March 30, 2008

Sometimes "A Case of New Releases" will focus on a particular grape variety or type of wine or region; more often, it will be a miscellaneous group intended to satisfy many possibilities and pocketbooks.

The order of the listing is name of winery, producer or property; name or type of wine and vintage; grape varieties in the wine; region and country of origin; price; rating. If a wine is limited in production and the figures are available, I’ll mention how many cases were made.

Joseph Faiveley Mâcon-Villages 2006 100% chardonnay Mâconnais, Burgundy, France About $19 Very good+ When Erwan Faiveley took over Domaine Faiveley from his father, François in December 2004 – the domaine was founded by Pierre Faiveley in 1825 – one of his goals was to create a distinct identity for the negociant brand, which purchases grapes, and separate it from the domaine that makes 80 percent of the wine from vineyards owned by the family. Thus the Joseph Faiveley label, with a new design and emphasis. A great way to launch or experience that brand identity is with the Mâcon-Villages 2006, a bright, lively expression of the chardonnay grape reinforced by careful treatment in the winery: nine months in French oak (half of it new) for 60 percent of the wine, with the remainder in stainless steel. The wine offers flavors of lemon, roasted lemon and zest supported by bracing acidity and layers of damp limestone that mesh nicely with a texture that combines keen vivacity with a slightly lush character. You could sell the hell out of this wine in restaurants, especially by the glass, or it would be a terrific house wine in your house. Drink now through 2009 or ‘10. Imported by Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, Ca. Visit wilsondaniels.com

Print Review: Joseph Faiveley Mâcon-Villages 2006

Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006 100% chardonnay Burgundy, France About $22 Very good Three dollars more for a general Bourgogne than for a Mâcon-Villages? O.K., whatever, though I found this wine to be several degrees less impressive that the Mâcon-Villages 2006. Not that it’s not completely enjoyable, which it is, delivering a pleasing package of crystallized lemon and lime peel wrapped around dried spice, a bare hint of some night-blooming white flower, a touch of shaved Parmesan, and heaps of earthy, minerally qualities. The wine finishes with the austerity of limestone and grapefruit astringency. Drink now through 2009 or ‘10. Imported by Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, Ca. Sorry for the lack of images for these Joseph Faiveley products, but the Internet has not kept up with the release of the wines. Visit wilsondaniels.com

Print Review: Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006

Alain Roy Montagny Blanc Premier Cru 2005 100% chardonnay Montagny, Burgundy, France About $20  - $24 Very good+ This is a great interpretation of the chardonnay grape from a minor growing region of Burgundy, from vineyards around three villages in the Cote Chalonnaise. This bursts from the glass in a welter of fresh-baked bread, toasted hazelnuts and roasted lemon. It’s clean, fresh and spicy in the mouth, with flavors of lemon and lemon balm and a hint of lime. The wine offers very pleasing body and texture, with excellent balance among a touch of plushness, crisp acid and a powerful limestone element that brings some austerity to the finish. Another easy sell in restaurants, by the glass or bottle. Drink now through 2010 or ‘11. Imported by Martin Scott Wines, Lake Success, N.Y. Visit martinscottwines.com

Print Review: Alain Roy Montagny Blanc Premier Cru 2005

Landmark Vineyards Overlook Chardonnay 2006 100% chardonnay Sonoma County 77%, Santa Barbara County 14%, Monterey County 9% About $27 Excellent This chardonnay treads a careful line between flamboyance and rectitude. It’s quite ripe and spicy, bright and bold, a little showy, yet it possesses essential and alluring balance and integration. Classic pineapple-grapefruit flavors are highlighted with lime peel and a touch of candied grapefruit, all burnished by a sheen of oak. Resonant acid and a keen limestone edge give this chardonnay more of the character of Chablis than Côte de Beaune, though it’s ultimately Californian, in every good sense, and thoroughly delicious. Drink now through 2010 or ‘11. Visit landmarkwine.com

Print Review: Landmark Vineyards Overlook Chardonnay 2006

Robert Stemmler Winery Estate Chardonnay 2005 100% chardonnay Carneros, California About $34 Avoid I’m sort of a three-quarters fan of the products of Robert Stemmler Winery. In some instances, they’re fabulous California renderings of chardonnay and pinot noir; in others, they have so much oak that they’re undrinkable, and it is unfathomable to me how this circumstance can occur. This Stemmler Chardonnay 2005 from Carneros, for example, is super-rich, super ripe and super-spicy; it smells like cinnamon toast, smoke and (you have to wrap your mind around this one) black-pepper crème brûlée. Bracing acid and a forceful mineral element ought to provide balance, but the finish is strident and unpalatable. “Too much oak” is relative, of course, to the grape and the vintage; this was barrel-fermented and rested 11 months in French barrels, 30 percent of which were new. Visit robertstemmlerwinery.com

Print Review: Robert Stemmler Winery Estate Chardonnay 2005

Merryvale Vineyards Chardonnay 2005 100% chardonnay Carneros, California About $35 Good+ At first I thought that the Merryvale Chardonnay 2005 was going to be classic is shape, substance and fruit; it opened with tried-and-true pineapple and grapefruit scents, nicely ripe, not too rich, and a touch of roasted pear. The wine, however, was quickly overwhelmed by spice and the “blondness” of wood; you smell the oak, taste the oak and feel the oak. The wine’s character is not exaggerated in the way that the Stemmler Chardonnay 2005 mentioned above is; if you love oak more than grapes, you’ll love this wine. I happen to think that the reverse should be true. This wine goes through full barrel-fermentation, the full malolactic process in barrel (converting apple-like malic acid to creamy lactic acid), and spent 15 months in French oak barrels. If only it had been, say, nine months or 10, though they didn't ask me. (Cartoon thought-cloud above winery: "Yeah, like who asked you?!?!?!?!?") Visit merryvale.com

Print Review: Merryvale Vineyards Chardonnay 2005

Domaine Bachelet Bourgogne Rouge 2005 100% pinot noir Burgundy, France About $25 Excellent Whoa, what a great bourgogne, that is a wine that lies at the basic generic level for the region. Often, though, such wines belie their humble origin; they may be made from vines just outside the “official” vineyards or they may be wines declassified from village vineyards or better. Whatever the case in this example, it’s a knock-out in terms of size, weight, dimension and detail. It’s rich and dense, balanced and integrated and exhibits gratifying purity and intensity of ripe, sweet and slightly spicy black currant and black cherry fruit; austere tannins and a touch of minerals and earthiness on the finish lend heft and seriousness. Bachelet’s Bourgogne Rouge 2005 represents Great Value when you consider that even village wines from Burgundy are going for $70 and $80 nowadays. Drink now through 2011 or ‘12. Imported by Martin Scott Wines, Lake Success, N.Y. Visit martinscottwines.com

Print Review: Domaine Bachelet Bourgogne Rouge 2005

Merryvale Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006 100% pinot noit Careros, California About $35 Excellent Give this pinot noir a few minutes in the glass and you’ll be seduced, in nose and mouth, by spicy black cherries and macerated and roasted plums; by cranberry and cola, by a hint of fruit cake and, after a few more moments, by a wreathing of intense black raspberry, lavender and violets, smoke and exotic spice. The texture is extraordinary, a lush, suave draping of satin leavened by slightly dusty, powdery tannins and polished oak. The barrel regimen here was perfect: eight months in French oak, 56 percent new barrels; no trace of “woodiness” mars the impeccable surface. Drink now through 2011 or ‘12. Visit merryvale.com

Print Review: Merryvale Vineyards Pinot Noir 2006

Landmark Vineyards Grand Detour Pinot Noir 2006 100% pinot noir Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California About $35 Excellent If the Merryvale Pinot Noir 2006 mentioned above is seductive, the Landmark Grand Detour Pinot Noir 2006 is entrancing. This is wonderfully ripe and spicy and flavorful and beguiling, a mesmerizing melding of plums, black cherry and beet-root, lilac and lavender, with hints of cranberry and candied melon, briers and brambles and leather. The texture is plush and voluptuous without being cheap or obvious, saved by rather startling acidity that cuts a swath on the palate as so many Burgundian models do. The wine matured for 10 months in barrels, 33 percent of which were new. Drink now through 2011 or ‘12. Visit landmarkwine.com

Print Review: Landmark Vineyards Grand Detour Pinot Noir 2006

Robert Stemmler Winery Estate Pinot Noir 2005 100% pinot noir Carneros, California About $36 Excellent This finely knit and supple pinot noir is more about power now than elegance. It’s dense and chewy, almost viscous, and its spiced and macerated black cherry and plum flavors are steeped in tea and moss, earth and minerals, and it’s got that touch of beet-root that Michael Broadbent described so many years ago in his Pocket Guide to Wine Tasting, first published by Christie’s in 1968 and by Mitchell Beazley in England and Simon & Schuster in the United States, somewhat revised, in 1982. Scrounge around for a copy; it’s essential reading for anyone serious about tasting wine. Anyway, we drank this wine with a roasted chicken, which was a perfect foil, but it might be more accessible (unless you like slightly bruising pinot noirs) after 2009. Visit robertstemmlerwinery.com

Print Review: Robert Stemmler Winery Estate Pinot Noir 2005

Robert Stemmler Winery Nugent Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005 100% pinot noir Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California About $40 Excellent Wow, this pinot is so ripe, warm and appealing, it’s like comfort food. Black cherry, black raspberry and plum flavors are infused with smoke, cola and cranberry and dried spice that leans toward the exotic. It’s a substantial wine, broad and mouth-filling, bursting with the dynamism of vibrant acid and grainy tannins. Those tannins, in combination with mossy, earthy elements and a burgeoning oak influence, furnish the wine’s finish with some austerity and distance. Best from 2009 through 2014 or ‘15. Visit robertstemmlerwinery.com

Print Review: Robert Stemmler Winery Nugent Vineyard Pinot Noir 2005

Robert Stemmler Winery Ferguson Block Pinot Noir 2005 100% pinot noir Carneros, California About $44 Very good+ Stemmler’s Ferguson Block Pinot Noir ‘05 is deep, earthy and minerally, packed with dried baking spices, elements of dried and fresh black fruit, smoke and oolong tea. Firm oak and powerful spicy qualities come down pretty heavily, and from mid-palate back, the wine just tastes and feels like oak. A few years more may settle it down; try from 2010 to 2015 or so. Visit robertstemmlerwinery.com

Print Review: Robert Stemmler Winery Ferguson Block Pinot Noir 2005