Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut 2005 wine review by Billy

Nose:yeasty bread with strong floral undertones, sweet lemon blossom
Palate: bubbles that prick rather than effervesce, dry but not parched, strong lemon citrus on the palate.
Finish: slightly grassy with more lemon and a touch of grapefruit citrus.
Overall: I purchased this from Woot Wine which has some great deals. This was purchased along with a bottle of the Iron Horse Russian Cuvee 2005 for a total of $40. Since this wine alone retails for about $30 a bottle it was a good deal. I enjoyed this California sparkling wine. It is a good quality sparkling that has a great acidity to let it go with anything (ANYTHING!) while remaining approachable and drinkable. The overabundance of lemon, the slightly-less-than-brut brutness and the lack of sophistication in the bubbles leave me wanting a touch of something more. But for a summer day and a family celebration this was a great selection.

If you find it for $20 definitely pick up a bottle. You won't be disappointed!

Raise a glass.

Tapestry 2005 Chardonnay McLaren Vale wine Review by Billy

Nose: soft apple crisp and butter cream with daisy floral scents
Palate: good acid structure allows this 2005 Chardonnay to stand up on its own.
Finish: Citrussy finish without grassiness that is nice.
Overall: I paid 7.99 for this wine that was on the 1/2 price shelf at the local wine mart. Chilled it is a nice late summer wine. At the price point I found it for it is a steal. At $12 it is a fair price, at 16 or more you'll get a good wine at a premium price point.

Still, Raise a Glass to bargains and summer's decrescendo!

Columbia Winery 2005 Chardonnay wine review by Billy

Nose:astringent and chemically upon opening, butterscotch minnerals underneath. The acetone smell should blow off after a bit but give it some time.
Palate:strong acids make this crisp but it lacks refreshing character.
Finish:apples and daisys.

Overall: this Chardonnay from Washington's Columbia valley is not the best. I like the mineraly-ness of the wine but it lacks the refinement required to pull off a fine, minnerals forward wine. Schizophrenic between buttery chardonnay and steely french whites. Raise a glass of something else

Ai Colli Amarone della Valpolicella 2005 Vivaldi wine review by Billy

Nose: Cherry Chocolate, wet tobacco and cedar spice hints
Palate: Very soft feel bordering on a sweet limpness, soft and round tannins provide the most structure.
Finish:resurgence of big and juicy black and blueberries

Overall: The nose is nice, the feel in the mouth leaves something to be desired but the finish is extraordinary. I paid about 95 Swiss Francs for this. There are definitely better wines to be had at that price, but there was still something special about this wine.

Stags' Leap Napa Valley Petite Syrah 2005 wine review by Billy

Nose: Vanilla, young cherry, cinnamon & cedar hints
Palate: Perky tight tannins that are well balanced with a solid core. Young and will still age nicely.
Finish: young and tight with young raspberry undertones.

Overall: I paid about $36 for this bottle. I am pleased. Wonderful. Fair price. Will last nicely for several years.

2005 Pauillac Chateau Pichon-Longueville wine review by Billy

Nose:spicy delicate fruit, licorice, cola, coffee and gorgeous ripe cherry
Palate: delicate mouth feel, elegant structure of strong, cherry infused tannins and oaky astringency. Mild character
Finish: Lingering warm finish of cracked black pepper.

Overall: gorgeous color in the class. This is the simple "sometimes" Pauillac label from Chateau Pichon-Longueville. At 37 bucks it's priced for the name rather than a comparable 2005 quality with another label. At half the price, this would be a wonderful find. Still, I am raising a glass of this sometimes label from Chateau Pichon-Longueville.

2005 Les Champans Bourgogne Pinot Noir wine review by Billy

Nose:Earthy strawberry, cherry(?!), layer of tobacco, dirt.
Palate: even balance, soft in mouth, mid palate flavors of socks and warm oaky spice.
Finish: extremely long finish of strawberries and earth

Overall: I paid $26 for this earlier this year. The wonderfully long finish and delightfully earthy nose set this Premier Cru Bourgogne from the vineyard of Les Champans apart. Layers on the nose are complex and engaging. With time it opens even more. In the glass it still shows a very youthful clear plum-purple. Others have called this an "entry level" pinot noir. I call it a wonderfully accessible pinot noir made with enough respect for the land that it allows the earthy flavors to come through. Delightful.
Raise a Glass!

Tudor Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2005 wine review by Billy

Nose: strawberry and asparagus
Palate: light body. light but balanced acids and tannins with a touch of acidic bitterness at the back.
Finish:Delicate with strawberries and some acidic bitterness again at the back.

overall: Nice but not the best. I paid for this ($85) at a hipster restaurant in San Fran. Expected better for the reputation.

Sanguinhal 2005 Aragonez wine Review by Billy

Nose: Asparagus (Pino Nior style) stink, charcoal, tempranillo style sweet chrries, delightful complexity
Palate: Vanilla is prominent as is a spritly dance of strong acid and pucker-inducing tannins. Stony.
Finish: Vanilla oak again with soft red fruit hints ending quickly

Overall: After a nice couple called down and waited for about 20 minutes or more for a new bottle of red wine, this was delivered to the club lounge. I thought I'd better at least have a taste and blog the findings.

This 2005 consists mostly of the Aragonez varietal (my first taste) and is from Sanguinhal in the Estremadura region of Portugal.

According to the label, it owned/run by the Fonseca (of Port wine notoriety) family. According to the label it was aged 6 months in French oak

It shows a quite youthful purple in the glass. The wine is very enjoyable. It is balanced though strong in both the acid and tannin area. The clear vanilla flavors bring out a likableness that is immediate. It is the inviting grin of an unpretentious yet obstreperous stranger who wants nothing more than to be your friend. After a sample, it is hard to say no.

Raise a Glass!

Chateau Roland La Garde Bordeaux 2005 wine review by Billy

On Opening:
Nose: licorice, vanilla, cherry, coffee, pencil graphite
Palate: fine structure, acids are a bit weaker than I'd like but not out of balance with the tannic forefront. Even mouth feel. Not fat (expected) trim but not skeletal.
Finish: stony graphite and vanilla'd cherry make a comeback at the end for a pleasing finale.

Overall, this is my first taste of any of the 2005 Bordeaux wines. The 2005's are purported to be amazing across the board. This bottle ran PB and I about $10 at a midwestern wine shop. For the price it is well worth the purchase. There were no qualms about readiness to open this wine though many of the 2005 Bordeauxs will need some longer periods in the cellar.

This is a 67% Merlot and 33% Merlot blend and, according to the label it was aged in 100% new French oak barrels. For $10 you really cannot go wrong here.

Do youself a favor and get a nice 2005 Bordeaux to lay down and pick up a bottle of this 2005 Chateau Roland La Garde (Cotes de Blaye) to open and enjoy now.

Raise a Glass!

Beringer California Classic Red 2005 wine review by Billy

Nose: big nose of peppery zinfandel and spicy syrah if I guess correctly. Fruity plumbs provide the fruity nose.
Palate: balance is so-so. Tannins are ok but the acidic structure is thin and hollow making the mouth feel weaker than promised by the nose. Still, it flows nicely and the fruit flavors of of dark stone fruit (hahaha, I've always wanted to write that -I really mean plumbs, pluots, maybe cherries etc)
Finish:round and fruity again, pleasing and smooth.

This is not an expensive wine but it is a fun wine to drink. This particular bottle was a gift to me from the Hilton hotel in Beijing China where I was staying last week on business. Yes, I brought it home, so this California wine has been around the world, to be enjoyed here in the USA.

It is a fine wine for casual drinking. Its big nose and fruity palate make it easily accessible. It is bold and will hold up well to spicy dishes.

Raise a Glass!

Columbia Crest 2005 Gewurztraminer wine review by Billy

Nose: honeydew melon, soft nutmeg, charming.
Palate: short on acids this feels flabby in the mouth leaving more than a little to be desired. Some brightness exists on the back of the palate but not enough to make up for the initial lack.
Finish: honey and green stem finish that sticks to the palate.

Overall, the nose is elegant and charming. The body leaves more than a little to be desired. I paid about $7 for this wine. At $5 or even $6 I'd say it's fairly priced. At $7 it's ok but not great. If you're looking for a Gewurztraminer then look for one from France or Germany but pass by the Columbia River Valley this time around. PB reviewed the 2002 vintage here and also found the acids a bit lacking. But he liked the wine better overall. As he is something of a Gewurztraminer junky, I'll let it pass but I need a bit *more* from this wine to call it good.

Either way, Raise a Glass!

Rivetti Vigneto Ca'Veja Barbera D'Alba 2003 wine review by Billy

We paid about $18 for this Barbera D'Alba and tasted it blind against the Pinot Noir (review below) and Pinotage (review above)
NOSE: SPICE, A PINOT SMELL, CHARCOAL, BLUEBERRY LEAVES
PALATE: COMPLEX STRUCTURE, STRONG TANNINS AND ACIDS BUT UNBALANCED. DRINKABLE BUT LACKING THE SOPHISTICATION.
FINISH: WARM AND HEAT, BACK OF THE TONGUE FINISH THAT LASTS AND LASTS OF DARK BERRY

Overall this had a magnificent nose of fruit and oak and complexity that held promise the mouth feel and flavor simply did not deliver. If it were on sale, buy a bottle and write us about what you think.

Raise a Glass!

Saintsbury Pinot Noir 2005 wine review by Billy

We paid about $28 for this wine and tasted it blind against a South African Pinotage and an Italian Barbera D'Alba.

NOSE: Mushroomy. A slight "pinot stink" but much more subtle and nuanced than I typically expect.
PALATE: Even Feel, excellent structure and strength without being overpowering.
FINISH: Delightful strawberry decrescendo.

This was the best of our tasting this evening.

2005 Amisfield Pinot Noir wine review by Billy

Nose: classic Pinot stink, wet tobacco, smoky cola, slight hints of cardamom and allspice at the very end of a deep inhale.
Palate: light and fruity raspberry, candied cherry at back. Beautiful mouth feel when it first hits the lips, tongue, and palate.
Finish: deep spice lightly realized, candy, lingering and special.

This wine was a real hit this evening as it was served with a butternut squash soup, green salad and fresh light pasta. At about $30 it is a very high quality wine at an affordable price. A fantastic flavor and expertly made. If you have the chance, please do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle for now and a bottle for later.

2005 Flora Springs Napa Valley Chardonnay wine review by Billy

This wine was tasted with NW at his New England estate.

Nose: Quite possibly some small TCA taint evident on opening. However, this did "blow off". Nevertheless, we did still continue with the tasting and review. After the corkiness smell was eliminated, honeyed pear emerges with cirtussy pineapple and toast underneath. I expect that these would be at the fore in an untainted bottle.
Palate: fine and light. good balance.
Finish: fruity with some green grass.

Overall, a nice and subtle chardonnay. It is not overly oaky, not overly buttery, not overly fruity, but very nicely balanced. Subtle, staid, elegant.

Parducci Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 wine review by Billy

Nose: delicious vanilla and cracked black pepper
Palate: incredibly round feel and oh-so-smooth
finish: lingering finish of redberry and oaky vanilla

For $10.99 this dinner accompanying Cabernet Sauvignon from the sustainable vineyards of Parducci (Mendocino California) is really quite nice. It is not as big or fruit forward as some others (a very nice change for a california cab at this price point) and the incredible roundness and smooth vanilla is exquisite.

Raise a Glass with a meal!