We are happy that Bernard, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Bernard writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Bernard writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Bernard's notes from January 27, 2003:

99 Casafrassi Chianti Classico—Pretty banal example of the genre. Light black fruit, some signs of wood, earth and tannins. No class, no subtlety, and not enough fruit to hold interest. Barely acceptable with red sauce. 80.

96 Foxen Cuvee Jeanne Marie (50-50 blend of Syrah and Mourvedre, Santa Ynez)—Not much evolved since last tried nearly 3 years ago at Bouchon in Yountville with Dr. Julius. Dominated by the mourvedre, but not in a stinky way. Still fairly clunky, but good enough acidity and fruit to hold up to robust food. Might improve 5 years from now, but unregretfully, my last bottle. 87.

99 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett—Odd musky (not musty) character atop the golden floral aromatics. Not corked. Medium attack, lacking the acidic cut I prefer. White stone fruit flavors, some minerals, but not enough complexity to hold interest. Lacks grip in finish. OK with food, but just that. About 87.

98 Dom. Clavel “Les Garrigues” Coteaux du Languedoc—Firm tannins and fading black fruit, as unbalanced as it was on release. Not enjoyable to drink, but not so offensive that I wouldn’t cook with it. Made a fine braised lamb shank. 79 as a beverage, 85 as an ingredient.

92 Sokol Blosser Chardonnay “Redland” (Yamhill County Oregon)—Surprisingly alive. Golden fruit aromatics, nice clarity. Bright, lively fruit and acid, not overwhelmed by wood. A nicely done chardonnay. Properly stored, should keep another couple years. 91.

00 Dom. du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape—Larry Archibald’s contribution to a multi-course dinner I cooked at home. Initially very tight, closed in. Some modest black fruit aromatics, no funk.. Decent density, tannins well supported by fruit. By day two, more expansive, starting to show some red character. Enough acidity to suggest fine evolution over the next 10 years. Best to hold off drinking for 5-7 years. 88-89 now, about 93 potential.

97 Filippo Gallino Barbera d’Alba Superiore—Fairly lackadaisical. Typical barbera nose, but lacking breadth. Thin fruit for the vintage. Cost $20, tastes like a $9 barbera. 83.

90 Graham’s Malvedos Centenary Porto—Classic vintage port in every regard. Fuller than a LBV. Lovely, expansive aromatics, fairly resolved tannins, deep black fruit, excellent acidity balanced by moderate sweetness, long finish. Has thrown a hunk of sediment, so about as good as it’s going to get. No signs of any oxidation. Drink over the next 6-10 years. 92.

94 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva—Pretty ordinary. Did not finish bottle. NR.

90 Paolo Scavino Barolo (Normale)—Classic medium age Barolo nose. Showing lots of secondary bottle character, but fruit is still holding. Some wood tones, some dried fruit, some herbs, dried orange zest, dried flowers. Good balance at present, tannins are noticeable, but close to fully resolved. Drinking perfectly right now, but should last another 3-5 years. 91.

97 Dom. du Closel Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”—Slightly odd nose, perhaps hints of botrytis. A bit fuller on the palate than I had anticipated, not as clean a cut as, e.g., Baumard’s. Could this have seen a bit of wood? Not the pure crisp chenin I had hoped, with maybe a touch of roasted nuts (Peanut? Hazelnut?). The acidity seems to play second fiddle to a bitter seedy character, and the bitterness dominates the finish. Still, the golden fruit has presence in the mid-palate. Tolerable, but not what I look for from the appellation. 84.

99 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl—Another of Larry’s wines at dinner. This is terrific PG, exactly what one expects from Z-H from this vineyard. Huge aromatic presence, glistening crystal pure golden fruit, vibrant acidity, and an underlying mineral core. If you’ve had past vintages, this is exactly what you expect and want. Predictable slight residual sweetness at the proper level, just enough to hold the mid-palate intensity into the finish, which is long and clean. This was a perfect match to mixed freshwater fish quenelles (with cauliflower) served on red chard leaf with parsley sauce. (Make sure I post the recipe!). A brilliant food-wine match. Drink over the next 10-12 years. 93 points.