Louis Roederer 2003 Blanc de Blancs Champagne Review by Billy

Nose: sharp citrus, dry mild yeast and soft vanilla spiked caramel on the nose with minerally (lavender ?) hints
Palate: Extremely fine bubbles that float as jewels then saunter then gather at the top of the flute, trumpet or champagne glass. Dry with lemon peel mid palate.
Finish: Long finish with floral citrus and lavender.
Overall: This is an absolutely delightful Champagne. It has a wonderful structure that is dry but a finish that does not leave you puckered. The nose is complex and layered with dominant citrus on a foundation of complex yeast and lavender minerals. The bubbles are absolutely gorgeous. The champagne is widely available. We paid about $50 for this vintage Champagne at Costco.

Raise a glass!

Volcan Wines Estate Koutsoyanopoulos Vinsanto 2003 Sponsored Review by Billy

Eyes:In the delightfully square bottle, this wine shows a deep reddish amber. In the glass it shows as a toasted amber color with yellow near the edge.
Nose: Toasty hazelnuts, raisins and caramel on the nose.
Palate: Velvety soft on the palate, very sweet and nearly syrupy. A razor thin acid core runs right down the middle providing structure.
Finish: Lingering raisin and noticeable tart cherries at the sides of the mouth.
Overall: This wine was provided to the Wine Cask Blog free of charge for review. Special thanks to Constance. This wine comes from the Greek island of Santorini where wine making has been going on for literally millennia. This delicious dessert wine comes from the Koutsoyanopoulos Winery. It is a blend of the Assyrtico,Athiri and Aidani varietals. What I love about this dessert wine is the character - toasted nut elegance with tart cherry vigor all in a lovely sweet package that stands on its own as an after dinner treat. Or pair it with raw nuts, cheese or ice cream for a real treat.

2003 Twomey Napa Merlot wine review by Billy

Nose: coffee, cherry, blackberry, tobacco
Palate: smooth berry and tannic. Fine soft balance.
Finish: green finish with warm cherry and dry tobacco emerginglate.

Overall: a very finely crafted merlot.

2003 Northstar Merlot, Columbia Valley Wine Review by Billy

(2002 depicted)

Nose:big round soft berries and poached brandied pear smells (really!) Unique for Merlot but interesting. Oaky vanilla.
Palate:huge rich core of peppery cedar. Well balanced with prominent acid and very soft tannins.
Finish: vanilla and cherry.

Overall: an elegant and subtle Merlot. Unpretentious when decanted and soft on the palate with simple yet elegant flavors.

2003 Nebbiolo d'Alba Ca Veja Wine Review by Billy

Nose:Cherry, cedar notes, vanilla
Palate:richly tannic with vanilla. cherry cola notes. Slate.
Finish: stony, vanilla comes through to the finish.

Overall: decant this wine. It is still young and tight but quite wonderful and smooth. It is a decently priced Nebbiolo and will age nicely as well.

Cabernet Sauvignon 3 Way Head to Head wine review by Billy

NW, PB, and I are all together and tasting for the post Christmas holiday. This evening it was a Cabernet flight. The goal was all cabs in the $15 range from different regions of the world. We selected a California, Argentina, and Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. NW and I liked the Australian while PB liked the Californian best. I liked the Californian second while NW preferred it least of the three. Thus proving that wine tasting and drinking is *really* about what you like.

Here are my notes on the three Cabernets we tried:

HAYMAN & HILL 2004 NAPA VALLEY RESERVE SELECTION
Nose: SWEET JAMMY FRUIT, CLOVES
Palate: SPICY, WEAKER TANNINS THOUGH NOT FLABBY, OK BALANCE
Finish: LINGERING, SOFT

VS
(2002 pictured, 2003 reviewed)
SALENTEIN 2003 MENDOZA VALLE DE UCO ARGENTINA
Nose: STINKY MUSHROOM
Palate: PRONOUNCED ACIDS AND TANNINS WEAK BALANCE COMPARATIVELY
Finish: SMOOTH AND PLEASANT. LINGERING TOBACCO MAKES THIS NICE

VS

GREG NORMAN 2004 LIMESTONE COAST AUSTRAILIA
Nose: SPICY EARTH, CEDAR
Palate: DENSE, FRUITY INCREDIBLY EVEN STRUCTURE
Finish: FRUITY AND SOFT SMOOTH

Overall: I preferred the 2004 Greg Norman Cabernet Merlot. The depth of flavor and spice and structure was far and away above the rest. The Hayman & Hill was my second favorite with its balance and fruity structure. The Salentein while having a beautiful nose and finish had a weak structure that was poorly constructed in my opinion (though NW preferred this over the Hayman & Hill and PB preferred the Hayman & Hill over the rest).

Anyway you measure it though, for about $15 these wines are good exemplars of the varietal and affordable.

Raise a Glass!