Yalumba Viognier “Y Series” 2005 wine review by (PB)

This Aussie white (pronounced Vee-oh-nyay) is a gentle golden in color with a gentle bouquet of mixed fruit cocktail and a nose of sweet spice.

In the mouth this wine gives a steely first impression with really interesting flavors of various fruits but all very subtle.

The structure is really nice giving some power on the palate. It has a nice mouth feel–almost creamy but not quite yet there is a robust feeling on the palate. This is a pleasant change from all the standard white wines we grow used to. The finish has some staying power. This is a good wine by itself and a great food wine. I just ate some bread dipped in olive oil and grated Parmesan with spices and the wine is wonderful with it. The Wine Enthusiast gave this wine a nice rating in the upper 80's. It’s worth it if it was twice what I paid for it. At $11 raise a glass again and again of this puppy today!

As a side note--The back label includes a small perforated, tear-off tab with the name and vintage of the wine on it the size of a postage stamp! If you want to remember the wine, no matter where you are, just tear it off and tuck it in your wallet or wherever. How simple-how ingenious. Nice idea Yalumba!!!

“Julienas” Beaujolais Cru 2003 wine review by (PB)

This Cru—remember this is the best of Beaujolais, this one produced by Dubouef, had a bright bouquet of cherries with a nose of dried cherries, licorice and subtle brief cocoa notes. In the mouth it starts with a blast of licorice and dried fruit. This is another decent old world wine but I didn’t like it nearly as much as the Brouilly—another Beaujolais Cru-- previously blogged. The finish was short.

Having this wine right after the mediocre and awkward and “Beauzeaux” (previously entered) made this wine taste even better. We paired it with turkey/sage ravioli and it was okay but not great.

I paid $9 for this which is a good price for a Beaujolais Cru wine. They tend to run closer to the mid teens. If you need a brush up on Beaujolais, do see the entry regarding Beaujolais wine explained and while you’re doing that—raise a glass!

Moschofilero Boutari 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Brilliant pale yellow color
Nose of lemon and honey
Dry on the palate, with citrus notes and nice acidity
Smooth, dry finish with some floral notes

In the interest of full disclosure, this wine was sent to The Wine Cask blog compliments of Paterno Wines International. They continue to value the wine blogging community as an excellent resource for furthering conversation about their many wines.

The wine surprised me! At first, I didn't know it was Greek until I spent a moment examining the label. As it turns out, Moschofilero is a grape varietal that's making a bit of a comeback. It is primarily grown in Matinina, a region in Southern Greece.

As I was checking out the label, I realized the bottle was having a psychological effect on me. The bottle is clear glass, and a clear bottle gets me prepared to taste a light, crisp white wine- perfect for summer. Many Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Grigios come bottled this way.

While the wine is light and crisp, the nose is remarkably fragrant. The big lemon bouquet and notes of honey are wonderful. PB of this blog also detected some sweet spices that I did not pick up on.

As for the overall structure, I enjoyed the dry, smooth finish and the fact that it has a backbone of acidity to compliment food.

Ironically, the day after tasting this wine, I saw it in a store for the first time. It was priced at $10, which puts it in the good, value white category. It's easy to beat a comparable Chardonnay at this price, but this wine is more of a Pinot Grigio or Chenin Blanc alternative anyway. I think it's nice to see another alternative white wine with character.

Raise a glass!

Beaulieu Vineyards “Beauzeaux” 2005 wine review by (PB)

BV has a soft spot in my heart as one of the first wineries I fell in love with as a neo-enophile.
(NW) and I availed ourselves of the tastings at BV when visiting Napa a couple years ago and I’m not sure but may have tried their humorously named “Beauzeaux” (BOZO) wine.

The wine of a few years ago was a nice conglomeration of several different grapes, well made, and rather tasty if not delicious. That wine ran around $25.

So when (NW) and I saw the newly labeled “Beauzeaux” replete with silly cartoon graphic juggler complete with bottle tag that contains three “tricks” you can play on your friends we were skeptical that this could be the same wine since it also cost only $10. (NW) said, “You be the guinea pig and if its any good tell me and I’ll pick some more up for both of us.

Well, this new wine is a blend of 8 grapes. It is cherry/purple rimmed with a pretty crystal color with a bouquet of slight vanilla with a blasts of dill in the nose.

In the mouth the wine is thin with toasty notes on the front palate but nondescript all the way around. It tastes like a blend of, well 8 grapes, none of which really come together. The wine is awkward, though drinkable, and tart. This strikes me a s a wine in search of an identity–a casualty of marketing and mass production. It is an oddity to be sure and not worth getting again.

I am disappointed that BV prostituted itself by ruining a nice wine for the pressures of popularity.

ER–host of the great NZ Sauvignon Blanc tasting blogged previously, was up for the weekend and agreed with this essential review. It was fun; it’s always fun tasting new wines–even odd ones so raise a glass!

Moschofilero Boutari 2005 wine review by (PB)

I cannot even tell you when the last time I had a Greek wine was but I can tell you that it was memorable—for all the wrong reasons! So when the good folks at Paterno Imports sent us this wine, I was skeptical.

This wine, made from the grape by that name (pronounced--mo-sko-feel-ero) is a pale straw with the slightest hint of green. It has a sweet, fruity bouquet with a nice, spicy, nutmeg and cinnamon note that was wonderful. This is one of those wines I just could sit and smell picking apart the nuanced aromas.

In the mouth this Greek creation has vibrant acidity with a keen citrus punctuation and while it smells sweet, it is quite dry!

The bouquet would lead you to expect a stronger presence on the palate than what was there but with its structure, this wine would be an excellent food wine—think; lobster with dripping drawn butter.

We saw this wine a day later at a wine shop in Boston for $10—a decent value! So, okay, now we have yet another country to explore—just stay away from the “retsina.”

Be sure to check out (NW's) review of this wine as well and raise a glass!

New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs blind tastings by (PB)

Every once in a while, the stars align just right and you fall into an amazing opportunity that you know you just don’t deserve.

Visiting (NW) in Boston this past weekend, we were invited to some friends’ house for an extraordinary dinner and a blind tasting of 9 N.Z. Sauvignon Blancs.

All nine were bagged and numbered 1-9. We tasted them in three flights of three. Again, once thing that was emphasized through the experience is that tasting wines side by side is the only way to really taste a wine and appreciate the nuanced differences between them.

Our hosts spent some time in New Zealand before coming back to the U.S. bringing with them an understanding of New Zealand’s forte in to the production of this varietal.

Below are my notes from the tasting.
(Because of low light conditions, we ignored that attribute of the wines. Suffice it to say they were all pale yellow with a hint of green to one degree or another.)

#1 Spy Valley 2004 $11 (WS score of 88 pts)
Big guava nose with plenty of grass with a citrusy palate, subtle flavors that are tight and minerally notes with tart grapefruit. Some complexity.

#2 Dashwood 2005 $14 (WS score of 89 pts)
Subtle guava, grass and pear notes with a touch of mandarin orange. More grapefruit on the palate with a touch of bitter and lighter bodied than #1.

#3 Tohu 2004 $14 (WS score of 90 pts.)
Still more subtle notes of guava and grass with citrusy palate and grapfruit with a rear palate of floral notes–wow!

#4 Cloudy Bay 2004 $21 (WS score of 86 pts)
Guava/grass nose with new asparagus notes. Good mouth feel though slightly tart with solid acid and stoney finish with some complexity.

#5 Selaks Premium Selection 2005 $16 (WS score of 90 pts)
Lighter nose of guava and big vanilla aromas with creamy notes and creme brulee. In the mouth it is a tad weak on acid but adequate. Simple finish.

#6 Kim Crawford 2005 $12 (WS score of 90 pts)
Bouquet of vanilla cream, lychee. Grass, sweet spice–nice! Citrus on the palate with S. Blanc character all the way. Nice grassy finish. A great example of the grape.

#7 Matua Valley “Paretai” 2004 $17 (WS score of 93 pts)
Guava and grass and lychee fill the bouquet with great mouth feel that has a “zip” to it and full of flavors with grapefruit, and citrusy complexity. Best of tasting!

#8 Grove Mill 2002–(the wine was “corked”) or possibly shot due to its age! These wines are meant to be drunk young!

#9 Oyster Bay 2005 $8 (WS score of 89 pts.)
More grapefruit than grass in the mouth; this wine has nice structure and is well made. (Best value of the tasting)

Again I stress that while wine tasting is subjective as far as what one likes, there are objective elements that go into making a great wine! The fact that I picked the Matua Valley Paretai as the best of the tasting which happens to correspond to the Wine Spectator’s rating as the highest of the wines presented, is not coincidental!

Still the importance of wine "pairing" cannot be over stated. I found myself going back again and again to the Dashwood with the different foods we had that night which included a shrimp lasagne, mushroom and gruyere fondue, Arugula with fried Gorgonzola balls.

Special thanks to our hosts for a wonderful dinner and a special time. We raised many glasses that night. Here’s to the next time around!

Columbia Crest "Two Vines" Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 wine review by (PB)

This Washington State super value wine has been reviewed by (NW) and I before but another bottle opened merits another review.

Dark cherry color with a bouquet of cherry and dark berry fruit with a hint of green peppers and currants. In the mouth this wine is simply unreal with a fine structure and balance of a wine that costs many times as much as the $7.50 I paid for it. This wine is at its mature best though should hold well for another year anyway.

In the mouth it is brimming with flavor that is balanced with the fine tannins and chocolate, licorice, and currant flavors. The tastes linger with a nice solid finish. I have to put this up on the recommended wine list yet again! Raise a glass and buy several of these before they’re gone.

La Puerta Torrontes 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Aromatic nose of pineapple and melon
Smooth, dry palate, with good acidity
Surprisingly dry finish, tapers nicely

The wonderful, aromatic nose leads me to think this wine would be more full-bodied, but the finish is surprisingly dry. I still enjoyed it, thinking that it's a nice alternative white. It's a Spanish varietal that I don't see all that often. Because of that, it gets points for uniqueness. The price is right, too, at $10. Raise a glass!

Temecula's Wilson Creek Winery Tasting Notes by (Billy)

Well Hooray. My shipment of Temecula wines arrived safe and sound yesterday. These were the various bottles I had picked up while visiting the region last week. Thankfully the souvenir winery tasting glasses also arrived fully intact. (on a side note, the Mt. Palomar Winery glasses were hands down the nicest glasses you received at a tasting).

Now that my wines are here I can post the tasting notes I took at the various wineries. Here are the six wines I tasted at the Wilson Creek Winery.

2005 Sauvignon Blanc - $18.95
Eyes: Clear translucent straw
Nose: Crisp apricot tropical flower, green honeyed melon
Palate: Dry and crisp. Not bad, touch of green stem bitterness at the back of the tongue.
Finish: Slightly astringent linger, but crisp and spritely.
This was an OK sauvignon blanc.

Quartet Blanc (non vintage) - $18.95
Eyes: The palest yellow straw
Nose: subtly blended vanilla and kiwi and green apple. Slight citrus. Not as minerally as I would have expected.
Palate: Mixed rather than complementarily blended flavors. Overly yeasty and lacking any distinguishing character of any varietal. Comes across watery and blase.
Finish: what finish?
This wine was a blend of Semillon, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. While the nose was nice, the scent profile had to be teased out rather than coming out on its own. As the tasting review suggests, the mouth feel was limp and watery and generally not nice. This tasted like what you might get pouring a bottle of these varietals into a bowl, adding some water, and letting it sit out for a while. A wine to avoid.

2004 Estate Syrah - $34.95
Eyes: Ruby with burnt brick at the edge
Nose: Coffee, chocolate, dried cherry and creamy hints.
Palate: Over hot and peppery. Bitter at the back. A bit too acidic for my taste. Very good tannic structure.
Finish: Warm and better than the initial palate impression. Nice dried cherry on the back. Will mellow with another 2 - 3 years aging.
Overall this was a nice syrah. It could maybe blow off some of the hotness with decanting or more breathing (I have no idea for how long the bottle we tasted was opened). The bitterness at the back of the palate was distracting, but for that, the wine was quite nice.

2004 Zinfandel
Eyes: Translucent red mellon at the edge moving to clear red apple at the center.
Nose: Makes me say, "OOH!" Smooth chocolate, cherry, raisin and leather.
Palate: Nicely balanced with a warm and firm structure.
Finish: smooth with black cherry hints at the back of the finish.
This was the best wine we tasted at Wilson Creek. It was really quite nice. Unfortunately, I do not see it on their website (though I do see the 2003 there). The fetching Mrs. Billy also agreed that this was the best wine of the bunch. Their zinfandel was well constructed, had outstanding flavors that were balanced and not overpowering and showed a maturity and character absent in the other wines. This is one to get again.

Almond Champagne - $16.95
Eyes: Nearly Clear
Nose: Big almond nose
Palate: medium bubbles, light structure, almond hints. Nice
Finish: none to mention.
I should note that I am really quite poor at "tasting" sparkling wines. The bubbles throw me, I will admit it. I am also not really one for "flavor spike" wines like this sparkling champagne style with almond. Nevertheless, this was actually fun to drink. It was sweeter than I would have liked, but it easy to see its appeal. This wine, according to the Wilson Creek gang, is what put them on the map. Alex, our server, said that she likes to put a splash of this almond champagne into a glass of our last reviewed wine - the Grand Cuvee Champagne. We brought a bottle home, so when we pop that cork, I'll post another review for comparison.

Grand Cuvee Champagne - $18.95
Eyes: Nearly Clear eggshell
Nose: Nice traditional champagne nose. Granny Smith apple
Palate: small bubbles, crisp and apply. Dry and easily drinkable. Quite nice actually.
Finish: Very nice, though short, smooth finish.
For a southern California winery to produce such a well structured and smooth champagne style wine is something that I (correctly or incorrectly) found amazing. This was really nice. I brought a bottle of this home with me as well, so we'll get to see another review and then we can compare what I tasted there to what I taste here. Then maybe we'll see how much the ambiance and the atmosphere affected my "on site" reviews.

Until then,
Raise a Glass to Temecula Wines and Wilson Creek Winery

Ferrari-Carano Siena 2003 wine review by (PB)

This Sonoma County blend is supposed to be a take-off of the great Italian wines of Tuscany. Think, Sangiovese! This Sonoma County blend though is Sangiovese, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon; not exactly your typical Super Tuscan blend. It is named for the lovely Italian town of Siena which (NW) and I and our spouses toured a couple years back. When my wife smelled this wine, she said it smelled like Italy! There in lies the glory of wine! It is so much more than just a beverage.

Never-the-less, this wine is a somewhat opaque medium-garnet color with a room tinting scent of fresh fruit. The bouquet is rich in black cherry/berry aromas on opening with a big spicy nose with some other things mixed in.

In the mouth, on opening, this wine has rough tannins with a very nice front palate of toast and spice with a slight prune finish.

As it breathes, the fresh fruit nose becomes even fruitier with flavors intensifying as it warms up a bit. This wine was enjoyable and is gone,always a good sign, yet it is a bit clumsy taking on an awkward sweetness as it warms to room temp from the cellar temp of 55 degrees.

The folks at Ferarri-Carano tend to make solid wines in the just under $20 range. I have forgotten what I paid for this one but it was under $15 and, even with its awkwardness, we liked it plenty!

I am headed for Boston this weekend which means hooking up with (NW) which means plenty of more wine reviews coming in the next couple days so raise a glass and stop by soon!

Chateau Bonnet 2002 wine review by (PB)

This Gaiter/Brecher (Wall Street Journal) pick is a Grand Vin De Bordeaux and pours a little lighter than I might have expected of a Bordeaux blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot. It is a pretty Cherry red in color.

The bouquet on opening is tight with very little aroma but what’s there is nice with spice.

In the mouth this wine makes a nice first impression with superb balance. Though tight, it is crisp with a definite fruit foundation.

This wine needs to be breathed for a good hour.

With air, this wine opens to a bouquet that is full of fresh cherries with a nice green spicy flair, and a layer of steel. This wine is well made without benefit of oak. After a full hour there is a layer of evergreen, cherries and is just plain sophisticated. For $14, you can’t beat this wine.

When I first opened it, I thought for a moment, “What were Gaiter and Brecher thinking; but I knew better as their picks are almost always dead on.

This wine is worth searching out and if you ever wondered what wine was supposed to taste like, this is it! Raise a glass!

Feudo Arancio 2003 Nero D’Avola wine review by (PB)

Coming off that sorry cold I mentioned in a previous entry, my palate is not to 100% yet. Even so, this value wine was quite remarkable. This Sicilian is a nice deep red with super ripe fruit of plummy jam and blackberries with a touch of currants in the bouquet.

In the mouth this wine is full of flavor with all the same fruit mentioned above also evident in the mouth. I would say it is about peak right now! This was a $6 wine and that’s hard to beat. My grilled pizza was a bomb but the wine salvaged it. (Hint about grilled pizza–USE ENOUGH CHARCOAL TO CRISP THE DOUGH QUICKLY) (NW) noted in his review of this wine back in February that this wine was a better food wine than a solo wine. He is right. At any rate, when I am down in Boston again, I will hunt for another load of this bargain wine. Raise a glass!

24 Hours in Temecula review by (Billy)

Greetings wine lovers. I arrived back home in Minnesota today from a 2 week FOT (family obligation trip) - vacation in Southern California. In between weddings, family visits, beach trips, and mountain hiking, the fetching Mrs. Billy found some time to get her and me away from the kids and craziness to visit the southern California wine region of Temecula. Nestled between LA and San Diego, Temecula hosts some very special vineyards and wineries.

Over the course of about 24 hours we visited 6 wineries (Wilson Creek, Wiens, South Coast Winery, Callaway, Frangipani, and Mount Palomar) and tasted wines at all except Callaway.

The first thing to realize about Temecula is that it is not the lush and verdant geography of the more northerly California wine making regions. To get there from the coast, you drive through rugged (though beautiful) scrub-covered mountains to elevations of about 2600 feet then back down. The rusty-taupe of the sandy soil pervades the color palate in your view. The Temecula "wine country" is clearly marked and the relatively short drive down Rancho California Road (the main winery/vineyard drag) and it's offshoots is simply gorgeous. Being there in early September meant that ripe clusters of grapes were clearly visible (and pickable) from the roads and parking lots. What a treat!

I'll post my review each wine from each location above, but this review is for the region/trip overall.

If I had to pick a "favorite" place the winner would definitely be the Wiens Family Cellars. While the tasting room that we visited was a converted trailer (construction on their main facilities is still finishing up), the conversation, wine, and interaction here was the best by far. Far from being the most "polished" and certainly having the least "wine schwag" for sale, Wiens was overall the most interactive, most knowledgeable, and most passionate (in this bloggers view) about what they did. It also helped that we spoke with Joseph Wiens, one of the family.

A close second would be the friendly folks at Wilson Creek. This was the first vineyard we visited and tasted at so we purposely refrained from judgment until well after the trip. Even so, the casual atmosphere, heartily social enthusiasm for wine tasting, and the fun family story of the Wilson Creek Winery left us with fond memories of this location. Their tasting room was airy and light. The staff was helpful and fun. There was plenty to read, pictures to see, and wine gadgets to buy. Folks there were as comfortable chatting as they were buying. There was no "hard sell" or push to do anything more than enjoy some local wine. Special props to "Alex" our server and back room tour guide. We had a blast!

Our last stop on day one was the South Coast Winery. We stayed in one of the bungalows here overnight and ate in their restaurant as well. I must say, the accommodations here were fantastic. There were beautiful bordering on opulent and the view was terrific. I wish I could say as much for their wine. This is where I am unsure how much ambiance affects my evaluation of the overall wine experience. But suffice it to say that the tasting room at South Coast was very "nice". It was big and dark and cold and you got the impression that you were not allowed to touch anything. It was like your old aunt's house - the one with all the Hummels where your hand gets swatted if you reach out too far lest you slip and break a figurine. The ventilation was blowing so much air (quietly though) that I could feel the draft across my hands and face and had to turn and walk away from the bar to properly sample the nose of the 6 or so wines I tried there. The staffer was nice enough though apparently unenthusiastic about being there and she made clear the difference between someone like Joseph Wiens who is vested and passionate about his wines and a part time taste pourer who just has to finish her shift.

Still the stay at the South Coast Winery resort was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone again in a heart-beat. Go for the resort, not for the wine.

Day two saw us start off at a winery tour of Callaway winery. While their location was beautiful and the tasting room simply gorgeous, we actually passed on tasting here. This was due to the miserable experience we had on our tour. The tour guide was another of these "why are you crummy tourists bothering me by being here today?" kinds. She was apparently annoyed with the questions we and others asked and sped through rote recitations of each location we visited. Both the Mrs. and I got a distinctive "piss off!" feel from her. Unfortunately, this spilled over into our general impression of the winery (unfair I know, but hell if I was going to spend more precious kid-free time risking more of that kind of an atmosphere). So we left and headed to one of the backside wineries.

Frangipani was the penultimate vineyard/winery we visited and a woman who will remain nameless played host to us. She was a piece of work. She had the attitude of a Manhattanite and the demeanor of an underripe lemon. Honestly, we felt like she was mad that I was taking tasting notes. While we were there a fellow came in with a flyer for some sort of Temecula valley vintner's event. Our hostess read this fellow the riot act in a clear play of "kill the messenger". She was neither kind nor coy in her opinions and it did not matter who else was there to hear them.

The tasting room was so-so, but our hostess grabbed the tasting glasses by the bowl (a big no-no in my book as it betrays a lack of care about the wine and lack of respect for the taster). There were no palate cleansers (e.g. crackers or something) available. Remember, my favorite tasting room was a converted trailer, so I am not one impressed by marble and vaulted ceilings. But I would rather have been served vinegar by the folks from Wilson Creek or Wiens than spend much more time at Frangipani. It got so bad that the Mrs. actually left to go sit in the car while I finished my notes. In retrospect it wasn't worth it to even go there. Now, I hope that this was simply an "off" experience but until I hear otherwise, these impressions are pretty solid.

We finished up at Mt. Palomar Winery. This was a very nice way to end our 24 hours in Temecula. The tasting room was quiet, paneled in dark woods, cool, and inviting. Our pourer, "Ray" was very nice and had some fun stories about the wines we tasted as well as good explanations of what we were tasting and how the wine making practices of Mt. Palomar influenced the flavor profiles we samples. The only downside to the Mt. Palomar experience was the "hard sell" we experienced regarding their wine club. Nevertheless, even this "hard sell" was not presented in such a way as to sour us on the experience or the wines we tasted there. We left with 3 bottles (to be reviewed later).

Over all our 24 hours in Temecula California were fun and memorable. The stay was gorgeous and while some of the wines were only so-so, many were good and a few were superb. The smaller nature of the wineries and vineyards means that the likelihood of your getting to speak with someone who is doing more than just pouring samples is high. Even the crusty folks added spice to the trip and made a memory.

Leaving the region we had tasted 37 wines, consumed 1 bottle over dinner and left with another 8 (to ship home). Not a bad 24 hours.

Watch (above) for the reviews to come and Raise a Glass!

Beaulieu Vineyards Chardonnay Private Cellars 2005 wine review by (PB)

Reviews have been scant from (PB) due to a whopping cold that has compromised his taster! This is the last one til recovery takes place.

I found this on sale at a local supermarket for $7. The normal price is listed to be $13. I bought two bottles untasted figuring for $7, even if it’s just marginal, no loss. What can you expect from a $7 Chard?

It is lightly golden with a vanilla and crème brulee bouquet that I find pleasant with a light citrus note.

It has nice acid, good mouth feel and a nice finish with vanilla and oak throughout. If you like this style it’s decent enough at $7. But I put it head to head with Columbia Crest’s Two Vines 2003 Chardonnay also at a non-sale price point of $7.

Coulmbia Crest wins hands down. Both are good-with-food Chards so if you find the BV for $7 buy it, for $13, you could pass it by.

Matua Paretai Sauvignon Blanc 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Light golden color with a touch of green
Huge nose of grapefruit, lychee, and straw
Crips core of straw and cut grass
Smooth, layered finish

This is the best New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc I've ever had! If you can find it, run out and buy it. At $18, it's one of the best white wines for the money. But I warn you, you must be in the mood for the characteristics of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc because you can practically taste a green meadow in this bottle.

The texture is outstanding, and there's a richness and smoothness that runs throughout. Nothing is sacrifices, because the wine also has a backbone of good acidity. It all comes together!

Raise a glass!

Chateau Maris Minervois 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Yeasty nose burns off to reveal blackberry aromas
Jammy core
Dry finish, heavy tannins, with notes of pepper and a burnt, tart bite

I expected more from this after all the rave reviews of the 2003 vintage. Of course, no wine is exactly the same in two consecutive years.

The wine got plenty of air and just never came together for me in the glass. I found the finish to be burnt and tart.

Bargains abound from Minervois, France, but stick to 2003 with this one if you can find it. The price will be anywhere between $10-15. And raise a glass!

La Vieille Ferme Rose 2005 wine review by (PB)

In my quest for nice rose’s I have been buying most of what I have seen and amazingly have not been disappointed with the overall quality of this long forsaken wine–forsaken by me! Rose’s over the years became snared into the “soda-pop” wine craze having the same quality as white zinfandel–yuck.

But there is a resurgence of this uncomplicated wine and they are really surprising. This one is a huge surprise and a super value.

La Vieille Ferme produces a red and a white wine both of which have been reviewed on this blog. They are all marketed at the same price point which is usually under $6! They are from the under appreciated region of Southern France that has been producing barrel after barrel of bargain wines with character. But this rose is amazing.

It is, of course, pale, pale watermelon red on the pour but the bouquet is fabulous. It is just brimming with wonderful fruit aromas which I can’t even pin down. It is just a pleasant, sweet smelling fresh fruit kind of blend between strawberry and raspberry and I don’t know what else but I love it!

I expected the palate to be disappointing as often happens with really inexpensive wines that seem to give their all to the bouquet but this wine is as amazing in the mouth. It is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah from the Cotes Du Ventoux and yields it all on the paltate.

It is NOT sweet even though it smells sweet and has a great structure of acid and full flavors of fresh summer fruit. With this kind of structure, it will pair with a variety of appetizers or light main courses or is nice all by itself. I paid $5.79 for this wine and will be buying more. It has been a long time since I added a “Recommended wine” to our list but this one is definitely head there. Raise a glass and just say, AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Reserve 2003 wine review by (PB)

Previously tasted and reviewed before this Aussie varietal is a nice dark black cherry color with a huge, gorgeous, fruity bouquet of ripe black cherries and a touch of spice.

In the mouth, at opening, this wine is tightly wound and needs some time to open up. Since we are having friends over for dinner, I will decant it to hasten the process.

With two hours in a decanter, this wine opens to a full flavored and full bodied bold wine with rigid tannins which should hold this wine for several years. It has some light black pepper reminders under the fruit forward foundation of jammy flavors. This is not a subtle wine! Serve it with something bold that will hold up to this big bad boy. For $11, this is a solid value wine and worth seeking out, so raise a glass and enjoy this Labor Day here in the states!

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 wine review by (PB)

This is another Chilean creation from the Apalta Vineyard of the Colchagua Valley. It is a pretty, intense cranberry/purple colored wine with a plush bouquet of fruit, cedar and oak.

In the mouth it is a bit sour on opening but only because it needs to be breathed; yeah, decanted! Tannins are quite stiff, even chewy and flavors are incarcerated in youth. Decanting should help.

With an hour of time to breath and be swirled in a decanter the wine comes together with nice aromas of ripe dark fruit and a spicy, cedary nose. The palate is lush with ripe berries but this wine suffers from immaturity. It is tasty but austere and needs a couple more years on the shelf. It was really enjoyable with a grilled-on-the-charcoal medium rare slab of beef but should be downright sexy if aged. This wine was a gift from (NW). The Wine Spectator gives a reference price of $23.
Raise a glass!

AlMeDo Tempranillo, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 wine review by (PB)

This Spanish proprietary blend has BIG cherry-berry aromas in a cherry red/purple “package.”

My wife picked this out on one of our wine hunting endeavors being enticed by the hand written sign on the wine which said “Awesome!” At $7.50, it was worth the gamble.

It is rich and full of flavor galore with bold tannins for support and plummy jam contributed by the Syrah grape. It opens a bit with breathing to give more huge blackberry fruit. It went well with out Italian sausage dinner. At this price, this was a really nice value. I wouldn’t describe it as awesome, but certainly—very good! Raise a glass!

Marco Real Garnacha 2004 Wine review by (PB)

Visiting a local wine shop my wife and I were “hunting” the shelves in search of various bargains. It was Monday and there were three suppliers in the store restocking shelves.

One comes up to us with this bottle of wine and says, “If you like Spanish, you have to try this.”

Okay, so I’m a Grenache fan anyway and we put it in our cart.

It is from Navarra Spain and pours with a purple/cranberry hue with a big dried cherry bouquet. In the mouth this wine is really full and robust, not like any Grenache I am used to. It had chewy tannins with a hint of toast and full of stiff dried red fruit—very bold and underneath the first taste was a layer of candy; interesting and unique for this grape.

I made the season’s first batch of venison chili which was a good pairing for this wine; it needed something equally bold to stand up to it. The wine was under $10 and the supplier was right; we liked it.

Lesson here is that when a human being walks up to you and says, “Try this!” He is essentially putting his name, and very person on the line. He’s not just trying to sell you something; he’s excited about it and wants to share it with you so my advice is, put it in your cart and give it a whirl. Chances are high that you won’t be disappointed in raising a glass!

Manyana Tempranillo 2004 Review by (Billy)

Nose: light red berries - strawberry and cherry predominate
Palate: Zippy candied strawberry - cherry with a stable but not complex structure.
Finish: more light fruit and the slightest hints of oak spice that provide some non-fruit character to the finish.

This lists at $20 a bottle at a local wine bar which means that it probably retails for 8-10 in your local store. (Today is half priced bottle Monday, so, we'll see what the resulting price is later).

All in all this is an easy-going fruity wine. It is not as complex as some other spanish tempranillos (Tempranillo is the varietal pronounced "Temp-rah-KNEE-yo") but very drinkable. The light fruit nose and flavors will go with many dishes but could be over-powered by full-flavored savory meals.

I like this wine. It goes well for my activity / location now. I'm in a local wifi-enabled wine bar, sitting in an easy chair blogging and surfing. The fetching Mrs. Billy is at the spa next door getting a pedicure (her first ever lest you categorize this blogger as some snooty up-scale wannabe). The wine is a nice accompanyment to my waiting and it wont break my wallet (I'll let the spa trip do that)

Raise a Glass!

The French house rose 2005 wine review by (PB)

This Vin De Pays D’oc from the Southern France area where so many wine values are originating is a beautiful light kool-aidish cherry red with an ever so gentle sweet, strawberry,-cherry bouquet that is so fruity it’s nice just to smell.

In the mouth this wine has loads of character with a first impression of a touch of licorice and fruit. It is fairly gentle all the way around but enough fruit and body to carry the day. This is a great wine to chill down and have on the porch, patio or deck as the remnants summer sun settles on the horizon. Nothing fancy, but quaffing pleasure. $9 takes the bottle home so raise a glass!

Pinnochio 2004 wine review by (PB)

This Sicilian which my wife picked out is made from the wonderful Nero D’Avola grape pours cherry red with a hint of purple. The bouquet is very light and the nose stingy at best. The palate is chewy and tight but it has promise. Breathe it!

With room to breath it has pronounced cherry flavors and dried cherry notes. Tannins are bold but is great with a sturdy main dish. We had charcoal grilled Porterhouse and it was very nice.

Not a lot of complexity here but solid rigid fruit that stands fast.

Raise a glass but tell the truth!

Beringer Chenin Blanc 2005 wine review by (PB)

Previously reviewed and recommended this pale straw bargain, value wine at a price point of $6 is loaded with peaches, green apples and citrus in the nose with a sweet bouquet.

In the mouth this wine is off dry–meaning it makes you believe it is sweet but it isn’t. It has decent structure, full of flavor and fruit with a nice acid base. As the wine warms a note of vanilla emerges which just makes it that much more wonderful. What a great value wine. I have bought this wine for as little as $4.29 and as much as $6.50. No matter it is a bargain! Raise a glass!

R.L. Buller and Son Victoria Tawny Port wine review by (PB)

This is the first Aussie port I have had. In the glass it is not the color I would have expected being more ruby than tawny. But the color is tinged with a hint of amber at the rim giving a cola sort of hue.

The nose if full of stewed prunes and raisins with a touch of root beer. Interesting.

In the mouth this wine is thick with a nice mouth feel if a little too heavy. It is sweet of course and a bit “flabby.” (Flabby is a common description of a wine, especially a sweet wine with insufficient acid in the structure.

After a couple days of sitting with a vacuum stopper, I poured another glass. The bouquet was enticing and just kept smelling it over and over trying to identify the variety of aromas present. Caramel? Chocolate? licorice? I am liking this more and more.

For the $10 I paid for it, it is a bit unusual, tasty and not bad! Give it a try and raise a glass.

The Chateau Julien Merlot Challenge (NW)

The folks a Chateau Julien have arranged a rather well designed Merlot challenge between their wine and the Blackstone Merlot. They've reached out to wine bloggers like The Wine Cask blog to accept the challenge and post the results.

This challenge had a particular arrangement of flights to be set up by someone other than the participants. Of course, the wines would be tasted blind. To read about flight set-up, please read the entry below by PB. He's described this in detail in his entry titled "The Great Chateau Julien 'Merlot Challenge.'"

I really enjoyed this exercise. As the folks at Chateau Julien expected, tasting a dozen wines arranged into three flights can exhaust the palate. They warned against palate fatigue and how the tasting gets progressively more difficult. However, after careful examination, I selected my favorite wine from each flight as requested and my selections were consistent throughout the tasting. My selections were B, B, A, in flights 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Flight 3, Glass C was also the same wine. In every flight, I identified the wines correctly and consistently chose the same wine as my favorite. Thankfully!

This actually wasn't that difficult. The wine I consistently chose had a unique nose, a richer fruit core, and a better finish. I also knew right away this had to be the challenger- Chateau Julien. Why would they issue the challenge if they were the "average and typical" Merlot I tasted in the other glasses?

I preferred the Chateau Julien from every flight because it was darker, richer, more unique, and more layered. It has so much more potential than the Blackstone! The problem is, I didn't really like it that much because of an odd, plastic note I've described in more detail in my tasting notes below. This odd layer was consistently present and detracted from my overall enjoyment of the wine.

After completing the challenge and later comparing notes with PB of this blog, I realized the taste I was describing as plastic he was describing as daffodil. In any case, it was a detractor. So much so, for PB, that he picked the Blackstone in every flight. For me, though, the Blackstone was just too average. It tasted like a wine I would try not to buy. Why would I when there's so much interesting red wine from all over the world to choose from instead?

Upon further comparing notes, PB and I learned two things: there are always objective things that make a wine good and there are always subjective things that make a wine enjoyable. We agreed on the objective qualities of the two wines, but disagreed on which wine tasted better.

Thanks to the folks from Chateau Julien for their bold efforts to challenge a big Merlot producer in a blind tasting! In my mind, they win with a more unique interpretation of the grape! I didn't love their wine, but I think there's real potential in what they've got.

Raise a glass!

*Both wines are reviewed with complete tasting notes in my postings below

*Chateau Julien Merlot 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Medium-dark red color
Unique nose of black currants and an odd plastic aroma
Somewhat rich core of fruit on the palate
Dark fruit finish, moderately heavy tannins, and more of the plastic taste

I think this wine has a lot of potential because it's slightly dark, rich, and layered. However, I couldn't shake the odd plastic note. Without this, the wine would be really pleasant.

I appreciate the fact that it's somewhat unique in its overall approach. The core of fruit is nice and dense, giving the wine class. Although the price wasn't disclosed, I assume it sells for $10-12. Again, it has a lot of potential as a classy and modestly-priced Merlot. Raise a glass!

*Blackstone Merlot 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Medium red color
Nose of jammy fuit and plum
Moderately smooth, fruity palate
Finish tapers quickly

Sometimes a wine is just too typical. This is a very average bargain Merlot that has a round, fruity character and a moderately smooth texture. The problem is that it's exactly what you'd expect. While there's nothing offensive about it, there's nothing distinct or interesting either.

On my first sip during the CJ Merlot Challenge, I knew this had to be the Blackstone. It was the first wine I tasted and quickly realized it couldn't be the challenger because it was too typical. What would be the point! Anyhow, it's an inexpensive wine I've seen priced from $9-12. I recommend you pass it up, though, and grab something more interesting. And raise a glass!

*Chateau Julien Merlot 2003 wine review by (PB)

This wine is little darker–better in color than the previously reviewed Blackstone Merlot. The bouquet of this wine though is what I describe as a bit green with a daffodil scent that I don’t like at all in red wines. There is some vanilla and even flowery aromas that is appealing but the palate is tannic–downright chewy--and a bit hot.

I didn’t buy this wine so I don’t know the price but I suspect it is under $10. At any rate, for the money, you can find a much better Merlot like the Columbia Crest Two Vines or the 2003 Grand Estates at nearly the same price point.

*This was the other wine in the Merlot Challenge–be sure to read all about it in the wine challenge entry below!

*Blackstone Merlot 2003 wine review by (PB)

This Merlot was sent to us by competitor Ch. Julien. It has a fairly light color for a Merlot with sweet blackberry fruit in the bouquet. In the mouth it is made in the slightly sweet (but it's not sweet) style with an average structure. All in all, typical inexpensive Merlot made to cater to the American palate.

Don’t drink this as an example of Merlot; Merlot is much classier (and better) than this. I've seen the wine for under $9 but I’d pass it up for a similar priced Merlot-- but much better--from the folks at Columbia Crest. Raise a glass of that!

*Be sure to read the entry about this wine and the Merlot Challenge!

The Great Chateau Julien “Merlot Challenge” by (PB)

Increasingly wineries; shippers, producers and importers are tapping into the new generation of blog savvy customers. To that end, we at the Wine Cask blog (eighth ranked wine blog of the top 100 for 2006) periodically receive complementary bottles of wine for tasting and review on our blog.

Patterning this challenge after the Pepsi-challenge of the soda world, the folks at Ch. Julien sent us a bottle of their 2003 Merlot and a bottle of their leading competitor Blackstone 2003 Merlot. I assume the price point for each of these Merlots is essentially the same which I would put in the under $10 category.

(NW) and I happened to take the challenge together since he was up for the weekend. Here is the way the challenge was set up. We had 8 glasses set up in front of each of us in three flights.

The first consisted of two glasses marked A and B, the second and third flights consisted of three glasses marked A,B, and C. My wife did the set up and pouring of wine. It was purely blind and (NW) and I could not see what each other was doing. The instruction for the challenge had us taste each flight and simply choose the wine we preferred from each flight.

We took the challenge with perfect consistency as far as knowing which wines were the same wine in each flight and yet (NW) and I each had opposite conclusions as to which one we preferred.

The set up of the challenge was unique and did a good job in validating the consistency–or lack thereof--in the tasters preference and ability to discern each wine’s attributes.

The results? I chose Blackstone’s Merlot each time and also identified the one I preferred with 100% consistency across the challenge. In other words, in the two flights with three glasses of wine, two were Blackstone in one flight and two were Ch. Julien in the other flight.

Interestingly, (NW) preferred the Ch.Julien and chose it with 100% consistency in the various flight. (NW) will be blogging his results as well–be sure to read his notes on the challenge!

Here is what this shows: In the realm of objective tasting, (NW) and I had essentially the same review of the characteristics of each wine. But when it came to which wine we each preferred–the subjective aspect of wine tasting–I chose one, (NW) the other. Meaning, we taste wine the same but have different preferences in what we like. As I have written numerous times in this blog, there are objective elements to what makes a good wine, a “good wine,” but at the end of the day, it all comes down to what YOU like!

What is also interesting is that (NW) and I both said, that while we preferred one wine over the other, neither Merlot was the type we would seek out.

Kudos to the folks at Ch. Julien for their boldness in this type of testing and double kudos for realizing the power and economy of tapping into the world wide blogosphere! Daily we have people from just about every continent around the globe checking out what we have to say about wine. You just can’t afford to get that kind of coverage advertising! In the days to come, I hope to publish the results St. Julien derives from this unique endeavor. Raise a glass!

Rosenblum Zinfandel--Eagle’s Point Vineyard 2003 wine review by (PB)

The folks at Rosenblum specialize in Zinfandel with over 20 single vineyard designated wines. I have not had one that was not distinctive, superior and worth the price. This one was $24 and I bought on a trip to Los Angeles.

This wine is rich in color and the bouquet out of the gate is wowing! It is sweet smelling and hints of bananas–I kid you not– with an almost bubble gum scent as well.

In the mouth this wine is simply luxurious, and thick with deep currants, chocolate and great structure. I am overwhelmed with how velvety this wine feels.

With breathing there is loads of ripe jammy fruit in the bouquet and a first time for me aroma of baby powder! I love it.

In the mouth cocoa is prevalent with rich plush tannins. This is a bold and robust wine we served with grilled pizza. The finish is finessed and just all around wonderful. Raise a glass of something special!

Familia Cara Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 wine review by (PB)

This inexpensive wine was less than $9 and is ruby, with tart dried red cherries in the bouquet and nose. But I have been swirling this wine for over 15 minutes for one reason or another and it is changing in the process of breathing it. It yields some wood with a really nice and unusual caraway note. The bouquet of this wine is clearly its best attribute as it is rather disappointing in the mouth.

It is thin in style in both texture and flavor and a bit acidic with no finish what so ever.

But I have been nursing this wine over the course of an hour or more and it is growing on me. As much as I was ready to not even drink but one glass of it, I kept going back to it. The biggest lesson here is to give red wines–even marginal wines a chance with plenty of air. Normally wines are opened and consumed and the best of the wine is missed as it is never allowed to come to the fore.
So get in the habit of breathing all your red wines. Unless you’re opening a 100 year old bottle of Bordeaux you’re not likely to ruin it by giving it some time to open up.

Sebastiani Secolo 2002 wine review by (PB)

Sebastiani is one of the most reliable producers of American wine. This special bottling is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel and is aged for 14 months in French Oak. The bouquet on opening is rather gentle with fresh cherries and berry fruit.

In the mouth right before swallowing there’s a cocoa, vanilla and oak with dark berry flavors wonderfully balanced.

With some breathing and a little warming up from cellar temperature this is pure blackberry juice with eucalyptus high lights. The feel of this wine is awesome, elegant and just really good.

My beloved brought this wine back to me from a trip to California. It cost around $28 I believe. This is the kind of wine that spoils you! But spoil away and raise a glass.

Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc “Paretai” 2004 wine review by (PB)

*Friends of (NW’s), after dissing us numerous times realized they had made us feel like a zero with the rim removed. We have been trying to get together with them with NW and others but they seem to always have something “come up.” Recently we were supposed to all pop some corks together but I guess the car needed an oil change, or they had to watch wall paper dry or some such thing.

As a peace offering and self-esteem builder they sent this bottle up with (NW) for us to enjoy.

This is New Zealand classic of pale straw color with a tantalizing green hint. The bouquet is brimming with what I call Guava paste, and grass. It is layered with citrus notes, fruit.

In the mouth this wine is dazzling with a splendid foundation of acid with an excellent structure that highlights the tart citrus fruit flavors. It all just comes together with masterful precision.

Thanks NZ buddies Our self esteem has been boosted; now let’s RAISE A GLASS together

*For our international friends, ignore this paragraph; it is stupid American humor...

Terrunyo Carmenere 2003 wine review by (PB)

NW and bride were up for the weekend with added surprise of our LA daughter with our newest grandson. Special occasions mean the wine must flow! (NW) brought this treat with him.

This Cachapoal Valley Chilean wine from the folks at Concha Y Toro is another one of their marvelous creations. On the pour it is a deep black cherry color that coats the glass.

Bouquet is so lush with black cherry and blackberry fruit laced with a touch of mint, I want to get a fork to spear the whole berries.

In the mouth it is full bodied with loads of dark heavy fruit and rich tannins, and cocoa powder.

Breathe this wine for an hour or so. It has nice mouth feel and is just plain wine pleasure.

(NW) paid $30 for this wine and even though Fred Franzia says no wine is worth more than $10, I’d raise a glass of this anytime!

Craneford Allyson Parsons Shiraz 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Dark ink color
Nose of blackberries and sweet spices
Rich and smooth on the palate with a black cherry core
Cherry finish, with notes of licorice and dark chocolate

This is a good wine for $16 from Barossa Valley, Australia. It has layers and depth, with a sweetness of ripe fruit and spices.

A couple of days earlier I enjoyed a Betts & Scholl Grenache also from the Barossa Valley. I was struck by how different Grenache can be from Shiraz in an area known for voluptuous Shiraz. My tasting notes for the Grenache are in the entry below and make a nice comparison between two red varietals from the same general location.

This Shiraz is dark, rich, and smooth- the kind of wine that will stain your teeth as you nurse it in the glass all evening. Raise a glass!

Betts & Scholl Barossa Valley Grenache 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Beautiful lighter red color
Strawberries and dried herbs on the nose
Dry palate with herbal notes
Elegant finish with meaty layers and some pepper

Friends provided this wine for the evening after returning with it from New York. This is a newer label from Australia that has been put together by two American wine aficionados.

It's a classy wine, for sure, but you must be in the mood for a dry, austere wine. The herbal layers woven throughout are really nice, not green and harsh like some. I find it fascinating that the Barossa Valley can produce Grenache in this fashion given the ripe, juicy Shiraz the area is known for. This bottle cost $23. Raise a glass!

Montinore Pinot Gris 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Nice, fruity nose of apples and pears
Smooth on the palate, with some weight and depth
Elegant finish with light touches of citrus and honey

Oregon Pinot Gris is an entirely different wine than the Italian Pinot Grigio that has become so popular in recent years. For example, this wine has some weight and depth to it that I normally do not associate with the Italian version. The Italian Pinot Grigios tend to be very light and crisp. Both styles are enjoyable and it is interesting to experience the differences.

I had this at a restaurant and paid $8 for a glass. It paired well with the seafood and made the meal more enjoyable. Raise a glass!

LaPuerta Malbec 2005 wine review by (PB)

This Argentinean red is made from the Malbec grape that is coming into it’s own. It has a powerful bouquet of yeast and loads of dark berry fruit but on opening there is course layer of alcohol that is really distracting.

The palate is full with super ripe fruit—too ripe? And a touch of licorice and rather “hot.”

With air, the berry rich bouquet remains with another tart berry aroma and flavor with an interesting layer of caraway. This wine was just O.K. The bouquet is the best part of this wine and I would just have to describe this bottle as a bit “odd.” Rule of thumb—if you have to spend a bit of time trying to decide whether you like the wine or not, you DON’T.

I paid $8 for this bottle and there are numerous other Malbecs out there at this price point that you won’t have to wonder whether you want another glass or not. This one I’d pass up. But by ALL means, Raise a glass!

Castano Monastrell 2003 wine review by (PB)

This Spanish (Yecla) wine is made from the thick skinned Monastrell grape also known as Mourvedre (pronounced—More-ved) known for high alchohol content and hefty tannins.

It has a fine ruby color with a hefty bouquet of green fruit. In the mouth it has stiff tannins—true to form—is a bit harsh (alcoholy—true to form) yet a bit thin. The finish is “green” perhaps unripe fruit. Mourvedre or Monastrell can be quite nice; this is just a poor example. My wife and I took one glass and then opened a different bottle of a reliable $4 Chianti which was perfect with our pizza that night. The Castano cost $7 but I think the review says it all…

The Castano has been relegated to the refrigerator for cooking. Raise a glass—of something reliable!

Man Chenin Blanc 2005 wine review by (PB)

This South African Chenin (colloquially called “Steen”) is straw colored with nice full peach and guava bouquet and nose.

It seems a bit alcoholy on serving but I served way too warm. After bringing to the right temperature the wine has decent structure with good acid making it pair with various foods adequately. In the mouth I would have guessed this to be a Sauvignon Blanc rather than a Chenin with it’s somewhat grassy tones and fruity palate. All in all it’s not a bad wine but nothing memorable either. I paid $10 for it so raise a glass.

Ioppa Ghemme 2000 Wine Review (NW)

Cherry nose, some sweet spice, and a little too much alcohol vapor
Rich core with a meaty layer
Medium length finish with herbal and gamey notes

I found this to be an interesting wine, for sure, but not entirely enjoyable. I spent too much time trying to figure out what I was drinking and what I was tasting. Our friends were kind enough to supply this bottle, which was intending to be an experiment anyhow. They paid $13 for the wine.

Ghemme is one of those tiny denominations in Italy that I rarely see stocked in wine shops. For that reason, it was fun to sample. This one certainly had some meaty layers to it, but it never really came together. I'll have to try another when I have a chance now that I have a reference point. Try something new and raise a glass!

Hedges CMS White 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Apples and pears on the nose
Good, acidic core
Straw notes on the finish

Hedges makes a CMS Red and a CMS White. I don't see the white around very often, so I grabbed a bottle for $12 in New York. Hedges is a Washington state winery and I like their wines, in general, as they seem to be consistently good.

The letters in the name stand for Chardonnay, Marsanne, and Sauvignon Blanc, and they create a proprietary blend. This blend makes for a nice alternative white. The wine has good fruit, good acidity, and a nice texture in the mouth. Raise a glass!

Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve 2001 wine review by (PB)

This wine is a complete mystery to me because every time the Wine Spectator reviews this wine of any of the past five or six vintages, they utterly trash it. So here goes my review and then I’ll copy in the Wine Spectator review for comparison.

This wine is medium garnet on the pour with rich ripe black cherry, plum, currant and cola in the bouquet. The nose reveals a touch of spice and more of the same of what I found in the bouquet.

In the mouth it is tasty, rich, and spicy with a tannic base though a tad bitter at the end.

With a half hour of air there isn’t much change accept for a little cedar and more of the above. This wine would benefit from a few more years in the bottle.

Tapestry is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot each of which is vinified separately and then blended together—not the routine way of making a blend. I have always been a big fan of BV’s Tapestry and while this is not one of their better vintages, I just don’t get the Wine Spectator’s assessment which is as follows:

“An awkward effort, with a chalky flavor, under ripe fruit and green, bitter flavors on the finish. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.” Score 72 points…

My reviews and ratings are generally very close to the folks at the Wine Spectator except for when it comes to BV's Tapestry. Several years ago BV had a serious TCA problem and all I can think is that whoever is reviewing the Tapestry has an incredible sensitivity to TCA which apparently eludes my palate. (TCA is a contaminant which can impart off flavors and aromas to wine.)

At any rate, my wife and I both enjoyed this wine paired with veal chops on the grill Tuscan style and the bottle was emptied—always a good sign. The Tapestry line costs $35-$45 routinely. This particular year was not worth the $38 I paid for it, but neither does it merit the pathetic 72 points the folks at WS gave it.

I have two more bottles in my cellar; a 98 and a 99. I look forward to raising a glass of both!

If you have tasted this wine—we would REALLY love to hear what you thought of it!

Beaujolais Cru “Morgon” 2004 wine review by (PB)

Once again, after a long hiatus spanning many years, I am exploring the best Beaujolais called “Cru.” (see previous post [June 27th] for more info on the break down of Beaujolais wine)

This one, pronounced “Mor-GONE” is different from any B.C. wine I have tasted. It is a purple-cranberry color with a yeasty bouquet and a touch of peanuts. (seriously)

The nose is quite subtle and very light in fruit. In the mouth, white pepper is the first sense you get and while it is light to medium bodied it is full of pepper flavors—again unlike any Gamay I have had. The finish is full of oakey smoke.

With a half hour of breathing, the tannic bite loosens a bit and dried fruit comes to the front. This wine is rustic, a little rough around the edges but tasty and nice accompaniment to our grilled pork steaks.

This wine was just $9 in Boston and clearly not my favorite Beaujolais Cru nor the typical Beaujolais Cru which tends more toward elegance. This one is more like a line backer than a place kicker but still part of the team! Raise a glass.

Uggiano Fior Di Vigna Chianti 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Stinky nose initially, only partly burns off to reveal mushrooms and wet earth
Dry palate
Tart, crisp finish

There are better Chiantis in the world for $12. The 2004 vintage was a tough one, according to the industry, and this particular wine is probably better in other years. Take a pass. But raise a glass of something else!

Goats do Roam Red 2004 Real Time Wine Review (NW)

Plum and spice on the nose
Dry, clean palate
Dried fruit finish

I'm enjoying this wine as I write. I can't remember the last time I had this- most likely about two years ago. When I saw it a few weeks ago for $8, I had to grab a bottle because I've seen it priced as high as $12.

This is a well-made wine for the money, although nothing extraordinary. It has class, a touch of spice, and is dry and clean. Typically, the wine makers blend a variety of red wine grapes including the signature grape of South Africa- Pinotage. The playful label play-on-words gives it marketing appeal against the hokey value wines from Australia. The difference is that this wine is dry and crisp, placing it on the opposite end of the spectrum from the typical Australian animal label wines. When you want a really dry red wine that is widely available, this should do the trick. Raise a glass!

Fetzer Gewurtztraminer 2005 Wine Review by (PB)

This--my multitudinously reviewed wine which I adore--is unquestionably my favorite summer wine. So after three wonderful weeks of time off from my real life’s calling, I wanted to have a special dinner marking my last night of vacation.

Little neck clams, and Mahogany clams steamed in a herbed, white wine and rose broth worked for the appetizers and Maine’s own unique contribution to the gastronomic world—lobster.

I had opened the Gewurz as an aperitif to go with the appetizers but it was just so cotton pickin good I scrapped my intention to go with a Beaujolais Cru from “Morgon” for the main course and stick with the Fetzer right through dinner.

I was a little apprehensive but fairly confident it would work. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

This Fetzer varietal, chilled down more than usual, was actually a little “spritzig” in the mouth. (a German term for effervescent; very tiny, almost invisible bubbles more like little pin pricks that dance on the tongue—fun!)

This wine is sufficiently well made to handle the butter sauce of the lobster and the acidic sweetness is marvelous against the bitterness of the clams yet gentle enough for the sweet corn. Golden, apply nectar marks this wine with a bouquet to match it’s flavorful palate.

Once again, this wine surprised me as being better than it should be in light of its price. I found it for $7.50 in Boston and bought ½ case. It sells for around $12 in most parts of the country from what I can tell. At any rate, dinner was a success, the wine fabulous and now back to the grind. Raise a glass!

Vignamaggio Terre Di Prenzano Chianti Classico 2004 wine review by (PB)

One of the glories of wine is not merely the objective qualities they display but the subjective memories and emotions they evoke. I will strive to be objective first–and then explain the rest.

This 100% Sangiovese–the signature grape of Chianti wine--is a light ruby on the pour with a very nice bouquet of light cherry/black cherry aromas with a nose of pure fruit.

In the mouth this wine is at first “salty” tasting with robust flavors of white and black pepper with solid tannins that have a tight grip on the structure. This wine needs serious air.

I decanted it and after an hour or so, everything balances out nicely with smoke and oak notes with newly exposed, dried cherry flavors. It has the signature steeliness characteristic of the Sangiovese grape. It finishes short with wood and fruit.

Feeling ambitious, I made home made tortellini, stuffed with our fresh garden grown, basil and Parmesan cheese. It was labor intensive feat but was marvelous. I topped it with a homemade marinara sauce and home grown squash, and locally grown sweet corn.

I paid $15 for this wine in Boston and grabbed it immediately since (NW) and I–with wives at our sides–stayed at Vignamaggio on a visit to Tuscany a couple years back. It is the birth home of Mona Lisa and a beautiful estate situated amongst the hills of grape and olive farms of the winery. These grapes are grown right on the premises where we slept, ate and experienced sheer, Italian delight.

In our 6 speed BMW, we toured all over the Tuscan country side and this wine evokes the bliss of that European fantasy. Venice was spectacular, Florence beyond words and this wine transports me back to hill top restaurants, hotels and gondoliers proudly boasting of their trade. Ah, Venice!

Ah, Vignamaggio! The heck with objectivity; in light of it all, this wine is fabulous. Where else can you experience such reverie for $15? Raise a glass!

Chateau D’Oupia 2004 wine review by (PB)

I grabbed this on the sheer mention of the region of France–the “Minervois.” These wines are fruity, fragrant, balanced and adjusted for modern palates.

It is a young purple on the pour with a medium black cherry nose.

The palate is peppery and while it smells like Grenache it tastes like Syrah.

With a few minutes of air, the flavors release a bit. This is a well made, balanced wine but it just doesn’t trip my trigger (or my wife’s).

The wine Spectator gave this wine 90 points which is overblown by far. This is a good solid wine but 85-86 is max. Raise a glass!

Routas Rouviere (Murray Family) Rose 2005

Purchased by the Scottish Murray family, this rose wine is 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 30% Cinsault.

It is from the heart of Provence (Southern France) and is lighter with a nearly salmon hue. The bouquet is gentle of pineapple, citrus, and is lively on the tongue nearly dancing. It is very tasty, fresh with good acidity and a brief finish.

This is another swell rose from the Varois en provence! Raise a glass!

The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder Vineyard 2002 wine review by (PB)

This wine is dark and rich in the glass with a cherry rim. Deep plum and black cherry flavors fill the swirl with a little anise in the nose. There is a wonderful cinnamon taste in the front and a blast of spice in the rear. Right out of the gate this wine is elegant and delightful with rich ripe fruit made in artisanal form, it is luscious and spectacular.

There is a huge cola aroma that emerges with a few minutes of air. This is the kind of wine you almost weep over when its gone. The Wine Spectator gave it 92 points. It is all that and perhaps more. Yes it was a bit pricey; I paid $40 in Boston and took it out to “billy’s” in Minneapolis. I highly recommend this wine–save your pennies and splurge–you deserve it; now raise a glass!

Domaine Houchart 2005 Rose wine review by (PB)

I am still on my quest to find a good rose–no longer an oxymoron! I have found several out of the last eight I have purchased. This one, from the Cotes De Provence is very light in the glass, almost pink but it is freshly bursting with summer fruit. It has a nose that is sweet but the wine is not! It is quite dry and nicely acidic making it pair well with a lot of foods.

In the mouth it is juicy and plump being made of 35% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 20% Cinsault (pronounced Cin-So) 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Mourvedre and 5% “other grapes.” It tastes like Grenache with its fruitiness and simple quaffing pleasantness.

This wine paired well with grilled salmon with lime butter cutting through the fatty fleshy Salmon and cleansing the palate for the next bite. This was a $9 bottle and was just plain chilled, summer pleasure. Raise a glass.

Wine Trip to Minnesota–sort of (PB)

I spent about a week out in Minneapolis visiting three of my six grandchildren, my wonderful daughter-in-law and my son–“billy” of this blog. Wine of course figured heavily into the visit since I see my son so rarely. We had a great time playing golf and drinking some nice wine as well as participating in a wine tasting at the new Wine Styles shop in Chanhassen, Mn.

“Wine Styles” is a relatively new franchise idea to market wine for the average consumer. The store’s wines are under $25 and arranged according to “style!” Big signs mark sections of wines sorted by their style--“Bold” “Sweet” “Crisp” “Fruity” etc.

It’s a great idea taking a lot of the guess work out of wine shopping. After all, not everyone has the time, the inclination or the desire to study wine as we at the Wine Cask Blog do. Tara, the store’s owner, Chanda and Kelly are hospitable hostesses and unpretentious to boot. The tasting was a bunch of fun and we met some great people. (There was a reason Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding at Cana...)

If you’re ever in the area, stop in and say hello to these fine women. Customer service is at a premium these days as illustrated by my visit to another wine shop right around the corner from Wine Styles. This shop is a Wine Spectator affiliated store and has a great selection but...

I walk in and ask the attendant behind the register if they sold newspapers in the store since I was looking for a Wall Street Journal. Understand there was NO ONE else in the store and he wasn’t doing anything but standing looking bored. His reply seemed like he was annoyed that I would trouble him with such a question. What he didn’t know was that I was there to shop for wine as well and since I was leaving for home, I was ready to spend some decent cash on three bottles to take with me; bottles that I can’t get in my part of the country; bottles that usually are fairly pricey.

As I was glancing at their selection of white Burgundies ($45 and up) I realized I was annoyed at his response to my question about the newspaper and decided I didn’t need to spend my money at his store.

I hope shop keepers who read this blog take this to heart; CUSTOMER SERVICE MATTERS TODAY!

Jacob's Creek Shiraz Reserve 2003 Real Time Wine Review (NW)

Ripe berries on the nose surrounded by an unusual blend of pepper and sweet spices
Fleshy core, moderately dense
Smooth finish with pepper and mint notes and a hint of vanilla

Okay, I had to get in on the action! I'm tasting this wine right now as I review the posting from PB on July 3, 2006. Take a minute to refer to this posting to see why I mention this. PB put in a rather brief review of the wine and several well-imformed comments were tacked on creating a thread of dialogue about Australian Shiraz.

I agree with the general consensus from those who posted comments. Allegedly, this wine got an inflated score from Wine Spectator with a 91. However, I don't see that in their database and am wondering if maybe it's very recent and is not listed in the wine ratings yet. Maybe it was Wine Enthusiast. Either way, that's a big score and I just don't see how the wine deserves that. Especially in the category of $10-20 Australian Shiraz, where you can still get a great deal of wine for the money. (You've got to be in the mood for a really ripe, fruity wine, though!)

This wine is still a good value for $11, but it's no 91 point wine. I agree with several comments regarding an alternative choice, the Peter Lehmann Shiraz. I assume they're referring to the Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley Shiraz, which I'd take over the Jacob's Creek Reserve any day. While the Peter Lehmann wines are usually a few dolllars more, the 2003, 2002, and 2001 are very good and worth the extra money.

With that said, it's an interesting category of wine for sure. When you want a really ripe, fruity bottle at a reasonable price, this is the aisle to be in. I paid $11 for this particular wine and feel that it's a good buy under any circumstances.

One more thing... in PB's review, you'll note that he let the wine breath for a while to see how it changed. He's very good about doing this to give the wine a second chance if it doesn't show much right away. In this case, it's the right thing to do. New layers emerged and additional complexity developed with some time. Thanks for the dialogue and raise a glass!

A Return to Roses? (PB)

After many years of eschewing the overly sweet, cloying, pale red soda pop wine called “Rose” I thought I would give some a second chance. Having read an article or two on some roses with character I stopped in a wine shop in Rockland Maine and grabbed a $14 bottle. (I never thought I would lay out that kind of change for a rose.) But it turned out to be quite a nice surprise. So now I am looking for others to see what has transpired over the ensuing two decades of rose evolution.

Traveling out to Minnesota to visit (billy) of this blog, I grabbed three to run a little flight of these wines. None cost more than $11. The results are listed below.

Chateau De Micouleau 2005 Rose wine review by (PB)
This surprising Grand Vin De Bordeaux is very pretty in the glass with a tinge of watermelon hue in the glass.

It has a fruity, gentle strawberry aroma with a gentle palate but quite refreshing and well made. It is a blend of the class Bordeaux grapes used in making the very best wines of the world consisting of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).

Rose D’Anjou 2004 Barton-Guestier wine review by (PB)
Made from Cabernet Franc (typically a blending grape) and Crolleau—which I’ve never heard of and cannot even find it on line. This wine is quite pale in the glass with a watermelon juice hue.

The bouquet is creamy scented and less fruity than the Bordeaux. It is a little more puckery than the Bordeaux and basically more subtle with a clear cinnamony layer emerging after a few minutes. It is just delightful and my palate is being won over by rose for a summer time aperitif or lunch/dinner al fresco under blue skies. Raise a glass!

Tin Roof Russian River Pinot Noir Rose 2003 wine review by (PB)
Smells grapey on the nose but under whelming in all ways. A better food wine than by itself but all around not worth remembering. Even with a surrounding alfresco dinner at the Minneapolis Arboretum surrounded by my grand children and son and daughter-in-law, this wine is blah. Reminds me of why I stayed away from roses for so long. This wine was clearly the loser in this flight.

Masi Campofiorin Ripasso 2002 Wine Review (NW)

Nice nose of perfume and sweet cherries
Velvety core
Rich finish with dried cherry and earthy notes

From the house that helped develop the ripasso technique, this wine delivers! It has body and elegance and touches of Italian earthiness that I love. The texture is very nice, especially as it gets some air. For $14, you can't go wrong with this.

Next time you want a different kind of Italian wine, ask for this. If you can't find it, grab what ever Ripasso your store has and give it a try. Then raise a glass!

Valckenberg Pfalz Gewurztraminer 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Nice nose of pear, peaches, and nutmeg
Sweet core, somewhat flabby
Sweet spice finish with floral notes

We pulled this from the cellar to pair with spicy fish tacos on a hot summer evening. Gewurtztraminer has a knack for complimenting spicy food, and this worked out well for us. PB and his wonderful wife were in town, so we had to have an exotic meal and some interesting wine.

This wine cost a mere $10 and was a nice change of pace. Raise a glass!

Freemark Abbey Carpy Ranch Rutherford Viognier 2002 Wine Review (NW)

Nose of floral and soft tropical fruit
Plush on the palate, but with enough backbone and acidity
Soapy, floral finish with a bitter note beneath

After not having a Viognier for a while, I wasn't sure what to expect. This is a bottle I saved to open with PB of The Wine Cask Blog because it's always fun to share an interesting wine.

I think the nose is beautifully floral and complimented by just enough fruit. The overall plush feel is nice, and the finish tapers well. The slight bitter note at the end was a bit puzzling, but not a major distraction.

If you'd like to break out of a Chardonnay slump, give this wine a shot. That is, if you can find it of course. It's a limited production wine that I happened upon at a New York wine merchant while on a recent trip through the area. Grab it if you see it because it's a great deal at only $12. Although, the $12 I paid seems awefully low but I didn't argue with the clerk. Raise glass!

Ferrari-Carano Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Wine Review (NW)

Nose of berries with a vanilla note
Rich core, fairly dense, with a herbal back drop
Oaky finish with moderate tannins

I paired this with a steak at a New York steakhouse. It did just fine as a pairing, but wasn't all that memorable. Especially since I had to pay $14 by the glass.

While it seemed pretty well made, it tasted too typical. So many Cabs in this price range have that oaky character. This in itself is not a bad thing, but many wines are starting to taste the same because of the prominent oak.

I guess the answer is to keep trying new wines. Raise a glass!

Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Fruity nose of melon and citrus
Clean, acidic core
Medium-length, lively finish with a touch of honey and some pear

This wine is classy and has nice balance. It pairs well with food, too, which seems to be characteristic of Trimbach wines.

We enjoyed this bottle with an assortment of fusion seafood appetizers and main courses at a nationally renowned restaurant. I expected to be robbed on the price, but it was within the acceptable mark up at $48. Typically, you'd pay $22-24 for this wine in a store.

Look for other Trimbach whites, too, like Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Gerwurztraminer, when you want a classy white wine with food. These are produced in Alsace- that Northwestern region of France that has a German flair. Raise a glass!

Chateau Bonnet 2003 wine review by (PB)

Gaiter and Brecher of the Wall Street Journal wrote a column several weeks ago about inexpensive Bordeaux. Since my wife and I really appreciate their notes on wine, we sought out one of the wines they liked. We thought this was it but turned out we had gotten the wrong year. No big deal this wine was $10-12.

So tonight I opened it and had it with a grilled porterhouse. This wine is much lighter in color than one would expect of a 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot–the classic Claret wine.

The bouquet on opening was full of olives and cedar with a light fruity foundation waiting to break out. The palate was typical old world with good structure and promise.

After a half hour and some cooling down, (the wine was too warm on opening) it was full of ripe dark berry fruit and more cedar. Even though this wasn’t the wine we thought Gaiter and Brecher liked, we liked it a lot! For this price, you can’t go wrong.

Superior creation by the Lurton family–again. Raise a glass–nice!

Sideshow La Rosa 2004 wine review by (PB)

The Sideshow line of wines intrigued me with their silly label and commentaries on the reverse of the bottle. While I don’t normally “get off” on creative wine labels, the folks at the Sideshow won me over with their inexpensive wines that are uncomplicated and a decent value.

Since I have been trying to find Roses of late, I saw this one and grabbed it for $7. It is from the Campo De Borja region of Spain although I have no idea what it is made from. Never-the-less it is watermelon juice in color with a lovely strawberry and light raspberry scented wine.

In the mouth it doesn’t deliver as much as the bouquet leads you to believe but it is still a nice Summer guzzler. There is a somewhat bitter tone ion the palate and a light finish of summer berries. Chill it down, forget about evaluating this wine and just raise a glass to blue skies and BBQ grills!

Cotes Du Ventoux 2004 (Cave La Romaine) wine review by (PB)

This Rhone region wine is made from gathered grapes from the region and this one has a very light cherry color which looks almost like a rose when viewed on the tilt.

It’s bouquet hints of light strawberry and a little raspberry with black pepper mid palate. In the mouth it is at first a bit sour but seems to lose it’s sourness with the next taste.

It strikes me as a blend of Grenache and Syrah but there are 13 grapes allowed in the appellation so who knows? It is a bit chewy but all in all I like this wine and we had it with grilled burgers. It was a decent enough paring so raise a glass. It was $10 and I suspect you could fine it for less but once again, the wines from the Rhone tend to be just very drinkable wines at a decent price.

Hartford Russian River Valley Zinfandel 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Big nose of berries and some pepper
Dense on the palate with notes of sweet spices
Rich finish of dark fruit and spice

A friend supplied this wine for an outdoor dinner gathering. We had some gourmet sausages, exotic side dishes, and this wine fit right in. It is deep and complex, with interesting spice notes woven throughout.

After doing some research, I found out this wine sells for approximately $30 and gets big scores from the critics. If I find another bottle, I'll probably set it aside in the cellar for a while and see how it drinks in a couple years. Raise a glass!

Etude Pinot Noir 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Nice nose, plummy and an herbal layer
Fairly round and smooth with an underlying richness on the palate
Good finish with chocolate notes

I enjoyed this Pinot Noir at a French bistro in Burlington, Vermont. It complimented the various dishes well with it's nice plummy quality and overall smoothness. A half bottle was available for $28, which was a fair price. Raise a glass!

Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Apalta Vineyard Merlot 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Fragrant berry nose with a layer of black cherry
Juicy, rich core
Long, earthy finish with cocoa, licorice, and cassis

Merlot from South America can be completely different than elsewhere. This is not your father's Merlot, by any means. It has lots of interesting layers and has a rich, earthy quality that makes it unique. It tastes fresh and lively, too.

I paid $21 for this wine, as it's gone up in price steadily in recent years. For a high quality Merlot, though, it's not overly expensive. We paired it with Lebanese food, and it did just fine. Raise a glass!

Martin Schaetzel Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Nose of pears and apples
Smooth, light, and dry on the palate
Classy, dry finish

This wine needs to be well chilled. When it is, there's a nice crispness to it. It's a cuvee reserve wine and cost me $14. I hadn't seen it before, but was keeping my eyes open for Pinot Blanc in this price range. There are some good offerings in the $10-15 price range from Alsace and I recommend this as good buy. Raise a glass!

Piper-Heidsieck N.V. Brut Champagne wine review by (PB)

I purchased this bubbly for our anniversary but opened it one (NW’s) arrival in town for a prelude to our dinner of anti-pasta, Lemon Leek pasta (homemade of course) and BBQ’s Veal chops with a Balsamic sauce.

It has a pretty, light golden hue with nice bubbles, small and voluminous. The bouquet is nutty and this wine is nicely balanced in all ways. It is gentle, but subtly fruity with pineapple hints and solid structure. It is very easy to drink. I paid $35 I believe—a splurge—but a nice one at that. Raise a glass!

Copolla Merlot 2003 Blue Label wine review by (PB)

This wine was previously reviewed by me; you can look up that review or you can just trust me that this is a really, nice Merlot that is worth much more than the $12 I paid for it.

It is bursting with ripe blackberry fruit and plums with touches of cedar, chocolate, and flavor galore. New world bargain wine with loads of character and finesse. GET, get, get it NOW! Raise a glass.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Chardonnay 2003 wine review by (PB)

This wine is one of those value wines which you should be drinking NOT reading about! It is pretty pale golden with a lovely bouquet of vanilla, peach, and creme brulee!

In the mouth it is real nice, with solid structure, well balanced and just plain tasty. It is such a solid wine and full of flavor with a nice lingering finish that I cannot believe I paid $6 for it! Wow! Now shut up and go grab some before it’s gone! Raise a bottle or two; GO! NOW!

Chateau De Flaugergues 2001 “Cuvee Sommeliere” wine review by (PB)

This is another super value wine from the Coteaux Du Languedoc that is dense cherry in color with an almost opaque appearance. It is full bodied with nice structure and the first fleeting taste in the mouth is of spice with a trailing sense of steel.

In the front palate there is a layer of menthol with cedar sprigs galore; the finish is lasting with a hint of licorice and eucalyptus. It reminds me of some of the high end Syrahs I have had. I paid $12 for this wine and would buy a bunch more if I can find it. If you run across this wine BUY IT and enjoy it to the max! Raise a glass and more.

Chateau La Clude Bordeaux 2003 Review by (billy)

Greetings readers! While i've not been posting for a while, I've been keeping copious notes on my tastings and they shall appear soon on the blog here.

This evening the fetching Mrs. Billy phoned to suggest that I pick up a bottle on the way home from work that the two of us might enjoy together. This typically means something rich, soft, red, and inexpensive (read - under $15).

While the Mrs. enjoys the old standbys that we've come to enjoy, I am always wanting to try something new. So there I was in the store looking at the spanish reds on sale (enticing but chancy), a very inexpensive Georges Duboeuf Merlot (from their "fleur" line), when I came across this wonderful little Bordeaux for $9.98.

Chateau La Clude 2003 (no typos there, it is "clude" not "claude") is from just outside the city of Bordeaux in, yeah, Bordeaux. Other than that, I could really not find much more about the wine that didn't come from inside the bottle. But Oh, what a bottle. It was a hit with both the fetching Mrs. and me.

We decanted the bottle to speed up the air time and we were not displeased that we did.

Eyes: Cheery Cherry-Plumb with only the slightest tints of maturity around the edge.
Nose: Rich round earthy currant, delicate ripe plumb with underlayers of pepper, anise, and allspice. Heady caramel creme rounds out the nose. And what a nose it is! This is a wine you can enjoy just by inhaling deeply.
Palate: supple. decent structure though it could be a touch more dry to properly balance the acid's ever so slight bite. Goes down easily and without pretense.
Finish: lingering crisp like a tart apple but with the spicy headiness of the nose's currant and plumb.

All in all, a fantastic way to spend $10 and an evening with someone you love.

Raise a glass!

Greg Norman Estates Sparkling Wine N.V. wine review by (PB)

Celebrating our 33rd anniversary, my wife and I were aced out of a real wine shop due to it being Sunday so we had to settle for a local supermarket in the little town where we spent the night.

I grabbed an $11 bottle of Norman’s Chard/Pinot Noir blend and put it on ice.

It was mediocre with nothing really distinctive about it. It was pleasant enough and had enough structure to make it potable but for $11, believe it or not there’s plenty of sparklers out there with a lot more oomph! Think–Prosecco, Freixnet, even Domaine St. Michelle from Washington State. So, like I said, it is O.K. just rather boring. Raise a glass any way.

Almira Los Dos 2004 wine review by (PB)

This inexpensive red was an experiment. I paid $7 for it which was not money well spent. This Spanish is 93% Grenache which is what the nose is from a distance with a splash (7%) of Syrah. The bouquet is typical, fruity Grenache but on the swirl there is an unappealing medicinal nose. This wine has moments of mediocrity but is confused at best.

The palate is tannic, then some fruit. It’s not horrible but worth passing up! Don’t raise glass of this.

Paitin Docletto D’Alba, “Sori Paitin”2003 wine review by (PB)

This wine is a pretty cranberry red with fresh fruit bouquet of tart berries and green tones.

In the mouth there is some toast and stern tannins with tight flavors. Definitely old world style and needs some time to open up.

With 15 minutes of breathing the nose yields earthy tones that are wild and rustic. There’s a layer underneath of something I can’t put my finger (or tongue) one. More breathing…

A fabulous layer of cinnamon emerges—wow! This is opening nicely; an old world classic; dried fruit through and through. I bought this on a trip to Boston with (NW) and this was recommended by one of the shop’s knowledgeable staff. Raise a glass.

Jacobs Creek Shiraz Reserve 2003 wine review by (PB)

This dark red to purple Aussie varietal with a crimson rim has a nose of pork fat, blackberries, eucalyptus. On the palate it has a blast of spice which tastes like eucalyptus, mint, and cinnamon like the “red hot” candies all rolled into one. It is quite “hot” (meaning harsh) though on opening.

With some breathing–give it a good 1-2 hours–vanilla comes out in the rear and the harshness tones way down to yield a full flavored, heavy but tasty wine that is robust and bold. This wine was given a Wine Spectator rating of 91 points and yet it cost only $11 and seems to be broadly available.

This is worth hunting down. Remember to taste your wines right on opening even if you’re going to breathe them. Sometimes a layer or two comes and goes and you just might miss it if you don’t.

Serve up something with backbone to go with it and raise a glass.

Beringer Chenin Blanc 2004 Wine Review (NW)

Pale yellow color
Fresh citrus nose
Crisp and acidic on the palate
Clean finish, some melon notes

Good value white wines are nice to have on hand during the summer months. I am very impressed with the quality of this wine for a mere $6; it's an extremely good value. We chilled it to refrigerator temperature and the bottle was emptied within minutes of popping the cork. It tasted great on a hot summer afternoon just before dinner. Raise a glass!

Zuccardi Q Tempranillo 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Rich bouquet of berries and vanilla aromas on the nose
Smooth and round core
Moderately long finish, floral and fruity

Smooth texture and nice fruit make this wine pleasant to drink. If you've explored Malbecs and are looking for other red wines from Argentina, look at Tempranillos like this. This one is approximately $20. Raise a glass!

Hedges Three Vineyards 2003 Wine Review (NW)

Ripe, fruity nose of berries
Moderately dense core and fleshy on the palate
Medium length finish, young and fresh

I was impressed to see this on the "wines by the glass" list at a local restaurant, but I had to pay $13 for the privilege. It was served in a nice glass at just below room temperature, which is always a bonus. Too often, ordering wine by the glass ends in disappointment.

This wine is the flagship red from Hedges Cellars, a Washington state winery. It has a nice dense core, good fruit, and could probably cellar well if you're patient. I've enjoyed other Hedges wines, too, and recommend that you check them out if you haven't already. Raise a glass!

Domaine La Due Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Real Time Wine Review (NW)

Beautiful dark color
Explosive nose of blackberry, raspberry, and cedar
Firm structure, dense core, herbal
Long finish, moderately chewy tannins, notes of cocoa and vanilla

I am really enjoying this wine. It is such a classic Cabernet Sauvignon. I mean classic!. It has every element of a great Cab and could probably cellar well, too.

We are about to pair it with two kinds of rich, homemade pasta. I'm sure it will do extremely well... Yes, not only a classic Cab, but food worthy as well.

This wine is a very small production from a family-run winery in the Oakville district of Napa Valley. Six months ago, my wife and I stumbled upon it at a wine tasting at Freeport Wine & Cheese in Freeport, Maine. Of all the wines present, this was the best and we left with a bottle. I thought about putting it in the cellar for a few years but felt it was important to enjoy a full bottle at home together before we bet on it in the cellar. Hopefully I can track it down again and grab a couple more to tuck away. Some of these small production Napa Valley wines that fly under the radar are just terrific; well made and well priced. I paid $33 for this, but it would stand up against many Oakville wines two or three times the price. Raise a glass!

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay 2004 wine review by (PB)

I’m in Denver for a conference and I check in at the Cheese Cake Factory for a bite to eat. Kade is my server and he wins you over immediately with a winsome, yet sincere smile. (The service industry is in woeful short supply of people with personality and talent–this young man was refreshing change!)

I ordered the pork tenderloin with maple honey glaze and this wine but FIRST– I ask Kade about when the wine might have been opened, how long it has been sitting out etc. The wine was $11 by the glass so, as I explained, I would like to know under what conditions my $11 glass of wine has been handled. Kade–astute and personable gives a brief explanation of their high turnover and wines being dumped out at night rather than kept for the next day. But what separates brilliance from the rest, he says, “Let me get you a taste and you can decide...”

He brings back a sample of what I would be paying for and it tasted fresh, and actually slightly chilled. I proceeded with my intention.

This wine is from the Russian River and has nice tones of cream and fruity citrus. It is lively on the tongue with floral flavors that are hard to describe. This is a well made wine with a nice acid base and a finish of pineapple. I guess this wine to run around $24 a bottle based on the per glass charge and the routine minimal 100% mark up of restaurant wines. An internet search shows it to cost any where from $18 - $22 a bottle normal retail.

I liked it a lot and it was fine with my slightly overcooked pork tenderloin.

It turns out that Kade is a budding enophile and we engaged in enophilic banter as the tables filled around us. The pour of this wine was more generous than most restaurants–nice–and the glass was a tad better than the routine five pound-quasi wine glass–used at most restaurants.

Between Kade’s brilliant service and this fine wine, my solo dinner was most enjoyable!

So here’s to Kade and his affection for Gewurztraminer–raise a glass my friend!

High Altitude Malbec 2004 Wine review by (PB)

Well, I’ve been out of town for a few days so I apologize for the hiatus of reviews.

I returned to a BBQ chicken dinner so I grabbed this wine as it was previously untasted by me and my beloved.

This Argentinian red is grown at high altitudes just like the name says allowing warm sunny days and cool nights to work their magic on the fruit of the vine.

This wine is a youthful red/purple in color on the pour with a gentle bouquet but a deep nose of dried cherries and fresh fruit. It is definitely “hot” on opening with subdued flavors but twenty minutes of air as well as a chill down in the fridge–my ambient cellar is up to around 72 in these warm spots of the day–does this wine well.

It went well with out BBQ’s chicken, macaroni and cheese and a delightful reunion of lovers after being gone four days to a conference.

For the $8 this wine cost, it is a decent buy and a good wine. So, raise a glass to warm nights and hot love!