Sauvignon/Fume
Blanc
 '97
Araujo (Napa): As of today, we can confidently declare
that it has dropped any of that nasty ol' fruit that it once
had and is now showing nothing but oak and alcohol. SY
(7/99)
'98
Mason (Napa): This is lovely stuff, quite floral and
melon-y, almost muscat-like, with just a kiss of oak.
There's plenty of acidity, mollified by some residual sugar
right on the edge of perception (maybe 0.5-0.6%). Vurra
nice. SY (7/99)
'98
Cain "Musque" (Napa): It's made in the oaky style, but
the grassy sauv fruit still manages to make itself known.
There's possibly some residual sugar (maybe the sweetness is
the oak), but there's plenty of acidity to rein it in. I
wouldn't age this, but it's nice drinking at the moment, if
this is the style you seek. SY (7/99)
'97
Rochioli Estate ($16): I opened the bottle, poured a
glass, swirled and sniffed and said to myself "wow!". It
wasn't until I was on my second glass of this heady stuff
that I realized that I had mistakenly opened my last bottle
of the '97 Estate. The one I was going to put next to the
'98 to see how they stacked up. Oh well, such is life. A
year has been exceptionally kind to this wine. The nose is
full on with melon, lemon, a dash of oak and a hint of cat
pee. Full throttled, fat fruit on the palate with the oak
finally integrated (sigh, I would love to try this juice
without oak). The acidity is high enough to give the wine
impeccable balance and a long finish. Easily a
double
Curley and
damned close to a triple Curley. JD (4/99)
'98
Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc (Martinborough, NZ):
Year after year, Cloudy Bay keeps delighting me with the
sort of sauv blanc that seems to be almost extinct:
cat-pissy, herbal, grassy, crisp, with no oak. The '98
continues in that tradition. In fact, it's even a little
less overtly fruity than the '97, with a tangy, steely edge,
and a fresh, mouth-cleaning texture. I can't imagine a
better match for grilled veggies or a goat cheese
terrine.
SY (3/99)
'97
Sierra Vista Fume' Blanc ($8.50): Big fig and melon
aromas. Figs, melons and a floral note on the palate in a
light to medium body friendly style. Slightly sweet on the
finish. A Fume' of this quality for $8.50 is hard to beat.
Buy it up, suck it up. We did. (11/98)
Up
|
