VOLUME
20 , NO. 10 19th YEAR
I
WAS ASTOUNDED AT THE QUALITY OF THIS
2004 LE CIGARE VOLANT,
Btld. BONNY DONN VINEYARDS
Prior to trying this 2004, I had not sampled this Chateauneuf-du-Pape look-alike
The wine exhibits a brick red color, accompanied by flavors and aromas
of roasted almonds, currants, fresh herbs, dark pepper and mushrooms, along
with an appealing earthiness in the background. As five years of age the wine is now ideal
drinking and should continue so for another 4 to 6 years.
The wines a blend of the major varieties found in the
The label name means, “flying cigar.”
Why? Because in 1954 the town
council of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was worried about flying saucers landing in the vineyards
and they passed a town ordinance, banning such landings. As to the name, Flying Saucers in French go
by the designation of Flying Cigars, hence Le Cigare Volani.
RATING: 91 maybe even 92
PRICE:
$29.99
WHERE: Wally’s Wine & Spirits
THE ’07
2007 COTES-DU-RHONE, DOMAINE LES GRANDS BOIS, CUVEE LES TROIS SOEURS
You may have noticed in this and other recent
issues of the Guide a goodly amount of recommendations of modest priced Rhone
wines and wines using the same varieties as these Rhone’s and very much in
their style. Why? Because so many of these wines are very well
made and are a real value in there relatively modest cost.
A very good example is this Cotes du Rhone Domaine Les Grands Bois,
special Cuvee les Tres Soeurs (the “select batch of the three sisters”), which
at $12.99 is an outstanding bargain for this medium to full-bodied red.
Taking the cue from Robert Parker
the 2007 southern
On line the usual price ranges from $15 to $18, with Beverage Warehouse
having it on special for under $12.
RATING: 88/89
PRICE: $11.99, **bargain
WHERE: Beverage Warehouse ============
LOVED THIS $18.99
2005 DOMAINE de NIZAS, Coteaux du Languedoc
O.K. maybe “loved” is a bit cavalier when it comes to ones response to a
wine. Nevertheless, cavalier or not,
this wine certainly surprised me with its unexpected quality. For it astonished me that the
When consuming this wine with dinner I was jotting down my tasting notes
and later when I goggled the producer’s site, I read his description and found
it sure tailed with my opinion, but in a better descriptive way. So here it is (with a most slight
modification on my part), “This wine is deep garnet in color, with fragrant
aromas of blackberries, bilberries (European blueberries) and spices. The
distinctive herbal notes commonly found in wines around the
RATING: 90/91
PRICE: $18.99, **bargain
WHERE: Wally’s Wine & Spirits =========
ENCHANTING, READY TO
ENJOY VERY GOOD ’05 HAUT-MEDOC BDX.
2005 CHATEAU CAMBON LA PELOUSE, Haut-Medoc
Though I have driven passed the Chateau, this is the first time I have
tried their wine. This is a softer,
velvety style Haut-Medoc akin to a fine Margaux. There’s lots of Cabernet character, but the
velvet softness one associates with Merlot is evident
The Chateau changed owner in 1996 and I understand there vineyard
improvements are beginning to take hold
Except for adding that the wine has a noticeable tastes and aromas of
anise and currents, I agree with Robert Parker when he rated the wine an 89 and
said. “A big-time sleeper of the vintage, the 2005 Cambon La Pelouse possesses
a dark ruby/purple hue as well as an exotic, flamboyant, fruity bouquet of
black cherries, wood smoke, tobacco, and spice. Lush, round, and opulent, it
is ideal for drinking over the next 5-6 years. This huge property (around 150
acres), is sandwiched between Cantemerle and
Giscours, has released a blend of 50% Merlot and the rest primarily Cabernet
Sauvignon with dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. There are 17,500
cases of the 2005, undoubtedly the finest wine ever made at this estate.”
RATING:
90/91,
PRICE
$19.95
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co.
============
ONE OF THE BEST BUYS
AROUND FOR A ’05 BDX. UNDER $25.00
2005 CHATEAU
POTENSAC,
Appellation
In checking my notes and memory, I note that I have had at least 20
various vintages of Chateau Pontensac and this 2005 is the best one yet. Which considering the over-all high standards
of this estate, is saying quite a bit.
This ’05 has a dark almost deep purple color accompanied by aromas and
tastes of currants, dark cherries and noticeable hints of cedar wood and
unsweetened chocolate. The wine has an
exceptional texture, a complexity that stays on the palate and a definite, but
certainly not over-powering tannic level that gives the wine a fine backbone
and a firm structure. I certainly
enjoyed this medium to full-bodied ‘05 a few nights ago (when I had it with a
mediocre dinner at the Westside Tavern with its terrible sandwich breads). As pleasant as it now is, the wine will
certainly reward keeping and will improve for another six or more years and
keep well until the 2020’s.
Chateau Potensac is on the northern end of the Medoc “peninsula” where
it covers about 130 acres planted in 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15%
Cabernet Franc.
The production of Potensac comes from a team under the leadership of the
Delon family who operate the world-famous Grand Cru Chateau Leoville las
Cases. Aging occurs usually for 12 to 18
months (and almost 20 in the case of this exceptional ’05) in small casks of
which about 20% are new. This wood aging
is noticeable in this ‘05’s appealing bouquet overtones of vanilla.
Regular price is around $32 plus with L. A. Wine Co. having it on
special for under $25.00
RATING: 92
PRICE:
$24.95 ***bargain
WHERE: Los Angeles
Wine Co. =========
THE BEST OF THE ’07
GERMAN WINES I’VE RECENTLY TASTED
2007 LIESER
NIEDERBERG HELDEN RIESLING SPATLESE, Est. Btld.
SCHLOSS LIESER
I’ve tasted nearly two dozen Kabinett and Spatlese German wines in the
past month or so and even recommended a couple in the last issue of this
Guide. Saturday before last I finally
got around to trying this ’07, Lieser Spatlese from Schloss Lieser and it’s the
best of them all.
Though there
is definite sweetness in this ’07, it is nowhere in the range of a dessert
wine. Especially when you factor in its
excellent refreshing balanced acid level, giving you a fine wine to serve with
chicken, pork and veal, and it was a marvelous accompaniment to a superb lunch,
my Saturday wine group had at K-ZO Japanese restaurant in
This
RATING:
92
PRICE:
$17.95
WHERE: Los Angeles
Wine Co. ==========
SENSATIONAL $11.99 BOLD RIOJA RED!
2006 DOMINIO De HEREDIA, RIOJA (
This is the first time I have had a wine from Rioja’s Dominio de
Heredia, and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. I’ve been drinking Rioja wines for nearly 50
years and the overwhelming majority in the under $25 to even $40 price range
(let along $11.99) tend at their best to be subtly pleasant and more often just
light and forgettable. Then at dinner
a few nights ago, I opened this ’06 and it bowled me over with the depth and
richness I just was not expecting. I did
not recall the price but figured it was something in the $18 to $22 range,
well, you can imagine my delight when I discovered it sold for only $11.99
(regular price is around $15-$16).
The first hint you have that this Dominio de Heredia walks to a different
Rioja drummer is the wines deep ruby red color.
In the aromas and tastes of this winner, I noticed intense dark berries
and ripe blueberries plus oolong tea, currants, vanilla oak and a trace of chocolate. Rioja wines carry a reputation for light
often unnoticeable tannins, however this ’06 Heredia has just enough to give
it a nice added dimension, all-be-it still in a light subtle manner. Great for
present consumption, the wine will keep well until 2015 or so.
Like most Rioja wines, this Domino de Heredia comes 100% from
Tempranillo. The wine is aged in regular
size barrels for five months of which 70% are French and 30% American. I feel that one of the quality factors to
this wine is that it uses a much higher percent of French oak barrels then most
of their completion.
RATING:
90 (Compared to
other Spanish wines in its price range it deserves a 95+).
PRICE:
$11.99 ***bargain
WHERE: Beverage
Warehouse ===========
A
side note on a $2.99 Trader Joe’s Import.
2006 HANGTIME, BOURGOGNE-PINOT NOIR.
Do I recommend this imported answer to “two buck
chuck?” I’m not sure. but I do know it’s
a drinkable step up from the “two buck” fellow.
With its intense fruit, it can best be described
as
If you want an “el cheapo” red under $3, you
can’t do better then this ’06 (which may not be saying a lot).
Where it has, a definite spot is that at
$2.99 and with its fresh quality, this is the wine to cook with, particularly
when you are making a Boeuf Bourgogne.
FORTUNATE
14 SUMMER TASTING/DINNERS
(Events limited to 14
persons)
***Both
events filled, however there is a waiting list for the Great Spanish
MONTRACHETS & GRAND CRU WHITE BURGUNDIES + 3 GREAT
CORTON-ROUGE
$315.00 including dinner and French Cheese course
=========
$375 including dinner and imported rare cheeses course
In all the 35 years plus of offering wine tastings, this one on
FOR FULL LIST OF ALL THE WINES, DETAILED EVENT DESCRIPTION OR TO BE
ON THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE CONTACT
(310) 474-7773
========
SPECIAL NOTICE
Within a week, a first sneak
preview notice will be on the way to you Guide readers about the three autumn
2009 events.
One on
One on LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD, LATOUR & PICHON-LALANDE
(1949-1982-2005)
One on GREAT RICH BURGUNDIES OF ROMANEE, CLOS DE LA ROCHE &
ECHEZEAUX with 1990 Richebourg DRC (greatest Richebourg of the 20th
century),
La Tache 1989, Clos de la Rohce 1993 Leroy (Parker 100) &
numerous DRC wines etc.