I love the job because of the visitors I get...yesterday someone came in the store from Australia today they came from Austria... i guess I can travel vicariously. This supplier brings wine from just outside the well known regions of Austria, which means good quality but not the higher price...usually
Meinkling Pinot Gris.2006 crisp, tart almost sweet... a little too sweet citrus for my taste,
Meinkling Pinot Noir 2006...I had this bottling last vintage so was surprised at how light this was... no tastes of cola, mushrooms, any of the markers of pinot noir..just a light, slightly green
Meinkling Frizzante Blanc de Pinot Noir nv the best of the bunch..a pretty pink color with strawberry in the nose and that tart flavor in the mouth.. great acidity and just a pleasant wine all around.
Josef Bauer Riesling Prarrleithen.. a touch petrol like the alsace wines have.. lush and fruity, very nice. pfarrleithen means late picked.. i think
Bauer Riesling Hengstberg beautiful yellow , fruit but dry finish. these wines come from the region of Wagram, which is next door to the region of Wachau the most famous of Austrian growing.,
Thursday, August 14, 2008
rainy day wines
today tried a few wines from different distributors.
Avignonesi Desiderio Merlot 2004 not being a sangiovese it had a lot of that character..this producer best known for it Vino Nobile de Montepulciano has had consistent wine from merlot.. good red fruit on the palate and some tar and smoke on the end....nice if pricey
the cruscade blend 2005 cab and other things blended from the south of france...sounds really good but just missing in the fruit dept.. dusty nose and flavors... second time trying this and still will pass
66 cotes du roussillon 2005 concrete tank fermented...deep rich color and flavors...very nice wine for the money...inexpensive cote du rhone style.
Yann Chave Croze Hermitage 2006 the poor neighbor to Hermitage it still can produce nice wines at half the cost of hermitage. dark and brooding, iodine, light mid section but nice finish...just a touch of bacon fat....
Avignonesi Desiderio Merlot 2004 not being a sangiovese it had a lot of that character..this producer best known for it Vino Nobile de Montepulciano has had consistent wine from merlot.. good red fruit on the palate and some tar and smoke on the end....nice if pricey
the cruscade blend 2005 cab and other things blended from the south of france...sounds really good but just missing in the fruit dept.. dusty nose and flavors... second time trying this and still will pass
66 cotes du roussillon 2005 concrete tank fermented...deep rich color and flavors...very nice wine for the money...inexpensive cote du rhone style.
Yann Chave Croze Hermitage 2006 the poor neighbor to Hermitage it still can produce nice wines at half the cost of hermitage. dark and brooding, iodine, light mid section but nice finish...just a touch of bacon fat....
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
d'arenberg wines from australia
had the pleasure today of seeing ric anderson the general manager for d'arenberg from australia with his accent.
stump jump white 2006 riesling, sauv blanc, marsanne and roussanne an interesting blend to be sure..first whiff was of stony slate and petrol then became more floral or even tropical. fresh ...
hermit crab 2006 Viognier Marsanne blend. bright yellow color, not overly sweet or floral in the nose, a touch of burnt caramel on the finish. forgot to ask why they called it the hermit crab... i know they said they like to have fun with the wine once it is in the bottle.
stump jump red 2006 grenache, syrah mourvedre. pretty, dark fruit on the nose, grenache predominates in the flavor profiles, maybe finishes a touch green .
the custodian 2005 grenache...ruby color, old vines, cotton candy on the nose, but not that sweet on the finish. an example of old vine grenache that really works... and its not a fruit bomb.
d'arys original shiraz grenache blend...2005 dark purple in color, minerals., a touch of white pepper...very comforting wine.
the footbolt shiraz 2005 named for the horse that helped the family originally finance the winery back in the early 1900's. mcclaren vale..not a fruit bomb but restrained and not elegant but nice for the money. a little bing cherry on the finish....
stump jump white 2006 riesling, sauv blanc, marsanne and roussanne an interesting blend to be sure..first whiff was of stony slate and petrol then became more floral or even tropical. fresh ...
hermit crab 2006 Viognier Marsanne blend. bright yellow color, not overly sweet or floral in the nose, a touch of burnt caramel on the finish. forgot to ask why they called it the hermit crab... i know they said they like to have fun with the wine once it is in the bottle.
stump jump red 2006 grenache, syrah mourvedre. pretty, dark fruit on the nose, grenache predominates in the flavor profiles, maybe finishes a touch green .
the custodian 2005 grenache...ruby color, old vines, cotton candy on the nose, but not that sweet on the finish. an example of old vine grenache that really works... and its not a fruit bomb.
d'arys original shiraz grenache blend...2005 dark purple in color, minerals., a touch of white pepper...very comforting wine.
the footbolt shiraz 2005 named for the horse that helped the family originally finance the winery back in the early 1900's. mcclaren vale..not a fruit bomb but restrained and not elegant but nice for the money. a little bing cherry on the finish....
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
big names from napa
Today I was visited by Duckhorn and Raymond.
Judith Britt supplier rep for duckhorn in the midwest.
The only white that duckhorn does is a Sauv Blanc 2007 , with a touch of semillon , had a touch of the herbacious quality you find in Sancerre but missing a little in the mid palate. Not overly oaked and a slight creamy quality.
2006 migration Pinot noir anderson valley... dark color for pinot, but bright red fruit, a touch hot, cola tea and fruit tannin on the tongue...not a wimpy pinot
2006 Decoy as was described to me not a set blend, can change each year, and not necessarily made every year. basically a blend of wine that didnt quite fit the bill for their napa bottlings.
as with most of these wines I detected a very fruit forward style without a lot of tannin from oak, some cedar but just a pleasant table wine.
2005 Paraduxx Napa Valley cute label of different types of ducks... mostly zin but also no set varietal mix. this had some cab in it that gave structure and comes through in the nose with a little bit of pencil box...perfect for the start of school... it has the nose of zin with briary undergrowth but more elegant..
2005 Duckhorn Napa Merlot this merlot is made from vineyards up and down the valley...a truly valley wine, dark color, rich aromas on the nose, with juiciness and some tar and tobacco on he finish
2005 Duckhorn Napa Cab the wine that they are most known for even though the duckhorns wanted to be the merlot property with st emillion as the benchmark. this is a soft cab with silky tannin and with a little merlot added in it seems a good wine to both age or drink now.
not as expensive but as long lived in napa are the raymond brothers.
2006 r collection chardonnay clean, crisp no ml...a little time in oak this is the trend i have noticed in napa chards to be more about the fruit than the oak and butter and vanilla
2005 r collection merlot it wasnt fair to try this after the duckhorn merlot but for the price point it was nice and juicy , maybe a little too hot from alcohol.
2005 r collection cabernet mocha dark cherry, tar and tannin.s
Judith Britt supplier rep for duckhorn in the midwest.
The only white that duckhorn does is a Sauv Blanc 2007 , with a touch of semillon , had a touch of the herbacious quality you find in Sancerre but missing a little in the mid palate. Not overly oaked and a slight creamy quality.
2006 migration Pinot noir anderson valley... dark color for pinot, but bright red fruit, a touch hot, cola tea and fruit tannin on the tongue...not a wimpy pinot
2006 Decoy as was described to me not a set blend, can change each year, and not necessarily made every year. basically a blend of wine that didnt quite fit the bill for their napa bottlings.
as with most of these wines I detected a very fruit forward style without a lot of tannin from oak, some cedar but just a pleasant table wine.
2005 Paraduxx Napa Valley cute label of different types of ducks... mostly zin but also no set varietal mix. this had some cab in it that gave structure and comes through in the nose with a little bit of pencil box...perfect for the start of school... it has the nose of zin with briary undergrowth but more elegant..
2005 Duckhorn Napa Merlot this merlot is made from vineyards up and down the valley...a truly valley wine, dark color, rich aromas on the nose, with juiciness and some tar and tobacco on he finish
2005 Duckhorn Napa Cab the wine that they are most known for even though the duckhorns wanted to be the merlot property with st emillion as the benchmark. this is a soft cab with silky tannin and with a little merlot added in it seems a good wine to both age or drink now.
not as expensive but as long lived in napa are the raymond brothers.
2006 r collection chardonnay clean, crisp no ml...a little time in oak this is the trend i have noticed in napa chards to be more about the fruit than the oak and butter and vanilla
2005 r collection merlot it wasnt fair to try this after the duckhorn merlot but for the price point it was nice and juicy , maybe a little too hot from alcohol.
2005 r collection cabernet mocha dark cherry, tar and tannin.s
Thursday, August 7, 2008
wineblow wines with chris tridle
Mostly known for Italian wines this supplier is branching out a bit to spain.
Monjardin El Cerezo Chardonnay Navarro Spain 2006 Very dark golden color, almost like a sauternes, nice texture in the mouth and very creamy..Cerezo is Cherry tree which supposedly grows in the vineyard... good thing its not stinkweed...pretty butterscotch,caramel at the finish.
Fontana Mesta Tempranillo LaMancha, Spain 2007 nice juicy cherry fruit, soft finish...but there are so many great wines at this price why this one????
Labastida Crianza rioja 2004 very tight nose..dark and brooding, not much flavor...could use some age maybe??
Bruichladdich Rocks Single Malt Islay Jim Beam owned this property and let it lapse , it was bought in 99 by a group who brought it back...originally they had 10 year but with the closing for a few years they will have a period until 2011 when they get the 10 year back. until then they will have the rocks which is ablend of single malts so why they still call it a single malt i dont know...this one is finished in grenache kegs on the south of france..makes you want to be a single malt. light smoky nose which is nice for islay because of things like Lagavullin which if you taste in the afternoon you still smell of smokehouse going to bed... this is an almost sweet definitely light with a slight iodine finish at the end...good for people who want to experiment with islay.
Monjardin El Cerezo Chardonnay Navarro Spain 2006 Very dark golden color, almost like a sauternes, nice texture in the mouth and very creamy..Cerezo is Cherry tree which supposedly grows in the vineyard... good thing its not stinkweed...pretty butterscotch,caramel at the finish.
Fontana Mesta Tempranillo LaMancha, Spain 2007 nice juicy cherry fruit, soft finish...but there are so many great wines at this price why this one????
Labastida Crianza rioja 2004 very tight nose..dark and brooding, not much flavor...could use some age maybe??
Bruichladdich Rocks Single Malt Islay Jim Beam owned this property and let it lapse , it was bought in 99 by a group who brought it back...originally they had 10 year but with the closing for a few years they will have a period until 2011 when they get the 10 year back. until then they will have the rocks which is ablend of single malts so why they still call it a single malt i dont know...this one is finished in grenache kegs on the south of france..makes you want to be a single malt. light smoky nose which is nice for islay because of things like Lagavullin which if you taste in the afternoon you still smell of smokehouse going to bed... this is an almost sweet definitely light with a slight iodine finish at the end...good for people who want to experiment with islay.
opus one 2005
After a long summer one of the things to look forward to is the annual presale luncheon for Opus One. This year it was at JJ's on the plaza and I have to say the filet I had was great. It was interesting listening to Gina Voci talk about Mr Mondavi and how much of a presence he was in her professional life. The mondavi's have not had control of this property for a few years but the spirit is still there.
The lunch started off with a Deutz Champagne blanc de blanc...lots of creamy mousse and toasty notes but very light and elegant. had to have 2 glasses...
Opus One 2005 a big brusing wine that will need time to decant or sit in cellar. One of the reasons it is so pricey they have little women brought in from the Dominican Republic who sort the little trays of grapes as they come in. Field hands are told not to send any bad bunches or else, and then these little women, 20 according to Stephen Molloy, sort through and pick out any bad grapes in the bunches and they are also destemmed so that there is nothing but natural grape tannin. ok part of this is true...they do sort out very meticulously Dominican or not. they also only use new french oak barrels which are over $1000 a piece..
so they have their reasons for charging as much as they do...and actually compared to things like harlan or screaming eagle or maya or....they are a bargain. this wine should be a 10 to 15 year ager.
The lunch started off with a Deutz Champagne blanc de blanc...lots of creamy mousse and toasty notes but very light and elegant. had to have 2 glasses...
Opus One 2005 a big brusing wine that will need time to decant or sit in cellar. One of the reasons it is so pricey they have little women brought in from the Dominican Republic who sort the little trays of grapes as they come in. Field hands are told not to send any bad bunches or else, and then these little women, 20 according to Stephen Molloy, sort through and pick out any bad grapes in the bunches and they are also destemmed so that there is nothing but natural grape tannin. ok part of this is true...they do sort out very meticulously Dominican or not. they also only use new french oak barrels which are over $1000 a piece..
so they have their reasons for charging as much as they do...and actually compared to things like harlan or screaming eagle or maya or....they are a bargain. this wine should be a 10 to 15 year ager.
Friday, August 1, 2008
hungarian wines from jk winesni
Istvan Flesch from his eponymous business was in town tasting through hungarian wines...looking to fulfill that niche of hungarian wines for the young drinkers who wouldnt want to drink something called bulls blood...
fist off was Torley Grand Cuvee made with chard, pinot noir and riesling. nice color of light gold, good acidity and the finish was pleasant..nice $14 alternative for sparkling wine drinkers.
Torley Fortuna a blend of muscats and a hungarian varietal irsai oliver .cotton candy that turns into caramel red apple that turns into ginger...very interesting..golden color with not over the top sweetness
a group of wines called Craftsman and each bottle has a stylized version of a craftsperson in bold colors. the idea is to help identify the wine by color since the name of the wine is most difficult to pronounce.no merlot here thins like kiralyleanyka which i didnt taste.
Craftsman Zold Veltelini 2006 this is hungarians version of gruner veltliner from austria..which is just gaining some recognition in this market...almost sauv blanc in style...clean and crisp it is a nice wine for this time of year.
Cserszegi Fuszeres a wine that is a hybrid of gewurztraminer and another hungarian varietal.
pretty nose, very refreshing but it fades just a little too fast for me.
Cabernet Franc 2004 light purple in color. smoky and a touch light in the palate... but refreshing and a nice wine for the money.
Harslevelu 2006 one of the grapes that goes into a Tokaj wine. very dark yellow a touch empty in the middle also but lush pretty finish.
I think we will have some soon and also I recommended he taste these at our next tasting which will be Nov 6th.
fist off was Torley Grand Cuvee made with chard, pinot noir and riesling. nice color of light gold, good acidity and the finish was pleasant..nice $14 alternative for sparkling wine drinkers.
Torley Fortuna a blend of muscats and a hungarian varietal irsai oliver .cotton candy that turns into caramel red apple that turns into ginger...very interesting..golden color with not over the top sweetness
a group of wines called Craftsman and each bottle has a stylized version of a craftsperson in bold colors. the idea is to help identify the wine by color since the name of the wine is most difficult to pronounce.no merlot here thins like kiralyleanyka which i didnt taste.
Craftsman Zold Veltelini 2006 this is hungarians version of gruner veltliner from austria..which is just gaining some recognition in this market...almost sauv blanc in style...clean and crisp it is a nice wine for this time of year.
Cserszegi Fuszeres a wine that is a hybrid of gewurztraminer and another hungarian varietal.
pretty nose, very refreshing but it fades just a little too fast for me.
Cabernet Franc 2004 light purple in color. smoky and a touch light in the palate... but refreshing and a nice wine for the money.
Harslevelu 2006 one of the grapes that goes into a Tokaj wine. very dark yellow a touch empty in the middle also but lush pretty finish.
I think we will have some soon and also I recommended he taste these at our next tasting which will be Nov 6th.
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