Susana Balbo/Ben Marco/missouri beverage

winemaker Gustavo Bertagna

Ben Marco Malbec 2010... dense dark purple..which will be the hallmark of all the wines today.. ripe fruit on the nose and palate... dark raspberry but not over the top jammy...

Ben Marco Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 dark color from maceration.. a hint of chlorine? juicy on the palate.. lots of fruit tannins... . not afraid to be noticed

Ben Marco Expressivo a blend of malbec and others...tannat and petite verdot.. lots of cedar on the nose, and interesting how the fruit on the mid palate is all tannin... not wild about it.. a little clunky

Susana Balbo Estate Malbec again with the chlorine.. darker yet in color but more terroir on the nose, more interesting with pretty sweet tannins that keep you wanting more.

Susana Balbo Estate Cabernet from high vineyards where the grapes pick up some spice. elegant and lower in tannins... good structure.. nice

Susana Balbo Late Harvest Malbec.. allowed to sit on the vine much longer.. goes through a second fermentation.. nose of sweet molasis and tar.. viscous and lingering but not cloying.. very clean flavors.. from good acidity.. i was craving some bleu cheese

Indigenous Selections /Tamer Harpke/Bommarito

Continuing with the Italian theme of this week

Contratto Brut Millesimato 2007... made in the Franco Corta style.. but a vintage .. pinot noir with a little chardonnay.. very rough and not a lot of mousse

La Pinetta Vermentino. 2010  interesting label of rhino , not many in Italy. some minerality, lots of heavy handed acidity.. not finessed or subtle

Ciaci Toscana Rosso  2009 Sangiovese with some Cab/Merlot/Syrah. light bodied.. and again heavy handed with the fruit upfront.. very dark

La Spinetta Barbera Ca di Pian 2008  cedary on the nose, a little iodine? needs food I think

La Spinetta Langhe Nebbiolo 2008  people wanting a Nebbiolo experience without the Barolo price... this has all the tannin of one.. might need to age a little

Ciacci Brunello di Montalcino 2007... brickish and lush.. lots of tannin on the front but approachable

La Spinetta Moscato di Asti.. 2011. a single vineyard Moscato... freshness and soapy again but this wines acidity keeps it going .. more mousse on this than the Contratto.

Langetwins/Lodi/Golden Barrel

A twin brother operations from Centralish California

Chardonnay Clarksburg 2010 light oak.. wanting to showcase the fruit.. a little heavy on the alcohol
good acidity but ..

Moscato 2011 what I call soapstone on the nose, on the dry side... a little effervescence but a little dull

Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 tobacco tannic and almost bitter... tasting the blackberry notes

Pinot Noir 2010  slightly brickish in color.. light fruit.. light bodied... a little dull

Midnight Reserve 2006 a blend of Petite Verdot and other bordeaux varietals except Cab Franc.. very dense in color and flavors.. licorice and coffee.. interesting

Caricature Red 2010.. Cab and Zin blend, answer to the Prisoner... fun label.. bright color.. juicy.. a bit hot on the palate.. and some rough edges.. but fun

kobrand selections Italian portfolio

Chiarlo Gavi Piedmonte 2011... not sure if it is the vintage but this wine is much more Torrontes in nature than I remember... usually some good mouthfeel and juice but this was almost floral.. not as much mineral

Tenuta Sette ponti crognolo Toscana IGT 2010  80% Sangiovese... with cab and merlot in equal mix.. lots of tannin and grip... maybe will soften out

Tenuta do Nozzole.. dusty and violets. and tobaccco.. needs food i think

Agricola Pinica Barrua Isola dei Naraghi Sardina IGT 2008  predominately Carignan.. and soft dusty nose, lots of mid palate tannin.. and long finish

Tenute del Cabreo Il Borgo Toscana IGT 2009  beautiful nose of violets and anise.. alush wine that keeps going

Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montelcino DOCG 2007  lots of midpalate texture... and flavors.. dusty italian nose

Tenuyta Sette Ponti Oreno Toscana IGT 2010 dense color and tannic... made with bordeaux grapes.. can use some time

Tenua San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri DOCG cedar on the nose, rich and opulent in the mouth... 85% cab and 15% cab franc

craig crush major brands

Chateau Blouin Bordeaux 2010.. yummy coffee and dusty.. good tannins and lots of dark berry fruit... i hope the rest of the 10's offer this good  and good price

Chateau Pech-Latt Corbieres.. Carignan and etc.. dark fruit color and flavors.. lush and mouthfilling.. good fruit.. and just the right dirty finish

Tommasi with Pinnacle

Tommasi Prosecco Tenuta Filadora NV  brut but I would swear there was a bit of residual sugar to it... floral notes

Pinot Grigio Le Rosse 2011 soft minerality and a touch sweet.. almost what I would call grapey which I get from the wines of Missouri..

Tommasi Rompicollo 2010  sangiovese and cab... lots of up front fruit.. a touch of meatiness to it.

Tommasi Ripasso 2010  straw and earth on the nose, fruit and tannins are just right... very nice go to wine for the area

Valpolicella Rafael 2010  soft red fruit.. good food wine.

Arele Appassimento 2010.. a blend of fresh wine and driedfruit.. a little more earthy and sweet. the step between regular and ripasso

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2008... made in more traditional method with large barrels and not the smaller barreque (sp) slightly brickish in color.. pinr and light golden raisin.. very elegant mouthfeel.. nice

boomtown with janet johnson/kim klein/mo bev

Boomtown a washington winery that uses a picture from San Francisco as there logo. and they are originally from Wisconsin.

Pinot Gris.. green apple and crisp. light bodied and a little on the boring side... could use more umphh

Chardonnay.. dry dry dry... wanting more fruit

Merlot .. best of the  bunch.. juicy in the style of right bank... very intense fruit

Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Petite Verdot.. dusty nose.. lots of tannin and fruit trying to show through

Cakebread Lunch with Dennis Cakebread.JJ's restaurant

Cakebread is arguably one of the most recognized names out of Napa.. celebrating their 40th harvest.

Chardonnay Napa Carneros  nicely integrated with toast and acidity.. only a little malo so the butter isnt quite overly obvious..

Chardonnay Reserve .. a little more oak treatment and battonage or stirring of the lees  but not overly oaked... just from better blocks in the vineyard

Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2009.. actually the second vintage available in our market.. the 2007 being first and the 2008 because of the intense smoke was not bottled. Clear and soft this wine makes a very good argument for wine from Mendocino.

Merlot 2009... a right bank wine... carneros fruit that is from cooler climate.. lots of grip and texture.. not the sideways merlot for sure

Cabernet Sauvignon 2009... whats not to love... just a nice nice bottle

Cabernet Sauvignon Benchland 2009... and when benchland is mentioned its with the idea of the Rutherford Bench.. where a dusty quality usually stands out.. no exception here... this was a big masculine. need a wash kind of wine... almost needs a tougher steak like ribeye or porterhouse

Dancing Bear Cabernet Sauvignon... named for the imaginary machination of happy bears in the vineyards.. this is the elegant feminine side of the winery... lush and supple... very nice

Banville & jones. casey squire missouri beverage

Dipinti Pinot Grigio from the dolomite region of Italy.. soft... real deal.. soft minerality.. soft

Terlano Pinot Grigio 2010... tall bottles.. more grip than the first pinot grigio

Terlano Classico DOC.. a blend of pinot blanc.. and other but very lush.. fruity. fruit cocktail in a glass without the syrup. very pretty and in the store

Ali Sangiovese green olive.. slightly green vegetal.. no oak... showing fruit on the palate.. a little licorice or anise and earth'

Copertino Reserva Puglia   negroamaro slight brickish color and italian stink... spices on the palate.. but earth too.. longish finish

Tolani Al Passo IGT Tuscany.. super tuscan anyone.. dense color.. full bodied.. nice acidity not as much about terroir as taste.. michel rouland driven... good press

Crush with Broadley Pinot Oregon

2010 Reserve Pinot Willamette dusty with some nice darker fruit but surprisingly quick finish.. and light

2011 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.. pretty mocha/cocoa on the nose, good fruit tannin and nice finish

2010 Claudia's Choice Pinot Noir.. best of the bunch.l named for the wife.. tight nose that opens up to some dark fruit.. loads of up front tannin and red fruit on the long finish. yum

2010 Shea's Vineyard  roses and farmyard.. again intense fruit tannin.. and pleasant follow through on the finish..

vintegrity/kim gattshall

Zestos Blanco Madrid 2010  made from the varietal Malvar... pretty golden yellow but whoever called this a rustic white was sure right.. more rough edges than an old piece of wood, and about as tasty.

Primaterra Pinot Noir Italy 2010  again a rustic wine with some fruit and lots of mid palate tannin but not a smooth finish.

Poggio Anima Nero D'Avola Sicily .. asmodeus.. pretty chery with good acidity.. maybe the fruit fell off a little soon but nice for the money.

Purvis tasting #4

the theme was France

Blanck Pinot Gris Alsace 2007... golden yellow color and petrol for days.. lanolin and viscousity all around...

Gustave Lorentz Pinot Noir Rose 2011.. soft and easy on the front but not a lot of there there.. maybe a little orange zest but overall too subtle

Clos du Pape Chateauneuf du Pape blanc 2009.. soft yellow and thick in the glass (thats what she said)... typical for the region these grapes come off thick and brutish but over time will soften and honey out.. mostly roussounn marsanne viognier grenache blanc

Les Penses de Pallus Loire 2009 pretty color of garnet and bright nose from the Cabernet Franc.. red berries with some cedar on the back with soft tannins.

Miniere Bourgueil loire 2006.. another Loire wine that features cab franc... but showing age and terroir more... food wine for sure

Bergaud Morgan Beaujolais 2010.. showing an almost buttery nose.. fruity. raspberry and jammy.. rich

Chateau St Jacque Mouline a vent 2010.. showing much more dirt and terroir... much more restrained

Trevallon France 1998 coffee and earthy.. cab and syrah.. the cab comes across in the finish.. a bit waxy...interesting wine.. interesting story of the vineyard

Cos d'estournel St Estephe 1996 still showing lots of color.. french stink with a little nutty almond.. and wax.. (wax seemed a feature of the wine, must be my nose) black currant.. very nice thank you for the tasting

Chasse Spleen 1989 Moulis en Medoc tobacco and acidity for days.. enjoyed the mouthfeel but there was a touch of huskiness on the back of the palate...

Zelige-Caravent Manouches (which means Gypsy) black pepper and cant read the rest of the notes..dont remember liking it that much

Gonet Medeville Rose NV mocha and cocoa on the palate.. beautiful mousse. and strawberries

A brown bag wine again with the waxy character.. green vegetal character... not really digging it and turns out it was Verite La Joie from California

Lassague  2007 Saint Emillon coffee and roasted meats.. showing lots of dark fruit. really liked this more than I have in the past times I have tried this wine.. good depth

Clos du Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2008 lots of fruit on the palate.. good acidity a bit of the bacon fat and iodine/iron.. all things that make CDP wonderful.. and it should be good for some time to come

wine tasting but dont remember with whom

Monfil Macabeo Spain 2010.. unoaked and softly mineral.. interesting porch pounder that is just a little out of season

Abadia de Tortoreous Albarino 2010 Spain.. again no oak and tasting this blind I think I would have thought this a Torrontes from Argentina.. more sweetness and floral than I remember them being.

Monfil Garnacha Rouge 2009.. iron soils.. unoaked and light..missing a middle i think

Pietro Marin Malbec Argentina 2008 unoaked but sensiously smoky.. cherry that doesnt go bing.. long finish.. very fun

Pietro Marin Cab/Syrah blend Argentina 2007 slightly rusty.. lots of tobacco but not much fruit...liked the malbec much better

Gotin del Risc 2005.. Mencia .. lots of cedar and tannin... may calm down.. may not

terra firma

Cuvee des Quatre Vents Bordeaux 2010 80% Merlot. a touch young.. a little dusty and ddark fruit.. restrained.. really nice for the price

Perenne Cotes du Blaye 2009 also mosstly Merlot.. just not giving a lot of fruit.. may be on the downslide.

Passion D'une Vie 2009 Cotes du Roussillon syrah and carignan and others. has some nice fruit up front but not a lot of follow through in the flavors.. having tasted wines from this region and vintage recently was a little let down in overall taste

herencia Dei Padri Priorat 2010 Carignane and Merlot.. for mountain fruit it was pretty blah

Kobrand/Joe Signorile/Major Brands

Taittinger Brut La Francaise Champagne NV not a grower champagne but they do own a lot of their own land. soft mousse and a more round style of champagne.. lovely

Jadot Beaune Boucherotte Burgundy 2009... lovely earthy. from a Prem Cru.seems like it will hold for a few years. very tiht but showing a lot of strength

Gevrey Chambertin 2007  a touch brown around the edges.. but still has strength to it also.. lots of palate cleansing tannins..very nice.

Valkyrie Selections /Golden Barrel

a new supplier who is partnered with a eric solomon long time rep.

Milou Chardonnay 2010.. soft, easy and drinkable.. but really

Milou Rouge 2010 Grenache/Syrah from the south of france. said to be old vine but seemed a little young.. may just be the newness of the bottling. lots of juice but kind of rough..

Bodegas Tempranillo Roble 2010// dark wine, dark dense flavors.. lots of mid palate and some cough drop flavors.. over the top for me

Bodegas Valdesil Montenovo 2011. fruity and floral.. Godello is the grape type.. limited tonage and stainless steel.. very pretty..

Bodegas Valdesil Valdesil 2011... golden yellow and fuller bodied than the other but not sure if the money difference is justified. 

Mercat Cava Brut NV . this spends 2 times longer on the lees before bottling happens. lower sugar dosage.. deeper and more body than most cava.. using traditional cava grapes from spain.

bryant bickel/massandra

Seven Hills Riesling Washington 2009.. apple and petrol.. missing depth may be too old

Sarapo Donato Pinot Noir Carneros/Sonoma Coast 2009 dark and lots of flavor.. silky tannins that stay with you

Rodolfo Malbec 2010.. not the run of the mill malbec, smoky nose and palate.. with bold plum fruit without being overly jammy.. nice

kysela imports/ golden barrel

Rubus Chardonnay California b2009.. a negociant wine not produced every year. very waxy and some off smells...still has round finish and a little caramel on the finish...

Vitas Pinot Grigio Friuli 2010  from gravel soil.. no oak and low yield.. soft to dull finish

Rubus Barossa Shiraz 2010 low yield.. dark in the glass.. lots of juicy fruit and lush mouthfeel. not bad for negociant but still australia

Siegel Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 stinky feet.. green on the nose, this didnt translate to the palate.. with nice touch of spice from the syrah

Siegel Pinot Noir Reserve 2010 both Siegel are from Chile, this is light colored and still pretty powerful, even if not in a good way.. tar and dark fruit.. not too exciting though

Ecard Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir 2009 some earth and mushroom, a bit cloudy in the glass but the fruit is subtle.. definitely a feminine style

Alain Juame Chateauneuf du Pape Vieux Terron 2010  a tight nose to start but opened up to show some pepper and coffee.. juicy fruit with a nice tannic grip to make you remember.. pretty dark brooding purple(favorite of the day)

Gran Crucero Chile 2009 a blend of cab/syrah and carmenere. chile s btink? on the nose,from the carmenere.. and spice from the syrah. maybe a little more balanced

Domaine de la Colline St Jean Vacqueryas 2010  french stink.. a spice I cant name but not unpleasant.. dark fruit.. maybe a little off.

Mark Lindzy /eric solomon/major brands

Eric Solomon is one of thethat parker likes a lot and with the portfolio they have its not hard to see why. On par with Jorge Ordonez , almost with Kermit Lynch.

Pazo de Senorans Albarino Rias Baixas 2011.. a touch of mineral slight banana? not sweet but definitely elegant

Michel Gassier Cerius Blanc France 2011 grenache blanc with a little sauv blanc, unfortunately the SB seems to overpower... but still tasty..just not as good as other grenache blanc

Creat Roble Ribera del Duero 2009.. bright red fruit and lots of it.. very modern in style.. and always have liked duero over Rioja..

Pesquie Terrasses Rouge Cotes de Ventoux 2011.. bright color and big wine...again with the red fruits.. with a nice meatiness.. a little heat from alcohol but food would make that nonexistant

Michael Gassier Cercius Rouge Cotes du Rhone 2011  grenache and syrah.. yum. very fruit forward with a dash of pepper..

Izadi Rioja traditional and lots of cedar.. tannin and  wondering if it would ever soften up.