Tag Archives: 82 points

Golden Triangle Shiraz 2009

15 Sunday Sep 2013

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A friend brought this wine to the table, straight from her visit to South Africa.  A Shiraz from the Stellenbosch region that I found out costs about $9.  We were sitting outside on a warm humid evening in very low light so I could not really see the color.  The nose was very impressive: layers of plum, oak, spice and blueberry.  Alas, very thin and watery on the palate.  A huge disappointment as I was relishing the flavors I had already smelt.  I coaxed the plum and berry components out, and managed to enjoy the wine once I got over the weight.  The overall impression was that this could have been a really good wine, the acidity, balance and tannins were all lined up.   2 stars and 82 points.

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Chilcas Carmenere 2011

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

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I recently tasted the Chilcas Cabernet, which scored well on my quality/price criteria.  Moving on to the Carmenere varietal I was hoping for similar performance, but alas I was let down.

The varietal is one of the original six Noble Bordeaux grapes and is related to the Cabernet family.  I have never had a French Carmenere, only Spanish and more predominantly- Chile.  I find it to be very spicy, with strong hints of green pepper (capsicum) and lacking hefty tannins.  This particular bottling hit me with a very ‘tinny’ taste profile which was almost medicinal on the initial attack.  The spice and red currants hit on the mid-palate, but are somewhat overshadowed by the metallic taste.  I really did not enjoy the profile, but it did mellow out after about an hour.  This is a major wave-off, spend your cash on their other wines.  82 points and 1 star.

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Castle Rock ’09

10 Saturday Dec 2011

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A few of my colleagues gathered for a little Christmas cheer upon our arrival in Hong Kong and this was the first of many bottles to be opened.  Very primary in fruit with a decent nose and mid-palate it offered no sign of aging potential.  A decent way to start out as it was not heavy, complex or overpowering.  Very reasonably priced, this one is a sure winner for informal drinking or large parties.  From a pro standpoint, perhaps an 82 rating but I’m giving it 4 stars for being a good QPR player.