  |
99 Saintsbury Pinot Noir Brown Ranch—Lovely spicy,
suave oaky cherry nose. Super! Balanced, elegant with depth. Perhaps a
bit much oak. 93(+?)
99 Finca Allende Rioja Calvario—Initially, no aromatics, but
after 40 minutes in glass shows some red berry and sweet cinnamon! Sweet
cherry fruit. Smooth, pretty oaky. Yummy, sophisticated. Rather primary.
Needs 4-6 years to fill out. 93
96 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Roennfeldt Road—Dark. Overripe
nose, some menthol. Smooth, low tannin, low acid, bit alcoholic. Oaky finish,
but short. Hollow mid- palate. 88.
99 Switchback Ridge Merlot— Darker than the Greenock. Typical
suave Bob Foley fancy oak treatment. Yummy, chewy rich fruit, pretty tannic.
Cherry cola, toast. 92+, if the oak stays in check.
99 Kamen Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)—Medium dark. Big
crushed boysenberry aromas with toasty oak. Fruit a bit thin for the oak.
Some heat in finish. 89+, if oak incorporates.
99 Lewis Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon—Dark. Slight mustiness
in first bottle. NR. Second bottle: Sweet fruit, cherry, pretty oaky, big
tannins, but good balance. Needs 5-8 years. Top rate. 92-94.
99 Alban Syrah Lorraine—Almost black.
Impenetrable. Stinky, reduced gamy, SO2, blackberry. Totally convincing
for Rhonophiles who like this type of character. Lush, chewy sweet fruit.
Big, not over the top. Excellent finish. Needs 3-8 years. 94-96.
99 Sine Qua Non Syrah “Marauder”—Great nose, like stinky Burgundy
or Bien Nacido pinot. Typical Manfred oak bomb, with loads of fruit to
support it. Concentrated, liqueur-like intensity. Rich, smooth, huge. Fabulous.
Long, refined tannins. But little varietal character. A syrah that tastes
like a PN made by a syrah maker, for you Zen enthusiasts. 94-95.
96 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz—Medium dark. Low toned blackberry,
plum and eucalyptus aromas. Rich, classy shiraz. Oaky but not over the
top. Low acid. Concentrated, but uninteresting (not complex). OK, not great.
87.
99 Torbreck Run Rig—Dark. Menthol bouquet. Sweet, succulent,
complete shiraz. Good high acidity, very fine tannin. Perfect integration
of oak. Not heavy. Needs 3-6 years, will last 12-15. 94-97(?).
99 Pahlmeyer Merlot—Dark. Cassis, slightly reduced, gamy Band-Aid,
bret(?). Zippy acids, rich, tannic. Charred oak, hard, tarry, angular.
Not cohesive. Big, and not especially pleasant. Needs 6-8 years, but who
knows if it will come together. 88-94(?).
98 Dalla Valle Maya—Sweet patent leather, cassis, Pinesol. Chewy,
suave, tight, oaky, black cherry, tar, bitter finish. Hollow fruit + oak
juice. Needs 4-5 years, but not great. 87-89 for me, 93-94 for oak lovers. |
