Recent Wines, Including One of the Best of the Year

Tried a handful of wines over the past week or so, including one of the best I have had all year (probably the best desert wine I have ever had).  Also, included a great stickie from Aussie land.  The rest were largely disappointments, except for a California Chardonnay which I liked, with I rarely do.

2001 Chateau Rieussec (France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes): Wow is about all I can say. This thing was singing. Young, still able to shed some fat over the years, but this was unreal. Golden yellow. Sweet honey, apples and apricot with a tremendous mouthfeel and just amazing acidity. Unreal how sweet it can be yet, how graceful as it goes through the palate due to the balance with the acidity. Really amazing stuff. Cannot wait to come back to this in 5-10 years. Easily one of the best wines of the year for me.  Wine Spectator gave this a perfect 100, Wine Advocate a 99.  I would give it a 98, with room to hit a 100 with some more years to age.  A huge recommendation, even at the $100 at the current half bottle cost.

Dutschke The Tawny 22 Year Old (Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley): Wow, what a very pleasant surprise. Incredible rust/autumn color. Nose of brown sugar, vanilla, coffee and oranges. Palate is silky smooth, lighter than most tawny’s and simply fantastic. Orange marmalade, lots of brown sugar, nuts and spices. The finish goes on for ages. No cloying at all, nicely balanced. The nose and palate remind me of Toll House Cookie dough, minus the chocolate. The best Aussie tawny I have ever had, and certainly stands as one of the best Tawny values in the world.  The only down side is it did not last so well during the week, after a few days its charm left.  An easy recommendation at the $45 cost.  Wine Advocate gave it a 98, I would give it a 94.

2004 Montes Alpha M (Chile, Central Valley, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley): This is a high end Chilean version of a Bordeaux Blend.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot .  Violet/red. Restrained nose of red fruit and coffee. A bit light on the palate, with red fruits, cocoa and toffee. A tiny bit of bitterness on the finish. Decent wine, but not hitting on all cylinders this day.  Wine Spectator gives it a 94, I would give it an 89.   At the $70 release cost, it is a pass, though may get better in time.

2006 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 (New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago):  Bright, dark red. Good nose, somewhat traditional, with some forest floor, mushrooms and an abundance of cherry. Good first impression on the palate, lots of red fruit and a bit of spice, though somewhat subdued. I think these need to rest for a few years, and may turn out pretty special. For now, components are there, but not showing much.  Wine Advocate gave it a 95, Wine Spectator an 89.  I would give it a 90 with much upside potential, though the $70 tariff results in a limited pass for the quality.

2005 Bergstrom Pinot Noir Bergstrom Vineyard (USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills): Ruby red; earthy and floral on the nose, vibrant cherry and raspberry with some mushroom like components.  Very restrained, very young.  Good acidity that needs some years to wind down.  This really could grow into an outstanding wine.  Wine Advocate gave it a 94, Wine Spectator a 93.  I would give it a 91, but with a lot of upside potential.  So, a recommendation if you can stand to spend $70 and wait five years to get the pleasure from it.

2004 Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles): A Rhone Blend of 57% Grenache, 23% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre.  I have liked these in the past, but not so much this time. Well made, but did nothing for me. Sweet nose, carries through with a rich mouthfeel, including some powdered sugar and cola, to go along with the deep dark cherry fruit. Did not live up to previous Linne Calodo’s.  Wine Advocate gave it a 95, though I would give it an 85 tonight.  $57 release price. Normally a recommend, not this time.

2006 Walter Hansel Winery Chardonnay Cuvée Alyce (USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley): Normally I am not a huge fan of Hansel’s Chardonnay’s, but this one was very good. I liked this. Light gold, huge apple on the nose. The palate had the same apple, with pear, butter and a bit of lemon. Surprising acidity, making it reasonably crisp. Not as big as I expected, which was good thing.   A good surprise which went well with truffle butter popcorn.  Wine Advocate gave it a 96, I would give it a 91+.  At $38 on release, a good recommendation, though it may cost around $50 if you can find it now.

1999 Arietta Merlot (USA, California, Napa Valley):  Made by famoud winemaker John Kongsgaard. Did nothing for me. Second one over the years, and both disappointing. A CdP nose of all things, which was decent, if not atypical. But some tomato paste on the nose (stored right since new purchase years ago). Palate seemed bland, with some bitterness on the finish. Off bottle? Not so sure, no reason to believe so. Pretty consistent with 18 months ago.  Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator gave it a 92.  I would give it an 80.  An easy pass at the $60-70 tariff.

2001 Delectus Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard (USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford): Another disappointment. Dark purple, closed nose, some dark fruit with quite a bit of coffee. Just not much on the palate, some chocolate, dark fruit, tar, but all in all pretty mellow, and nothing stood out. Reasonable, but standard and disappointing. Wine Spectator gave this a 96, I would give it an 86.  An easy pass at the $85-90 current cost.