Malat Pinot Noir Reserve

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：2762

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The Malats’ 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve exhibits a persistent juiciness that some of their 2005 vintage reds lack. Scents of leather, dried cherries, rhubarb preserves, toasted nuts, and wood spice usher in a sappy palate with equally carnal and red fruited components, leading to a salty, spicy, leathery, and slightly tart red-fruited finish with considerable but fine-grained tannins. Given this wine’s late bottling and relatively evolved aura, I wonder whether it will be a 7-10 year keeper as has been the case with some of its successors. But certainly several years of satisfaction are assured. The 2006 – due for release around now – was promisingly concentrated but comparatively rough, and possibly suffering from its recent bottling when I last tasted it.Only the two lightest of Gerald and Michael Malat’s Gruner Veltliner were harvested in October, the rest in November. “We simply had to wait for things to dry out,” explains Gerald Malat, “and to me there is a clear difference between any of the wines harvested before and those harvested after the big rains. Those harvested long enough afterward are more multi-layered.” Among the most notable characteristics of this estate is the sheer number of grape varieties with which it often succeeds. But while Gruner Veltliner and Riesling here were notable in quality this year, intensely aromatic Muskateller and Sauvignon bottlings were too brusque and coarse to merit high recommendation. A sampling of Pinot Gris from barrel was promising but will need to be re-tasted for a proper appraisal. It is good to know that the wines of this estate may soon gain wider distribution in the U.S., but due to the recent change in importers, retail prices were not yet available for any of their 2007s.Importer: Winemonger, Los Angeles, CA; www.winemonger.com

The 2004 Pinot Noir Reserve, tasted from barrel, was promising in its own way. “I’ve never had a Pinot that ripened this early,” quips Malat, and indeed the aromas here are more of roasted meats, and mushrooms, including a noble hint of truffle, than they are of red and black fruits. Succulent plum and cherry fruit, however, is more than generously present on the palate, complexified by the aforementioned carnal and fungal notes. There is abundant, fine tannin but with juicy insistence and incipient creaminess that carry into a savory finish of fruits, animal scents and forest floor. This would fit in with a tasting of Volnays – not to mention acquit itself well. Various importers including Morandell Imports, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 328-5010 and Rosalie Sendelbach Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 260-1870

There are few varieties to which Gerard Malat is more devoted than Pinot Noir, and I have – thanks to his frequent generosity in reaching deep into his cellar – tasted more than a dozen often formidable vintages. The 2003 Pinot Noir Reserve is distinguished in several respects, not least for being among the ripest in the estate’s history and certainly among the darkest, although already with a hint of garnet at the rim. Cooked cherry is accented with cinnamon and coconut in the nose. On the palate, this is deep, rich, and incipiently silky, with an effective balance between the almost jammy ripeness of cherries and shockingly butcher shop-like essences of raw meat. The finish is sleek, long and sweet. My impression is that this might not be among the most complex Pinot Noirs in the estate’s history, but they generally need time to fully express themselves, so we’ll see. Various importers including Morandell Imports, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 328-5010 and Rosalie Sendelbach Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 260-1870