Back                                                                                                                                  February 7, 2009        

State Line Tasting

State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD recently had their annual Winter Wine Tasting. Ten wines were poured, two white and eight red, all dry. It was a motley crew of outstanding wines. Here's a recap.

WHITES:

89    2005 Montagny Derriere - Aladame (Burgundy, France) $ 30
Elegant Chardonnay fruit with a little oak complementing very good minerals. A mineral driven style that is similar to the next wine, but this has a very different sense of place, also less concentrated.

91+   2006 Jermann Chardonnay (Collio, Italy) $ 35
Very minerally, crisp, concentrated and lively. Tastes like Pinot Grigio on steroids meets Chardonnay. Very interesting and different. Vineyard is right on the Solvenian border. Here's a compelling Chard for the Anything But Chardonnay (ABC) crowd.

REDS:

88    2005 Cote de Nuits Villages Perrieres - Deserteaux-Ferrand (Burgundy, France) $ 32
Earthy with some spice in the nose. Excellent acidity propelling cinnamon and bayleaf with lean Pinot fruit. Would go great with salmon or tuna.

87    2007 Wallace Brook Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, Oregon) $ 20
Herbal cola and a little spice. Smooth fruit and good acidity with a little bitterness in the finish.

88+   2005 Alto Moncayo Veraton Garnacha (Campo de Borja, Spain) $ 29
Rich black fruit with spicy clove. Deep color. Some green oak and alcohol in the finish make me a little stingy on the score at present, but should integrate with time.

89+   2006 Ridge Lytton Springs (Dry Creek Valley, CA) $ 39
Herbs (cooking spices), smooth fruit and well integrated oak make it giving for a young wine. High acidity with a touch of heat in the finish, but long, showing fruit and complexity. This has more elegance than the Spanish Grenache above.

90    2004 Chateau de Launay Bordeaux Superior (Entre-Deux-Mers, France) $ 26
Lush, dry blackberry and cassis fruit with mineral and clay terroir and dried herbs. This has excellent acidity and very good tannin with Bordeaux class. Grown in chalky clay soil -  you can taste it. This can be drunk now, but may improve in the next 2-3 years. Excellent value.

87    2005 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla and Yakima Valleys, Washington) $ 50
High acidity and tannin give it structure, but still too ripe for me, particularly after just tasting the Bordeaux above. Tannins coat the mouth, but has an overbearing combo of acidity and very ripe fruit that lingers.

91   2006 Justin Tempranillo Reserve (Paso Robles, CA) $ 50
Delicious grapey fruit and yeasty spice. Has excellent balance and tannin for such a ripe, fruit forward wine. Very tasty right now and could improve with time. A very interesting CA expression of Tempranillo.

93+   2004 Remeriz des Ganuza Rioja (Rioja, Spain) $ 90
Distinctive terroir with clove, oregano and sweet basil. An impressing core of fruit and acidity-driven structure are shown in the bouquet, body and flavor. The finish is restrained at present. This needs time, 4-6 years or more, but very promising.