Domaine Les Yeuses Vin de Pays d’Oc Vermentino 2006
Inexpensive, clean and perhaps a hint of residual sugar. Jean-Paul and Michel Dardé maintain a 70+ hectare vineyard near the bassin de Thau in the commune of Meze, where they grow Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Terret, Muscat, Syrah, Merlot and Vermentino....
Runs with Boar
Biserno, Insoglio del Cinghiale IGT 2005 Last weekend I tasted the 2004 vintage of this wine and it was supple, warm and loaded with oak. The 2005 is a similar animal - very approachable and more New World in style than the traditional Italian...
Brunello
Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 2001 Earlier in the year one bottle was corked while the second was fine. That bottle was very complex, silky and evolved with a little less acidity than I expected, making it ready to drink without delay. Today we...
Desperately Seeking Goat Cheese
Jean Reverdy Sancerre La Reine Blanche 2006 My notes from the previous two vintages show a consistent thread of grapefruit and grass in a high acid frame; today's 2006 bottle was again high acid with substantial minerality. Produced from vines over...
Contrasting Sweets
Two Hands Barossa Valley Brilliant Disguise Moscato 2006 This wine shows like Moscato d'Asti, not to the same level of fresh orange blossom as the best from Piedmont, but still in a similar vein. Made from White Frontignac or Muscat Frontignan by...
Dr. Zin and the Lyons
Rosenblum Cellars Napa Valley Lyons Reserve Zinfandel 2004 A plush Zin that drinks like ripe red wine infused with the best of notes of a caramel infused dessert. Grapes grown above 1,000 feet in the Vaca Range on the east side of the valley....
Que Shiraz
Both wines in this flight display deep concentration and a tannic backbone. The difference in style comes in the use of oak and the display of acidity. The Thorn-Clarke exudes oak while the d'Arenberg Magpie is enhanced by acidity to make it a gem...
Tempted by Tempranillo
This flight illustrates the divide between European and New World approaches. The Pesquera has complementary brett that works but offends some. The Yalumba is ripe and supple. Pesquera Ribera del Duero DO Reserva 2001 100% Tempranillo. P&B by...
Wooping it up in the Republic
Their is ample acidity in both wines in this flight. The WW adds a slight richness whereas the Sauvignon Republic pulls no punches with its intense honoring of Sauvignon's grassy side. Woop Woop South Australia Verdelho 2006 Winemaker Ben Riggs....
South for the Sun
Chateau Coupe Roses Minervois Cuvee Vignals 2005 There's lots of black pepper to smell but the brett is coming up to visit in late '07. Now a year later, the dung is in full force. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, unfined and...