THE MARSH HAWK PRESS TASTING

David writes in:

Encouraged by the Chatelaine, the wines served at a poetry reading on Sept 23, 2005, in NYC, were several cuts above the usual throat-burning jug slime and half-buck chuck served at readings and gallery openings.

I tasted the two reds and one of the two whites.

2003 Benzinger Carneros Chardonnay -- the basic white from the winery that pioneered "fighting varietals" with the Glen Ellen brand in the '80s. I have had this wine in the '02 and '03 vintages several times. Very consistent. Nice balance between fruit, acid, and oak. Medium bodied with a long finish. Often one of my house wines, as it sells for around $10-$11and is frequently available for as little as $8.99. A very good mass produced wine, and a great value.

2002 Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon. Smooth, but insipid. Mild varietal flavor, no complexity. My least favorite of the three.

2003 Cartlidge and Brown Pinot Noir. For the Sideways crowd. Better than the Cabernet, some complexity, nice texture, but it seemed a little too sweet, possibly because it was too warm. I would like to try it again at a more appropriate temperature.

CHATEAUNEUFS TASTING

David writes in from New York to proclaim:

These are the Chateauneufs I tasted last week. (There was also a nice white Cotes du Rhone). The notes in Italics are Parker's. Mine are bold. (Yes, I am bold enough to disagree with him.) The store (Union Square Wines) has high prices, These are the sale prices and are closer to retail in other venues. Clearly, popularity plus the rise of the Euro (fall of the Dollar) have taken their toll.

This was the order of tasting, and range from lightest to heaviest.The overall quality was good to excellent - well made wines, good fruit. But some seriously overrated and over- priced wines, such as the first two:

2003 Mas de Boislauzon Chateauneuf du Pape
Red Wine; Rhone Blend; Rhone; $29.99 SALE!

“The deep ruby/purple-tinged 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is filled with elegance, finesse, and precision, offering wonderfully sweet cherry and strawberry fruit… fresh, and full-bodied, with a refreshing delicacy and vigor…” Robert Parker (90-92 points)

Pleasant, nice fruit not much of a finish . Would be a good buy as a generic Cotes du Rhone at $10. Nice, but not special.


2003 Pierre Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape
Red Wine; Rhone Blend; Rhone; $39.99 SALE!

“This full-bodied, tannic, rich, age worthy 2003 will benefit from 1-2 years of bottle age, and drink well for 12-14 years. One cannot say enough about the extraordinary qualitative revolution that has quietly taken place at this well-known domaine north of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.” Robert Parker (89-92 points)

This had the biggest, most complex aroma of any wine in the tasting, but the flavor was only a slightly revved up version of the preceding wine. Both wines faded and became candyish as the evening progressed.


2003 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape
Red Wine; other red varietal; Rhone; $39.99 SALE!

“…a great success for Beaurenard. Seriously endowed and heady, with high levels of alcohol, glycerin, and concentration, supple tannin, and low acidity, it should drink beautifully for a dozen or more years.” Robert Parker (90-92 points

Finally, a real Chateauneuf, medium body, more complexity, possibly a wine to develop over 3-5 years, very drinkable, but not nearly a patch on the 2001. Not worth the money.

2003 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape
Red Wine; Rhone Blend; Rhone; $44.99 SALE!

“A very strong vintage for this traditionally made Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the 2003, a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and the rest Mourvedre and Cinsault… a classic, concentrated essence of Provence, all in an alcoholic beverage.” Robert Parker (92-95 points)

2003 Clos des Papes - 2003

These [above two] were my two favorites. Despite being closed in, both demonstrated rich fruit, complexity, long finishes, and appear to be real agers. Full-bodied, but not ungainly. Sort of like siblings, the same but different. Should age well and long. Classics. These are the ones I bought.


2003 Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Boisrenard
SALE PRICE: $79.

“… stunning… possesses a classically southern Rhone nose of melted licorice, cassis, black cherry liqueur, smoke, white chocolate, and background oak…. a full-bodied, powerful, intense style that is super pure and long/persistent.” Robert Parker (94-96 points)

I tasted the licorice, but was perplexed. This wine was full of big, very extracted (California-style?) fruit, and alot of tannin. Mouth coating. Monolithic, no complexity. No charm. What will it turn into? A wine for people who buy labels. Impress your friends . Better still, wait until it goes back to $115, so you can really impress them!

1986 Chateaux Margaux

This was my birthday dinner wine from Tom, who also provides the following tasting notes:

Nose of cigar, cedar, black cherry, a little bit of mocha and a little bit of vanilla.

Taste: Full-bodied. Sweet tannins. Incredibly concentrated. Red cherry flavor with tobacco, leather and "some smoke." A long finish.

A "classic" Margaux similar in style to the great vintages of 1982 and 1990.

However, and notwithstanding its 100-point rating by Robert Parker, it's still "not mind-bending like the off-the-chart vintages of, say, 1953 Lafite, 1949 Cheval Blanc, or even the 1996 William Selyem pinot noir."

Tom adds, however, that this wine may reach that off-the-chart status with another 30-40 more years in the bottle.

Eileen: Note to Self -- try this wine on hubby's death bed.

Tom: Note to Self -- try this wine before I die.

And I'm another year older but aging like great fine wine!

SOLACE FROM SOLYSS

DAVID writes (from New York):

Recent dinner in an Italian restaurant on the Lower East Side called Basso Est. (Guess what that translates into in English!) Excellent food. There were four of us. The owner recommended a wine called SOLYSS, which none of us had ever heard of or had before. 2003 vintage. From Puglia region in southern Italy. 100% Negroamaro. Needed a few minutes to open up. Then, big, rich fruit, long finish, excellent accompaniment to Italian food, red sauces. Delicious on its own. A welcome change from cab -merlot-zin- etc. $32 in the restaurant. We had two bottles. Would be happy to pay $20-25 in a store.

Found it in 3 shops in NYC: Union Square Wines has it for $18.99; Zachy's price is $14.99, and Sherry-Lehmann will let you steal it for $12.99. Highly recommended.