2006 Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Ribera del Duero Pesquera Crianza

Hurricane party!  Tropical Storm Irene has been, happily, much less destructive than it may have been, and I am celebrating by hunkering down with my girls, watching Pride & Prejudice and popping the cork on this special bottle that I've been saving for quite some time. Along with Vega Sicilia, Pesquera is one of the most famous and highly-prized wines from Ribera del Duero, a region of Spain largely disregarded until the rise of these two houses.

Although it hails from Ribera del Duero, in which winemakers are allowed to use Cabernet Sauvignon in their wines (unlike Rioja), Pesquera makes its wines with 100% Tempranillo. Also unlike Rioja, Ribera del Duero tends to use French oak for their barrels instead of American oak, leading to more restrained oak presence with less overt dill and vanilla aromas. Crianzas spend at least 12 months in these French oak barrels, and must be aged at least 2 years before release. In the glass, the wine shows it age through its color, dense garnet with some significant orange-brown towards the rim.

The aromas are nutty tend towards vinosity, with but there is still freshness here - red raspberries and juniper, in particular. On the palate there is something almost briny, leading to the edge of freshness. It is reminiscent of the seaside in the sense that this briniess marries with a slightly green element to produce a hint of beach grass or sea breeze (or is that just Irene blowing through my windows?). But there is less ethereal substance here. The raspberries persist, as does the nutty brown butter from the nose. The texture is silky, with tannin, acidity, and alcohol all in delicate balance. The finish is alive with juniper and bright red berry, and lasts minutes.

An impeccably made wine, and this the perfect occasion to enjoy it.

Vintage: 2006
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Grape: Tempranillo (Tinto Fino)
Price: $34

2006 Penfolds Shiraz South Australia Bin 28 Kalimna

This was one of the first wines I bought when I first starting "collecting" wines (I'm not really a collector - I tend to have between 14-17 bottles at any given time - but there are some I'm holding onto so perhaps I qualify as a collector-in-training?). I'm not sure what has moved me to open it tonight, as I have nothing momentous to celebrate, except for the fact that I have a day off tomorrow. A rare and much appreciated occurrence.

Penfolds is the producer responsible for Australia's most expensive wine, Grange. This bottle is from a significantly lower echelon, made from grapes sourced from different areas in Australia, but I expect it will still be a nice wine to sip for the evening. It's a Shiraz, so it's possible it could be a really big wine, but I don't have to go anywhere so the 300% ABV won't be a problem.

It's dense and dark in the glass; not inky purple, but a deep, deep garnet. It's so dark I can't tell if the wine is clear or cloudy, though I feel like I see a hint of turbidity. While the color of the wine is no trifle, the aromas are surprisingly delicate. There's fresh mint, wet stone, blackberries, and a hint of toasty oak. Very attractive. Interestingly, I don't get any of the black pepper and smoky, roasted meats that I often associate with a shiraz or syrah.

In the mouth - this is 100% not the wine I expected it to be. I think I might let it sit and open up a bit more before drinking it, because it's surprisingly muted and tight right now. Aside from the alcohol (which is appreciable), I am not getting much flavor or texture at all, aside from a lingering impression of black olives and anise. The acid levels appear correct, and the bitterness is in proportion to the tannins such as I can sense them. But right now, then wine is just very thin.  I will report back in about an hour.
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So, here we are over 2 hours later, and the wine has opened up only moderately. I have to say, this is probably the most restrained Australian shiraz I have ever tasted. Some smoke did evolve on the nose, and the palate is a hint juicier and the tannins are more apparent, but by far the most prominent element is still the alcohol. All in all, I actually quite like the elegance of this wine; if the alcohol were about 1-1/5% less, it would be a real winner.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Shiraz
Region: Australia
Price: $26

2006 Jean-Baptiste Adam Riesling Alsace Réserve

Mmmmm....smell that mold.... Contrary to what you might expect, this is not actually a criticism of the wine. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that, under certain conditions, can make some very luscious (and extremely expensive) white wines. Chateau d'Yquem, for example. The fungus bores tiny holes in the grape skin, letting the water evaporate and concentrating the sugars and acids in the grape; thus, many botrytized wines are very sweet - Sauternes, Tokaji, etc. But not all.  Grapes that are affected by botrytis only moderately can retain enough water and be fermented dry, so you get a white table wine with the exotic floral, honey, and pineapple notes characteristic of a sweet botrytis wine.

This Alsatian riesling has all of these aromas, plus some delicous lime and orange blossom. It's a dark yellow-gold in the glass, due partly to it's age, I'm sure, but also to botrytis' influence. Honestly, I have no idea if it's going to be sweet or not on the palate. I do suspect the grapes were harvested late, which allowed the sugar levels to increase, so the wine could be sweet. Or it could have really high alcohol. Let's see, shall we?

It's half and half!  It's a touch sweet, but by no means a sweet wine. Definitely some botrytis characters, some alcohol-related heat, and disappointingly low acid. This may be a result of the late harvest, since as sugar levels rise, acid levels decrease. It may also just be that the wine is a little past it's prime. While the actual levels of acid in wine don't really decrease with age, the molecules can enter into complexes with esters in alcohol, thus lowering one's perception of the acid. Once this process passes a certain point, the acid levels can seem too low and the wine feels flabby.

The wine is pretty tasty, though. I'd be happy to sit down to a glass of this, with or without food. It would have been even better 2 or 3 years ago.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Riesling
Region: Alsace, France
Price: $12

2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Passetoutgrain

Emergency - I have found a wine shop going out of business!  Sad for them, and oh-so-dangerous for me, because all their wines are 20-25% off.  So I splurged on a Burgundy - not a super-expensive one, and not a particularly "classic" one either - but a Burgundy nonetheless. The appellation Bourgogne Passetoutgrain is one of those rare Burgundy reds that isn't required to be made of 100% Pinot Noir. In fact, they tend to be more like 30% Pinot Noir, and the rest Gamay (the grape used to make Beaujolais, also part of Burgundy), and even some varied white grapes.

The color in the glass is beautiful - a pale garnet with lots of brown and some pale orange towards the rim. The aromas are wafting across the 2 feet between me and the glass.  Definitely some grape jam (hello Gamay), but also some delicious, earthy Pinot notes, like black pepper, cocoa, mushroom, and forest floor. Very aromatic, indeed.

It's also quite nice on the palate - a little hefty on the acid, likely because 2006 was a somewhat damp year in Burgundy, and some of the grapes were unable to ripen fully - but there is still some very nice fruit, slight but refined tannins, and a peppery finish that I find very pleasing. (That last bit sounded very Jane Austen, didn't it? I bet Jane was a wine-lover....)  It definitely tastes more like a Pinot than a Gamay to me, and Michel Lafarge is certainly known for his other, Pinot-based, Burgundies, so I'd hazard a bet that this is more than 30% Pinot. Regardless, it's a nice wine that I am happy to have found on the discount rack!

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Region: Burgundy
Price: $18

2006 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties

After spending all day selling bottles of wine, I start to get a little jealous of all the people going home to crack open a bottle. Therefore, I always find myself particularly excited to do the same when I finally get home. Hopefully this wine will fulfill my expectations. I'm a little nervous about the "tri-county" sourcing of grapes for this wine. It's not that I strictly believe that good wines have to be from a specific vineyard or appellation, but I sometimes suspect that a blend of grapes from different locales is a tactic for either covering up faults in one of the regions' grapes, or ensuring a high degree of consistency (i.e. predictability and possible boringness) from year to year. But I'll give it a whirl anyway.

It's a very deep ruby in the glass, with just a hint of orange at the rim. There isn't much fruit on the nose, more toast and tobacco, rather herbal and licoricey.  But there's some nice black currant in the mouth, along with some more licorice, and a touch of smokiness. The acid, alcohol, and tannin are delightfully balanced, and the finish is long and juicy and tart. This is a delicious wine!  Worth the wait, for sure.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Napa-Mendocino-Sonoma Counties
Price: $20
My rating: 92/100

2006 Chateau Lyonnat Lussac-St.-Emilion

In general, I have a hard time appreciating the virtues of red Bordeaux. It's not that I'm that dedicated to the New World Fruit Bomb; I quite like a number of old world-style wines. It's more likely that, Bordeaux being what it is (and as expensive as it is), I just haven't had very many good ones. There are some delicious, inexpensive Bordeaux out there, I think. Thus far, however, I have been unable to locate one. The Lyonnat is fairly moderate in price ($26), so perhaps it won't take the enamel off my teeth?

It's a deep, deep garnet in the glass, with a touch of pink and orange in the rim. It's still young, but from what I've read this isn't a Bordeaux that's meant to spend 25 years in the cave, so I'm not too concerned. The aromas aren't full, but there is some ripe red cherry, and some distinct earthiness and minerality. Terroir, perhaps?

And in the mouth? Yup. That's a Bordeaux: high acid, high tannin, and a bit bitter as well. This wine isn't doing much to improve my opinion of Bordeaux, I'm afraid. Strictly by the numbers, it's not a bad wine. The structure is certainly there, though I'm not sensing much meat on those bones (despite the fact that merlot is often viewed as the "flesh" in a cabernet sauvignon blend). The viscosity is pretty light and the flavor is a little hollow in the middle. But it seems to open up a bit with time, lending some earthiness on the palette,  and the finish evolves some sour cherry towards the end. 84.

Vintage: 2006
Grape: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Region: St-Emilion, Bordeaux
Price: $26
My rating: 84/100

2006 Paso Creek Merlot Paso Robles

Poor merlot. It has such a bad reputation, ever since that guy in Sideways whose name I can't remember derided it vociferously. But this is a guy who drinks out of a spit bucket. So why do people listen to him??

Merlot is, perhaps, a little out of vogue right now, but it's an estimable wine, one of the varietal foundations of nearly all Bordeaux wines, and the sole grape used in Chateau Petrus, one of the most expensive and revered wines in the world.

This bottle is not Chateau Petrus. I seriously doubt I will ever be in the same room as Petrus, let alone have one in my apartment. But this is a wine from Paso Robles, a place where wine grapes have been grown since the late 1700s. Not bad for the "new world!"  The wine in my glass is a deep, vibrant, gorgeous crimson with a tiny pink rim. The aromas are robust and savory, with earth, umami, and something biscuity in the background. And there is also some of that plum that one expects to find in a merlot.

In the mouth, it's a little aggressive - high alcohol and overt sourness make it a prickly and puckersome wine, and there isn't much fruit to balance it out. The wine does have excellent structure with mild but firm tannins, but it's just not a joy to hold it in my mouth. And it doesn't get much better once swallowed. Sourness and a slightly bitterness remain long after any fruit flavors have dissipated.

Not a wine to go out of your way to find. 83.

2006 Collin-Bourissset Cotes du Rhone Reserve de la Closerie

I picked this wine up at the store tonight for 2 reasons: 1) It was on sale. 2) I'm intrigued by the somewhat suspect provenance of this wine. Collin-Bourisset is a fairly prolific (admittedly somewhat scattered) Burgundian winery. Or so I thought.... So why have they produced a Cotes du Rhone? And why is it bottled in Burgundy? Turns out that, in addition to wines from their own vineyards, Collin-Bourisset also trades wines from a number of other French regions. So, still a little suspect, but mystery at least partially solved.

My second clue that this was not a Burgundy (after the label, of course), was the color. Much deeper than a pinot noir and not nearly as purple as a beaujolais. Quite a lovely ruby red, just paling to orange at the rim. The nose is ripe with red currant, caramel, and a hint of black pepper and smoke.

The aromas don't really carry over to the palate, although the finish is quite long and has some developing fruit. The structure is balanced and strong, with enough acid to make your mouth water, but not enough to cause any puckering, which is exactly what I expect from a Cotes du Rhone. The tannins are present, but soft and pleasant. Although it's not complex in flavor and is a little hollow in the middle, overall it's a very nice sipping wine and would go really well with roasted chicken and root vegetables (it's possible I think that because there is a lovely rotisserie chicken waiting for me in the chicken, but I do believe it will be a good match)! I give it an 84.