The Eiserman Domain Wine Blog

Veuve Clicquot

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Reims

One of the big houses, Veuve is quite easy to find, a bit expensive and a reliable champagne. It is probably my favourite of the big houses (perhaps Mercier but it is much harder to find). Great flavour, good bubbles and a dry finish.

Michel Lenique - Grand Cru 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2004
Type: Vintage Champagne - Grand Cru
Country: France

This vintage champagne is absolutely outstanding. Everything that you come to expect from Michel Lenique but with that vintage taste and finish. excellent bubbles and a great flavour. Not to be had every day though, save this bottle for a special occasion!

Berberana - 2001 Gran Reserva Rioja

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2001
Type: Rioja Gran Reserva
Country: Spain

An Excellent Rioja that has been aged well. Great bold full flavours and an excellent finish. A blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Grenache.

Michel Lenique - Blanc de Blancs

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne - Blanc de Blancs
Country: France - Pierry

This champagne is fantastic. Great overall taste with plenty of small refined bubbles. A gem, if you can find it!

Mt Boucherie - Pinot Noir

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2005
Type: Pinot Noir
Country: Canada - Okanagan Valley

This bottle was a wedding gift from the Hotel that we stayed at. It's a good wine, with nice colour and a decent bouquet (for a Pinot Noir). The flavour is a bit light in complexity for my palette, but it would be a good summer wine to enjoy.

Michel Lenique - 3D wines Brut Champagne

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Pierry

This non-vintage champagne is a special selection that is available only through 3D wines. The house, Lenique is based in Pierry and they have been around for a long time and know how to make Champagne. This champagne has amazing bubbles, both small and plentiful that seem to last forever. The taste is great and there is almost no after taste. Very good and highly recommended.

Champagne Mercier- Cuvee du Fondateur

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay

This is a very good Non-vintage champagne. It is the Founder's selection from Mercier and I found it full of flavour, great bubbles and and overall excellent taste. It even had a bit of the "vintage flavour" to it, making it a bit stronger and fuller of flavour than one would expect from a non-vintage. Recommended.

Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2006
Type: Malbec
Country: Argentina

Wow. After cleansing my palate of Casillero del Diablo (Chile) Malbec, I tried this Argentinian Malbec and was surprised at the difference. First of all, its colour is a gorgeous ruby-violet shade. Swirl it around in your glass to release aromas of berries and chocolate. Admire its long legs. Taste the cherries and minty finish. This is just lovely.

More info here.

Yellow Tail - Bubbles

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Sparkling Wine
Country: Australia

Here is a wine maker who has taken a luxury product and has made it accessible to folks who like to celebrate and enjoy bubbles on an everyday basis. The bubbles are sharper than what you would find in bottles of sparkling wine produced in North America, which is closer to what my palate prefers. This is quite a sweet sparkler (actually, very sweet) and I am still not sure which exotic fruits' aromas lift out of the glass. This is perfect for those summer evenings when both partners had a good day at work or when you have some out-of-towners visiting you for brunch!

More info here.

Yellow Tail - Shiraz

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2008
Type: Shiraz
Country: Australia

Oh dear. As a big fan of Australian shiraz wines, I really wanted to like this one (especially because Yellow Tail has consistently produced fantastic merlots). Unfortunately, I find this Shiraz too grainy on the tongue, which is perhaps what happens when the boss' nose wants to be generous with its earthiness and full-bodiness. Its redeeming features are its intense purple-like colour, spicy aroma and formation of long legs on the glass.

Baron de Ley 7 Vinas

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2004
Type: Blend of 7 grape varieties
Country: Rioja, Spain

Wow x 10! This wine was for me the highlight of the Tesco Wine Fair 2009. As a fan of their Finca (2004), I knew this blended wine would put a smile on my face.

The seven grapes are blended just right to produce a wine that is worthy to age in oak barrels for three years before being tenderly laid down for a year in bottles. These seven grapes that are perfectly married are Tempranillo (of course!), Graciano, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Viura, Malvasia, and White Granache.

The tannins are rich and the concentration of the fruity flavours is just exquisite. Yummy, yummy! I predict a purchase of a case in my future. At almost £16 per bottle in store, you might think this is over-priced for a Rioja, but believe me, every drop is worth it. Not a red wine for beginners or girly white wine drinkers because they simply wouldn't know how to appreciate its complex formula.

More info here.

Champage Tarlant

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay

Champagne Tarlant has a claim to fame for being a zero dosage champagne. This means that when the second fermentation occurs, they do not need to add any sugar to the bottle (the dosage). As far as I'm aware, this is unique for champagne.

Of course the quality of the champagne is very good. There seemed to be almost too many bubbles which were nice and small. The taste was great, though this is not my favourite Brut. Recommended.

Pink Elephant Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2008
Type: Blend of 4 grape varieties
Country: Portugal

I discovered this brand at the Tesco Wine Fair 2008 and tried this modern blush for the first time. I decided to re-visit it today at the Fair, just because I have fond memories of Portugal.

This is one of the few wines that tickled my palate so much that my mouth watered immediately. Although attempting to be a feminine wine that should accompany heavy Indian curries, I really believe that this blush could be enjoyed on its own, with maybe a small dish of rice crackers or wasabi peas to balance out the wine's tangy notes.

The four grape varieties that are used to make this easy-to-drink wine are Alfrocheiro, Castalao, Touriga Nacional, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Because cases are so cheap at the moment, I imagine this will be the first rose wine that will grace our ever-growing rack.

More info here.

Summerhill - Cipes

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Sparkling Wine
Country: Canada - Okanagan Valley

This sparkling wine will always occupy a special place in my heart because this was the bottle that my mother-in-law to-be, my mother and I toasted my wedding day too. My hair was in curlers and my make-up was half-way done, but the wine made me feel fabulous on the inside.

Never feel guilty for drinking bubbly on your wedding day - it creates special moments full of joy.

Now, onto the actual review: this wine was created by New York developer, Stephen Cipes, and it has been served to American and Russian presidents during visits to Canada. With that said, you know this is a serious bubbly that adds elegance to any event. The colour is lightly golden, the bubbles are frothy yet somehow creamy. It is a surprisingly complex bubbly, which helps the drinker to appreciate its festive nature. Highly recommended as an alternative to Champagne.

Château Latour 1994 1er Cru

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 1994
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France

We had a rare chance to taste this delicous wine over a dinner for Eleanor's Birthday. The wine is rich and complex with a great bouquet and mossy Bordeaux finish, as to be expected from such a wine as the Latour. Great if you can find it for a reasonable price, which we did, but personally I prefer the Lafite-Rothschild.

Château Lafite-Rothschild 1993 1er Cru

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 1993
Type: Bordeaux
Country: France - Bordeaux

We had this wine with a meal at a club restaurant for our 1 month anniversary.

Wow.

The wine was incredibly balanced with great black cherry flavour and earthy tones. Quite mature and smooth, the edges of the wine were almost clear.

Now I know why this wine is considered one of the best around. Highly recommended, if you can find it. We were lucky as it was part of the club's cellar and they didn't overcharge for it.

Champagne Colin - Brut Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France

This Champagne house is the favourite of our friend, Colin. No surprise that it will be served at his wedding later this month!

Novelty aside: the bubbles are fine; there are obvious fruity notes, such as cherry and black currant; and the after taste is sharp and acidic. It is still delicious and goes down well when accompanied by Fossier's rose-flavoured biscuits.

Juventi

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2007
Type: Riesling
Country: Germany

This was a wine that my husband (then boyfriend!) picked up at the Spirit of Christmas fair from the Gerhardt Wines stand. Although not a white wine drinker, I was able to convince my husband to buy two bottles of this delicious, mouth-watering Riesling. I recall it tasting slightly fruity and appearing almost colourless, but it I imagined it would taste perfect with Thai stir fries or green curries. I was correct! We still have the other bottle left, which will be opended on a warm spring evening, 2010.

Casillero del Diablo - Malbec

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2008
Type: Malbec
Country: Chile

Malbec is a grape that I only approach when I'm feeling particularly gutsy or confident, so maybe the timing was just a bit off today. This Malbec offers up an amazing bouquet after swirling it around just a tiny touch. It tastes of various berries, is strongly oaked and offers up a vanilla-like finish. This wine should always be paired with food, as it would be too bold on its own. I wondered why this wine is so bold - it is probably because of the lack of rain and low altitude at which the grapes are grown in Chile. I reckon this will pair well with a rare and lightly seasoned steak.

Mercier - Brut Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay

This rose champagne is a real treat. My husband (then fiance!) picked up a trio of Mercier Champagnes after our tasting at the House in Epernay. Some people think that rose wines suffer from identity crises but not this one. This one is bright and it dances to announce to your taste buds that it is a sparkling Champagne. Alas, this is not a vintage and it is made from a blend of grapes from two different years. It is still a beautiful wine to use for a toast at a special occasion at home.

Warburn Estate Premium Reserve

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2007
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Country: Australia

This bottle was very good. Great aroma and complexity with a fresh and bold taste. Recommended.

Two Oceans - Dagger Point

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2008
Type: Shiraz
Country: South Africa

I tried this wine at a pub with some Thai food. Overall it was nice and drinkable, though it lacked the punch that I would expect from a Shiraz. Not a wine to enjoy on it's own, but perfectly acceptable with food.

Casillero del Diablo - Pinot Grigio

noreply@blogger.com (Elle) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2008
Type: Pinot Grigio
Country: Chile - Casablanca Valley

DESCRIPTION

This is an easy-to-drink white that is perfect on hot, dry evenings, with or without a meal. We bought a case of this at Majestic (Callais) and have enjoyed a few bottles this summer already. It is refreshing and citrusy. Good lasting finish on the palate too!

Porcupine Ridge

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: 2007
Type: Syrah
Country: South Africa - Cape of Good Hope

I was quite disappointed with this wine. Apparently a medal winner in this years IWC, I was certainly expecting more from it. I found it harsh and acidic, which will perhaps mellow with age. Stay away for now, perhaps revisit in a few years.

More info Here.

Moet & Chandon

noreply@blogger.com (Neal) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Vintage: Non-Vintage
Type: Champagne
Country: France - Epernay

One of the big houses in Champagne, especially since they bought Dom. This champagne is quite good, though I find that it is over-priced compared to some of the smaller houses (and even some of the large ones). Never a bad option, especially is money is not an issue.