Tuesday, July 29, 2008

back after santa fe

Back after a long weekend to albuquerque/santa fe... saw two operas Billy Budd which was very good if not depressing and Adriana Mater..interesting but very deep and dark..a fun night at the theater

Today Robert with Garco came by with some wine from a Bordeaux producer who follows the adage to make a small fortune in the wine business you have to start with a big one. Billionaire Stephen Adams has bought some right bank properties

Chateau Douley 2005 Cotes de Bordeaux dark ruby color, astringent mouthfeel...and ends very dry.not a forgiving wine,

La garosse Premier cotes de bordeaux 2005 dark color, mocha nose, dark berry and a nice dry finish.

les comte lagarosse 2005 Pretty blueberry on the nose, very juicy and approachable with some heat on the tongue.and a dirty and long finish,

roc de candale St emilion dark color and coffee and mocha flavors.interesting

fleur de fonplegade 2005 the winner of the bunch. merlot and cab blend. bright fruit, tobacco and black fruit on the finish. lush tannins. i ordered a case

Michel-Schlumberger Merlot from Dry Creek 2004 this was owned by the alsace family Schlumberger..who use the french pronounciation of ber-shay a touch corked but still holding up..not a green vegetable in the bunch. smoky and savage?? meaty

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Via Pacifica with Blake Kramer

This supplier brought in by Pinnacle wines

Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2006 very unctious... typical cat pee nose and grapefruit flavors funny it affected the roof of my mouth more than tastebuds..astringent

Bird Sauv blanc new zealand 2007 the winemaker from thornbury makes this...not as gooseberry but still very tart.

Huia Sauv Blanc 2007 New Zealand lively clean flavors..a touch herbacious but not overly so...and light on the cat pee..gooseberry soft...very nice indeed,,

interesting to try three sauv blanc from new zealand..and all three were just slightly different

The two reds I wasnt that impressed with.

Alpha Domus Navigator 2003 is their bordeaux blend..mostly merlot.. tight nose, and i cant tell if it needs more time or just never going to open up being an 03

Olssen jackson barry pinot noir 2004 earthy cranberry tea light and soft and not very interesting

Odisea from california

A small winery from mostly the Lodi region of california.
adam webb owner... fun wines that are not that expensive but unusual enough to catch my interest.

Veritable Quandry white 2007 a blend of marsanne roussanne albarino and viognier...dusky yellow color, neutral nose but some hints of olive...heavy in the glass and on the tongue...creamy thanks to the blend...still shows a little acidity...will be around $18

Veritable Quandry Red 2006 a blend of spanish and rhone grape varietals grown in california.. lots of grenache on the tongue juicy, tobacco and tar and roses?? very pretty nose. a touch hot..nice and ripe..which is good for grenache.

Devils share 2006 a touch corked sorry.

Odisea Muse Rose 2007 mostly grenache...rust colored but not taste...sweet nose from a little viognier... dry if slightly bitter but finishes juicy and unctious...seems to be a style for this winery.

Odisea Temporary Insanity 2006..mostly tempranillo....which explains the label...tempranillo from california??dark purple in color.. cedary pretty nose that reminded me of the aromas from the tempranillo yesterday with Murrietta...very ribera del duero in style..deep and rich...intense dark fruit, chocolate and mocha... very nice..around $28 i bought or asked for a case...wine of the day for me

Odisea The Wanderer Napa 2006 heavy brooding color thats not reflected in the nose...some bacon fat which i adore in syrah... but not on the palate... i think i was expecting it to deliver more from the nose it gave. the Insanity was much more interesting and drinkable.

May be a while before these come in the store..not yet approved in the state..

Angele Rhone White blend...similiar to the quandry but with grenache blanc instead of viognier...another pretty heavy yellow, sweet nose, lots of sweet aromas and flavors but finishing dry...a hint of petrol,, very rich unctious with lots of texture...fun wine..around $20

maisons marques & domaines thierry plumettaz

Some interesting sparkling and still wine from glazer and this supplier

Roederer Estate Anderson valley nv made without using pinot meunier.. an earthy pungent nose, green apples and a little toast... nice long finish but it was my first wine of the day. prett

roederer estate brut premier nv or baby cristal...chard/pinot noir/pinot meunier blend. yeasty nose that follows to the toasty finish. lemon and citrus

domaine ott domanier rose 2007 the second label for domaine ott...this rose is one of the best in the world..at least according to the wine spectator.. from the south of france...earthy nose...french strawberries?? oui...

delas cotes du rhone espirit 2006 pretty lavender and pepper nose. juicy and a little earthy in the finish... would like to have seen a little more of the pepper on the palate but it wasnt green at all like some cotes tend to.

marques de murrietta 2004 tinto reserva this wine has been out of the market for 3 years for contractual reasons. pretty cedar nose which is not typical for rioja coffee color..22 months in oak...juicy..definite new world style

murrietta Castillo Y gay Gran Reserva Especial as they were sure to point out to me it is pronounced guy not gay...a quick finish not a lot of fruit and heavy...not very gay at all

marques de murrietta 2004 Dalmau Tinto Reserva named for the owner of Murrietta... this is only the 3rd or so release of this wine.Tempranillo, cabernet and graziano. all french oak..beautiful cab nose.. rich deep color... and the cab to me was the outstanding feature of this blend... this is probably one of the finest wines I have tried since I had a chance to try the ZD Abacus a year back...not as expensive as that but at $170 it would be close

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

german wines from garco with robert noecker

hans lang Sabrina semi dry Rheingau 2007 pretty aromas and stone fruit in flavors. a dryish finish if a quick one.... sabrina is the winemakers wifes name...

hans lang riesling kabinet troken. 2006.. so early picked and finished dry... and dry is right..green apple crispness..dusty finish with lime notes.

barth ( pronounced bart) 2007 Allure Rheingau semi dry, nice juicyness, light acidity and body.
barth wines use the glass cork that up until now I had only seen from some Italian wines.

barth riesling semi dry 2007 semi dry...minerality on the nose, a touch spritz on the tongue...

barth charta riesling..05 rheingau golden yellow beginnings of a petrol nose, pink grapefruit on the palate...my favorite so far...charta is a group of winemakers from the area who have agreed to certain conditions and pier tastings to approve the label use. much like the consortium in Chianti that uses the black rooster.

Johann Maximilian Riesling Fry 2005 light straw colored ..astringent and is that ham?? maybe the glaze, but some weight to it..interesting wine...liked very much.

Blees (pronounced Blaze) Ferber( loved show boat) Riesling Feinherb (taking the place of halbtrocken, means Good Herb) soft flowers on the nose, lemonzest and apples on the palate, very mouthwatering.

Blees Ferber Riesling Trocken Spatlese 2006 light yeloow sweet nose and sweet aromas, a bit of honey and apricot... similar to the beginnings of a sauterne.

Ferber Riesling Spatlese 06 a hint of early petrol, spice, viscous and peaches...long finish

Ferber Riesling Auslese 2006 in a 500ml bottle...again with the sweet flowery nose.. lots of viscosity, stone fruit and mineral...some light petrol...mouth filling and soft...

JK WINES WITH HOYT OGILVIE

jk wines are mostly italian in nature but they do have some other things

Baracchi Trebbiano 2006 a straw gold color, nice legs, very round in the mouth with long finish. some minerality but not overly noticed. from sitting on the lees it picks up the round flavors. my problem is trebbiano a grape not known for exciting wines to come in around $30 will try it though..

Basracchi Merlot 2006 nice color but unfortunately the bottle was just a touch corked, as in just the slightest part of the corked continuim.

Dominque Pabiot Pouilly Fume 2007 sauv blanc from loire...very nice. bright color, lovely acidity with herbacious in a good way through out.

Bassetti Vineyards Syrah Paso Robles 2004 fruity nose with just a touch of green on the back...juicy on the palate with lots of black fruit. fun wine but cheesy label. very california in style.

wine with derrick

not that i havent tasted wine in the last week but my laptop is in new york and i am not....i did attend a austrian/german/italian tasting last week for Pinnacle wines and tried some interesting things, looking for those notes.

From Bommarito Derrick with Elyse interesting wines.
Couzins 2006 Napa Zin... hot, chunky, overblown with tons of fruit...lots of cedar...this would be okay with bbq...maybe too much alcohol for me...

Petite Sirah...a big inky wine, with lot of intense flavor and alcohol...these may be needing cooler climate to enjoy.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

interesting wines with derrick

3 fun wines tried today.
Trenel Macon Village Blanc 2006 not as hot as vintage, more of the steely mineral slate that burgundy is known for. a relatively quick finish but very refreshing..

Stony Hill Chardonnay 2005 an oddity in Napa a chardonnay that is meant to age..this wine is just a baby... straw color and an earthy nose as close to burgundy as you can find from napa...this is a cult wine for a lot of the winemakers in california...there old vine chard on high land..lots of use of oak BUT it is not new...the wine is fermented and aged in oak barrels that are ancient. such a long luxurious finish... not cheap but definitely worth it.

Genot Boulanger Mercurey 2006 from the Cote Chalonnaise one of the value regions of burgundy. this pinot noir was nothing like I had at summer camp..earthy and mushrooms witha purple opaque color..some red cherry fruit mostly soft and supple. we are still in the 2005 right now..

Steve Ewing of Spirivin and Ciaran

Bivio Pinot Grigio 2006 light lemongrass and actually a nice Pinot Grigio.. but what makes it stand out among all the others when they all run the gamit from a to b.

Tamas Pinot Grigio Monterey...a value Pinot Grigio that has a cute label and a nice wine. tamas is making only cal-italians or as I like to call them italiafornias. This will sell for about $9

Wente Sauvignon Blanc Louis Mel 2007...very smoky and herbal..nice body too. Louis Mel was one of the founders of Wente back in the day.

Wente Chardonnay Morning Bay 2007 the amount of wente clone chardonnay is 7 out of 10. so with that pedigree you expect a great chard..and for the money this is. lots going on in the mid palate and a clean finish with a touch of tropical fruit but nothing overwhelming

Picket Fence Chardonnay Russian River 2007 i really liked this with a soft silky mouthfeel and just enough ml and oak to season but not overwhelm..and a Russian River wine at this price point is impressive...

I didnt get to the last two wines because of working at the counter...sorry steve,

Stephanie knight of Jaclson Wine Estates

One of the recent phenoms lately is the purchase by larger wineries of boutique estates to make their more popular brands look more impressive...such is the case of Kendall Jackson which has bought a Arrowood and Byron recently.

Yangarra Chardonnay..2006 lots of herbs on the nose and palate..no oak but still a little bitter on the finish and just a little to vegetal or bell pepper for my taste.

Arrowood Chardonnay 2oo5 a touch green on the nose also with some creaminess and a little caramel at the end.

Byron Pinot Noir 2006 good fruit, almost jammy. definite new world style with fruit leading the way...some cola and tea. not a subtle wine...10 months on french barrels

Arrowood Merlot Sonoma 100% merlot...2004 it is truly a lovely merlot..lots of enjoyable aromas and flavors of red fruits.. a touch of cedar..good tannin and grip.

Arrowood Cabernet 2004 Sonoma this monster needs time to open up and settle down...lots of what i call grip or upfront tannin from the grape. tar and dark fruits on the palate and finish. very intense

IO Syrah 2005 Central Coast area. coffee and juicy but not overly exciting for the cost. another wine that would not be confused for old world. IO is the goddess of....night? eos is dawn...

All of these wines have suffered in this market in the last few years because of their change in representation. Most ofthese products were originally bought by the Mondavi family when they were looking to expand, then when they imploded they got lost in a jungle of distributors. Maybe they will find a permanent home in KJ family

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

the winesmith with Clark Smith

An interesting group of wines, the winesmith and pennyfarthing and skinflint. these wines are meant to be consumed quickly and with a nice dose of humor.

Pennyfarthing Sauv Blanc 2007 herbal, lime and heavy on the tongue..definite california style.

Skinflint Rose 2006 cab and cab franc..strawberry on the nose but dry finish.and good viscousity.

PennyFarthing Cab Sav 2005 Dark color and 100% cabernet german cake.. with a cedar nose..good user friendly wine.

Second Fiddle 2005 Santa Rita Hills...unfortunately a touch corked... but even with that it was huge on the palate..very aggresive tannin...could use some time...and a new bottle.

I have to give props to this guy because he tries to get away from grocery store wines and keeps them at a certain price that makes them attractive.. he has one of the few Albarino from California very cool

wine with derrick coffelt and bommarito

Lily Chardonnay 2006 Northern California bright yellow color, good acidity and nice viscosity. This wine seems to be the best newcomer as far as sales go.

Lily Pinot Noir 2006 Sonoma this wine is pretty with bright cherry fruit. nice length on the finish with sweet mocha notes.

Alamos Cabernet 2007 bright newish label that stands out more. ripe fruit of cassis and pleasant finish.

Big Tattoo Red 2005 a nice wine usually from chile. this however had some carbonation or somesuch that made it taste very funky... will try another sometime. I like this wine because of their commitment to breast cancer research.

Catena Malbec 2006 Argentina aromas of moch, dark fruitson the nose but lush cherry on the palate. nice roundness and great quality.

Monday, July 7, 2008

forgotten wines from last week

I found this sheet today from Sean Bell of Bodi. wines we tried but I didnt write down.

Lazy Creek Pinot Noir 2006 mostly 06 vintage but not all so. lighter style especially compared to all the Pinot I had last month. There is some nice woodsy character with mushrooms and light red fruits.

Mas Foulaquier Pic St Loup 2005 a blend of Grenache and Syrah from the new hot region of French wine. violet in the glass and taste. a little iodine on the finish which is typical of the blend.

Chateau de la Bonneliere 2006 Chinon I really enjoyed the 05 version of this wine which got some great press. The 2006 is still a little green in the bottle with some herbal aromas and flavors...a sign of a cooler vintage. Definite french stink on the nose with some aggressive green tea tannin on the front and softens to a pretty finish. Cabernet Franc is the grape type.

Friday, July 4, 2008

tongue twister rose

Bernie from Premier Cru brought Chateau de Trinquevedel Rose Tavel by the other day. Dry rose with dark salmon almost raspberry color but more earth on the nose than fruit. A soft strawberry lime flavor. a nice addition to the rose section

Wines with Robert of Garco

Today we tasted through some wines from a new importer..mostly spanish.



German Gilabert Cava nv bone dry..lots of acidity and not a lot of the burnt aspirin that comes from the usual cava. fun label too



Vevi Rueda Spain 2007 grassy and melon and big for a light summer white. willbe in the corner when it comes in.



Masia d Bielsa Rose 2007 old vine garanche tank fermented...dark red rose...with dark flavors..long lush finish for rose.

Bielsa Garnacha 2007 nose a little tinny which can come from youth or the tank fermentation this wine tastes of gamay lots of pepper but no flavor really predominates or stays around for a long time.

Albiker Rioja 2007 90pt parker...another of the tank fermented...purple color.. new world aromas in an old world wine.

Kirios de Aprada 2005 Ribero Duero black fruit on the nose and palate..very rustic...oldworld style. lots of tannin and a hard harsh finish. I usually like Ribero and this one didnt do it for me.'

Pasamonte Garnache 2005 from Valencia.. lovely rose nose...a little baconfat.. intense and full flavors...very nice

Raices de Aza Ribero del Duero 2004 highly extracted pretty flowery nose. very tight and can use some ageing but I think it has potential.

Mas Negre Priorat 2005 spanish stink.. lots of grip and acidity...long finish of dark fruits and walknut... great wine region and shows has agibility.

La Mia(the mask) Jumilla Monastrell 2005 more coffee on the nose with soy and salt on the palate... a touch of bing cherry at the end with more earth...very interesting.

Carasol Serrano 2006 cab/monastrell/carignane garnet color..opaque soft but acidity..not sure if I like this one.

Essencia de Monte organic monastrell lots of blackberry and some tar.. needs time very tight.

Peigue Tinto Mencia or cab franc. purple in the glass...slate and rocks on the nose...cinnamon and lavender on the palate.. quick finish though... interesting.