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Copyright 1996 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved.
(Sept. 24, 1996)
These were the wines brought by participants in an offline gathering of CompuServe Wine Forum members this date at Mangia e Bevi, 800 Ninth Avenue in New York. The event honored the visit to the city of forum member Bob Spector, who's noted for his interest in the wines of Languedoc and Southern France; many of the wines, accordingly, were chosen in honor of Bob's specialty. The official "theme" of the evening was, more simply, "Red wines but not Cabs, Pinots or Merlots."
Domaine de Belvezet 1995 Viognier Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l'Ardeche - Pale straw color. Pleasant floral-apricot scent. Dry, crisp and tart, a bit short in the finish. Pleasant aperitif.Siniscalco Vini del Marchesato Gioia del Colle Primitivo - Dark garnet. Ripe black-cherry aroma, lush and full. Ripe and juicy fruit, easy sipping, tasty Italian red.
Prunotto 1995 Dolcetto d'Alba - Bright ruby. Load of berry fruit on the nose and palate; soft, full fruit, a yummy quaff, and great value for under $7. Importer: Winebow Inc., NYC.
Cline 1995 California Zinfandel - Deep blackish purple. Big oak, heavy wood on the aroma and flavor, with berry fruit showing through.
Ridge 1993 Pagani Vineyard Alicante (75%), Zinfandel (25%) - Inky dark, almost black. Oaky vanilla, dark chocolate and mixed berries; a real mouthful.
Ridge 1994 Whitten Ranch Carignan - Very dark garnet. Closed and tight, but there's good, subtle fruit and a sense of balance that suggests real potential; opens up to more forward red fruit after extended airing.
Stags' Leap 1992 Napa Valley Petite Sirah - Opaque, black. Deep, plummy fruit and fragrant black pepper. Simple but big, brooding. Tannic, but with ample fruit to cloak the astringency.
Domaine de la Chanteleuserie 1993 Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes - Dark garnet. Herbaceous tarragon and basil scents, typical of Loire Cab Franc; soft, "green" fruit on the palate, raspberries and herbs; raspberries opening up and adding a fine silken texture with time in the blass. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, Calif.
Jasper Hill 1994 Georgia's Paddock Heathcote Shiraz - Very dark in color; heavy oak and ripe mixed-berry aromas; full and ripe flavor, plums and berries, clean and consistent in a long finish.
Turley 1994 Moore "Earthquake" Vineyard Zinfandel - Dark in color; huge bramble fruit flavor leaps from the glass and knocks your head back. Big, pruney, almost raisinlike on the palate, dry and powerful, almost Portlike. Herbaceous haylike notes emerge across the palate, but the powerful mixed berries and stone fruit just keep on coming. Not your everyday Zin, that's for sure!
Prieure de St. Jean de Bebian 1989 Coteaux du Languedoc - Very dark garnet. Red-fruit and "garrigues" aromas, the characteristic mixed-herbal scent of Southern France. Big, brawny, seductive, with soft tannins remaining.
Domaine l'Aigueliere 1994 "Tradition" Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux - Dark ruby color. Earthy, organic, light barnyard. Full red-fruit flavor, juicy and ripe.
Domaine l'Aigueliere 1994 "Cote Doree" Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux - Inky black. Intense "barnyard," "garrigues" and the marked "horsey" scent that's a sure indicator of brett. Full fruit flavors accented by leathery and organic notes that match the nose. A big mouthful of wine; Loren Grossman calls it "a meal in a glass." By consensus, the top wine of the evening.
Petit Grain Muscat de St.-Jean-de-Minervois non-vintage - Pale gold color. Apricots and peaches, clean and pleasant in the scent. Soft, sweet, a whiff of volatile acidity; pleasant sweet fruit juice, a bit short on acid balance to be taken more seriously.
Members of the CompuServe Wine Forum frequently gather for events like this in real time and space. For more information, contact Associate Sysop Robin Garr. For more information about CompuServe, navigate to CompuServe's Web Page. If you already have a CompuServe account and your Web browser supports telnet, you can telnet to CompuServe now, then GO WINEFO or GO BEER. (To leave CompuServe when you've finished your visit, type OFF followed by [enter] at any prompt.) Or, if you have the CompuServe Information Manager and the GOCSERVE.EXE utility plugged into your Web browser, you can use the following link to GO WINEFO now.