1999 Holiday Wine: The Reviews

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Pinot?
Zin?

Chard?
Gerwurtz?

1999 Holiday Wine:
The Reviews

The Detailed Reviews
Tasting Conditions

Holiday Wine Reviews

Year/Name/Varietal Producer Score Price Region Comparison/Price Review Date

1998 Gerwurtztraminer Fetzer 69 $7 CA $- 1999/11/9

Nose: green apple, pineapple, unripe peach, perhaps green melon scream at you. Taste: very sweet with quite full fruity flavors following the nose, some effervescence. Sweetness excellently balanced with a cripsness (goes well w/turkey)
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG (semi-blind) 69 The nose of this wine screams at you in technicolor: green apple, pineapple, unripe peach, perhaps green melon. The mouth is DEATH SWEET, directly following scents, quite full. Some effervescence. Sweetness excellently balanced with a cripsness (Huh? How can sugar and acid coexist?) Goes well with turkey b/c the fullness of the flavor and crispness cut through the grease/juices. Not my thing but a better sweet wine, and goes well with turkey. I selected & prepared the wine, so my review cannot be said to be blind. However, I consciously avoided studying the wines, have a terrible memory, and fully masked the bottles before serving. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 60 Slightly fizzy, short taste, sweet. (Chenin Blanc?) Reminds me of Champagne (not just fizz) does NOT go w/turkey (tastes ignore each other). Fruit I can't place. Drink well before the meal or w/dessert (something light). Chard?

1998 Colombia Valley Chardonnay Chateau St.-Michelle 79 $14 Washington $ ""

Nose: Subdued nose meets a medium bodied mouth with pineapple & jasmine essences, possibly cantalopue, more jasmine and hint of butter in finish. Understated, yet flavorful, like it!
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG 79 Nose: Nose: subdued; pineapple, & melon, perhaps bit of unripe peach & green apple. Mouth medium bodied with pineapple & jasmine essences, possibly cantalopue, more jasmine and hint of butter in finish. Understated, yet flavorful, like it! This was supposed to be the year's killer dea; bit of a disappointment there. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 75 Quite Oaky (wood aftertaste lingers), buttery pleasant, w/o being outstanding (no complexity) doesn't really go w/turkey, flavor too strong, doesn't mesh. Chard?

1998 Estate Series Colombia Crest 70 $10 Washington $Chateau St.-Michelle $14 ""

Subdued with elements of european style. Mostly pineapple, some creamy vanilla oak. OK, not as good as last year.
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG 70 Not as good as last year (was hyped to be). Subbdued pineapple nose with a hint of butter. Mouth: Odd more watery-minerally euro-taste, a tad bit of barnyard, a bit of creamy vanilla oak. Weak finish, unbalanced. The 1997 was hyped as the super-bargain; that was not fantastic but significantly better. Poor match with turkey. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 79 Vanilla, fruity, slight aftertaste (neither pleasant nor unpleasant), goes nicely w/turkey (best match of whites). Chard?

1997 Pinot Noir Gallo of Sonoma 50 $9 CA $ ""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 35 NASTY nose!!! Turpentine and barnyard with a bit of cherry underneath. Mouth: Strange astringence, bit of effervescence, cough syrup, nasty coating on tongue, glycerine, mono-flavor cherry underneath. Went with turkey better than it tasted. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 65 Fairly light taste, slightly unpleasant aftertaste reasonabe w/turkey as meat hides aftertaste.

1998 Carneros Pinot BV 55 $14 Napa $ ""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG very light color. Nose: bit of barnyard, rose, and citrus-ey raspberry. Mounth: a tart cherry, something slightly off or earthy, without a real balance (i.e. without a properly balanced minerally european style taste) Something watery in the nid-taste. Short finish. Non-horrible, but nothing to reccomend. Goes OK with Turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 70 Cherry [in nose] Also fairly light [compared to 1997 Gallo SOnoma Pinot], though a bit more wood on the aftertaste. Overpowers turkey a little, but possible. Cab?

1997 Zinfandel Cline 63 $ CA $ ""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 63 Dried blood color. Nose: vv slight barnyard, strong lemony dark cherry, bit of tart jammy strawberry, hint of green apple in the tartness. Mouth: full-bodied astringent taste with some begetable, green pepper and spicy black pepper on top of the ripe black cherry. Substantial finish, slightly bitter, licorice, smokiness. Not a fantastic wine, but the winner with turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 75 Coagulated blood color. Black pepper/sand papery (not in a bad way) tendency to a strong dark cherry taste, licorice/burnt toast aftertaste

1997 Amador County Zinfandel Ravenswood 70 $$16 Amador $

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 70 Note: Eyes-open tasting, sole participant, one day old vacu-vin'd bottle. Nose: Earthy in a good way, cherry, jammy strawberry and black pepper. Mouth: a classic zin. Cherry, lots of spice: straight black pepper, no vegetable. Smooth progression to finish, which is weak but discernable. Bit of leather toward the finish. I felt it was excessively spicy for the turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters:

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The Ultimate holiday wine advice: Drink in moderation. We're all about quality (not quantity!) BargainGourmet.com encourages moderation and demands responsible drinking . . . and wishes you the most enjoyable, safest holidays possible.

Tasting Conditions - The Turkey Test
1999 11/19, one tasting at 5:30, another at 7 PM. The room was cool, around 60F. Tasters were instructed to cleanse palattes with water and baguette before each wine, comment on first smell, then taste of wine, then to sample wine with turkey. We seved roasted turkey hindquarters, medium to dark meat, basted and served with natural gravy. Although white meat is very popular, we assumed darker meats would be more representative for holiday meals which include gravy, stuffing, and other heavier foods. Wines served in the order given in table, in brown paper bags. The tasters could see the wine, the shape of the bottles, and possibly the color of decorations at the top of the bottle. BG, the server, prepared the wines long before the tasting, and has a poor memory, but cannot be said to have tasted blind. Wine disposal was enouraged, and none of the tasters showed evidence of inebriation at the end of the tasting.

Year/Name/Varietal	Producer	Score	Price	Region	Comparison/Price	Review Date
1998 Gerwurtztraminer	Fetzer	69	$7	CA	$-	1999/11/9
Nose: green apple, pineapple, unripe peach, perhaps green melon scream at you. Taste: very sweet with quite full fruity flavors following the nose, some effervescence. Sweetness excellently balanced with a cripsness (goes well w/turkey)
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG (semi-blind) 69 The nose of this wine screams at you in technicolor: green apple, pineapple, unripe peach, perhaps green melon. The mouth is DEATH SWEET, directly following scents, quite full. Some effervescence. Sweetness excellently balanced with a cripsness (Huh? How can sugar and acid coexist?) Goes well with turkey b/c the fullness of the flavor and crispness cut through the grease/juices. Not my thing but a better sweet wine, and goes well with turkey. I selected & prepared the wine, so my review cannot be said to be blind. However, I consciously avoided studying the wines, have a terrible memory, and fully masked the bottles before serving. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 60 Slightly fizzy, short taste, sweet. (Chenin Blanc?) Reminds me of Champagne (not just fizz) does NOT go w/turkey (tastes ignore each other). Fruit I can't place. Drink well before the meal or w/dessert (something light). Chard?
1998 Colombia Valley Chardonnay	Chateau St.-Michelle	79	$14	Washington	$	""
Nose: Subdued nose meets a medium bodied mouth with pineapple & jasmine essences, possibly cantalopue, more jasmine and hint of butter in finish. Understated, yet flavorful, like it!
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG 79 Nose: Nose: subdued; pineapple, & melon, perhaps bit of unripe peach & green apple. Mouth medium bodied with pineapple & jasmine essences, possibly cantalopue, more jasmine and hint of butter in finish. Understated, yet flavorful, like it! This was supposed to be the year's killer dea; bit of a disappointment there. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 75 Quite Oaky (wood aftertaste lingers), buttery pleasant, w/o being outstanding (no complexity) doesn't really go w/turkey, flavor too strong, doesn't mesh. Chard?
1998 Estate Series	Colombia Crest	70	$10	Washington	$Chateau St.-Michelle $14	""
Subdued with elements of european style. Mostly pineapple, some creamy vanilla oak. OK, not as good as last year.
Tasted with roast turkey leg. BG 70 Not as good as last year (was hyped to be). Subbdued pineapple nose with a hint of butter. Mouth: Odd more watery-minerally euro-taste, a tad bit of barnyard, a bit of creamy vanilla oak. Weak finish, unbalanced. The 1997 was hyped as the super-bargain; that was not fantastic but significantly better. Poor match with turkey. Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 79 Vanilla, fruity, slight aftertaste (neither pleasant nor unpleasant), goes nicely w/turkey (best match of whites). Chard?
1997 Pinot Noir	Gallo of Sonoma	50	$9	CA	$	""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 35 NASTY nose!!! Turpentine and barnyard with a bit of cherry underneath. Mouth: Strange astringence, bit of effervescence, cough syrup, nasty coating on tongue, glycerine, mono-flavor cherry underneath. Went with turkey better than it tasted. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 65 Fairly light taste, slightly unpleasant aftertaste reasonabe w/turkey as meat hides aftertaste.
1998 Carneros Pinot	BV	55	$14	Napa	$	""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG very light color. Nose: bit of barnyard, rose, and citrus-ey raspberry. Mounth: a tart cherry, something slightly off or earthy, without a real balance (i.e. without a properly balanced minerally european style taste) Something watery in the nid-taste. Short finish. Non-horrible, but nothing to reccomend. Goes OK with Turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 70 Cherry [in nose] Also fairly light [compared to 1997 Gallo SOnoma Pinot], though a bit more wood on the aftertaste. Overpowers turkey a little, but possible. Cab?
1997 Zinfandel	Cline	63	$	CA	$	""

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 63 Dried blood color. Nose: vv slight barnyard, strong lemony dark cherry, bit of tart jammy strawberry, hint of green apple in the tartness. Mouth: full-bodied astringent taste with some begetable, green pepper and spicy black pepper on top of the ripe black cherry. Substantial finish, slightly bitter, licorice, smokiness. Not a fantastic wine, but the winner with turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters: DG 75 Coagulated blood color. Black pepper/sand papery (not in a bad way) tendency to a strong dark cherry taste, licorice/burnt toast aftertaste
1997 Amador County Zinfandel	Ravenswood	70	$$16	Amador	$

Experienced tasters (read reviews and copared to tates on several occaisons): BG 70 Note: Eyes-open tasting, sole participant, one day old vacu-vin'd bottle. Nose: Earthy in a good way, cherry, jammy strawberry and black pepper. Mouth: a classic zin. Cherry, lots of spice: straight black pepper, no vegetable. Smooth progression to finish, which is weak but discernable. Bit of leather toward the finish. I felt it was excessively spicy for the turkey. BB Less experienced and tradition influenced tasters:

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