Saturday, November 29, 2008

misc for the end of november

So as I thought there have not been a lot of new wines to try...or I have been exceedingly busy.There is a new distributor in town who is out showing some new things. Vintegrity and the wines are here.
Manifesto Sauv Blanc 2007 from the Suisun Valley which is in Contra Costa County. shades of pink grapefruit, long grassy finish and a cute label.

Fools Bay Mallee Sands Chardonnay 2007 banana and tropical fruits on the nose and sweet palate. good acidity but too sweet for me

Boxhead Australia 2006 a fun wine of cab and shirz. lovely iodine and bacon fat on the front, cocoa, mocha fleshy finish. a great buy. and very cute label

First Drop Wines The Red One Australia 2008 green nose, nice fruit on the palate but light and I cant tell if the green will go away or if its the result of young vines overcropped.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Beaujolais Nouveau

Two examples of Beaujolais Nouveau came today. DeBeouef and Mommessin. The latter comes in a plastic bottle with screwtop to be more eco friendly. traditions are falling left and right.

Italian wines with Chris from Mo Bev and Giampaolo Cherubin

Just what I don't need is another pinot grigio but the Terlan from Alto Adige 2007 is one of the best P. Grigio I have had in a long time.. pretty straw color, creamy texture., and no bitter aftertaste that I sometimes get from inexpensive PG.

Donna Laura Alteo Chianti 2006 fruity, strawberry nose and flavors a touch green that should go away with a few months in bottle.

Tolaini Valdisanti 2004 a super tuscan from the same region that some of the high end ones come from. definite cab nose and pencil lead...cedar, missing something in the mid palate but nice finish. as my boss said it is nice but so Italian.

Colle dei Venti Barbaresco 2005 earthy, dried fruits, soft tannins finish of dark cherry.

Cole dei Venti Barolo 2004 beautiful garnet to purple in the glass, dark fruits..acidity and finish are nice if light...good price for people wanting to try Barolo.

wine tastings and such

Here I thought that my wine tastings for the year are done for the most part and 3 distributors came in with new things.

2006 Shooting Star Zinfandel California Jed Steele's 2nd label...named shooting star because his middle name is Tecumseh which means shooting star pretty cedar on the nose, dark cherry fruit, nice and juicy.. soft finish.

MacRostie Keltie Brook Merlot 2003 aromas of pine needles , surprisingly dark color for the age.. lots of legs..light berry fruit. not tannic at all. unfortunately a touch to old.

Spier Steen 2007 South Africa melons, figs and nuts...sounds like a fruitcake...seet but not overly so. nice acidity.

Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir 2007 very light nose, chuncky clumbsy style. from southern chile...dried fruit on the nose...not my style even if it is cheap.

Chono Carmenere 2006 smelled like steak sauce on the nose, smoky flavors.. nice fruit, with black olive finish but too pricey for what it is.

Cuca Fresca Cachagua... a brazilian spirit... if tequila and rum had a baby that is what this would be. alcohol nose and a little lemon zest. these are popular now.

Slingshot Sauv Blanc 2007 Napa Valley herbal, creamy texture, nice blend between the grapefruit and grassy styles.

Slingshot Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Napa Definite cab nose, silky tannin, juicy fruit but not overly sweet. nice astringency for clean palate... could use a little more depth but overall for the price a nice wine.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

special wine tasting on Nov 13

Domaine de VIllaine Rully Les Saint Jacques Rully 2006is one of the value regions of Burgundy This chardonnay was nicely round with just a hint of caramel. Not overly sweet.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Oregon2006 Showing very nicely, lots of dried fruits, soft lush tannins and dark red fruits.

Fontanafredda Barbera Briccotondo 2007 a wine from the Conny Corner, lush red fruit soft tannins and a nice finish. 90 pts from Spectator a great meatloaf wine.

Rothschild Reserve Pauillac 2005 One of the best vintages for bordeaux in some time. Nice little french stink that leads to dark fruits and a long finish.

Beringer Knight Valley Cab 2005 lots more up front fruit than the Pauillac and very easy drinking

Rudd Crossroads Cab. 2005 first time to try a Rudd this wine has the french stink to it but then heads off to the lush flavors of California Cab. Will not find it in Kansas

Segla Margaux 2005 the second wine of the second wine. The big brother to this was named the #2 wine from Wine Spectator. For half the price you can experience why, lots of juicy red fruit but not sweet. I have 3 cases in the store.

scotch

For those who think I only taste wine i did experience a great scotch today.
Glenmorange Signet a combination of 20 to 30 year old single malt scotch. initial nose of light peat and wood.. light amber in color, maple,vanilla, honey and heather on the nose and surprisingly light in heat due to the high alcohol content. made in 100% missouri oak.

Southhampton Beer new to the market. Altbeer which means old beer is a zesty, enjoyable ale that seems to be good for light apps or pretzels.

Mas Foulaquier le Rollier Pic St Loup 2005 Pic St Loup is one of the hot value regions of southern France. Dark color in the glass, juicy on the palate, a bit rough in tannins but they will smooth out with age. Cedar on the nose.

Jason Maroon wines from Major Brands

Episode by Terlato. They bought the vineyards a few years back and are making a great Bordeaux style wine. This 04 is full of tannin, and tight...cedar and tobacco on the nose. Predominate Cabernet with all the other bordeaux varietals.

Verget wines from Burgundy. These were carried by Golden Barrel until recently.
2007 Verget Macon-Village... chardonnay fruit, interesting melon and fruit nose. A little light on the palate which I found all the wines to be a little dull

2006 Verget Teroirs de Cote d'or... a pleasant wine with a little acidity and nice finish. Light body. I remember it being a littlemore mineral and not so new world

2006 Verget CHablis...where is the mineral and the aciidity.. light style and pretty boring

2006 Verget Chardonnay Vauclause light yellow light finish...nice fruit but not showing well.

Verget Au fil du Temps nv which means as time goes by lots of barnyard or fecal...juicy on the palate but hard to get past the initial nose...

2006 Verget Syrah d'endes pretty purple in the glass but light and fruit, a touch of bacon fat but not nearly enough for the wine region it comes from.