Tag Archives: 2 stars

Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

14 Monday Jul 2014

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This bottle has been cellared for a few years, waiting the right moment.  I pulled it out the other night for a red meat pairing, hoping it would live up to it’s pedigree.  Gorgeous purple in the glass with a nose of plums and sawdust.  I was intrigued.  It then showed cassis and black currants after I swirled the heck out of the glass.  Subdued plums and eaucalyptus come out initially on the first taste with some oak on the nose after airing.  The tannins are completely melded and there is a clear acidic component.  Mouth filling aromas and tastes of plum torte with briar patch and Napa dirt were the strong flavors after a little ‘glass time’.  I feel that this wine is nearing it’s peak and will start to fade after 2017 which is a far cry from the 1996 Burgess that I so adore.  89 points for this $50 effort making it a 2 star wine in my books.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a delicious wine, yet lacks technical merits to warrant a higher score.  Salut….

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Penfolds Koonunga Hills Shiraz 2012

06 Friday Jun 2014

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There was a special offer on this wine so I dove in with my $10 and now regret it.  I will be honest, this is not good wine. Candied plums and strawberry skittles are all I could get from it.  A fake fruit flavor that does nothing for me.  Am I being harsh?  Perhaps, but this wine is a not up my alley, it may please many others but I am not a fan.  85 points for technical merit and 2 stars from me.  Salut….

penfolds koonunga hills shiraz

Montagnac Syrah 2012

18 Sunday May 2014

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I saw this bottle in the shop and noticed it’s low $8 price tag, but I was on a mission so I passed.  Lo and behold my buddy showed up with it later in the afternoon.  I believe it hails from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France where they  grow tons of Syrah grapes.  This one looks to be a co-operative wine.  It started off with a slightly oxidized nose of purple plums and a scent I had never encountered in wine- grape bubble gum.  I was intrigued and sniffed for a good 5 minutes before I could pinpoint it.  Since I have never smelled it in wine nor have I ever seen it used as a descriptor I was curious about the taste.  Candied plums and maraschino cherries are what hit me.  I kept getting a whiff of alcohol as well but the bottle only registered at 13%.  Very slight tannins were evident and the balance was slightly off with a tartness.  This is probably a decent picnic wine for an afternoon of cucumber sandwiches and fried chicken on a blanket in the park.  83 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

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Montes Classic Series Merlot 2012

28 Monday Apr 2014

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A bargain for $9, but only if you like the style in which it is made.  Me, not so much.  It started out with sweet plums and cherry cola on the nose supported by a generous dose of oak.  Merlot makes up the majority of the blend in this Chilean wine and gives it a youthful plum profile on the palate with a high degree of acidity.  Very slight tannins give an easy to drink mouthfeel, yet the wine is over oaked with lashings of wood and vanilla.  It is a casual drinking bottle that may appeal to many as an aperitif with some nuts, olives and bruschetta.  I am going with 84 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

montes classic series merlot 2012

Brookland Valley Verse 1 2012

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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A Shiraz from the Margaret River appellation in the southwest part of Australia.  Not my favorite style unfortunately so I might seem a bit harsh.  I   initially got bright purple fruits of plum and candied cherry on the palate.  Light in tannins but very fruity, almost too much so.  The acidity was lacking ever so slightly but the overall balance was decent.  I think this wine will appeal to many as an easy drinker but for my $20, there are other wines I would look out for.  87 points and 2 stars.  Salut….

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Chateau Sainte Marthe 2011

18 Tuesday Feb 2014

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I picked this Languedoc blend up for about $9 for a casual drink with the boys.  I knew nothing about it except its origin and vintage.  I guessed at the blend, 50% Syrah with the rest being Grenache and Mourverdre.  I initially got some red cherries on the nose which later turned somewhat oxidized.  A certain phenolic component also came through after the bottle had been open for a while.  On the initial palate I was rewarded with straightforward flavors of kirsch, red currants and a rubber component akin to car tires (kinda weird, I know).  The structure of this wine is very basic and meant for easy, short-term drinking with very little tannins but decent acidity.  The wine took on another dimension as I mentioned with some air time, it became more rustic with that oxidizing nose which did not really bother me.  I have another bottle which I will try, reporting back with any major deviations.  I would think this wine is a solid 83 points and 2 stars in my book.  It’s hard to find decent wine for under $10, but this bottle should do in a pinch, even with its mid-bottle morphing.  Salut….

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Clarendon Hills Astralis 2004

10 Monday Feb 2014

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A huge, monumental, iconic wine that scored massively with the pros and cost me an arm and leg. This weekend marks a huge turn in Moxie’s store and a good reason to celebrate, hence the need to pull out a $300+ bottle of wine from the depths of the cellar. To emphasize- RP 98, WE 98, WS 97, WC 97, AWC 95. Wow….

I have been in Asia for a few days and just returned this morning. Napping the morning away, I was ready for a hearty meal and some good vino. I decided on a Lamb tagine to go with this Aussie Syrah. Yup, Syrah…. They don’t call it a Shiraz, hmmmm.

I opened the bottle at 6:30 and made immediate notes:
The wine is nearly black in the glass and the first whiff was pure alcohol. I let it settle for few minutes and coaxed dark, brooding currants and a touch of the wood in addition to some cherry hints. On the palate I did not catch any of the 14.5% alcohol! Instead I got a complex mixture of black currants, plums, kirsch and oak. The mid palate adds a fine grained tannic streak along with some tobacco and spice nuances. The finish is where the alcohol shows up, unfortunately. The tannins are totally integrated at this point and do not dry out the end game.

It’s now three hours after opening and the wine has not evolved all that much, just softening up a bit on the initial attack. I doubt it will morph much more before I polish it off. The critics reckoned this wine would go until 2030. My impressions are below, and not quite in line.

Firstly, this is not my favorite Syrah nor is it my favorite wine from this producer. I disagree with the high ratings, I don’t think it warrants more than 92 points. For the price, it is a very dear wine and I’m only giving it 2 stars. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good wine- perhaps a great wine according to the pros but for me it’s just average for the price.  I was hoping for more depth, complexity and certainly more flavor.  My quest is to expand my palate and try as many highly rated wines as possible so I will be better able to discern a truly great wine.  This one just wasn’t it, a pity.  Salut….

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Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino 2007

09 Thursday Jan 2014

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I don’t get it….  This wine got huge scores, from 91 to a 96 from the man himself.  I must have had an off bottle, or the wine is in a dumb stage.  For me it was a disjointed mess, unbalanced and unsure.  On the nose it was very enticing, with earthy blueberry and a mineral streak.  On the first taste, black cherry and tar were the primary drivers.  The balance was all wrong though with the acidity and the tannins hitting on the front, rather than the mid and back palate.  The wine has potential if given time to sort itself out.  The flavors are interesting, if somewhat subdued.  I hate it when an expensive bottle turns out to be a dud, I so wanted this wine to rock.  I am going to have to give this a preliminary 2 stars based on its $60 price and my 87 points.  I will reserve final judgement for at least two more years and cellar the other bottle in hopes  of a better re-taste.  Salut….

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Villa Wolf Pinot Noir 2009

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

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This is a German Pinot Noir that we ordered on my last night in Hong Hong, dining at a  German restaurant on Roasted Pig’s Knuckle and Sauerkraut.  Notes of Kirsch and cherry were found on the nose and palate.  A very basic wine and serviceable at $12 retail, yet lacking in any depth or complexity.  Unlike Burgundy and definitely not a New World wine, it was out there on it’s own for style.  The German’s are well known for Riesling, not Pinot.  It went well with the Pork and Kraut with it’s own acidity to match and enough fruit to balance the meat that I slathered with hot mustard.  84 points and 2 stars,  Salut….

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Yalumba Y Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

29 Friday Nov 2013

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This bottle came along after the Turkey dinner was over and we had polished off all the other bottles.  I was trying to figure out the basic flavors and I kept thinking ‘purple’.  I know colors don’t taste like anything, yet I closed my eyes and saw it.  The wine was a little jammy, with plums and fig dominating, hence the purple connotation.  A basic wine with a short shelf life as the cellaring components are not there.  I am giving it 85 points and for the $15 price tag, 2 stars.  Salut….

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