The Wine Cask Blog

Benziger Sunny Slope Vineyard "Sam's Cuvee" Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:51:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Black cherry and cocoa on the nose

Smooth texture on the palate

Relaxed finish of raspberry, cherry, and tobacco

As it turns out, this wine is a private label bottled exclusively for Sam's Wine Warehouse in Chicago. At $35, it's a nice Sonoma Cab that that I enjoyed for it's smooth, fruity characteristics. Unfortunately, it's not readily available unless you live in Illinois or in a state that has reciprocity with Illinois and you order it online.

I was treated to a bottle of this wine while visiting friends in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. We popped the cork on a cool evening in early July and sat on the back deck. Raise a glass!

Niner Paso Robles Boot Jack Ranch Syrah 2004 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:39:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Nose of blackberry and chocolate

Richly texture on the palate and full-bodied

Finish of black currant, blackberry, and vanilla custard

This Syrah is big and rich. It has opulent, ripe fruit characteristics and is richly textured. Is it over the top? Well, not if you're in the mood for this style. Just know what you're getting in to and pop the cork when you're in the mood for envelope-pushing ripeness.

I paid $18 on sale, with the regular price listed at $20. Raise a glass!

Martin Codax Albarino 2006 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:33:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Citrus nose with floral notes

Acidic and crisp on the palate

Finish of grapefruit and lime

This is a nice, crisp Albarino around the $15 mark. It has good fruit and acidity, and tastes especially good with fish.

Although good Albarino from Spain is also available for around $10, this wine won't disappoint you for a few dollars more. Raise a glass!

Poggio Amorelli Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:18:00 +0000

I bought this wine with dinner at the very fine Italian restaurant in Portland Maine called Cinque Terre. It was the occasion of our 35th year of wedded bliss together. Not bad for two who were married and "children" 19 and 20 and voted most-mismatched couple of our senior class in our school's "Senior Superlatives." Take THAT all you doubters!!!

Anyway, I paid $70 for the bottle which considering retail is $40, is a relative bargain in the restaurant mark up world of wine. The wine was served in nice glasses as well although very disappointingly, the wine was not only warm but nearly "hot."

The day was particularly hot, the evening was early and the restaurant had not cooled down yet leaving room temperature at, well room temperature. This is nearly criminal when you consider again the price you pay for restaurant wines. At any rate, 2001 was a grand year for Tuscany and although I ordered the 03, apparently they were out which is why you always check the label before the wine is opened. (The waiter didn't realize he had brought the wrong wine.)

The wine was a pretty garnet with some years still left on this fine vintage. Cherry notes abounding but again the ridiculously warm temperature of the wine was volatilizing the alcohol so readily that it over powered the nuances of the bouquet that I am sure were buried beneath.

Wine temperature is important and yes while some can get carried away in either direction, too hot or too cold can stifle a good wine.

Palate was tasty with cherry as the predominant flavor with touches of cinnamon and chocolate.
It was a nice accompaniment to the chef's tasting menu we ordered and a grand occasion was celebrated with a grand evening. We raised a glass as we shall continue to do as long as the Lord tarries.

HOUSEWINE White 2007 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:11:00 +0000

Charles Smith (K Vintners) makes this value wine from 85% Chardonnay and Riesling 10% with 5% Muscadet. It has a barely straw tone with pronounced bouquet of sweet tropical fruit notes.

Palate--Solid acid backbone with off dry palate and a touch of spritzig (sparkle) with light citrus and shallow flavors of mixed summer fruit.

it is a well made wine but I LOVED the 06 and this is not the 06. The peach/apricot finish works. I paired this with grilled swordfish and fried potatoes with mozzarella and it worked well. Raise a glass.

Griesbauerhof Sudtirol "Lagrein" 2005 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:59:00 +0000

(NW) decided we needed to pursue adding the "Centi-varietal" distinction to our credentials and our palates. Meaning, we need to find (the hard part) and taste (the easy part) wines made from 100 different grape varieties. He spied this Northern Italian wine--so northern that the label reads more like a German wine than an Italian one--and grabbed it because of the grape--Lagrein--which we have never had.

The Lagrein grape is a relative of Syrah which explains the heavy pigmentation of the wine. It is intensely dark almost black-black cherry to the rim.

Tight aromas of tart cherry with spice try to emerge underneath with white pepper notes later on.

Palate--huge cedar blast immediately though the wine is a bit flaccid on opening with tight stingy lt. berry fruit.

After opening up a bit, there is cedar galore--too much but interesting none the less but I feel like I have bitten into a Christmas tree limb. Finish is a touch light. Interesting wine but nothing I would care to repeat as a varietal which is why it is blended normally with other grapes. Being high in acid and usually very tannic, it is a good grape to give back bone to a gentler variety.

It is one to "check off" the list anyway! Raise a glass!

Hill Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:47:00 +0000

I grabbed this while on a conference trip to N.C. Shop owner recommended it as being hard to get a hold of. This wine has a sl. purple, black cherry hue with a distant bouquet of sweet dark fruit with pleasant berry jam as the foundation with a lovely cinnamon note.

Palate--Absolutely silky tannins with subdued vegetal flavors with big berry fruits, leather, tar and more fruit.

I paid $40 for it and was it okay for the price but not an eye poppin, palate surprising creation.
Raise a glass.

Chateau LaFleur Pichon 2005 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:21:00 +0000

I purchased this hoping for a value "05" Bordeaux on a recent trip to Boston with (NW). I paid $13.50 for the wine hailing from the Lussac Saint Emilion Grand Vin De Bordeaux.

It is a gorgeous garnet hue with slight purple tinge and room pleasing candy plum pudding aromas. The nose is blackberry and ripe plum with some cedar as it opens up.

Palate--steely and sits well with an austere presence. It is well made but flavors are really tight. Pleasant blackberry jam and plum flavors and cherry with bold tannins that need more time.

I am putting a porterhouse on the grill; we'll see what happens but this should be a nice food wine.
Indeed, pairs well with grilled steak but still no the VALUE I had hoped but solid. Raise a glass!

What to drink on the 4th of July?

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:32:00 +0000

July 4th--the day when we celebrate the independence of our nation from the rule of uninvolved individuals living far across the ocean. Uninvolved in the sense of estranged from the culture they were trying to rule. They were very involved with respect to placing laws and taxes--especially taxes--on the citizens of the not yet united states. It just didn't fly and brave souls gave their lives to shed the bonds of of government that was not their own.

Now how do we go from fighting red coats to BBQ and corn on the cob? Who knows and who cares! It works for me though but barbecuing can be challenging when it comes to wine pairing.

First--prep your mind with a nicely chilled down Gewurztraminer or other delicious wine of your choosing and then stoke up the grill--preferably real charcoal--and throw on the ribs, the steaks the chops, the dogs or whatever.

While I can enjoy any number of solid red wines with the smokey taste of good grilling, Zinfandel is the All American pairing wine and on this 4th of July, while there are many Zins I enjoy, few can come close to the value of Cline's 2006 Zin which I find all over the place but is less than $8 at Sam's Club.

So whatever you do, raise a glass to Ben Franklin--I finished his bio this morning at 6 a.m.--and remember T.J., John Adams, Al Hamilton, Madison and General George W. and thank God for the sacrifices of our predecessors enablin gus to BBQ and drink wine in the land of plenty!

Barefoot Bubbly (NV) wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:48:00 +0000

Looking for an inexpensive, pleasant summer refresher this is a good one! This California splash is a "premium x-tra dry chardonnay."

It is a pale straw with nice green apple and pear notes.

In the mouth it is crisp with pin prick bubbles. Sure it is rather non-descript but chill it down and it is refreshing, lively and fun. For 8$ raise a bottle or two on a hot summer's day!

Castillo De Almansa 2005 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:44:00 +0000

Nice Spanish Garnacha Tintorera with beautiful black cherry hue with some intensity.
On the swirl it has black cherry and plum notes with flavors of luscious fruit blended with compote of plums and berries.

For $8 this is really a nice quaff so raise a glass!

Trapiche Broquel Malbec 2005 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:39:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Nose of ripe berries and licorice

Fleshy, smooth texture on the palate

Finish of chocolate, raspberry pie, and a touch of toasty oak

This wine has been quite good for a few years in a row. I consider it to be a good value Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina at around $13.

The flavors are rich and ripe, and the texture is fleshy. It should give Malbec lovers a reason to cheer when they see prices for Catena and others rise to $20 or more. What ever happened to a really nice Malbec for $10? Well, since I can't seem to find many of those anymore I'll grab more of this. Raise a glass!

Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier 2005 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Nose of crushed red berries, pomegranate, pepper, and sage

Jammy texture

Long finish of cranberry, plum, spice, and chocolate

Grab this if you see it! At $20 or so, it's a tasty wine and not your ordinary Australian Shiraz. The crushed red berry aromas are mouth-watering and the finish is exotic. The small percentage of Viognier is blended in with great care, adding to the perfumed nose.

This reminds me of a Rhone-style Syrah, but with an extra concentration of crushed red berries that adds additional fragrance without making the wine heavy or over ripe. Raise a glass!

Chateau De Flaugergues 2005 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Celebrating my wife's birthday I took her out to a new place on the Maine coast Called "In Good Company." I read about it in Down East Magazine which touted it as a tapas wine bar catering to your desires. When our waitress greeted us it was clear that she was there to actually serve us-- a real switch from the norm these days--so I perused the wine list--better than most restaurants in our neck of the woods and told our waitress I would pick out our wine and build or meal around it.

This was the wine I decided on partly because of experience with other vintages of this producer and partly because it was affordable for a restaurant marked-up wine. this wine will run you $15 give or take a couple dollars depending so the $30 restaurant price was tolerable.

It was served with decent wine glasses. Hurray! (This is a particular sore spot with me and restaurant wine service. viz., Pay an exorbitant price for wine and then you have to drink it out of 3 pound hunk of glass with a bowl that is way too small to swirl and real nice production seam on the stem. Yuck.)

That is the good part; the not so good part is that the wine was obviously kept at room temp which, for this time of year, was about 80 degrees. Much too warm for wine to be enjoyed.

Okay--review: Nice medium black cherry hue with raspberry fruit in the bouquet. This Languedoc is decently made but flavors are a bit thin and unremarkable. Finish is also a bit thin and short lived.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I have previous vintages but it tasted better as I gazed into the eyes of my lover.

We ended up ordering an olive oil sampler with a baguette for an appetizer and then a mesculin salad with molten goat cheese over a lemon and oil vinaigrette. Our "main" was a pizzaetti (or something close to that) and everything was shared between the two of us.

The chef at "In good company" is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and the flavors of everything were distinctive and nicely done. The service was extraordinary as already noted.
If you are in Rockland, Maine it is worth a stop! Raise a glass.

Domaine La Montagnette 2004 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:05:00 +0000

This Cotes Du Rhone has a sour cherry bouquet and a palate of white pepper with stern tannins accompanied by some nice flavors of tart raspberry/cherry and a touch of tar.

With some breathing the tannins are still a bit chunky but the flavors blend very nicely with a fascinating touch of bananas in the finish.

This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. It was on sale from $15 to $10 and I liked it so raise a glass!

Rosenblum Zinfandel Snow's Lake Vineyard 2004 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:04:00 +0000

"Life is too short to drink bad wine." It is a motto I wish I could afford to live by however, once in a while you have to make the splurge. Tonight, contemplating dinner with my favorite person in the whole world--my girl friend and wife of almost 35 years, I decided to do an all American grilling of hamburgers (actually a blend of ground veal and beef) with corn on the cob and macaroni and cheese. What is more perfect than a quality Zin from the king of Zinfandels--Rosenblum who makes somewhere around 25 different Zinfandels.

This one was $30 and either I or my wife brought it back from a trip to California. It is MARVELOUS and worth every penny.

From a foot away it yields aromas of blackberry and spice; pure fruit and essence; no alcohol what-so-ever. The nose on the swirl gives a wonderfully zinfandelish brambly aroma with blackberry compote.

In the mouth this wine borders on elegant--perfectly integrated with mature tannins that should hold another two years anyway. there is nice balance of blackberry and raspberry with spice and very light licorice on the finish. This was a wonderful accompaniment to this simple all-American dinner. Raise a glass to all the blessings we have in the land of the free.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:12:00 +0000

This Spanish Cava is always a pleasant quaff and a decent value. I tends to run in the $12 price range but I found this one for $9.

It is pale straw with strong vanilla notes in the bouquet with hints of light spice.

Palate has spritely acid is clean and citrusy and just a nice chilled down sparkler that is refreshing in it simplicity and drinkability. Raise a glass!

Porto Pocas Tawny Port wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:08:00 +0000

This inexpensive non-vintage porto has sweet raisiny aromas on a tawny hued porto. Go figure.
It is fairly "hot" in the mouth with sweet vanilla and prune flavors. It is fairly shallow and even at the cheap price of $8, for $2-3 more you can find plenty of ports that are quite tasty.

Even at this price, I'd give it a pass.

Rocca Delle Macie Chianti Classico 2001 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:58:00 +0000

2001 was a very good year for Chianti Classico (red label) so when I saw a magnum of this wine for $14, I snatched it up. The 750ml bottle usually runs around $11 and you just don't see the 01's.

I was not disappointed except that I should have bought up several more.

This wine is perfectly peaked with a touch of browning on the rim. there are cherry notes with baked fruit aromas that concerned me but the palate was really nice.

Fresh fruit with nice acid and bready notes with a touch of pepper. This is just a thoroughly integrated wine that has had enough to reach maturity. That doesn't happen too often in these days of "wine ready to drink" on release. Raise a glass.

Owen Roe Sinister Hand 2005 Wine Review (NW)

noreply@blogger.com (NW) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:39:00 +0000

Tasting notes:

Rich nose of mixed berries, licorice, and spice

Plush core

Plum and sweet spice finish

This is a big, rich wine. The texture is plush and the fruit is ripe. It delivers with opulent fruit and spice, but might be a bit too oaky. I really like the flavors, but wonder if it would be difficult to pair with many dishes.

I paid $65 for a bottle of this wine at a high-end Boston restaurant. It was a relative bargain on this particular wine list, and it retails for around $30 in stores. It's an interesting blend of 52% Grenache, 39% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre, and 2% Counoise. Raise a glass!

Sancerre Cuvee Des Moulins Bales 2006 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:31:00 +0000

I paid $12 for this half bottle and it was quite disappointing. Comprised of S. Blanc it is grassy with Sauvignon aromas and light citrus notes with orange rind.

Palate--acid, citrus grass, solid though a little bit thin. For the price not worth it but don't get discouraged but look for something else. This one is a right off!

Torres Tormenta Viognier Reserve 2007 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:16:00 +0000

This wine has a sweet bouquet of guava with slight pineapple and big pear aromas. Typical Viognier (pronounced Vee--own--NYAY) it has big bouquet that is flowery and an off dry palate of white flowers, sl. citrus notes and other flavors that are hard to pin down.

It is a little "weird" but interesting enough to warrant a taste. All in all, I liked it so raise a glass.

I pared it as an aperitif on a lark putting some fresh mango, peach slices and raspberry sorbet with a couple thin sliced banana tastes. I did not expect it to work at all and was surprised that while it did not really enhance anything, neither did it clash. Raise a glass to Chile.

Banrock Station Sparkling Chardonnay NV wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:06:00 +0000

Finding an easily drinkable sparkling wine around the $10 price point is not always easy. This is sure to be a pleaser though at $12. It is a pale straw with strong aromas with vanilla looming large.

In the mouth the wine is well made with lt. citrus and buttery notes. This wine is actually very pleasant and quaffable. Chill it down and enjoy as an aperitif or with lighter meals of delicate flavored foods. I liked it and I don't like many cheap or expensive sparklers so raise a glass!

Orneliai De Cripini 2007 special select wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:05:00 +0000

Don't try and fine this wine anywhere in the world. It is priceless and there are only 10 known bottles which reside in my cellar. This wine, vinified from old vines of Marachel Foche grown with care on the property of yours truly produce a stellar wine considering it is the first attempt by yours truly for making homemade, home grown wine.

It has a beautiful hue of purple garnet with grapy aromas reminiscent of Welches' grape juice.

It is supposedly 12.5 % alcohol but it doesn't taste like it. But this first attempt is amazingly easy to drink and well made all things being considered. It does have some character though not much yet it is not offensive! I would give it a 93 on a 100 point scale but then I AM biased! Raise a glass to my first crush! :) (Next year promises to be better!)

Lavieille Ferme Rose 2005 wine review by (PB)

noreply@blogger.com (PB) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This Rhone Valley blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah is meant for Summer drinking. Chill it down and enjoy it on a porch or patio.

The watermelon hued wine has pronounced aromas of sweet flowery fruit. The palate is steely, fruity a bit short, but fresh and quaff worthy on a humid summer's eve. You cannot complain at the $6.50 price point so raise a glass!