On Wednesday, February 12, 2014 9:46:18 PM UTC-7, Mark Lipton wrote:
> 2008 Az. Ag. Antoniotti Odilio Bramaterra (2/8/2014)
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> Opened an hour before a dinner of wild boar roast. It had the usual
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> tarry character of Nebbiolo with a bit of the aromatic notes (a touch of
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> menthol) and a hint of Brett. On the palate, it was medium bodied, with
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> some backend tannins left and great acidity. Very lovely wine, and a
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> reminder of all the great wines that Joe Dressner introduced us to.
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> 2010 Birichino Grenache Vieilles Vignes Besson Vineyard Central Coast
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> (2/7/2014)
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> Consumed with a dinner of rabbit and wild boar sausages. It proved to be
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> a sprightly, red-fruited wine with more than a hint of carbonic
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> maceration in the nose. For a CA Grenache, it was remarkably light on
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> its feet with vivid acidity and a core of tart red fruit. The only
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> resemblance it bore to my earlier CA varietal Grenache encounters (Unti,
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> Margerum) was a pong of VA in the nose. Not a whole lot of varietal
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> character here (no one would likely mistake it for a wine from the S
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> Rhone) but a very appealing wine for a Central Coast Grenache.
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> 2010 Cowan Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast (2/1/2014)
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> Our first bottle of this was a complete winner with crispy roasted duck
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> for Chinese New Years. It manages to very effectively straddle the chasm
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> between Burgundy and California, with the fruit of the latter coupled to
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> the restraint of the former. Lovely acidity and a touch of spice in the
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> finish only add to the appeal of this beautiful Pinot Noir.
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> 2011 Charles Gonnet Vin de Savoie Chignin Vieilles Vignes (1/30/2014)
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> A nose that speaks of carbonic maceration, but on the palate it has
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> bright, tart fruit, grainy tannins, good acidity and a light palate
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> presence. A delicious Thursday night wine, if nothing too profound.
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> 2005 Chteau Gigault Cuvée Viva Côtes de Blaye (1/26/2014)
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> Still quite young and primary, it has good depth of Cabernet-ish fruit
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> (black berry fruit mostly) and some pencil lead atop a still grainy
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> tannic finish. Nice, but will be much better in 3-5 years, I'd hazard.
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> 2000 Chteau du Domaine de L'Eglise Pomerol (1/25/2014)
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> A beautiful nose of herbal, leathery, plummy fruit with an edge of
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> pencil lead thrown in. Although the wine started out too cold (a
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> function of recent weather) it also showed a core of lovely plummy fruit
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> and a silken texture to this medium-bodied wine.
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> 2011 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet (1/24/2014)
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> I agree that this wine seems a bit diffuse right now, and also a tad
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> richer than I look for in Chablis. Still, a core of fruit and good
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> acidity indicate that the future looks bright. Will hold onto my other
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> bottle for a year or two.
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> 2000 Domaine du Pégaü Chteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée (1/24/2014)
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> Classic nose of meaty black cherry fruit. A silky mouthfeel indicative
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> of maturity. Compared to the recently opened '98, this wine has a bit
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> less acidity and is not quite as lush. Pretty classic CdP profile, though..
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> 2007 Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch (1/22/2014)
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> Pulled straight from our very cold cellar. Cold, it was quite primary
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> with a bit of VA, a bit of vanilla and a slight lactic note. As it
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> warmed, the plummy fruit came to the fore. There was a good spine of
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> acidity that kept the wine seeming fresh, even at 14.3% ABV. Still
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> young, it has years yet ahead of it.
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> 2011 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Réserve Personnelle
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> Alsace AOC Gewürztraminer (1/19/2014)
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> Opened with takeout Thai food and some trepidation lest Jean find it too
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> sweet for her tastes. However, the nose was gorgeous and filled with
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> varietal fruit and the acidity was sufficient to accord it a modicum of
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> perceived dryness. It went fabulously with the moo ping and green curry,
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> but at 14% ABV a couple of glasses was enough for both of us.
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> 2009 A. et P. de Villaine Bourgogne La Digoine (1/18/2014)
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> Consumed with rabbit in mustard sauce. Sappy red fruit amid mineral
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> notes. The sappiness put us in mind of NZ Pinots, which in turn makes us
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> think of young vines. This wine was very young still but quite enjoyable
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> with the rabbit.
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> Mark Lipton

Based on previous notes, I bought 2 bottles of the Cowan. Haven't tried them yet.