Sunday, February 27, 2011

2005 La Vieux Cure Fronsac

Had this a couple times before and it's softening nicely. It has a real perfume tonight, a soft, slightly spicy and flowery cherry with some other berries like raspberry. Also a bit of vanilla and cocoa. A long and soft finish is merlot to a tee. This one is a great 2005 for drinking now, though probably about a year or two before peaking. There's enough tannin and acid to maintain it for another 5 years. 93 points from me tonight.

2001 Beaucastel

Enjoyed this at the excellent Corduroy restaurant in DC last Saturday, in celebration of Max's birthday. Beaucastel is one of my favorites, a special Chateauneuf du Pape. It was great to have it in a mature state and was delighted that it was relatively affordable for a wine list wine. So, a wine with 13 component grapes I believe, it's dominated by Mourvedre and Grenache and has the spicy strawberry/cherry/huckleberry fruit. Finish was incredibly complex and evolving. Parker gave it 96 and I agree. I'd go back to Corduroy to have the wine again. Food there excellent.

D'Arenberg Grenache 2007

I've been negligent in recording my impressions for the past couple of months so notes that appear will be sketchy from memory. I had this wine twice last week at the great Vidalia restaurant in DC, truly a wonderful place. The grenache is a lovely Aussie example, the great cherry fruit making it prototypical. It isn't deep and complex, simply pleasurable. It's a 90 pointer. It's not the special vineyard bottling just the standard Grenache.