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Jim
 
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Default TN: 05 Fall Vendors' Sale at TAC (long -- 24 notes)

2005 FALL VENDORS SALE - Tokyo American Club (9/30/2005)

Twice a year, a large number of importers/wholesalers come to TAC to
show and peddle their wares. There were a lot more wines open than I
tasted, as this is as much a social event as a tasting event. I would
have tasted more, but enjoyed talking to Oliver Mackie, David Hawkins,
Steve Doi, my wine-loving neighbors Bryan and Amy, my cousin Richard
and his wife Naoko, Jonathon Kreigel, a few importers, and a number of
non-geek friends.

Normal cautions apply to notes from this kind of tasting. Nothing had
time to open or develop. Impressions were brief as I moved from table
to table as quickly as practicable.

On to the wines:

*1999 Argyle Brut - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

Very light mousse, almost more petillant than mousseaux. Nose driven by
apple and a little apple stem sap, along with slight caramel and toast
notes. On the palate it is almost all light lemony and appley flavors.
Finish a bit short, but not bad for a value sparkler.

*N.V. Montaudon Champagne Brut - France, Champagne, Reims, Champagne

Large, extremely vigourous mousse. Nose of green apple brulee. Palate
has a little honeyed fruit but is mostly acid and steel. Hard to
evaluate in the midst of all the other wines and from a standard
tasting glass. I suspect this may be more interesting than I indicate,
but it seemed extremely young, almost as if it had just been disgorged
and shipped.

*2002 Finca Allende Rioja - Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

Light young color with a nose that shows sweet new wood and, hiding
underneath, some citrus fruit. Palate has a little hidden acidity but
is mostly all about creamy oak and pretty ripe citrus. Probably good
ripe fruit balance under the oak, but who knows when it will integrate?

*2004 Husch Vineyards Gew=FCrztraminer - USA, California, Mendocino
County, Anderson Valley

Very sweet on nose with classic floral and lychee character. Palate has
a fair degree of apparent sweetness, but is supported by good acidity.
White stone fruit and a touch of spice dominate the taste with attar on
the finish. A little exotic for most food, but a very good rendition
for drinking on its own. Doesn't have the body of an Alsatian, but has
all of the elements in a nice, light, off-dry package. Nicely done for
what it is and good value.

*2004 Greenhough Riesling - New Zealand, South Island, Nelson

This was very nice with a nose of crisp white fruit, a wee bit of young
petrol, and schist. Remained crisp on the palate and was fermented dry,
but had a surprising degree of viscosity for the nose and dryness.
Reminded me very much of Alsatian riesling stylistically. Cheapest of
all the Greenhough wines on show, but also the best to my palate.
Impressive effort.

*2003 Greenhough Riesling Single Vineyard Hope Vineyard - New Zealand,
South Island, Nelson

Sweetish nose of white plum, lemon/lime and apple. A little honey, but
more fruit-sweet driven. Palate is a little richer than the dry Nelson
version, but only off-dry in impact. Much less of the Alsace impression
that had fascinated me in the dry Nelson version, but a slightly
haunting limeade sweetness is nice, especially with the floral/mineral
notes that appear on the finish.

*2002 Greenhough Chardonnay - New Zealand, South Island, Nelson

Nose was strongly dominated by wood, as was the palate. Underneath
there was some ripe white peach and smokey apple fruit with a little
sweet stewed apple/honey character. Seemed to have some acidity as it
wasn't really fat and flabby, but it was hard to concentrate on
anything other than the toasty oak. Not for me.

*2004 Edna Valley Vineyards Chardonnay Paragon - USA, California, San
Luis Obispo County, Edna Valley

The nose on this begins with sour apple and lees, with a bit of
pineapple and stone to make things more interesting. The oak is there
(in significant dose) but somehow manages not to dominate. The palate
carries forward and is a bit cleaner than the nose, with a little more
tropical fruit, some more apple, and nice acidity. Only on the
persistent finish does the oak really begin to dominate. The sour
apple/leesy note is not offputting and doesn't seem flawed. In fact, it
is a little interesting (and nice to know the acid character survived
full malo). I suspect it is a function of the very active winemaking
style and may settle down with a bit more time in bottle.

*2003 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir - USA, California, Santa Maria

Great nose with dry red fruit and earth. A bit dilute on palate with
lightly sour cherry fruit and a little sweeter red berry component and
some nice mineral on the finish. Good acid and earth/mineral components
are appealing, but concentration seems to be a real issue. I got into a
conversation with a friend while this was in the glass, so I was able
to come back to it after fifteen minutes. It had picked up a little
weight, but was still, perhaps, a little thin.

*2003 Greenhough Pinot Noir Hope Vineyard - New Zealand, South Island,
Nelson

This was the only Greenhough wine tasted that was not under screwcap.
Fittingly, bottle #1 was badly corked. Bottle two showed a ripe nose
straight away upon pouring, with a little interesting musky tail. There
was a little oak on the nose, fairly toasty, but not obscuring the ripe
fruit. Palate added a little earthiness to the ripe fruit and carried
forward some oak sweetness. Interesting, wouldn't mind drinking it, but
certainly not on my buy list at $35.

*2003 Edna Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Paragon - USA, California, San
Luis Obispo County, Edna Valley

Nose began with strawberry fruit and nice strong earth and leaf
character. In a way, the nose was reminiscent of Loire cab franc from a
good year. The palate showed a fair dose of wood, but a nice underlay
of ripe dark berry and black cherry fruit, with the earth still in
play. Kind of an odd combination, so much leaf and red fruit on the
nose and such deep dark fruit on the palate. With a little time to
integrate, this could be good.

*2003 Saintsbury Pinot Noir - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros

Strong initial whiff of sweet wood on nose, which gives way to bright
red fruit and a little herb. Very clean and bright. Theme continues on
the palate, where the wine has reasonable concentration, but very
little weight. A little mineral joins the red fruit on the finish,
where the oak again becomes a wee bit intrusive. Experience with prior
vintages suggests the oak should integrate. If it does, this should
become a good example of a clean, elegant, bright red-fruit pinot with
just a little mineral to mix things up.

*2003 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County,
Sonoma Coast

This begins with nicely earthy dark berry elements that outrun the oak
on the race to the nose. There is clearly some degree of new oak, but
the fruit and earth come easily to the forefront. This has nice
concentration without weight and a very silky, velvety moutfeel with
just enough acidity to delineate the deep cherry that joins the berry
on the palate, along with a little herb and cola in the finish. Oak is
there again, but is held in check by the fruit and herbs. Nice nod to
Burgundian elegance, purity, and earth while maintaining the sexiness
of its Sonoma fruit. Nice job. It won't turn me off my Burg fixation,
but I'd be very happy to run into this at dinner some day.

*2002 Dashe Cellars Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley - USA, California,
Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

I really like Dry Creek Valley zin. It is my favorite zin source. I
have also like what Dashe has done before. Too bad that this was
alcoholic on the nose and dilute in the mid-palate. There was a little
bramble and briar fruit mixed in for pleasure, but the wine was
disappointing.

*2004 Martinelle C=F4tes du Ventoux - France, Rh=F4ne, Southern Rh=F4ne,
C=F4tes du Ventoux

Nose is of framboise-sweet fruit. Palate is similarly pure raspberry
with a little alcohol, but is a little bit dilute. Not bad for a
current, everyday drinker, but I would expect slightly more
concentration and a little something (anything) of interest beyond the
fruit for the $19 price tag.

*2003 Mas de Boislauzon C=F4tes du Rh=F4ne Villages - France, Rh=F4ne,
Southern Rh=F4ne, C=F4tes du Rh=F4ne Villages

Nose shows nice array of dry leaf, tobacco, spice along with a little
berry fruit. Fruit is similarly restrained on palate, but nice foresty
complexity and an appealing bit of earthy grip to the texture.
Certainly dry and lean for vintage and much tighter than the '01 was a
year ago, suggesting that this should open up into a really nicely
balanced '03 Cotes du Rhones. Very nice job.

*2003 des Espiers C=F4tes du Rh=F4ne Villages Sablet - France, Rh=F4ne,
Southern Rh=F4ne, C=F4tes du Rh=F4ne Villages Sablet

Rich ripe purplish red. Second wine of the night with a clear framboise
nose, but this time without any hint of alcohol. Ripeness clearly
places it within the vintage, but without any roasting or heat. A touch
of pepper/spice. Ripe again on palate with red and black berry
sweetness and a little anise. Good persistent finish. Can't figure out
what it is, but there is something a little wild or intriguing about
this that I like.

*2003 des Espiers Gigondas - France, Rh=F4ne, Southern Rh=F4ne, Gigondas

Deep red tending toward black. Blackberry and a little alcohol on nose,
with a floral element that even hinted at Northern Rhone influences.
Lots of tannin on palate, but the tannins are very ripe and not
intrusive. Fruit is incredibly dense and encompasses a broad range from
hints of strawberry through raspberry and on into sweet blackberries. A
little brambly character and a good dose of spice. Somehow under all
this size and richness there's an element of acid and elegence if you
concentrate hard. Makes me thing of a barrel sample with its intensity
and weight and the difficulty of tying all the elements together.
Another wine that clearly has the ripeness of 2003, but seems to have
just enough tautness to sort itself out. I'm beginning to think this a
vintage where I am going to like the lesser wines and avoid
Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

*2003 Pierre Coursodon Saint Joseph - France, Rh=F4ne

Nose is rich and ripe with very deep berry fruit and a strong sense of
sweetness, along with a little plum that is not quite overripe but
seems to walk the edge. Enlivened by a little exotic spince on nose.
Palate combines a surprising silkiness almost like crushed velvet. If
one could weave berries into velvet, this is what it would taste like.
Very little acid, almost overripe, but a lot of fun for current
drinking. Good concentration and finish, on which the hot stone mineral
finally comes out. Keeps enough hallmarks of its hillside site to be
interesting and enough extreme ripeness to demand drinking now. Doesn't
appeal to my purist/terroirist streak, but when I close my eyes and
take a deep sip...

*2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio Ch=E2teauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rh=F4ne,
Southern Rh=F4ne, Ch=E2teauneuf-du-Pape

Deep and dark and almost impenetrable inkiness. Nose of supersweet
blackberry syrup. Remember what fun it was when you were a kid and went
to IHOP and they had eight or ten carafes of artificially flavored
syrup? This is the blackberry jar. Palate has no discernable acid to
cut the ripeness, but adds a layer of chocolate for good measure. A
little alcohol shows up in the finish, but that is the only hint of
structure. I've always wondered what would happen if a sumo wrestler
decided to bulk up even further on steriods. Now I don't wonder any
more. I'm definitely preferring the lesser appellations in this
vintage. Plus side? You can drink it right now. Not quite as hot as the
Clos des Papes tasted recently, but that Clos des Papes had structure
galore and might go somewhere. This one was pure current hedonistic
pleasure. Not my style, but might actually be really enjoyable to
others.

*2001 Los Astrales Ribera del Duero Astrales - Spain, Castilla y Le=F3n,
Ribera del Duero

Deep, deep plum colour. Similarly deep plum and dark cherry fruit
battling with sweet oak and anise to be found. Palate begins with the
oak. Tannins are forceful though they allow some of that ripe fruit out
in the middle before the wine finishes with an alcohol-driven mirabelle
note. Maybe it's there, but I couldn't find the acidity that would make
me take the gamble that this will integrate. Just not my style.

*2000 Havens Wine Cellars Merlot Reserve - USA, California, Napa
Valley, Carneros

Nose makes an immediate licquorice impression, which gives way to
plummy merlot fruit and a little herbal character. Palate is very
woody/stemmy on entry, though it develops a little chocolate and cassis
to join the plum fruit. Green stem character clips off the finish. To
be fair, I expect this may need a little time in the glass to come
together, as some vigorous aeration brought the fruit a little to the
fore. Still, didn't really impress me. Don't know how much was vintage,
how much was a style mismatch with my palate, and how much was a need
for more air time.

*2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa
Valley

Clean, fresh-turned earth accompanies nice deep cassis on nose. A
couple more sniffs bring out some herb and a little tobacco. Palate has
very nice texture underneath the dry tannins. Not entirely drying, but
the tannins definitely need some time. Some of the same bright cherry I
always find in the lesser Monty joins cassis and plum to make this a
nice, though still challenging moutfull. Nice texture under the tannins
and more herb on the finish. I like it.

*1999 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard - USA,
California, Napa Valley, Oakville

After the obligatory cool mint note and some slightly alcohol-hot plum
fruit, the nose goes tightly shut. Other than a bit more mint and some
plum and berry fruit, it really doesn't reopen over the five or ten
minutes in the glass. Texture is very, very dense with tannins making
it extremely dry on entry and exit. There's good roundness and a nicely
shifting array of fruit in the midpalate, which shows a fullness that
should well outlast the tannin. Finish alternates between sweet oak and
plum/ berry fruit. I'm not good at assessing big younger cabs, but this
seems to have the stuff.

This is always a lot of fun and proved to be so again. Biggest two
lessons from this year:

1=2E Lots of nice 2003 Rhones from lesser appellations for younger
drinking, but I've yet to find bigger wines I like from the vintage.

2=2E I really like the Rieslings from Greenhough. I'll have to keep an
eye out.

Take care,

Jim

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