Winery - Townshend
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Fragrant, elegant to the point of delicate, with suggestions of mint, chervil, hay and fresh greens. Flavors favor fig, lemon wax; nothing aggressively herbaceous here, but the grape retains its varietal grassiness. Such length and delicacy in such an inexpensive wine.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is Washington Chenin like you’ve never seen it—barrel fermented and concentrated like fruit candy. Unique and distinctive, bursting with floral scents and the honeyed sweetness of the grape, it’s nonetheless a reasonably dry Chenin that clocks in at 13.4% alcohol. Wonderful long finish.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A showstopper! This intense wine sports an unusual mix of scents—wood, flower, fruit candy and menthol mint. There’s a resinous quality that lifts the palate, and a honeyed toastiness wrapped into a wine of extraordinary concentration.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Don Townshend has a gift for crafting wines of elegance. This feather-light Sangio is beautifully balanced, slightly floral, and blessed with good length. The fruit is almost ethereal, but not wimpy, attenuated or dull. It’s like drinking air.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Another stylish wine with a light touch. The flavors are airy, like whipped butter, but full and never tiring. Citrus and berry fill the palate, along with cracked pepper and dried leaf. A lovely, elegant Syrah.
Tags:
Townshend Syrah - 2003
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is the current release, nicely aged and drinking like a mature, well-cellared wine. A bit of Cabernet and Cabernet Franc are blended in to beef it up, but it’s Merlot that is the star here, with lovely mature flavors of dried cherry, dried plum and tobacco. Brilliant structure and surprising length.
Tags:
Townshend Merlot - 2001
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Another fine effort in mid-life, this Cabernet shows fruit heading into maturity, with hints of prune, cooked cherry and raisin. You will also taste caramel, brown sugar, smoke, pepper—a three-ring circus of flavor, but always done in an elegant, balanced, food-friendly style.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Excellent varietal character and definition. This is the most firm and tannic of Townshend’s lineup, an earthy, slightly chalky wine. The fruit is clean and well-delineated, with grace notes of coffee and coconut; just not quite as lingering as its siblings.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
It spends over 30 months in French and American oak, and emerges with more tannin, more density, but less bouquet and elegance than the other reds. Possibly a bit past its prime; it’s a fine effort, just not the leap ahead in quality one would hope for, given the rest of the wines. This is 55% Cab, 30% Cab Franc, 15% Merlot.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
An off-dry style, nicely crisp with good texture and a very lush mouthfeel. This is perfectly balanced, with just enough sweetness to offset the austerity of the skin tannins. Long, penetrating, clean and persistent, with a lovely texture that goes and goes. Classy stuff.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
