Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Elderton Friends, Shiraz ’08 $18
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Angeline Merlot ’07 ($13) & Angeline Pinot Noir ’08 ($12)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Kim Crawford, Pinot Noir '08 - $18
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Willamette Wine Tasting
’09 Muller-Thurgau (close to a Sav. Blanc w/out the grapefruit flavors)
’09 Pinot Gris (citrus w/ hint of spice)
’07 Willamette pinot Noir (hint of spice on the nose, very smooth tasting and 22% new oak).
Thursday, September 2, 2010
New Beverage Trends
Benchmark Hospitality Releases Beverage Trends
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Penascal Estate, Tempranillo-Shiraz $6
Monday, June 28, 2010
Forefathers Shiraz ’05 $16
McLaran Vale, South Australia
I hadn’t heard of this wine and as many of my purchases are based on trying something within a reasonable price point, for most average wine drinkers, this one fit the bill. There are so many Shiraz wines available these days from different countries and regions. Given this scenario, I’m not sure on my thoughts yet for this varietal’s differences coming from these various regions. Either way I like it as a stand alone wine or in a blend.
With aromas of dark berries, plum and black pepper, this resembled a true Shiraz. On the first taste, a tart fruit sensation touched the outside edges of my tongue. Plum and vanilla followed although drying out quickly. On the finish, a spicy pepper and silky feel with mild oak rounded flavors out.
This wine definitely smoothed out and opened up its flavors after 30 minutes in the glass and resembled a wine at twice the cost. It’s wine maker is Nick Goldschmidt who was involved in a wine called Fidelity which was a blend I posted here last year.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wine Quest
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Brancaia “TRE” 2005 $26
Tuscany, Italy
I generally don’t rush out to purchase wines listed as “tops” in any category, unless there appears to be something noteworthy and moderately priced. In this case it was the #10 wine in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list and being priced below $30, it was worthy of a trip to hunt down locally in one my wine stores.
This is a nice blend of Sangiovese (80%), Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). With the majority being Sangiovese, you’d think this would resemble strong characteristics of a Chianti. And not that I don’t love my Chianti, but don’t be fooled. The Merlot & Cab. balance out the general sweetness of the Sangiovese and make this much less of a “fruity” arrangement than a typical Chianti. The boldness of the Cab is my guess on balancing the other two varietals.
Aromas of cherries, black currants and a hint of dust (probably from the oak aging) setup for wonderful medium body flavors. Plums and blackberries along with a mild vanilla essence balanced the fruit in this wine well. Mild tannins with a slightly dry finish leave you wanting more. It’s dark purple color, pleasing bouquet and balanced flavors make this a winner! The 2007 is out now and I’m off to find it.
Wine Maker Note:
TRE stands for the three grape varieties Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and for our three Tuscan estates – the basis for this wine. This elegant and well structured wine ages in oak casks, is easily accessible and matches every cuisine.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Villa Mt. Eden, Cabernet Sauvignon ’05 $15
Napa Valley, CA
I bought this wine completely on the experience I had with the Villa Mt. Eden, ’05 Zinfandel (see March 2009). After trying the Zin and going back to buy up as much as I could afford, I felt not trying their Cab might leave me missing out. I recommend everyone try out something new from time to time and use whatever knowledge base you want including your own tasting experience with other varietals, from the same winery.
So my Zin experience was great and I must say this Cab didn’t disappoint me. It started out with aromas of black pepper and ripe dark fruits such as plum and blackberry…kind of giving off a bold characteristic. Upon the first tastes dark cherries and an earthy, mineral sensation came on. So I decided to decant it for 20-30 minutes and WOW what a difference. Tasting it now took on a whole new group of flavors. Fruit forward with dark currants and a subtle hint of cocoa. The mineral characteristics softened leaving a nice, medium oak nuance. I’d give this wine a medium body rating and possibly light for a Cab. The blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and 2% Merlot. It definitely was easy drinking and went great accompanying a new Guy Fieri recipe of braised beef short ribs with a chipotle & dark cherry reduction.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Little Vineyards, Syrah-Zinfandel '07 ($25)
This winery has proven to be one of my all time favorites! They just don’t fail at putting out some fantastic wines. Since my visit a little over a year ago, I’ve had a wonderful, full bodied, Cabernet Sauvignon, an incredible Zinfandel and now a blend of Syrah & Zinfandel. I’m not sure if it’s in the soil, the vines or just the passion from the team of great people at Little Vineyards.
With scents of black pepper, ripe dark berries and a hint of oak, this was already proving to be a great wine from its aromas. The fruit forward tastes of dark cherries from the Zinfandel won’t leave you Zin drinkers disappointed and the medium spice from the Syrah balances the blend nicely. Tannins are mild with a smooth and easy drinking finish.
The blend is comprised of 69% Syrah and 31% Zinfandel. It’s not a large production wine with only 240 cases so if you’re interested, I believe it can only be purchased from the winery’s website. www.littlevineyards.com
Monday, April 19, 2010
Navarro Correas, Cabernet Sauvignon ’07 $10
Argentina, Mendoza
For an inexpensive bottle of Cab., I wasn’t let down. It started off with aromas of must and an earthy hint then followed by a toasted oak. A few subtle herbs and black olives on the nose brought out some interesting nuances as well.
I’d give this a medium body classification with flavors exuding chocolate, plums and ripe blackberries. With jammy fruit flavors and mild tannins, this was one of the easiest drinking Cabs I’ve had in a while yet not wimpy. It went awesome with a wood grille steak.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Valeriano, 2005 $40
Sonoma, CA
Last year I wrote about a Sangiovese from Jacuzzi Vineyards, which was a wonderful winery recommendation to visit in Sonoma. The property was beautiful and felt as if it was something out of modern day Tuscany. After trying more recognizable varietals, our tasting person recommended I try the Valeriano. So for those of you who know me, I needed to ask, “…what is it.” Well, it’s a blend of 5 grape varietals: 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 18% Cab. Franc, 9% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Sounds like something I’d very much like…and it was! So fast-forward a year and I finally taste the bottle I bought.
The aromas were of dark stone fruit such as plums and cherries along with a hint of herbs and spicy black pepper to finish. The first flavors exuded currants and dark red cherries accented with black pepper found on the nose. On the mid-palate a tart sensation toward the outer edges of the tongue along with the jammy fruit flavors of the Merlot were predominant. The Cab Sav. came to the rescue to balance out the fruit and give this wine characteristics of a “Big Red.” Finally, on the finish hints of savory herbs and a slight dryness made me wanting more.
I would pair this wine with a hearty wood grilled steak, pork tenderloin or pasta with marinara. In regards to distribution of this wine, I can’t say its widely available, however I know you can order the latest vintage from their website. www.jacuzziwines.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Layer Cake, Primitivo 2007 $17
Puglia, Italy
I first tried this wine in a local Italian restaurant. I was so happy to see it was only double retail pricing vs. so many restaurants at 3 times retail. Therefore, I didn’t waste time to find the wine for my own home enjoyment. World Market had it for $16.99 on sale so I scooped up a few bottles.
Without going into too much detail, Primitivo is the same grape as Zinfandel. So if you like red Zinfandel wines, you’ll like this one. The aromas brought out ripe strawberries and plum with a hint of mocha and spice. With the taste, I found blackberries and plum along with mid palette flavors of dark chocolate. On the finish flavors of pepper, oak and a hint of minerals rounded out this medium body wine. As the wine remained in my glass throughout the tasting, it definitely tamed the tannins to open up and become a smooth drinking selection.
I’m a big fan of red Zins and this really was wonderful pick to write about. I know Layer Cake has a few other varietals however I haven’t had the pleasure to try them. If the others are anything like the Primitivo, then we shouldn’t be disappointed.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Excelsior, Shiraz 2006 $10
South Africa
This wine came to me as a sample after inquiring about a South African Chardonnay (Indaba). I had asked the importer what other South African wines were being brought to the US and they introduced me to Excelsior Shriaz. It may sound like an awkward way to get introduced to wines although I try to reach out to importers, wineries & distributors to tell me what’s new rather than only relying on the store shelf.
This Shriaz has a deep ruby red color with aromas of dark cherries, vanilla and a hint of black olives and pepper. The tastes began with full flavors of black currants followed by dark cocoa on the mid-palate. (I forget that explaining something like mid-palate could be helpful to some...so here's a try) Simply think of the wine in your mouth and the tastes just after the first flavor sensation. That’s the mid-palate. You could also think of the “attack” as the first flavor, the “mid-palate” as the second and most compelling flavor(s) and finally the “finish” which is what’s left on your tongue after the wine leaves your mouth.
For the wine’s finish, it was a clean balance of oak and pepper. Soft tannins and a very easy drinking red all wrapped up in an affordable price tag…could you ask for more? To help locate this wine in your area, you can try here: Wine-Searcher.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
Mark Davidson, Cabernet/Merlot (NV) $14
South Eastern Australia
I first had this wine in a favorite restaurant of mine with a pecan crusted, baked snapper. Probably one of the most flavorful fish entrees I’ve ever had. The wine was on their “by-the-bottle” specials that night so I decided to try it. As the story goes for most of us once we find something we like…”where can I buy this?” Its always a challenge especially for those great restaurant wines not found in stores. It took about 6 months once I stumbled on it and I didn’t hesitate to buy a few bottles.
The wine’s fragrance was full of dark, ripe berries followed by a sweetness found in grape jam. Along with this, a bouquet of fragrant herbs was prominent. On the first taste a mouthful of ripe black berries & currants led this medium bodied, wonderfully blended wine. Through the mid palette, I found cedar and tobacco flavors with soft tannins on the finish, which are probably from the Merlot. This is such a nice drinking wine with the boldness of a Cabernet and the subtlety of a Merlot. It almost reminds me of a full bodied red Zinfandel yet not so 'fruity'.
This wine doesn’t have a vintage date, which could mean there is some blending of varietals from a neighboring year. This doesn’t bother me as it used to especially if the wine has what I like and this one will not let you down.
Mark Davidson has been making fine wines from premium vineyards in Australia for 21 years. In 1985, along with investors, Mark bought Tamburlaine Winery and has been in charge of wine production and operations. Tamburlaine has a reputation for innovation along with a focus on producing high quality wines with cutting edge and environmentally sound production techniques.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Mac Murray Ranch, Pinot Noir $17
The aromas began with bright fruit, cherries and dried mushrooms followed by a hint of Fall-like wet leaves. Sounds like a lot going on here although it was a nice rounded and balanced sensation. It helped reinforce and remind me that the aromas (or “nose”) play such an affect on the tastes which follow. This is actually a proven fact in wine tasting so don’t be shy to sniff, sniff, sniff.
The tastes were a wonderful collection of ripe cherries with a mild spice. On the finish, vanilla and a hint of chocolate were present. Very nicely balanced wine that I would categorize as easy drinking yet sophisticated in flavor composition. I had it with salmon on cedar plank and the wine was an excellent complement. Even the warm chocolate chip cookies after dinner went great with the wine.
Recently I saw this wine on sale at World Market ($16). I guess I should continue to follow up on my wine magazine notes more often.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Frick Winery “CAFÉ” Merlot, 2003 $10
With a dark, deep purple color, the aromas were full of licorice, smoke and dried dark berries. Subtle hints of cocoa and spice rounded out the nose and completely fooled me in believing this was a Merlot. I’m not an expert on determining a wine’s varietal from the smell but it’s safe to say I had not experienced these aromas in other Merlot wines.
The flavors were full of bright fruit; blueberries, blackberries and medium oak. Soft tannins and easy drinking left my pallet with a smooth, velvety finish.
I was told that the wine maker, Bill Frick had this in his oak barrels a little longer than normal, waiting to decide on what to do with the wine. In guessing, it must have been a choice between selling the wine, possibly for blending or bottling it. Good thing he chose to bottle it.
I’ve never had a Merlot like this and if its any sign of other wines Frick is making, I’ll be sure to search out others. I do know they take great care in their wine making from information posted on their website. Small batches and time tested techniques are their claim. You can visit them at www.frickwinery.com