Tag Archives: 3 stars

Louis Latour Mersault Perrieres 2007

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

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White Burgundy is a minefield for me.  I know almost nothing about the region, the terroir or the names.  I just know that I like most of the Louis Latour offerings and am confident when I see the telltale badge on their bottles.  I recently picked up two of these, one for mum’s birthday and the other for my cellar.  Saturday night was going to be a treat in our house.  Moxie had previously bought a box of frozen Lobsters from Costco.  We are in the process of emptying our freezers so it seemed like the right combination.  Decadence meet opulence.  We all know the price of the crustacean, the wine was equally eye watering at over $80 per bottle…. You only live once.

For a wine that has only 6 years of bottle age, it has the most beautiful golden color.  The hues were riveting in the glass, I have never seen such a young wine look so elegant and demure.  The consistency was very graceful and almost syrupy.  I was starting to wonder.  It all came out with the first sniff and taste.  Pears, apples, apricots, stones, butterscotch, you name it.  A veritable fruit basket on the olfactory senses that transferred the same powers to the palate.  Great balance of acidity make this a very easy wine to drink, and a perfect companion to the garlic infused butter that I draped all over my Lobster.

I realize that this wine is very pricey, I also remind myself that I am on a mission in my wine tasting life and it is too short to get hung up on dollars.  I need to experience Chardonnay from Burgundy just like I need to sample Barolo from Italy, Cabernet from Napa and Tokaji from Hungary.  The entry is steep, the rewards- amazing.  Having said that, this wine is a bargain for high end Burgundy.

WS gave this one 94 points.  As a relative newb to whites, I scan only muster 92 points and give it 3 stars for its price point.  I feel that you need to try some good Burgundy to appreciate them for what they are and do it with loved ones over a great meal so you can cherish the moment and remember it.  Salut….

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The telltale logo

The telltale logo

Chateau Arnauld 2006

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

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It’s not very often that I find an aged Bordeaux in a local convenience store, but when I do there is this certain curiosity that overwhelms me and I take the $20 plunge.  This was a good find in my opinion.  Slightly bricking on the edges, it is almost past its peak and heading into old age.  I know Cru Bourgeois is not as cellar-worthy as Grand Cru so this ’06 vintage was a bit of a gamble.  The wine has a mature nose of violets and kirsch to go along with some garigue.  This also came across on the initial palate with some funk and plums.  The wine has Haut Medoc terroir stamped all over it and is showing some drying tannins on the finish.  I could smell the 12.5% alcohol, but only just.  This was worrisome as this level should not have been noticeable.  Overall I really enjoyed the terroir and my guests thought it was the bottle of the tasting.  I am going with 88 points and 3 stars- drink up though.  Salut….

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Trivento Tribu Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

29 Saturday Mar 2014

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I happened across this wine in Manila, at the duty free shop.  I have tried various Trivento wines before and have enjoyed them all so I felt confident that my $15 would not go to waste.  I was correct.  Albeit not as complex as the Golden Reserve line, the Tribu was well endowed with currants and tea leaf on the nose.  The palate was very fruity with red berries and a vegetal note that I enjoyed.  Fine grained tannins were very well balanced and the whole package was smooth.  We drank this one before dinner and I reckon it would pair well with some sirloins and gratin potatoes.  Charcuterie would be an excellent choice for an early evening sundowner as well.  I am going with 88 points and 3 stars for this Argentinian wine.  Salut….

 

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Artisan Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2010

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

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The label says ‘By Artesa’ but I could not find out much about this wine except I know what I paid for it and what it retails for, $50 or so.

It’s a young vibrant Napa Cab with not much going on right now.  I believe it is hibernating and waiting to explode in about 2 years time.  For now, the structure is in place awaiting some bottle age to allow the various components to meld and the fruit to re-appear.  I managed to coax Plum Torte and wild flowers out of it, but the nose was very muted.  Young and vibrant tannins are all you will get right now with some bracing acidity.  I would cellar this bad boy for a few years and look at it in 2016 at the earliest.  Potentially a 90 point wine, but I am no expert at this.  For the price, a 3 star wine with potential to go up, it’s just a matter of time.  Salut….

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Sempre Vive Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

22 Saturday Mar 2014

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From Napa valley harks this old vine Cab Sav with some bottle age on it.  Black currants and eucalyptus on the nose with an initial attack of black fruits and some beautiful plums.  The wine is slightly tannic and has good acidity.  I would class it as medium bodied with a fruit-forward Napa style.  My only concern was that I could smell the 14.8% alcohol on my own breath after a few seconds, it was the weirdest thing.  I did not pick it up in the glass or on the palate, just afterwards.  For some complexity I noticed bittersweet chocolate and coffee on the back end.  A decent finish with good length made this a pretty decent Friday night wine with some Lamb chops and grilled Cauliflower.  It will probably drink for another 5 years or so and gets 89 points from me.  I paid $20 for it and reckon that makes it a respectable 3 star wine in my books.  Ps.  The cork had a heavy build up of sediment so I ran the bottle through my Vinturi which has a filter to trap the junk, it worked out fine.  Salut….

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The sediment

The sediment

the filter on my Vinturi

the filter on my Vinturi

Arrayán Petit Verdot 2007

21 Friday Mar 2014

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You don’t often come across a 100% Petit Verdot, it is used mainly as a blend in Bordeaux style wines.  It’s a fiercely tannic, bold and dark wine used to bulk up other, less endowed wines needing a little darkening and structure.  If you do find one that is all PV, try it and you’ll see what I’m on about.

Typical for the variety this wine was a tannic monster with an earthy nose and some funk on the initial attack.  Pencil shavings of wood and graphite add to the olfactory experience and wild flowers come up on the mid palate with a blueberry component that is quite pronounced.  On the back end is where ripe plums came into the picture.  This wine was very dark in the glass, full of backbone and needing a fatty steak to mellow it out.  I am going with 89 points and 3 stars for this $27 offering from Spain.  I think anyone who is trying to expand their palates needs a good dose of 100% Petit Verdot to appreciate its power and potential to beef up other wines.  Ps.  I finished the bottle up with some new Lindt chocolate that rocked , Caramel with a touch of Sea Salt, ever so crunchy, ever so smooth.  Salut….IMG_0848

Lindt's Caramel and Sea Salt

Lindt’s Caramel and Sea Salt

Ridgeline Vineyards Meritage 2010

20 Thursday Mar 2014

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I bought this one on ratings and write-ups, having never heard of it before.  It started out with plums and a woody note on the nose with an interesting initial attack that was slightly sour.  I noticed a tremendous acidity, perhaps too much??  The flavors that I came across on the first pass were red currants and raspberry.  The wine is silky with deep, smooth tannins.  Later on I noticed blueberry on the back end with some coffee.  This wine is very juicy, related to the acidity perhaps.  It was a little sharp when first opened but seemed to mellow out after some air time.  I’m not a huge fan of this wine but I think it is serviceable.  I have seen up to 92 points from critics on this one, I am not sure I agree- giving it 88 instead.  I paid $18 and therefore award it 3 stars.  Salut….

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Robert Storey Cellars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

06 Thursday Mar 2014

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I’m not sure what to think about this wine.  You’ll see why in a few minutes…..

I paid $19 on sale for it and was looking forward to a juicy Napa Cab of sorts.  It started out somewhat lighter in the glass than I imagined and had a nose of Kirsch. The initial attack consisted of blackcurrants and black cherry with a heavy oak influence and noticeable tannins.  On the mid palate it had an interesting Oregano flavor and I sensed a biting acidity.  The wine was quite unbalanced and I noted “Two pronged attack??”  It was different and off-putting.  I finished the first glass with an 86 point impression.  The wine baffled me to the point that I was determined to coax something better out it.  I found some 100% Cacao dark chocolate that was so bitter it re-aligned my taste buds.  The single square of chocolate was all I needed to jerk the wine out of it’s disjointedness.  It came alive and seemed to right itself.  The questionable note regarding split personalities was put to bed, the wine became more focused on the core fruits and nuances.  The acidity seemed more in check and the tannins melded better (they should after the bitter thrashing the chocolate gave me).  The wine came away with an 88 point rating at the end of it all and gets 3 stars.  I am going to re-taste this wine in short order to see if it is the same again.  Ps.  Try the 100% Cacao trick some time, I think you’ll be surprised!  Salut….

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100%Bitter but it did the trick

100%Bitter but it did the trick

 

Mollydooker Carnival Of Love 2010

13 Thursday Feb 2014

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A picture is worth a thousand words….

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This is the second vintage in my vertical tasting. The 2009 Carnival of Love was excellent, and this one continues the streak, albeit in a slightly different way.  Inky in the glass I got a big dose of blue currants and black tea on the nose after I ran it through the Vinturi.  The initial attack was quite simply deelish.  I had to take this picture so you could imagine what I was tasting.  Midway through I started getting sour cherries and blackberry.  I wrote down on my tasting sheet that I noticed quite a bit of acidity, hence the sour cherry component.  On the back end is where the plum compote, spice box and blueberries really came to life. The tannins are slight to the taste, but ever present.

The main difference between these two vintages is the level of concentration.  The ’09 was very focused, this version is somewhat more open ended with more levels of flavors yet not as complex.  The ’09 weighed in at 16%, this one a more palatable 15.5%.  Both are drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so for many years, yet my preference is the ’09.  This wine  scored slightly higher with the pro’s at an average of 94.5.  I am going with 92 and three stars for this $90 beauty.  I served it with spicy pulled pork, it worked a treat.  Salut….

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Il Veltro Brunello Di Montalcino 2005

13 Monday Jan 2014

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In case you missed it, Moxie (the wife) and I are on the Paleo diet.  I have had no pizza or pasta for over three months and I feel better for it.  JJ, my daughter loves pasta and is a self-proclaimed 9 year old vegetarian.  This makes it really hard in our short-order kitchen to cater to all the various diets and preferences.  So…. last night I let her chose.  Spaghetti and Marinara sauce. I could not resist her charms and gave in, immediately seizing the opportunity to crack open an uncharted Brunello.  The sauce was dressed up with loads of spicy Italian sausage and I loved every guilt laden mouthfull.

The wine was just ok though.  It was touted as a 90 point wine with bright berry nuances and background notes of spice, cola, tobacco and leather.  I got blackberry, tar and some earth but no tobacco, no leather and very little spice.  What I did get was green tannins and a touch too much of acidity making this wine slightly unbalanced and off pointe.  The flavors were decent, don’t get me wrong.  The balance was very off-putting and I wish it would sort itself out.  I love Brunello yet know so little about it.  I was hoping for something delicious and was left wondering what happened.  I sadly will give this 86 points and hope for the best.  It cost me $25 on sale and will get 3 stars for now.  Hoping for a miracle on the other three bottles I bought.  Salut….

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