08 Saturday Sep 2012
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Grenache is a great grape, used in blends and as a standalone. This offering is very smooth, if not a touch hot. Sweetness on the palate from a floral mixture and some red currants. Some plum is evident in the jammy mid palate. I like this wine and think others will too. It’s time to drink up as I think it has about 2-3 years of its peak. 4 stars, perhaps a 90 pointer….
07 Friday Sep 2012
Posted in Wine reviews
I enjoy Portuguese wines for their uniqueness and flavor profile. This old vine offering is a blend of the winery’s varietals that have an average age of 70 years. The label indicates 16 months in both French and American oak. They advise decanting and/or cellaring for the full enjoyment. I agree. I popped and poured and am somewhat stupefied. It is very closed on the nose and palate. A beautiful purple color is its first redeeming trait.
After an hour I tried the trusty Vinturi, still nothing. A bust, a shambles. Glowing reviews and high scores for this wine are all lost on me. I am going to have to revisit at a later date. For now, I am leaving it alone. I think it has potential and I don’t want to slam it yet. Stay tuned…
05 Wednesday Sep 2012
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I’m excited…. Tempranillo always has the opportunity to rock my world, this one did. Vegetal, herbal and a certain stink of donkey all come through from the nose to the palate. Mixed with a fruity compote of cherries and flower (violets?),a smooth mouthfeel give loads of entertainment. A long finish and good balance offset the lack of long term tannic backbone, but at this price- who cares???
I am truly impressed and think this one is 4 star worthy. With more backbone, it would have been a 5- 89 points.
04 Tuesday Sep 2012
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If you have read my older posts, you will know that I love Cabernet Franc…..just not this particular one. It, is, alright. Nothing more, nothing less. I was really excited about this wine and had to open two bottles now to form my opinion, average. I can smell the alcohol (14.2%) and perhaps some dry blueberry. On the palate, rough tannins and very little fruit. Did I catch this wine in a dumb faze? I hope so- and am willing to cellar some for a while. Without further wafting, I am dispatching this wine with a 1 star provisional rating. Yup, a major pass at this point- but I will re-taste it in a year or so. Perhaps an 85 pointer???? But for the price, there’s far better out there.
31 Friday Aug 2012
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and Cabernet Franc that make this my style of wine. Purple in the glass and full of blueberry on the nose it hits the palate with a nice dose of tannin, acidity and blue fruitiness. Definitely California in heritage, it shows what can be done in the blending room. Rich and mature fruit combined in a Bordeaux style that us drinkable right now and has some cellaring potential. I would be really excited to see this vintage in 3-5 years. I reckon it has potential to develop some tertiary flavors which gets me excited. For the price, this is good and I will give it 5 stars for its sheer ability to impress at such a great QPR. I think it got high 80’s scoring. 89 would be about right. I’m serving it up with some London Broil tonight- yummy.
21 Tuesday Aug 2012
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Known as Four Bears, this is bang-for-the-buck Pinot that I am digging.
Given to me as a gift, I researched the price- $13 on average. Can you say “I’ll take a case…..”
Strawberry on the nose, lots of it. A clean attack of raspberry meets strawberry on a really nice palate with very subdued tannins and excellent balance of acidity. Massive 14.5% alcohol is not noticeable (until later), with a great feeling in the mouth. My cheeks are puckering, and also anticipating the next mouthfull. This is really enjoyable, either by itself or with a medium dish (I had Jerk Chicken). Loving the value of this well crafted Pinot at 5 stars… Seriously. Perhaps an 89 pointer because it shows good primal characteristics, yet I doubt there is an afterlife. Everyone needs some of this- gitsum………
21 Tuesday Aug 2012
Posted in Stuff....
I normally write about fun stuff, mainly wine. Today, a slightly more serious topic. You see, Moxie and I have four children. The oldest is 16, full of himself and
armed with a fresh new drivers license….. Until last night. He got busted doing 87 in a 55- Reckless Driving in our state which requires an adult accompanied trip to the Juvy court. I have not been this angry in a long, long time. He was warned, several times. But, kids will be kids, and they continue to push the folks. So, I decided to hit him where if hurts. You see, at 16, they only know two things. Peer pressure and your own set of wheels (freedom).
Easy fix. I took his license for 62 days. 30 for the ticket, and a day per MPH over the limit.
Next up, peer pressure. We both posted the picture below on our Facebook pages where I tagged him. Now, all of his friends know what a bozo move he made. Too harsh? Too lenient? You be a judge, keeping in mind he will also be paying any fees etc.
13 Monday Aug 2012
Posted in Wine reviews
A very decent offering from Napa that won’t break the bank. A nice nose full of blue fruits gives way to a blueberry infused compote on the palate. Very slight tannins are set up nicely for immediate drinking that will last until 2015 at least. I must say, it’s rather ‘juicy’, which is perfect for me right now. They have a done a great job with this wine. For QPR, it doesn’t get much better than this. A good buy for just about any occasion that balances pleasure, drinkability and budget. Bang for the buck gets this one 5 stars and perhaps a pro rating of 89- go get some…..
11 Saturday Aug 2012
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The nice thing about buying multiple bottles is the ability to watch it age, take on different nuances and evolve into a secondary wine. I have had three bottles of this wine over the last 3 years, each one bringing different flavors to the glass. This wine is a Syrah from the northern Rhone that weighs in at 13.5 % alcohol. I wish I had taken notes of the previous bottles, dang… Anyway, this is a good wine. Not typical Syrah, but well crafted with fine tannins that caress. Dark fruits on the nose give into a red raspberry thing for me. I grilled some Ribeye steaks on a charcoal grill just to complement this wine- I was spot on. The structure of this wine went beautifully with the somewhat fatty cut of beef. I imagine this wine will last another 5 years at least, and hopefully evolve some more. I imagine a little earthiness coming out in a few years. A solid 4 star effort and perhaps a 90 pointer that will run you about $30.
10 Friday Aug 2012
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I previously wrote about the 2005 vintage. Not much has changed in my opinion. Bordeaux-like with great fruit and cassis, I also noted some leather? Not as tannic as the ’05, but definitely has a good backbone. A longish finish that did not surprise me as this wine is well made. Inky purple in the glass, this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah that weighs in at 14%. The back label states that it was aged in new French Oak for 18 months, which IMHO has made it very smooth. Others have complained about the oak treatment, but it did not bother me at all. The French Judges gave it accolades as can be seen on the front label. I would give this one 5 stars again, and perhaps a 90 point rating is due… I just wish I could buy it locally instead of waiting for a relative to hump back a bottle or two from Lebanon.
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