Category Archives: Wine reviews

Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

25 Thursday Sep 2014

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I arrived early at the airport to catch my flight out west.   With time to kill I went to the wine tasting bar Vino Volo where I got to try this stunner.  A huge nose of Blackcurrants and oak greeted me and prepared me for what was about to happen.  A layered attack of black cherry, currant, plums and pencil hit the palate with a gratifying rush.  Melded tannins give structure and there is a finish of mint and herbs with tailings of wood.  Delicious and balanced, this wine was absolutely gorgeous.  Retailing at about $33 it is a 91 point wine worthy of 4 stars in my books.  I’m a huge fan of this winery and for good reason, the Santa Cruz mountains are definitely a go-to region for my tastes.  Perfect by itself, it would also pair nicely with braised beef, coq-au-vin and a host of other Autumn dishes.  Salut….

domaine eden cabernet sauvignon

 

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz 2011

22 Monday Sep 2014

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Seems like 2011 was the favored vintage this past week.  This wine was the last of them and unfortunately came after the Indian Wells Merlot that banged out 91 points.  Nevertheless it was a respectable showing that garnered 89 points from me.  It started off with noticeable heat and plums on the nose that translated onto the initial palate with a juiciness of blueberries and plum jam.  Slightly unbalanced it took some time to come around, which it did nicely.  The telltale signs of Barossa and the style of Shiraz they make was evident in this wine.  I paid $14 for it and reckon it’s a 3 star effort.  It could use some decanting or perhaps a year or two to mellow out some.  Salut….

jacob's creek reserve shiraz

Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Merlot 2011

22 Monday Sep 2014

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We bought this wine in Truckee where I stayed after the Reno Air Race weekend.  I have had this winery’s offerings on several occasions and recall reading about the Indian Wells wines that got favorable reviews.  Standing in a Safeway wine aisle one has to go with memory and gut, not pricing and labels.  This was a sure winner.

Priced at $15 and getting a WS score of 88 make this a good deal, I however went higher.  Pure merlot plums and butterscotch greeted on the first whiff.  Great balance of fruit, tannins and acidity came on the initial attack of purple plum torte and blackberry jam which had a sliver of oak thrown in.  Blackish purple with good extraction were the clues I got on the first pour, I was not disappointed.  91 points easy from me and 5 stars without a doubt.  The beauty of this wine is it’s consistency and the fact that they make a crapload of it making it readily available.  Buy this one by the case for a great party wine that is flexible with most foods.  2014 to 2017.  Salut….

chateau ste michelle indian wells merlot

Stags Leap Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2011

22 Monday Sep 2014

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This is a varietal that I have fallen in love with.  Not a Sirah, nor is it petite.  The grape  is also known as Durif overseas and offers up hefty tannins with spice and plum being the main component flavors.  This particular bottle had a few years of mellowing time and it came across with black currants and plum on the nose with a nearly black complexion in the glass.  Licorice was very prominent along with black fruits and cola.  Sharp tannins and great acidity balanced each other beautifully on the mouthfeel and I really enjoyed the whole package.  I paid dearly for it at the Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant in Reno, but found it online for $30.  It was the final evening of my Reno adventure and was well suited to our Filet dinner.  91 points and 4 stars from me.  Salut….

stag leap petite sirah

Michael David Winery Earthquake Zinfandel 2011

22 Monday Sep 2014

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Continuing with our Reno weekend collection of wines, this Lodi Zin was a real treat.  However, I was starting to suffer ‘palate fatigue’ not to mention a slight buzz so my notes got shorter and less detailed.  The essence of this wine is as follows-

Black cherries
Purple plums and black currant mid
89 points
Good acidity and a mild tannic hint

That’s what it comes to at 2 am after a gut full of vino and good times.  I found it online for $22 and was surprised to see that it only got 84 points from WE yet my peers at cellartracker gave it 90.  Strange variation but I’m going with 3 stars for my 89 points and it’s 22 price.  Sorry for the brevity!  Salut….

earthquake zinfandel

Chateau La Cabanne 2003

22 Monday Sep 2014

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The disappointment of the weekend, and rightly so.  A Pomerol wine from the infamously hot 2003 that showed off all the downsides of that tricky Bordeaux vintage.  As I pulled it out of the cellar my instinct told me we were in for a stewed and gamey wine.  I wasn’t far off the mark.  I wrote two lines for this wine-

Burnt Plum.  Cooked Prunes.  Says it all really.  Back in the day it got 90 points from WS and currently sells for $50, good luck.  Avoiding wines from this vintage is sound advice.  If you have any in the cellar, drink up as they are falling of a cliff at a great speed.  Salut….

chateau la cabanne pomerol

Primus Signature Zinfandel 2006

22 Monday Sep 2014

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My friend ‘The Beave’ was hosting the Reno Air Race party this year and invited me to raid his cellar, which I took literally.  Out popped this beauty that was the highlight of the evening.  Beautifully aged Sierra Foothills Zinfandel that offered silky purple plums with beautiful acidity and restrained tannins.  Bottle aging has smoothed this wine out like a well worn pebble.  A sweet cherry finish was the capstone of this atypical Cali Zin that strayed from the high octane, jammy wines that Zin has a tendency to become.  No idea on pricing but this is a 91+ point wine that I would give 4 stars to if it was sub $30.  Salut….

primus signature zinfandel

Edna Valley Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

22 Monday Sep 2014

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This was the first wine we opened at the Reno Air Races party last weekend.  Served with some Strip steaks on the grill it was perfect.  A dark purple glass revealed plum and meat on the nose.  Black currants and eucalyptus popped right out of the glass and jumped onto the palate of delicious tannins with a juicy acidity.  Dark plums on the mid-palate were accompanied by some slight oak which led to a nice finish.  A well balanced wine that was enjoyed by all and garnered 90 points from me.  I could not find pricing but I would imagine it to be sub $20 making it a great bargain and worthy of 3 stars from me.  Salut….

edna valley central coast cabernet sauvignon

Jean Balmont Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

22 Monday Sep 2014

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It’s been a whirlwind 10 days, starting with a trip to Reno for the annual Air Races followed by a night in Truckee with friends before my flight over to Asia.  I returned home for one night before heading to Florida for a memorial service for one of my best friends.  I am sitting at the airport waiting to go home now and have a few minutes to review the amazing wines that we drank over the course of the last two weeks.  This particular wine was on the United flight to Reno, so it doesn’t really count as airplane wine is about as good as airplane food.

From the newly renamed Pays D’Oc classification of the southwest of France this is a charming little wine that does the job it’s supposed to do.  It started out with no nose- airplane air can do that to a wine, especially if it’s served in a plastic cup.  No worries, I wasn’t expecting one.  Slight flavors yet interesting with a  melange of blue fruits and some crunchy cherry. Tart acidity and mellow subdued tannins show up in the composition of this wine that has a finish of herbs and yellow plum.  I can imagine this wine as a workday country lunch jug wine- very serviceable and getting a respectable 83 points from me.  I believe it can be had for about $5-6 per bottle, I happened to pay the trumped up $7 per 187.5 ml on the plane.  It’s hard for me to justify a 3 star rating for an 83 point wine yet I feel compelled to do so based on it’s quality price ratio.  Salut….

jean balmont cabernet sauvignon

La Croix-Barton 2009

08 Monday Sep 2014

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By far the most widely searched wine on my blog has been the La Croix-Barton 2008.  I did not particularly care for it, but apparently many people googled it and ended up reading my 2 cents worth.  When I saw the ’09 I did not hesitate.  Priced at around $14 it provides gratification with oak and mulberry on the nose to get things started.  Tart cherry and plums greet the palate but they are slightly thin right now.  Juicy acidity and young tannins make this an interesting wine to drink now yet I feel it could do with another 2 years in a cellar.  This wine is vibrant and lively but should settle down and gain some weight in short order.  It is interesting to taste wines from the same winery but from an average year versus a far superior one to see the nuances.  This particular example highlights just how much variation you can get between vintages.  I’m going with 88 points and 3 stars for this Merlot/Cab Sauvignon blend from Bordeaux.  Salut….
la croix barton