
The sheer volume of new wine releases dictates that opportunities to go back and re-visit wines, once tasted and reviewed, are few and far between. Vertical tastings, however, can show you not only how individual wines have aged, but also how a winemaker’s style has developed, how an individual wine or winery reflects vintage variation, etc. They also give you a chance to check your original impressions against the notes from the vertical.
I had the chance to do that over the weekend, as Mike Neuffer of Nicholas Cole Cellars poured a complete vertical of Camille, his right bank Bordeaux blend. The first wine, from the winery’s inaugural 2001 vintage, was called Claret, and we tasted it from magnum. Vintages 2002 thru 2007 were all Camille, most were 50 to 60% merlot, the rest of the blends varied, with cabernet sauvignon, dominant in the early years, disappearing completely by 2007.
The 2006 Camille is due out shortly; the 2007 was a barrel sample – final blend, not yet bottled. Here are my original notes and scores, along with my recent impressions.