July 16th, 2010

What Angels Drink

2003 Château d’Yquem Sauternes

Where to begin?

First, the name. There are a handful of wines that I have specifically put on a bucket list. Wines I want to drink before I die. Names like Château Petrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Dom Pérignon, Château Cheval Blanc, and, yes, Château d’Yquem.

Second, the style of wine. Sauternes is botrytized semillon and sauvignon blanc (this one is 80% of the former, 20% of the latter) and it’s delicious. I wrote up a Sauternes-style wine from Sonoma County, and I’d still recommend that wine without hesitation. However, this… this is something else.

Let me just burst any bubble you might have here: this is expensive wine. This is world-renowned, expensive wine. A 375ml half-bottle of 2003 Château d’Yquem is $150–$200.

OK, so what’s it like?

First, the color is a perfect gold. It’s truly gorgeous. Swirling the glass even lightly shows the viscosity one would expect from a dessert wine. No surprises here.

The surprises begin when you get your face anywhere near this stuff. The nose is soft and lustrous, and shows off a lightly sweet honey note, along with a hint of bright, sharp cheese, and a nuttiness that comes off to me like candied cashews. I am so excited to be able to use candied cashews in a wine review.

The wine is full-bodied, but not heavy. It doesn’t coat your mouth, it just kind of covers the whole thing. Does that not sound dissimilar to you? I’m not sure how else to describe this mouthfeel—it is both full-bodied and light on the tongue. And I’m not sure how.

Notes of honey and nuttiness from the nose mix with a hint of lemon zest, but more than that, with a caramel note that, like the rest of this wine, stays light and soft while also feeling downright elegant. Luxury in a glass.

I wish this wine was less expensive. I wish I could have it all the time. But, like many of the world’s finest things, high demand must be counterbalanced by high cost, because it is simply impossible to make enough of something this good to satisfy everyone who wants some.

However, if you have a chance to drink this wine—whether at $400/bottle or $40/glass—give it a go. I cannot imagine the 2003 Château d’Yquem disappointing anyone.

Verdict: A+

2003 Château d'Yquem Sauternes

2003 Château d'Yquem Sauternes

Tags: 2003, A+, Barsac, Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, sauvignon blanc, semillon

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April 20th, 2010

Washington State Claret Scores

2003 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon

Quite a while ago now, I won this bottle in a contest at Josh Wade’s Drink Nectar wine/coffee blog. Josh is a huge proponent of the burgeoning Washington State wine scene, and he raved pretty good about Kiona and their cabs, especially.

When the bottle arrived, I popped the cork, eager to see what it had to offer. That bottle, however, offered me little more than a bitter, vinegary sensation. It looked like the rigors of travel… and a loose cork (these things happen)… had done the wine no favors whatsoever. It was undrinkable.

I told Josh about the unfortunate result, he told the folks at Kiona, and they happily sent out another bottle. Good thing they did, because this is a wine I’m glad I got to try.

The Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon is a Washington State blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, a very Left Bank Bordeaux-style combination (in the UK, red wines from Bordeaux are sometimes called “Claret,” hence my use of the word in the title. No, I’m not British).

The wine is a ruby red color at its core, and there is a slight orange-brown rusting to the edges. The nose shows off a bit of heat (though its modest 13.8% ABV keeps this from getting Lodi Zinfandel levels), but a plentiful bouquet of raspberry, blackcurrant, and white pepper.

The 2003 Kiona is a medium-bodied wine. The tannins start off a bit sharp, but smooth considerably with just a little time in the glass. There is some good structure, but this is a wine to be enjoyed, not to be cellared. The dominant notes on the palate are smooth black cherry, and toasted oak that comes off a bit smoky.

All in all, very enjoyable. And for $12-$20, a very good value.

Verdict: B+

2003 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon

2003 Kiona Cabernet Sauvignon

Tags: 2003, B+, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, Kiona Vineyards and Winery, merlot, Washington State

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March 26th, 2010

Dunn Howell Mountain, Through The (Recent) Years

wine 200x200 Dunn Howell Mountain, Through The (Recent) Years

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to taste a vertical selection of Dunn Vineyard’s Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon with cellar master and assistant winemaker, Mike Dunn.

I tasted the wine from the 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages, and I have notes to share on each. What I can say at the very least is that Dunn is some very good wine. If you haven’t had it, get your hands on it. There are two labels: Dunn Howell Mountain and Dunn Napa Valley. The former is the more prestigious of the two, with 100% of the grapes coming from the Howell Mountain sub-AVA, whereas the latter will include up to 15% grapes from the Napa Valley floor.

Also a word of warning: these wines aren’t cheap. You’d be hard-pressed to find any of these vintages for less than the $75-$100 range per bottle. So keep that in mind as well. On to the wines.

2002 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

A dark ruby red in the glass, this wine really has the Cali Cab look to it. On the nose is a wonderful wet stone note, a general earthiness, marked with a very dark fruit note (perhaps rhubarb). On the palate are notes of raspberry and cranberry, and while I found the wine nicely structured, the tannins seemed a bit rough for a wine already 8 years from harvest. Perhaps it needs just a bit more time.

Verdict: B

2003 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Even darker-looking in the glass than the ’02, the 2003 Dunn is a dark, dark red. The nose is pleasantly subtle and complex, with notes of black fruit mingling with a leather note. On the palate, this wine felt more mature than the 2002, with softer tannins, good acidity, and subtle notes of raspberry. This is a pretty fantastic Cabernet, and not at all bombastic like some California cult wines seem to be.

Verdict: A-

2004 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Speaking of darkening wine… the ’04 is almost black at its core, though it shifts to a brighter red at the edges, a more extreme shift in color than the first two wines showed. The nose here is a bit hot, either its youth or the 2004 growing season showing its stripes, but it is a bit hard to get around. The nose also shows off some red fruit and a dulled, almost like cooked, blackberry. The wine is clean but strong on the palate, with notes of red fruit and leaves. It’s still a bit too hot, and needs some years, but will probably be very good after some more time.

Verdict: B

2005 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

This vintage shows off a bit more in the glass, the color is a rich ruby red in the core, and fades to an almost pastel color on the edges. And this wine is different from the previous three in other ways, as well: the nose is full of forest floor, mushroom and bark, and pine needles. Awesomely stinky in a way. On the palate this wine shows a lot of structure for its relative youth, soft tannins, a good balance of alcohol and acid, with pleasant notes of smoky leather, red cherry, and earth. My favorite of the bunch by a smidge, I think the 2005 Dunn will be exceptional in 10 years’ time.

Verdict: A-

(photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndurston/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Tags: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, A-, B, cabernet sauvignon, Dunn Vineyards, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley

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October 26th, 2009

A First Shot At Tempranillo Falls A Bit Flat

2003 Vinea Tempranillo Reserva, D.O. Cigales, Spain

I’d never had a Tempranillo before. This was my first, and it left me rather uninspired.

The nose was lacking almost entirely of fruit, with heavy notes of earth and oak. The color is a light garnet red with tinges of rusty orange at the edges.

The first thing I noticed was the incredibly — almost distressingly — light mouthfeel. It was almost as if the wine wasn’t really there. Still lacking in any discernible fruit notes, the palate played with hints of rock and wood. The finish was clean and very short — the wine left as inconspicuously as it came.

All in all, I am hoping this is not indicative of Tempranillo as a varietal. One bright note: My tasting partner, Karly, noted that the wine paired nicely with her lunch, an italian sandwich of black forest ham, salame, and caper aioli. While I didn’t partake, it makes sense to me that this wine would pair well with deli meats — a steak would wreck it like a steamroller, leaving nothing in its wake.

Verdict: C-

Tags: 2003, C-, Cigales, tempranillo, Vinea

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