Harlan v Masseto, 2004

The Harlan won... tried these two monsters side by side the other night. The 2004 Harlan Estate is good - better than 03, not as good as 02 or 01... silky velvety mouthfeel. Felt just a touch overextracted... The 2004 Masseto felt the same way, but left me with bitter anise on the finish. Good, perhaps they'll both be better with age.

Sorry...

I've been so busy, with not a ton of great wine in the last few weeks... Did have the following - 2002 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru, which was drinking very well. Such pretty spice that could only be a DRC. Still somewhat tight, but the texture is like no other... The 2004 Craggy Range "Le Sol" Syrah was so spicy and peppery... I loved it! Really needs some time though... This week, I had the 2002 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes"... shared it with some good friends. The wine was outstanding... stony, steely, nutty - vibrant fruit. Showed great depth and length - all that I had hoped. The 2006 Amisfield Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand was beautiful... showed nice berry fruit, with almost no classic herbacious notes. Pretty, bright - lovely black earth. Nice wine. The 2004 Robert Mondavi Reserve Chardonnay was rich, buttery, full and oaky. My glass of Quinta do Noval 10yr Tawny was a nice nightcap. Always a fan of Noval... The 2006 Sea Smoke "Southing" was amazing... one of the great Pinots I've had this year. I brought it to share, and I'm glad I did. It's one of those great bottles that makes you smile... The 2004 Pike's Shiraz, Clare Valley was beautiful and peppery. Not overly jammy & alcoholic, but ripe and powerful with layers of spice. Old-school Shiraz, the way I like it. Evolved slowly over 5 hours. The 2006 Jolivet Sancerre was good... classic. The 2006 Michelle Redde Sancerre was ok, not as good as the Jolivet. The 1990 Chateau Lynch- Bages was drinking well, but only held up for a few hours. Nice and cedary with a bit of tobacco and dried leaves, but slowly faded away to nothing... The 2005 Jadot Pommard was good, not great... expected more, actually. Aside from the wine on my little trip, the Margarita's were killer... some of the best I've ever had....

Just One...

1985 Chateau Trotanoy... mediocre at best... really lacking a mid-palate... the nose was pure Asian Spice, with cedar and clove, bell pepper and nutmeg. The palate was like drinking soy sauce - without the salt.

Not a lot...

lately... The 2003 Domaine Berthau Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru was good, a bit ripe and hot, but still pretty and showing some clove-y earth and delicacy... The 2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-St.-Georges "Les Charmois" 1er Cru was tremendous... decanted for 45 minutes, this shows truffled earth, black raspberry, smoke, coffee, mocha, cocoa bean, strawberry... and a need for a lot more time in the bottle. Wow...