2005 Edmond Cornu Bourgogne 'Les Barrigards'

Importer: Rosenthal

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 2/18/2013

Notes: Fine aroma of flowers (roses?), dark cherry fruit, and wet stone.  Full bodied with plenty of deep, dark cherry and blackberry fruit as well as a rich earthiness and hints of dry wood/forest floor.   Long finish of fruit, earth, and wood.

Although from a humble appellation, this wine has all of the basic qualities that I enjoy about Burgundy (especially deep fruit and earthy flavors).  It lacks typical Burgundy funk and falls short in complexity, but considering its origins and its price, this wine is quite enjoyable and a pleasant surprise.

Value: Good to very good

2006 Macari Sauvignon Blanc 'Katherine's Vineyard' (North Fork of Long Island)

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 2/1/2013

Notes: Sharp aroma of sweet lemon fruit with hints of grass and herbs.  Moderate body of tart fruit (mostly lemon with a hint of white grape and perhaps gooseberry) develops into a surprisingly chalky minerality with hints of herbs and grass.  Short mineral finish with a hint of fresh wood.

This wine has been a pleasant surprise, as based on its age and appellation, my expectations were not especially high.  However, this wine displays many of the characteristics I enjoy in white wine (even if the profile is not strictly what I expect from Sauvignon Blanc).  While I found the minerality to be almost shocking, it is one of the traits in white wine that I really enjoy.  The level of complexity in this wine was also a pleasant surprise.  Although this wine does not display any obvious age, I wonder what it would have tasted like a few years younger.  This wine makes my decision to be more aggressive in my pursuit of locavory a bit easier on the wine front.

Value: Very good.

2009 Cascina Feipu dei Massaretti Pigato (Riviera Ligure di Ponente)

Importer: Kermit Lynch

Source: Zachys

Consumption Date: 1/11/2013

Notes: Mild fruity and floral aroma with a hint of wet chalk.  Fairly light in body with pleasant lively lemon fruit with floral notes and a mild, chalky mineral frame.  Finishes full with a nutty, borderline bitterness fading into more tart lemon fruit and chalk.  Surprisingly long finish.

This is a pleasant, if somewhat pedestrian white wine from the Italian Riviera.  It is enjoyable to drink, but without any serious depth or complexity.  Still it is a well made wine with some interesting flavor characteristics.

Value: Average

1999 Paul Bara 'Comtesse Marie de France' Champagne Brut Grand Cru 'Bouzy'

Importer: Kermit Lynch

Source: Zachys

Consumption Date: 12/31/2012

Notes: Mild aroma of chalk, flowers, and yeast with a hint of fruit.  Creamy texture, with upfront chalk and floral notes evolving into a distinctive bready/yeastiness underpinned by a tart, lemon fruit acidity.  Also has a hint of sweetness and deeper fruitiness.  Finishes long with more yeast, chalk, and hints of fruit.

This is a really interesting champagne, in that there is a lot going on in each sip (with different characteristics assuming prominence at different times).  While it has all of the hallmarks of what I consider fine champagne, it is particularly noteworthy for the bready/yeasty component that I really enjoy.  Although not particularly fruity and definitely acidic, there is enough of a hint of sweetness and fruit to suggest that this is straddling the line between brut and the next sweeter category (extra dry?).  Although it is perhaps not perfectly balanced, it has enough complexity and variability to make for very enjoyable consumption.

Value: Good to very good.

2000 Meo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru 'Les Chaumes'

Importer: Kermit Lynch

Source: PJs

Consumption Date: 12/16/2012

Notes: Intense aroma of earth, truffles, and spices with hints of dark fruit and dry wood.  Very silky texture with mild dark fruit (black cherry), loads of spice, and a restrained earthiness and mushroom/truffle umami character.  Finishes long with more spice and fruit and a slightly astringent dry wood note.  Moderate tannin.

This wine demonstrates yet another interesting variation on what can be done with Pinot Noir in Burgundy.  Besides the predominance of spice in the flavor and aroma, this wine is remarkable for its amazing silky texture.  It has an interesting and pleasant aroma, although not quite the ‘funk’ I expect from Burgundy.  Although it has some characteristics that I associate with the 2000 vintage (relatively light body and almost ethereal fruit), these are somewhat masked by what appears to be a predominance of new oak (presumably contributing the spiciness as well as the slight astringency (which would be a fault if it was any more prominent)).  Perhaps not as complex (or perhaps balanced) as I would prefer, but still a very enjoyable wine.

Value: Good

2002 Eugen Muller - Riesling Auslese (Forster Kirchenstuck)

Importer: Terry Theise

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 12/15/2012

Notes: Mild, yet rich aroma of honeyed fruit with a hint of wet chalk and a wisp of flowers.  Full bodied with incredible rich, honeyed fruit (white grape, meyer lemon, and, perhaps, peach) framed with a pleasing acidic tang and floral hints.  More honey and fruit with a mild minerality on the very long finish.

This is an excellent and intriguing example of German Riesling Auslese.  The overwhelming characteristic is rich, elegant honeyed fruit which I find unparalleled in any other Riesling I have had.  While not readily apparent, this wine offers enough acidity to keep it from being cloying.  The only criticism of this wine is that it is not as complex as other German Rieslings I have had, as the chalky/stony and floral characteristics that I associate with these wines are very subdued in this example.

Value: Very good to excellent

2001 Woodenhead Zinfandel (Alexander Valley 'Braccialini Vineyards')

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 11/2/2012

Notes: Distinctive aroma of rich, ripe fruit (blackberries, raspberries) with hints of cocoa powder and herbs and a slight tinge of alcohol.  Chock full of rich, ripe fruit notes (more berry fruits) bordering on jamminess, with a prominent milk chocolate note and hints of dry wood, herbs, dry leaves, and an iron minerality.  Finishes long with more chocolate, herbs, and a hint of bitterness.  Mild tannins.

This is a fine example of California Zinfandel.  Although intensely fruity and with the most obvious chocolate note of probably any wine I have drunk, it also possesses a certain elegance, perhaps as a result of age.  It does lack somewhat in complexity as the typical brambly, leafy character of Zinfandel is very muted.  It also has an almost absurdly high alcohol level (16.5%), which suggests some parallels (not altogether bad, but perhaps not ideal either) with Port.  Perhaps this would be better for after dinner than as an aperitif.

Value: Good