Armida Poizin 2009

26 Friday Oct 2012

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Who could argue with this label and the packaging?  This is the second wine I have tried from Armida, and I’m happy to say they both rock my inner Zin.  Weighing in at 14.5 % alcohol, you could be misled into thinking this would be an overripe, jammy, hot Zinfandel.  Wrong….  By a mile.

On the nose, blackberry meets plum with a dose of freshness.  On the palate, blueish berry compote and plum with a faint hint of spice that is characteristic of Zinfandel.  Very balanced and complex, with no hint of the heat, this wine is drinking beautifully right now.  I could not get any tannic structure, but feel like it would last another 3-5 years.  It’s a strange beast, with all the pieces of the the big, jammy, highly laden Zin, yet it fits a completely different mold.  Subdued, a charmer with strength and poise.  This is a great Zinfandel that defies logic and hits it for me on all cylinders.  5 stars, and 92 points.  BTW, I paired it with Moroccan Chicken cooked in a Tagine with apricots, cinnamon, raisins and cumin.  The sweetness of the meal was perfectly balanced by the boldness and acidity of the wine.  PPS.  Before I forget, I tasted this wine as I started cooking dinner and noticed myself salivating after 30 seconds.  It really is that good.

Greenock Creek Alice’s Shiraz 2008

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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There’s Aussie Shiraz, and then there is Shiraz from Australia. A big difference in style, quality and enjoyment. This wine runs along the Shiraz from Australia line and it is good.
Nose-wise …. Red fruit compote. On the palate, rich and warm raspberry meets cocoa. A slight touch of plum and graphite make this a complex wine that has me excited. The tannins are well integrated and there is no imbalance. A normal finish leaves me feeling this is a 3 star wine at 89 points.

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Rosemount Shiraz Diamond Label 2010

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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Atypical of regular Aussie Shiraz, this Diamond Label offering brings good value for money. A purple wine that gives off hints of blue berries. On the palate, plum and blueberry jam mix with very subtle tannins to give a nice mouthfull of fresh fruit. Decent at 87 points and 3 stars.

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Sainte Barbe Les Palus 2006

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

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With plenty of cellar time, this wine is showing nicely. Slightly subdued nose of blueberry meets a sweet dust gives way to a typical Bordeaux-style palate. Blueberry, cassis and some leather co-mingle with ripe tannins to produce a tasty wine that is at its peak. Drink up to 2017, alongside a Ribeye steak as the tannins will meld well with a streaky cut of beef. 3 stars, 87 points.

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Magistrate Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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A “Limited Production” release that a friend  brought along to our little party.  Not liking it.  Very primal fruit, almost Kool-Aid in nature.  I don’t know much about this wine or it’s price, but was really not impressed.  Major pass.  80 Points and 1 star.

Chateau Aney 2006

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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I found this ’06 vintage Cru Bourgeois hiding next to some newer wines. With 6 years of age, it drinks smoothly-starting with dark blue fruits and a tannic grip. It’s still a little young, with some hope for further mellowing and some further development. It’s nothing special, yet interesting in its own sharpish way. 3 stars, 86 points

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Asprolithi Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

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A first for me, Greek Cabernet. Very sharpish on the nose, with some primal fruit, oak and alcohol all fighting to get in there. My first sip was all alcohol, surprising as this one weighs in at a modest 12.5%. First impression, dump the bottle. But wait, perhaps I’ve been harsh lately, a certain crankiness overcoming my usual cool demeanor? I will let it rest for an appeal.

Now that the heat has blown off, showing much better. After a 30 minute wait, I am now getting some vanilla, raspberry and a slight vegetal thing on the nose. The palate has slid to the red berry side of the fruit scale and I can now make out a semblance of tannins. This is starting to grow on me, with perhaps a hint of plum mixing it up in there. By far not my favorite, striving for 85 points, I can only give it 2 stars. If it was $11 instead of $15 it would rank higher, but at its price- there are many far superior wines out there. I will chalk this one up to broadening my palate, and so should you.

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Trapiche Malbec 2011

29 Saturday Sep 2012

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Finally, @United Airlines has changed their domestic first class wine. Not a moment too soon. This very serviceable Malbec should be in everyone’s party portfolio. Easy to drink, smooth, without pretension and easy on the wallet. Not complex, it shows balance with tasty primal red fruits. For what it is, don’t expect any cellaring potential. This wine is a very reasonable way to keep many guests happy without breaking the bank.
Malbec comes in several forms from the black and tannic Cahors to the jammy fruit bombs and on to the easy quaffers like this one. 4 stars for its Quality/Price ratio and I reckon it would get 86 points from a pro. Everyone needs an emergency case of this stuff lying around.

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Autumn Reset

25 Tuesday Sep 2012

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This past Friday was the first day of Fall, a time to reset for the upcoming winter, a time to put away the bathing suits, and a time to start thinking of Chili, Pumpkins, Football and “Sunday Roast”.   I must admit, I need a bit of a reset as well.

On Sunday, I cooked our first Fall dinner of the season, it’s traditional in our house to sit together on Sunday evening and have an English style roast dinner.  Medium rare beef, Yorkshire pudding, mushroom gravy, horseradish, roasted veggies and Claret.  To be more precise, Leoville Barton 2001.  A five star wine that I wrote about in the spring.  Quietly maturing in my cellar for 10 years, it has rewarded my patience.  I am not going to go into tasting details, you can read my previous post on this awesome Bordeaux.  Instead, I am going to wax lyrical about the pleasures of cellaring a wine, watching it evolve and then opening it at precisely the right moment, with the right people.  It tastes exponentially better.

It’s been kinda rough for us lately and I wanted to refresh, relax and just enjoy some of life’s little pleasures.  Mission accomplished.  I really enjoyed the dinner.  The food and wine were superb, more importantly- I had my wife and children all sitting down at the table to have some quality family time.  No I-pods, beepers, cell phones- just us and the charm of a cool Fall evening.  It’s one of the few meals that all six of us likes.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, just take an evening off from your busy schedule and revert back to the basics for a change.  Happy thoughts!

leoville barton 2001

Leoville Barton 2001

Laleure-Piot Les Tuvilains

23 Sunday Sep 2012

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Really……disappointed, with this thin wine. From the stellar 2009 vintage, I was hoping for depth, charachter, fruit and a cellaring potential. Nothing I mentioned showed up for this party. Overly acidic, unbalanced and lacking any semblance of a typical Burgundy, this wine is a major pass. Move it along people, don’t waste your time. I get nothing on the nose, a thin reedy mid palate of just juice and no fruit on the finish at all. 1star, and a paltry 80 points if done by pro wine taster. Sorry to burst bubbles….

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