Thursday, February 24, 2011

Decoy wines at Glazera

Duckhorn VineyardsImage of Duckhorn Vineyards via SnoothDecoy is the 2nd label of Duckhorn.. get it.. ducks and decoys.... anyway I fought trying this wine because I didnt quite understand the line extensions.. but the wines are actually drinkable and good value

Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2008  made in the Goldeneye winery in Anderson Valley which is in Mendicino north of SOnoma . garnet red and clear in the glass... california dried fruits nose.. lots of acidity and longish finish... good for the money

Merlot Napa 2008  alright for merlot but boring..which is one of my complaints on merlot..soft on the finish too..

Zinfandel Napa 2008.. a softer or bordeaux style of zin.. not too brambly. good fruit with some body behind it...lush finish.


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Nicola Biscardo/ Italian wines with Garco

Pinot Grigio is a popular planting in northeas...Image via Wikipedia2008 Gaeirhof Pinot Grigio Trentino Italy... where Pinot grigio originated and what it tasted like before all the generic brands took off last decade.. bright straw color.. mouth watering acidity... stone fruit and mineral on the palate.. not a wimpy pinot grigio..   this part of Italy for many centuries was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire...hence the german sounding names from italy

Terre di Sole Sangiovese Sicily .. most sangiovese comes from northern italy Tuscany.. where the climate is cooler.. here the warmer sangiovese gets more kick to it.. earthy nose of Sangiovese but more fruit and hints of mocha and red berry... easy drinking pizza wine. Sangiovese came from Greece where it was known as St George..

Feudo di san nicola Primitivo Puglia 2007.. the genetic cousin/half sister to Zinfandel... night harvested to preserve the acidity and tank fermented to keep it clean and fresh. clean nose with a little earthy on the back.. dry but not bitter... long finish from the acidity.

Borgo Pretale Chianti Classico Reserva Tuscany   2004.. the current release .. the weakest of the wines today.. a little medicinal on the nose. true aged sangiovese color in the glass.. drying tannins.. and not a lot of fruit.  aged in slovenian foders . large containers that dont impact a lot of oak flavor.

Gaeirhof Moscato Gaillo Trentino 2008  says dolce italian for sweet but the sweetness is mostly in the aromas.. very pretty moscat nose with floral and sweet fruit but the surprise is on the palate where it is light and lively... lots of acidity to balance the sugar...definitely on the drier side for me of what moscato I have had lately



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Monday, February 21, 2011

Mark Tarry playing the role of Chris Berry/ Missouri Beverage

Ali from Donna Laura in Tuscany. Sangiovese 2007. touch rustic in the glass.  soft roses and red berry on the palate and fresh finish.

Bramosia Chianti Classico 2007 juicy on the palate but started somewhat earthy.. nice long finish.

Kermit Lynch Cote du Rhone 2008 bright garnet red in the glass.  not the bacon fat wine I like but still nice fresh fruit.. a little earthy iodine on the nose.. longish fruit finish..

willi loth appellations

Arderius Blanc 2009 Rioja  .. made from 100% Viura... light light lemon yellow. flint and stone on the nose, surprisingly lush and round for the varietal. a touch sweet and it does not end up as dry or even bitter as some Viura I have tried.. will be at the next tasting.. march 10

Azagador Crianza 2007 mostly tempranillo with a little cab and merlot blended in. soft almost non existent nose. slight bing cherry on the palate that quickly goes to more earthy and tart on the finish.

Walton Cabernet Napa 2006.. dark color.. cedar nose and dill and cedar on the palate. lots of tannin... some berry but not much.... and a little hot on the end from the alcohol.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tasting day part 3 george vial/ bill smith/ ron digiovanni and Big Sky Coffee Porter

Chilensis Carmenere Reserva 2009  herbal and unattractive to me... we washed out the glass because I thought we had not cleaned out the dishwashing soap when in fact it was still there when we retried the wine.. the weight of the wine was fine but a blunt finish to an herbal experience.

Chateau Puech-Haut Coteaux du Languedoc St Drezery 2009... a grenache/syrah blend that was from older vines... earthy stink.. beautiful round flavors... a touch of heat from alcohol but overalll a very tasty wine... will soon be in the corner of the store.


Trenel Macon Village Blanc 2009 no oak. round textures but blunt uninteresting fruit.

Domaine Vire-Clesse 2009 a region of the Macon in Burgundy.. nice soft fruit... good acidity.. some ML for roundness..

Pernot Bourgogne Blanc 2009 light in color.. great fruit.. lovely viscosity... medium long finish... old school label.

Gambal  Bourgogne Blanc 2008.. more californian in style.. light dill and toast on the nose, pretty apple and stone fruit on the palate.. round and long lasting on the finish.

Clisos Tempranillo Rioja 2009 a little dirty on the nose, juicy with coffee and mocha notes on the back.. dark dense color in the glass a nice blend of old and new world styles.. expect this at the next wine tasting.

Big Sky Coffee Porter... to me this was what I expected from the Boulevard Chocolate Ale... depth and mocha and of course coffee notes on the nose... full bodied without being so heavy it wouldnt go with food. I like Big Sky Moose Drool ...which is a little lighter version of this

tasting day part 2 Maisons Marques and Domaines/ glazer erin adams

Scharfenberger Brut NV not sure how many times I have tried this in the past 12  months but its a pleasant american sparkling wine.. bright granny smith apple on the palate.. light mousse

Roederer Brut Premier NV with a new package.. looks a little more refined. pretty yeasty nose, lots of sparkle and fruit... acidity on the finish.

Pio Cesare Cortese di Gavi.  2009  what I think most drinkers of insipid pinot grigio would really like. clean and citrus.. a touch sweet a touch mineral.. reallly a nice white wine

Domaine Schlumberger Riesling 2006 Les Princes Abbes  ... hate this type of wine personally... lots of diesel and petrol.. great viscosity and flavors ... if you like these flavors... surprised to be tasting this since I have the 2008 on my shelf..

Pio Cesare Barbera D Alba 2008... the smell and taste of dried salami and coldcuts.. a very Masculine wine... from start to finish.

Marques de Murrietta Rioja Reserva 2005  ,,playing off the meatiness of the Barbera this had  a soft Iodine nose.. earthy and floral.. medium bodied... good juice also...never been a huge fan of this producer but this was a good valiant effort

tasting day part 1 spirits with vintegrity

There some days when it seems like every rep has someone or something to taste..

G vine Gin from France a gin made with grapes...and juniper berries and botanicals. Two types..Floraison and Nouaison


Floraison has more botanicals and less alcohol. not a lot of heat almost sweet which is why it works well with specialty cocktails.

Nouaison more juniper but less of the other botanicals.. to me I get the cucumber element.. a touch hotter on the palate given the higher alcohol not surprising.. a better martini standing alone gin.. also with grapes from the cognac region of france..ugni blanc and french colombard

Excellia Tequila that comes in three styles

Blanco aged for a few weeks in Sauternes and cognac barrels.. smoky with a earthy springloam aromas.. not hot at all very balanced. a little black pepper on the finish

Reposado.. aged 8 months in the barrels mentioned above.. white pepper, incensce like when I was an altar boy... spicy like jalapenios but not hot on the tongue... a little medicinal on the finish.

Anejo aged for 16 to 18 months in the barrels. soft incense bottor on the palate.. a little more clunky... i think I enjoyed the repo more.

The Bitter Truth Sloeberry Gin what the original sloegin must have tasted like.. bitter first flavors but smooths out to a lightly sweet finish... more gin than sloe...
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Paolo Scavino with Weston Hoard/ Bommarito

A prestige winery from the Northwest region of Italy. Specializing in Barolo.

Rosso da Tavola 2009. a blend of Nebbiolo, dolcetto and barbera with a touch of merlot.. a smidge dirty on the nose, kind of left me wanting more from the wine. not a bad wine just not very much depth. the weakest of the bunch for sure

Dolcetto d'alba 2009 ..the beaujolais of italy.. soft and uneventful. .. roses and earth on the nose..

Langhe Nebbiolo 2007.. the poor mans barolo.. the grape of barolo.. pretty bright soft cherry flavors.. anise and pretty good tannin structure.. I was very impressed with this effort.

Barolo 2006 a blend of several vineyard sites.  purple garnet in the glass again with the bright fruit that was showing in the Nebbiolo... great value for barolo

Barolo Bricco Amborgio 2005  named for a saint this vineyard site produced a more tannic and complex wine .. grit and tannin and very muscular

Barolo Bric del Fiasc 2005... hill with the flask.. home ranch for the winery.. mouthfilling and lush.. dark fruits and lots of acidity that keeps the wine tasting fresh and lively... long finish.


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Monday, February 14, 2011

chris berry palm bay and glazers

Callia Torrontes San Juan Argentina 2009  typical nose of floral pretty but on the palate. missing something. blunt pineapple? tropical fruit that sat out too long?

Planeta LaSegreta Blanc Sicily 2009  greccanico, chard and others.. yellowish lemon.. lush and a nice touch of minerality..good weight to it without being sweet

120 Santa Rita Carmenere Chile 2008  I have to say that the last few Carmenere I have tasted have been surprising me with lushness anda  not a lot of the herbal green that I have had in the past. a little burnt coffee on the finish and relatively light body but for the money a good bottle

Callia Malbec Argentina 2009 tight nose but some body on the palate.. not a lot of flaver.. very subtle and uninteresting for the money

La Segretta Planeta Red Sicily  nero d'avola the predominate grape of Sicily and here 50% dusty and smoky on the nose, dark red fruits.. good food wine.. lots of action on the end of the palate..

jp of vintegrity

Charles Bove Vouvray 2008... missing some mid palate.. an affordable vouvray but truly you get what you pay for.. off dry but not a lot of acidity

Landmark Grand DeTour Pinot Noir 2008  what a lovely nose of dried fruit and mushroom.. light on the palate weight wise but man does it keep giving flavors on the  finish.. mocha and red fruits.. worthy

Sineann Abondante Columbia Valley 2008  a zin blend that seems to be going after the Prisoner buyer. juicy and mocha.. lush.. interesting

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Terlato with Matt Murphy/ Major Brands

The Lucky CountryImage by DavidRphoto via FlickrLucky Country Chardonnay Barossa 2010  unoaked, soft finish.. and not in a traditional chard bottle.. Lucky Country is another nickname for Australia from a 1967 novel.

Lucky Country Shiraz McLaren Vale 2009  light bodied.. somewhat finessed shiraz not the in your face style. a touch of mint on the finish..

Torresella Pinot Noir Sicily 2007 soft nose and body.. touch rustic finish but then Sicily isnt known for Pinot Noir.

Torresella Nero d"Avola Sicily 2007  a touch earthy, leather and roses, what a traditional Italian will be like. soft red fruit... good food wine.

Tamari Malbec 2009  an elegant style of malbec.. not overly fruity.. nice finesse a little tinny on the finish from younger vine flavors but overall a nice wine and great value.


Federalist Zinfandel Dry Creek 2007  light and briary.. a touch old I think.. relatively uneventful. some tannin on the finish but not enough to really care..
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Biltmore Estates North Carolina/Chuck Whitehead Glazers Domaine and Estates

Inn on Biltmore Estate: The WineryImage by Hotels of the Rich and Famous via FlickrBiltmore Estate is the home of a Summer cottage built by Commadore Vanderbilt in the late 19th century. The vineyard around the site has been producing wine for awhile.  My question is why? They produce pleasant enough wines but the few I tasted today were from the American appellation which means the grapes come from anywhere in the country. Some of the grapes came from california. There is going to be wine in the market that comes exclusively from North Carolina. also some sparkling.

Biltmore Country White  NV  sweet and pretty aromatics of Gewurz and Muscat Viognier and Riesling. With all these I thought it would be more viscous and cloying but it was soft and easy.. dryish finish.. pleasant.

Biltmore Country Red NV soft clean nose of red fruit.. smoky on the nose.. sangiovese and zin again from california. quick finish not as appealing as the white.

Biltmore Chardonnay Sur Lies.. which means on the lees , lees are the particles that join together and drop to the bottom of the barrel as they are aging.. when these are stirred up periodically they will add a creamy texture to the wine.which this had.. a slight green apple fruit and dullish finish.

Biltmore Riesling NV slight minerality or slate/diesel on the nose, soft and easy and pleasant finish. reminded me a bit of the White Lady from Hermanhoff.

Biltmore Pinot Noir NV light ruby strawberry color.. hints of mocha and dried fruit on the finish.. light finish but a good starter wine for the newby Pinot Noir drinker.


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