'04: Ch. Pontet-Canet, Les Hautes Pontet-Canet

In Brief:

2004 Les Hautes de Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) (Sherry-Lehmann $27)

Possessed a subdued bouquet with fruit and hints of earth, wood, and spices. On the palate it was watery in texture, but with a good concentration of flavor, low acidity, a little fruit on the midpalate, and big tannins. The bouquet could be interesting, but is subdued and difficult to dissect.

2004 Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) (Sherry-Lehmann $47)

A beautiful, more forward bouquet with clear, delicious fruit, many shades of cherry, earth, wood, and spice. The concentration and extract fill the mouth, though the texture is watery. The acidity is noticably higher than Les Hautes Pontet-Canet, there is noticeable fruit on the midpalate, but the wine is really dominated by incredible, full, round, gripping tannins. The tannins will probably age this wine well, though it is too acidic and thin-textured for my tastes. The bouquet is very interesting, and I do not at all feel I completely understood its nuances. (RP 90)

Tasting Notes:

Tasted in-store at Sherry-Lehmann. It was difficult to clearly capture the aromas in the clear plastic cups they used, but one could get a general sense of the wine. The staff ranges from clueless, to slightly patronizing, to helpful and friendly.

2004 Les Hautes de Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) (Sherry-Lehmann $27)

The bouquet of this second wine displayed greatly subdued fruit with possible hints of wood, earth, and spices. It was hard to be sure of the particulars given the plastic cup and the ambient aromas, but I'm fairly certain the bouquet has deeper nuances. That said, the subdued nature of the aromas would probably make it very difficult, even in ideal conditions, to decipher this bouquet. The palate displayed low acidity with a hint of fruit on the midpalate, and powerful, gripping tannins. The mouthfeel was watery.

2004 Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac) (Sherry-Lehmann $47)

A clear, delicious note of fruit gave way to an aromatically complex bouquet, suggesting dark cherries, mellow cherries, and mereschino cherry tones, along with earth/wood/spice notions. Again this is a rough description, possibly confounded by ambient aromas, but this bouquet would probably be interesting to observe in-vitro-vinum. The bouquet seemed to me beautiful - not sickeningly sweet like the beaujolais' single scent. In the mouth this wine somewhat failed to satisfy. It was not viscous, though there was great concentration of flavour, and I suppose in one sense, the wine's flavor was "mouthfilling." It was noticeably more acidic than Le Hautes Pontet-Canet, but with absolutely incredible, full, round, gripping tannins. There is fruit on the mid-palate, possibly a lot of fruit, though it was hard to tell as I was (excitedly!) distracted by the tannins. The finish was long, and dominated by tannins. I can see how this might be an excellent wine when the tannins mellow and uncover more fruit, though to my taste it is a bit too acidic and not full-bodied enough.

Robert Parker:

Wine Advocate # 171 Jun 2007 Robert Parker 90 Drink 2014 - 2025 $45-$90 (39) Backward and powerful for the vintage, this blue/purple-colored 2004 exhibits classic creme de cassis, smoke, incense, and spring flower characteristics. Medium to full-bodied, dense, and excruciatingly tannic, this impressively endowed Pauillac is built for the long haul. However, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2025+.

Wine Advocate # 165 Jun 2006 Robert Parker (90-93) Drink 2013 - 2036 $45-$90 (39) The 2004 Pontet-Canet has an inky/purple color and a classic nose of sweet creme de cassis, cedar, and spice box. It is medium to full-bodied, structured, quite tannic, but also impressively deep and full. This wine will need 7-10 years of cellaring and last for 20-30 years.

Wine Advocate # 158 Apr 2005 Robert Parker (92-94) Drink 2005 - 2035 $45-$90 A brilliant effort from proprietor Alfred Tesseron, Pontet-Canet’s 2004 may ultimately prove to be a better wine than its more famous neighbor, Mouton Rothschild. Medium to full-bodied with a classic creme de cassis-scented perfume, sweet fruit, ripe tannin, tremendous purity, and a personality that suggests no manipulation, no nonsense, and hard work in both the vineyard and winery, this beautiful Pauillac should age for 2-3 decades. It is one of the most concentrated and potentially long-lived wines of the vintage. Is it as good as the 2000, 1996, and 1995? Probably not, but it is a noteworthy effort for the vintage.

Domaine Barmès Buecher (Alsace)

In Brief:

2005 Crémant d’Alsace $16

Sweetness is balanced with acidity and strong, brilliant carbonation. A refreshing drink, though with a yeasty nose.

Riesling Tradition '06 $16.5

Nice fruit on the nose with strong lemon and a surprising hint of overripe melon. Sweetness is supported by acidity. Interesting flavorless glycerine finish. Balanced and pleasant.

Rosenberg Silicis Pinot Gris '04 $24

Nose: equal parts subdued fruit and yeast, with a faint hint of citrus. Low acidity, but the sweetness is countered by notable bitterness that extends from midpalate to finish. Slight alcohol "spiciness" on the back of the throat. Well-balanced, but I am not enthused by the hops-like bitterness.

Herrenweg de Turckheim Gewurtzraminer '04 $20

Lychees!!! Spritz of lemon and orange rind. HUGE for a white wine - medium bodied with notable bitterness, the finish is full of glycerine, with more heat than any of the other three wines, and a hint of yeast. I'm still surprised how much like lychees this smelled.


Tasting Notes:

These four Alsace wines were tasted at the Princeton Corkscrew wine shop. The wine glasses were a bit on the thick-rimmed side, and I caught one whiff of heavy perfume, but otherwise, smelling conditions were superb, the atmosphere friendly (save yet another joke from the French guy about how he knows I'm 21). The proprietors/winemakers were present and answering questions, mostly in German and French.

All four wines were of similar mild sweetness, and all offset that sweetness in some way. The Crémant d'Alsace with acidity and carbonation, the Riesling with acidity, the Pinot Gris with bitterness, and the Gewurtzraminer with a combination of bitterness and viscous body. They were well-balanced wines with each element clearly discernable. The nose of each wine possessed at least two elements, though no single wine was very complex aromatically.

2005 Crémant d’Alsace $16

A brief whiff of fruit was quickly replaced with the smell of yeast, occasionally revealing hints of citrus. On the palate the carbonation was strong and brilliant. The sweetness was just balanced by the acidity. This wine was refreshing to drink, but I do not consider it in the same league as a Bordeaux or a Shiraz. It is like a very, very nice italian soda, though the yeast smell, for me, is a little off-putting.

Riesling Tradition '06 $16.5

There is considerable fruit on the nose - green grapes (a wine that smells like grapes? incroyable!) with strong lemon and a hint of a diametrically opposite smell - perhaps overripe canteloupe. Sweet with balancing acidity, the body was unremarkable on the midpalate. In the finish, where tannins would take hold in a red wine, the flavor suddenly vanishes, leaving a tasteless but faintly sweet and viscous feeling, slightly warmed by alcohol. I know glycerol is viscous, and I've read that it imparts a slight sweetness to wine, so I'm going to guess that this finish is mostly glycerol.

Rosenberg Silicis Pinot Gris '04 $24

The nose displayed equal parts subdued fruit and yeast, with a faint hint of citrus. The acidity was low, but the sweetness was countered by a notable bitterness that first makes itself felt in the midpalate then lingers through the finish. A slight alcoholic bite on the back of the throat gives the impression of "spiciness." I'm not a big fan of the bitterness, but I can see how many would consider this a "well-balanced" wine. The co-proprietor and wife of the winemaker named this as her favorite, citing smoke and earth in the nose, which I can't corroborate, but... it could be there.

Herrenweg de Turckheim Gewurtzraminer '04 $20

Lychees!!! The aroma is exactly like that of lychees, with a spritz of lemon rind, and something that suggested orange rind. On the palate, it was sweet like the others, almost medium-bodied (due to high glycerin concentration, perhaps?) with ripe melon and yeast on the midpalate. Again, bitterness made itself felt on the midpalate. The finish was bitter, with a little yeast, then faded into glycerol, with more alcohol "heat" than the Riesling.

Kiss Chasey Cab/Shiraz/Merlot '04

In Brief:

2004 Swings & Roundabouts "Kiss Chasey" Cab/Shiraz/Merlot ($12 Community):

Too sweet. (RP 88)


Tasting Notes:

This Cab/Shiraz/Merlot/Tempranillo (49.3/28/17.7/5) has a nice nose of cherries with some raspberry character. There is also a shy but at times surprising second character of strong mineral scents, perhaps best described as wet metal. Medium-bodied, with a slightly syrupy texture, there is good fruit on the midpalate and a long finish with good, though not gripping tannins. Unfortunately the syrupy sweetness pervades the entire drinking experience, persisting almost as long as the tannins. The acidity is very low - which normally I wouldn't mind, but here it could have offset the sugar, and made the wine drinkable if not great. A disappointment from Vine St. Imports, the importer of both Barrel Monkeys and Small Gully The Formula.

Robert Parker:

"The only red I can recommend [from Swings & Roundabouts] is the 2004 Kiss Chasey Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz/Merlot, a delicious blend boasting a deep ruby/purple-tinged color as well as plenty of berry fruit intermixed with notions of smoke, herbs, and spice box. Fine texture, abundant fruit on the palate, and a plump finish suggest this amazing value should be drunk over the next 1-2 years. I tasted a few other offerings from Swings & Roundabouts, which were pleasant, but did not merit high enough scores to be included in this report." RP88

Ch. Calissanne (Provence) '05

In Brief:

2005 Chateau Calissanne ( Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence) (Corkscrew 13)

This 70:30 Cab/Shiraz blend has a pleasant nose of light cherries with a hint of spiced oranges, though the aroma is weak and tenuous. In the mouth this wine revealed a light body, with subdued acidity and slightly sweet fruit on the midpalate (by which I mean the part of the palate where the sense of smell is most in play. In time, the point right before swallowing, if you were to swallow). The texture was soft and watery, with a little milkiness. The finish revealed lots of soft tannins with some bitterness. A rather weak, subdued wine. Drinks easily.

Tasting Notes:

Benefited noticeably from aeration. After two hours or so, it was a bit better than 20 minutes after opening. However the aroma was always slightly weak and "closed." Tasted in close to ideal conditions, out of the Reidel bordeaux, and the Ravenscroft amplifier.

This 70:30 Cab/Shiraz blend possessed a pleasant, if rather tenuous, nose of light cherries and a hint of spiced orange. Due to the weakness of the aroma it was a bit difficult to detect subtleties under the relative strength of the alcohol fumes, and my nose was left somewhat singed by the experience. At times, the smell was a bit fake and artificial. At one point, there was a whiff of something warm and wholesome, akin to the smell of pie still baking. In the mouth this wine revealed a light body, with subdued acidity and slightly sweet fruit on the midpalate. Perhaps it was the tannins that evoked a soft, watery-milk texture, because it certainly wasn't high extract or concentration of fruit or alcohol (13%). The finish revealed lots of smooth tannins with some bitterness. A weak, wimpy wine that requires too much effort to detect its only slight complexity. Drinks easily and tastes quite sweet after a while, though not nearly to the extent of the Beaujolais-Villages.

Ch. Cap de Merle (Lussac-St.-Emilion) '04

In Brief:

2004 Ch. Cap de Merle (Lussac St.-Emilion) (Community $8/375ml)
Undrinkable.

Tasting Notes:

This wine was double-decanted and tasted under close to ideal conditions. The nose of dull cherry became even duller a few minutes after decanting, leaving an empty, generic alcohol smell. On the palate the acidity was unpleasantly high, with no fruit whatsoever. It finished with a hops-like bitter aftertaste and thin, tip-of-the-tongue-only, flavorless tannins. One wishes the finish would end sooner, but the bitterness and tannins are surprisingly persistant. While tasting this wine proved instructive as to what constitutes a "bad" wine, swallowing was rewarded with only regret. Further probing the nose for subtleties proved to be an even worse idea, as I detected the faint, but unmistakeable scent of animal fecal matter. I'm not kidding! It was very difficult to capture, but it was noticeable on three separate sniffings.

Roux Pere & Fils Beaujolais-Villages '05

In Brief:

2005 Roux Pere & Fils Beaujolais-Villages ($12, Varsity):
This Gamay (the first I've tasted) has a powerful, appetizing nose of candied cherries and strawberries, which is supported by a medium-bodied, slightly sweet, fruity palate, with good acidic freshness and strong tannins at the finish. The simplicity of this wine becomes boring after a glass or two, perhaps sooner if one is already acquainted with the flavor profile, and I eventually found the sweetness to be cloying. This would be a good, delicious introduction to red wine. Drinks easily. For lots of flavor and tannins with low alcohol content (12.5%) this is a good choice.

Tasting Notes:

The nose is powerful, fresh, and almost artificially fruity, like an overripe cherry confection, vaguely reminiscent of candied strawberries and overripe kiwis. Though I make analogies to strawberries and kiwis to describe the nose, there were not distinct tones but rather a single, unchanging scent.

The taste was similarly pure: loads of fresh fruit with a hint of sugar, acidic enough to evoke freshness. The wine is medium bodied, yet very flavorful with good extract. The sensation of ripe fruit fills the mouth. The finish is tart and considerably tannic.

In conclusion this is an extraordinarily simplistic wine, with an appetizing, aroma and a Wikipedia-entry palate. There is no transformation on the nose or palate, and no aromatic complexity at all.

It is quite good, but after a glass or two, it became tiring. Its simplicity and obvious component flavors became boring, and the slight sugary sweetness became cloying. I was left with the over-sugared sensation of having eaten lots and lots of jam. It's like eating candy - in a good and bad way.

We first tasted at Kalluri corner, where the wine seemed truly simplistic with the aromatic ambiance and tiny glasses. When I retasted from the Reidel bordeaux and the Ravenscroft amplifier, I was able to get a couple of different facets from the nose - notably the slight overripe kiwi characteristic. The fruit in the palate was more readily apparent too. In fact, even the texture was clearer in the mouth. The quiet, odor-free atmosphere in the study near my room, in combination with superior glasses, vastly clarified the bouquet and taste of the wine.

Conclusion: This wine drinks readily and requires no great concentration to enjoy it, however it left me unsatisfied in its over-sweetness, over-the-top (and slightly fake) fruitiness, and lack of complexity. A great wine to introduce a novice to red wine, since it illustrates acidity, medium body, tannins, and fruit aromas with blinding clarity. It was both frustrating and completely unrewarding to probe beneath its innocuous exterior (as I did to great length, aided by the Ravenscroft). I would only buy this wine again for a party of non-serious drinkers, or to introduce a friend to red wine.


Notes from Robert Parker:

RP: "Gamay is not drunk for its complexity but rather for its heady, direct, ripe, soft, fleshy, exuberant fruitiness and easygoing texture." - WBG 392

RP: "Beaujolais should be served [at] 53-56 degrees Fahrenheit." WBG 420
-Due to the cold and rainy night, this Beaujolais was probably somewhere in that range.

Parker also says that burgundies can be damaged by excessive aeration. This bottle was opened without decanting. and each glass poured "opened" in about 5 minutes of aeration by swirling.

RP: "The window of opportunity for drinking red and white Burgundy is one of the smallest of any great wine in the world. One of the great attributes of Bordeaux, and a reason, no doubt, why it commands the prices and international following it does, is the broad span of years over which it can be drunk. When a bottle of Bordeaux reaches its plateau of maturity, it can frequently remain there for 10, 15, sometimes 20 years before it begins a very slow process of decline. Burgundies can reach their plateau of maturity in five years and unceremoniously begin to fade after another six or seven months. " -WBG 421

RP: Drinking the finest mature red Burgundies is an experience akin to eating candy because of the extraordinary sweetness they convey. - WBG 422

'03 Small Gully "The Formula" Cab/Shiraz

In Brief:

2003 Small Gully "The Formula" Cabernet/Shiraz ($20, Varsity):
This is a delicious, deep wine, with lush aromas of dark cherry and overripe orange. The shiraz character is present but not dominant. Dark and dense, though medium-bodied, the fruit extract comes through boldly on the palate, and the gently tannic finish has hints of wood. I would have liked more tannins.

Tasting Notes:

We tasted this Cabernet/Shiraz blend at the Blue Point Grill in, thick-rimmed, almost cylindrical glasses, on the smallish side, but larger than Kalluri Corner's. Taking advantage of the screwtop bottle, we gave it a good shake after pouring the first glass, which seemed to open up the wine considerably. The nose was lush and filled with dark cherry and overripe oranges. There were also tones of lighter cherry, in the direction of a candied-cherry-like nose of a Saint-Emilion I tasted once (Jean-Faure '05). The shiraz character was present but not dominant.

On the palate there was an acceptable amount of acidity that did not hinder the big, dark, dense (though not viscous) fruity taste. Slightly spicy on the back of the throat, it had a good finish with woody tannins, though it could have benefited from more tannins to support its big, fruity frame and high alcohol content.

This was a delicious, deep wine, that may have possessed subtleties we missed under less-than-ideal drinking conditions. It paired wonderfully with mussels in white wine sauce and seared tuna, transforming flatteringly for each dish.

'05 Panarroz Jumilla

In Brief:

2005 Panarroz Jumilla ($10, Varsity):
The aroma of this blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah is dark and salty, with a trace of blackberries. The palate reveals a medium-bodied wine with good extract and a simple tannic finish that is soothingly reminiscent of fresh bread. A good, straightforward wine.

Tasting Notes:

2005 Panarroz Jumilla ($10, Varsity)

We tasted this wine at Kalluri Corner, in the small, squat, thick-rimmed glasses they provided. Given the poor equipment and the strong ambient aromas of Indian spices, we probably missed the minutiae of the bouquet. There was a completely novel tone to the nose - a dark, almost salty scent (perhaps "leather"?) - with some fruit. Though the wine was medium-bodied, it had good extract and intensity of flavor. The finish was lightly tannic, with a hint of fresh bread. Comforting in it's simplicity, this was an un-exotic, straightforward wine, that was flavorful enough to pair well with naan, jalfarezi vegetables, and a mild channa masala.

Panarroz is the winemaker. Jumilla is the DO - Denominacion de Origen (the Spanish equivalent of France's AOC). While the DO of Jumilla is known for its use of Monastrell, the Panarroz is blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, and Syrah. The 2005 proportions are unknown, but past vintages have been equal parts, or 40, 40, 20.

'05 Domaine Chèze, Cuvèe Ro-Rèe (St.-Joseph)

In Brief:

2005 Domaine Chèze Cuvèe Ro-Rèe (Saint-Joseph AOC, Rhône)($13 half-bottle, Corkscrew)
This 100% French Syrah possessed a lush, perfumed bouquet of bright warm hillsides, sun-drenched raspberries, gentle wood tones, and fresh bread. After an exceptional bouquet, quite distinct from Barrel Monkeys Shiraz and the Marquis Philips Shiraz, the light, acidic body with only moderate fruit concentration did not quite satisfy. The finish, though, lasted almost half a minute, with strong, fruity tannins.

Tasting Notes:

The bouquet was full and lush. Instead of the Marquis Philips' Plum and ripe pear notes, or the B.M.'s dark blackberries and smoke, this syrah smelled of bright warm hillsides, sun-drenched raspberries, gentle wood tones, and freshly baked bread. Not intense or powerful, the aromas were nevertheless mesmerizing, enchanting, and seductive. We tasted from two types of glasses - Reidel's 'Bordeaux' tumbler, and a Ravenscroft Vintner's Amplifier. While the Ravenscroft displayed a more concentrated aroma, each type of glass developed a distinct nose, both delicious. We took the first taste 20 minutes after decanting, and for the next hour or two, the bouquet continued to change, each inhalation releasing subtly different flavors.

If the bouquet was revelatory and beautiful, the taste and mouthfeel were not quite satisfying. It tasted good on the palate - all the elements of a Shiraz came through nicely, but it lacked texture, chewiness, and extract. The clear note of acidity (not present in Barrel Monkeys, present in Marquis Philips, but squashed by the sweetness) was not unpleasant, though wanted for more supporting fruit concentration. After such an attractive and lush nose, the mouthfeel and taste seemed a poor confirmation. The finish, however, was long, nicely tannic, and fruit-filled.

RP on the Saint-Joseph AOC:
"The northern Rhône's most underrated appellation for red and white wine. The reds and whites are juicy and best drunk young, preferably within 10 years of the vintage. No northern appellation has made as much qualitative progress as St.-Joseph. Moreover, these wines are fairly priced." - WBG 6th Ed. 698

Aromatic Profile:
"The red wines are the lightest, fruitiest, and mst feminine of the northern Rhône... Syrah can be at its fruitiest, lightest, and most charming in this appellation. A good St.-Joseph red should display a Burgundy-like black cherry, raspberry, and occasionally cassis-scented nose with medium body, light tannin, and zingy acidity. These are the Rhône's Valley's lightest reds and are best drunk in their first 5-6 years of life." - WBG 6th Ed. 705

Textural Profile:
"Good fruit presented in a medium-bodied, zesty format is the hallmark of a fine St.-Joseph red. They should not possess tannin for support, but rather crisp acidity"- WBG 6th Ed. 705

Louis Chèze:
"This is a northern Rhône estate to watch carefully. Chèze... has already made considerable progress with the quality of both his red and white wines. Moreover, he seems poised to soar enormously in quality over the next 4-5 years..." -WBG 6th Ed. (2002) 766