Tag Archives: 5 stars

Chateau Hanteillan 2009

18 Sunday Oct 2015

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From Haut Medoc comes this charming, meaty wine that needs to be on your shopping list. Very dark and murky in the glass with a nose of really sweet bramble, cherry and blackcurrant. My first impressions are good. Very pleasing initial attack of black kirsch, blackcurrants and a gradual introduction of some well integrated tannins. The acidity hides in the background yet balances the wine very well. Primary fruit is fully evident but I suspect that this wine has some evolution in it’s near future. It drinks well today but I reckon it will get better in 2-3 years. This 09 Bordeaux sums up the vintage well. Early drinking pleasure coupled with a decent cellaring potential make this wine a must have at $15 per bottle. I am going with 90 points and 5 stars. Roast game is screaming to be paired with this as are some stinky blue cheeses and don’t rule out a braised beef rib.  Salut….

chateau hanteillan

Lagarde Primeras Vinas Malbec 2011

19 Sunday Jul 2015

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We went over to our friends house for dinner last night.  My buddy, known as Big Red, had bought this one specially for our dinner of short ribs.  It never made it to the table as we opened it soon after we polished off the Carneros Pinot I brought for appetizers.  None of us could wait to try it.  We were not disappointed.

Reddish color that was somewhat unique in a Malbec, they usually run the gamut of dark purple to the black wines of Cahors.   Red currants, strawberries and iodine were some of the hints we picked up on the nose.   A super smooth entry of red fruits, some ink, black cherry and a Tempranillo-like medicinal tinge were what treated us in the first wave.  Mid palate is where the tannins finally kicked in having lurked initially.  Supremely balanced with acidity and a touch of oak the whole package is well rounded and polished. The length is ideal. 93 points and begging for a steak, perhaps some shaved ham. $40, 93 points. Full bodied Argentinian ready to drink till 2022.  A top wine if I may say so myself.  5 stars for sure, seek this one out.  Salut….

lagarde primeras vinas malbec

El Vinculo 2006

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

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Broken cork- never a good start…. unless the wine is unharmed and is as good as this one.  Funky Tempranillo nose of earth, black cherries and garigue.  Full power attack of aged leather, tobacco, black berries and dark cherry jam. Very balanced with some tight tannins and sharp acidity. Mid palate shows some real stuffing, sour cherry with leather and black brooding fruits. The finish is long and the tannins continue to caress. This wine is still very young and will age gracefully, all the pieces are in place. 93 points from me which differs considerably from one pro who gave it 90 and my peers only managed 87 points.  I’m sticking with my guns and searching for more.  At $15 per bottle you can’t go wrong- 5 stars for sure and another winner in the books. 2015-2025  Salut….

el vinculo

Ollara Clasico Reserva 2009

02 Tuesday Jun 2015

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The label says Decanter magazine gave it 97 points- that’s huge and worthy of the $35 entry fee.  I was actually blown away once I opened this Rioja gem.  Thick purple hues in the glass with a solid nose of bramble, blackberry, oak and ginger.  Initial attack of super smooth fruits- blackberry, blue berries, orange peel and a dancing acidity that mingles around. Super duper smooth tannins grace the whole mouth and provide an amazing mouthfeel, not sumptuous, nor lean – just present. This is an amazing wine. Mid to back end is where I find some wood, lighter red fruits and as it airs out- more gripping tannins. Not exactly textbook Rioja, it’s a cross with Bordeaux and young Brunello. Simply amazeballs. 95 from me make this a 5 star wine with a long life ahead. 2025-2028.  Salut….

ollara clásico reserva rioja

Chateau St. Thomas 2008

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

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Once a year I get to meet up with my uncle from Lebanon, in Hong Kong of all places. He brings me traditional Lebanese sweets, nuts and a bottle of his cousin’s delicious St. Thomas.  I sat on this bottle for 5 months, waiting for the right moment.

It began with gorgeous plums and blackberries on the nose.  A very dark and brooding wine in the glass, I figured it was going to be powerful.  Indeed.  The first cut was of tart blueberries and some black cassis.  Bracing acidity and fine grained tannins coat the mouth alongside the bramble and dark cherry on the mid palate. Blackberry finished the deal and carries on with a long tannic finish. This wine is a monster waiting to jump out of the bottle.  Still very young at 6 years of age, it should cellar well for another ten.  2015-2025. 91 points from me.  No idea the price but if it is under $25 then it ranks a 5 star rating from me.  Read about the 2005 and 2006 vintages I have had.  This version is less Bordeaux-like, more primal and powerful.  Still delicious though!  Salut….

chateau st. thomas

Mollydooker Enchanted Path 2012

08 Sunday Feb 2015

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Wowsa, this is a huge, delicious, complex, layered, smooth killer of a wine.  I wrote that it was purply purple in the glass, can you picture it?  Like really beautiful purple hues dancing in the Riedel.  Initial nose of heat but then layered plums, blackberries and a hint of eucalyptus.  Long, drawn out introduction of plums, blue fruits and raspberry coulis that are wrapped in gorgeous tannins and a hint of acidity. The mid palate is a seamless extension of the upfront fruit and it glides into a long finish. This is one complete wine that absolutely rocks. The combo of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon has never been my favorite but it works so well in this wine. The skillful way in which they have coaxed all this fruit and finesse while hiding the 16% alcohol is amazing.  I served this bottle up with some charred/blackened Ribeyes, which was a perfect pairing.  I would love to get more and sit on them for another 10 years or so.  Pricy at $65, it is a treat to open one of these for a special occasion.  95 points from me and 5 stars, this one is on my radar.  Yet another stellar Mollydooker wine from Mclaren Vale, Australia.  Salut….

mollydooker enchanted path

Santa Rita Triple C Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

26 Monday Jan 2015

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I took Moxie and one of my sons to a Brazilian steak house recently.  This was the featured wine, priced at $65 instead of the usual $120.  In reality it retails for $30 or so dollars.  I ordered it and did not regret my choice.

Iodine, black berries and orange peel nose really got me going.  I was so engulfed in the nose of this wine that I kept sniffing, trying to coax more….  Blackberry creme pie meets chocolate dust and vanilla bean on the initial palate, exciting.  Hefty yet refined tannins are on pointe and the finish is long and dry. The wine was perfectly paired with all the freshly grilled, highly salted, tender morsels of beef, lamb and pork.  92 points from me would equal what the pro’s averaged on this wine.  A drinking window of 2015-2022 make it totally worth cellaring for a great accompaniment to steaks and stews.  5 stars from me for this Chilean stunner. Salut….

santa rita triple c cabernet sauvignon

707 Cabernet Franc Rockpile 2012

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

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From the northern part of Sonoma comes this gem.  My buddy brought it to the tasting and paid $38 for it.  I was excited to try it as you know how I love the Franc.

We were outside by the fire pit so I could not really make out the color or clarity.  The nose was gorgeous though.  Violets and plum notes with a touch of oak on the first whiff.  Fresh and bracing initial attack with flowers, cinnamon, plum torte and vanilla creme.  Rich acidity and smooth tannins make for a long cellaring potential. This is a well made and deelish wine that gets 92 points from me.  Well hidden 14.4% alcohol and a long finish make this a 5 star wine.  Salut….

707 rockpile cabernet franc

Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Yes 2003, it’s not a typo.  It was brought over by friends for a party, I was not sure how to embrace this wine.  At $8 back in the day it was a serviceable red from Chile that got hammered by WS with 77 points, ouch.  I decided to open it and prayed for the best.  The cork crumbled halfway through the extraction, not a good start.  I coaxed the rest out and sorted the debris from the glass after I poured.  My initial impression- Cherry and blackberry nose, still fresh (surprisingly).  This wine was probably not stored in pristine conditions, yet I was about to discover a vibrancy I was not expecting.
Bright purple in the glass it showed no signs of aging, remarkable.  Lovely black cherry and black berry notes with great acidity and some nice tannins still lurking around.  Thoroughly enjoyable and quite young with a nice finish.  The bottle did show slight sediment, but then again this wine is 11 years old and not built for the long haul.  89 points and drinking till 2017 perhaps?  5 stars for such a valiant effort to age gracefully.  Wish I could find more!  Salut….

Ps. I accidentally deleted the photo of this yummy Chilean Cabernet.  However, I just read the latest Wine Spectator and they featured the same wine, 2013 vintage.  Priced at $12 it got 89 points.  I may take a punt and stock up on some of dat!  Cheers.

 

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2012

08 Thursday Jan 2015

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Wow- talk about extraction, power, depth, complexity and a mouth full of blueberry.  This is a huge wine, with some really great flavors intertwined with fresh acidity and smooth tannins.  Just by pouring it I knew I was in for a treat.  Nearly black in the glass with a huge nose of blueberry, vanilla and black cherry.  The initial attack was uber long with sweet dark berries, mocha, plum and lavender hints.  More fruits evolved as I swirled the wine, showing off cassis and oak.  The long finish was impressive as was the way they managed to hide the whopping alcohol.  This is a well made, very precise wine that is not for the faint of heart.  Atypical in style it appeals to me for it’s purity of fruit and ease of drinking.  The mouthfeel is impeccable.  I always enjoy Mollydooker wines and this one is no exception.  Priced at $50 it gets 92 points from me and 5 stars.  Salut….

Mollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz