Tag Archives: 92 points

Mollydooker Carnival Of Love 2010

13 Thursday Feb 2014

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A picture is worth a thousand words….

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This is the second vintage in my vertical tasting. The 2009 Carnival of Love was excellent, and this one continues the streak, albeit in a slightly different way.  Inky in the glass I got a big dose of blue currants and black tea on the nose after I ran it through the Vinturi.  The initial attack was quite simply deelish.  I had to take this picture so you could imagine what I was tasting.  Midway through I started getting sour cherries and blackberry.  I wrote down on my tasting sheet that I noticed quite a bit of acidity, hence the sour cherry component.  On the back end is where the plum compote, spice box and blueberries really came to life. The tannins are slight to the taste, but ever present.

The main difference between these two vintages is the level of concentration.  The ’09 was very focused, this version is somewhat more open ended with more levels of flavors yet not as complex.  The ’09 weighed in at 16%, this one a more palatable 15.5%.  Both are drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so for many years, yet my preference is the ’09.  This wine  scored slightly higher with the pro’s at an average of 94.5.  I am going with 92 and three stars for this $90 beauty.  I served it with spicy pulled pork, it worked a treat.  Salut….

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Clarendon Hills Astralis 2004

10 Monday Feb 2014

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A huge, monumental, iconic wine that scored massively with the pros and cost me an arm and leg. This weekend marks a huge turn in Moxie’s store and a good reason to celebrate, hence the need to pull out a $300+ bottle of wine from the depths of the cellar. To emphasize- RP 98, WE 98, WS 97, WC 97, AWC 95. Wow….

I have been in Asia for a few days and just returned this morning. Napping the morning away, I was ready for a hearty meal and some good vino. I decided on a Lamb tagine to go with this Aussie Syrah. Yup, Syrah…. They don’t call it a Shiraz, hmmmm.

I opened the bottle at 6:30 and made immediate notes:
The wine is nearly black in the glass and the first whiff was pure alcohol. I let it settle for few minutes and coaxed dark, brooding currants and a touch of the wood in addition to some cherry hints. On the palate I did not catch any of the 14.5% alcohol! Instead I got a complex mixture of black currants, plums, kirsch and oak. The mid palate adds a fine grained tannic streak along with some tobacco and spice nuances. The finish is where the alcohol shows up, unfortunately. The tannins are totally integrated at this point and do not dry out the end game.

It’s now three hours after opening and the wine has not evolved all that much, just softening up a bit on the initial attack. I doubt it will morph much more before I polish it off. The critics reckoned this wine would go until 2030. My impressions are below, and not quite in line.

Firstly, this is not my favorite Syrah nor is it my favorite wine from this producer. I disagree with the high ratings, I don’t think it warrants more than 92 points. For the price, it is a very dear wine and I’m only giving it 2 stars. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good wine- perhaps a great wine according to the pros but for me it’s just average for the price.  I was hoping for more depth, complexity and certainly more flavor.  My quest is to expand my palate and try as many highly rated wines as possible so I will be better able to discern a truly great wine.  This one just wasn’t it, a pity.  Salut….

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Almaviva 2006

19 Sunday Jan 2014

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I have been sitting on this bottle for a while, just waiting for the right moment.  It happened last night with NY Strip, peppercorn sauce and Moxie’s delicious roast Broccoli with Garlic.

The first ‘real’ wine I ever remember having was a Chilean Cabernet, and have subsequently tried most of the top Cabernet’s for the region with the exception of the the Almaviva.  It is the most expensive of the three big names in Chilean Cabernet which include Don Melchor and Montes Alpha M, both of which I love.  This wine is a blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals with Cabernet as the main factor.  It is quite simply- delicious.

The wine show a dark purple hue in the glass and the nose explodes with kir, black berries and cassis.  On the first wave, there is a purity of blue and black fruits with secondary nuances of leather, cassis and tobacco.  The mid palate has a slight imbalance but the wine finishes with grace and length.  The tannins are fully resolved and the wine has entered it’s secondary stage where the fruit is dissipating and being replaced with interesting tertiary flavors.  I got a little eucalyptus on the back end and but no dryness.  The acidity is what was off balance on the mid palate but I could easily overlook that split second for the much more fulfilling finish.  The wine is smooth and very easy to drink and appreciate.

It is the priciest of the three top Chilean Cabs at over $100 per bottle and it scored highly with the pro’s.  I am going with 92 points and 4 stars.  If you get a chance to try this wine, it is well worth the effort as it mixes Chile’s terroir with the winemaking expertise of Concha Y Toro and the Rothschilds.  A great effort indeed.  Salut…

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Chateau De Carles 2009

16 Thursday Jan 2014

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From Fronsac in the eastern part of Bordeaux comes this little charmer.  Blackish blue in the glass and giving up very little on the nose- I knew I was in for a seriously closed wine.  This wine is built to last folks, it is completely in its dumb phase with only a solid core of blueberry fruit able to penetrate the bracing tannins.  Manageable acidity make this a cellaring bottle, of which I have several more.  I am looking forward to the evolution over the next 5 years.  For now, I had to do some research. It got 92 from Suckling.  That is why I am not a pro, I cannot give scores like that when a wine is so young and unapproachable.  I cannot see past the tannins and dryness to delineate the fruit flavors and potential of the wine.  I paid $20 and going by his points this should be a 4 plus star wine- just give it a few years to emerge from its monster shell.   Salut….

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Silver Oak 1996

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

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An iconic wine from Mr. Leebering’s cellar, this was my last wine of 2013.  A hefty $30 corkage was levied at our New Year’s eve dinner, but well worth it.  It was hard to delineate the color of this wine in the dark lit restaurant, but it sure smelled good.  Plums and black fruits were interlaced with an oaky infusion and some leather.  This mature Napa Cabernet was very smooth and displayed great balance of acidity and fading tannins.  The length was impressive and the wine had a surreal earthiness to it. I believe this wine runs in the $75 range and I am going with 92 points.  This is the type of wine that really rewards cellaring and goes great with steaks.  I am going 5 stars on this wine.  Happy New year and Salut….

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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

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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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