shinas estates with george shinas

A judge in australia george shinas has been growing grapes for other people seeing them make money off his produce so he has now for several vintages produced his own wine. using judicial terms for his wines with clever pictures makes for visual as well as tasty fun.

The Innocent Viognier Victoria 2008.. blindfolded like justice is.. i would have guessed this wine to be an old world wine..stoney and slatey on the nose.. the sweetness comes on the tastebuds but not over the top.. lots of acidity to  create balance

The Verdict Cabernet Sauvignon 2007.. some stinky feet or earth on the nose, meaty on the palate.. definitely surprised me. good weight and not over the top sweet fruit like australian can be
The Guilty Shiraz Victoria 2007  again with the stinky feet.. again not a fruit bomb maybe a little less interesting than the cab which is interesting to me because I tend to not like Aussie Cab.

The Executioner Red 2007 a blend of Shiraz/Cab and 2% Viognier.. lighter in color than the other reds but tight on the nose, with a little time it opened up to show some molassis and cassis aromas.. the fruit was showing sweeter than the regular cab and shiraz did.. maybe just a little dullish on the finish..

ferrari carano major brands

Siena Red 2008.. a sangiovese based wine that is definitely california in style.. juicy not much of the saddleleather that you get with the italian versions.. this is almost sweet..a touch earthy on the palate for california but plenty of fruit to let you know it is..

Ferrari Merlot Sonoma 2008  dark color in the  glass.. sweet fruit on the palate... nice enough acidity.. a little complexity to the wine but wondering if there is any cab blended in for some depth...

Terlato with george vial/chris dodgen/ major brands

Bollinger Special Cuvee NV.. to be served at the royal wedding rehearsel dinner?? predominately chard with 40% Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. stinky nose of yeast and oak..the palate though has a mocha, yeasty character

Hanna Sauv Blanc Alexander Valley 2009 easy and not too grassy but I was still ta sting the Champagne

Terlato Angels Peak Merlot/Cabernet 2006.. again with the stinky feet, a bit vegetal on the nose and palate.. that may go away with age but it already is 5 years old.. red berrys and cedar

Jack Nicklaus Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2008.. nice and viscous with dark fruit..finished a little hot on the palate but for the money this would make a good present for the golfer.. which cant really be said for

Nicklaus Private Reserve 2008...for the money increase from the regular you really do not see a lot of difference.. maybe a little more body and not as hot but..

Gaja Promis Toscana 2008 sangiovese and syrah.. aromas of sangiovese but the flavors and finish of a good syrah... yummy.. but not as yummy as

Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier 2009 ...wine winner of the day... one of those noses I could smell all day.. violets, pepper, and dark fruit.. all of which transfers to the palate.. but as some Australian Shiraz are overpowering after the first glass the lightness of this wine makes it much more food friendly. They do add the Viognier to the tank of Shiraz (co-fermenting) like they do in the northern rhone.

musings and wine tastes

A lot of mediocre wine this week from people who have to sell the product for a living .. it just gets hard to stay positive in the biz when that seems to be all they present. The wine isnt poorly made really, its just nothing that I would recommend over Vendange and Woodbridge. and more expensive. Of course once you taste a wine like Continuum it does give a different perspective.


The following were not part of the rant above.

Domaine Rochette Regnie Beaujolais 2009.. from a strong vintage but still not blowing my socks off.. bright color, typical beaujolais (gamay) nose... fresh strawberry and banana.. have had better from this vintage

Castello di Meleto Rosso Toscano 2007.. lots of surprises with this wine.. good price point.. some of the typical sangiovese nose but lots more textured fruit on the palate.. tasty and meaty... will be found in the CORNER with 88pts from Wine Advocate.

Willi with Appelations
Irpinia Fiano Paladino 2009.. my new favorite Italian white.. fiano is a fun grape.. softly sweet on the palate but good minerality and texture is lush and seductive.. great fish wine

Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008  sweet fruit but not a lot of structure or character.. lush on the initial palate but finishes quickly..

Continuum with Carlo Mondavi

One of the fun parts of this job is to meet wine "celebrity" in this case the grandson of Robert Mondavi. Having never been able to meet him personally this was the next best thing. Of course the first thing I had to ask was about the book": house of mondavi" and his take on it. but we did talk about his wine also.

Continuum 2008 Napa from Pritchard Hill ..very dense and dark brooding wine that comes from the mountain fruit.. the aromas out of the glass are all about the winery.. if you get a chance to walk into a winery your sense of smell is bombarded with fruit and oak and atmosphere. The finish is lush with loads of cassis berry and oak tannin that doesnt bite back. The pedigree of the area this comes from includes Colgin, which I can't sell because it is restaurant only, go figure. Bryant Family and Dalle Valle. so for the money it is a bargain at $150.

Christian with Terra Firma

Ferme de Gicon cotes du rhone  Blanc $7.25 round flavors with a touch of minerality... total rhone white varietals. somewhat of a dull finish.a hint of sweetness at the end.


Terra Romana Sauv Blanc 2008 made with a little bit of Feteasca Alba, a little softer than what expected of a sauv blanc.. due to the feteasca.. not a bad drink but why bother when not getting the varietal character.

Terrasses et Galets Rouge Rouge Cotes du rhone Villages 2009 lush in the mouth..good berry fruit...quick finish.from a very good vintage.

Domaine de Couron Cuvee Marie Dubois Syrah a little alchohol on the palate..dark fruits but beginning to fade a little.