Tag Archives: 92 points

Meerlust Rubicon 2008

29 Sunday Dec 2013

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The nice thing about Christmas time is that my friends inevitably pull out some good wines.  I have had the 2007 Rubicon before and was treated to the ’08 last night.

Like it’s older brother, a tannic, brooding wine just waiting to be unleashed.  Black in the glass with some serious notes of blackberry and plum jam.  I also got tea, mint and a dose of oak on the palate which was harmoniously balanced and very dry from the huge tannins.  The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot- a classic Bordeaux blend.  The aging potential for this wine is at least 20 years, with it starting to open up in another 3-4 years.  I feel we drank this too young and it will develop into something special with time.  I did a quick price search, it can be had for around $26.  I am giving it 92 points and 5 stars.  I need to get some for the corner of my cellar and hide it away for a few years. Great stuff.  Salut….

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Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1996

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

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I took a bottle of 2001 Calon Segur to my friend’s house for dinner last night.  After we had finished the Piper Heidsieck with the appetizers, we drank the decanted Bordeaux.  When that was done, he showed me his tiny refrigerated ‘cave’ where he stored some real gems going back to the ’50s.  He pulled the pristine ’96 Napa cab out and proceeded to open it.  I had no presumptions about this wine, but it shocked me.  For a 17 year old bottle of Cabernet, it was fresh and lively yet mature and brooding.  It had cassis, black fruit, leather, earth, plums and eucalyptus on the palate with ample tannins and vibrant acidity.  It rolled in at 13.5 % and was a delight.  Still dark purple in the glass, this wine has some years to go and can be found for roughly $75.  I have always been a lover of French Claret, eschewing Napa Valley as overpriced and under-delivering.  It’s wines like this that make me realize how narrow my focus used to be and I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my palate.  If you need a very special treat, this is sure-fire.  92 points and 5 stars, albeit quite pricey it’s worth the coin.  Salut….

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Bodegas Penafiel Miros de Ribera Reserva Coleccion Privada 2001

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

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I have drunk numerous bottles of the lovely ’01 Penafiel wine and love its evolution.  Speaking of evolution, our caveman diet continues and Moxie has really gotten creative. Tonight, she used my Moroccan Tagine for the first time.  Designed by the Bedoins, it needs very little liquid and was used to slow cook meat, spices and fruits.  The conical top retaining the moisture while the ceramics evenly distributed the heat.  For our dinner, beef with butternut squash seasoned with paprika, cinnamon, ginger, red and black pepper, garlic, cilantro, onion and salt.  She added some whole tomatoes not realizing how much liquid they would add to the pot.  A truly sumptuous dietery meal that was complex, filling and a revelation.

The Tagine

The Tagine

The Beef

The Beef

The Wine

The Wine

To the wine. I needed something that would handle the beef, the spices and offer a complexity to match the ingredients.  I found it in my old favorite.  The wine has matured since I last tasted it and the secondary life is now alive and kicking.  Still dark purple on the nose, I saw no bricking (indicating age).  The nose was vibrant, with cherry, red currants, oak and spice.  I was getting excited about the first sip.  It offered up a mature compote of berries, blue and red.  Black stone fruits and some spice with a hint of vanilla came through.  The extra depth was made up of earth and cedar, with some plum notes mixing it up with incredible tannins.  The structure of this wine is amazing.  Precise acidity and hand crafted tannins are holding this wine upright.  I honestly think it is just starting its evolution, with at least another 4 years ahead.  It paired beautifully with the dinner as the wine was able to stand up to the myriad of spices Moxie had thrown in there.  Made from 100% Tempranillo, it rates a 92 from me and 5 stars.  I can’t remember what I paid for it, but if you can find it you need to get summmm.  Salut….

Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’Enrico 2001

17 Thursday Oct 2013

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A Vino Nobile di Montepulciano made from the Sangiovese grape.  I have been sitting on this one for a while waiting for the right time and the right meal.  Tonight my stars aligned.  Moxie went nuts and cooked the mother of all Paleo meals- a Ribeye, Bang Bang Shrimp, sauteed mushrooms, roasted Yam fries and a Kale/Brussell sprout salad with homemade French country dressing.

IMG_0031The wine was superb.  I just love Sangiovese and this one was so typical of the grape.  Cherries and a delicious use of oak.  This wine is 12 years old and is just now coming to life.  A great tannic profile with racy acidity have given this wine an iron-clad structure.  It still shows purple/red in the glass with no bricking.  It’s nose is dark cherry and strawberry.  Secondary flavors of earth, capsicum and leather really excite me.  I am getting a long finish and the tannins are mouth puckering, yet smooth.  Alcohol on this wine is 13.5% which is about where my threshold lies.  This wine started out at over $60, can be found today for about $42 and will not let you down with a big steak, pasta or rack of Lamb.  A serious wine that gave me much enjoyment, 92 points and a 4 banger.  Salut….

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Havens Bourriquot Napa Valley 2010

07 Monday Oct 2013

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I was not sure of the blend when I decided to pair this Napa red with some serious Ribeye steaks.  I thought I was getting a tannic Cab Sav, which is what I wanted.  Instead, I ended up with a multi dimensional blend, mainly Cabernet Franc with Merlot balancing it out.  Absolutely delicious is what it was.  You may recall that I have a soft spot for the Franc, but this is a seriously complex wine that offered up Plums and Blueberry on the nose.  The first wave was Pomegranate, red berries and a touch of oak.  Later, I was getting dark berry and currants with some back end tannins that were sublime.  The structure of this wine is fantastic, balanced and built for medium term cellaring.  The tannins are all concentrated on the finish, making this an easy drinker.  The long ending is a dry mouth-puckering event that lasted for ever.  I think I would pair this again with any grilled meat, perhaps even roast chicken.  The fruit is so evident and layered that the wine is Chameleon-like and can adapt to many dishes.  I bet this wine would rock a Moroccan Tagine dish of Lamb and stewed fruits with couscous.  Priced at $50, it is rather a ‘treat’ wine, but I would be guessing a 92 point rating is appropriate.  I am giving it 4 stars because it is so interesting, complex and offers gratification from today until 2020 at the very least.  Salut….

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Round Pond Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

01 Sunday Sep 2013

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Jam on the nose, the dark purple kind I used to eat with toast as a kid in England….. On the palate, somewhat confusing. Atypical of Napa Cabernet, I get sublime hints of Herbs Du Provence, plum and cassis Kinda weird and exciting. Sulking beneath this complexity hides a strong tannic frame, very well integrated and adding to the yummy mouthfeel. I am digging this wine, but can’t pinpoint why…. It’s different, fruity, complex and interesting. 92 points and for $39- 4 stars. I think it’s drinking nicely now and will cellar for 7 years at the least.

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d’Arenberg Shiraz ‘The Dead Arm’ 2008

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

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If you are in a wine store, unsure of what to buy for a spur-of-the-moment host bottle then d’Arenberg is your go-to wine.  The winery makes a bunch of different wines but most have the red/yellow stripe on the label which makes them easy to identify.  Quality and consistency come to mind with this brand.

Dark purple in the glass, it comes off the blocks with blueberry, plum and a hint of oak.  On the initial palate, I was getting licorice and eucalyptus in addition to the fruitiness.  Great acidity kept the wine on track and the tannic structure is built to last.  On the back end, vanilla comes to mind as does blackberry pie.  Drinking well now, it will cellar for another 10-15 years easily.  We drank this with Tenderloins and salad, I cannot think of a better combination.  Pricey at $35+, it scores well at 92 in my books and has to be a 4 star effort.  Treat yourself to some really good Shiraz this summer and try a d’Arenberg.  Salut……

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Casalvento Chianti Classico Riserva 2009

18 Thursday Jul 2013

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Wow, a full power Chianti with years ahead of it.  Purple in the glass, the nose offers dark brooding fruits and a hint of earth.  On the palate, a very definitive tar component mixed with dark cherries and black berries.  A very powerful tannic structure is making my mouth pucker and the acidity is great.  This wine is 4 years young and will last another 10 at the minimum.  Mainly Sangiovese, it weighs in at 13.5% alcohol, a decent number these days.  It does not follow typical Chianti/Sangiovese profiles (which I love), instead there is a departure from the norm and you can tell this is a well crafted wine.  92 points I reckon, and a 4- perhaps 5 star rating for its $35 price point.  I think this wine needs another 3 years in cellar, and should absolutely rock any pasta dish you could throw at it.

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Quinta Do Crasto 2009

15 Wednesday May 2013

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A re-taste from 2012 that gave me nothing at the time.  The Quinta Do Crasto 2009 that I previously tasted was absolutely closed, off-limits, nada, nothing.  This time around, much more open on both the nose and the palate.  Indeed, a rather high scoring wine.  Let’s start with the beautiful purple hue in the glass.  On the nose, gorgeous plums and blueberry.  On the attack, blackberry and spicy oak.  It’s hard to nail any varietal because this one is a  blend according to the label.  I do however, get some Touriga notes, which I love.  This Reserva was bottled in 2011 after 16 months in oak, both French and American.  I will say that I am starting to notice a little heat, wondering if the 14.5% alcohol is in balance.  I think with some more time, it will hide behind the really silky tannins that are still in force.   A long life ahead for this unfiltered wine, with further evolution that will be interesting to see.

I keep sniffing the glass, getting more depth all the time.  This is a serious wine folks, I’m glad I reserved judgement.  I would like to visit it again in 2015.  For now, this bottle is giving me a 92 point opinion  and at the decent price of around $40, 5 stars.  I would get a few for the cellar if you like Portuguese wines, this one rocks.

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Belle Glos Pinot Noir ‘Clark and Telephone Vineyard’ 2008

12 Sunday May 2013

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A cloudy looking Pinot in the glass, this is an interesting beast.  I have never seen a wine look so unfiltered, yet taste so refined.  A whopping 14.7% alcohol was so deftly masked that it can really sneak up on the unsuspecting.  A mix of Old and New World styles, I was intrigued by this wine from Santa Barbara County.  It showed off an interesting mix of cherry and cloves, a certain spiciness I have never tasted before.  Very smooth, I mean like ‘Buttah’.  Very well integrated tannins and a juicy acidity leave you with a nice mouthfeel.  We drank two bottles and they were identical, no variation.  A serious Pinot Noir that is hitting peak and should last another 5 years minimum.  At $40 plus, it’s not an everyday drinker, but certainly worthy of a Sunday Roast, perhaps Veal Saltimboca or even a cheese plate after dinner.  4 stars and 92 points in my books.

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