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7-25-2001
WHITES:
QPR
1998 St. Supery, Napa
Valley, Sauvignon Blanc
Light yellow straw in color, moderately strong aromas of melon,
tropical, pineapple, grapefruit and grass, flavors followed with
ripe melon, white peaches along with some mild lemony lime citrus,
mildly spicy and grassy, simple fruit, seemed a little fat and ripe
to carry the acidity it did, some suspected it had been acidified,
a little oaky on the finish. A Sauvignon Blanc that wants to be
a Chardonnay. $9
AV
1997 Callaway, Temecula,
Sauvignon Blanc
Medium light yellow , nose was off, very oxidized, nutty, funky,
honey. grassy, medicinal, flavors were also oxidized showed some
rich tropical fruits, almond, melon, lacking in acidity. This bottle
definitely did not last long, it had a lot of intensity but seems
like it did not have the structure to age. $5
AV
1999 Cloudy Bay, Marlborough,
New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc
This wine was fairly controversial among our group. Light straw
in color, moderate aromatics that showed the typical grapefruit
peel, boxwood and minerals along with some mild mousy moldy aromas,
flavors were more intense showing grapefruit and gooseberry with
a hint of moldiness, but seemed to relinquish themselves a bit too
quickly, lacking the normal mid-palate and finish. We discussed
this wine, most of us had tasted it before and felt that it was
an off bottle. It was likely very mildly corked and/or there was
some kind of mold taking hold in the wine. It definitely did not
have the zip and freshness that one expects from a really good bottle
of Cloudy Bay. I noted that this has been a recurring problem for
this winery. I've seen it happen in each of the last three vintages.
I wonder if there could be some type of bad shipping problem going
on, perhaps leading to the over heating of these wines??? $18
PV
1999 Calina, Itata
Valley, Chile, Chardonnay
Light yellow, mild aromas of buttery pear, tropical fruit and
toast, very restrained, the palate had more intensity with flavors
of pear, apple, buttery vanilla oak and mild lemony citrus, overall
seemed very oaky with a bit of astringency on the finish, very simple
with poorly developed aromatics, light bodied with moderate acidity
at best. $8
AV
1999 Ojai Vineyards,
California, Vin Gris
Rose of Grenache I believe, medium reddish pink, floral aromas
of rose petals, strawberry, raspberry and a bit of oak, flavors
followed with spicy strawberry and oak, pleasant fruit with a slight
bitter finish, light in texture, nicely balanced, refreshing, one
person felt it was a little weak on the palate, the rest of us felt
that it was exactly as it should be. Nice Rose. $12
- AV
REDS:
QPR
1998 le Clos du Caillou,
Cotes du Rhone, Vielles Vignes, Red Rhone Blend
Corked again! Two times in a row!! Not a good sign! This wine can
show very nicely but so far we haven't had very good luck trying
to review it.
2000 Saint Cosme,
Cotes du Rhone, Red Rhone Blend
Dark purple, moderate aromas of grapey blackberry, with toasty
vanilla and a slight gamey, meaty, tarry character and some pepper,
flavors showed grapey blackberry, cherry and cocoa with a hint of
mineral, some rubbery tar and oak, seemed a bit hollow on the mid
palate, direct simple forward fruit, round, a bit low in acidity
with moderately low tannins. Decent but not great, that is for sure,
seems fairly new world in style. Reminds me of a petite Sirah. Nice
little quaffing wine at a great price. $10
GV
1998 Kendal Jackson,
California, Vintners Reserve, Syrah
Medium dark purple with some bricking, mild aromas of floral
blackberry, boysenberry, vanilla oak and some coffee, flavors of
red and black berries, tea leaf, coffee, almost a little Pinot like
with a little brightness to the fruit, slightly crisp with medium
tannins, decent length, nicely balanced. Seems to be a bit more
pleasant, balanced and resolved than the 1999 was. Decent every
day wine. $12
AV
1999 Kendal Jackson,
California, Vintners Reserve, Syrah
Medium dark garnet, aromas seem a little strange, grapey and
ripe with some blackberry, crushed flowers and spice, perhaps some
green character to it also, flavors of grapey blackberry along with
some red fruit, coffee and oak, a little stemmy, simple but nice,
a slightly tart finish with moderate fine grained tannins. Decent
quaffing wine at a fair price. $12
AV
1998 Rosemount Estate,
Southeast Australia, Black Diamond, Shiraz
Dark purple with some slight bricking, aromas showed dark plummy
cherry, a touch of oak, spice and cocoa, a little swampy and medicinal,
flavors showed blackberry, cherry, tea leaf and coffee, decent pleasant
fruit palate, moderately structured, ripe, smooth, nicely balanced.
Enjoyable to drink. Great value! I picked this up for $8
+ GV
1997 Kendal Jackson,
California, Vintners Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark bricked
garnet, mild to moderate aromatics with black cherry, vanilla oak
and tobacco, medicinal, flavors are very primary with black cherry,
vanilla oak and a hint of chocolate, moderate acidity and tannins.
Medium bodied, decent balance, smooth. Easy drinking. $12
- GV
1997 St. Supery, Napa
Valley, Dollarhide Ranch, Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium dark
red, aromas are a bit medicinal with grapey black cherry, leather
and oak, flavors of ripe cherry, vanilla oak and leather, very simple,
short on the finish and a bit hollow on the midpalate but drinks
nicely none the less, nicely balanced and moderately structured,
fairly nondescript, seems well made, no flaws but nothing stands
out. Good BBQ cab. $13
AV
1999 Tapiz, Mendoza,
Argentina, Merlot
Dark ruby purple, nose shows cassis, black cherry, cocoa, vanilla
oak and a hint of brown spice, flavors show cherry, cassis, milk
chocolate, vanilla oak and coffee, bright yet smooth, light to medium
body, slightly low acidity and mild to medium tannins, smooth with
decent balance. Nice quaffer. $9
GV
1999 Calina, Maule
Valley, Chile, Merlot
Medium dark purple, fairly strong aromas showing dark cherry, cassis,
herbaceous green character, spice and a hint of sulfur, flavors
show cherry, cassis, leather, chocolate, herbs and mild oak, stemmy,
medium body, moderately structured, a hint of astringency on the
finish. Decent balance. $10
- AV
REDS:
PREMIUM
1999 Domaine Les Pallieres,
Gigondas, France, Red Rhone Blend
Medium light
red, nose is a bit subdued, shows a floral character with spicy
strawberry, cherry/raspberry, Rhonish/gamey, Grenache based character,
flavors are moderately intense, they show Rhonish/gamey/meaty, strawberry,
chocolate, and spicy pepper, light to medium body, moderate slightly
crisp acidity, medium tannins, showing a little complexity, drinking
very nice today, showing very good balance.$20
AV
1998 Tatachilla, McLaren
Vale, Australia, Shiraz
Dark purple,
aromas show ripe blackberry, cassis/currant, charred smoky oak,
meaty, grapey, ripe and burnished, flavors are pretty intense on
the palate showing blackberry, chocolate, tea leaf, charred oak
and lots of vanilla, fairly ripe and generously styled, Australian
styled for certain, moderately low acidity with medium tannins,
full body with decent balance, this is a great value at $16. Can't
ask for much more at this price point!
- GV
1998 Domaine Clavel,
Copa Santa, Coteaux Du Languedoc, France, Syrah
Very dark purple,
nose is a bit simple showing grapey ripe blackberry, oak, chocolate
and a bit of varnish, flavors show black cherry/berry, cocoa, mineral
and oak, very ripe, medium full body, low acidity, huge coarse grained
tannins, nicely balanced. Another great value. $16
GV
1997 Palazzo Della
Torre, Allegrini, Veneto, Italy, Red Corvina Blend
Made of Corvina,
Rondinella and Molinara. Bright dark purple in color, aromas seem
high toned and medicinal with black cherry and plastic, flavors
show red cherry, currant, perhaps a little leather, seems simple,
round, soft, and new world in style, medium body, low acidity and
low tannins, short on the finish. I was hoping for a lot more from
this bottle. It is very easy drinking, but it just doesn't provide
much complexity or structure. I have a hard time believing a wine
like this will hold up more than a few short years. Good price though
at $12 and hard to complain about even if it does turn out to be
a short timer.
+ GV
1997 Agricola La Palazzola,
Rubino, Umbria, Italy
Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Merlot
Dark purple,
aromas of intense ripe blackberry, black cherry and cigar box, flavors
of blackberry, tea leaf, tobacco, chocolate and pepper, great complexity
though our note does not really show it, we were getting tired and
running out of adjectives, this was a very intense yet excellently
balanced wine, medium full body, solid structure with crisp acidity
and very full medium grained tannins, smooth with a long finish,
this wine drank great for three days afterwards and started showing
a lot of rich cassis and chocolate as the hours ticked by. This
was the best wine of the tasting. $29
GV
Tasting held at:
Vintage Wines, a local
wine shop in San Diego, California
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