Wine Review: A Stunning Cline Mourvedre, and a Well Made Chardonnay
I'm still too full of holiday sprit(s) to go back to regular bah-logging. So here's a wine post more in keeping with my mindset of the moment.
Two excellent wines I have had over the Christmas holiday. These are extremely different wines, so I'll not attempt any special linkage beyond the fact that I had them both this weekend. Both hail from California:
Cline, Small Berry Mourvedre, Contra Costa County, 2002.
Christmas dinner featured the Cline Mourvedre. It was stunning. When I bought it I was actually looking for a nice Napa Valley Cabernet to pair with the herbed Chateaubriand which forms the heart of our Christmas dinner. But this offbeat selection caught my eye instead. And I have no regrets at all.
The nose was a clone of the Napa Cabs I had intended to purchase - bright berries, a hint of mature oak, perhaps a touch of eucalyptus. But once on the palate there was a rewardingly complex layer of herbs. I don't normally believe the marketing blurb on the back of the bottle, but this was dead-on, describing it as herbs de Provence. They were all in there. I counted.
The wine was silky smooth, with just enough berry fruit assertiveness and structure to avoid feeling bad-Merlot-mushy. It paired wonderfully with the Chateaubriand, but would be terrific on its own as well, as certain oenophiles say, "for contemplation." Perhaps the best wine I've had all year.
Kali Hart Vineyard, 2004, Chardonnay, Monterey County
This one was purchased in a fit of wine tasting at the store where I purchased the other wine. Reason? Mighty tasty. 'Nuff said.
Well perhaps a bit more to say. As many know, I am not the world's greatest Chardonnay fan. And when Chardonnay is combined with oak my reaction is akin to a vampire catching a glimpse of the sun rising over a garlic encrusted cross.
Yet I admit there was a perfectly valid reason for California winemakers to start aging Chardonnay in oak barrels. It was in imitation of the excellent white wines of Burgandy. And this wine is a pleasant reminder that some of them understood what the heck they were doing. Rather than the "sucking on a 2 by 4" sensibility most California winemakers bring to oak aging of Chardonnay, this one is an example of the style done properly.
Is this a world-class, blow-you-away Chardonnay? Not really. But it's certainly a nice wine, reminding me of those days of yore when terms like "buttery," "vanilla," and "melon," were compliments rather than tell-tale signs of a crappily made Chardonnay.
Two excellent wines I have had over the Christmas holiday. These are extremely different wines, so I'll not attempt any special linkage beyond the fact that I had them both this weekend. Both hail from California:
Cline, Small Berry Mourvedre, Contra Costa County, 2002.
Christmas dinner featured the Cline Mourvedre. It was stunning. When I bought it I was actually looking for a nice Napa Valley Cabernet to pair with the herbed Chateaubriand which forms the heart of our Christmas dinner. But this offbeat selection caught my eye instead. And I have no regrets at all.
The nose was a clone of the Napa Cabs I had intended to purchase - bright berries, a hint of mature oak, perhaps a touch of eucalyptus. But once on the palate there was a rewardingly complex layer of herbs. I don't normally believe the marketing blurb on the back of the bottle, but this was dead-on, describing it as herbs de Provence. They were all in there. I counted.
The wine was silky smooth, with just enough berry fruit assertiveness and structure to avoid feeling bad-Merlot-mushy. It paired wonderfully with the Chateaubriand, but would be terrific on its own as well, as certain oenophiles say, "for contemplation." Perhaps the best wine I've had all year.
Kali Hart Vineyard, 2004, Chardonnay, Monterey County
This one was purchased in a fit of wine tasting at the store where I purchased the other wine. Reason? Mighty tasty. 'Nuff said.
Well perhaps a bit more to say. As many know, I am not the world's greatest Chardonnay fan. And when Chardonnay is combined with oak my reaction is akin to a vampire catching a glimpse of the sun rising over a garlic encrusted cross.
Yet I admit there was a perfectly valid reason for California winemakers to start aging Chardonnay in oak barrels. It was in imitation of the excellent white wines of Burgandy. And this wine is a pleasant reminder that some of them understood what the heck they were doing. Rather than the "sucking on a 2 by 4" sensibility most California winemakers bring to oak aging of Chardonnay, this one is an example of the style done properly.
Is this a world-class, blow-you-away Chardonnay? Not really. But it's certainly a nice wine, reminding me of those days of yore when terms like "buttery," "vanilla," and "melon," were compliments rather than tell-tale signs of a crappily made Chardonnay.
Posted by Doug Williams on
Monday December 26, 2005 at 4:07pm
