Saturday, February 21, 2004
I opened a few bottles with an assortment of friends to make up for not making it to Vinisud.
1996 Alquier Roussanne-Marsanne Faugeres
This wine has been a favorite of so many people that taste it that I fail to realize why more of this wine is not sold in greater quantities here in the USA. Perfectly matched up with a tendrils of green pea soup, the aromatic white was full of scents of white spice, coriander, lime, melons. The length of the wine was dazzling. For an eight year old white, the result continues to prove that Languedoc whites age incredibly well.
1993 Cuvee La Mythique, Cotes du Languedoc
This wine was a wine that I bought six of about nine years ago, and have been slowly tasting them at a rate of about one every two or three years. Most would have likely consumed their purchases of this wine made by Val D'Orbieu, a very large negociant in France. Those that drank their wines by now would have regretted their decision. Talk about youthful, with a dark garnet purple color, the wine could easily be mistaken for a Languedoc red of less than half its age. Possessing the hint of the Garrigue - thyme, rosemary, sage- which grows wild in the Languedoc, plus copious amounts of deep blackberry, black raspberry and cherry fruit, the wine is as much a dead ringer for an Alquier Faugeres as it is for a Chateau la Roque Cupa Numismae. Easily a blend of the usual suspects of Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the wine was so smooth it had one Napa wine aficionado swearing their was some Cabernet in the wine. But given that Merlot grows so well in that region, the fruit concentration could have come from that, despite the fact that it was an AOC wine, and Merlot is not one of the grapes permitted in that blend.
1994 Domaine Saint Martin de la Garrigue Coteaux du Languedoc
The Mourvedre in this wine, which includes some Grenache and Syrah remains overpoweringly earthy, and while reminiscent on the bouquet of a Tempier Bandol, the palate reveals blackberry and blueberry fruit, with a hint of black pepper and cherry. The wine is easy to drink, and while it is still aging, there is little reason to keep these around. Drink em if you have any.
1994 Domaine Saint Martin de la Garrigue Bronzinelle
The blend of Syrah and Grenache in from the 'doc is never a disappointment. Unlike it's bigger brother mentioned above, this wine is aging at a much slower apogee, and is much in line to be a dead ringer for a Gigondas from the Southern Rhone Valley. The wine has a superb concentration of black raspberry and black cherry flavors, white pepper, anise and a hint of licorice. Drinking lovely now, at age 10, figure the wine has another two or three years of time in the cellar.
2002 Villa Maria Private Bin New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
A red screw cap enclosure keeps the wine fresh and pristine. The aroma is tropical. The flavors pure, silky fresh fruit of kiwi, peach, apricot and melon. A long lingering finish that pairs up perfectly with Restaurant 808's Tuna and Fresh Catch Salmon Sushi salad. The Villa Maria remains one of the best buys in wines around. The recently released 2003 is only $9.99 a bottle, and worth having around the cellar.
2002 Core Santa Barbara County Mourvedre Rose
Winemaker David Corey is starting to get the recognition he deserves. The viticulturalist who makes wine out of the Central Coast town of Santa Maria sells some of his fruit to producers with big reputations in the Santa Barbara region, but he's smart enough to keep some for himself. Last year I called him, along with Villa Creek's Cris Cherry and Ethan Lindquist of Ethan Wines, the rookies of the year. Corey's first run at Rose remains a top pick when one wants a refreshing glass of wine, or in the case of dining at 808, something to complete a dish that good friend Jean Marie Josselin prepares on the spot. The deep rose petal colored wine is very light on the palate, with notes of strawberry, blackberry and sandalwood on the palate. The wine can linger as long as you like, but usually only until the next sip, swill or guzzle. Core Rose is a drinking wine, and with warm weather just around the corner, a wine that will please even the most discerning palate.
1996 Bernard Baudry Les Grezeaux Chinon
Baudry is one of my three or four more favorite red wine producers in the Loire Valley who have their wines exported to the USA. His wines seem to have a quality of pureness and radiance to them not found in many places. While many people love Red Burgundies for their sheer character, the overlooked Loire Valley is often times a region of hedonistic drinking pleasure, and may be one of the best accompaniments to a variety of French food, or any food for that matter. Served along with a fresh "Rich Rare" tenderloin and mashed potatoes dish, accompanied by lightly salted Chinois vegetables the red wine was a delight and makes me wonder why so many inferior wines get sold, when a charming red like this still makes the rounds.
Cheers
1996 Alquier Roussanne-Marsanne Faugeres
This wine has been a favorite of so many people that taste it that I fail to realize why more of this wine is not sold in greater quantities here in the USA. Perfectly matched up with a tendrils of green pea soup, the aromatic white was full of scents of white spice, coriander, lime, melons. The length of the wine was dazzling. For an eight year old white, the result continues to prove that Languedoc whites age incredibly well.
1993 Cuvee La Mythique, Cotes du Languedoc
This wine was a wine that I bought six of about nine years ago, and have been slowly tasting them at a rate of about one every two or three years. Most would have likely consumed their purchases of this wine made by Val D'Orbieu, a very large negociant in France. Those that drank their wines by now would have regretted their decision. Talk about youthful, with a dark garnet purple color, the wine could easily be mistaken for a Languedoc red of less than half its age. Possessing the hint of the Garrigue - thyme, rosemary, sage- which grows wild in the Languedoc, plus copious amounts of deep blackberry, black raspberry and cherry fruit, the wine is as much a dead ringer for an Alquier Faugeres as it is for a Chateau la Roque Cupa Numismae. Easily a blend of the usual suspects of Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the wine was so smooth it had one Napa wine aficionado swearing their was some Cabernet in the wine. But given that Merlot grows so well in that region, the fruit concentration could have come from that, despite the fact that it was an AOC wine, and Merlot is not one of the grapes permitted in that blend.
1994 Domaine Saint Martin de la Garrigue Coteaux du Languedoc
The Mourvedre in this wine, which includes some Grenache and Syrah remains overpoweringly earthy, and while reminiscent on the bouquet of a Tempier Bandol, the palate reveals blackberry and blueberry fruit, with a hint of black pepper and cherry. The wine is easy to drink, and while it is still aging, there is little reason to keep these around. Drink em if you have any.
1994 Domaine Saint Martin de la Garrigue Bronzinelle
The blend of Syrah and Grenache in from the 'doc is never a disappointment. Unlike it's bigger brother mentioned above, this wine is aging at a much slower apogee, and is much in line to be a dead ringer for a Gigondas from the Southern Rhone Valley. The wine has a superb concentration of black raspberry and black cherry flavors, white pepper, anise and a hint of licorice. Drinking lovely now, at age 10, figure the wine has another two or three years of time in the cellar.
2002 Villa Maria Private Bin New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
A red screw cap enclosure keeps the wine fresh and pristine. The aroma is tropical. The flavors pure, silky fresh fruit of kiwi, peach, apricot and melon. A long lingering finish that pairs up perfectly with Restaurant 808's Tuna and Fresh Catch Salmon Sushi salad. The Villa Maria remains one of the best buys in wines around. The recently released 2003 is only $9.99 a bottle, and worth having around the cellar.
2002 Core Santa Barbara County Mourvedre Rose
Winemaker David Corey is starting to get the recognition he deserves. The viticulturalist who makes wine out of the Central Coast town of Santa Maria sells some of his fruit to producers with big reputations in the Santa Barbara region, but he's smart enough to keep some for himself. Last year I called him, along with Villa Creek's Cris Cherry and Ethan Lindquist of Ethan Wines, the rookies of the year. Corey's first run at Rose remains a top pick when one wants a refreshing glass of wine, or in the case of dining at 808, something to complete a dish that good friend Jean Marie Josselin prepares on the spot. The deep rose petal colored wine is very light on the palate, with notes of strawberry, blackberry and sandalwood on the palate. The wine can linger as long as you like, but usually only until the next sip, swill or guzzle. Core Rose is a drinking wine, and with warm weather just around the corner, a wine that will please even the most discerning palate.
1996 Bernard Baudry Les Grezeaux Chinon
Baudry is one of my three or four more favorite red wine producers in the Loire Valley who have their wines exported to the USA. His wines seem to have a quality of pureness and radiance to them not found in many places. While many people love Red Burgundies for their sheer character, the overlooked Loire Valley is often times a region of hedonistic drinking pleasure, and may be one of the best accompaniments to a variety of French food, or any food for that matter. Served along with a fresh "Rich Rare" tenderloin and mashed potatoes dish, accompanied by lightly salted Chinois vegetables the red wine was a delight and makes me wonder why so many inferior wines get sold, when a charming red like this still makes the rounds.
Cheers
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