A nice small group gathered at John’s in Croton for a look at some Kalin, especially the DD PN. We were greeted by cheeses, saucisson sec, mo usse, and the 2006 Pol Roger Brut. Full-bodied, crisp, apple and pear over chalky soil tones and toasted bread. Elegant mousse, nice. B+/A-
2001 Kalin “Livermore Valley” Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Never guess SB on nose (there’s actually 20% Semillon, but I though Scott’s Ribolla Gialla comment was spot on- nutty with pear and ci trus. Good acids but with an oily taste like a Rhone white. Some others lik ed more. B-1997 Kalin “Potter Valley” Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Fresher, serious acids, lemon and pit fruits, touch of oak. This also has
20% Semillon, and could be a good ringer in a white Bordeaux lineup. B+/A- (I heard this got even better, but I was driving and mostly spitting, and didn’t do any revisiting once we had gone through lineup)On to the reds
1999 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Damn, TCA.1996 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Lots of acids, minty, black cherry, earth. Some thought too shrill and pref erred ‘94, but lovely to me. A-
1994 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Plummy, red fruited, eucalytpus, quite elegant. . B+/A-1988 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) A tad volatile, a funky brett meets metal, but with some solid material und erneath. Someone said cleaned up, I again didn’t visit. B-/B
1987 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Red fruited (raspberry and cherry) cocoa, herbs, good acids, complete. Bea utiful and long, and my WOTN. A-/ASomewhere in here we had a couple palate cleansers
NV (LC14) Prevost “La Closerie Les Beguines” Extra Brut Ch ampagne All 2014, I believe Doug said all pinot meunier. Brioche, citrus rind, appl e. Fine mousse, long finish. Lovely A-
2012 Ultramarine Blanc de Noirs I liked the 2012 BdB a lot, but this came across as blowsy and coarse. Cert ainly the order didn’t help- the sugar stood out after the non-dos age Prevost, but retasting later seemed no better. C+/B-1986 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Red fruit, coffee, eucalyptus, lots of structure. This actually seemed to n eed a little time. B+
1982 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Odd, corked in a chloriney kind of way.1981 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Earth, black fruits (berries and plums), herbs, quite complex. A-
1980 Kalin “Cuvee DD” Pinot Noir (Sonoma County) Sweeter fruit, a little caramel, mushrooms and earth. B/B+John did a duck breast with a PN/cherry sauce and excellent couscous, by th e way.
(Mystery 1988 Napa) Red fruits, a bit green, some tannic structure but a bit clipped/short. 198
8 Forman B-/C+1986 Kalin “Sonoma” Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Herby (John says dried eucalyptus), currants and black cherry,full, good l ength. B+
And two dessert wines 1989 Kalin “Cuvee d’Or” Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc (
375 ml) A late harvest botrytized wine, orange marmalade and honey, everyone says a good Sauternes ringer but I think there’s a waxy/wooly thing that would do well with dessert Loires with some age. A-/B+1984 Kalin “Cuvee d’Or” Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Mature, honied, an odd spicy note (Scott says caraway seed, but to me it re minds me of the tadka (tempered spices) you add to dhal etc). Interesting a nd funky but I like the ‘89 a LOT more. B-
Just a great tasting. Kalin continues to impress. We were marvelling (with the ‘99 PN and ‘01 whites being current releases ) at how m uch must be in warehouse. Great wines, delicious food, great company.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.