New York Cork Report Tasting Table: February 26, 2010

 

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

Here are some of the wines to cross the NYCR tasting table over the past week that -- for one reason or another -- won't get standalone review posts. As always, these are more-or-less taken right from my notebook.

Lucas Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc Reserve ($20*): Deep color. Smoky on the nose with grilled peppers, muted dark fruit and black pepper. More smoke and grilled green peppers on the palate with ripe, rich black cherry. Full body and plush mid-palate. Could use a bit more structure in the form of tannin or acid. Long smoky, dry finish. Rating:  (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Very Good)

Wolffer Estate 2006 Cabernet Franc ($23*): Great varietal nose of blackberry, spice, earthy mushrroms and just a little bit of roasted jalapeno. Medium-light body with lightly grippy tannins and still-fresh acidity, blackberry leads with a little cola, roasted mushrooms, spicy oak and light vanilla. A nice lighter style from a challenging year. Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

Wolffer Estate 2007 Chardonnay ($19*): Nice nose of apple with a little buttered brioche and herbal edge. Medium body and creamy with very good acidity. Apple and pear with a little lemony citrus. Nice butterscotch component. Oak is mostly restrained, but pokes out a bit on the end of a medium finish. Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

Zugibe Vineyards 2007 Gewurztraminer ($16*): Big rose aromas, candied ginger, candied rose petals and dried pineapple on the nose. Medium body and very floral with background lychee and ginger. Okay balance. A little bit of honey sweetness on the finish. Rating: (2 out of 5 | Average)

(* Ratings Guide)

Comments

[Dale Cruse]

Out of curiosity, is the order the wines are presented here reflect the order you tasted them?

[Lenn Thompson]

No, the order of the wines presented here would reflect the order of our alphabet. :)

[Dale Cruse]

That's weird. But okay.

[Lenn Thompson]

Yeah, it's weird to compile a list of wines (from more than one tasting session) in the most common way people look for/expect lists to be organized.

Alpha is always my default ordering when it makes sense -- usability best practice.

[jim]

One time I stood for a long tasting with a Burgundy negociant while visiting Beaune on business. About 50 wines were presented, all from the same producer.

They were presented to me REDS first, lightest to heaviest, then five minutes rest, then WHITES, lightest to heaviest.

It was explained to me that the complexities of the reds were better appreciated when the palate wasn't exhausted by the acidic whites - then the whites would actually be quite refreshing after the reds - with only the lightest whites (the throwaways) being sacrificed to the lengthy tasting.

How many times have you approached the first red of the day with a palate worn out by your rigorous white tasting? It happens.

Now, whenever I can, I appraoch my longer tastings "backwards". Try it sometime!

[Dale Cruse]

Is it also a usability best practice to put asterisks next to prices & then not explain anywhere on the page what those asterisks represent?

[Lenn Thompson]

Jim, that's an interesting concept and idea and I can absolutely see that making sense in that setting.

I guess the problem with applying that to my tastings is that I don't know the wines going in as intimately as the producer would!

Really interesting though.