06 Thursday Jun 2013
Posted in Wine reviews
Perhaps a little young, the tannins overcame the fruit on this one. A green note along with blackberries on the palate was somewhat offset by an imbalance in the acidity. I was not a huge fan of this bottle, and don’t see it evolving much even with its strong tannic frame. 85 points and for under a tenner, perhaps 3 stars. It might do for a BBQ with ribs slathered in sauce, or perhaps a grea-zee burger.
11 Monday Mar 2013
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From the inflight cellars of United Airlines comes this Mediteranee blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. It seems to be taking over from the Fox Grove I wrote about recently. I like this wine. It is simple, straightforward, easy-to-drink and surely to be a crowd pleaser. Keeping in kind it’s pedigree, it offers very primal red fruits on the nose and palate. Very smooth with no complexity or tannic roughness, this wine will be an easy party wine for the next 2 years. I can’t say much more because that’s all folks. It really is just a tasty basic wine. 3 points for its price to delicious factor but a solid 85 points technically speaking.
07 Thursday Mar 2013
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Chardonnay and Thai food, it works well! This particular bottle was the only white available at our local Thai joint, so we thought we would give it a try after filling up on Singha beer and curry. Golden yellow in the glass, the nose was buttery with some hints of lemon. Very oaky, but not gross, it hit the right notes with me. The lemon I sensed earlier was there on the palate, but slightly sweeter. Strange to be describing it this way, but it lacked the acidity normally found in whites, yet it didn’t bother me. For once I was happy with an inexpensive, over-oaked chardonnay that I simply enjoyed. It was very easy to drink, and had been chilled to the right temperature. Albeit not a great wine, I think it deserves 85 points, but for me it was a 4 star wine. I would most definitely buy this again and drink it with any spicy dishes, or as an aperitif. Planning a party this summer, buy this one by the case.
05 Tuesday Mar 2013
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I guess yesterday was the Aussie Cabernet tasting day for me. This was the third wine in the lineup and I was suffering from ‘palate fatigue’ if you know what I mean! Very basic and reasonably priced everyday wine from this mass-producer. Nothing special, yet nothing untoward. Balanced, somewhat fresh and definitely fruity. I imagine this wine was made for pop-n-pour as it has very little long-term structure. It will please at parties and is also an everyday dinner wine. I won’t break the bank, but offers decent plum, blueberry and oak. The Shiraz is not overly jammy, the Cabernet adding some spice. 3 stars and 85 points from me.
26 Saturday Jan 2013
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Not much going on with this wine. A muted offering that just had me guessing where it was going. I got some berry and earth, but only slight. Tannins were very subdued so drink up. A complete blur and a pass if I was to spend close to $20 again. 1 star and 85 points.
25 Friday Jan 2013
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A Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois from St. Estephe, this 2006 came across as ferociously tannic when first opened. I was amazed at the levels since this wine has been sitting for 6 years. True to form, it exhibited raw power with cassis, tobacco and dark fruits on the nose and palate. Getting past the tannins, this wine was really delicious, if not everyone’s cup of tea. My drinking partner and I decided it needed a good decanting and aeration, so we left it for a while. It is absolutely amazing how much this wine mellowed out in a short period of time. The tannins melded and gave way to more perfume and a touch of oak. The fruit that was already displayed became more rounded and the wine was rapidly changing its stripes. I have never witnessed such a rapid transformation in a bottle of wine like this. I doubt it would even be a shadow of itself if left for a day. Be careful with this wine… If you like searing tannins, pop-n-pour. It would be an awesome companion to a Ribeye or other really fatty cut of beef. Do not drink it by itself, it is not designed for that. Overall, I would carve out a space for it in my cellar and give it 4 stars, but only 85 points for its volatility. (I paid about $21 for it).
02 Tuesday Oct 2012
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A first for me, Greek Cabernet. Very sharpish on the nose, with some primal fruit, oak and alcohol all fighting to get in there. My first sip was all alcohol, surprising as this one weighs in at a modest 12.5%. First impression, dump the bottle. But wait, perhaps I’ve been harsh lately, a certain crankiness overcoming my usual cool demeanor? I will let it rest for an appeal.
Now that the heat has blown off, showing much better. After a 30 minute wait, I am now getting some vanilla, raspberry and a slight vegetal thing on the nose. The palate has slid to the red berry side of the fruit scale and I can now make out a semblance of tannins. This is starting to grow on me, with perhaps a hint of plum mixing it up in there. By far not my favorite, striving for 85 points, I can only give it 2 stars. If it was $11 instead of $15 it would rank higher, but at its price- there are many far superior wines out there. I will chalk this one up to broadening my palate, and so should you.
22 Saturday Sep 2012
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Yup, two vintages in one blog post- by accident. My local shop was running a BOGO on this wine. I am a little leery when shops are giving wine away at half price, a sure sign of it’s inability to sell. However, my goal is to taste every thing in this particular shop (not a huge selection mind you). So, I picked up my two bottles of Latour Camblanes and a bottle of Shiraz. When I arrived at the tasting site, I retrieved all the bottles from my bag and noticed that one of them had a green top on the capsule. Upon further investigation, the labels looked slightly different. I then realized that the staff had placed the 2009 vintage behind the 2008 and the SKU’s must have registered as the same item. I had paid full price for the 2008 and got the 2009 for free- as advertised. I was excited to perform a mini-vertical tasting and proceeded to open both bottles. I started with ’08 and realized my worst fears. The wine needed to be given away at half price, it was just shabby. No flavor profile, very little tannin and generally flat. Yuck. On to the 2009, not so. Cherry and tobacco, some edgy tannins and a crisp acidity made me come back for more. I did not drink any more of the 2008 because I believe strongly that life is too short to drink crappy wine. My drunk friend didn’t care and proceeded to polish it off for us, leaving the far better ’09 for me to ponder and enjoy. In a nutshell, 2009 was a far superior vintage in Bordeaux and this point was highlighted in our little tasting. I would imagine the ’08 was a combination of poorly made wine in an average vintage versus a little more effort put into a far better vintage. It’s a shame really because I am now poisoned by this brand. I will not take a chance on their wine, knowing that they did not perform in an average year and relied on nature to help them out in an excellent year. 2008 1 star and 80 points. 2009 3 stars and 85 points. Would I buy again? Nope.
18 Tuesday Sep 2012
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When in doubt about a wine list, go with D’Arenberg. Each bottling has the signature red sash across the label and I have never been let down- until yesterday. This wine was just so plain and uninteresting I had to see what others were saying. I am not alone. It must be the vintage, because I usually see some good depth in this brand, usually well balanced and flavorful. I got some red raspberry out of the nose, but not much transcending the palate. Very little tannic structure leave me to wonder about the long term viability of this vintage. A true disappointment, but I haven’t given up on the brand. Like I said, a go-to-wine when confused about a wine list. 2 stars and 85 points. Boo hoo…..
04 Tuesday Sep 2012
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If you have read my older posts, you will know that I love Cabernet Franc…..just not this particular one. It, is, alright. Nothing more, nothing less. I was really excited about this wine and had to open two bottles now to form my opinion, average. I can smell the alcohol (14.2%) and perhaps some dry blueberry. On the palate, rough tannins and very little fruit. Did I catch this wine in a dumb faze? I hope so- and am willing to cellar some for a while. Without further wafting, I am dispatching this wine with a 1 star provisional rating. Yup, a major pass at this point- but I will re-taste it in a year or so. Perhaps an 85 pointer???? But for the price, there’s far better out there.
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