Marcel and Olga Juge Cornas Cuvee C 2004 is ready to drink
Regulars know I love Peggy Raley and her family (who were supporters and friends since Garden Gourmet), Nassau Valley Vineyards and its monthly newsletter. I was peeved after trying the recipe in this month's info sheet. It made me sick for several days. On recovery, a quick call set me straight. Peg told me the recipe was to serve at least a dozen, no wonder! You can get a copy of this newsletter by emailing mail@nassauvalley.com.
A 94-point, $15 Merlot is truly difficult to locate, especially one from Italy. When Tony Galloni, WA, wrote it up, I found some. The 2009 Falesco Merlot is delightful now and should drink well through 2016. Blueberry, blackberry, cinnamon, oak, saddle leather and minerality run from the nose to the close. Falesco avoided one of those overripe Merlots by providing acid balance, appropriate tannin and plenty of French oak aging. Overall the 2009 is elegant with good depth and structure.
I was contacted by a reader who said, "It is sometimes difficult to locate the wines you recommend." Please, friends, stop looking for the cheapest price and find someone who will work with you. There are several wonderful stores in our area where the proprietors are your friends. Please keep in mind, ordering a single bottle does not work for them. Order a six-pack or a mixed case to get the best pricing. You are reading here to find great product priced properly
The prices I recommend are usually high enough to allow the purveyor a fair profit and you a great bargain. They are not, however, carved in stone. I realize this advice is repeated frequently, but I wish to inform new readers.
Way up price to Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. This was highly decorated by all the likely suspects. James Suckling gave it 98 points and drove the price to $150/ bottle. Reviewers also made a big deal of Caymus finally adding some Merlot to its 100 percent Cab. As I wrote on release, big whoop, people have been adding the more prolific Merlot to soften and lower pricing for years. Caymus was frequently too harsh for my taste in the past. Anyhoo, the wine has been on sale recently. It can be found, older, at $100/bottle. By the way, no slap at Chuck Wagner and sons. Very talented, decent wine producer. Just not my cup of tea.
Dark purple color opens to berries, cassis and pie spice. Ripe Cab grape flavors are enhanced by dark chocolate, vanilla and cassis, and supported by fine-grain texture and plenty of ripe tannins. French oak drove the spice and says place me in the cellar. The wine is made from a wide selection of Cab juice from throughout Napa, not just Caymus.
Recently Marcel Juge, a retired, noted producer from Cornas in Rhone had this to say about Les Amis (that would be us),"The Americans don't understand our wines. They all want big, fruity wine, and my wines are more about elegance." Sorry, froggy, that magic twanger won't produce music. You retired in 2004 and have failed to keep up. The market drives you! Or, if you wish to produce the terrific, 80-year-old-vine Syrah, you are, and only 150 cases, which need 10 years in the cellar in a good year, then don't moan about American taste. You bad-breath guys smoke Gitanes and eat frogs, snails and raw garlic, for goodness sake.
That said, the Marcel and Olga Juge Cornas Cuvée C 2004 is ready to drink now. It is a classic rendition of Northern Rhone Syrah. If you are a fan of lamb and venison (another market limiting factor) and earthy, peppery, meaty wine with a minerality-driven finish and a very deep, black fruit core, this wine fills the bill. Find some now to enjoy with your pals on a cold winter evening. A bit pricey at $60, but worth it.
