1982 Chateau Leoville Barton, Saint Julien

Medium dark. Open nose with aromas of cherry, currants, chassis and oak. Big forward cherry and current fruit flavors, with hints of leather and tobacco towards the finish that developed as the wine aired, moderate acid, still soft fruity tannins, good structure and a long finish. My rating 90.

Parker rated this wine very highly when it was young, and it has developed into a very good, mature Bordeaux that does not show any signs of decline yet. In fact this wine seems surprising tight for a 20 year old Bordeaux.

2003 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha Spain Calatayud Vinas Viejas

Dark. Raspberry and pepper on the nose. Big raspberry, strawberry fruit flavors with spices and pepper, high acid, soft tannins and a long fruity finish. A very fruity young wine that will be nice drinking over the next few years. I paid about $10. My rating 85.

2001 Chateau Bastor-Lamontagne, Sauternes

Light golden yellow. Nose had lemon and orange aromas. Sweet orange and apricot fruit, moderate acid, and a long sweet, fruity finish. A medium weight young Sauterne. I paid about $20 for a half bottle. My rating 84.

2001 Beringer, Alluvium, Knights Valley

Dark. Cherry and raspberry aromas. Cherry, chassis, and earthy flavors, moderate acid, soft tannins and long fruity finish. This is a Bordeaux blend that is good for near term drinking, and of the next 5 years or more. I paid $18. My rating 87.

2002 Chateau Souverain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

Dark. Very tight nose, with hints for cherry. Forward fruit of cherry and chassis, good acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is surprisingly tight for a Chateau Souverain. It was very slow to open in the glass. It seems to need a few years to come around. I paid $16. My rating 85.

2004 McMainis Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Dark. Cherry and plum aromas. Black cherry and mineral fruit flavors, low acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is a big, flabby young wine. It has intense fruit flavors, but lacks structure. I don’t like it even for current drinking, but my wife liked it. I paid $8, so it may be a good value for those who like this style of wine. I tried this because the retailer claimed Parker praised this wine and it was only $8. My rating 75.

Zinfandel as the California State Wine?

There is an effort in the California legislature to declare Zinfandel the California State Wine. This has apparently gotten some people up in arms who thing Cabnert Sauvignon is a better wine than Zinfandel. (here , free signup required).

I have been thinking about this and I guess I like the idea of Zinfandel as the California State Wine. What does it mean for a wine to be the state wine. The official California State Bird is the California Valley Quail. Why was it made the state bird? I don’t think I have ever seen one. It certainly is not the most widespread, most common bird in California. I don’t think it is the most beautiful bird we have in California either.

Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite red wine, and California makes some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon’s in the world. When you think about Cabernet Sauvignon though, you think about Bordeaux as well as California. Bordeaux was producing great Cabernets hundreds of years before there was a single Cabernet Sauvignon vine in California.

On the other hand, Zinfandel is a grape that became famous in California. When you think about Zinfandel, the first place you think about is California. Now Zinfandel actually is a European grape from Croatia, but it became famous once it got to California, so it seems reasonable to me to make it the California State Wine. Now if we could just get more California wine makes to stop making overripe Zinfandel….

2001 Savannah Chanelle, Zinfandel, Santa Cruz Mountains, Estate Bottled

Medium. Nose and fruit are dominated by raspberry flavors, moderate acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish. This fine example Zinfandel is made from the almost 100 year old vineyard adjacent to the old Savannah Chanelle winery that were rescured by Daniel Gehrs in the mid seventies. Although it is 15.5% alcohol, it did not taste overripe to me. It seems to have improved from when I first tasted it at the winery last spring. My rating 88.

1992 Ridge, Zinfandel, Late Harvest, Lytton Springs Estate Vineyard

Very dark garnet. Strawberry aromas. Very sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors, soft acid, moderate soft tannins, and long raspberry fruit finish. Although this Zinfandel has 16.0% alcohol and is very sweet with 8% residual sugar, I detected only a slight hint of over ripeness. I think I like the 1991 better. My rating 85.

2004, Cline, Zinfandel, California, Ancient Vines

Dark. Nose has aromas of strawberries and cherry. Big concentrated strawberry and cherry fruit flavors, moderate acid, modest tannins, and a long overripe fruit flavors on the finish. Another example of the overripe, high alcohol (15.0%) style of Zins which are popular in California winemaking today. We are going to make this the offical California state wine? Not rated.

2003 Cliff Lede, Claret, Stags Leap District

Dark. Cherry, plum and spice aromas. Cherry, plums, and spices in the forward fruit, good acid, soft, round tannins, long fruit finish. The fruit on this wine developed more intensity on the finish, with hints of chocolate and nutmeg. This is a very appealing young Bordeaux blend wine. I’m not sure how it will age, but it is delicious right now. It is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.. 1948 cases produced. List price $35. My rating 90.

2001 Ridge, Mazzoni, Home Ranch

Dark. Tight nose with some strawberry aromas. Big, tight wine with cherry and strawberry fruit flavors, moderate acid, high tannins, and a long fruity finish with a good dose of astringency. I think mostly harmless is the best description of this wine. Maybe it needs some more a few more years to open up. 45% Zinfandel, 50% Carignane, 5% Petite Sirah. My rating 80.

1997 Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes

Golden. Nose has aromas of honey, apricots and oranges. It is very sweet, rich and oily in the mouth, with flavors of oranges and honey, moderate acid, and a long sweet finish. This is a good, young Sauternes, but I am a little worried about the acid for long term aging. Perhaps it just has so much big, fat fruit now that the acid is not showing. My rating 89.

1982 Chateau Lynch-Bages

I had several bottle of this wine last year, here and here, and this one was very similar. It seems to have held up slightly better than the March 2005 bottle, even though the cork was stained all the way up the side and was not tightly seated. The cork broke into two large pieces while getting it out. The wine had earthy flavors with licorice and tobacco to add complexity to the cherry and chassis. My rating 91.

This was my Super Bowl wine. I thought it went well with the game. It definitely was not a wimpy wine.

2002 Savannah Chanelle, Pinot Noir, Armagh Vineyard

Medium garnet. Cheery and spicey oak nose. Cherry and raspberry fruit flavors, moderate acid, soft tannin, and a long fruity finish. A very nice Pinot Noir with lots of fruit and good structure. My rating 86.

2002 Testarossa, Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard

Medium garnet. Cherry and oak on the nose. Big forward fruit flavors of cherry, plums, and raspberry with hints of muskiness, moderate acid and a long fruit finish. A very good Pinot Noir that continued to improve with airing. My rating 88.

I recently tasted the 2004 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir from Testarossa at the winery. It is very good, perhaps slightly better than this 2002, but the 2004 is very young and tight and needs a couple of years to open up.

2004 Cline, Cashmere

Medium dark. Aromas of cherry and chocolate. Forward fruit has overripe flavors of chocolate and coffee, moderate acid, soft tannins and a long finish. The fruit has so much potential, but like the 2003 Cashmere, it tastes hopelessly overripe to me. The alcohol is 15.0%. Not rated.

1981 Chateau Margaux

Medium dark, brownish around the edges. Open nose with aromas of cherry, cedar and spices. As it aired, the nose developed smoky overtones. Cherry and chassis fruit flavors dominate, with smoke, leather and spices, moderate acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. Margaux is all about fitness and elegance, and this bottle certainly showed plenty of that. It does not have the power or concentration of a Latour, but it is superbly balanced with rich, complex fruit flavors. Definitely ready to drink, and will probably hold for a few more years. My rating 92.

The 1981 vintage of Margaux was overshadowed by the 1982 and 1983 vintages, which at the time were considered powerhouse wines. I have some of the 1983 Margaux and hopefully will get around to trying a bottle of it this year.

1986 Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes

Golden. Rich nose with aromas of apricots and oranges. Big intense fruit flavors or caramel, honey, oranges and spices, high acid and a very long, fruity finish. A huge, balanced and very smooth, almost creamy, Sauternes. The best Sauternes I have had in a long time. It still seems very youthful, and shows no signs of decline. I expect it will continue to hold for a number of more years. I think this is clearly showing better than the 1983 Chateau Raymond-Lafon right now. My rating 91.

In the 1980s Parker speculated on how the 1983 and 1986 Chateau Raymond-Lafon would develop. Having tried both of these recently, it seems to me the 1986 is showing better right now, but the 1983 seems more youthful. The 1986 seems mature while the 1983 shows promise for further improvement.

2001 Cline, Zinfandel, Big Break

Dark. Open nose with cherry, strawberry and eucalyptus aromas. Rich cherry, strawberry, eucalyptus and spice fruit flavors, good acid, moderate soft tannins, and a long fruity finish with a aftertaste of mint. Some people might be turned off by the mint and eucalyptus in this big Zinfandel, but I find it very attractive. It is ready to drink but will hold for at least 5 more years. This wine is made from 100-year-old head trained vines. I’m not sure what the price on this wine was, but the 2003 from this vineyard is $28 list. My rating is 90.

1998 Ridge, Syrah, Lytton Estate

Very dark. Black raspberry aromas on the nose. Big black raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors with hints of chocolate, moderate acid, substantial tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is a huge wine that needs a bit more time. 90% Syrah, 10% Viognier. My rating 88.

I tasted this wine while watching the NFL league championship games. What do other people think is a good Supper Bowl wine?

2002 Cliff Lede, Pinot Noir, Napa Valley

Medium dark. Cherry and cedar on the nose. Black cherry, spicey, moderate acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. A nice Pinot Noir. I think this wine was around $25 to $30. My rating 85.

From my visit last summer to Cliff Lede, I expect them to discontinue this wine sometime in the next few years.

2002 Ridge, Grenache, Lytton Estate

Dark. Strawberry and raspberry aromas on the nose. Big, concentrated strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors, moderate acid, some soft tannin, and a long fruity finish. The intense forward fruit was very good, but on the finish the fruit tasted slightly overripe. Still, this is a nice Grenache with loads of concentrated fruit flavors. 78% Grenache, 13% Petite Sirah, and 9% Zinfandel. 14.7% Alcohol. My rating 83.

1982 Chateau Branaire-Ducru, Saint Julien

Medium dark, brownish around the rim. Open nose of red cherry and cedar with hints of smoke. Red cherry and chassis, moderate acid, soft tannins, and long fruity finish. A very good mature Bordeaux with nice fruit flavors, but lacking in the complexity of a top Bordeaux. The wine is ready to drink and doesn’t show signs of decline yet. My rating 89.

As you can see in the picture, I paid $15.80 for this wine. This was after the 1982 Bordeaux had arrived in the US and the prices had already gone up. I wish I could find wine of this quality for that price today.

2001 Ridge, Zinfandel, Dusi Ranch

Very dark. Open nose of strawberry and cherry. Big forward overripe strawberry, cherry and raspberry fruit flavors, moderate acid, soft tannins, and long fruity, hot finish. This is a very fruity, but overripe Zinfandel. The Alchol is 15.2%, Not rated.

1988 Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello

Medium dark, brownish around the rim. Open nose of red cherry, cedar and eucalyptus. Red cherry with eucalyptus and mint flavors, high acid, soft tannins, long fruity finish. An elegant and mature cabernet that lacked the big fruit and structure that you find in the top Monte Bello vintages. I think this wine is probably at its peak and will not improve from here. Although not labeled a Cabernet Sauvignon, it is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. My rating 88.

1986 Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello

Medium dark garnet, brownish around the rim. Open nose of red cherry, chassis and cedar. Red cherry and currant fruit flavors with hints of tobacco and forest floor, high acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is an elegant, mature California Cabernet that still has lots of fruit intensity and complexity. While is shows no signs of decline, it is not going to get any better. It is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. My rating 93.

It would have been interesting have tasted the 1986 Caymus and 1983 Pichon Lalande with this wine, but I had them all on different nights over the Christmas week. The 1983 Pichon Lalande and the 1986 Monte Bello had a lot of similar fruit flavors.

1983 Pichon Lalande

Medium dark, brick around the edges. Open nose with red cherry and cedar. Red cherry, chassis and tobacco, high acid, soft tannins, long fruity finish. This is a elegant mature Bordeaux. The complexity seemed to grow in the glass as the wine aired. This wine seems to be fully mature and holding very well. I don’t think it will improve, but it is hold well. My rating 92.

1986 Caymus, Special Selection

Medium dark. Open nose with cherry, oak with earthy aromas. Red cherry and plum fruit flavors with overtones of spices and early overtones, high acid, fine, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. Nicely aged with good balanced and structure and lots of complexity. Not likely to improve from here, but no signs of decline. My rating 92.

1996 Ridge, Syrah, Lytton Estate

Dark. Aromas of raspberry and strawberry on the nose. Slightly overripe raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors, high acid, large amounts of softer tannins, long fruity, hot finish. This wine still has lots of tannins, but I am not sure it is getting any better. The fruit tastes overripe and it has a hot finish. The label says the alcohol is 14.2%. It is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Not rated.

1988 Ridge, Petite Sirah, York Creek, Devils Hill

Dark. Tight nose with a little raspberry aromas. Raspberry flavors, moderate acid, still hard tannins, and a long finish. Rather modest fruit flavors. My rating 82.

2002 Savannah Chanelle, Pinot Noir, Laetitia Vineyard, Arroyo Grande Valley

Medium dark garnet. Red and black cherry aromas on the nose. Big red cherry forward fruit, high acid, soft tannins, and long fruity finish. This is a good Pinot with big fruit flavors and very lively acid. I think this was around $25. My rating 86.

1990 Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Medium dark, brick colored. Cherry and chassis on the nose. Red and black cheery fruit with dusty, earthy overtones, moderate acid, soft tannins, and a long, fruity finish. This is an elegant, mature Cabernet. This bottle showed a little more complexity than the previous bottle in January. My rating 87.

2004 Loring Wine Company, Pinot Noir, Rosella’s Vineyard

Medium dark. Cherry and strawberry on the nose. Big strawberry and cherry fruit flavors, moderate acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity, slightly hot finish. This is a big Pinot, with big fruit flavors, and high alcohol (14.9%). I liked it, although the finish seemed hot at times. My rating 89.

Two 1983 Sauternes

I happen to have these two wines just days apart.

1983 Chateau Raymond-Lafon, Sauternes

Medium dark gold. apricots, peaches and honey on the nose. Apricots, pears, and honey furit flavors, surpisingly high acid, and a long fruity finish. This wine still tastes amazingly youthful, with high, lively acid. I’m guess this will continue to hold and maybe even improve slightly. My rating 89.

1983 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes

Very dark, amber golden color. Deep aromas of apricots and honey. Apricots, pears, peaches, and honey fruit flavors, good acid, and a long fruity finish. A delicious Sauternes. This wine is not getting any better, drink up. My rating 91.

These are both very good, mature Sauternes, but the Rieussec is clearly the stand out of these two, with deep, more intense fruit flavors. On the other hand, the Raymond-Lafon seems like a young Sauternes with many years ahead of it, while the Rieussec seems fully mature.

2000 Ridge, Zinfandel, Nervo, Late Picked

Very dark color. Very ripe raspberry aromas on the nose. Overripe black raspberry flavors, moderate acid, moderate softer tannins, and a long fruity finish. This a hard wine to pair up with food. I had it with some curried chicken dish, and the fruit is so intense it held up well to the spicy curry, but at 15.7% alcohol it is not really a food wine. My rating 80.

2000 Ravens Wood, Zinfandel, Cooke Vineyard

Dark. Aromas of cherry and eucalyptus on the nose. Forward cherry fruit with mint and eucalyptus, moderate acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is a good Zinfandel with unusual fruit flavors for a Zin. Some people may not like the eucalyptus on this wine, but I think it makes it more interesting. It is very fruity, without being overripe, which makes it a good food wine. My rating 88.

1983 Chateau Suduiraut, Sauternes

These tasting notes are from a half bottle. Dark golden color. Aromas of apricots and wood on the nose. Rich flavors of apricots, carmel, and pears, moderate acid, and long apricot finish. This Sauternes is beginning to lose its sweetness, at least in this half bottle size, although it is aging very gracefully, with big complex fruit flavors. To my taste it seems much bigger and more appealing now then when it was younger. I had a full case of half bottles, but it is almost gone now. I appear to have one more half-bottle left. My rating 88.

1987 Ridge, Petite Sirah, York Creek, Devils Hill

Very dark. Raspberry and strawberry aromas on nose. Black raspberry flavors, moderate acid, still hard tannins, and a long astringent finish. Tasting notes for this bottle are similar to the other bottle I had in April. I don’t have anymore, but you have to wonder if the fruit will be gone before the tannins ever soften out in this one. Other vintages from Devils Hill have not had this problem. My rating 84.

2003 Ravens Wood, Merlot, Sonoma County

Medium dark. Cherry aromas on the nose. Nice black cherry fruit, with some smoke, moderate acid, solid structure, some hard tannins, and long fruity finish. This not your usual wimpy Merlot. It needs a few years of aging to soften out the hard tannins. People who drink Merlot because it is not tannic when young, should avoid this wine, but for everyone else this is a good value. List price $18.50. Should be discounted in the $12 to $15 range. 5600 cases produced. My rating 84.

2004 Abrazo Del Toro Tinto

Medium dark. Nose of red cherry and strawberry. Lots of red cherry forward fruit with spicey overtones, good acid, soft tannins, long fruity finish. This is a light, fruity wine and is a good value. I had the impression this wine had a little residual sugar, but maybe it was just very fruity. I paid $4 at Trader Joe’s. My rating 80.

1989 Chateau Monbrison

Moderately dark, slight brick color around the edges. Open nose with aromas of red cherry and chassis. Big cherry and chassis fruit flavors with hints of chocolate and spices, high acid, soft tannins, long fruity finish. My rating 90.

2000 Cline, Zinfandel, Live Oak Vineyard

Medium dark. Very ripe raspberry nose. Big, very ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit, moderate acid, substantial tannins, and a long finish. This is a big, somewhat overripe Zinfandel, in the style which seems to be trendy, and which I don’t really like. The alcholo is 15.5% My rating is 83.

2001 Valley of the Moon, Zinfandel, Estate old vine

Medium dark. Raspberry aromas on the nose. Forward raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors with a few hints of chocolate, moderate acid, significant amounts of hard tannins, and long fruity finish. A nice Zinfandel that needs a few more years of age to soften it out. Alcohol is 14.5%. My rating is 86. I bought this at the winery months ago and don’t remember what I paid for it.

1990 Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello Vineyards

Dark. Open nose with aromas of cherry, eucalyptus, and caramel. Big forward fruit with flavors of cherry, chocalate, eucalyptus, and mint, substantial acid, soft tannins, and a long fruity finish. Complex, fruity, fully mature, but seems to be holding well. My rating 95.

Administrative Note

In case you have not noticed, I added a RSS feed finally. It is near the bottom of the left menu.

I also change to using popup comment windows that require retyping a word to try to cut down on the spam comments I have been deleting.

2002 Ridge, Carignane, Buchignani Range

Very dark. Rather tight nose with raspberries and strawberry aroma. Intense cherry and raspberry fruit flavors with good acid, some hard tannins, and a long fruity finish. This wine is proof that you can make a big, fruity wine with fully ripe fruit flavors and still keep the alcohol below 14%, 13.7% in this case. My rating 88.

2001 Sierra Cantabria, Rioja, Cuvee Especial, Spain

Very dark garnet. Interesting nose with spicy aromas of forest floor and mushrooms. Big cherry, earthy fruits with overtones of tobacco and spices, high acid, substantial hard tannins, and a long fruity finish. This wine has interesting, complex fruit flavors and appears to need some time to soften out the hard tannins. I paid around $18. My rating 89.

2003, Juan Gil, Jumilla, Spain

Very dark garnet. Tight nose, with raspberry aromas. Big raspberry, strawberry fruit flavors, high acid, a good dose of hard tannins, and a long fruity finish. This wine tastes very ripe, perhaps a bit overripe, but it is an intensely fruit wine. Alcohol is 14.8%. It is made from 100% Monastrell. I paid around $12. My rating 86.

2003 Cliff Lede, Petite Sirah, North Coast

Very dark. Nose has aromas of strawberry and raspberry. Intense strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors with hints of chocolate, moderate acid, some hard tannins, long fruity finish. This is a nice fruity Petite Sirah that needs a few years to soften the hard tannins. The alcohol is 15.3%, which seems to show a little bit on the finish. List price is $28. My rating is 88.

2003 Ravenswood, Petite Sirah, Sonoma County

Very dark. Tight nose, with black berry aromas. Big black cherry flavors with a hint of chocalate, moderate acid, substantial hard tannins, and a long fruity finish. This is a big Petite Sirah that needs a few years to soften out. The alcohol is 15.0%, which does not show right now, because it has so much fruit. List price is $15. My rating is 87.

I like the 2002 a little better.

2003 Ravenswood, Zinfandel, Napa

Medium dark. Nose has cherry aromas. Lots of cherry forward fruit, high acid, moderate tannins, and a long fruity finish. Seems simpler than the 2002. List price $15. My rating 80.

1988 Philip Togni, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Estate Bottled

Very dark garnet, with just a little brownish edge. Big nose with cherry, tobacco, and chassis aromas. Concentrated forward fruit with flavors of cherry, tobacco, and spices, with just a hint of herbal flavors, high acid, soft tannins, and a long smooth, fruity finish. This Philip Togni is a vast improvement on the 1986 and 1987 I tasted earlier this year. It has a hint of the green bean flavors that dominated the 1986 and 1987, but here they are integrated with lots of cherry fruit and it seems to add to the complexity rather than ruin the wine. This one tastes completely mature, and there is no need to cellar it any longer. My rating 89.