Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversay 2012

08 Tuesday Jul 2014

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I went in to a wine store this past weekend looking for a special bottle for a friend’s 50th party.  This was one of the ‘gifts’ we took and managed to drink.  It is a special anniversary bottling and my first experience with this winery.  I must say I enjoyed the wine, it is very much a Napa style, but very approachable young.  It started with blackberry pie and blue berries on the nose.  Very smooth tannins and balanced acidity were my first impression of the structure with delicious berries and dark fruits opening the show.  On the mid palate is where I got plums and nutmeg with some chocolate and cassis.  A strange yet compelling combination.  The 14.6% alcohol barely showed itself and the whole package was very balanced and certainly drinkable.  The wine is ready now and will go for another 10 years easily.  I would guess this wine to be a 91 pointer in my opinion and for the $55 price tag, it’s worthy of 3 stars.  We drank it before dinner as an aperitif but it would also pair well with grilled meats and some gratin potatoes.  I’m still learning about Napa cabs and this is certainly a nice way to enter the foray.  Salut….

caymus napa valley cabernet sauvignon anniversary edition

Pablo Gran Viu Finca Santiaga 2004

03 Thursday Jul 2014

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Wow, this wine was good….Blackberry and herbs on the nose after coaxing, it seemed closed at first but opened nicely.  Juicy acidity, melded tannins and a core of black fruits with an earthy touch were my introduction.  The wine is big, bold and powerful, packing a 15.5% punch which never showed up. Plums on the mid palate with some teeth searing tannins became evident as the wine evolved.  What had started out as a mature wine quickly transformed into a rather young wine (at 10 years of age already).  I timed a long finish with some road tar, black berries and orange peel on the tail end, quite complex.  This wine is till too young- 2015-2025 would be my guess.  It is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Vidadillo from Aragon in Spain. It got high marks from the pro’s and I agree with their 94 points.  I found it online for about $60.  4 stars for this complex wine with great cellaring potential.  Salut….

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Senorio del Tallar Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada 2012

30 Monday Jun 2014

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I just recalled where I got this bottle from- Total Wine for $18, it was on special as they were doing a Spanish wine tasting that day.  I’ll be back for more…  I had to look very hard to find any vintage details, but a tiny set of words ‘Cosecha 2012’ gave it away.  I was startled by the color, it was purpley purple in the glass- more so than I have ever seen in wine.  An unmistakable Tempranillo nose of tar, black fruits and earth came wafting over.  The initial profile was of earthy tar and black berries.  The wine is still young with nice tannins and a very gentle acidity, but then I noted “Wow, really young”.  Brooding black cherries on the mid to back end with a deft use of oak made this textbook and juicy, delicious.  This wine is full on, in your face Tempranillo that I can really sink my teeth into.  It is ready now but will age well for another 5-8 years.  I can’t think of a better pairing than with a big steak!  Bang for the buck, this wine rocks.  91 points and 5 stars for this Spanish beauty.  Salut….

Senorio del Tallar Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada

Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 2011

27 Friday Jun 2014

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I just returned home from my whirlwind Asian tour to find Moxie fixing up some BBQ chicken and veggies.  I decided to try this well known California Chardonnay that I have been saving.  Straw yellow in the glass it had a buttery nose of apple and lemon zest.  More citrus and cloves on the initial with a marked acidity lurking in the background.  Quince on the back end with a long finish which I found quite interesting.  The wine appears to have undergone Malolactic fermentation with an oak influence, but it is not overdone.  Balanced and bright without the flabbiness usually associated with this style of Cali chardonnay.  I picked it up for $18 and give it 89 points.  It went well with the Barbecue sauce by the way.  I would pair it with seafood all day, it would kill a dozen oysters with ease.  The wine sits at 13.5% alcohol, so be careful if you plan on sipping it poolside.  A good effort from this well respected winery making it worthy of 4 Stars.  Salut….

au bon climat santa barbara chardonnay

Moscato d’Asti Sori Gramella, Azienda Agricola Tintero Elvio 2011

27 Friday Jun 2014

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If you have read my last two posts you will know I jetted off to Bali for the weekend.  This is the wine I sipped on my first morning there, sitting poolside reading my wine book.  It was the perfect setting, and a great refreshing wine to start my Balinese adventure off with.  Here are my notes, I guessed the retail price for fun and hit it right on.

Very aromatic nose with apricots and floral notes
A cross between Riesling and Albariño
Marked effervescence
Very smooth mouthfeel with a creamy mousse
Not very acidic but well balanced
87 points
$12

That makes this wine a 3 star effort in my books and worthy of any summer picnic, pool party or early evening aperitif.  Salut….

Moscato d'Asti Sori Gramella, Azienda Agricola Tintero Elvio

Chateau des Jacques Morgon 2010

27 Friday Jun 2014

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When was the last time you had a Beaujolais wine, or a wine made from Gamay?  It’s been ages for me as I am not a fan of Beaujolais Nouvea and steer clear of the stuff every November on it’s annual release date.  I digress….. Last week I was on my way to Bali and drank this wine on the flight with my main course having just had the Vigneron de Buxy ‘Tete de Cuvee’ Bourgogne 2012 with the starter.  I was very impressed and glad I tried it.  It reminded me of lunches spent in Parisian restaurants, sipping chilled Brouilly on a warm summers day with Moxie.

Throwback picture of a Parisian lunch with my gal Moxie

Throwback picture of a Parisian lunch with my gal Moxie

Back to the wine… It hails from one of the 10 Cru villages in Beaujolais.  I shall just cut and paste my brief notes.

Nose of underbrush and dried cranberries.  Slightly dry tannic attack with bright acidity.  Crunchy wet fresh washed cherries.  Touch of oak with a nice spiciness.  3 to 5 years with good tannic structure and tart acidity, 90 points.  I found it on the web for about $20, which is a great price.  I would drink this all summer long with a variety of foods including chicken salad, salmon on the grill, burgers on the charcoal, even a plate of cold cuts.  4 stars for this Louis Jadot offering.  Salut….

Louis Jadot Chateau des Jacques Morgon

Vigneron de Buxy ‘Tete de Cuvee’ Bourgogne 2012

27 Friday Jun 2014

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Last week I had the opportunity to nip down to Bali for two nights.  I seized the day and jumped on a southbound jet.  The lunch menu on my flight screamed ‘white wine’ for starters and a red for the main course.  I managed to take notes on my phone and the purser was kind enough to hold the bottle still so I could snap a pick.  This Burgundy white is 100% Chardonnay and aged in stainless vats.

The wine had a pale yellow complexion and started off with a fruity aroma, apples and pears being quite dominant.  Not overly acidic, it was fresh and zesty with pear and green apples opening the show with a touch of nectarine on the mid palate.  The stone fruits really came through on the back end and the wine showed good minerality.  Many times I find some of these wines to be over-oaked, not so in this case.  This wine should be drunk young and went really well with my seafood appetizer and salad.  I gave it 87 points and a quick search on the internet says you can find it for about $12, a bargain.  4 stars for the price!  Salut….

Cave des Vignerons de Buxy Bourgogne Chardonnay Buissonnier

Castello di Amorosa ‘Il Passito’ 2009

16 Monday Jun 2014

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I got this bottle of dessert wine from a friend, it turns out to be a very generous one at that.  This is a delicious sweet wine that screams Sauternes, needs a dollop of vanilla ice cream and would totally sort out some foie gras.  The wine is a blend of mainly Semillon (61%) with the balance being Sauvignon Blanc.  The grapes are left to hang until super ripe with Botrytis Cinerea (Noble Rot) taking hold to further sweeten the grapes.  This particular vintage weighs in at 14.3% alcohol and a manageable 13% Brix of residual sugar.  What this means is that the wine is not overly sweet on  my palate.

The bottle is capped in a dark yellow wax, the same color as the wine.  It pours with an almost syrupy texture which translates to a really smooth unctuous mouthfeel.  It begins with stewed Apricots, honey and walnuts on the nose, very inviting indeed.  The first sip was nirvana for me, having just finished a feast of Filet Mignon with a bottle of 1997 Musar. The wine shows a gentle sweetness with honeyed apples and more apricot jam.  Nuts and a touch of the wood come through on the mid plate where I made note that the Botrytis was ‘balanced’.  I have no idea what I meant but it sounded good at the time.  The Sauvignon Blanc contributes a nice acidic component that balances the whole package out nicely.  Moxie and I polished half the 500ml bottle off in no time, saving the rest for tonight.  I can’t wait to see it’s evolution overnight as the cork fell out letting it aerate thoroughly.

Very pricy at $89 and only available at the cellar door in Calistoga or by mail.  I loved it and am going with 93 points and 4 stars for the effort.  You won’t find excellent dessert wines for a steal, they are in a league of their own.  This example happens to be really good and worthy of it’s lofty price if you have a special occasion and really enjoy this style of wine, which I do.  Salut….

castello di amorosa il passito

Chateau Musar 1997

16 Monday Jun 2014

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It’s Father’s Day and I decided to go all out with Filet Mignon, steamed Artichokes and a bottle of 1997 Musar.  I recently drank a bottle of the 1999 Musar in Hong Kong, where it brought back great memories of this awesome winery.  I visited them in 2007 and still have four Magnums of various vintages that I brought back.  Diet be damned, I mixed up some tarragon mayonnaise, melted butter and got totally stuck in to some amazing steaks that just came out of my Big Green Egg.

When I tried to open it the cork crumbled.  I had a moment of panic until I managed to coax out the other half.  I was not sure of any floating bits so I ran the first glass through the filtered Vinturi to make sure all was well.  The wine was sublime, typical for the untypical style of this winery.  It showed off orange edges on a red framed body.  The nose was so amazing with perfumes of violets, funk, earth, wild berries and creosote.  I was preparing myself for the oncoming rush of flavors.

A really fresh palate of damson, blueberries, red currants, mint, sage and barnyard were the first impressions.  A crispy acidity pushed through and revealed the well integrated tannins.  Road tar was the component I kept missing all evening, it hit me in the middle of the night.  It’s funny how that could be considered a flavor or smell that would appeal to wine drinkers, yet it does- just like funk and cat’s pee in other varietals.  Speaking of varietals… This wine is a blend of Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan.  It reminds me of aged Barolo, perhaps Burgundy with a Bordeaux strain.  It is magical and alluring.

As the night progressed, so did the bottle.  Initially I was going with 94 points, but the ever present acidity was a touch too much for me and eventually came across as sour cherries. With this detractor I had to drop it to 93, still an impressive score in my opinion.  I believe I paid $36 for it back in the day making it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Chateau Musar

musar winery

Taken in 2007 on my visit to the winery

filet mignon on big green egg

The Filet Mignons

 

Peter Schweiger Grüner Veltliner Kamptal Terrassen DAC Reserve 2008

15 Sunday Jun 2014

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I tried the 2008 Peter Schweiger a few months ago and really enjoyed it.  We ended up with two bottles of this vintage and I wrote about the first bottle we opened as there was some variation.  The main one being the effervescence that appeared in bottle 1.  Ever so slight, yet noticeable in the glass and on the palate, it was quite nice actually.  The wine was a dark straw color, not quite golden.  Stone fruits popped out on the nose with a touch of dried apricot peel which was quite interesting.  Yellow apple was the predominant flavor on the palate with some spiciness including a nutmeg twist.  The wine finished with a back end leather component that is unique for a white wine, but delicious nonetheless.  We bought each one for $10 and I would get more.   Perfect for a summer day, it would pair beautifully with some grilled salmon, perhaps a ham and cheese baguette picnic?  It arrives with a respectable 13% alcohol so be careful pounding it at lunch time or by the pool, there are Rieslings better suited for that at 8-9% alcohol.  The 2011 was much fresher, cleaner and crisper with more acidity and a finer structure.  This one seems to have taken on a more mellow stance and is maturing nicely.  A decently long finish make this a very good wine in my opinion, 89 points worth and 4 stars for sure.  Salut….

peter Schwieger gruner veltliner