Tobin James Sparkling Charmat Style nv
A touch sweet, finish is OK but just. not a very interesting wine for the money.
Carol Shelton Rocky Res 04
from a dry creek vineyard light opaque purple pretty purple flavors, nice briar flavors quick finish except for the alcohol level. she has other zins in the store that seem to be more user friendly.
Monday, October 29, 2007
doug
A few of these wines were once Berbiglia exclusives. but now anyone can buy them.
Santa Alicia Reserve Chardonnay 2006
fruity but a bit of a rough harsh ending. good mouthfeel
Santa Alicia Reserve Carmenere 2005
lost grape of bordeaux found in chile ..pretty vibrant red color. a touch of eucalyptus..not terribly interesting but at this price point not disappointing.
Milton Park Shiraz 06 South Australia
Iodine turning to mint on the palate. Deep rich flavors and nice long finish.
Gordon Brothers Merlot Washington 06
Nice varietal character. Juicy with a lot of ripe cherry on the finish.
Gordon Brothers Cab Wasshington 02
traditional nose of pencil lead, nice mouthfeel and finish of black cassis. may be a little pricy for what you get.
Gordon Brothers Late Harvest Gewurz 05
almond colored pretty gewurz nose, not overly cloying and just thick enough to stay on the palate. could handle a creme brulee.
Santa Alicia Late Harvest Muscadet 04
a touch of sweet, earthiness and honeysuckle. lots of apricots on the finish.500 ml at $10 good value
Santa Alicia Reserve Chardonnay 2006
fruity but a bit of a rough harsh ending. good mouthfeel
Santa Alicia Reserve Carmenere 2005
lost grape of bordeaux found in chile ..pretty vibrant red color. a touch of eucalyptus..not terribly interesting but at this price point not disappointing.
Milton Park Shiraz 06 South Australia
Iodine turning to mint on the palate. Deep rich flavors and nice long finish.
Gordon Brothers Merlot Washington 06
Nice varietal character. Juicy with a lot of ripe cherry on the finish.
Gordon Brothers Cab Wasshington 02
traditional nose of pencil lead, nice mouthfeel and finish of black cassis. may be a little pricy for what you get.
Gordon Brothers Late Harvest Gewurz 05
almond colored pretty gewurz nose, not overly cloying and just thick enough to stay on the palate. could handle a creme brulee.
Santa Alicia Late Harvest Muscadet 04
a touch of sweet, earthiness and honeysuckle. lots of apricots on the finish.500 ml at $10 good value
derrick with Foradori wines
Just to prove that I do not know everything I had two wines here that I had to ask questions on. Would an expert have to do that? I wonder.
Foradori Myrto 06 Sauv Blanc and Incrocio Manzoni wine from trentino in Italy.
creamy like malo went through. I am not familiar with the second grape but liked the wine. Long finish for a white. It will be in the store for around $18
Pernot Bourgogne 2006
nice mineraltiy, a touch of warm chard but obviously not Californian.
Foradori teroldego rotaliano trentino 05
Not aware of this grape type, leathery dark nose interesting dark fruit on the finish with just a touch of greenness or tobacco on the finish. maybe the varietal has a bitter finish. much like many ex spouses.
Foradori Myrto 06 Sauv Blanc and Incrocio Manzoni wine from trentino in Italy.
creamy like malo went through. I am not familiar with the second grape but liked the wine. Long finish for a white. It will be in the store for around $18
Pernot Bourgogne 2006
nice mineraltiy, a touch of warm chard but obviously not Californian.
Foradori teroldego rotaliano trentino 05
Not aware of this grape type, leathery dark nose interesting dark fruit on the finish with just a touch of greenness or tobacco on the finish. maybe the varietal has a bitter finish. much like many ex spouses.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
joel gott wines
Trying to get ready for the big wine tasting tomorrow. I have had a few nice wines to taste lately and will report on those later. I did want to put out that we got in today Joel Gott Zinfandel and Cabernet. Not expensive but hard to get. We got a case of each. Salut
Monday, October 22, 2007
robller winery of missouri
The owner of this winery between Herman and Washington came into the store with a large lineup of wines to try. nothing like starting your day off with a wine tasting. he was patient since I was busy with customers.
Vidal A hybrid. Light color and taste. It was actually a vintaged wine which is different than most of their wines. Stainless steel and good for it.
Seyval A hybrid found in Missouri. A touch heavier with some oak influence.
Norton 2003 Rusy color with a cinnamon nose. Light fruity finish was nice. A good and inexpensive intro to this best of Missouri grapes.
Villa Rouge NV Interesting blend of grapes. Cranberry is what I got. Not overly sweet just a touch so.
Gabrielles Blush NV A off dry blush. maybe too sweet for true rose drinkers but dryer than a white zin.
Vignoles NV another missouri hybrid. A touch of cotton candy on the front but a dry finish.
White Steuben NV Tastes like grape jam and works well with peanut butter. No fooliing.
Kasselfest NV Named for the city in Germany that the Brothers Grimm worked in. This wine is a dark blush. almost the color of sangiovese. Not overly sweet but hard to place what to serve with.
All in all the wines were fine. Well made. The problem with Missouri wines in my opinion are they seem to be uninspired. Good for quaffing but just nothing to recommend other than the fact they come from the state. Hybrids can withstand the cold and still produce a good quantity of fruit each year
Right now I have the Vignoles and Norton in the store.
Vidal A hybrid. Light color and taste. It was actually a vintaged wine which is different than most of their wines. Stainless steel and good for it.
Seyval A hybrid found in Missouri. A touch heavier with some oak influence.
Norton 2003 Rusy color with a cinnamon nose. Light fruity finish was nice. A good and inexpensive intro to this best of Missouri grapes.
Villa Rouge NV Interesting blend of grapes. Cranberry is what I got. Not overly sweet just a touch so.
Gabrielles Blush NV A off dry blush. maybe too sweet for true rose drinkers but dryer than a white zin.
Vignoles NV another missouri hybrid. A touch of cotton candy on the front but a dry finish.
White Steuben NV Tastes like grape jam and works well with peanut butter. No fooliing.
Kasselfest NV Named for the city in Germany that the Brothers Grimm worked in. This wine is a dark blush. almost the color of sangiovese. Not overly sweet but hard to place what to serve with.
All in all the wines were fine. Well made. The problem with Missouri wines in my opinion are they seem to be uninspired. Good for quaffing but just nothing to recommend other than the fact they come from the state. Hybrids can withstand the cold and still produce a good quantity of fruit each year
Right now I have the Vignoles and Norton in the store.
ghost pines from Gallo
A new line of wine from Gallo that didnt really float my boat.
Ghost Pines Chardonnay 05 A touch creamy, short finish.
Ghost Pines Merlot 05 Soft juicy. dark color but not a long finish. easy drinking for sure but for the money?
Ghost Pines Cabernet 05 Right colors nice flavors but too oaky or woodsy on the end.
The wine for these bottlings come from the old Martini vineyards. I am not sure if these will be around for a long time. They are labeled as "Winemakers Blend" but isnt that lke calling a cake 'Bakers Cooking"? It seems redundant. Who else would make it? Im just saying....
Ghost Pines Chardonnay 05 A touch creamy, short finish.
Ghost Pines Merlot 05 Soft juicy. dark color but not a long finish. easy drinking for sure but for the money?
Ghost Pines Cabernet 05 Right colors nice flavors but too oaky or woodsy on the end.
The wine for these bottlings come from the old Martini vineyards. I am not sure if these will be around for a long time. They are labeled as "Winemakers Blend" but isnt that lke calling a cake 'Bakers Cooking"? It seems redundant. Who else would make it? Im just saying....
Thursday, October 18, 2007
trinchero wines with john edgerly
trinchero is the family that discovered or stumbled on Sutter Home White Zin.
Tried some new wines from them that were actually wines that they bought when they purchased a place for its facilities.
Napa Cellars Sauvignon 2005 Sweet grassy light bodied and not very interesting.
Folie e Deux Chard Melon nose, ripe fruit, vanilla, malo. All things that make california chardonnay so popular.
Napa Cellars Merlot 2003 Just a touch old but lots of oak barrel in the nose. lots of barrels
Trinchero Chicken Ranch 2004 Soft wine, quick finish nice but expensive for the quality.
Napa Cellars Zin 2004 The best of the bunch but for $17 you can find other wines that give the same flavors for less. A softer style wine.
Napa Cellars Cabernet bright color a little alcohol flavor.
Folie e Deux Cabernet 2004 A strong oak nose but soft on the finish. A good intro to Cabernet for people getting into that type of wine.
Trinchero Main Street 03Black fruit aromas and flavors Cassis long finish. too old for the shelf though. Soon will have an 04 on the shelf.
Tried some new wines from them that were actually wines that they bought when they purchased a place for its facilities.
Napa Cellars Sauvignon 2005 Sweet grassy light bodied and not very interesting.
Folie e Deux Chard Melon nose, ripe fruit, vanilla, malo. All things that make california chardonnay so popular.
Napa Cellars Merlot 2003 Just a touch old but lots of oak barrel in the nose. lots of barrels
Trinchero Chicken Ranch 2004 Soft wine, quick finish nice but expensive for the quality.
Napa Cellars Zin 2004 The best of the bunch but for $17 you can find other wines that give the same flavors for less. A softer style wine.
Napa Cellars Cabernet bright color a little alcohol flavor.
Folie e Deux Cabernet 2004 A strong oak nose but soft on the finish. A good intro to Cabernet for people getting into that type of wine.
Trinchero Main Street 03Black fruit aromas and flavors Cassis long finish. too old for the shelf though. Soon will have an 04 on the shelf.
italian wines with madeline
From french to italian with kallie smith
Majnoni Guicciaridini Chianti Reserva 2004 82% sangiovese. Lively acidic with a cherry tomato finish. Aged just right with just a good touch of oak. Will be in the store for around $22
Canonica a Cerreto Chianti Classico 2004 From the heatwave year. Definite sangiovese color with a leathery aroma that goes to the finish. I liked this wine a lot. There is just a touch of Merlot added that gives it the bounce it needs. $22 or abouts in the store.
Canonica a Cerreto Sandiavolo A super tuscan of Sangiovese, Cab Sav and Merlot. I didnt write much about it but I liked it a lot. 90pts from Spectator and Gambero Rosso liked it enough to give it 2 out of 3 glasses
Casisano Colombaio Brunellot di Montelcino 2001 92 pts Spectator. Everything that you want a brunello to have. big and lots of tannin that actually is pretty smooth. $50 area in the shop
salut
Majnoni Guicciaridini Chianti Reserva 2004 82% sangiovese. Lively acidic with a cherry tomato finish. Aged just right with just a good touch of oak. Will be in the store for around $22
Canonica a Cerreto Chianti Classico 2004 From the heatwave year. Definite sangiovese color with a leathery aroma that goes to the finish. I liked this wine a lot. There is just a touch of Merlot added that gives it the bounce it needs. $22 or abouts in the store.
Canonica a Cerreto Sandiavolo A super tuscan of Sangiovese, Cab Sav and Merlot. I didnt write much about it but I liked it a lot. 90pts from Spectator and Gambero Rosso liked it enough to give it 2 out of 3 glasses
Casisano Colombaio Brunellot di Montelcino 2001 92 pts Spectator. Everything that you want a brunello to have. big and lots of tannin that actually is pretty smooth. $50 area in the shop
salut
Kim with Bordeaux wines
The first of 5 people today was kim klein with some new bordeaux wines.
Yvon Mau Colombard/Chardonnay 2006 Colombard is one of those grapes that has a bad reputation and usually deserves it but in this case it has given Chardonnay a little more sweetness without being overly sweet. It will be in the store for about $7
Chateau Haut Grand Champ 06 Sauvignon Blanc but not very interesting. Crisp but a quick and lean finish.
Chateau Le hautre Brande 2005 Bordeaux Most of the wines below will be over 70% Merlot. In a strong vintage like the 05 will be I was hoping to find a few great buys and I did find one I liked. Th is wasnt it. Light body quick finish. not very interesting.
Chateau Jalousie Beaulieu 2005 75% merlot bright color and pretty mocha flavors. At $10 this will be a great wine to try Bordeaux.
Chateau Cotes des Rambaux Very subdued, uninteresting.
Chateau de la Haute Liberde Cotes deBerg80% merlot french stink and dirty flavors. not a good wine for what it cost.
Chateau Barrall Chevrol Fronsec 2005 Pleasant earth flavors but not overly good for the money
Vieux Chateau Negrit Saint Emilion Pretty nose from the Cabernet Franc but nothing in the taste to make you want to buy it.
Chateau Ducla Permanence 2004 Silky but not in a good way. Maybe a good wine to try a Bordeaux wine but not at $30
Yvon Mau Colombard/Chardonnay 2006 Colombard is one of those grapes that has a bad reputation and usually deserves it but in this case it has given Chardonnay a little more sweetness without being overly sweet. It will be in the store for about $7
Chateau Haut Grand Champ 06 Sauvignon Blanc but not very interesting. Crisp but a quick and lean finish.
Chateau Le hautre Brande 2005 Bordeaux Most of the wines below will be over 70% Merlot. In a strong vintage like the 05 will be I was hoping to find a few great buys and I did find one I liked. Th is wasnt it. Light body quick finish. not very interesting.
Chateau Jalousie Beaulieu 2005 75% merlot bright color and pretty mocha flavors. At $10 this will be a great wine to try Bordeaux.
Chateau Cotes des Rambaux Very subdued, uninteresting.
Chateau de la Haute Liberde Cotes deBerg80% merlot french stink and dirty flavors. not a good wine for what it cost.
Chateau Barrall Chevrol Fronsec 2005 Pleasant earth flavors but not overly good for the money
Vieux Chateau Negrit Saint Emilion Pretty nose from the Cabernet Franc but nothing in the taste to make you want to buy it.
Chateau Ducla Permanence 2004 Silky but not in a good way. Maybe a good wine to try a Bordeaux wine but not at $30
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Bodi Wednesday
I have been moving this weekend, which I do not recommend for people. Its hard work. Coming back today was nice and here were some of the wines I tried from Bodi out of St Louis
Domaine Servin Chablis Premier Cru Butteaux 05 To be a premier cru the land must meet certain requirements from the state. These usually include slope, soil type, exposure, basically anything that produces great grapes. This bottling was light yellow with mineral notes and a round finish. Maybe a hard sell at $30 though.
Moris Monteregio di Massa Marittima 02 An interesting wine in that I had neverr heard of it. We are assuming its Tuscan with predominately Sangiovese. Leathery nose with a soft texture but at $23 I cant really recommend it.
Avvoltore Maremma Sangiovese, cab and Syrah. Suprisingly intense wine for the age. Lots of grip on the palate. Needs steak or pork to be complete. Pretty black fruit or plum finish. Parker gave it 92. It will be in the store for about $42
Durrand Syrah Vin de Pays 2005 Pretty color but flavors and aromas were a little green. Maybe young but my guess is overcropped or new vines.
Consilience Rodney Shull Syrah 2004 Wine of the day Deep dark color rich mocha flavors beautiful finish,
Salut
Domaine Servin Chablis Premier Cru Butteaux 05 To be a premier cru the land must meet certain requirements from the state. These usually include slope, soil type, exposure, basically anything that produces great grapes. This bottling was light yellow with mineral notes and a round finish. Maybe a hard sell at $30 though.
Moris Monteregio di Massa Marittima 02 An interesting wine in that I had neverr heard of it. We are assuming its Tuscan with predominately Sangiovese. Leathery nose with a soft texture but at $23 I cant really recommend it.
Avvoltore Maremma Sangiovese, cab and Syrah. Suprisingly intense wine for the age. Lots of grip on the palate. Needs steak or pork to be complete. Pretty black fruit or plum finish. Parker gave it 92. It will be in the store for about $42
Durrand Syrah Vin de Pays 2005 Pretty color but flavors and aromas were a little green. Maybe young but my guess is overcropped or new vines.
Consilience Rodney Shull Syrah 2004 Wine of the day Deep dark color rich mocha flavors beautiful finish,
Salut
Grower Champagne
The rage in Champagne these days would be grower Champagne, or that which comes from small wineries in Champagne. Affordable and delicious these Champagnes will take the place of the everyday Veuve or White Star. More later.
Friday, October 12, 2007
falliday tasting reminder
It is only two weeks till our big tasting of the year. Many wines to choose from. Mark your calender for October 25 from 6 to 8 PM at the 103rd st store.
Too many sales reps!!!!
Today I had 5 sales reps with wine to try along with the normal workaday problems. I hate to tell them no but sometimes I just can not make time for them.
Terlato Premier wines
Rutherford Hill Chardonnay 05 Light oak influence. just a touch of roundness or malo. I was impressed with the quality and the price.
Rutherford Hill Merlot 03 Juicy, nice mouthfeel for a merlot, has a touch of syrah in it.
Rutherford Hill Cabernet 02 All five bordeaux varietals. Very soft wine, nothing offensive at all about it.
Bommarito Rep brought by these
Cousino-Macul Chardonnay 06 Chile pre phyloxera rootstock.. bright yellow color, non oaky,
goood acid with a little sweeter finish than I would have liked.
Leitz Dragonstone Riesling 2006 Nice minerality to the nose, sweet initial flavor but a drier finish because of the acidity.
French Paradox wines from Major Brands. This sales rep was French at least and very pleasant.
Lupe Cholet Bourgogne Chardonay 05 estate bottled. 1/3 in new oak..very pleasant introduction for people in the white burgundy. Will be on the shelf for about $17
Secret de campane 2005 Grenache, Carignane and Cinsault Good acidity, a touch of Iodine on the finish. Not bad for the price.
Chateau Barat 04 Definite french stink with 52 % merlot drinks well with touch of dirt and mineral. a good intro to bordeaux at $14
Last and definitely not least wines from Ridge winery I love the wines from this producer. They are really field blends of Italian varietals such as carignane and cinsault.
2005 Three Valleys Sonoma The least expensive and easiest sipping wine. 2/3rds comes from lytton springs vineyard. great intro to ridge wines.
05 Lytton Springs Vineyard Dry Creek Fruit forward on the nose and palate. Another juicy but more typical zinfandel.
05 Geyserville Sonoma True Zin. Big bold black fruit jam, but not heavy on the briary overtones. dark and inky color and flavors. yumm
05 York Creek Napa of Spring Mountain. Tight nose and that was after being opened for a day. Austere or bordeaux style that will be a good food wine.
2003 Lytton Springs Syrah probably my favorite. i wanted to keep my nose in it cofermented with a little Viognier. It was lovely, smooth silky and just the right amount of the bacon fat on the finish. this would be perfect with ribs or any food with a pepper sauce. Very nice in the store for around $37
Salut
Terlato Premier wines
Rutherford Hill Chardonnay 05 Light oak influence. just a touch of roundness or malo. I was impressed with the quality and the price.
Rutherford Hill Merlot 03 Juicy, nice mouthfeel for a merlot, has a touch of syrah in it.
Rutherford Hill Cabernet 02 All five bordeaux varietals. Very soft wine, nothing offensive at all about it.
Bommarito Rep brought by these
Cousino-Macul Chardonnay 06 Chile pre phyloxera rootstock.. bright yellow color, non oaky,
goood acid with a little sweeter finish than I would have liked.
Leitz Dragonstone Riesling 2006 Nice minerality to the nose, sweet initial flavor but a drier finish because of the acidity.
French Paradox wines from Major Brands. This sales rep was French at least and very pleasant.
Lupe Cholet Bourgogne Chardonay 05 estate bottled. 1/3 in new oak..very pleasant introduction for people in the white burgundy. Will be on the shelf for about $17
Secret de campane 2005 Grenache, Carignane and Cinsault Good acidity, a touch of Iodine on the finish. Not bad for the price.
Chateau Barat 04 Definite french stink with 52 % merlot drinks well with touch of dirt and mineral. a good intro to bordeaux at $14
Last and definitely not least wines from Ridge winery I love the wines from this producer. They are really field blends of Italian varietals such as carignane and cinsault.
2005 Three Valleys Sonoma The least expensive and easiest sipping wine. 2/3rds comes from lytton springs vineyard. great intro to ridge wines.
05 Lytton Springs Vineyard Dry Creek Fruit forward on the nose and palate. Another juicy but more typical zinfandel.
05 Geyserville Sonoma True Zin. Big bold black fruit jam, but not heavy on the briary overtones. dark and inky color and flavors. yumm
05 York Creek Napa of Spring Mountain. Tight nose and that was after being opened for a day. Austere or bordeaux style that will be a good food wine.
2003 Lytton Springs Syrah probably my favorite. i wanted to keep my nose in it cofermented with a little Viognier. It was lovely, smooth silky and just the right amount of the bacon fat on the finish. this would be perfect with ribs or any food with a pepper sauce. Very nice in the store for around $37
Salut
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Mendocino WIne Co with Rick Hartwigsen
There are times when you just do not feel a connection with a supplier rep and I am afraid this was one of those. The wines were fine enough but I wasnt overpowered by them and I think he took it personally. I dont usually like the question "What do you think" when tasting a wine. I want it to be presented and talked about and given time to mull a wine over. Its the same with a movie when I leave a movie I never like to just say an automatic "Its fine or awful" because there are more nuances than that ..unless its reallly bad.
Parducci Chard Mendocino 05 Ugly label that is being addressed. The wine has the oaky, buttery thing going for it that Americans seem to like. A little too much so for me.
Parducci Pinot Noir California 05 Its hard to find a good Pinot Noir in the $10-$15 price point. This tries hard to be there and it is not an unpleasant wine but not a show stopper either. Good colors but just not there for someone who likes good Pinot Noir.
Big Yellow Cab Mendocino 2005 Cute label and juicy, fruity, boring wine. Very drinkable all it needs though is a cute animal on the label instead it has a cute name.
Mike Ditka Cabernet Sauv. Mendocino 04 Ok all jokes aside this wasnt a bad wine. Bright fruit, nice grip or tannin, a pretty green tea finish. Around $22 in the store next week.
Zig Zag Zin 2004 High in alcohol but not terribly hot. Not terribly interesting either. Another cute name that will sell its self.
Salut
Parducci Chard Mendocino 05 Ugly label that is being addressed. The wine has the oaky, buttery thing going for it that Americans seem to like. A little too much so for me.
Parducci Pinot Noir California 05 Its hard to find a good Pinot Noir in the $10-$15 price point. This tries hard to be there and it is not an unpleasant wine but not a show stopper either. Good colors but just not there for someone who likes good Pinot Noir.
Big Yellow Cab Mendocino 2005 Cute label and juicy, fruity, boring wine. Very drinkable all it needs though is a cute animal on the label instead it has a cute name.
Mike Ditka Cabernet Sauv. Mendocino 04 Ok all jokes aside this wasnt a bad wine. Bright fruit, nice grip or tannin, a pretty green tea finish. Around $22 in the store next week.
Zig Zag Zin 2004 High in alcohol but not terribly hot. Not terribly interesting either. Another cute name that will sell its self.
Salut
Brancott with Leigh Alderton
Its always fun to taste with people from other countries , in this case, New Zealand. Of course my first question when I hear an accent is "are you from Oklahoma?"
Lindauer Brut NV New Zealand Chard and Pinot Noir with a little Chenin. Not a very interesting wine but a good price point. A little toasty a little soft. Nothing to write home about. It was the house Champagne for the Hyatt hotel chain at one time.
Brancott Unoaked Chardonnay 06 A little malo no oak all stainless steel. It may have been my tasted buds over worked from the sparkling wine but it really didnt seem to have a lot of complexity.
Brancott Sauv Blanc 06 New Zealand through and through. Gooseberry, cat pee you name it.Nice viscousity a definite starter wine for people looking for NZ SB.
Stoneleigh Sauv Blanc. 06 Different style, more concentrated fruit less aromatics though.
Brancott SB Reserve 06 creamy and smooth definitely worth the upgrade in style and texture.
Brancott Pinot Noir 06 From the south island, a cooler pinot that is more tart fruit. very light body to read through.
Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 06 vibrant color, lots of dark cherry and mocha flavors on the finish. Best wine of the bunch.
Salut
Lindauer Brut NV New Zealand Chard and Pinot Noir with a little Chenin. Not a very interesting wine but a good price point. A little toasty a little soft. Nothing to write home about. It was the house Champagne for the Hyatt hotel chain at one time.
Brancott Unoaked Chardonnay 06 A little malo no oak all stainless steel. It may have been my tasted buds over worked from the sparkling wine but it really didnt seem to have a lot of complexity.
Brancott Sauv Blanc 06 New Zealand through and through. Gooseberry, cat pee you name it.Nice viscousity a definite starter wine for people looking for NZ SB.
Stoneleigh Sauv Blanc. 06 Different style, more concentrated fruit less aromatics though.
Brancott SB Reserve 06 creamy and smooth definitely worth the upgrade in style and texture.
Brancott Pinot Noir 06 From the south island, a cooler pinot that is more tart fruit. very light body to read through.
Stoneleigh Pinot Noir 06 vibrant color, lots of dark cherry and mocha flavors on the finish. Best wine of the bunch.
Salut
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Pinnacle wines from Monday sept 30
Tasted through some interesting wines today.
Holy Cow Chardonnay 05 from the guy who have us "House Wine". Lots of upfront fruit which was interesting coming from Washington state. A little tropical fruit finish.
Holy Cow Chardonnay 05 from the guy who have us "House Wine". Lots of upfront fruit which was interesting coming from Washington state. A little tropical fruit finish.
Bernard Eifel Spatlese Riesling 05 beautiful nose of mineral and lemons and light honeysuckle. The finish is sweet but bordering on the petrol that so many people like. to me it is a sign of being able to age and develop complexity.
Mon Couer Chave 05 Grenache et.al. a hot nose but rich flavors. quick finish but still somewhat young.
Triebaumer Blaufrankish/Cabernet Austria smoky from the Blaufrank, structure from the cab. very nice wine.This would work well with fish or heavy pastas.
Ojai Stolpman Vineyard Syrah 04 94 from parker and not surprising with the big nose and jammy fruit. leather and roses on the nose. A long warm finish. Definitely california syrah.
salut
Stranahan's Whiskey
As I said before not always trying wine. Today I tried the Stranahan Whiskey from Colorado. The salesman showed me an interesting trick, put a teaspoon of whatever liquor your tasting in the palm of your hands and rub them together and then smell them. the aromas that come to you are the same as you would get if you sipped it...good for those who cant or dont drink but want to be able to describe the bottle.
Also tasted Camelback Tempranillo, Grenache Shiraz from Australia. An interesting blend in an uninteresting bottle. I was hoping for interesting character but instead got a rather bland wine. A good starter wine I guess.
Pretty Sally Cab/Shiraz 04 from Australia. Pretty Sally was a prostitute with a heart of gold, or so they say. She went from California gold rush to Australia where she operated a house for some time just outside of reach of the law. This blend seems dominated by the cab in the nose and has a nice enough finish but the other wines from this vineyard have impressed me more in the past.
salut
Also tasted Camelback Tempranillo, Grenache Shiraz from Australia. An interesting blend in an uninteresting bottle. I was hoping for interesting character but instead got a rather bland wine. A good starter wine I guess.
Pretty Sally Cab/Shiraz 04 from Australia. Pretty Sally was a prostitute with a heart of gold, or so they say. She went from California gold rush to Australia where she operated a house for some time just outside of reach of the law. This blend seems dominated by the cab in the nose and has a nice enough finish but the other wines from this vineyard have impressed me more in the past.
salut
Monday Sept 30
Wines from Bodi out of St Louis
Chateau de la Geffiere from Puligny 06 disappointing chardonnay from france. nice viscousity but some what of a flat finish.
Felice American Celebration Red Wine 2001 To taste this wine and have it be 6 years old I was surprised. Lots of forward fruit and a bit of cedar. the problem is most of the wine on the shelf like this bottling is 2004 or so, trying to sell an older wine is hard because the perception is it having been in the store for a long time and not selling so something is wrong with it even though it is new to the store.
From Bommarito out of St Louis.
Carr Carneros Chardonnay 05 interesting nose that has a richness to it, not quite sweet but perfume. good fruit, nice acidity. not an ager here as my salesman derrick says but good for now.
Paneretta Chianit Classico 04 Surprisingly fruity, actutally bright fruit with a touch of leather or tannin on the end.
Cafaro Cabernet Sauvignon 03 Like putting your nose in a wooden pencil box. lots of pencil lead, cedar and vanilla.. this would not be confused with a bordeaux wine at all
Chateau de la Geffiere from Puligny 06 disappointing chardonnay from france. nice viscousity but some what of a flat finish.
Felice American Celebration Red Wine 2001 To taste this wine and have it be 6 years old I was surprised. Lots of forward fruit and a bit of cedar. the problem is most of the wine on the shelf like this bottling is 2004 or so, trying to sell an older wine is hard because the perception is it having been in the store for a long time and not selling so something is wrong with it even though it is new to the store.
From Bommarito out of St Louis.
Carr Carneros Chardonnay 05 interesting nose that has a richness to it, not quite sweet but perfume. good fruit, nice acidity. not an ager here as my salesman derrick says but good for now.
Paneretta Chianit Classico 04 Surprisingly fruity, actutally bright fruit with a touch of leather or tannin on the end.
Cafaro Cabernet Sauvignon 03 Like putting your nose in a wooden pencil box. lots of pencil lead, cedar and vanilla.. this would not be confused with a bordeaux wine at all
monday night wine tasting
This is a thank you for the wine tasting group last night. There were some great questions and hopefully relatively good answers.
Here are the wines that we tried last night
Marquis de Gelida Cavam 2004 Made in the method champenoise with indigenous spanish grapes.
Irony Pinot Noir Monterey 2005 lightest of grapes very finicky in the vineyard and winery.
very soft and light red fruits.
Rocca della Macie Chianti Classico 2003 made predominately with sangiovese grapes. this heat wave vintage wine shows more fruit than usual. Sidebar-super tuscan though not an official designation is made when winemakers want to produce wines outside the laws imposed for the area.
Alamos Malbec Argentina 2006 originally known as a blending grape in bordeaux in argentina the grape has developed a richer flavor profile. This wine changed the minds of several people about malbec and south american wines i think.
Hecula Monastrell(Mourvedre) Spain 04 The hit of the night lots of full flavors and aromas.
Gemtree Bloodstone Australia Shiraz 05 Another well received wine, Australia is known for big jammy wines and this was no exception.
Just a side note. I do give out several wine tastings to charities but you can have a wine tasting at your home too. I only charge for the wines tasted that night. I bring wine glasses and (usually) notes about the wines tasted.
Here are the wines that we tried last night
Marquis de Gelida Cavam 2004 Made in the method champenoise with indigenous spanish grapes.
Irony Pinot Noir Monterey 2005 lightest of grapes very finicky in the vineyard and winery.
very soft and light red fruits.
Rocca della Macie Chianti Classico 2003 made predominately with sangiovese grapes. this heat wave vintage wine shows more fruit than usual. Sidebar-super tuscan though not an official designation is made when winemakers want to produce wines outside the laws imposed for the area.
Alamos Malbec Argentina 2006 originally known as a blending grape in bordeaux in argentina the grape has developed a richer flavor profile. This wine changed the minds of several people about malbec and south american wines i think.
Hecula Monastrell(Mourvedre) Spain 04 The hit of the night lots of full flavors and aromas.
Gemtree Bloodstone Australia Shiraz 05 Another well received wine, Australia is known for big jammy wines and this was no exception.
Just a side note. I do give out several wine tastings to charities but you can have a wine tasting at your home too. I only charge for the wines tasted that night. I bring wine glasses and (usually) notes about the wines tasted.
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