24 Thursday Jan 2013
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New World nose of mushrooms and red fruit. Sharply acidic on the palate, it is also offers some raspberry and plum. Not obvious, there are some fine tannins in the background. This 2008 vintage is at peak now and offers a certain quality that is hard to pinpoint. My guess is that it started life as a 90 pointer and I would value it as a 3 star wine (for my palate versus its price).
09 Wednesday Jan 2013
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Right up my grill with plums, lots of em mashed up with blueberry. It’s almost like a plum salad on the palate, really delicious in its own way. Good acidity detracts from a tannic frame that I sense exists to give this wine some aging potential. I am liking this wine for different reasons, it’s interesting, has depth and it’s making my mouth water…. 4 stars, 90 points easily.
06 Sunday Jan 2013
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I took Moxie out to a fusion Korean/Cajun restaurant last night and ordered this little gem. From the stunning 2009 Bordeaux vintage, this lower level wine is drinking beautifully right now. Earthy, tobacco and cassis are reminiscent of higher quality Claret, yet for the price, this wine totally delivers. Tannins are very much ingrained, smooth and holding this wine in stead. The structure and acidity are really good, providing you with a ready-to-drink Bordeaux that mixes blue fruit with the characteristics I love from the Medoc. From the nose all the way to the finish, you will be satisfied with this wine. Like I mentioned, we paired it with a mix of spicy, earthy and bold flavors, it shone with all. 5 stars and potentially a 90 point wine. I must check my local wine shop….
17 Monday Dec 2012
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At 6 years of age, this blend of Napa and Sonoma Cab Sav is still young. Grippy tannins are prominent yet unobtrusive and meld nicely. On the nose, dark, brooding berry fruits. On the palate, chocolate and plum that finish nicely with the caressing tannins. Good balance and acidity make this a really good bottle, coupled with the decent price makes this a 4 star wine. I would give it 90 points and serve it up with some New York Strips on the charcoal. Really yummy.
17 Monday Sep 2012
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15.4% alcohol, do you really need to do that? Having said that, I find no heat and am enjoying the essence of fruit. Wild cherries on the nose translate into strawberry and bing cherry on the palate.
This wine has typicity at the expense of finesse. I like it’s taste, but find the alcohol offensive. A medium term wine, drink until 2016 .
3 stars but a generous 90 points on the pro scale. If they can get a lower alcohol and maintain the flavor, this wine has potential.
14 Friday Sep 2012
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Extremely aromatic with scents of flowers and rose water, this white wine is very tasty, with a full-on mouthfeel. Lacking in razor sharp acidity, it comes across as a drinking wine, although I reckon it would go very well with Turkey. In the mid-palate I am getting some citrus mixed with a dryness that I can only think (tannins). It is leaving a nice feeling in my mouth and a long after taste that is most enjoyable. This style of wine reminds me of Gewurtztraminer: highly aromatic, very tasty, low in acidity and not everyone’s cup-o-tea. I love it and will stick a few in the fridge. A great party wine, good for casual BBQ and in my opinion- a well made wine deserving 4 stars. My guess is it’s a 90 point wine. I have loved Trivento’s red wines, the whites are on the same path. Salut
08 Saturday Sep 2012
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Really purple hue from this blend of Petite Sirah (love it already) and a Portuguese grape called Tinta Cao gives me a funky nose of chocolate and blackberry. On the palate, thin tannins reveal a blueberry and jam core of fruit. Not as prominent as the GSM, this is well made and balanced. A puckering after taste is long and delicious, giving this wine a bump in my books. 4 stars and. 90 point effort that excites me because it’s a different blend, and it works. Well done….
08 Saturday Sep 2012
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Grenache is a great grape, used in blends and as a standalone. This offering is very smooth, if not a touch hot. Sweetness on the palate from a floral mixture and some red currants. Some plum is evident in the jammy mid palate. I like this wine and think others will too. It’s time to drink up as I think it has about 2-3 years of its peak. 4 stars, perhaps a 90 pointer….
11 Saturday Aug 2012
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The nice thing about buying multiple bottles is the ability to watch it age, take on different nuances and evolve into a secondary wine. I have had three bottles of this wine over the last 3 years, each one bringing different flavors to the glass. This wine is a Syrah from the northern Rhone that weighs in at 13.5 % alcohol. I wish I had taken notes of the previous bottles, dang… Anyway, this is a good wine. Not typical Syrah, but well crafted with fine tannins that caress. Dark fruits on the nose give into a red raspberry thing for me. I grilled some Ribeye steaks on a charcoal grill just to complement this wine- I was spot on. The structure of this wine went beautifully with the somewhat fatty cut of beef. I imagine this wine will last another 5 years at least, and hopefully evolve some more. I imagine a little earthiness coming out in a few years. A solid 4 star effort and perhaps a 90 pointer that will run you about $30.
10 Friday Aug 2012
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I previously wrote about the 2005 vintage. Not much has changed in my opinion. Bordeaux-like with great fruit and cassis, I also noted some leather? Not as tannic as the ’05, but definitely has a good backbone. A longish finish that did not surprise me as this wine is well made. Inky purple in the glass, this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah that weighs in at 14%. The back label states that it was aged in new French Oak for 18 months, which IMHO has made it very smooth. Others have complained about the oak treatment, but it did not bother me at all. The French Judges gave it accolades as can be seen on the front label. I would give this one 5 stars again, and perhaps a 90 point rating is due… I just wish I could buy it locally instead of waiting for a relative to hump back a bottle or two from Lebanon.
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