A very fun tasting with friends at Yale last Sat (from which I
just found the notes). No wine expertise in the group, and
(hence, perhaps) no theme other than price. We drank most of the
7 bottles between the 8 of us (the 8th was a Blackstone Merlot
which I autocratically and surreptitiously deleted from the
series), so notes (in order of drinking) may get dodgy especially
towards the end.

Whites:

2001 Les Barres Pouilly-Vinzelles. Clean but innocuous, gave the
impression of tasting of steel. No change in glass, minimal
nose, but above average - pleasant, just too mild for my taste.
B-; consensus best of whites but only b/c the next was too old.

1996 Bourgogne Domaine A. Ropiteau. Musty, especially at initial
opening, and I think (well) past peak, but a more complex and
interesting wine than the first. Clearest 'melon' in both nose
and taste I've had. Opened quite a lot in the glass, would
probably have benefitted from being left longer, but still over
the hill. B-, but expected to have been better. Poor storage
conditions over the past couple of years likely damaged this .

2002 Dry Creek Fume Blanc. Tasted (and was) cheaper - I think
more in the $10-12 range. I'm not a Sauv Blanc fan, but even for
me this was not good - identifably SB but little else there. C/C+.

Reds:

1995 Montepulciano vino nobile Valdepiatta. From the same folks
(and storage) as the '96 bourgogne above, and shared the
past-peak impression at first (some must, cobwebby taste, all
nose and front with no finish) but opened a *lot* in glass over
maybe 15 min to develop chewy wood, tons of berries, smooth and
complex, maintaining interest/balance throughout the swallow
(poor phrasing - trying to say that neither initial 'hit' nor end
overwhelmed, but all were blended; this is praise). Yummy - this
tasted like an expensive wine, although a quick Google didn't
find a price guide. B+/A- despite poor storage; if this is
typical, drink now though. Anyone know where I can buy some?

2001 Ravenswood Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel. After the Valdepiatta,
the much more 'upfront' attack here came as a bit of a shock;
feels much more designed to be drunk young. That first mouthful
is great, but after that paled in comparison to the
montepulciano. Disappointing to me. C+/B-, at $15

2002 Seghesio Sonoma Zin (not the old vine), $17. *Far* better
balanced Zin, really quite glorious - good spice level, lots of
cherries and almost hawthorn taste. Better than their 2001,
which was also very good - this was yummy, easily consensus wine
of the evening, and the only thing I've had recently which made
me go back and buy a case. Solid, not overwhelmiing mouthfeel.
Can you tell I liked this? A (at price point)/A-. As it
happens, it seems that WS gave this 92 points. I should find out
who rated it.

2002 David Coffaro Aca Modot. Not a wine I knew, and label notes
only 360 cases made. Unfiltered, 55% Cab Sauv blended w/
merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. I worried that we
were drinking this too young, and that may have been the case but
it's not clear - this was gentle and balanced but not overly
impressive and no clear sign that one would expect future
development. B-

Thanks for notes.

Don't know Valdepiatta, but sounds like one to look out for.

I think even with perfect storage '96 Bourgogne Blancs should mostly be drunk
up, with the exception of a few superstar producers like Domaine Leflaive or
Coche-Dury. Sounds like the Ropiteau is doign well, considering.

Thanks for pointer on '02 Seghesio!
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

On Fri, 21 May 2004 10:02:08 -0400, Ewan McNay >
wrote:


>2002 David Coffaro Aca Modot. Not a wine I knew, and label notes
> only 360 cases made. Unfiltered, 55% Cab Sauv blended w/
>merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. I worried that we

Coffaro has an interesting winery: http://www.coffaro.com

The last time I was there (~2 years ago) was interesting, they had a big
screen TV hooked up with a Boss concert playing. Kinda fun and
different from any other winery I've been to in Sonoma.

He likes to use Carignan in a lot of his blends, but apparently the
Modot doesn't have that. Too bad, as I don't see this varietal used
very much, I tend to think of it as his "signature"

K