The Blog Wine Cellar

Attention Wine Salesmen!! You've gotta see this!

2009-11-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

To anyone who has sold wine wholesale in the past or for those of you who think you might one day, You need to watch this! It's hilarious how much this explains about the selling wine and how wine sales managers micro-manage you and force you to sell crappy wine to retailers who don't need it! Excuse the foul language but I think it makes it even funnier!

2005 Russian Hill Pinot Noir

2009-11-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

This Pinot was brought over to my house on my birthday by a close friend. It was one of several Pinot's brought to the house but as always Russian River Pinots demand strict attention because of the reputation of the appellation. I for one have very scarcely found a Pinot from the Russian River Valley that was of poor quality. Yes, I have found a few that were a bit to heavy and over the top for my liking, but the quality is almost always present.

Russian Hill Estate is a famliy owned and operated outfit located in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Edward Gomez and Ellen Mack established the winery in 1997 after a two-year intensive search for the appropriate site. The winemaker Patrick Melley is a self taught winemaker that has developed his craft with a firm trust in his "discriminating palate". For more info. on the winery and people behind this bottle visit : Russian Hill Winery

Now this bottle I am reviewing is their Estate Vineyards Pinot and is just one of various bottlings this winery produces. I did enjoy an older library Syrah that I will write up shortly too that I thought was quite impressive.

On the nose this wine shows notes of blueberry, plum, Bing cherry, and hints of prune. It has the distinctive quality and scent of Pinot grown in the Russian River AVA in that it has a wildness and big bright fruit quality. This wine is almost five years old already and thus shows some unique hints of prune but I though it was pleasantly complex.

On the palate the wine is full and rich in texture and exudes flavors reminiscent of ripe black cherry and plums. There is still some very nice sharp acidity although the tannins are now well integrated. I did get a slight bit of alcohol on the finish but for a wine marked at 14.4% I didn't find it overly intrusive.

This wine is very nice stuff and has held up really well for the last five years. The color of the wine is slightly faded as to be expected and has a subtle red-orange tinge to it. A very nice effort indeed. 89 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

2007 Coppola Director's Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-11-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

So I originally thought this wine was just a new version of the "Director's Cut" label. However, the Francis Ford Coppola winery offers three distinct tiers within the Directors family of products.

There is this wine (Director's) which is the least expensive and is a Sonoma County appellation wine that is an easy drinking and approachable style. Then there is the (Director's Cut) which showcases several sub-appellations of Sonoma County such as Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast. Finally, there is the (Cinema) which is a limited production blend of Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley fruit.

On the nose I get lots of candied fruit, black raspberry, hints of green pepper, and some cedar and oak notes. There is also secondary aromas of potting soil, tar, and tart cherry.

(I'm aware one cannot smell "sour or tart" but the wine smells like a sour cherry would smell!!)

On the palate those candied fruit flavors continue to register with raspberry, black cherry, hints of cedar and spice, and a touch of pepper on the finish. It falls off a bit on the finish and doesn't exhibit a whole lot of depth, but it's more of a fruity style.

This wine delivers befitting quality for the price point, but it's not a wine with intense complexities or one that makes you think. It's just an everyday type quaff and one that you could enjoy with a wide variety of foods. If you see it on a wine list and are looking for a lighter style Cabernet with a nice fruity quality, then this may be a good play. 86 points

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2005 Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Merlot

2009-11-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

I'm a huge fan of many of the wines made at Freemark. In fact I even had the opportunity to sell the wines a one point in my wine career and visited the winery a couple years ago. It's a wonderful place with lots of history and some really nice wines.

The 2005 Merlot is composed of 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petite Sirah and was sourced from vineyards 9-16 years in age. The wine was aged 12 - 14 months in French and American oak (30% new wood) barrels and 165o cases were produced for the 05' vintage.

On the nose I get the obvious presence of oak and in particular I smell the typical characteristics of pine and dill that are associated with new American wood. There is also some nice peppery notes that combine with dark chocolate, mixed berry, and mulberry scented potpourri.

On the palate this wine packs a full punch and dense texture. There is very nice fruit density and weight and you get the sense that the wine over-delivers for the price point in terms of being a full bodied and rich wine. Mixed berry, chocolate cover raspberry sticks, blackberry jam, and oak are just some of the intense flavors I get when tasting the wine.

Overall this wine is very well made and I love the fact that it has very ripe fruit and doesn't show any "greeness" that sometimes young Merlot can display. 90 points

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Avoiding wine headaches

2009-10-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

I actually don't have the magic cure to avoiding wine headaches. However, what works for me is eating a huge Italian dinner and then drinking a boat load of water with a few Advil right before I go to bed! People like to blame Sulfites, Tannins, Histamines, ect.... but I think it's just a straight up lack of H2o and a good hearty meal.

Here are a few articles on the subject so you can investigate and see what works best for you:

Red wine headache - Wikipedia

Red Wine Headaches

How to Avoid Wine Headaches

Wine and Headaches

How to Avoid the Red Wine Headache

Red Alert: taming the red wine headache

Red Wine Headache vs. Sulfite Allergy

If you try all these things and still can't figure out how to kick the headache issue, I know of some really good beer blogs out there that are amazing for beer drinkers! In fact I'm in the process of building an in-depth beer blog as we speak! My Beer Blog

2004 Chateau La Vieille Cure - Fronsac

2009-10-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Geeeez! I love Bordeaux! I tell most my wine geek buddies that it's the region I would choose if I only had one wine to drink for the rest of my life. (Champagne is a close second....then perhaps Montalcino)

Anyways as I sit here writing this, the glass of the wine that I poured to write this post is literally filling the room with amazing ripe plum and blackberry aromas. I haven't even tasted it yet and I'm drooling here in my seat! Darn it....I should have made this a more religious experience and chopped up some cheese and broke out those tasteless, cardboard-like, white crackers! Oh well, the wine will have to provide all the enjoyment.

So this Chateau was built in 1823 and is literally surounded by vineyards that have been making wines for centuries. Fronsac is a region located west of Saint Emilion and is known for producing wines made mostly of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

From what I gathered from Michael Skurnik's website, this wine is composed of 80% Merlot with the rest being made up of both Cab and Cab Franc. The back label state's that it's aged for 18 months in oak barrels and it's bottled at the estate.

On the nose I get intense black plum aromas that combine with mocha, tar, pencil led, cassis, and maybe a little touch of anise. If you search hard enough you can get the slightest touch of terroir that sneaks through in the form of a minerally soil complex and some crushed rocks.

On the palate the wine has a very sensual texture and some polished but very firm tannins. The plum flavors are still present but the black currant has definitely taken center stage! I get a very intense black tea component too that is sort of sophisticated.....haha that's sounds stuffy huh! CAUTION - This is a wine that is not suited for the fruit lover. It has loads of depth and complexity but speaks black currant, tea, tar, cassis, pencil led, paint, and grit. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

I find that with places like Chateau La Vieille Cure that have been in existence for well over a hundred years, they really know about how to make wine that expresses the soil. This is Fronsac my friends, clay and limestone soils and some really bomb Merlot. Remember that this property is on a plateau that over looks Pomerol, so when we speak about the essence of Merlot, this is it.

Intense, dry, seductive, sophisticated.....haha, complex, terroir-driven, and hmm.. 92 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Don't be afraid to return a corked bottle

2009-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

I think a lot of times we as consumers or "polite" individuals fail to claim what's ours. We think that by returning a flawed or broken item that we are somehow hurting someone or something. We say to our self, "I wonder what the store manager will say?" when returning a defective gadget. Listen people, if it's broken or flawed then it's just that .... BROKEN and FLAWED!

Now I understand that with wine it's a bit different. We sometimes don't trust our judgement or feel that the retailer will disagree and make us feel stupid. What I've come to realize it that who really cares what they do or say! They still need to get the bottle replaced for us or we will just take our wine business elsewhere and most likely never return.

This is a principle that us here on the west coast are still developing. Most of us were brought up being taught not to dispute things that seemed wrong or out of place. People back east in New York and so on, have absolutely no problem telling you how it is and how it's gonna be. They're not afraid to get their money's worth and most the time couldn't care less about what people say or think about it.

Moral of the story: If you have a corked-ass bottle of wine then return it pronto! Trust me, you won't be hurting anyone's feeling by proclaiming that the juice is hardly drinkable and it's not what you paid for. If they say anything to make you feel uncomfortable then just advise them that you will gladly take you lifetime wine business to another shop.

2006 Layer Cake Cotes du Rhone

2009-10-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've tasted pretty much every wine under this label and as far as I'm concerned the wines are marginal at best. This is their interpretation of a Cotes du Rhone wine made from 100% Syrah sourced from "all four departments of the Rhône, centered around Chateauneuf du Pape." As far as barrel fermentation or other winemaking tech notes, the info. was not available. I do know it's a 15,000 case production.

On the nose I get aromas of mixed berry and concord grape jelly. The fruit smells a bit artificial and hi-c like and there is a distinct metallic note often found in cheaply made wines. There is also a greenish peppery hue that peaks through the fruit and adds a bit of complexity.

On the palate the wine shows some quick upfront berry notes and then turns green and slightly bitter and disjointed towards the finish. They say on the label and in the tech sheet that this wine is "rich", but I actually find it to be light to medium bodied. The wine has little to no finish but a bit of pepper and alcohol are what do linger on the palate.

I'll be completely honest, this wine pisses me off. It's a very poor representation of Syrah, it's a very poor representation of the Rhone valley, and it's really a piss poor representation of wine.

If someone tasted me blind on this stuff my first guess would be cheap Australian critter wine. There are plenty of really good Cotes du Rhone wines out there for the same price or less, so do yourself a favor and leave this one for the label hunters. 75 points

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2004 Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-10-11T06:13:00.001-07:00

The 2004 Arrowood Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (89.9%), Merlot (7.2%), Malbec (1.6%), Petit Verdot (1.3%). The fruit is sourced from several vineyard sites throughout Sonoma County and is aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels.

This winery has been around for quite sometime and was once thought of as one of the premiere wineries in all of California. Over the years it has lost some of it's "press kudos" if you will, but the wines are still magnificent. Dick Arrowood is a legend in Sonoma county and his first wines he made at Chateau St. Jean may have well put them on the map.

This dark and deeply colored Cabernet has beautiful aromas of blackberry, black licorice, vanilla, cedar, cassis, sandalwood, and violet. There are multiple layers of aroma complex that unfold in the glass with exposure to oxygen. Savory chocolate, pan grille, and bacon notes are secondary characteristics that I began to notice while the wine opened up. There is also the distinct aromas profile only found in wines aged in American oak. It's hard to distinguish but it comes across to me a pine and/or dill sometimes.

On the palate the wine is very robust and spicy, but carries along with it beautiful flavors of black currant, cassis, blackberry, and licorice. This wine has a major skeleton and backbone that speaks of ageability and power. The texture is smooth and velvety but with very firm tannins on the finish. It's powerful wine, but full of grace and very well made. 92 points

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Wine is almost always better the second day opened

2009-10-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

I'm never shocked anymore to realize that after a day spent waiting in my refrigerator, the bottle of Cabernet I opened seems to taste better after being exposed to oxygen for a night. I'm not a scientist so I have no idea as to the chemical exchange that takes place with wine and oxygen, but the proof is in the bottle and it just tastes smoother and more balanced.

Now I'm not suggesting that you take every bottle of wine and open it a day before consuming, but what I do suggest is that with your big reds such as (Cabernet, Brunello, Shiraz, and most Clarets) that you save at least half the bottle for the next day. I can't tell you how much this technique has changed my perspective of some wines which were hardly drinkable the first day opened.

2008 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay

2009-09-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I don't review many everyday table wines here on the Blog Wine Cellar, but it's not because I think I'm somehow too good for a bottle of wine under ten dollars. In fact I enjoy drinking quality wines in a lower price tear because I feel that there is something special about the wine being the compliment to the meal or the dinner table and not so much the wine always being the main center piece.

The Private Selection Chardonnay from Mondavi is primarily sourced from graped grown in California's Central coast. I do know that although it's a very large production that they do partially barrel ferment this wine and the rest goes through stainless steel.

On the nose I get lemon pudding, lots of buttery oak, and even a touch of banana peel. It actually has a pretty nice aroma complex that isn't always available in cheaper Chardonnay. It's a bit too oaky for my liking and I tend to gravitate to Central Coast Chard that is on the crisper and fruit driven side.

On the palate the wine shows good balance and some nice acidity. I get pretty standard flavors of apple, melon, citrus, and a good dose of oak and buttered toast on the finish. The alcohol peers through a bit on the finish but not enough to be turned off. It an absolutely serviceable wine that wouldn't offend at the dinner table. 85 points

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2008 Merry Edwards Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc

2009-09-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Sauvignon Blanc is usually one of the more uninteresting varietals for myself and my palate. I taste quite a few of them and yet I'm almost always underwhelmed. However, I've tasted this wine twice in previous vintages and know that it usually has quite a bit of depth and complexity. Now whether this has to do with the fact that it's barrel fermented or the fruit source is just amazing, I do not know. What I do know is that it's the best Sauvignon Blanc I've ever tasted.

On the Nose I get amazing aromatics of mandarin, lime zest, white flower, orange blossom, honey suckle, guava, baked apple, and honey dew melon. There are some really nice creamy bread notes as well. One thing Sauvignon Blanc more often then not excels in is the aroma department, and this wine has an absolutely brilliant bouquet.

On the palate the first thing that speaks to me is the amazingly round and dense texture. The wine has great acidity and sharpness that shows up after the initial creamy and thick texture. I get intense and mouthwatering flavors of yellow apple, tangerine, lemon-lime, honey dew melon, honey suckle, cream, and just the slightest hint of toast. There is also great mineral and crushed rock notes that show up towards the finish that add to the complexity.

I'd like to mention the length and intensity of the finish of this wine. I'm not sure I've ever had a white wine that has such an intense and long finish. The flavors just keep exploding and unfolding on the finish for minutes after the initial sip. It's really no wonder that this wine gets such amazing press year after year.

Simply the best Sauvignon Blanc on the planet. 97 Points

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2006 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir

2009-09-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve is made from fruit sourced primarily from estate vineyards grown in the Dundee Hills (59%) and Eola Hills (41%). It's a blend of various Pinot Noir Clones such as Pommard (27%), Dijon (55%), and Wadenswil (18%).

This has been one of my favorite wines for quite some time. I used to sell it wholesale about three or four years ago and had the opportunity to taste it several times and every time it is great. I also was able to meet Ken & Grace Evenstad when I went to Oregon Pinot Camp a few months back. We did one of our tastings at their beautiful property and then had the famous "salmon bake" close by as well.

This wine is quite typical of the 2006 vintage in Oregon. It has the characteristics of a warm and classic vintage that allowed the fruit to fully ripen and for the tannins to become soft and integrated. The 06' vintage is much more voluptuous and and round then the recent 07' wines and the Evenstad Reserve is the pinnacle of that example.

The more I taste wines from Willamette the more I'm convinced that this place really surpasses the quality of Pinot made in California as a whole. The acidity and balance of these wines can only be matched by Burgundy, but the purity of fruit is unparalleled.

When serving this wine remember to give it ample time to open up and breath because upon opening this wine it took about 15 minutes to start to open up and really show it's aroma profile. If you have a decanter I strongly suggest rolling it out!

On the nose I get aromas of big black cherry, sarsaparilla, licorice, very pure black raspberry, strawberry strudel, coco, cedar, and cola nut. There is a great purity about the fruit in this wine and the one constant theme throughout smelling and drinking this wine is the absence of any funk or secondary elements of terroir. I'm not saying the wine lacks a sense of place, but it just isn't earthy at all.

On the palate I get amazingly rich, powerful, round, and voluptuous fruit flavors. There are amazing pure black cherry notes that combine with hints of strawberry pie, cola, cedar spice, and dark chocolate. It a savory and sexy wine that shows a full throttle richness and depth and long and extended finish.

I truly believe that only in Oregon's Willamette valley can you find this kind of wine. It's perfectly balanced wine with sharp acidity, the purest of fruit flavors, and a seamless tannin structure. The only thing that keeps it from being a perfect wine is that secondary tier of complexity that just may develop in bottle with some time in the cellar. Amazing Stuff!!! 94 points

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2007 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir

2009-09-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir is sourced from seven different vineyards located in the central part of the Russian River Valley appellation. Those Seven vineyards are Castaldi, Copain, Nonella, O’Neel, Amber Ridge, Keefer and Koplen. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 16 months (46% new wood).

It's not that often that I get to taste the Pinot's from Kosta Browne because of the high demand and small quantity produced. However, with the economy in a down turn I was easily able to acquire this bottle and just couldn't wait to crack it open to see what it was all about.

On the nose I get aromas of deep strawberry preserve, intense cherry, sandalwood, kirsch, cinnamon, brown spice, and a touch of mineral and/or crushed rock. The bouquet is quite tight at the moment but with some aeration it seems to open up a bit and show some of it's layers. I do believe with some bottle age the bouquet will develop positively and be more profoundly nuanced.

On the palate the wine shows great intensity of fruit and good purity as well. There are some very nice ripe bing cherry notes that combine with red raspberry, blood orange, toast and perhaps a touch of smoked meat, sassafras, and toasted oak on the finish. The finish is long and extended with those same toasted oak notes that continue to linger.

It a very round and texture wine with not a lot of flaws. I would prefer a bit more edge and sharpness in acidity but the wine is clearly well made. It has intense fruit on the palate but just lacks the extra layer of complexity to make it great wine. 91 points

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2006 Girard Russian River Chardonnay

2009-09-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

This Russian River Chardonnay was hand sorted and gently whole cluster pressed directly into 50% new and 50% once used French oak barrels. Another cool note about the vinification process was that the wine was fermented with 100% native wild yeasts and the wine went through 100% native malolactic fermentation and was aged sur lies for 10 months.

On the nose I get aromas of baked apple, lemon curd, mineral, star fruit, guava, white flower, and a touch of buttered toast and toasted oak. I also get the strong impression that this wine is distinctly Russian River Chardonnay because it appears to be cool weather Chard and doesn't appear at all fat or over ripe.

On the palate I get flavors of lemon curd, yellow apple, poached pear, toast, and caramel. The texture is ribboned and balanced with good acid and great oak integration. The sur lie aging added a nice richness and thickness to the wine that helps it linger on the palate. The finish is long and shows brilliant notes of baked apple, toast, fig, ripe cantaloupe, and pear.

This wine is very well made and a very quality wine for the price. I also had it with my dinner which was breaded chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn, and it pair beautifully. It lacks the "it" factor to make it a classic but is very good wine. 90 points

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2005 Château Prieuré-Lichine

2009-09-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Château Prieuré-Lichine is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It currently consists of about 70 hectares planted with 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.

After fermenting in concrete and stainless steel vats, the wine is aged for up to 16 months in 55 percent new oak barrels. This wine is also classified as one of ten Quatrièmes Crus (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

The color of this wine is quite dark and has a dark red core with vibrant and young ruby red shades towards the edges of the glass.

On the nose I get amazing aromas of violets, dried flowers, black plum, black cherry, chocolate truffle, cedar, and leather. On the palate the wine shows nuances of black cherry, licorice, tar, blackberry, leather, mineral, crushed rocks, meat and jerky, and a touch of pencil lead.

The fruit flavors are very organic in nature and taste like "real fruit" and don't have any candied flavors to them. It's like eating a bowl of fresh black cherries! The finish is very long and extended and nuances of ripe cherry, leather, cedar, and dark chocolate grace the palate for at least a few minutes.

I think it's important to talk about the structure of this wine and the amazing ripeness of the tannins. It's a polished and refined wine that shows the perfect balance of alcohol, acid, and tannin. I love the fact that I can't detect too much of an "oak" influence on this wine and the fruit shows great purity.

This wine is a great testament to an amazing vintage in Bordeaux. I have only tasted a handful of wines from the 05' Bordeaux vintage and all been immaculate so far. What's great about this wine is it's amazing approachability in it's youth and with a little oxygen this wine drinks amazingly and I find it hard to put down my glass. 93+ points

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2004 Cuvaison Napa Valley Merlot

2009-08-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

Cuvaison is a winery that has been around for quite some time and has been producing quality wines from their Carneros and Mount Veeder estate vineyards since 1969.

This Merlot is sourced from their 400 acre estate vineyard in the Carneros AVA in southern Napa. The wine is composed of 88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Syrah. The wine is aged for 16 months in small French oak barrels, 40 % new French oak.

On the nose I get aromas of rustic mountain blackberry, sandalwood, mocha, vanilla, and perhaps a tiny hint of pepper. It smells like cooler weather Merlot and doesn't necessarily show a lot of ripe voluptuous fruit. It has a spicy and almost green-like character with some cedar notes.

On the palate I get flavors of rich blackberry, vanilla, mocha, cedar, and peppery spice. It's a dry style wine with a nice smooth texture but doesn't show enough sweetness and fruit for my liking. It finishes dry with a touch of green and cedar flavored tannin. It's rustic and reminds me of Malbec.

It's more of a food wine then a stand alone drinking Merlot. I can see this wine pairing nicely with a peppered flank steak or perhaps herb marinated lamb. For the price ($25-30) I would say it's a definite pass and an average Merlot at best. 85 points

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2001 Nittnaus Riesling Beerenauslese

2009-08-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

I first tasted this Austrian Beerenauslese at a distributor trade show about three years ago. At the time it was one of the better dessert wines I had tasted from Austria and I was quite impressed with the QPR when comparing it to the sweet wines of Germany and France. I'm not too educated on Austrian wines but what I do know is that this wine is from a place called Gols that is well known for it's sweet wines.

The wine has a quite golden and almost orange-like color, which I'm sure is the product of being in the bottle now for eight years. The wine was harvested at 320g of sugar per liter of wine and is 12.5% alcohol by volume.

On the nose I get powerful aromas of apricot nectar, orange marmalade, honey, lime peel, and perhaps a hint of pine sap.

On the palate this wine continues to show quite distinct flavors of apricot nectar, along with the honey, marmalade, and slight hints of pine that were fore mentioned. The apricot flavors linger onto the finish along with a hint of ginger snap.

The wine has a sleek texture and a nice acidity but is perhaps a touch passed it's prime drinking age. When it was fresher it showed a brighter acidity and was a touch more balanced with the alcohol. Still the wine is very nice and would be nice with blue cheese and select desserts. 90 points

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2006 Viniterra Select Malbec

2009-08-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sourced from the "Villa Rosa" vineyard in Mendoza's Lujan del Cuyo appellation, this Malbec is aged in both French and American oak barrels for a total of 12 months. The wine goes through all the standard and advanced vinification processes such as malolactic fermentation, cold soaking, and filtering.

This darkly colored wine (almost black) has an expressive nose of black cherry, black raspberry pie filling, cassis, savory dark chocolate, and hints of peppery earth and vanilla.

On the palate there are rich black fruit flavors of cassis, currant, and blackberry. There is also secondary nuances of vanilla, dark chocolate, cedar, spice, and black pepper.

In my opinion this wine is a very nice representation of the varietal. It's still rustic and a bit earthy, but the fruit is ripe and full. The wine finishes with some firm tannin but doesn't have tremendous length or weight which is the reason the wine falls just short of being great. Overall it's a pretty nice effort though. 89 points

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2007 Viniterra Pinot Noir

2009-08-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Viniterra Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir sourced from Mendoza's Lujan de Cuyo area in Argentina. From what I gather from the tech data in Spanish, this wine is stainless steel fermented.

On the nose I get hints of herb, over ripened strawberry, cranberry, and pepper. It's slightly green in character and really reminds me of what a cheap Merlot can often smell like.

On the palate this is exactly what the wine tastes like to me - Cheap Merlot! The wine is quite vegetal with some peppery notes and hints of prune and blackberry. The finish is quite bitter and ends with woody, peppery, and green notes.

I really hate to do this to a wine but I have to be completely honest with myself. This may be the poorest attempt at a Pinot Noir I have ever witnessed. I don't catch one nuance that would signal to me that this wine is made from this grape varietal. In fact if this wine were Merlot, I probably would have scored it higher because it at least resembles the variety. 62 points

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2008 Bodega Don Cristobal 1942 Verdelho

2009-08-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy these clean and crisp wines during the summer and what's even better is that they are often amazingly aromatic and complex white wines.

Verdelho is a grape varietal that is indigenous to Portugal and is one of the most widely planted white grape varietals on the island of Madeira.

This Verdelho is actually made from grapes planted in Argentina's most well known wine appellation, Mendoza. The tech data was somewhat difficult to track down but I believe the wine is stainless steal fermented because I don't detect any oak influence, but it's quite possible it sees some neutral oak barrels. The texture of the wine is notably rounded and a bit oily.

The Bouquet expresses extremely fragrant aromas of bright grapefruit, mandarin, kiwi, lime, honeydew melon, and Acacia flower. It's actually one of the more fragrant white wines I have smelt in a long time. It's almost like a Sauvignon Blanc with much of the aromas but perhaps a bit more exotic.

On the palate the wine has a round and weighty texture which is the only thing that makes me wonder if the wine is fully fermented in steel, or if it sees some neutral oak. The flavors profile is largely dominated by citrus fruits such of pink grapefruit, mandarin, clementine, and tangelo. There is also some nice tropical notes of kiwi and a hint of honeysuckle or white blossom.

It's a very interesting wine that is quite expressive both on the nose and the palate. The ideal food pairing is quiet perplexing to me, but I believe seafood is the best bet. The only thing I would worry about is the wine overpowering delicate flavored seafood. If any of you foodies have a food pairing suggestion I would love to hear about it! 87 Points

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2001 Napa Cellars Syrah

2009-08-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

My buddy who works for the distributor that sells Napa Cellars gave me this bottle and I was quite surprised it was an 01' vintage and he still had access to it. Maybe the sell through on the old packaging was really poor or perhaps the wine sucks! I guess we'll find out right now won't we!

I couldn't find any tech data on the wine and the Napa Cellars website only had the info. on the current releases. So we'll have to do without that and just taste the darn thing.

Right off the bat I notice that the wine has an amazingly dark color and when I poured it into the glass I also noticed a good amount of sediment stuck to the inside of the bottle. The cork was also quite tattooed with black paint-like residue.

On the nose I get aromas of creme de cassis liqueur, buttered toast with blackberry jam, and loads of coconut-like oak. The oak is quite dominate and almost cartoonish with it's piña colada and cream pie aromas.

On the palate the wine is pretty much dominated by these same piña colada, banana cream pie, and way over-oaked flavors. I can taste a bit of cassis and blackberry through all the oak, but to be truthful it's really hard to enjoy this wine. It finishes with some chunky tannin and a dose of alcohol too.

I guess until now I hadn't really experienced an aged Syrah that had been made in this oaky and manipulated style. I can tell you that the fruit is still pretty cloaked and hidden behind the cream and toast. As the wine opens up a bit the flavors do improve but the wine is still mediocre at best. I would imagine that this winery has improved upon this wine in the last decade and hopefully they have eased off a bit on the barrel regimen. 83 points

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Champagne Video from Maison Louis Roederer

2009-08-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

CHAMPAGNE ROEDERER, A LA RECHERCHE DE L'OEUVRE
Uploaded by TAC_CREATIVE - Discover more animation and arts videos.

2002 Hawley Merlot - Dry Creek Valley

2009-08-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

The 2002 Hawley Merlot is made entirely from estate grown fruit that is sourced from Hawley's vineyards located on Bradford Mountain, overlooking the Dry Creek Valley.

The wine is composed of mostly Merlot but there is a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon (6%) that is blended in to add complexity to the final product. The small 402 case production was aged for a total of 20 months in 50% new French oak barrels and 50% used French oak.

On the nose I immediately noticed the distinct aroma of Brettanomyces which in most cases doesn't bother me, and for those of us who enjoy French wine it might even be quite appealing! There are also some very nice cherry and chocolate nuances that I find quite enjoyable, but the saddle leather and soil characters are what dominate the nose.

On the palate I get ripe black cherry flavors, coupled with hints of leather and semi-sweet coco powder. The structure of this wine is firm, but the tannins are very ripe and almost sweet. I also must again point out the quite obvious intrusion of brett or leathery-barnyard type flavors and aromas.

This wine is obviously flawed but I find it quite appealing because of the sweetness of the fruit and tannin structure. I know it's tough to contemplate a dry wine almost appearing to be sweet, but this wine does that exactly. I think it would be brilliant with some angel hair pasta with sweet Roma tomato marinara! 88 points

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2005 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir

2009-08-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

The 2005 BV Reserve Pinot Noir is a Napa Valley Pinot that is sourced from the Carneros AVA. Beaulieu Vineyard owns 350 acres in the region and sources the fruit to make this Pinot from three estate vineyards in the appellation. The wine is aged in mostly French oak barrels, but I'm not entirely sure of the percentages and lengths of time.

On the nose I get very classic Pinot Noir aromas of cherry and strawberry rhubarb. I love the meatiness of this bouquet. It almost reminds me of fruit paste or fruit glazed meats. There is also a nice mineral and wet stone component along with a touch of spice and cedar. When the wine develops in the glass there is also a noticeable plum-like characteristic.

The flavors are quiet rich and concentrated with cherry fruit taking center stage, and a secondary strawberry rhubarb pie complex towards the finish. I also notice a floral like aroma/flavor as I draw air on the wine in my mouth. The mineral component is also a flavor complexity that is quite noticeable and displays a unique sense of place and vineyard designation. It's a bit warm on the finish which bothers me but doesn't necessarily destroy my overall impression of the wine.

This is a style of Pinot that has become a little less enjoyable to me because of it's power and concentration. I tend to gravitate towards a Pinot Noir that shows a bit more subtlety. Carneros is a cooler district in Napa, but it's still Napa, and the sunshine is unveiled in the structure and body of this wine. It's a very nice representation of the place where the fruit is grown, hence I have no choice but to say it's very quality wine. 90 points

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