No 'write home to mama' epiphanies, but solid, workaday wines:

Denis Alary, Cotes du Rhone Villages - Cairanne, 2000
After the first bottle was corked, I returned to the store to pick up
this version. Dirty plum with muted spices on the nose, kirschy-plum
with a slightly disjointed alcohol kick on the end. Just alright (but
not for Saturday night). B

Jean-Paul Brun, Beaujolais blanc, 2001
100% Char-do-nay. Lightly yellow, greenish gold. Light apple, quince,
and lemon wash on the nose, this is very well made for the price ($11),
with a spicy ginger-apple flavor and a soft calcium finish. B+

Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1988
Recent reports said this was maturing quickly, and I am glad I heeded
them on opening my only bottle of this 1st growth. A fading red ont the
rim, this is beginning to look like mature claret. Blackcurrants,
smokey cedar, and sour cherries. Old fading blackcurrants, with smooth
dusty leather. This is lacking in breadth and weight, with no middle to
speak of and a very light finish. Not very first growth. B+ at most.

Cesari, Valpolicella Superiore, 'Mara', Vino di Ripasso, 2001
A muted nose of cherry and licorice, which translates in the mouth to
cherry-strawberry, dried flower petals, rosehips and a straw-like
finish, which is sweet, candy sweet, like those powdered sugar candy
straws you used to suck down when you were a kid. A little light in
body for a ripasso, but this is a minor quibble, especially for the low
price point ($13). B-B+

Garretson, Syrah, Paso Robles 'Rozet Vineyard', 2001
Also goes by the name of 'Luascain'. The color is a deep purple and
very primary. There is a dull nose of camphor and licorice, slightly
medicinal. This is a big, thick wine and tough to chew through, but
there are camphor-mint, licorice, tough dark cherry, and prune and
vanillin on the finish. Quite harsh and reduced in feeling. 14%
alcohol. Wonder how this would age? B-B+

Domaine de Nerleux, Samur-Champigny, 2000
I cannot understand why the smallest of Loire producers have the
longest of wine names on the planet. Seriously. There is even more
information on the lable, but it's really more than we want to know
(ok, maybe inquiring geeks want to know), except that this is a
'vielles vignes' blend. Yeahh, old vine goodness that is French for
'throw an ashtray and lick it, Amereeicain'. Lots of herbally tobacco
scents on the nose, echoing on the palate with the cigarette ash
predominating over weedy cherry flavors. A slight sacharine note on the
end. B-B+ ($14)(Folks, this was actually better tasting than what my
note reads. Really)

Selbach-Oster, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling-spatlese, 1999
A very light white gold, with spring flowers on the nose. On the
palate, lime and linden blossom, and a chalk filled finish. Lighter and
crisper than other 99's I've had and feels more kabinet in weight.
Beautiful lightness, and only 9% alcohol for those on Atkins. ($14)
B+/A-

Jasmin, Cote Rotie, 1996
"How long has this bottle been sitting on the shelves?" "Long enough"
said the insouciant merchant, "Away with it!" And so it went to a
loving home. Old cherry and dried small plums in the nose and in the
mouth, with the plums filled with smoke and touches of licorice and
cherry married with mint. Jasmin is not the biggest, not the best, Cote
Rotie producer, but one I have a fondness for since first tasting a
great bottle of his 1983 a long time ago. Sure, this is a slightly
austere and a little hollow, but still a decent bottle and one that is
expressive of northern-limit syrah. Night and day difference between
this and the Garretson. high B-low B+

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1988
> Recent reports said this was maturing quickly, and I am glad I heeded
> them on opening my only bottle of this 1st growth. A fading red ont the
> rim, this is beginning to look like mature claret. Blackcurrants,
> smokey cedar, and sour cherries. Old fading blackcurrants, with smooth
> dusty leather. This is lacking in breadth and weight, with no middle to
> speak of and a very light finish. Not very first growth. B+ at most.

I seem to recall the Wine Spectator giving it a 100 and regretted not buying
any since that is my daughter's birth year. I feel better now.


--
Joe Giorgianni
TheWho.org

"This guitar has seconds to live" Posters

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, 1988
> Recent reports said this was maturing quickly, and I am glad I heeded
> them on opening my only bottle of this 1st growth. A fading red ont the
> rim, this is beginning to look like mature claret. Blackcurrants,
> smokey cedar, and sour cherries. Old fading blackcurrants, with smooth
> dusty leather. This is lacking in breadth and weight, with no middle to
> speak of and a very light finish. Not very first growth. B+ at most.

I seem to recall the Wine Spectator giving it a 100 and regretted not buying
any since that is my daughter's birth year. I feel better now.


--
Joe Giorgianni
TheWho.org

"This guitar has seconds to live" Posters

In Clive Coates recently published book concernig Bordeaux, he rates the
88 Mouton as only 16 out of 20, says to drink from now to 2009. He calls
it the least good of the 88 Medoc/Graves first growths. In his private
classification of Bordeaux, he has demoted Mouton from his top rank of
3-star to the next lower rank of 2-star. He states: "Sadly it is now
almost 18 years since we have seen a grand vin from Mouton, and it is
for this reason that I award it two stars, not three." It would seem
Mouton has gone down a bit since the death of Baron Philippe.

Mouton has always been one of the most difficult top Bordeauxs to judge
young. Just follow some of the reviews of the 70 and 75 from early on to
recently. It seem to be somewhat like judging the color of a chameleon.
However the 1945 Mouton likely is the top wine of that most outstanding
year, and the 1982 and a few others may not be too far behind.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
from my email address. Then add . I do not
check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.

Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> In Clive Coates recently published book concernig Bordeaux, he rates
the
> 88 Mouton as only 16 out of 20, says to drink from now to 2009. He
calls
> it the least good of the 88 Medoc/Graves first growths.

I would definately agree here. More in the style of a lighter good
Bordeaux. Decent, but not $50+ decent.

wrote:

> Jean-Paul Brun, Beaujolais blanc, 2001
> 100% Char-do-nay. Lightly yellow, greenish gold. Light apple, quince,
> and lemon wash on the nose, this is very well made for the price ($11),
> with a spicy ginger-apple flavor and a soft calcium finish. B+

This wine gets my vote for perennial QPR favorite for the non-oaked
Chardonnay crowd. Of course, there's nothing wrong with Brun's reds,
either...


> Garretson, Syrah, Paso Robles 'Rozet Vineyard', 2001
> Also goes by the name of 'Luascain'. The color is a deep purple and
> very primary. There is a dull nose of camphor and licorice, slightly
> medicinal. This is a big, thick wine and tough to chew through, but
> there are camphor-mint, licorice, tough dark cherry, and prune and
> vanillin on the finish. Quite harsh and reduced in feeling. 14%
> alcohol. Wonder how this would age? B-B+

I had this wine at the winery just over a year ago. Here's what I had
to say about it:

"Inky black-purple in color. An intriguing nose: floral, with bright
fruit and a few green notes. In the mouth, it showed ample tannins,
with coffee and blueberry flavors and a clean finish. Very good, if a
bit idiosyncratic."

Can't say I recall any camphor or licorice, but then again it's had a
year more to develop, or not as the case may be.

The Other Mark

wrote:

> Jean-Paul Brun, Beaujolais blanc, 2001
> 100% Char-do-nay. Lightly yellow, greenish gold. Light apple, quince,
> and lemon wash on the nose, this is very well made for the price ($11),
> with a spicy ginger-apple flavor and a soft calcium finish. B+

This wine gets my vote for perennial QPR favorite for the non-oaked
Chardonnay crowd. Of course, there's nothing wrong with Brun's reds,
either...


> Garretson, Syrah, Paso Robles 'Rozet Vineyard', 2001
> Also goes by the name of 'Luascain'. The color is a deep purple and
> very primary. There is a dull nose of camphor and licorice, slightly
> medicinal. This is a big, thick wine and tough to chew through, but
> there are camphor-mint, licorice, tough dark cherry, and prune and
> vanillin on the finish. Quite harsh and reduced in feeling. 14%
> alcohol. Wonder how this would age? B-B+

I had this wine at the winery just over a year ago. Here's what I had
to say about it:

"Inky black-purple in color. An intriguing nose: floral, with bright
fruit and a few green notes. In the mouth, it showed ample tannins,
with coffee and blueberry flavors and a clean finish. Very good, if a
bit idiosyncratic."

Can't say I recall any camphor or licorice, but then again it's had a
year more to develop, or not as the case may be.

The Other Mark