Corrido Tequila with Yuri Kato/Pinnacle Imports

Tequila tasting on a friday morning. how fun is that. Corrido is from the highland regions of Tequila. These tequila are single barrel and when aged, aged in jack daniels and makers mark barrels.
Corrida is spanish for folk music.. which explains the penis guitar sprouting from the agave plant on the bottle.


Blanco has no age in oak... smoky notes. floral with the smoky taste followed by tropical fruit.. bananas especially

Reposado aged for 6 months in jack and makers barrels.  seemingly butterscotch on the palate... and definitely more heat on the tongue

Anejo..one year aged in both jack and makers and one other barrel that is not disclosed. salty air nose.. lots of viscosity .. a softer pretty tequila than the Reposado

Extra Anejo.. a new classification for tequila aged 3 years. barreled in all makers mark barrels. golden yellow and a more iodine.. honey nose.. hints of tropical fruit again and chocolate. almost twice as expensive as the anejo.

gazzoli with ron di

Clisos Tempranillo Rioja 09  dark purple in the glass.. pretty dark fruit  on the palate. a little dusty..some dark fruits.. kind of a blunt finish... lots of texture in the mid palate.. hard finish

Casa Quintana Yecla 2006 Cabernet tempranillo...cola colored. lots of layers on the palate.. red berry fruits.. and good juice with a little dirt. a little bit of a steak sauce finish

Bommarito

Domaine Cristia Les Garrigues Cotes du Rhone Vielle Vignes 2009... pretty vibrant purple.. roses and violets on the nose with a touch of spice.. juicy on the palate.. pleasant if unexceptional finish... tasting better than some of the 2007 I have had recently.

Snowden The Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2008  .. dark purple in color..cedar and pencil box graphite on the nose... luxurious tannins.. nice long finish... and for the money a good value.

Santa barbara wine company/marc shoemaker

Image of Santa Barbara Wine Company via SnoothChardonnay santa Barbara 2009 light straw color.. tropical fruit and vanilla on the nose.. a little heavy handed with the oak..some heat on the tongue and a lingering oak tip.


Pinot Noir Santa Barbara 2009 light very opaque purple. dried fruits on the nose and a rush of dirty dark fruits on the mid palate but not much fruit on the finish.. Nothing delicate or subtle here

erin adams glazers domaine and estates

Good news.. the Owen Roe bottlings will be in stock year round now. Thank you Glazers

Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah Columbia Valley 2008  french (washington) stink on the nose.. earth and violets.. juicy enough but not much guts to it.. a little lighter than I was expecting. I really liked the 07 version. may be a little young and cool.

Owen Roe Sharecroppers Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Columbia Valley  tight and cool... ripe fruit on the palate but not much on the tongue.. pretty silky finish.

Owen Roes Abbot's Table a blend of 8 dark grapes.. zin and sangiovese being foremost.. coffee notes on the nose... juicy and cool on the palate.. erin thought it may be corked but I didnt pick up on that.. will taste again.

Also tasted some wine by St Hallett of Australia.. so naturally. SHIRAZ

Faith Shiraz 2007.. in the store already. Dark purple extraction but not the fruit bomb I thought it would be. Very restrained and elegant.. no rhone notes as such.. just pretty australian fruit.


Blackwell Shiraz 2007.. named for the owners of the vineyard. Dark brooding color.. lots of vanilla and dill on the nose... american oak.. sweet vanillan fruit with a little of the dill cedar coming through.. dark berry fruit not for the faint of heart.

Old Block Shiraz 2004... their current release. and still young this long in life. again with the dark extracted color.. juicy on the palate.. with a toasty coffee finish.. nice grip but pricey at $70 for what you get

Related articles

• 2008 Owen Roe Yakima Valley Red Wine (wellsonwine.blogspot.com)

Betts and Scholl with George Vial/ Major Brands Cellar Selections

Casanouva Delle Cerbaie Brunello di Montalcino 2003 Parker 91 dirty slightly rustic color and typical nose... roses and dirt and saddles.. tannin and flavors of meat and dried flowers.. soft finish and delicate.

CC Chardonnay California 2009 ... sweet fruit.. a little malo.. unoaked.viscous.. tropical nose.

Hermitage Blanc 2005... made from Chave grapes.. from the rhone area... marsanne and roussanne.   almost non flavors.. some viscosity..no nose... a little disappointing.

Hermitage Rouge 2006.. chave grapes again.. syrah with marsanne/roussanne cofermented. more of an italian nose, wanting more of the bacon fat.. dark coffee.... juicy with a little mocha on the finish.

The O.G. Grenache Barossa (Original Grenache) 2008.. pretty nose with a sweet spice nose, juicy and bright..a little meaty in the finish. initially didnt like it but it grows on you...

The Chronique Grenache 2006 aged 24 months single vineyards.. darker in color than the OG .  but more restrained... interesting.. good acidity. but too sweet

Black Betty Shiraz 2008.. added with 10% viognier..dark brooding nose..dark red fruit on the palate... a little flavors of tea and lighter in flavors than expected .. black green sage tea

lange twins winery with Steven Folb/golden barrel

A long time farming family in Lodi near the California delta of the Sacremento River. Sustainable.. not to be confused with biodynamic or organic. kind of close..

Viognier Clarkburg 2009  sweet nose with a little banana on the finish... nice viscosity.. a little heavy handed for viognier...which can be light and ethereal.

Chardonnay Clarksburg 2009 tropical fruit.. very light oak influence.. sweet for chardonnay


Moscato 2010.. a touch of spritz on the wine. fruity and pretty nose of  nectarines and peaches.. a little disjointed in the glass but was just bottled so it could have been a young

Pinot Noir 2009. dirty garnet weak middle palate.touch of cherry.. soft flavors not a lot of depth.. some lingering mocha.

willi loth appellations

Image of Vine Cliff Winery via Snooth2007 Vine Cliff Chardonnay Carneros.. over the top chard of oak and vanilla. and malolactic.. tropical fruit... viscousity out the ear... pass

Domaine de Fontenille Cotes du Luberon 2007 one of the regions of southern france that does grenache and syrah really well. This was one of the best I tasted today but it would have been popular a year and a half ago when the 07 rhones were all the rage. cloudy purple in the glass.. dark brooding red berry fruit.. and dirt.. nice acidity on the finish

2006 Vine Cliff Cabernet Sauvignon Napa .. dark purple and lots of pencil box aromas.. it puts the T in tannic.. heavy on the oak.. good middle flavors but surprisingly limited on the finish.

Pinnacle with craig rohner

2009 Qupe Y Block Chardonnay 2009... what a non bottle.. no flavor just lots of acidity... will try again.

2009 Avanti Mencia tart fruit dark earthy tones.. not a lot of fruit showing through.. Mencia another name for Cabernet Franc in Spain.

Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano d' Abruzzo dark purple with a traditional earthy, leather nose. juicy and earthy... a definite find for mid priced wines

Tres Picos 2009 Garnacha  iodine and iron.. dark fruits.. need time to open up I think,, usually a great wine

Trentadue Old Patch Red.. some fruit on the nose and bing cherry red fruits but no depth on the palate. a little disappointing

misc wines

Image via WikipediaVina Collado Macabeo Campo de Borja Spain 2009.. there is always something about spanish  cava that I didnt like.. and now I know its Macabeo.. one of the white grapes allowed... this wine has a spritz to it.. but a very rustic rough finish.. a little like aspirin. cute label though

Vina Collado Garnacha 2009  a little better wine but still rustic.. raspberry jam and light bodied on the finish.. pleasant enough for the price..

From Massandra..out of st louis

Seven Hills Cabernet Klipsun Vineyard 2007 deep fruit flavors but light finish. not overly tannic or heavy.. definitely more about fruit than texture..

Beckman Cuvee le Bec Santa Ynez 2009  lots of fruit.. no subtle rhone flavors.. in your face.. strong midpalate with a softer ending.. good dark berry fruits though.

Bill Smith with Bommarito

2009 Eric Chevalier Muscadet  light straw color, and soft stone fruit. almost sweet.. gives way to a pleasant minerality.. long finish for muscadet

Zind Humbrecht Riesling 2009  sweet nose and pretty fruit.. medium viscosity.. and doesnt finish quite a sweet as expected.. not bone dry either like Trimbachs can be.

willi loth appellations

L'Ancienne Mercerie Les Petites Mains Faugeres bright purple in the glass.. good fruit.. a touch earthy on the finish. maybe heading past its prime.

Le Mas des Flauzieres Cotes du Ventoux 2007  a bit green, young vines, fruit is good.

Le Mas des Flauzieres Cotes du Ventoux 2007  iron, iodine, band aid.. raspberry.. soft.

Celeste Cotes du Rhone Village Visan 2005.. same flavors of iron and iodine... but a little red apple undertones. 

Stephen Vincent WInery with Golden Barrel

Image of Stephen Vincent via SnoothStephen Vincent had not been available to me because it was a berbiglia exclusive through the defunct premier cru distributors. I will now carry all the varietals they distribute to Missouri and got a chance to taste 3 . All of them have California designations. I  believe Stephen Vincent is a negotiant buyer who owns no actual vineyard sites.

Chardonnay 2008  soft and lightly oaked. a little dull on the finish which would go away when slightly chilled.

Pinot Noir 2009 light garnet color.. briary tight nose, cranberry and rhubarb fruit.. earth...

Zinfandel 2007  briary nose, good fruit, mid palate fruit.. best of the bunch for me.

Bethel Heights and Penner Ash

Image of Bethel Heights Vineyard via SnoothJosepha  from Northwest Wine Alliance or somesuch,... her last week with them. and also Craig from Pinnacle

Bethel Heights one of the better longer lived wineries from Oregon. When I went to Pinot Camp two years ago they had my favorite wine of the tasting. Pinot Blanc... yummy

2009 Gruner Veltliner.. normally found in Austria a new varietal for the Oregon, may be a little creamier and rounder than the Austrian version but tasty non the less. nice minerality and just enough acidity...

2008 Estate Chardonnay soft and easy.. a light touch of creaminess and oak.. almost a little too creamy.. maybe a little more acidity..

2008 Bethel Estate Pinot Noir.. dark color, dense and concentrated.. a little cool so not as much coming on the palate... also very young.

2007 Casteel Reserve Pinot Noir... dried fruits and a little candy... lighter in color than the 2008 and missing some middle ground.  pretty nose though of roses and dried fruit.


2008 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley  tight tight tight.. either from the cold or from being young.. I think with some time in bottle or glass it may open up ... light tannins that really didnt show off any.. and some pretty fruit but too cool to be complex...

willi loth appellations

Image of Château Mourgues du Gres via SnoothTasting through some french today.. usually enjoy the regions but the wines today didnt show well.. may be the cold weather has stunted their growth?

Domaine Plouzeau Savignon Touraine 2008... loire white, mostly sauv  blanc.. lots of minerality but not much fruit on the finish.. a little tang.. not a winner

Domaine de Poulvarel Red Rhone 2007  grenache/syrah blend that I really like.. the cold seems to make the Iodine more pronounced. some black fruits but not enough to really shine through

Domaine de Poulvarel Costieres de Nimes Les Perrottes.. sweet fruit nose and juicy red fruit on the palate but blunted somewhat.. not rich... a little coffee on the finish but overall disappointing for the vintage.

Chateau Mourgues du gres Capitelles des Mourgues 2007... dark color and the chill made the fruit seem overripe,, almost like a port without the richness that usually is associated with this wine.. again a great producer, we have had rose from this before and I think I will need to retaste once it gets warmer..

First post of the new year

Happy New Year.

2010 Isabel Sauvignon Blanc , good varietal flavors.. not grapefruity and full bodied. round.

2008 Vega Sindoa El Chapparal Garnacha... very rustic some dark berry fruit but definitely more about the earth.. not as happy with it as before.. maybe too young

2007 Cartlidge and Brown Merlot California... tart and quickk.. not too exciting

2007 Castillo di Meleto Rosso Toscana.. mostly sangiovese with some bing cherry fruit... but lean and linear and not as inviting as others in this price.

2008 Turn 4 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa... turn 4 is the finishing turn on a racetrack... to me it seems like how do you know the front or the back of the bottle or an egg? anyway.. pretty ruby color and LOTS of cassis both in the palate and nose.. may smooth out over time...