Tuesday, September 27, 2011

B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (California)

When I purchased this wine I was looking for a Cab and this was the recommendation from the shop owner. It was a reluctant purchase as I had never heard anything about the winery.

Ruby red in color and the smell was terrific. On the nose a sort of smoky, red current aroma. On the Palate heavy on the berry, fruit forward full in flavor and a long finish. Improved substially with air, although no decanting needed, it is a ready to pour and enjoy. It is a nice drinking wine, pairs well with steaks and mushrooms

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Trentadue Block 500 Merlot 2008 (California)

Merlot Alexander Valley Sonoma California.

This wine is garnet red on the pour, very nice color. On the nose very fruity with some spice and a bit of cedar. On the Palate it's fruity and lush with cherry and boysenberry, I get a bit of cigar tobacco but not everyone does. It's a nice wine much as I anticipated it would be.



Some of the characteristics you'll pick up in various Merlots include:
Fruits - plum, cherry, blackcurrant
Lightly oaked - vanilla, coconut
Heavily oaked - smoke, tar, oak
Floral - violet and rose
Spices - mint, caramel, cloves, bay leaves
Bottle age - mushroom, earth, coffee, leather, cigar

Saturday, September 17, 2011

2009 Ercavio Tempranillo (Spain)

This is a 100% Tempranillo Roble wine from Bodegas Ercavio in Toledo/La Mancha, Spain.  Ahhh, tempranillo!  Such a seductive varietal, invoking images of rocky, terraced ledges of vineyards clinging to life in a harsh climate that produce wonderful, resilient grapes with concentrated flavors of toasted spice, dark cherry fruit, vanilla, minerality and a hint of smoke.  This is a wine that is bold, yet understated; savory, yet smooth; quaint, yet haunting. Aged in French Oak, highly drinkable and promises to be a treasured possession in any wine cellar, but one that will not remain uncorked for long. 



 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lunta Malbec 2008 (Argentina)

100% Malbec Mendoza Region

Where do I begin, this wine is gorgeous in the glass, on the nose, on the Palate and at the finish.

On the pour Lunta is a deep rich dark red and on the nose spice, chocolate. lavender and woods. On the Palate there is intense flavors of raspberry, black current (aka Cassis) leather and a hint of balsamic, blackberry and plum on the long alluring finish. Light bodied and brilliant wine!

Excellent wine to drink alone or with food such as roast pork, ribs and maybe a gourmet pizza with Feta and Artichoke.




If you read the back of the bottle you will read a bit more about this wine, which I think is wonderful information. I always did like a wine that has a story, so I always look for the story on the back of the bottle.

This wine is from the southernmost parcel of the Mendoza region in Argentina. The vineyard location is Lujan de Cuyo-3280 feet above sea level and the vineyards were planted in 1928. Does anyone remember what they were doing in 1928? I don't either, lol. So the vines are 83 years old which could make this an old vine wine perhaps, if you think in those terms. What I find interesting is some of the vines that produced this amazing wine are older than most of us today. In most vineyards new vines are planted yearly but they still have the grandparent and in this case the great grandparent vines which started it all.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Stemmari Arancio Nero d'Avola Sicilia 2009 (Italy Sicily)

This was another bottle that spoke to me, of course I asked Stewart
(wine guru) and he recommended it!

This wine pours deep red and is light bodied. On the nose you can smell the fruit, cranberry perhaps. On the Palate this wine is soft with flavors of cranberry, cinnamon a bit of smoke and some violet. Not allot of tannin are present.

I served this wine with stuffed Italian peppers and it was a great pairing. See my full pour...lol!



Nero d'Avola is "the most important red wine grape in Sicily and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily and its wines are compared to New World Shirazes, with sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavours. It also contributes to Marsala blends.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Kim Crawford 'Unoaked' Chardonnay 2009 (New Zealand)

This wine was a recommendation from a wine shop owner I frequent in Missouri. I was looking for something different and had tried other 'unoaked' Chardonnays but never one from New Zealand and I liked it!

In the glass it is straw in color. On the nose citrus and floral notes and on the palate, soft with a creamy texture and delicate pear, peach and citrus flavors. Appealing for its light touch and details of spice.


A double review..WOW! I have also had the 2010 Kim Crawford 'unoaked" Chardonnay and is was as enjoyable as the 2009, perhaps a touch of butterscotch the 2009 did not exhibit but just as nice and round with an oak free finish.


Valley of the Moon Chardonnay 2009 Unoaked (California)

On a trip to Eureka Springs Arkansas we stopped at this unique little wine bar called The Stone House Wine Bar.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stone-House/361620917920 
I recommend it if you are ever in the area. The atmosphere is amazing and they have a great selection of wine by the glass or by the bottle. They will open a bottle to let you taste it if you request, which we thought was wonderful! Look for the inuksuk on the sign and you have found the place!

Being a rather warm day we decided we wanted a refreshing white wine, we tasted a couple and decided on Valley of the Moon Chardonnay. It's an unoaked Chardonnay so more fruit quality and no oak. Great little wine, I think we purchased it for around $20 a bottle at The Stone House however if you were purchasing a bottle at a wine shop itis around $12 to $15.

In the glass this wine is a light sundress yellow. On the nose, lots of citrus, refreshing to smell with delicate aromas. On the palate this wine is equally refreshing to taste with white plum, pear, citrus and mineral notes. Complex flavors of nectarine, kiwi and green apple play on your taste buds with enough acidity to make it interesting and a beautiful creamy pear richness for the finish.

Of course we finished the bottle and I purchased a bottle on the way home.


Chardonnay wine grapes can be fermented and aged in any container that doesn’t leak but the predominant vessels these days are oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The winemaker’s choice of vessel determines the flavor profile of the finished wine. Stainless steel fermented and aged wines tend to express more forward fruit aromas and flavors while those fermented in barrels absorb wood, vanilla, baking spice and other barrel character from the oak.

Codice Vino de la Tierra de Castilla 2008 (Spain)

Tempranillo


Another Tempranillo and just as alluring as the last. The pasta was stuffed conchiglione, and the basis for the sauce was a mid tier brand. I added some of the tempranillo, some EVOO, some seasonings, red onions, fresh pressed garlic, mild Italian cheeses topped with Asiago.

The wines pours purplish/ruby with wide ruby rim. On the nose low intensity, young, spicy, dark fruit, cherry perhaps. On the palate mildly tart on the tongue, first notes are mildly jammy, fruity with a quick finish.
 

The idea of pairing wines with food has always been an interesting vocation, an idea that needs more food for thought. I’m concluding this wine would have been perfectly paired with a black cherry reduction sauce over pork loin and roasted root vegetables. 

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Quintay Pinot Noir 2007 (Chile)

We first tried this Wine at a tasting a little over a year ago and really enjoyed it, so much so that we purchased half a case and decided to age a few bottles. We opened a bottle immediately and really enjoyed it, about 6 months later opened another bottle and we were not very impressed, it seemed to be going through some sort of phase and tasted too mineraly and not many other flavors could be distinguished.  

A year passed and I opened another bottle...VERY GOOD!

Dark red in the glass. On the nose blackberry and cherry juice and quite a bit of herb and a wild intense aroma of outdoors, almost like you are smelling the vineyard itself. On the Palate red current, pepper, raspberry but there is something else, an intentness that is hard to describe like a wild berry or fruit you have never tasted before like something from the Garden of Eden. A lively very complex Pinot with plush juicy fruit and minerally notes on the finish.

Pinot Noir has been for a long time my most favored of wines. The flavors can be amazing, intense and unforgetable.



Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis Vinifera. Noir meaning black in French and Pinot the French word for Pine alluding to the grape variety's tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.
Pinot noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgandy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. It is one of the most difficult grapes to grow and make into fine wine. It is also one of the very best when it is done properly. It has very specific requirements for its growing conditions.  It needs warm days and cool nights. If Pinot Noir receives too little heat in the growing season, its wines are thin and pale.  If the growing season is too warm, the wines have an overripe, cooked flavor.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Leone de Castris Verdeca Bianco Messapia 2009 (Italy)

100% Verdeca

This was my 2nd bottle of this wine. The first bottle I had, well I was not real impressed, maybe my palate was off and that does happen but this bottle was great! I served it with Mango Chicken and Mediterranean couscous, the pairing was phenomenal.

Color is light straw with green highlights. One the nose allot of citrus and white peach, lots of white peach, delicate and floral. On the palate this wine was crisp, clean and very refereshing with a hint of lime on the finish. This is a great wine for anyone I think, even those friends who are wine beginners.


Verdeca is an ancient Greek varietal that produces wines that are crisp, refreshing and floral. This wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel to retain the fresh character of the grape.