February 27, 2006

Wine Notes: Many Recent Wines

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'82 Cristal - Wow! This was just jamming on all cylinders. Immediatly out of the glass this was roaring with fresh coffee grounds, black truffles, cinnamon, cumin and some roasted pear. Just an amazing nose. The palate was bliss. Amazingly complex palate that has perfect integration of acidity, truffle flavors, spice and even some tannin. The bubbles are so soft yet you still know they are there. It is one complex cohesive unit. Stunning purity and depth. This just stained your palate for minutes and left nuances of truffles for almost twenty minutes after. Stunningly profund wine. This was just as good as the '55.

'98 Domaine de Chevalier - This was a great surprise. Great nose of scorched earth, weedy tobacco, red currants, dandelions and violets. Very pretty nose. Palate was deep and concentrated with great elegance. Great core of pretty red fruit. Tannins were big but ripe and everything was in beautiful balance. Very pure. The more I drink Pessac's I realize that it is the Chinon-lovers Bordeaux. Excellent wine. Every '98 Pessac I have had recently has been great. Including Pape-Clement, La Tour Haut Brion, Les Carmes Haut Brion & Haut Brion.

'01 Usseglio Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Mon Aieul" - Slightly reductive nose but the granite/galet notes shined through with kirsch cherry and lots of CDP funk. Palate was big but very elegant with tremendous fruit concentration. Touch hot but the more I drink CDP the more I realize that slight heat is in the profile of most of the wines. Great finish along with a tremendous backbone. Remains one of the most original wines in the appelation.

'90 Aldo Conterno Barolo - The Conterno had a tremendous nose upon opening. Tar, leather, roses, spice, clove. After around thirty minutes open the wine did develop a roasted quality that turned me off. The palate was tremendously rich and ripe with some seriously concentrated red fruits. Supple but tannic. Great stuff but a definetly on the riper side of the spectrum. Would love to taste the '89 of this.

'70 Lopez de Heredia "Vina Tondonia" - The Conterno had a tremendous nose upon opening. Tar, leather, roses, spice, clove. After around thirty minutes open the wine did develop a roasted quality that turned me off. The palate was tremendously rich and ripe with some seriously concentrated red fruits. Supple but tannic. Great stuff but a definetly on the riper side of the spectrum. Would love to taste the '89 of this.

'75 Sanctus Jacobus Piesporter Schubertslay Auslese -
Wow. This might have been the most perfect wine all year. One of the few wines I had this year that was perfectly mature and showing everything that it could possibly show. Aromas of pear, petrol, lemon curd, apricot, leather and chamomile. Outrageously complex nose that kept changing. Palate had no hard edges with acidity perfectly intertwined with the lush and focused fruit. The palate was just so good. The finish was long and the quality of the fruit was amazing.The balance was astounding and the purity was top-notch. Truly profound wine and a great treat.

'04 Schafer-Frohlich Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese - One of my new favorite producers of German wine this wine is truly incredible. Incredible delicacy, laciness and purity. Racy red fruits along with some creamy peach and apricot flavors. Acidity dances on the palate. Elegant yet very opulent. Beautiful stuff.

'02 Matrot Meursault - The Matrot is just an insane QPR. Stunning nose of minerals and complex nutty Meursault aromas. Clean and pure palate with a wallop of fruit and taut acidity. Had this at Jean-Georges three weeks ago and it is consistently spectacular.

'96 Roulout Meursault-Charmes - So my conclusion with '96 white Burgs is this. Either they are completely shot and oxidized or young as young can be with incredible potential. The Roulot falls into category 2. Just an unreal nose of lime rock candy, minerals and chalk. The palate was incredibly deep and rich with acidity the way I like it. High, tense and crunchy. The fruit was pure but still very young and unformed. From the way this tasted last night this wine has at least 25-30 years ahead of it. One of the best '96 white burgs I have had this year and I have actually had alot looking back on it.

'02 Fichet Meursault "Les Tessons" - If Ramonet made Meursault it might taste something like this. Out of the gates nose of spicey oak and ripe pear. Really transformed in the space of a 1/2 hour and picked up some intense minerally notes. Really tight and coiled on the palate with intense acidity. But there was nice sappy fruit. Long finish. Really echoes there. Offers excellent potential. Meursault seems like a real sweetspot for the vintage. Almost every one I have tasted has been spectacular.

Posted by Bob Schagrin at February 27, 2006 4:38 PM | Category: Wine Notes

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