Saturday, June 07, 2003
Last night a group of ten of us, including some new faces got together at Roy's for another fun night of great sushi, well prepared main courses and sinfully good desserts. Oh, yes, we had wine too. While I did not take the usual amount of notes, I must say that the wine service was faultless by Hank our server and Adam provided the usual and always appreciated high degree of hospitality, even on a Friday night which is the most challenging for any restaurant.
So, what did we taste you ask....well for starters there was the 2002 Stolpman Vineyards Rosato . This blend reminded one winepal of the Tempier Rose. I found it to be more like the Tablas Creek or Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare. Classic in style, with a little hint of Italiano Chiaretto is flavor from the ripe raspberry fruit flavors. Sadly only 98 cases were made and it's only available at the winery.
Three Gigondas wines were poured next. The 1999 Kermit Lynch Gigondas was a lighter styled, easy to drink, soft sipper of a wine, with nice blackberry and blueberry notes. The 2000 Domaine Gouberts was a real sleeper, and by nights end was showing that it's early, backwards and withdrawn flavors were masking the tastes of coffee, blueberry, roasted herbs and blackberry fruit. 2000 Les Pallieres , made by Lynch and the owners of Vieux Telegraphe was a knockout. Big, ripe, sappy and juicy, the wine is a monster of a Rhone red and one of the best on the market. Lush and lavish in extracted berry fruit, the wine has the stuffing to age a good 8-10 years.
1990 Chateau de Tours Vacqueryas was next up. Despite the ever present bottle stink that this wine throws off, the flavors on the palate are pure gems. Saddle leather, earthy truffles and mushrooms, dried cherries, strawberry, black raspberry and hints of blueberries. The wine is elegant and almost old school Brunello like in appeal. For some this was the wine of the night. For others, the 1989 Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone was the hit. This wine never ceases to amaze me. Made like a baby Rayes, in many ways this is almost like drinking aged Chateauneuf du Pape. The wine remained youthful throughout the night, and as the evening wore on, seemed to take on power, elegance and a sort of grace that makes old wines charming, and young wines tantalizing. Roasted herbs, scents of Provence, flavors of cherries, blackberries, blueberries and plums made this wine a real yum-yum.
2001 Villa Creek Avenger and the 2001 Stolpman Rhone Ridge Cuvee are identical in blends of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. But that's where the comparison ends. The Stolpman is a fine, easy drinking Cotes du Rhone look alike, with silky fruit flavors, a touch of sandalwood and blackberry fruit flavors. The Villa Creek Avenger is a blockbuster. I've now had this wine three times in the last two weeks and it has become one of my favorite Rhone clones period. The wine has depth, and the original hotness I tasted in Paso Robles seems to have dissipated as the coffee, chunky black raspberry, strawberry and blueberry flavors all ooze through the glass. While the wine is not perfect, it is for a first effort by Cris Cherry, an amazing performance.
The 1999 Chapoutier La Bernadine Chateauneuf du Pape was initially a bit closed, but as the wine sat in the glass it improved and became a silky, feminine seductress, with very nice Asian spice, tea and black fruit coming through. The 2000 and 1999 Guigal Chateuaneuf du Pape wines continue to intrigue me. I just had the 2000 a week or so back at Bistro Laurent in Paso Robles with bottles direct from the importer, and was downright impressed after being unimpressed here in San Diego a few months earlier. As for the 1999, a wine I loved earlier on, I was not as wowed as I was before. If any wines are going through bottle variation, it is seriously the wines from Guigal. I know of no other reason, except poor handling in the delivery process to a very fine retailer that would cause such constant back and forth on wines from a solid producer. While the wines showed nicely, the vibrancy, life and richness seemed muted compared to wines of the same vintages tasted elsewhere...
Another good WinePals night. Next week Flemings for some red meat and Cabernet, Bordeaux, Washington, California or Australia. Bring them on.....
Andy Abramson
So, what did we taste you ask....well for starters there was the 2002 Stolpman Vineyards Rosato . This blend reminded one winepal of the Tempier Rose. I found it to be more like the Tablas Creek or Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare. Classic in style, with a little hint of Italiano Chiaretto is flavor from the ripe raspberry fruit flavors. Sadly only 98 cases were made and it's only available at the winery.
Three Gigondas wines were poured next. The 1999 Kermit Lynch Gigondas was a lighter styled, easy to drink, soft sipper of a wine, with nice blackberry and blueberry notes. The 2000 Domaine Gouberts was a real sleeper, and by nights end was showing that it's early, backwards and withdrawn flavors were masking the tastes of coffee, blueberry, roasted herbs and blackberry fruit. 2000 Les Pallieres , made by Lynch and the owners of Vieux Telegraphe was a knockout. Big, ripe, sappy and juicy, the wine is a monster of a Rhone red and one of the best on the market. Lush and lavish in extracted berry fruit, the wine has the stuffing to age a good 8-10 years.
1990 Chateau de Tours Vacqueryas was next up. Despite the ever present bottle stink that this wine throws off, the flavors on the palate are pure gems. Saddle leather, earthy truffles and mushrooms, dried cherries, strawberry, black raspberry and hints of blueberries. The wine is elegant and almost old school Brunello like in appeal. For some this was the wine of the night. For others, the 1989 Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone was the hit. This wine never ceases to amaze me. Made like a baby Rayes, in many ways this is almost like drinking aged Chateauneuf du Pape. The wine remained youthful throughout the night, and as the evening wore on, seemed to take on power, elegance and a sort of grace that makes old wines charming, and young wines tantalizing. Roasted herbs, scents of Provence, flavors of cherries, blackberries, blueberries and plums made this wine a real yum-yum.
2001 Villa Creek Avenger and the 2001 Stolpman Rhone Ridge Cuvee are identical in blends of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. But that's where the comparison ends. The Stolpman is a fine, easy drinking Cotes du Rhone look alike, with silky fruit flavors, a touch of sandalwood and blackberry fruit flavors. The Villa Creek Avenger is a blockbuster. I've now had this wine three times in the last two weeks and it has become one of my favorite Rhone clones period. The wine has depth, and the original hotness I tasted in Paso Robles seems to have dissipated as the coffee, chunky black raspberry, strawberry and blueberry flavors all ooze through the glass. While the wine is not perfect, it is for a first effort by Cris Cherry, an amazing performance.
The 1999 Chapoutier La Bernadine Chateauneuf du Pape was initially a bit closed, but as the wine sat in the glass it improved and became a silky, feminine seductress, with very nice Asian spice, tea and black fruit coming through. The 2000 and 1999 Guigal Chateuaneuf du Pape wines continue to intrigue me. I just had the 2000 a week or so back at Bistro Laurent in Paso Robles with bottles direct from the importer, and was downright impressed after being unimpressed here in San Diego a few months earlier. As for the 1999, a wine I loved earlier on, I was not as wowed as I was before. If any wines are going through bottle variation, it is seriously the wines from Guigal. I know of no other reason, except poor handling in the delivery process to a very fine retailer that would cause such constant back and forth on wines from a solid producer. While the wines showed nicely, the vibrancy, life and richness seemed muted compared to wines of the same vintages tasted elsewhere...
Another good WinePals night. Next week Flemings for some red meat and Cabernet, Bordeaux, Washington, California or Australia. Bring them on.....
Andy Abramson
Comments:
Post a Comment
