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TN: Gruaud's 2nd, Geezer, DeLoach, and a Lalande.
I've told lots of people I thought the 2000 Haut-Chaigneau, Lalande de Pomerol
was a good buy. I haven't had in a couple of months, so I pop one a couple of nights ago, with a beef stew Betsy had left in the crock pot. What was I thinking? Somewhat simple plum fruit, a little sweet oak, a hint of herbs. This is nothing special- like a $12 Cal Merlot. The next night with an assortment of leftovers (Betsy had killer schedule this week) I have the last 2 glasses (it was just corked and put in fridge- no transfer to smaller bottle or anything). What a difference! Big dark berry fruit along with the ripe plum, some cedary notes, a little oregano and leather. I've been pushing this as a drink-now, but I think it's a bit closed now and needs either time or decanting. B+ (I'd have given a B- on first night) Another QPR ($9) wine I've enjoyed has been the 2001 St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Qba (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer). A bottle this week was no exception- great wet stones and flowers on the nose, a honeyed sweetness balanced by lemony fruit, really zesty acidity. B Betsy was working and David with friends Saturday, so I grilled a tuna steak for myself. It WAS Saturday after all, so I opened 2 bottles. First the 2000 Sarget de Gruaud Larose (St. Julien). Very ripe, upfront dark fruit with some cedar , some drying tannins. I'm a little surprised as I don't think of Gruaud as new-wave Bordeaux , this second label is in a different style than I'm used to. Though most of the Gruaud I've had were from the Cordier era, maybe the first label has changed too? This is reasonably tasty, judgement deferred (see below) I also open a 375 of the 2001 Ridge Geyserville. (74% Zin, 18% Carignane, 8 % Petite Sirah). Big nose of red berries and vanilla oak, jammy Zin fruit with a moderate dose of tannins. Jammy fruit, lots of new oak, just the kind of wine I sometimes dismiss. But I don't dismiss this because (a) despite the big ripe jammy fruit there's acidity as well as tannins to give structure, (b) Geyserville has a great track record , and (c) it tastes good. Maybe a tad simple/monolithic right now, but I think a few years will let some complexities blossom. B+ for now, with potential for A- The next night a friend is visiting, I grill some strip steaks as well as some asparagus and some parsnips, plus a salad and some sugar peas with sesame. We each taste the Geyserville, which is showing well on day two. The Sarget de Gruaud Larose seems much more Bordeaux-like now, with graphite and cedar mixing with the rich cassis fruit. Still a fairly lush-modern style of Bordeaux, but very tasty. A good deal at $16.99, I go today and buy the last 2 they have in the store. B+ The main bottle with the meal was one given to me by my friend Dolores a few weeks back, she had bought on a visit to the DeLoach winery (pre-bankruptcy). It's the 1997 DeLoach "OFS" Cabernet Sauvignon (Russian River Valley). Big nose of red berries and vanilla, thick on the palate. Definitely on the lush side, sweet dark berry fruit and some chocolatey oak flavors. Certainly gets one's attention. Some more acidity would definitely help this one out as a food wine, but very rare steak isn't a bad combo. This is not my favorite style of wine, but this is a competent example. B Grade disclaimer: I'm a pretty easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Dale Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply |
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TN: Gruaud's 2nd, Geezer, DeLoach, and a Lalande.
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TN: Gruaud's 2nd, Geezer, DeLoach, and a Lalande.
In article >, Ed Rasimus
> writes: >The Geyserville. Always my favorite of Ridge >bottlings, I wondered how it would compare to the PR. My experience >was a bit different than yours. (I've got another bottle to verify my >impressions, but may let it rest for a couple of months before >revisiting.) > >While it was big, ripe and jammy, it wasn't the powerhouse that the PR >was. I got the expected load of fruit, along with a nice bit of >background leather and spice, but found the finish watery. The acidity >was there, but there wasn't much in tannins and once the blast to the >taste buds was swallowed, there wasn't any lingering of the sensation. >The wine was there and gone in an instant. That being said, it's still >a fine wine and very representative of Ridge Geyserville. > Ed, It's always good to have comparative notes. It seems mostly agree- we differ in our assessments of the tannins, and you noticed a short finish that I didn't. Actually, your notes reminded me of the 2000 Geyserville! Anyway, I thought the 2001 had plenty of tannins to hold it for several years (I think the sweet spot for Geezers is usually 8-10 years from vintage). Let us know what you think when you open other one- I think I'll save my 2 remaining 750s for a few years. Thanks! Mark S, While I take extensive notes , including at big store tastings or trade tastings (I sometimes wiggle my way in), I really only think my notes are reliable when I've had 3 bottles of something (on different occasions), with a taste the next night on at least two of those! At big tastings you're judging a wine based on a single pour from a single bottle (which you usually don't know if it was decanted, how long it was open, etc). I've even been offered bottles that I (a TCA-non-sensitive, comparatively), can note as corked. So I view others' notes with as much scepticism as I do my own. As noted here before, tasting a wine over a day or two can give a partial hint as to how it might age. But you're right, part of the excitement of wine is never knowing exactly what you're going to get out of any bottle. BTW, did you ever get on Roch's email list? The Sarget is gone, but I also got 2000 Les Fiefs de Lagrange for $15.99. While I am not the biggest fan of second wines in general, I've always found that a dependable one. I'll report when I taste, but that's a fine price for that wine- I paid that much for the '95 I think! Dale Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply |
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TN: Gruaud's 2nd, Geezer, DeLoach, and a Lalande.
Dale Williams > wrote:
: I've told lots of people I thought the 2000 Haut-Chaigneau, Lalande de Pomerol : was a good buy. I haven't had in a couple of months, so I pop one a couple of : nights ago, with a beef stew Betsy had left in the crock pot. What was I : thinking? Somewhat simple plum fruit, a little sweet oak, a hint of herbs. This : is nothing special- like a $12 Cal Merlot. The next night with an assortment of : leftovers (Betsy had killer schedule this week) I have the last 2 glasses (it : was just corked and put in fridge- no transfer to smaller bottle or anything). : What a difference! Big dark berry fruit along with the ripe plum, some cedary : notes, a little oregano and leather. I've been pushing this as a drink-now, but : I think it's a bit closed now and needs either time or decanting. B+ (I'd have : given a B- on first night) Dale, reading your notes on changing wines and having retasted my Lucien Boillot "les Evocelles" last night (which was still rough, but better than the first night's showing) makes me realize that wines change all the time, in both the bottle and in the glass (and yes, in the fridge as well). Also, i nthe time between 'tasting snippets' whether they be from barrel or in-store or from a previously opened bottle, wine will change and it's this grasping at the nature of what is inside that keeps us intrigued and motivated enough to try many wines and cellar ones we think will do something special in time. Mark S |
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