16 Thursday Feb 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
$13, 3 stars, 88 points, marlborough, new zealand, pinot noir
Lovely nose of strawberry, some green pepper and iodine. On the palate- sour cherry, vanilla cake and red twizzler. The mid palate piles on some strawberry and more creamy vanilla. The finish is a touch acidic, fresh and of decent length. I like this New Zealand wine and think it is worthy of 88 points. For $13, it’s a pretty good deal and gets 3 stars from me. Salut….
15 Sunday Jan 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
The last time I wrote about this winery was over 4 years ago, on the Russian River Valley 2009 David Noyes Pinot Noir. I loved it then and gave it high marks, so when an opportunity came along to get more from this winery, I jumped.
03 Tuesday Jan 2017
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
I picked up two bottles for $18, but it really should be priced at $11 per. The wine is a see through light purple in the glass, commensurate with the varietal. On the nose I am getting strawberry, cherry and pomegranate. All three primal flavors are typical for the Pinot grape. On the initial taste there are more cherries and some really nice strawberry candy notes. In and amongst the mid palate flavors there lurks some tannins. If you have read my notes for a while, you may recall that I have a hard time distinguishing tannin levels in Pinot Noir, but when I sense they are present then there must be a boatload of ’em. This wine drinks in a dry style and is leaving the telltale sensation on my gums. There is an acidity that comes out as sour cherry on the mid to finish that I am digging. On my second go at this wine I got a very strong hit of rock candy on the front end, interesting.
This wine drinks very nicely and is a definite bargain for Pinot Noir. It will do nicely with some Roast Chicken, a killer pairing with Coq Au Vin and it will ride nicely with my mother’s Steak and Kidney Pie. (She’s very British you know…). Drinking window is wide open from 2017-2022. 89 point and 4 stars from me. Salut….
25 Sunday Dec 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
Merry Christmas! I have family over for the holidays and we opened this bottle for a Christmas Eve potluck dinner. I know it is extravagant for this type of Cru Burgundy to be opened with a pasta casserole and spiral baked ham, but it works!
Very pale in the glass with some orange hues of bricking appearing- maybe pre-mature for a Burgundy wine, we shall see. On the nose a revelation, this wine is young, fresh and full of fruit yet tertiary notes are starting to appear. Cherry, strawberry and wildflowers dominate with barnyard and a touch of oak also appears. On the initial attack I’m getting super smooth cherry notes with cinnamon and grille backing it up. The meatiness is slight but present along with super sleek tannins that are perceptible yet unobtrusive- this wine glides. The mid palate is a seamless transition from the front with the addition of some barnyard funk- my kinda Burgundy. The finish is decent in length and gives off leather and some pale berry notes. This is a very complex wine that is shockingly smooth and very pleasing. I am hoping it will evolve into a behemoth old school Burgundy in the next few years. 92 points from me which coincides with WS. Drink now, but sparingly until it fully matures. 4 stars for the $50 price point. 2019-2027 is a good window for maximum effect. Salut….
15 Thursday Dec 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
I good mate of mine brought this over for Thanksgiving but we never got around to it. I am glad in a way as it meant I could devote the proper attention to tasting this well crafted beauty. A quick check of the internet reveals a price of $70- yikes. But damn is this wine good…
Beautiful reddish purple in the glass. A nose of cherries jubilee, spicebox, cedar. On the palate a gorgeous medley of cherries, rhubarb and black berries. Nicely integrated tannins meld well with the acidity and give the mid palate a smooth mouthfeel with notes of cinnamon, more cherry and some espresso. The coffee theme runs into the finish that shows just a touch of acidity and some vanilla. There is a citrus peel component on the finish that leaves it a little tart which is my only concern. Overall a very well made wine which has enough earthiness and an abundance of fruit to pull off many matches, both Burgundian and New World. 92 points from me and 4 stars. I paired it with Lasagne because that was what was for dinner- you can do better with a Coq Au Vin dish, perhaps even a roasted Cornish hen with wild rice. Really delicious. Salut….
08 Monday Aug 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
A Burgundy bottling that comes with great acclaim and which I have waited long enough to try. See through light purple, hinting at refinement and class. The nose has strawberry, pomegranate and twizzlers. All typical of good Pinot Noir! The initial taste is very elegant, light and juicy. Strawberry, rhubarb and juicy acidity merge into a mid palate of cherry kirsch. The finish is long and laced with tannins as well as that bracing acidity. This wine is exuberant and young. The earthiness and funk that I crave in Burgundy wines has not yet evolved. I would imagine another 4 years in the cellar might extract the results I’m looking for. 91 points for now and I am excited for the next bottle in a few years! 4 stars for this $55 offering. Salut….
26 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
Burgundy, and Pinot Noir can seem like such a minefield. The nuances of the grape coupled with the intricacies of the Burgundian wine system leave me with a headache sometimes. Having said that, I am trying my hardest to discover and having fun doing it.
See-through pinkish purple, as would be expected of a Pinot Noir. The nose intrigues me- but kinda thin. It offers shades of cherry, straw, dust and perhaps some pomegranate. The initial attack is very subtle and smooth. Cherry for sure, some capsicum, and spices. Violets come to mind as well. The mid palate is where the wine opens up- cherries, berries and some nice juicy tannins show up. The pomegranate re-appears on the finish as the wine closes out in a slightly acidic note. The whole package is quite delicious but lacks depth for now. I’m thinking it may evolve somewhat. 90 points from me (the pro’s gave it 92). Drink from now until 2025 and pair it with Cornish hens, maybe even some Salmon on the grill. For $50, it is a pricy wine, but very typical of small production Burgundy. 3 stars. Salut….
The cork was really dark and interesting.
19 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
Tags
Louis Jadot has to be one of the more prominent wineries in our local wine shops. You can’t glance over the Burgundy section without seeing the telltale label. They own their own vineyards and also buy in grapes. I tried to count how many different wines they produce but lost track. They have numerous labels at all levels of quality and price. This particular bottle was bought a few years ago for about $25.
An intriguing pale, see-through purple that reminds me of other delicate Pinots I have tried. Quite a deep nose of strawberry and pomegranate. On the palate- still a young and fresh wine with flavors of cherry kirsch, cranberry and a nice acidic touch. It warms up on the mid palate and offers up some strawberry along with sour cherry. The finish is dry with tannins and acidity bracing each other. I have a hard time detecting tannins in Pinot Noir, but this one serves them up, albeit all on the finish. I’m glad I sat on this wine for as long as I did, it is just hitting its stride now. It offers a mature, refined approach to old world Pinot that I enjoy. It only lacks the earthy components I look forward to in Burgundy. Overall, I like this wine quite a lot. 90 points and 4 stars as this wine is only a Village level yet acts all grown up and has lasted well past it’s recommended drinking window yet shows another 2-3 years at the very least. Newer vintages will run you $35 or so for this delicious offering. I would pair it with roast Cornish hens or perhaps flank steak with chimichurri sauce. Salut….
09 Thursday Jun 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
A Burgundy I bought back in 2008 and sat on for a few years, forgetting I even had it. Pouring the first glass reminded me of a Malbec, rich and purply. Not what I was expecting from a Pinot Noir, but let’s see what comes of it.
A nose of bramble, dark plums and an earthy component. I am intrigued… The first sip is smooth, with hints of cherry, cola, a touch of acidity and a barely noticeable amount of tannin. The second sip reveals strawberry/rhubarb crumble and some spicebox. The mid-palate exhibits a smooth transition for the tannins to come out along with the dark fruits and mushroom (Ps. The label has a picture of a truffle, perhaps hinting at something). The tingling on my gums is evident after a fews sips. The wine is still very young and slightly closed. The finish shows off the Burgundian earth, some cherry and lashings of fine grained tannins. I hardly ever sense tannic components in Pinot Noir, but this wine most definitely has structure with tannins and acidity that will allow it to develop for another 10 years at the least. I am going with 92 points on this wine and wished I had another bottle to open in 8 years or so, I bet it goes all funky with secondary flavors of earth, barnyard and everything else that aged Burgundy has to offer the patient amongst us. I found it online for $72, making this a 4 star effort for the cellar. Drink 2022-2026. WS gave it 93 points BTW. It comes in at a very enjoyable 13% alcohol, which is a major shift from today’s highly extracted monsters that weigh it at 15+%. Enjoy this one all by itself when it is ready to go, or perhaps with a rustic roast Chicken, maybe even braised beef ribs. Salut….
14 Saturday May 2016
Posted in Wine reviews
I bought this bottle at a wine shop that was closing and sat on it (forgot about it) until recently. Nice, rich looking see-through purple in the glass. A nose of cherry, cola and earth. On the initial taste I got blue berries, lingonberry and a swath of swirling acidity. After a few minutes of air time the wine opens up even more, with sharper concentration of fruit with some tannins mingling with the acidity. A mid palate of plum puree hits me now and the tannins are defined, which for Pinot is rare. This wine is 10 years young and has much life left in it, I reckon maturity will hit in 2020 at the earliest. An entry level Burgundy that I really enjoyed. 88 points. $17 or so make this 3 stars in my books. Salut….
Wine reviews 