tasted through some new italian wines today...
Primaterra Pinot Grigio 2007 light dry style.not a lot of fruit, some minerality and a cute label of a fish with an umbrella,, i think it was a freud thing but you decide for yourself what it means.
Mirabile Inzolia Sicily 2005 Pretty in the glass with a bright golden shine, creamy mouthfeel even though it sees no ML. Of course it will be in this store because across the parking lot is Jaspers restaurant run by the Mirabile family.
Quattro Mani Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006 a wine advocate 88pt wine..you will find it in the corner amidst the high rated under $20 bottles. a touch of earth on the nose, roses and lavender.
Guicciardini Strozzi Titolato Chianti DOCG ...very earthy and rustic.. not a winner for me
Fontanafredda Serralunga Barolo 2003 Coffee colored in the glass.. touch of fruit good acidity but not a big tannic monster
Fratta Pasini Amarone 2003 Amarone usually smells of raisins, coffee flavors came through. soft tannins and earthy but not what I think of as Amarone.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tapestry luncheon at pierponts
One of the perks of the job is being taken to a nice restaurant for lunch, to of course tell how well the wine goes with food. this time it was my old haunting grounds of Pierponts, that I had the privilege to help open up over 9 years ago...hard to believe its that long.
Tapestry is a winery from Australia. Nice products. I wish I could remember what they were but I didnt have a sheet on me. The thing that stood out the most was their Unoaked chardonnay... very crisp clean and not overly sweet.. The Shiraz called Bakers Gully was a little light for me. The outstanding wine was their Tapestry Cabernet...lots of sweet cedar and lush fruit. I also got to try their big boy Shiraz called The Vincent ..very big lots of extraction and for me not overly exciting for $40 plus....maybe next vintage...by the way I did not know that St Vincent was the patron saint of winemakers...learned something new every day.
Tapestry is a winery from Australia. Nice products. I wish I could remember what they were but I didnt have a sheet on me. The thing that stood out the most was their Unoaked chardonnay... very crisp clean and not overly sweet.. The Shiraz called Bakers Gully was a little light for me. The outstanding wine was their Tapestry Cabernet...lots of sweet cedar and lush fruit. I also got to try their big boy Shiraz called The Vincent ..very big lots of extraction and for me not overly exciting for $40 plus....maybe next vintage...by the way I did not know that St Vincent was the patron saint of winemakers...learned something new every day.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
priarie organic vodka
These two gentleman, jason connelly and kip tyler, introduced a new vodka to me today...made from corn and completely organic. prairie vodka...a soft almost floral nose and sweet first impression. it doesnt have the bite that european vodka does, very smooth. lots of heat that spreads out through the mouth not just middle of the tongue.
it also is certified kosher.. it will be in the store for rosh hashanah.
it also is certified kosher.. it will be in the store for rosh hashanah.
kevin seligman and rosenblum
pity poor rosenblum in the kansas city market. it has been with three different distributors that I know of...having a home with one of the largest it will have some focus again. they produce over 60 bottlings with all their tiers. Their winery is located in Alameda, just a ferry ride away from San Fran.
the ones we tried today.
Vintners Cuvee XXX zinfandel... year in year out a crowd pleaser. dark purple, with coffee notes coming at me.. and briary..unlike the Krug though this had some nice fruit attached.
Vintners Cuvee Syrah 2005 a touch watery, a little hot at 15%, nice juice but was hoping for a little more intensity.
Richard Sauret Zinfandel... one of the many single vineyard things they do...very ripe fruit, almost port like, dark berry flavors and nice acidic finish.
the ones we tried today.
Vintners Cuvee XXX zinfandel... year in year out a crowd pleaser. dark purple, with coffee notes coming at me.. and briary..unlike the Krug though this had some nice fruit attached.
Vintners Cuvee Syrah 2005 a touch watery, a little hot at 15%, nice juice but was hoping for a little more intensity.
Richard Sauret Zinfandel... one of the many single vineyard things they do...very ripe fruit, almost port like, dark berry flavors and nice acidic finish.
negotiants with david maib
australian wines tasted here.
Oxford Landing 2006 GSM I usually like this blend of grenache, mourvedre and syrah, the nose on this was funky, like chocolate cotton candy. a mish mash of flavors that really dont gel together.
Yalumba Old Vine Grenache 2006 hot not juicy, not much going until the end and then a little cherry... again I usually like old vine grenache but this disappointed me.
Jim Barry The Cover Dive Cabernet 2005 refers to a position or game plan in cricket... I think this was a tight wine that could use age but I dont know...screw top..interesting.
Henshche Euphonium 2003 A touch of iodine on the nose, a blend of cab merlot and shiraz.. could be a little more focused especially for the money.
Oxford Landing 2006 GSM I usually like this blend of grenache, mourvedre and syrah, the nose on this was funky, like chocolate cotton candy. a mish mash of flavors that really dont gel together.
Yalumba Old Vine Grenache 2006 hot not juicy, not much going until the end and then a little cherry... again I usually like old vine grenache but this disappointed me.
Jim Barry The Cover Dive Cabernet 2005 refers to a position or game plan in cricket... I think this was a tight wine that could use age but I dont know...screw top..interesting.
Henshche Euphonium 2003 A touch of iodine on the nose, a blend of cab merlot and shiraz.. could be a little more focused especially for the money.
Charles Krug
New vintages of Krug wines, these interest me since reading the Mondavi book and how Peter and Robert came to blows, literally.
Krug Sauv Blanc 06 a touch sweet, peachy? herbal not too grassy or tart.
Krug Merlot 2005 a touch hot and tannic, would have liked more fruit.
Krug Zin 2005 Briary nose but too much alcohol and tannin...maybe in a year or so.
Krug Cabernet Yountville Nice up front fruit and grip or texture. my favorite of the bunch
Generations 04 soft and supple. 60% cab with the rest made up of bordeaux varietals and a touch of syrah.
vanilla nose, juisy silky tannins.
Krug Sauv Blanc 06 a touch sweet, peachy? herbal not too grassy or tart.
Krug Merlot 2005 a touch hot and tannic, would have liked more fruit.
Krug Zin 2005 Briary nose but too much alcohol and tannin...maybe in a year or so.
Krug Cabernet Yountville Nice up front fruit and grip or texture. my favorite of the bunch
Generations 04 soft and supple. 60% cab with the rest made up of bordeaux varietals and a touch of syrah.
vanilla nose, juisy silky tannins.
corks and forks
big tasting tonite and a lot of wine people in town for it.. they say that ones tastebuds are affected by the weather, the barometric pressure in particular. I dont know if thats the reason but a lot of the wines I tasted today came off as hot or with high alcohol levels.Not always a bad thing but usually they are integrated enough to not be that noticable.
first from derrick of bommarito.
selbach-oster riesling kabinett 2006 I will give you the notes written by the company..." a seldom seen species from the 06 vintage but i follws the wish of the winemakker to have a snappy, taut and light-ish basic wine. There's great crunch and snap and little limey puppy teeth, herbal intricacy, powdery minerality and mentholated penetration yet each sip is juicier than the last. This is about as rare as an ivory billed woodpecker in 2006." I found it to be sweeter than I expected a kab to be...honey notes and a nice roundness.
Ladera Napa Cab 2005 great wine with a lot of grip. long finish with a touch more cedar than I like but not a deal breaker. this wine is like drew barrymore, you think its a one hit wonder and then it keeps surprising you. Ladera is made on the old Chateau Woltner estate which was known for high end Chardonnay, but they took out all the Chard and planted bordeaux varietals.
Their Claret and Howell Mountain are really nice too a little pricery though
first from derrick of bommarito.
selbach-oster riesling kabinett 2006 I will give you the notes written by the company..." a seldom seen species from the 06 vintage but i follws the wish of the winemakker to have a snappy, taut and light-ish basic wine. There's great crunch and snap and little limey puppy teeth, herbal intricacy, powdery minerality and mentholated penetration yet each sip is juicier than the last. This is about as rare as an ivory billed woodpecker in 2006." I found it to be sweeter than I expected a kab to be...honey notes and a nice roundness.
Ladera Napa Cab 2005 great wine with a lot of grip. long finish with a touch more cedar than I like but not a deal breaker. this wine is like drew barrymore, you think its a one hit wonder and then it keeps surprising you. Ladera is made on the old Chateau Woltner estate which was known for high end Chardonnay, but they took out all the Chard and planted bordeaux varietals.
Their Claret and Howell Mountain are really nice too a little pricery though
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