Category Archives: Wine reviews

Trivento Golden Reserve Chardonnay 2011

18 Friday Apr 2014

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I forgot to take a picture of the bottle, but I did capture the moment.  We put together some cheese, apple, nuts and chocolate sticks to start out the tasting.  The wine was poured and I noticed it was a very crisp looking pale yellow.  It had a nose of apples and gooseberry which translated well onto the palate.  In addition, I tasted citrus notes and green melon on the mid palate.  Good clean acidity and a sharp mouthfeel made this a delightful wine for an afternoon tasting.  Others have noted the use of oak and vanilla flavors, I did not.  I would pair it with baked salmon, perhaps grilled chicken and most definitely oysters on the half shell.  This Argentinian winery has always over-delivered for me and the pricing is excellent.  When in doubt at the wine shop I always look for the telltale golden capsule of their Reserve line and am never disappointed.  I paid $19 for it and am going with 90 points and 4 stars.  Salut….

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Chateau Moulin D’Ulysse 2010

18 Friday Apr 2014

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I was not sure if I should open such a young Bordeaux, but I felt like I needed something tannic to go with tonight’s dinner.  I was correct, this wine is a baby and somewhat closed for business.  It came with a muted nose of dark fruits and a touch of heat.  Initially I got blackberry torte and oak, lots of it.  Medium tannins and a bright acidity came across with sour cherries on the mid palate.  This wine is too young to enjoy right now and needs another 3 years to fill out.  Drink from 2017 till 2020.  I paid $30 for it and am going with 89 points and 3 stars.  Salut….

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Sena 2010

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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One of my many wine missions is to taste the finest of Chile’s Cabernet Sauvignons.  I have had several high end wines from the region including Almaviva and my perennial favorite- Don Melchor.  Wines like Montes Alpha M have crossed these lips yet that was before this blog existed and I owned a camera phone.  The quality and complexity is amazing when you look at what the New World is capable of doing, taking their own terroir and adding it to the mix.  Skilled winemakers and joint ventures with the likes of the Rothschilds, Mondavi’s and other world famous vintners has unleashed a slew of exceptional wines that should be tasted to be understood.

This particular wine was first founded by Robert Mondavi and Eduardo Chadwick.  It is now in the capable hands of Vina Errazuriz, where they blend the noble Bordeaux grapes into this nectar.  I paid $92 to sample this bottle, it was well worth it.  Friday night, spring, warm weather and some dry rubbed steaks on the charcoal Weber- what more do I need to say.

On the nose I was attacked with Mulberry and Fig jam, gorgeous.  The wine had an amazing smoothness of black berries and blueberry torte.  At 3 years of bottle age, it is very round and the tannins are melding nicely giving an immediate drinking timeframe with another 10 years of cellaring potential.  I could smell and taste the perfume of Cabernet Franc throughout the evening and made a comment that this wine was ‘sexy and perfumed’.  A hint of the Chilean Eucalyptus edged in on the back end but the main profile was definitely a Bordeaux style claret with cassis and a touch of wood to add spice.  It ends with a figgy component that I first got on the nose.  Superb, in a word.  Pricey- sure.  5 stars in my book because I believe this to be a 95 plus wine that I would put up against anything Napa and Bordeaux have got to offer.  I know where to get more, I’ll be right back.  Salut….

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Elderton ‘Friends Vineyard Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

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I was intrigued by this bottle having never seen the Friends series before from this producer. They had a Shiraz as well but I was not in the mood. It priced out at $15, what the heck.
Atypical of Cab for me it had a unique flavor profile. Black and blue fruits on the nose with a touch of cedar. On the palate dark fruits, bramble and some dust (in a good way). Sour cherries on the back end with gentle tannins and good acidity make this easy to drink. 3-5 years cellaring and a wide variety of foods make this a versatile wine. 88 points and 3 stars.
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Louis Latour Mersault Perrieres 2007

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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White Burgundy is a minefield for me.  I know almost nothing about the region, the terroir or the names.  I just know that I like most of the Louis Latour offerings and am confident when I see the telltale badge on their bottles.  I recently picked up two of these, one for mum’s birthday and the other for my cellar.  Saturday night was going to be a treat in our house.  Moxie had previously bought a box of frozen Lobsters from Costco.  We are in the process of emptying our freezers so it seemed like the right combination.  Decadence meet opulence.  We all know the price of the crustacean, the wine was equally eye watering at over $80 per bottle…. You only live once.

For a wine that has only 6 years of bottle age, it has the most beautiful golden color.  The hues were riveting in the glass, I have never seen such a young wine look so elegant and demure.  The consistency was very graceful and almost syrupy.  I was starting to wonder.  It all came out with the first sniff and taste.  Pears, apples, apricots, stones, butterscotch, you name it.  A veritable fruit basket on the olfactory senses that transferred the same powers to the palate.  Great balance of acidity make this a very easy wine to drink, and a perfect companion to the garlic infused butter that I draped all over my Lobster.

I realize that this wine is very pricey, I also remind myself that I am on a mission in my wine tasting life and it is too short to get hung up on dollars.  I need to experience Chardonnay from Burgundy just like I need to sample Barolo from Italy, Cabernet from Napa and Tokaji from Hungary.  The entry is steep, the rewards- amazing.  Having said that, this wine is a bargain for high end Burgundy.

WS gave this one 94 points.  As a relative newb to whites, I scan only muster 92 points and give it 3 stars for its price point.  I feel that you need to try some good Burgundy to appreciate them for what they are and do it with loved ones over a great meal so you can cherish the moment and remember it.  Salut….

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The telltale logo

The telltale logo

Merryvale Merlot 2007, revisited

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Back in January I discovered two bottles of this Napa Merlot blend.  I opened the first and was horrified by the state of the cork. I wrote about the wine and promised a re-taste.  Yesterday was our first real day of Spring weather, so I got the patio sorted out, cleaned the Weber and decided to open the Merryvale to go along with marinated Flank steak.  It was a glorious evening and a great precursor to the Game of Thrones season opener, bliss.

I was right, this is a damn good wine.  Forget what you saw in the movies, Merlot is a great wine and so is Chardonnay.  Merlot is highly adaptable, smooth, makes a good blend and has the stuffing to cellar for years.  It offers a softer side to Cabernet Sauvignon but has the grace to make it’s own name (Think Chateau Petrus plus the majority of St. Emilions and Right Bank of Bordeaux.)  It is blended in the this bottling with a touch of two other noble grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

I immediately got plums and currants on the nose which is way better than the last bottle.  A full bodied attack of black berries and plums was simply delicious.  This wine is rich and gorgeous with great tannins rounding out the damson and earth finish.  Good acidity give this wine the balance I was hoping for along with the great mouthfeel.  I’m bumping it up to 91 points and for $46 it is a 4 star effort.  Salut….

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Spring, glorious spring....

Spring, glorious spring….

Clarendon Hills Brookman Syrah 2007

06 Sunday Apr 2014

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From Mclaren Vale comes this elegant Syrah that performed well with the pro’s.  I must say I am enjoying a resurgence of Aussie Syrah, versus the more typical Shiraz style of making this varietal.  This one started off with Asian plums and black cherries on the nose.  Rich and thick come to mind when I was sipping this beauty.  The 14.5% alcohol is neatly hidden to detract from it’s potency, yet the extraction is generous.  This wine has a great Rhone style with good vanilla notes preempting the young tannins.  Bell peppers appear on the back end with some tight black berries coming through with plums and spices for the finish.  The wine is complex and layered, as would be expected from a $75 wine.  The scores came in from a high of 95, to 90.  I am thinking this wine is a 93 effort but it needs time to meld.  I would imagine a drinking window of 2016-2024.  I am really starting to like this winery, they produce high quality wines made in a style that appeals to me- finesse with plenty of complexity and depth.  4 stars if you are keen for a special wine.  Salut….

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Brookland Valley Verse 1 2012

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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A Shiraz from the Margaret River appellation in the southwest part of Australia.  Not my favorite style unfortunately so I might seem a bit harsh.  I   initially got bright purple fruits of plum and candied cherry on the palate.  Light in tannins but very fruity, almost too much so.  The acidity was lacking ever so slightly but the overall balance was decent.  I think this wine will appeal to many as an easy drinker but for my $20, there are other wines I would look out for.  87 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

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Chateau Arnauld 2006

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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It’s not very often that I find an aged Bordeaux in a local convenience store, but when I do there is this certain curiosity that overwhelms me and I take the $20 plunge.  This was a good find in my opinion.  Slightly bricking on the edges, it is almost past its peak and heading into old age.  I know Cru Bourgeois is not as cellar-worthy as Grand Cru so this ’06 vintage was a bit of a gamble.  The wine has a mature nose of violets and kirsch to go along with some garigue.  This also came across on the initial palate with some funk and plums.  The wine has Haut Medoc terroir stamped all over it and is showing some drying tannins on the finish.  I could smell the 12.5% alcohol, but only just.  This was worrisome as this level should not have been noticeable.  Overall I really enjoyed the terroir and my guests thought it was the bottle of the tasting.  I am going with 88 points and 3 stars- drink up though.  Salut….

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Fairlady Estate Shiraz 2010

29 Saturday Mar 2014

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Disclaimer- I know the owner…  He was kind enough to bring me a bottle from his estate in Bridgetown, Western Australia.  This is an atypical Aussie Shiraz, which is a good thing.  I’m not a fan of the bombastic jammy style associated with the region.  This wine is more Rhone-like in my opinion.  Its started off with black currants and tar on the nose.  Plums and vanilla came across as I enjoyed the mouth coating tannins.  I wrote ‘juicy wine with good tannin structure that covers the gums’ in my notes.  I was also impressed by the long finish and finesse of this wine.  The back end had more tar and some herbs that combined to give it a delectable earthiness that I found fascinating.  I believe it retails at $15. Hopefully some of my Australian readers can find it in their shops and give it a try.  I think it has a 5-7 year drinking window and would love to try it again in a few years.    I’m going with 89+ points and 4 stars.  Salut….

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