Clos des Papes 2004 Chateauneuf -Du-Pape Valentines Day Wine Review by Billy

Nose: tobacco, blackberry & licorice
Palate: soft velvety feel. plush and ripe and juicy.  It is incredibly pleasant to drink as it flirts with all parts of your palate.
Finish: extremely long and juicy with leather spice and berry flavors lingering.
Overall: I paid $50 for this wine 10 years ago and laid it down for a future treat. Today the wine will sell for over $160 if you can find it. I opened it tonight for an early Valentines Day dinner where this delightfully mature Chateauneuf Du Pape was the main feature. In the glass it is brick red at the edge and a deep, dark red - almost black - in the center.  This French Rhone red wine is lush blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and a little bit of this and that to make up the leftovers.  Simply amazing.

Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Reserve Tapestry 2006 wine review by Billy

This is a classic Napa Valley red. You'll see it in stores referred to as "BV" and it is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc and malbec.

Nose: blueberry jam, smoke, cedar
Palate: soft and lush with delightfully smoky notes on the palate. Impressive but not overbearing Tannins, dark fleshy fruit notes (plums) and ever so slight peppery spice.

Finish: lighter berry hints on the finish, even some strawberry.

Overall: Wonderful new world style red. Complex and structured, evenly crafted and juicy. At $26 a steal. This wine typically is seen for $45 - 50. We had this wine at a family reunion with PB and NW and me all in the same place at the same time. These rare occasions always involve reviewing some really special wine and this was no exception. Be sure to see PB and NW's reviews as well.

Raise a Glass!

Brookland Valley 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2004 wine review by Billy and NW

Billy:
Nose: earthy (like wet loam) with some cherry notes and a smoked cedar spiciness
Palate: even balance between structural acids at the core with a nice tannin feel at the edges of the mouth. Not as thick or beefy as other pure cabs or pure merlots. Almost as if the weightiness of each minimizes the thickness of the other yielding a pleasing feel.
Finish: warm and slightly spicy of basil and licorice
Overall: a wonderful treat brought back from down under!

NW:
Nose:currants, olives, dry earth, smokey notes
Palate:full bodied and dry on the palate
Finish:more currants on the finish with woody and mineral tones.
Overall: Here is a well made Margaret River red that is interesting and dry, with layers that unfold seamlessly in the glass.

Thoughts: This Brookland Valley Cab Merlot from 2004 is from the Margaret River area in Western Australia. Even though I was in Perth the week before I bought this wine, I found it in Sydney. I brought it back as a special memento. Tonight seemed like a great night to open it with NW in town and the fetching Mrs. Billy with us to try the wine and is enjoying it. I believe I bought it for about $45 AU. I've not seen it here in the US. It is one advantage to being able to travel for work.

Wiens Meritage 2007 Sponsored Wine Review by Billy

Nose: Beautiful cherry caramel, oaky, olives and basil notes with wild mushroom and even a touch of smoke.
Palate: Layered with sharp acids and a rich tannin layer for a lively mouth feel. A touch thin in the mouth but older world styling makes this a fun wine from Temecula in southern California.
Finish: cherries and cola on the finish with a very long and lingering taper.
Overall: This 2007 Wiens Family Cellars Meritage was provided to The Wine Cask Blog free of charge. The nose is beautiful and many-layered. In the mouth it is alive with an almost prickly acidity. The crafting is complex and the wine showcases the complexity well. Available on the Wiens Family website for about $40 a bottle. Raise a Glass to the resurgence of Temecula wines and Wiens Wines in particular!

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!