, Marsanne and Vermentino, the wine also has its share of Chardonnay and Grenache Blanc it now offers up a well developed limestone and mineral character all backed with gobs of citrus fruit. It reminds me of 7 Up with its lemon lime quality and soft tropical orange flavor palate. In a word, yummy.
1994 Domaine d'Aupilhac Vin d'Pays Mont Baudile Old Vines Carignane
Fadat owns 25 percent of the mountaintop vineyard that overlooks his home in Montpeyroux, an inheritance from his grandfather from whom Sylvain learned growing technique. At age 8 and a half the wine has taken on an almost ethereal Bordeaux like quality and flavor. Tasting this wine it is no surprise now why Fadat loves this grape so much. Candidly this may be the best bottle of Aupilhac wine I have opened (excluding the Les Clos--limited production and not USA imported). Smooth, lush and deep, the wine throws off some cigar and tobacco, while wrapping your tongue with blackberry and black cherry flavors. The finish is so elegant that you forget your drinking a wine from the Languedoc and think it came from some place farther west in France.
1994 Domaine d'Aupilhac Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux
This red wine is a typical style of wine that the Languedoc is known for. Made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre the wine 94 vintage has really hit stride and is at the point where it has become perfectly ready to drink. The tannins have gone away and the wine is now very fruit forward and loaded with hints of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and plum flavors, all interspersed with black pepper. While I suspect the wine has a few more years ahead, unlike the Carignane which has likely a decade more of life to it, this wine is more than a bistro wine and gets credit for being the kind of wine that got me hooked on the Languedoc.
1998 Kings Creek Pinot Gris Mornington Peninsula
From Australia, this ultra interesting white is a real charmer as it has the nuances and flavors not usually found in Pinot Gris. Here's a wine that is about 180 degrees different than what you find in the more insipid Italian Pinot Grigio. Flavors of mango, kiwi, cantaloupe and honeydew first come to mind, each in a dried state, while the delicate acidity keeps the wine in perfect balance. It was awesome with Unagi and Lobster as well as with Scallops.
1998 Clos Claire
Another Aussie import, this dead ringer in the finish for a German Mosel based Riesling, it offered flavors of ripe tropical melons and peach nectar. At age five the wine has become very smooth and developed, with a minerally base and an almost Alsace like flinty finish.
2000 Von Hovel Mosel Saar Ruwer Riesling Kabinett
A touch of lemon spritz and apricots on the attack and a well balanced base makes this wine a textbook German Riesling.
1995 Cave Vinacole de Huniwihr Gewurztraminer Frohn Alsace Grand Cru
Possibly one of the best Gewurztraminer's I've had in recent years, this wine made by the tiny cooperative in Huniwihr is sadly not imported and was in my cellar as the result of a hand carrying it back from Alsace in 1997. Made in a perfectly traditional style of winemaking the resultant flavors should come as no surprise as the flavors of lychee nuts and rose hips assaulted both the nose and the palate while delivering an amazing level of fruit concentration all encased within its deep amber color. Super fine and silky, the flavors of dried figs and golden raisins, peaches, apricots and honeydew melon all come forward with a hint of mint and menthol in the finish. An outstanding performance.
In the next report, a horizontal of three 1995 Saint Chinian reds and some thoughts on the recent Chalk Hill wine dinner
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