Monday, December 22, 2008

1999 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas

I recently went to the cellar and pulled out my final bottle from the 1999 Gigondas vintage. Domaine Santa Duc is one of the top producers from this appellation, and the 1999 Santa Duc Gigondas had been considered a very good vintage.

I was a bit skeptical of how this wine might have aged, closing on 10 years, and the initial taste upon opening had me worried. However, it just took a little time for everything to settle down and open up, and I was left with a wonderfully nuanced example of what this appellation can deliver. The wine was still offering up a great deal of "garrigue" - the earthiness that can typify southern Rhone wines. Even so, I continued to feel that this wine was just barely hanging on before fading, and was glad I hadn't left it any longer.

I left a little of the wine overnight, and was stunned on the second night when it had not completely burnt out. Instead, it was almost better, having put on a little more weight and more nuanced flavors. Those last couple of glasses were really phenomenal, with a great blend of fruits, spices, and earthiness that typically are for a great aged Chateauneuf. I was really stunned, and having a couple of bottles of more recent Santa Duc Gigondas vintages, I look forward to seeing what they can deliver.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

A pair of Cotes du Rhones

I had a couple of wines from the 2006 Rhona vintage recently, with somewhat differing results. First up was the Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone from a well-known importer who is now fashioning his own negociant cuvee. I definitely think Lynch's portfolio of wines is top-notch, and this wine got very good reviews. However, I was a bit disappointed, as to me the wine came across as a little too hot. There wasn't much complexity (not that I expect a lot from an entry-level Cotes du Rhone) and overall the wine just did not deliver as much as I was expecting.

Next up was the 2006 Cotes du Rhone Belleruche from M. Chapoutier. I have previously reviewed the 2005 vintage of this wine, and the 2006 is a winner as well. This year, the wine seems to offer a little more body (perhaps more Syrah in the blend?) and is really a winner for the price. Anyone on a budget would do well to have either Chapoutier or Guigal's Cotes du Rhone as a standy house red.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

A couple of repeats

I'm adding a short entry here just to note a couple of bottles I recently had that were consistent with prior entries. First was the 2005 Volver La Mancha, a whopping value from Spain. I first tried this in August and loved it, and the most recent bottle was just as good. This wine is still widely available in Atlanta, and I definitely recommend it.

Next up was my standby Australian Shiraz for steak nights, the D'Arenberg Laughing Magpie. My second bottle of the 2006 was just as solid as the first, and I've got more already on hand for when it's needed. My consumption of Australian wines has waned a bit, but this wine continues to provide enjoyment anytime I have it.

The variety of Italy

It's quite obvious if you read through this blog that Italy has probably become my favorite country for wine production, partly because of the great variety of grapes and styles on offer. Over the past couple of weeks, I've had three great examples from various regions of this wonderful country.

Starting in the north, I had the 2006 Massolino Barbera d'Alba. As I've noted previously, this wine offers up a great example of this vintage with a freshness and elegance that makes it a winner (especially for the price). I'll definitely keep this in rotation as long as it remains available.

Moving to Central Italy, I had a bottle of the 2004 Angelini Val di Suga Rosso di Montalcino. Angelini is a producer that we spent a great deal of time tasting at VinItaly, and I was excited to try out the Rosso di Montalcino from this great vintage. The wine did not disappoint, offering some rich cherry flavors like a Brunello, though not with quite as much complexity. Not to say this wine was simple though - it's more than just a light easy drinker, and it also took some time to fully open up. The wine drank better on night two, suggesting a few years of aging may be best. I have one other bottle already in the cellar, so I will see how it holds up over the next few years.

Finally, the last of this Italian sampler came from the island of Sicily. The 2005 Morgante Nero d'Avola is a great example to introduce anyone to the indigenous grape of this island. I've had this wine in several past vintages, but for some reason it had been a while since I last had a bottle. The 2005 from Morgante is another solid effort, and it remains a very good value at around $15.

2005 Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Terrasses

A value-priced Rhone Valley favorite of Robert Parker's, the 2005 Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Terrasses is a very nice wine from a lesser-known appellation. The Terrasses is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, so it is a dark rich wine the shows off the Syrah of the blend along with the typical garrigue of the Grenache of the Southern Rhone.

I've enjoyed this wine previously, and the 2005 is another strong vintage. The Terrasses is actually the lower-end bottling of their two main wines, with the Quintessence offering even more length and complexity for a little more money (it's still a good value in the $20 range). This is another winery that Parker has put on the map here in the U.S. for those of us who love to find great values, not just drink trophy wines.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

2004 Secco Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso

One of my favorite choices from the Veneto over the past few years has been the Ripasso from one of the most well-known producers in the region. The 2004 Secco Bertani Valpolicella does not disappoint. It offers a bit of the complexity that comes from the Ripasso method, but is still very fresh with good fruit.

The wine is also still very fairly priced at about $15, making it more in the value range that the comparable wines of Allegrini and Zenato have since soared past. At the same price I might prefer Zenato's Ripasso, but it is not worth the $10 more it costs in most stores these days. For a better value, the Bertani is definitely a winner.

2001 Bodegas San Alejandro Las Rocas Vinas Viejas

My final bottle from a rare case purchase, this was a wine that took the wine world by storn a few years ago. The 2001 Las Rocas Vinas Viejas burst onto the scene with a 93 point rating from Robert Parker and a $12 price tag. Throughout the life of the case I saw this wine go from outstanding to merely decent, back to outstanding. This final bottle fell somewhere between the decent and outstanding. It still had a good amount of fruit, though it didn't blow me a way. For the price though, it was still a winner.

Even better, this original case was one of the first wines to turn me on to the great potential and value of Spanish wines. Las Rocas (both the regular cuvee and Vinas Viejas) has become a standby everyday drinker for me, and a wine a always recommend to anyone looking for a great value in Grenache.

A couple of Cotes du Rhones

Over the past couple of weeks I had two very good Cotes du Rhones from the very good 2006 vintage. Robert Parker is now raving about the 2007s from the Southern Rhone, but these two prove that 2006 is no slouch.

First up was the Cotes du Rhone from Domaine de la Mordoree. This winery is of course known for its Liracs and Chateauneuf du Papes, but the Cotes du Rhone delivers every year and 2006 is no different. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, and Counoise, this is as complex a wine as you will find for around $12. It is deep and fairly robust for a Cotes du Rhone, and really quite a value.

Next up was the Cotes du Rhone from Domaine Grand Veneur. I had previously tasted the 2005, and found it still a bit tightly wound, but the 2006 had no such issues. From the opening on the first night, this wine was offering plenty of fruit as well as the typical southern Rhone garrigue. On the second night the wine was even better, with the everything in great balance. If the 2007 Cotes du Rhones are better than these offerings, I can't wait to try them all.