2003 Two Hands Sophie's Garden

What a giant, inky, savory Syrah. I'd been nervous about this bottle ever since my friend David had popped his same vintage 2 years ago and it was a little past its prime. This one, too, barely survived with some wine creep moving up the side of the cork. But it did more than survive. After a little funk off the top, the strange "pop rocks candy" scent of odd bottlings, this settled down nicely. Originally given a 91/100 by WS, here's what the 'expert' had to say about it:
"Dark, ripe and plush in texture, with a strong minty character that runs through the vivid blackberry and roasted plum at the center, persisting on the spicy, mildly cedary finish. Tannins need to settle down. Best from 2006 through 2012."

Well, the tannings settled down, but I did not detect much mint or plum. What there was, instead, was a rush of iron, blackberry and lovely white pepper notes on this bad girl. It was a stunning, dense, but orange-rimmed wine that had finally matured. I'm glad I opened it when I did. For us, a 92/100. An Aussie "Shiraz" that drank like a northern Rhone would in a good year.

2006 Hartford Family Zinfandel, Highwire Vineyard

We enjoyed this great, deep, and fruitilicious Hartford Family Zinfandel with Swedish meatballs and lingonberry sauce, along with our neighbor who made wonderful spaetzle to along with the main. This Zin has legs, earth, and depth to it. Not slight in its alcohol content, this one checked in at 14.8% (ABV), but perfectly balanced. No sense of heat from the alcohol. There's an oaky aspect to the noise that may fool some into thinking it's slightly corked; it's not. Then push through the bramble notes, and you discover notes of root, licorice, and wet earth. After 30 minutes it was pumping out wild blackberry on forest soil notes, but never really revealed its full depth. And it has me stumped; drink now, or wait? I'm going to leave the other 3 bottles alone for a year or two, then try again. Great stuff, and from centenarian grapes in the Highwire Vineyard.
90/100 -- a Cali Zin that makes you think.

2004 Domaine de Cassan Gigondas

What a massive wine! I'm not even going to pretend that sophistication is needed to appreciate this one. I drank this, along with good friends, on the same night as Carl's Jr burgers were in the offing, and it was a fantastic match. Aromas of red fruits, massive rock and licorice carried onto the palate with a slight hoisin glaze to it; just thwompin' on the fruit of blackberries, with more Twizzler than I would expect. This has both stuffing for another 4-5 years (easily) but it's just so balanced and enjoyable now. Why would you wait. On the back-palate and for a good 30-40 seconds on the finish, it's blackberry-licorice all the way. 14% abv, and if you can find it, try it.

92/100 for me (hell, us)

Bottom line: For those who want Chateauneuf at a reduced price, STRONGLY recommended.

2006 Baronia del Montsant (Flor d'Englora)

This was a purchase after our 2008 visit to this winemaker and cellar in Cornudella in the Montsant region west of Tarragona, Spain. Montsant envelops, basically, the smaller wine appellation of Priorat. So if you can find a well-priced Montsant, like this one, it should remind you of a junior to equal weight Priorat. On with impressions: There is a definite hot slate stone meets strawberries aroma on this young Montsant, which is mostly Grenache (63) with the remainder being Carignan (or Samso, 32%) and small amounts of Syrah and Merlot for roundness and color. On the palate, it's remarkably light on its feet and your tongue - more red fruits than dark, yet with a tannic nudge that reminds you this is serious wine. This is the modest entry-level wine for this producer, run by two friends in Cornudella, and its given zero oak time. It's all stainless steel, so it's a purity of fruit and slate expression that is refreshing to see, smell, and taste. At 13.5% ABV, it also has enough heft for the burgers we enjoyed with it, but not enough alcohol to sizzle through the tongue.

87/100 - a nicely balanced wine, with exactly what you expect in a good, young, Montsant

Bottom line: Try it if you want a cheaper, purer expression of the region.

Triple threat post

So last night (May 12), I brought three bottles from the cellar out to Jake & Telly's Taverna (see the post below if this sounds like deja bu). They were: 2000 Ceretto Zonchera Barolo, a 2003 Alto Moncayo (Garnacho) from Campo de Borja, and a 2004 St Cosme Gigondas. All were quite good, but the nod probably goes to the Gigondas.
2000 Ceretto (Zonchera) Barolo: Knock-out density and stuffing, and built for long haul. Tell-tale roses dipped in raspberry, and some spice on the nose as well. Great acidity, though it needed time in the decanter to lose some of its alcohol.
2003 Alto Moncayo: This one was for Christina, a fan of Grenache, and it was one heady mofo. Campo de Borja is a small appellation, poorly known by most, in NE Spain and is producing better wine year after year. The comment I would have said in smaller company would have been: "I think we just found the Ru Paul of the evening." It was monstrous on the nose, wine on nitro essentially, with rich dripping fruit but a little "sketchy" in the end. The palate was also full-on attack, but there was an issue with balance on this. At 16% ABV, it was close to being Port, and I think it was a lack of balancing acidity here. Telly thought it unbalanced.
2004 St Cosme Gigondas: This for me was the wine of the three - right at peak for both stuffing (still great plum, fig, and cocoa notes on this) and for the balance that 5+ years in bottle had given it. No issue with structure or acidity here: wonderful wine. Like wandering blind through liquid dark fruits only to find a chocolate center to it. Also, the cheapest of the three wines we had. Photo incoming...

2005 Husar de Tarczar, Marzemino (d'Isera)

This poorly-known varietal, Marzemino, can stand-in as a Chianti for some drinkers. There are differences, of course, but this 2005 Husar de Tarczar is grown on a 17ha vineyard in the town of Marano d'Isera. The Appellation is "Marzemino d'Isera" and is found near Trentino (NE Italy). The alcohol is under check at 13.0% ABV. So let's start with some similarities first (to Chianti): good acidity, great with pastas and red sauce. Night 1 with gnocchi in a simple garlic-basil-cured meat red sauce was a fantastic match. It also has about the same color as a good Chianti. What's different? As opposed to the tomato-on-the-grapevine smell that, to me, is a dead give-away for Chianti, this one is more like plums on the grapevine. There's also a definite funk (in a good way) on day 1, that should interest terroir-ists and those inclined to lighter, earthier reds like Pinot. You can find other tasting impressions here.
On day 2, that plumminess really shines through, still with strong acidity, and will go well with the baked chicken/potatoes, mushroom and quartered tomatoes cooking right now. In its favor: the aroma, some bitter chocolate with your plum, madam? Yes, please. Against it, there's a strange diluted 'clipped' aspect to this wine on the mid-palate, but I would guess this is also the nature of its low pH (high acidity) that fools you into thinking so.
Scared? You shouldn't be, go ahead - try it with any red sauce pasta dish. Or a nice slide of real parmesan (reggiano, of course). Still don't like it? I apologize. Love it? You're welcome.
88/100 - not a "great" wine, but interesting to come back to and certainly good enough to try other Marzeminos.
Bottom line: If you can find it, try it out, you may just find your designated hitter when you run out of Chianti or you're just bored with Chianti.

1997 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa), Trailside Vineyard

Steel yourself, random reader. This was one of the best, if not the best, California Cabernet I've ever had the pleasure of owning, opening, and drinking. The only bummer was finishing my last bottle from this 1997 vintage. For me it was the wine of the night on May 7, 2010, and it's on your far right in this picture. Right from the start, we knew we were in for a treat, as we enjoyed this at Jake and Telly's Taverna (Greek Restaurant) in Old Colorado City. The cork was pristine, the color gorgeous - dark ruby red, betraying almost none of this 13 years of age.

The aroma? Think of blackberry cobbler tempered with some summer herbs, a sliver of vanilla, and the backdrop of cedar lilting on the wind. This wine screams of California, and then some. On the palate, more delicious abuse continues: The density and stuffing of this wine were spot on, no heat of alcohol, perfect balance, great acidity. Blackcurrant velvet fist is the best descriptor I could come up with, but a it's a friendly velvet. Mated to a portion of sliced lamb meat from our mixed mezze platter, and we were all in heaven. Finished clean, long, and endured for well over a minute in the mouth. Like watching an amazing lover walk slowly out the door....wait, OK, a bit much. I'll stop now.
97/100 -- If I get a better Cab in my life, it will have all been worth it.
Bottom line: If you ever see a 97 Heitz Trailside Cab, and you don't buy it, you're an idiot.