Tonight, with a dinner of braised lamb shoulder, I decided to open a wine that had been languishing in the cellar for some time:
1999 Cline Cellars Mourvedre "Small Berry" nose: MINT! LICORICE?!! and lurking beneath some berryish fruit palate: medium weight, moderately acidic, dark fruit and a cooling blast of mentholThis wine was purchased at the winery in Dec. '01. At the time of purchase, the mint/eucalyptus notes in the wine were an interesting bit of complexity atop the fruit, acids and tannins. Now, 8 years later, those volatile elements (might some think of it as VA? possibly, as it does remind me of ethyl acetate now and again) have come to the fore, nearly overtaking any sense of fruit or tertiary elements, at least for this taster. While not an unpleasant taste, it is too monolithic and insistent a flavor to hold my interest or pair particularly well with food. File this wine away under "novelty act." Since I find this same element present in most of Cline's wines, I fear that this might be the last Cline wine I cellar for the foreseeable future.
Mark Lipton