La Bastide Blanche, Bandol 2006 The fruit has a jammy character, a bit liquer-like accentuated by the parfume of sweet flowers. In the mouth, the black fruits are ripe and the tannins are too, showing themselves in a velvety way - very nice. The vines are planted to 60% Mourvedre, 15% Grenache and 15% Cinsault. [...]

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Chateau de Pibarnon, Bandol 2004 The nose combines ripe black fruits, black licorice and some earthiness in a bit of a barnyard way. There’s plenty of structure in this chewy wine, with more of the flavors in the nose and meatiness as well. The acidity keeps the wine lively and balances the tannin very nicely. [...]

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The Rhone Rangers hosted a seminar yesterday featuring wines that pay homage to the grapes made famous in France’s Rhone Valley. The seminar was not bound by geography; there were wines from both sides of the Atlantic. The seminar was also not bound by tradition as we tasted blends based on combining Syrah and Cabernet [...]

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Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, Esprit de Beaucastel 2005 The brett is dominating the nose and while it works for this style of wine, it will put off some looking for a cleaner approach in the New World. The gaminess carries through in the mouth. The tannins are ripe and there to frame this very [...]

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Andre Brunel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Les Cailloux 2005 The nose sports smoke and a healthy but appropriate dose of brett for this wine, accentuating a meatiness. The earthiness repeats in the mouth with an explosion of red fruits. The structure provides the frame around these flavors and a chance to improve over the next decade. I just [...]

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Domaine Tempier, Bandol 2005 The black fruit is blended with herbs of the region, fresh from the landscape and an element of meat on the grill. In the mouth there is lots of fruit wrapped up in tannic youthfulness. The balance is there in the concentration of the wine to the amount of tannin. [...]

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Jade Mountain, Contra Costa County, Evangelho Vineyard, Mourvedre 2005 There are some reductive notes in the nose to accompany the black fruit. In the mouth there’s a fair amount of acidity, light body and a sense of the alcohol’s warmth. The vineyard was planted back in 1890. Contra Costa offers us great opportunities to taste [...]

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Monticello, Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District, Estate Grown, Syrah 2005 Lush and graced by black fruits and a bit of black pepper. P&B in Napa 14.5% $ at the winery Monticello
Trinafour, Mendocino County, Niemi Vineyard, Carignane 2006 There’s ample acidity to give this wine some tang and the tannins are ripe and refined. Sourced from [...]

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Les Restanques de Pibarnon Bandol 2003
This is a good value offering from Pibarnon, showing ripe fruit overlaid with ripe tannins. This wine gets better each time I taste it. The complexity is there and the edges are softening - last tasted August 27, 2008. Mis au chateau par Comte de Saint Victor, prop.-recolt. a La [...]

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Jade Mountain California La Provencale 2004
Previous notes show the wine as complex and oaky though the 2nd bottle earlier in the year seemed a little alcoholic. Tonight’s bottle is very supple again and I don’t think most people would notice the alcohol. This is a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah. P&B in Napa 15.2% [...]

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