Tag Archives: 2 stars

Vega del Garoa 2007

09 Monday Jul 2012

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Polished a few of these last weekend out of my friend’s cellar, I thought they were ok. Just- ok. Dark red with a somewhat muted nose of red fruits that gave way to more red fruit on the palate. I did not not detect any oak, nor any flavors reminiscent of Rioja. I’m not sure if this wine is in a dumb stage, but I doubt it. The tannic structure did not reflect a huge cellaring potential, and the finish was of decent taste but not long enough. Balanced with decent acidity, I honestly could not tell you what varietal this wine was. I ended up finding it for sale online and was mortified at the price- hence the 2 stars it gets from me. I would imagine if would rate between 86-88 points. A major pass for the cash.

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d’Agassac 2005

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

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A Cru Bourgeois ‘Superier’ from the much hyped 2005 vintage, I found this wine to be serviceable.  Most higher end wines from the Bordeaux region start to become drinkable with 8-10 years of age.  The lower tiered wines, known as cru bourgeois, tend to develop quicker and start their drinking window at about 4-5 years of age (IMHO).   I was looking forward to some typicity of region, which coupled with an exceptional year had me hoping for fireworks worthy of my $27.  I was slightly let down, but still managed to enjoy it. Very smooth right off the bat, the wine has a nose and initial attack of blue fruit, but is rather one dimensional.  I am not sure when and if any secondary characteristics will ever develop.  The tannins are well integrated and the mouthfeel is appropriate for this medium weight wine.  A decent finish and balanced acidity were noted.  I have to be honest here, this is an 88-89 point wine but is only worthy of 2 stars in my opinion.  You have to deliver the goods, and for the money- this was a waste.  I would drink it again, anytime, as long as someone else was paying. 

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle ’99

23 Sunday Oct 2011

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Iconic, pricey, and not so good. The label states that this wine will mature for 30 years, in Great Vintages. 1999 was not. It doesn’t help that the quality of this Domaine has declined since then either. Often seen on the auction circuit, the reputation of this wine is fearsome, but in 1999 something went amiss. I bought a case on discount, hoping for the critics to be wrong, they averaged 90 points, agreed.
Tonight, the nose is almost cooked, the wine highly alcoholic in taste even though it’s only 13.5%. The fruit is non-existent and the tertiary flavors have not evolved. The producers of Hermitage won a law suit against Penfolds in Australia preventing them from using the name Hermitage on their Grange bottlings. Perhaps they should have spent more time making it than defending its name.
I bought these bottles in 2002, and the decline started happening in 2006. I thought is was passing a “dumb” period- wrong. This stuff is over the hill and I’m assigning it to the “hurry up and drink the rest” bin, giving it 2 stars. Don’t bother looking for it, waste of cash and cellar space.

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