FoodBanter.com - Quilceda Creek, L'Eglise Clinet, Chante Perdrix......

January lunch notes:

2001 Dom. de Coteaux des Travers Cotes du Rhone Ratseau 'Cuve Marine' - a blend
of about equal parts marsanne, rousanne, viognier and grenache blanc. Showing a
bit of colour and the nose had some heat in it (at 14%, no wonder). Oak is
omnipresent, although more on the palate than in the nose. Decent wine drinking
well now.

1989 Chante Perdrix Chateauneuf du Pape - an absolutely lovely bottle of wine
with a rather pale colour and excellent nose. Sweet in the mouth and ending
with soft tannins, it won't get any better than it is now, but should last
another few years gracefully. Why, oh why didn't I buy cases of this stuff??

2000 C.R Sandidge Klingele Vineyard Syrah (Wash.) - small producer and small
production (400 odd cases) on this wine. Very dark purple with dark fruit,
particularly plum in the nose. Amazingly soft with lush fruit. It will hold,
but who can say if it will get any better. Very nice.

2000 Montes Aplha Syrah (Santa Cruz, Chile) - I have had the opportunity of
tasting this wine 3 times when I had a pen in my hand (and a couple of times
when I was 'off duty'). It started out being a tad woody and the fruit wasn't
showing as well as I'd have liked, but it has bloomed in recent tastings and
there are simply no facets of it that attract criticism. It showed much more
fruit in the nose - it had been primarily an oak based nose when I first tried
it - and a 'new' spice note I had not observed in previous tastings. Quite ripe
and smooth with medium body and good length and no angles or bits sticking out
at all. Based on the speed of development, I'd guess (and that's all it is)
that it will drink well for another 2-4 years before the fruit tapers off. It
is so good now, I can't see it improving any.

1999 Quilceda Creek Red Wine - a second wine, made from wine not considered
suitable for the flagship wines (cab and merlot) of this producer. It had an
odd slightly medicinal toothpaste and oak nose that was not unpleasant at all,
and it finished with sweet vanilla. Quite good.

1996 Taurasi Dedicato a Marianna - made from 100% Aglianaco grapes, this wine
was lighter in colour than the previous behemoths, had vanilla in the nos eand
dried a little at the end. Well made and interesting.

1989 Ch. L'Eglise Clinet - we all agreed that we don't drink enough Pomerol,
and that there are too many to be able to reliably narrow the field when blind
tasting. The nose told us instantly that we were in Bordeaux, with some cherry
and vanilla. The wine was lighter in colour than I'd have thought (I was
guessing 1982/3), and soft with low acidity and only a bit of unresolved tannin
at the end. Drinking well now, and probably for the next 10 years or so.

1980 Grahams Port - I identified the producer based on the flavour profile of
the wine, but made the mistake of suggesting it was a Malvedos rather than the
regular Grahams, so was misdirected - a hard crowd! I must admit that I didn't
think it was this old - I figured maybe an 88. Medium body, medium long,
somewhat sweet, on the simple side but very pleasant and a half bottle was just
the thing for 8 people to finish with.