Winenotes

Wines & Vines, August, 2001

When I was a kid, my mother said if I couldn't say something good about somebody or something, don't say anything at all. Not a bad concept. That's why I'm not going to mention the name of the producer of the wine our new staffer "reviewed." "In the bottle, _____ smells like soft butterscotch. But pour some in a glass and you are inundated with aromas of either (a) wheatgrass and cow dung (b) sulfur, or (c) the environment-friendly cleaner Simple Green. Not what you would consider one of your nicer bouquets. I thought this wine was made from corn. Add a little carbonation and you've got beer. Literally made me jerk in mouth-pain." Ah, candor.

Stone Creek is a negociant label known, at least to me, as a quality/value label. The wines are just good! The 1998 California Merlot, Special Selection, is a paltry $8; try matching that, Pomerol! There is oak, but it doesn't dominate. Just kind of fits right in. This is one of those darned red wines that is easy to drink. It was released in January and tasted in March, so we didn't lose the bottle in our office cellar. And I'm glad we didn't. Food ideas would definitely include lamb, if you like lamb, or a nice pasta with red sauce. Linguine, maybe. I remember having lunch years ago with a Taylor Wine Co. marketing exec--Lloyd Magee. He took me to a first-rate Italian restaurant in Manhattan--don't remember the name--and I had linguine. The waiter asked if I wanted red or white sauce. Then he suggested half of each--a bloody rose! The lunch was great and I hope Lloyd is doing well. This Merlot would be super with that half & half linguine sauce. Tasted the Ides of March.

I have a part of me that likes certain things. Like numbering bottles of wine, as in #22 of 110 bottles. Robert Mondavi Malvasia bianca '93 that we got was bottle 430 of 14,196. It's 11% a.c. and yes, there is residual sugar. Which is just fine for Malvasia. This is a perfect wine for finishing off a lunch or dinner on somebody's veranda.

Tapiz is an Argentine wine from Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. In this case, the wine is 1999 Chardonnay from the Mendoza region. It's also $8. The color is varietally correct, but California winemaking, with the over-emphasis on oak, makes this particular wine a bit flat in spite of .60 total acidity. The a.c. is right up to California standards, 13.7%. Personally, I prefer the French standards in a.c., but...tasted in April.

La Crema 1999 Pinot noir, Sonoma Coast, definitely did not make me jerk in mouth-pain. Nosiree. It's fairly light in color--I wouldn't be surprised that when it went into the barrel it looked like a rose--and is suggested at $22. A.c. is 13.9, so this vintage proved grapes can ripen well in even such a cool clime as this. The fruit explodes in the mouth and lingers. This wine can be enjoyed now; I'd like to enjoy it with escargot as an appetizer and finish it off with some prime rib or a filet mignon. Tasted in April.

Meridian Vineyards is four-square in the quality/price ratio. 1995 Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, was released in November 1996. Dang, it escaped me until May, which may explain why the wine appeared to be oxidized. Just a tad, though. The color was deep, brassy gold and the oxidation, if any, sort of melded with the fruit for a pleasant experience. There was honey on the back palate, for example. Oh yeah, the suggested retail was $11. Cheap.

We were a bit puzzled as to the retail price of 1997 Merlot, Carneros, from Buena Vista. One price was $18, the other $20. But, for $2 difference, who gives a hoot? At 14.5 a.c., I'd say this is a "big" wine. It is not wimpy, not a whit. We are talking serious red here, and that requires something like roast beef, or game, if you happen to have some handy. I've heard of people who kill game, or fish, then stick it in the freezer until freezer burn sets in. And the whatever is thrown out. This is unconscionable to me. If you kill it, either eat it or give it away. I wouldn't give this wine away, though. Tasted in April.

Monterra is a Delicato Family Vineyards brand and the 1998 Merlot hails from San Bernabe Vineyards in Monterey County. The Merlot, thanks to the blend constituents (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and more) is complex--and it could be laid down for two or three years for even more complexity. Yikes! How much complexity can we stand! Food? Anything you'd have with Bordeaux, except for the dreaded lamproie a la bordelais. Tasted in April, without the help of the lamproie. The wine is $9.99.

Veteran winemaker Tom Eddy knows his grapes. He spotted a Syrah vineyard at the French Camp Vineyard, so called for the four French Basque farmers who founded it 25 miles east of San Luis Obispo. As consulting winemaker, Eddy done good (what else?) with 1999 Central Coast Syrah from French Camp. The wine is nice and ripe with some spice and some tannin, but not so much as to cloud the issue. The wine is accessible now, what with a hint of chocolate on the palate. The 13.7 a.c. isn't too bothersome because Syrah seems to do best in warmer climes. At about $12 nationally, you shouldn't let this one get away. Try with wild boar or a big old steak. Tasted May 1.