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Mostly recent French Domaine Ilarria, Irouleguy, 'cuvee Bixinto', 2000 Dusty-ish cherry red colored. An immature nose of funk, sweatsock, and coal furnace. Not much better after taking a sip, when this witches' brew releases bitter red fruits, creosote, and gourd. There's a little pineau d'anis like white pepper on the finish, but none of that variety's lifting aromatics. High in extraction and acids, and rather charmless at the moment, but does lose a little of its bite the next day and becomes a little more drinkable. Anyone know how this stuff ages? B- Domaine Weinbach, Riesling, Clos des Capucins, 'Reserve Personnelle', 1998 Medium dull gold with a light autumn highlight. Pears and lemon oil-Pledge=AE on the nose. Some dullish mushrooms, lemon water, canned pears and distilled apples on the palate, finishes with a slight calcium bite. Not pretty or charming, rather middling. Could be on the downslope. B Chateau Lafon-Rochet, St. Estephe, 1998 Medium purple red. Smoky blackcurrant nose that puffs a whiff of tobacco your way. Sharp blackcurrant fruit leather straps about sums it up: simple fruit without a lot of dimension at the moment, but pleasant enough. Acids take the upper hand over fruit currently. B-B+ Trabucchi, Amarone, 1997 A clean medium cherry red with some faded rose toward the rims. Cinamon-plum spice cake on the nose, with a slight floral note on the end. In the mouth, there's smooth plums, pecans, and spice Bundt cake, along with faded fruit punch, old straw and cherry pie, with finely granulated dusty tannins. Becomes better balanced with air in the open bottle. B+ Fran=E7ois Pinon, Vouvray 'cuvee Tradition', 2001 Pale lime gold with the slightist greenish tint. Chamomile and lemon chalk dust on the nose, with chalky lemon water on the soft acid and round textured base. Drink now and don't lie down. B+ Domaine du Cros (Philippe Teulier), Marcillac, 2003 "From soft vintages come soft wines," bellows Orson Welles. This is a light cherry red with a purple tone. Spicy raspberry on the nose that about echoes on the palate: soft raspberry fruit with a dull stainless steel finish. Virtually tannin-free, this would make a nice bistro wine. About the same heft as a Cote Roanaise or a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. From the mansois grape, as I understand it. B
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