Tried w/ dinner over the last two nights:
1. LeveroniVnyds SonomaVlly Syrah (13.5%) 2005: Very dark/black color; some blackberry/Syrah rather plummy/spicy/Zin-like slight peppery nose; soft bit tannic plummy/blackberry/Zin-like light toasty/oak flavor; med.short bit tannic/hard pleasant blackberry/Zin-like/plummy light toasty/oak finish; a rather simple Zin-like Syrah. Decent wine for $11.00
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2. Bissot IGT: Colline del Genovesato Bianco Pigato (13%) NealRosenthalImports 2006: Med.gold color; vary attractive floral/carnations/almost Malvasia-like/perfumed slight stoney/chalky/minerally interesting nose; rich/lush/mouthfilling rather tart light floral/Malvasia-like/perfumed slight stoney/minerally flavor; med.long minerally/stoney rather floral/Malvisia-like/perfumed fairly rich/textured finish; nice richness but the underlying stoney/minerally/floral/perfumed character makes this a very attractive wine; easily worth the $22.00
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3. JohnRobertEpplerWines Tradition Calif RW (14.8%; 49% Zin, 38% PS, 10% tempranillo, 3% Syrah; http://www.JREWines.com) SuisunCity 2007: Dark color; strong Zin/blackberry some Am.oak/vanilla light spicy pleasant nose; soft ripe/licorice/mushroomy bit spicy/blackberry some vanilla/Am.oak flavor; med. soft/ripe licorice/mushroomy finish w/ light tannins; tastes of Lodi & ContraCosta grapes; pleasant red at a fair price but not very interesting. $10.00
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4. Coturri ChauvetVnyd/SonomaVlly Zin (BarrelSelect/Sweet; 14.5%; ChauvetVnyd planted: 50% 1935 & 1976; "this wine goes to your stomach, not your head": Nono) 1995: Light very brown color; very strong raisened/pruney/late harvesty slight cedary/pencilly old Zin/oxidized some complex nose; rather sweet/late harvesty/raisened/pruney old Zin/pencilly/cigar box somewhat oxidized interesting flavor; long overripe/raisened/pruney sweet/old Zin/pencilly/cedary finish w/ little tannins. $17.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. As I drank the Leveroni & the Eppler, I kept asking myself why are you drinking such boring wines. The wines were not bad or flawed in any way...just not very interesting...boring. The compulsion was great to go rummage around and find something interesting to drink. Out came the Coturri.
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2. Cotturi: This is a btl I stumbled across months ago to crack...but the fear & trepidation prevented me. In its youth, this Zin was loaded w/ intense flavors and very attractive. But Coturri wines use no SO2 and go into the btl w/ such a witch's brew of bacteria that you never know what you'll get down the road. I've had some that are the foulest wines I've ever put to lips. One reminded me of that fateful Halloween night when my older brother & his buddy tipped over the Utter's outhouse and JackCraybaugh fell partly into the pit. My bro had to hose him down in the back yard and loan him some clothes. My laughing at them didn't help matters and I paid dearly later. An unbeliveable stench.
So...I cracked this Coturri w/ very/very low expectations, expecting the worst. And actually, it was far/far better than I expected. No foulness or stench to it at all....just a tired/old late harvest Zin that 14 yrs did nothing for.
I noticed TonyCoturri at DonnReisen's Memorial service and was going to catch up w/ him and find out what makes him tick...what he thinks about the erratic aging of his wines. Alas, he left before I could.
Tom