Chateau Bel-Air 2004

21 Sunday Apr 2013

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I bought two magnums of this St. Emilion several years ago to test a theory on storing magnums versus regular sized bottles.  I just needed to prove to myself that a magnum ages slower.  Damn straight.  This bottle is still young and exhibits plenty of youth with its rather obtrusive tannins.  Not overly complex or heralded, it is nonetheless a Bordeaux.  Bright cherries on the nose translated into cranberry and leather on the palate.  A decent finish and balance were evident as were the tannins.  I don’t think I paid very much for these magnums and am pleasantly surprised.  I will hold the other one for another 3-4 years and re-visit.  I might mention that I drank from this bottle over three nights, with the second night being the smoothest.  The third night showed too much oxidation and the first night it needed air.

I just did a quick price search, the ’09 can be had for $20.  Bang for the buck, 4 stars.  Quality-wise I reckon this wine would have to be 88 points.

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Château Cheval Brun 2009

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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By the time we got to this wine, it was late and our ‘palates’ were suffering ‘fatigue’.  Let me re-phrase… we were plain old drunk by this point, or we would have realized that we had brought the best bottle out last.  The number one rule of wine drinking (versus tasting) is to start with the best and finish with the rotgut because everyone is usually hammered and can’t taste much.

Oh well, I do remember that this was a really good bottle, yet again from the much heralded 2009 Bordeaux vintage.  Beautiful purple color in the glass and a very defined blueberry note on the nose translated into a gorgeous palate of oak, cassis and plums.  A certain earthiness lent itself well to this wine and should be interesting to watch it evolve.  I wish I had been in a better position to really taste this wine, because I reckon it would have more depth than I was able to record.  For the price, a 4 star wine that I estimate deserves 90 points.  Definitely stick some in the cellar and start drinking in 2-3 years.  Delicious.

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Chateau Bonnet 2009

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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A 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Emilion made in the 2009 vintage.  At $15 this wine is a good deal, plain and simple.  Most decent Bordeaux doesn’t even hit the shelves at under $30 these days, so this one initially makes one pause and wonder how good it could possibly be.  Well, as we know, 2009 was a tremendous year in France with all levels of producers bottling balanced, fruity and ageworthy wines.  This particular offering hit the ground running with dark fruits on the palate opening up to plums and earth.  Oak use is apparent, but not obnoxious.  Still really young, the tannins are nicely integrating and will help this wine mature over the next 5 years.  I would cellar this one for another 2-3 years before it is ready.  Bang for the buck, 4 stars with 89 points.  At 13.5% this is an easy wine to relax and enjoy with friends, or you could pair it with Steak Frites and Bearnaise sauce (yummmm).

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Ortas Les Viguiers Cotes du Rhone 2009

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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My friend brought this bottle to the party, claiming “France- 2009, you can’t go wrong”….. He is quite correct.  At $9.99 a bottle, this little beauty is a winner.  Blended with 70% Grenache, 20% Carignan and the last 10% Cinsault, this wine has much to offer.  A deep purple color in the glass, it translated into dark fruits on the nose and the palate.  Blackberry and red currants meet an earthy quality swirling around in some pretty young tannins.  This wine is still young, with some tannins still to be resolved.  I reckon it will develop nicely in two years and be much better.  For now, 88 points and 4 stars.

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Beaucanon Estate Longwood Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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On the nose, distinctive aromas of spice.  Dark purple in the glass, the spice shapes up on the initial attack and comes in with some plum flavors as well.  Very ‘sharp’ tannins are intriguing, as well as tasty.  The finish was long on this one and I really enjoyed it.  I think it has good aging potential and will mellow in three years to be quite delicious.  The wine is well made and warrants 90 points but for the price, I am giving it 3 stars.  I would cellar some bottles and drink them with juicy NY Strip steaks and sauteed mushrooms.

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Tour de Lagarde 2010

07 Sunday Apr 2013

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I don’t normally pop and pour such young Bordeaux, but this vintage was stunning and has produced some really tasty early drinkers. A St. Emilion blend of 75% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Cabernet Franc (love that grape..). Too young I’m afraid. But I managed to massage the wine with my Vinturi, artificially aging it in the process and softening the tannins.
On the nose, blueberry and coffee lead into a tannic blueberry and earth on the palate. The tannins are very strong with this one, yet they are smooth. This bodes well as the wine has a backbone on which it can age. I cannot however find much complexity, so where it evolves is anybody’s guess.
I lit the charcoal tonight and served up some searingly spicy Jerk Lamb to which I figured this wine would match- I was correct. Most red wines cannot hang with spicy foods, especially Indian. The lamb, well trimmed and charred on charcoal, was fatty enough to warrant a tannic monster, yet was not overpowering on the spices to dull the fruit of this wine.
Post-dinner, I had the opportunity to swirl this wine some more, trying to coax additional notes. The bottle has been open for almost two hours and I am still getting loads of earth on the nose. On the palate there is a nagging alcohol compound that is worrisome. The tannins are searing now, really coating my gums. Overall, this wine has aging potential, yet lacks depth. It has tasty fruit, yet one dimensional. I can’t give it more than 3 stars and fathom it’s worth 88 points. Drink from 2015-2020.

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Barboursville Chardonnay 2011 Redux

01 Monday Apr 2013

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I wrote about the Barboursville Chardonnay previously and had forgotten about the tasting.  I then went to the winery and promised to taste the wine in earnest.  Well, not much has changed of my opinion.  Straight up 89 pointer with 5 stars clanging around it, singing its praises.  This is a really good example of what a clean-cut Chardonnay is all about.  Lean, racy apple infused with a sharp set of razor blades to zip along your tongue.  I served this wine at a slightly higher temperature than at the previous tasting, some of the nuances were more obvious and the mouthfeel was even rounder. Really, you need to get some of this.

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Bodegas Ondarre Ursa Maior 2006

30 Saturday Mar 2013

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A Reserva from the Rioja that won’t break the bank and brings some serious flavors to the table. Deep purple in the glass it offers dark cherry and wood pencil shavings on the nose. Classic Tempranillo on the palate, it melds nicely with good tannins and a balanced acidity. Dark blue fruit pops out on the mid palate and the tannins are tickling my gums! A medium length finish to this wine that begs for another sip. The label claims 14% alcohol, yet it is well hidden. The wine is rich, which helped when I paired it with BBQ ribs and French fries. The flavors are very pronounced and get more complex as the night progresses. At 6 years of age, this wine is but a child. I reckon it will further evolve and drink nicely until 2019 at the least. I originally gave it 4 stars, change that to 5. Bang for the buck, this wine rocks. Technically speaking, 89 points. I love it.

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Peaks of Otter ‘Fruit of the Farm’ wine

28 Thursday Mar 2013

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Disclaimer- this was a gift.  I would never venture this far out of my regular tastings.

The label claims it is a tomato and apple wine, made in Virginia with no alcohol content info.  In the glass, very dark yellow, reminiscent of well-oaked chardonnay or a Sauternes.  On the nose, a very distinct tomato and vegetal note are intriguing to me.  I’m also getting a very floral note on the back side of the smell.  On the initial palate……hmmmma – a certain unctuosness that gives up some slightly unbalanced flavors of tomato and apple, yet somewhat green and underripe.  There is no acidity and certainly no sign of tannin.

Intriguing, this wine has managed to grow on me.  I opened it as a cooking wine and poured myself a glass.  I find myself delving deeper into itIMG_1834s make-up and trying to figure out its backbone.  I would certainly never buy this as a serious wine, but as a gift, why not?  Moxie even liked it.  I can’t rate it or give you my star rating because it is such an oddball, but I can say it has certainly expanded my palate and made me appreciate the fringes of wine making, like my old grand father did in his day.

Bodegas Valduero Gran Reserva 2001

18 Monday Mar 2013

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Woops, and I mean a big-time woops.  I picked this bottle out of my ‘daily drinkers’ rack and porked it with the almighty Rabbit Corkscrew before I realized I had just bludgeoned open a rather expensive and mature bottle of wine on a Monday-afterballet-rushhome-cookdinner-kidshomework night (whew).  Once the realization sank in, I knew I had to make the most of it and to enjoy this pricey gem for what it turned out to be, rather than what it was supposed to be.

I was saved, by the Moroccans.

Earlier today I realized that I had a busy evening playing chauffeur to the kids and needed to prepare for a mad dash to the kitchen after ballet to get dinner on the table.  I bought some Lamb at the market, dressed it up with Apricots, Dates, Cinnamon, Cumin and garnished the whole lot with a sprig of Rosemary from the garden- all in my new favorite cooking utensil:   The Moroccan Tagine.

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Back to the wine- a stunning purple color so rich.  On the nose, complex blueberry and spices kept me intrigued for a while.  The palate was unmistakeable blueberry and plums meet oak.  Stunning tannins are in full force, balanced by a gentle acidity.  This is a serious wine, yet not reminiscent of typical Tempranillo.  And then came the meal.  This wine just took off like a scalded cat when I took my first sip after eating some Lamb.  The spices of the meat seemed to exponentially magnify this wine’s allure.  The flavors sharpened up, the tannins melded and the whole package came together.  I don’t recall the last wine that changed so much when food was introduced.  I am really dumbfounded.

This wine is awesome.  It exhibits youthfulness and vibrancy at 12 years of age, combines balance with elegance, shows structure like I have only seen in a few wines, and pops like a firecracker when added to ‘spice laden’ dishes.  I would imagine 92 points are due.  For me, at $85+ per bottle, I must defer to 4 points.  The price doesn’t justify the taste for my particular palate.  I love Tempranillo’s, but want that specific flavor profile.  This is a great wine, just not my absolute favorite.  That’s what makes this blog fun.  I can guess at what a pro would rate wines at, but get to add my star rating based on price/quality/flavor and my own personal preferences.  Would I buy this wine again?  No, but I do have another bottle or two in the cellar from the original purchase.

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