Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I had a wine rep buddy stop by today while I was lunching at Arterra in Del Mar, CA.
2003 Guilheim Durand Syrah Vin d’Pays d’Hautrive
From the region near Corbieres, the rich and chewy fat red is loaded with dusty blueberry fruit, has good balance and is a good value wine for near term drinking. It’s a wine you would find for about 12 dollars or so at most retailers on the west coast. Perfect for backyard BBQs and with burgers.
2003 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Cotes du Roussillon Village
The wine is tight, very coiled, and not at like other Gauby wines I’ve had in the past. Candidly, other wines from the Roussillon available now like Clos de Fees and even Gardies blows this away. As a fan of Gauby since the early 90’s, I was saddened to see how the wines have so increased in price, as they have and yet, the basic wine has dropped to where it’s not a consideration any longer for my cellar. I need to try this wine again, for a winemaker of Gauby stature couldn’t have dropped this far this fast.
2003 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Maximillien
A thin, watery, light wine. Considering how great the 2003 vintage was in the Rhone I was shocked at how poor this wine showed. It lacked any depth, complexity or flavor that one would expect from a Villages wine from the southern Rhone. While those who don’t know what good is would like this wine, those who have had better, i.e. Guigal, Trignon, etc. would know that in the southern Rhone wines like this are sold in plastic jugs.
2002 Bucklin Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
Made from century old vine from a vineyard which has more than Zin planted in it, this classic California Zinfandel is made by the family that supplies grapes to Ravenswood. The old school style red is chock full of flavors that remind me of 80s era Zinfandel before it was a hot wine to buy. This brambly and black current flavored wine is smashingly chunky, with an elegant mid-palate and flavors that linger on for what seems like a minute. This is one outstanding wine and worth seeking out.
Cheers,
Andy
2003 Guilheim Durand Syrah Vin d’Pays d’Hautrive
From the region near Corbieres, the rich and chewy fat red is loaded with dusty blueberry fruit, has good balance and is a good value wine for near term drinking. It’s a wine you would find for about 12 dollars or so at most retailers on the west coast. Perfect for backyard BBQs and with burgers.
2003 Domaine Gauby Les Calcinaires Cotes du Roussillon Village
The wine is tight, very coiled, and not at like other Gauby wines I’ve had in the past. Candidly, other wines from the Roussillon available now like Clos de Fees and even Gardies blows this away. As a fan of Gauby since the early 90’s, I was saddened to see how the wines have so increased in price, as they have and yet, the basic wine has dropped to where it’s not a consideration any longer for my cellar. I need to try this wine again, for a winemaker of Gauby stature couldn’t have dropped this far this fast.
2003 Domaine les Grands Bois Cairanne Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Maximillien
A thin, watery, light wine. Considering how great the 2003 vintage was in the Rhone I was shocked at how poor this wine showed. It lacked any depth, complexity or flavor that one would expect from a Villages wine from the southern Rhone. While those who don’t know what good is would like this wine, those who have had better, i.e. Guigal, Trignon, etc. would know that in the southern Rhone wines like this are sold in plastic jugs.
2002 Bucklin Old Hill Ranch Zinfandel
Made from century old vine from a vineyard which has more than Zin planted in it, this classic California Zinfandel is made by the family that supplies grapes to Ravenswood. The old school style red is chock full of flavors that remind me of 80s era Zinfandel before it was a hot wine to buy. This brambly and black current flavored wine is smashingly chunky, with an elegant mid-palate and flavors that linger on for what seems like a minute. This is one outstanding wine and worth seeking out.
Cheers,
Andy
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