What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors

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www.specsonline.com Achaval-Ferrer is a small red-wine-only producer in Mendoza Argentina focusing exclusively on estate grown old-vine fruit. Partners Santiago Achaval and Manuel Ferrer Minetti have purchased four vineyards in differ ferent ent areas of Mendoza with old vines on them producing Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. The estate's average yield is 1.3-tons-per-acre (as opposed to over 3-tons-per-acr -acre for many boutique California producers). Santiago Achaval says that the vineyards make the wines and that the winemaker's job is to express ess the character of their old vine fruit into the bottle. If Achaval-Ferrer's er's "Quimera" may be thought of as an ultimate expression ession of the whole of Mendoza terroir, the single vineyard Altamira Malbec is the expression ession of one very old vineyard. ACHAVAL-FERRER Quimera, Mendoza, 2001 $33.50 btl $186.56 case 6x750ml Quimera is a blend of 54% old vine Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% old vine Malbec, and 22% Merlot (most of the grapes are from the estate but some come from vineyards under long term lease) aged in 90% French and 10% American oak barrels (1/3 new). The result is a dusty, rich, balanced red offering ample black fruit with notes of tobacco, dust, pencil-shavings, and Malbec spice. Deeply flavorful, it lingers in the mouth with fruit and dust to the end. In the glass, it slowly opens to reveal its perfume. Elegant, medium weight, balanced and complete. Excellent. Bear's Score: 94 points. ACHAVAL-FERRER Altamira Malbec, Mendoza, 2001 $72.31 btl $402.88 case 6x750ml Made from 100% Malbec produced by 80+ year old vines grown on their own roots (ungrafted) in the famous la Consulta area aged in all new oak barrels (95% French and 5% American), this is a serious, perfumed, juicy-ripe Malbec. Beautifully integrated and absolutely complete, it is succulent with grapey black fruit balanced by notes of tobacco, dust, and pencil shavings with a perfume that rises through it offering cedar, vanilla, and potpourri. It lasts and lasts with a lovely feel in the mouth. Truly delicious. Outstanding. Bear's Score: 96+ points. After a few years of up-and-down quality, it seems that, with the 2002 vintage, Bouchaine has once again become a reliable producer of fine quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from their vineyard on Buchli Station Road in Carneros. Part of that renaissance is due to the introduction of a value-priced second wine—Buchli Station—with a colorful "lettuce box art" label that lets Bouchaine blend some of the better (and still very good) juice that doesn't make the cut to be in the Bouchaine labeled wines. BOUCHAINE Chardonnay, Carneros, 2002 $15.13 btl $166.50 case 12x750ml 100% Chardonnay fermented and aged in a mix of mostly French oak barrels (33% new), this is a minerally, well-focused, nicely balanced Chardonnay with good cool climate fruit showing notes of pineapple, sweet lemon, tropical lime, and pomegranate. It is very clean with a minerally terroir character. Almost Puligny-like. Excellent. Bear's Score: 91 points. BOUCHAINE Pinot Noir, Carneros, 2002 $15.75 btl $175.50 case 12x750ml 100% Pinot Noir aged 12 months in French oak barrels (approximately 40% new) results in a medium-weight Pinot featuring ripe red cherry fruit with notes of cocoa and earth and a hint of bitter cola nut. Very nicely balanced with a fine fresh feel. The fine fruit and perfume linger on. Excellent. Bear's Score: 91 points. BUCHLI STATION Chardonnay, California, 2002 $10.15 btl $111.75 case 12x750ml A blend of grapes from Bouchaine's estate and from vineyards in Monterey and Edna Valley fermented in oak barrels (30% new) with a partial malolactic fermentation, this wine is flavorful, even rich, but in balance and well-focused with notes of tropical fruit, lime, and green pear. It is alive in the mouth with a long, clean finish. Fine. Bear's Score: 89+ points. BUCHLI STATION Pinot Noir, California, 2002 $10.15 btl $111.75 case 12x750ml 100% Pinot Noir fermented in small open top fermenters and aged eight months in a mix of French, US, and Hungarian oak barrels yields this mix of red and black cherry fruit with notes of cola, earth, and spice. Hints at raspberry and cranberry. Medium-weight and in balance. Lasts nicely with a bit of chewiness at the end. Fine. Bear's Score: 88+ points.
713-526-8787 pictured below Chalone Chardonnay: Fog over Salinas Valley Winemaker Dan Karlsen Chalone is located in a natural bowl at 1700 feet on the western slope of Mount Chalone in the Gavilan Range above Monterey County's Salinas Valley. That unique location gives Chalone the thin, well-drained limestone-based soils, ample sunlight, and fairly cool temperatures that combine to create an almost ideal terroir for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Although Chalone has been a long time performer with a strong reputation, the current releases are the best young wines I've tasted from Chalone. They are delicious now and show the balance and acidity needed CHALONE Chardonnay Chalone AVA (Monterey) 2002 $22.99 btl $256.10 case 12x750ml Harvested at 27 brix, this Chalone was barrel fermented and aged in French oak (30% new). 90% went through malolactic fermentation. The result of winemaker Dan Karlsen's technique and grapes from Chalone's unique terroir is the best Chalone Chardonnay ever. It is a vibrant juicy absolutely alive Chardonnay full of fruit but in thrilling balance. It offers a lively beam of tree fruit, pomegranate, and tropical fruit with a hint of minerally green banana. With great focus and a fine feel, it offers excellent fruit and texture in a thrilling balance. Super long, it stays vibrant to the end. Delicious and elegant. Really Excellent. Bear's Score: 94+ points. to improve with more time in the bottle. CHALONE Pinot Noir, Chalone AVA (Monterey), 2001 $19.75 btl $219.96 case 12x750ml Harvested at 28 brix, this Chalone Pinot Noir was fermented in open top punch down tanks and aged 10 months in French oak barrels (30% new). With all that, winemaker Dan Karlsen has made a lovely, well-integrated, complete Pinot Noir featuring fine mixed ripe red and black cherry fruit with notes of cola nut and black pepper and a subtle earthy-mineral terroir character. It is ripe and in balance with ample flavor and a fine feel in the mouth; good weight and a lovely, almost ethereal texture. The long finish offers perfume to the end. Delicious. This is a breakout wine. Excellent. Bear's Score: 92 points. CONDE de VELÁZQUEZ Chardonnay, Aconcagua Valley, 2002 $4.99 btl $56.39 case 12x750ml This balanced, flavorful Chardonnay shows good fruit and oak notes on the nose but the oak drops back and the ripe pear and lime fruit takes over in the mouth with a tell-tale hint of banana and a touch of bitter lime peel. A note of oak and some richness come back in on the finish. Clean and balanced, it is a very nice drink. Very Good. Bear's Score: 86 points. CONDE de VELÁZQUEZ Cabernet Sauvignon, Aconcagua Valley, 2002 4.99 btl $56.39 case 12x750ml $ Here's a very fruit-oriented Cabernet with ripe grapey Cabby fruit balanced with some oak and cedar and dusty earth notes and a hint of herbs. It is in balance and flavorful with a nice texture and a clean finish. Very Good. Bear's Score: 85+ points. CONDE de VELÁZQUEZ Merlot, Aconcagua Valley, 2002 $4.99 btl $56.39 case 12x750ml This is a ripe, balanced, black cherry fruit-oriented Merlot made very much in the new fruit-forward California style (a la Blackstone and Bogle). It is smooth and supple in the mouth with plenty of sweet fruit and a juicy-fresh texture. Very tasty and quite accessible; almost glugable. Very Good. Bear's Score: 86+ points. Sometimes I'll taste through a line of wines and decide I like the cheaper wines in the line better than the fancier, higher priced wines in the line. This is often because the cheap wines show little or no effect from oak barrels. This allows the fruit to shine while the fancier blends may be overoaked so the fruit is all but obscured. Such is the case with the Conde de Velázquez wines from the Aconcagua Valley in Chile. I bought the basic Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot but turned down the fancier midlevel stuff. They were OK... but the cheaper wines tasted better and offered much more value. We'll taste the upper-tier wines soon.
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What I Tasted on My Spring Break - SPEC's Liquors

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