Owner: Unidentified Appellation URL:http://unidentifiedappellation.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:51:20 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Comprehensive Amateur Wine Criticism from the Rhone to California. Vintage reports, producer profiles and insightful commentaries from one, full-fledged wine geek. Site statistics:Click here
The Other Side of Chardonnay 2008-07-06 14:33:00 Alongside Merlot in America, this grape has gone from beloved to berated….chalk up another victim of its own success. While I don’t think Chardonnay
can blame an influential movie for falling out of favor with its diehard fans, I do think the old adage ‘too much of a good thing’ can begin to describe its downfall in popularity. If one likened the use of French Oak and malolactic fermentati
Cotes du Rhone, an Afterward 2008-07-01 19:04:00 The Charvin '05 is a stark contrast relative to the Vieille Julienne in terms of style (ah-hem, the thrust of the post!), dancing on the eathier elements of the spectrum w/ notes of leather, braised chestnut, fried sausage, earth, cigar ash, red currant paste and hints of rosemary. The attack harnesses a chunky, bracing texture, that becomes more suave & approachable as it builds in the palate
Is There a Silkier, More Polished Bottle of Cotes du Rhone? 2008-06-30 19:05:00 Well unfortunately my favorite producer of Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de La Vieille Julienne, is financially a tall order for most of us (myself included, as I happily shell out 60 dollars for their appellation level Chateauneuf, yet can't roll w/ the ballers when it comes to the 400 plus clams that their nearly perfect Reserve clocks in at), but what gets lost in their portfolio is their Cotes Read more:Polished
No title 2008-06-29 10:10:00 A few reds from Chapoutier, '05s for the cellar and a noble Pavillon2005 Cote Rotie Les BecassesAgain, monocepage dictates that no Viognier is added to the Cote Rotie at Chapoutier, and the nose of this ’05 follows in noble suit with perfumes of violet, black currant, smoked meat juices, spice box and tar. In the mouth, the wine is wound tight as a drum, locked down in a sinewy structure that fl
No title 2008-06-27 13:45:00 Michel's larger than life line-up of whites:Crozes Hermitage, Les Meysonniers 2007This cuvee comes from some of the oldest Marsanne vines in the plains of the appellation. The wine is fermented in 80% stainless steel, with the balance in old oak barrels, and the color was perhaps the palest straw of the bunch. A complex, nostril tickling bouquet of hay, chamomile tea, chive butter and citrus zest
No title 2008-06-27 12:32:00 Michel Chapoutier, Masterpiece TheaterAs I try to assemble my tasting impressions from this domaine I can’t help but ask, what can be said of this brash, yet phenomenally talented man that already hasn’t been well documented? His name seems to be synonymous w/ controversy, yet the breadth and scope of his operation is undeniably impressive. From the Hermitage hill to the land down under, he’
No title 2008-06-24 09:31:00 Summer Stock at PrattsThe scope and breadth of the now famous Pratt’s offline yesterday was tremendous. Dozens of sloppy geeks braved the trek to Yorktown Heights, teetering through the windy, narrow roads that parallel some of the greenest pastures us concrete-encased city folk have ever seen. As I waltzed through the Inn’s cozy, log-cabin like interior (clothed in my matching ‘Jay Hack san
No title 2008-06-19 19:32:00 Time to think PinkYeah yeah, rose being 'in' is as cliche as pink being sweet, but if any of you are like me, you're fixin' to dive into a paler hued red to beat the summer heat. An obscure little gem (for less than 10 dollars, mind you) provided me w/ just the ride I was lookin' for...and was wondering if any of you have any other 'by the case' type values out there to share so we can stock up fo
No title 2008-06-18 08:49:00 Can Cab Franc be Hedonistic, yet Varietally Correct?I am an unabashed Owen Roe & Cayuse fan (both of their Cab Francs bring a jolt to my palate) & have had a select few from the Golden State that tasted delicious, yet reminded me little of the varietal. I actually believe that, from a domestic standpoint, the North Fork has made the most strides w/ this grape, Paumanok in particular. Grant
No title 2008-06-13 16:57:00 Chateau Rayas, and its Band of Merry Men from Fonsalette1999 Rayas BlancA 50/50 split between Clairette and Grenache Blanc (generally speaking, but who knows w/ this estate) that comes across as an imaginary cross of an aged Chablis and a youthful Sancerre. Flinty aromas reveal layers of smoke, apple peel, wilted lilacs and crushed stones. The flavors are subtle, evoking the essence of liquefied
No title 2008-06-12 22:25:00 Tour de Rayas…Speaking w/ Ryan at Tribeca grill, one of the better sommeliers I’ve had the good fortune to come across in the city, re-invigorated the ‘Grenache chip on my shoulder’ that I’ve had since my first taste of Chateauneuf du Pape. Ryan’s tales of a ’45 Rayas bringing tears to the eyes of top New York sommeliers gave me such a vicarious thrill that I began to salivate at th
No title 2008-06-10 10:39:00 A Vertical of SassicaiaThere’s something to be said for smaller, more intimately selected verticals. Nearly every time I return from an offline of 5 or so attendees (as opposed to the more customary baker’s dozen), I ask myself ‘why don’t we do this more often?’ Well, I’ve got a Napoleon complex as much as any other, wanting to squeeze in as many vintages as possible, recruiting plenty
No title 2008-06-08 15:04:00 Character Lines from Old Vines Another aspect of my conversation w/ Rene involved a bit of debate regarding the age of his vines and its relative importance to a wine’s quality. Rene takes the stance that vine age is essentially a non-factor and considers the ‘old vine quality’ to be a myth. Hearing this perspective almost seemed like blasphemy after spending close to ten days in Chateauneu
No title 2008-06-07 09:52:00 Sculpting Fine Wine on the Roasted SlopeRene Rostaing’s modest wine cave is tucked away by the river, just off the main road and a stone’s throw away from the imposing Guigal castle, which seems to dwarf just about everything in the town of Ampuis. Rene has been making small amounts of his treasured Cote Rotie since 1971, only recently dabbling in the Languedoc to fashion a top flight Syrah b
No title 2008-06-03 15:03:00 Who says they can’t make kick ass Syrah in the Southern Rhone?Well, just about every vintner in Chateauneuf does, but then again, they are biased. I think part of their dilemma, in addition to the intensely hot climate, is that they constantly make comparisons to standard bearers like Cote Rotie and Hermitage instead of appreciating the distinctiveness in character that the varietal achieves in
No title 2008-06-01 17:56:00 The Vieux Telegraphe StableAlong with the Guigal bottlings, the wines of Vieux Telegraphe are some of the most commercially visible Chateauneuf du Papes in the states. The origin of the domaine can be traced back to Hippolyte Brunier, who began planting vines in the famed La Crau district of the appellation roughly 110 years ago. Their vineyard holdings are substantial, tallying roughly 70 hectare
No title 2008-05-30 10:00:00 A vertical of mythic proportions…and then some, Bonneau on displayThe term ‘out of body experience’ seems as apt as any to describe the metaphysical sensations that tapdanced through the air during our vertical homage to Henri Bonneau at Tribeca Grill. I am certain that the sense of disarray we experienced is largely due to the formidably endowed, 17 plus percent alcohol that most vintages
No title 2008-05-24 12:26:00 Start Spreading the NewsWell this was my tenth visit or so out to the northern fork of Long Island and it appears that a progress report is in order. A conversation with Paumanok’s Charles Massoud provided some wonderful perspective on the status of the region and enlightened me to a few key details that should round out my summary w/ just the quantitative edge it needed.While I am still fantasi
No title 2008-05-20 10:39:00 This is why we taste blind, Chardonnay has its virtuesIf you count all the wine related clichés, I’m certain that close to half of them involve our ubiquitous whipping boy, Chardonnay. If we put the jokes involving the neutral, over toasted stereotypes for the varietal aside, it’s evident that Chardonnay has seen a bit of a stylistic face-lift in the varied terroirs of the new world. We’ll
No title 2008-05-11 16:56:00 Chateau Beaucastel, the Stalwart in Oldschool Chateauneuf has some Modern Digs!Visiting Chateau Beaucastel revealed how dichotomous the estate is in the respect that the wines are traditionally made yet they come from perhaps the most modern facility in the entire appellation. Now when I say modern, I am not implying that they utilize fancy schmancy techniques (such as reverse osmosis, fermentatio
No title 2008-05-09 10:25:00 The Art of Fine Wine, Domaine St. PrefertThe purchase of Domaine St. Prefert in 2002 by Isabel Ferrando and her politically charged husband has been a godsend for those of us that thirst for compelling, seductive Chateauneuf du Pape. A banker by trade and artist by vocation, Isabel fashions some of the prettiest wines of the appellation that come from a rather hefty portion of Mourvedre (close to
No title 2008-05-07 10:22:00 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ZinfandelWhat happens when Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde don’t get along? Well, a bit of WWW (world war wine) leaves plenty of bottle casualties behind on the dinner table, as the dump buckets fill to the brim w/ inky purple blood spewed from the wounded. Dr. Jekyll, the ambitious vigneron that he is, has an obvious penchant for hang-time induced sugar surges, beefing up Mr. Hyde
No title 2008-05-04 16:13:00 Two Young Guns from the Old World From the outside looking in, it seems the face of the appellation has changed dramatically over the past couple decades, considering the proliferation of new producers that have decided to domaine bottle their own wines that had long been sold off to negociants. While that paradigm shift is obviously in full swing, talking to the people of Chateauneuf made me ques
No title 2008-05-04 15:04:00 The wines of Clos du Mont OlivetThere are 25 hectares of Chateauneuf du Pape for the traditionally styled Clos du Mont Olivet domaine (only 2 hectares are dedicated to white grapes). Thierry Sabon has recently taken over the winemaking duties and looks to be in fine form after a hiccup or two during his first vintage. The quality level of the red wines from Mont Olivet, in particular the Papet, is
No title 2008-05-03 11:02:00 KB’s back, baby!Well, I’m sure plenty of you are asking ‘back…from what, where’d they go?’ Well I personally was a huge fan their breakout ’03-’04 blockbusters and found the ’05 vintage to be quite a departure from the fore-mentioned years in terms of opulence and excitement. Don’t get me wrong, the ‘05s were solid, and some of which I thought were outstanding, but I found t
Vegas Baby, Vegas! 2008-07-16 16:35:00 Ejehan and I are off to sin city for a few days thanks to 'Uncle Glaxo,' the good 'ole Pharmaceutical company that employs me on a regular basis. I was honestly beginning to feel like the Chris Farley character of Tommy Boy; a hop, skip and a jump away from lighting antique cars on fire in the meager attempts of scoring a sale....but apparently the drug rep gods shined on me this past year, and th Read more:Vegas
, Vegas Baby
The Power of Pink 2008-07-15 12:03:00 Do fashions in the wine world parallel other types of fashions? How about the herbal fashion of the early 90's, which saw a supplement crazed American population hop on the GNC bandwagon like those magical capsules were packing the cure inside. Wine, although not sold by GNC and prepared in a liquid form, just happened to be another element of the wellness tornado, which swept through the states o
A Vertical of Pibarnon 2008-07-14 14:06:00 2007 RoseWhile the rose was bottled only a week ago, there was little evidence to suggest bottle shock. The blend of half Mourvedre and half Cinsault (Bandol rose tends to be a bit more structured and full bodied than Provencal rose as there is a higher requirement of Mourvedre demanded by the A.O.C.) displays lead, strawberry seed, rose petal and mushroom aromatics in the nose. The sweet attack r Read more:Vertical
Bandol's Estate 2008-07-13 11:45:00 While Bandol had always conjured rustic, almost savage imagery in my mind, the town itself is actually a tourist infested, seaside destination, complete w/ beach vendors and ornate summer homes. Just 3 kilometers away and 300 meters above sea level (a two week stint in France has done wonders for my metric conversions) you’ll find Telegraph Hill’s highest point at Chateau Pibarnon. Once throug Read more:Estate
Burgundy, From the Outside Looking In 2008-07-11 14:01:00 I’ve always had somewhat of a protective buffer between myself and Burgundy. While its timid, relatively modest alcohol content and mild tannic spine may seem harmless, the Burgundy faithful have always struck me as the ‘Red Sox Nation’ of wine aficionados (for you non-baseball fans, this means fanatical, uncompromising, and of their own world). Granted, this is all from a bird’s eye view, Read more:Outside
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