TN: Château de la Maltroye 2006 Santenay 1er Cru La Comme

Burgundy is a region I'd like to explore. But it is simply too expensive to spend much time exploring. Except when I can find fair deals on wines like Château de la Maltroye 2006 Santenay 1er Cru La Comme. Primer Cru vineyards are upper echelon vineyards. But Santenay is less well regarded than other Burgundy regions. So perhaps this wine slipped through the cracks for this reason.

No matter, this is Pinot through and through. The elegance and perfume are typical, though the specific expression of the varietal is so varied. This actually does seemed a bit New World in the fruit-forward approach, but the weight and acidity are much more typical Old World traits.

• 2006 Château de la Maltroye Santenay 1er Cru La Comme - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru
  
  
  
  Classic Pinot. Mid-weight, with floral, truffle and spice aromas. Opens up to red fruit flavors, mainly strawberry. Fruit-forward, but with excellent complexity and not bombastic at all. No heat, clean finish. Good value. Mild tannic structure, medium+ acidity.
  
  
  
  From southern portion of Cote de Beaune, southern exposure, limestone and marl soils.
  
  

TN: Clendenen Family Vineyards 2001 Bien Nacido Vineyards Nebbiolo

Now this is wine: Clendenen Family Vineyards 2001 Bien Nacido Vineyards Nebbiolo. I've yet to have a properly aged Barolo or Barbaresco, but surely this wine indicates I should be laying down high quality Nebbiolo. While Santa Barbara County isn't renowned for Nebbiolo, a notoriously finicky grape, this is excellent wine with years of potential development ahead of it. The structure is awesome, and there's enough flesh and complexity to make this wine far more than a rigid backbone. It's a wine I have when relaxing at home during the evening where I can sip it and let it evolve. If only my cellar had more wines like this!

The wine is produced by Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat from Bien Nacido fruit. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir typically come to mind with Clendenen and Bien Nacido. But I guess Clendenen wanted to take on a grape even more challenging than Pinot. While I'm no Nebbiolo expert, I think this was a real success and is better than the Piedmont Nebbiolos I've tasted around this price point.

• 2001 Clendenen Family Vineyards Nebbiolo Bricco Buon Natale Bien Nacido - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
  
  
  
  Right up my alley. Firm, but not heavy. Ripe, mature cherry and raspberry. Leather, violet, tar, cedar and spice. Complex, well-balanced. Med-high acid with chalky tannin. Long finish, I could sip this all night. If medium aged CA Nebbiolo can be this good, I should be stocking up on Langhe Nebbs.
  
  

TN: Ironstone 2007 Sierra Foothills Cabernet Franc Reserve

The Ironstone 2007 Sierra Foothills Cabernet Franc Reserve was about what I expected it would be: a typical $15 reserve style wine. So your basic simple $10 wine, but pumped up in ripeness and oak treatment. Actually for the price it's a good wine. I think this would challenge many more expensive wines aiming for this style. But in my mind that really points to how overpriced many wines are when they can be easily imitated. If something is fungible, then it is simply a commodity. And this a solid reserve-style commodity wine.

• 2007 Ironstone Vineyards Cabernet Franc Reserve - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
  
  
  
  Decent wine for drinkin', not thinkin'. Ripe jammy berry nose and flavor with a lot of oak influence (toast, tannin). Does retain some of the Cab Franc herb/cedar. But pretty standard international style wine--could be from Chile, coastal CA, who knows.
  
  

TN: Chateau Aney 2007 Haut Medoc

The Chateau Aney 2007 Haut Medoc is another Kermit Lynch import. If you are familiar with Lynch, you probably know he doesn't import much Bordeaux. The problem being that Bordeaux is a sort of vinous pyramid scheme. Typically an importer cannot purchase direct from the cellar because negociants insure the wine passes through middle men along the way, sometimes several sets. Every penny is squeezed out of buyers along the way.

Cheateau Aney (see Lynch's tech sheet here) is an exception, a Bordeaux producers not tied into the cartel of cynical schemers known as negociants. They make wine, good, elegant, drinkable wine, and sell it at a fair but not cheap price. It certainly drank very well now, though perhaps I am not giving it enough credit for potential. While it is elegant and enjoyable, perhaps the overall balance will bode well for development.

• 2007 Château Aney - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
  
  
  
  Gets better and better with air. Leather, tobacco, black currant and pomegranate. Creamy mouthfeel with medium acidity and mild tannin. Well-structured for near term consumption. Some chocolate and earth on the finish. Savory. Yum.
  
  

TN: Chateau La Roque 2004 Pic St. Loup Cupa Numismae

The Chateau La Roque 2004 Pic St. Loup Cupa Numismae is good. And it cost under $15. What more can you ask for? Based on the lot number printed on the label ending in 11, I'm guessing this wine had been sitting in the producer's cellar since around 2005. Cheap, aged and good. Again, what more can you ask for?!?

Well, it does have nice varietal Syrah and Mourvedre character, plus a silky texture. Every Chateau La Roque wine I've had has been good to excellent. They are a bit modern in style, I'd say, but never lose their grounding in a top terroir in Languedoc. There is a sense of place in an accessible, clean style. Imported by Kermit Lynch.

• 2004 Château La Roque Coteaux du Languedoc Pic St. Loup Cupa Numismae - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc Pic St. Loup
  
  
  
  Picked up a couple, L1.3.11. Wonder if these came direct from cellar, labeled this year??? At any rate, a nicely evolving S. Rhone blend of Syrah and Mourvedre. Very gamey, bacony nose. Mid-weight on the palate with silky tannins. Lively acidity. Not heavily extracted--perfect mix of fruit, herb and earth. Seems to have some good quality, well-integrated oak. Super QPR for the price!