In my "Make a Suggestion" post I threatened that if anyone wrote a full review I might lift it into its own thread. And just as I realized that I couldn't keep posting 5 days a week, Iron Chef conveniently posted a review of a current sale wine. So here is Iron Chef's review of the 2003 Newton Claret.
"It was layered with coconut, wood vanillas and sun tan lotion. Lots of extracted cherries and cassis. As a drawback there was a bit of Bell pepper astringency. Very smooth month feel- integrated tannins, at 15.2% it was not as hot as one would expect. No sediment and seems ready to drink. The tannins were rounded into form, it would be interesting to see if the Bell pepper taste would grow or disappear with time. Poor composite cork. Overall it reminded me of a Clos De Los Siete or a Mission Hill Oculus- same type of price point but maybe I was expecting more from Napa. I think WS is 88 points. Slightly disappointed- glad I only bought one. I would say 84 points."
Price: $31.49
Value: 2/5 (my value rating, not Iron Chef's)
Score: 84 (Iron Chef's score)
Alcohol: ?%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 081753801847
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Love your blog. It is great to see some local wine enthusiasts really tackling some of the great wines that anbl has to offer. I am a local wine geek and will pipe in when I can on some wines.
ReplyDeleteAfter going through your reviews – one thing is very apparent: You are sampling a lot of really nice wines that are still quite young. It is always difficult to truly assess a lot of these wines at this stage. One thing that I have committed to with my collection is to buy a minimum of three bottles (six if the wallet allows me) of any wine that I enjoyed. That affords the opportunity to try them over an extended period of time and look back at previous tasting notes to see how the wine has evolved.
On the Newton review – I agree with you on the bell pepper. That is coming from the high level of Cab Franc in the blend. Over time this will mellow and the oak and fruit tannins will integrate. It is very high in alc but is able to pull it off with the fruit extraction. I would disagree on your rating. This is a great wine that is just too young.
It is wound up and tight at this stage. This wine is going to be deadly in three to five years from now. I bought six in anticipation on this.
Great work and love to see this. NB has come light years in the world of wine and your blog will help take it to the next level.
Cheers
Jimbo
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the compliments. It's certainly been a fun project so far, and I'm pleased it seems to be paying off.
Re age, you're right that I am trying some wines young because I want to post reviews when the wine is still available. But in other cases I think the wines are in their drinking window. But in any event I don't usually try to take account of how the wine is likely to develop because I don't have enough experience to know. So this kind of feedback is especially useful.