Time to put these up for view:
Robert Chevillon, Nuits-St-Georges "les Puliers", 1998 Initially reveals some stewed plums, cherries, and Asian spicies on the nose. In the mouth, rich sour cherry and cooked cranberry sauce gives a sweet-sour dimension to this pinot. Smoke follows. Rather taut right now, this opens better later in the night, the tight acidic background replaced by a sweeter roundness while the nose takes on a candied-floral quality. I'd wait to open more of these. B+ / 88-89
Clarendon Hills, Cabernet Sauvignon, Clarendon "Hickinbotham Vineyard",
1999 dark purple red. Closed nose upon initial opening, revealing only plum and spiced smoke. Italian plums, blackcurrants, and rum fruitcake falling on the sweet but moderately tannic finish of this full-bodied wine. The concentrated sweetness and low acidity make this perfect for drinking now, yet it could age several years further, although I doubt it would add anything to it. B+ / 89Jean Grivot, Nuits-St-Georges "les Charmois", 1995 Ouch! Tough and rough. Plummy and woody, with air time this becomes slightly better, but not by much. Missing a middle. Young, dumb, or nowhere in-between? B / 84
Pousse d'Or, Volnay "Clos de la Bousse d'Or", 2000 Compared to the previous thornbush, this is supple and sweet, ready for current drinking from this forward vintage. Difficult to pin down (for me, anyway) nose of an exotic, slightly perfumed nose that does not stay in the glass. Lilacs perhaps? Floral flavors with light delicate raspberry and smoke finish. Good, but light. Tannin-free, this is smooth, sweet, with a voluptuous quality that I wouldn't want to keep for more than 3 or
4 years. I hesitate to give this better ratings because the structure isn't there, so I give it a range from a B+ to an A- (89-90), but damn, this is good stuff!Chateau Raymond Lafon, Sauternes, 1990 medium-deep golden glow gold. Aromas of burnt maple syrup, dried apricots, pineapples and buttered honeysuckly. On the tongue apricot jam, pineapple marmalade and an almond-paste finish come through in this balanced medium-sweet Sauternes. Delineated acidity. After warming in the glass, the flavors become more tropical, reminding me of a coconut-lime meringue pie. Yum! solid A / 93
Stonefly, Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, 1998 Fragrant spicy red fruits on the nose. Raspberry, sweet redcurrant and pomegranite come through in this well made wine that I feel could pair with many kinds of food. There is a lovely weight between concentration and lightness in this wine which I feel is lacking in so many California wines these days. Medium-bodied, this could be cellared for 1-3 more years. B+/A- 89
Mark S