Tag Archives: re-taste

Lynch Bages 1996, the final bottle

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,


I will preface this post by telling you that this is perhaps my top 3 wines of all time.  I bought the case in Paris and hand carried the bottles over when I was working in Europe, two at a time.  I have savored this revered nectar and opened it only on special occasions.  Last night our very best friends came to visit.  We have not seen them in nearly 18 months and ‘Tom’ and I enjoy wine on a grand scale.  I prepared for the evening by buying a Beef Tenderloin, carving out 4 monster Filet Mignons.  Moxie did the rest;  Bang Bang Shrimp and roasted Broccoli with Sweet Potato and Garlic.  My only mission was to fire the charcoal and uncork the gem.

!7 years young and still marching on.  Dark purple in the glass it exploded on the nose.  I used the BAGs (Big Assed Glasses) and they came unto themselves.  The aromas were generous of cassis, tobacco, plums, black berry and tar.  This was probably the most impressive sniff I have ever gotten from a wine.  On the palate, gorgeous caressing tannins offered up waves of dark fruit, the cassis was amazing and the earthy factor from an aged Paulliac was spot on.  Textbook Bordeaux.  I cannot imagine anything finer than the pleasure this wine has offered me over the many years of watching it evolve.  94 points again from me and for sure a 5 star wine.  I paid $60 back in the day.  I look forward to enjoying my later vintages of this wine over the next 15 years.  Salut….

IMG_0288

Flora Springs Cabernet Franc 2009 revisited

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


I am hitting it on all cylinders this week, home run after touchdown.  Moxie has been absolutely crushing the new recipes and I have rediscovered some forgotten wines.

Tonight she banged up some Brazilian Shrimp Stew.  Spicy, tasty and surprisingly filling.  The basic ingredients are shrimp, spinach, garlic, coconut milk, red peppers and Ro-Tel (a fine combination of tomatoes and chiles), all topped with fresh cilantro.  It reminds me of Tom Yung Goong, that fiery Thai soup but more focused on the shrimp and coconut.  I needed a fruity wine yet again and was at a loss.  A search of the cellar brought the ’09 Flora Springs, which I hated a year ago.  I figured that it could meet the drain if it didn’t work out for the pairing since I had no predispositions about it.

The wine has really come alive.  A lighter shade of purple in the glass, it offered blueberry fruit on the grill.  The initial taste was impressive with blueberry, toasty oak and some anise.  The wine has a certain sweetness, but not cloying or bothersome.  The heat of the dish needed that fruit aspect combined with a sweetness that Cabernet Franc occasionally possesses along with a certain perfume element.  The structure is fine with some tight grained tannins lurking and a balanced acidity, once again trademark characteristics of the varietal.  I think this wine has finally hit it’s stride and will last another 3 years.  It runs $30 and 89 points but really a 3 star effort considering the price.  I am glad I gave it the year I promised.  Evolution is a wonderful thing as long as it is timed just right!  Salut….

Brazilian Shrimp Stew

Brazilian Shrimp Stew

IMG_0050

Bodegas Penafiel Miros de Ribera Reserva Coleccion Privada 2001

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


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….

Chateau Bordenave Sauternes 2010, part deux

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,


I hardly chirped up about the 2010 Bordenave when I first tried it.  Last night, I had a hankering for something sweet and this one just happened to be lying around.  Considering it is about $15 per bottle, I did not fear pulling the cork and being underwhelmed.  I was in for a surprise.  Seems like I have had a string of crappy wine lately and it is nice to re-visit a bad one and get some satisfaction out of it.

More unctuous in the mouth, it was somewhat sweeter with more depth of fruit.  Pineapple was evident but the botrytis gave off a lovely honeyed apricot.  Juicy acidity balanced the wine and kept the sweetness in check.  I enjoyed half the bottle while watching a movie and found myself licking my lips several times.  Sauternes is never cheap, this bottle is very ‘reasonable’ and I am glad I still have a few hiding out downstairs.  4 stars and 90 points from me this time.  Amazing what a little cellar time will do for a young wine.  Salut….

IMG_0037

Chateau Denisiane 2009, part trois

17 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,


I have written about this wine twice, both times it sucked.  The 2009 Denisiane completely underwhelmed me and pissed me off because I had bought a case on high recommendations.  I have given it some time to sort itself out (actually I was ignoring it).  Tonight, it came through, sorta.

After last night’s epic dinner of Ribeyes etc, we had some leftover meat and mushrooms.       I wanted to spice things up so I concocted a spicy Panang curry comprising the leftovers, peas, onions and sliced almonds.  The curry was medium hot on the spice scale and the ingredients melded beautifully.  I had no aspirations of pairing this wine well when I  came across it in the cellar.  Almost a ‘throwaway’ I figured it couldn’t hurt and besides- I was not about to open something good for the curry.

Regulation purple color in the glass it actually offered up plums and dark currants in the nose.  Prior to eating the curry, I tasted it and was not overly impressed.  Once I got stuck in, the wine surprised me.  The fruit actually sharpened, the tannins cut the heat and the acidity was beautiful.  I could not have paired a better red with this South East Asian dish!  After dinner I let my taste buds normalize so I could further evaluate the wine.  It was starting to come alive.  More dark plums and blackberry came across.  The tannins were quite dry and persistent.  The acidity was back to normal, which was good.

I panned this wine big time.  For $12 I thought it was crap and had no chance of improving.  I was wrong.  It has evolved and come out of its shell.  Still a very basic red table wine I think should now garner 85 points.  However, seeing as I had to work on it for over 2 years it only deserves 2 stars from me.  I would never buy it again, but actually look forward to the future evolution of what I still have in cellar.  Salut….

PS. I got most of the way through dinner when I realized that peas are not Paleo diet friendly.  Sorry Moxie, I cheated…..but not on purpose.

IMG_0033

Ravens Wood Old Vine Zinfandel 2011

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,


The 2010 Ravens Wood Zinfandel was my go-to wine when in a pinch.   The 2011 version leaves me bewildered.  Hollow, lacking fruit and just average.  What little fruitiness I got was predominantly plum, with some cherry mixed it.  There was a certain spice that overcame the fruit.  Pepper and oak were evident and the lack of tannins apparent.  I must have missed something here because this winery is consistent.  Perhaps I had an off bottle.  For around $9 it is usually a great QPR wine that works well for parties, BBQ’s and even the odd poker game.  I did enjoy it somewhat, but was disappointed at the difference between vintages.  I am reserving judgement on this one for a second tasting.

IMG_0006

Apothic Red Winemaker’s Blend 2011

15 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , ,


I am going to do something completely different today.  I am re-tasting the Apothic Red which I despised back in May of last year.  One of the primary reasons for this tasting is  to calibrate my palate.  Right after I tasted this wine, hated it and wrote about, the Big Man himself proclaimed it to be his ‘wine of the day’.  Imagine what a schmuck I felt.  Anyway, that was last year and it was the 2010 vintage. I have the 2011 vintage and am ready to try it again.  This time, I am going to write about it as I am drinking it.  Here we go……

Dark purple in the glass, there appears to be some effervescence.  (That is not a good thing by the way.)

On the nose, that Zinfandel smell of candy again.  Not liking….

My first impression is…. …. …  Candy.  Again with the sickly sweet, overdone sugar water.  This is a wine that will be loved by newb’s.  It is sweet, lacks structure, has no tannins and is off balance with the acidity.  I cannot recommend this wine, to anyone.  A blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that lacks any fruit characteristics.

Dear Mr P.  I disagree with your thoughts about this wine.  It is junk and should not be on shelves.  The end.  Your thoughts?

 

For $14, there are millions of other wines that are delicious.  1 star and 80 points (I’m being generous).

IMG_2547

Clos Du Marquis 2005

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,


The second wine of a Second Growth from an amazing vintage in Bordeaux.  I usually cellar Claret for 10 years, and 5 for their little brother ‘Second’ wines.   The wine may be a second, but it fires up like a baller.  This thing is way too young, tannic and in the dumb phase of its maturation.  I could have decanted, aerated and maybe even stuck it in the blender- but I doubt it was ready to play.  Drinking window starts in 2015 at the earliest, and should last another 10 years after that.

What I did get, besides the gripping tannins was dark, brooding blackberry and cassis.  Tobacco and leather were very faint, being secondary flavors and all.  A long finish, helped by the puckering tannins tell me this is going to be awesome when it comes around.  It’s a shame I wasted such a bottle, but we drank it with Jerk Lamb and thick Ribeye steaks.  The components of the food were very much complemented by the structure of the wine.  In the future, when the real drinking window opens up, I am going to pair the next bottle with filet or some other less fatty cut.  Can’t wait…91+points and perhaps  4 stars if it comes out of the shell.  Salut…

IMG_2296

Chateau Bordenave Sauternes 2010

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,


A dessert style wine from Bordeaux that is golden yellow in the glass.  On the nose, apricots and golden apples that move onto the palate with some honey and a touch of acidic bite.  Generally decent wine, but the tinge in the mid-palate was worrisome.  The wine was not overly sweet, but had a balanced residual sugar content.  Dessert wines are generally pricier due to the methods involved, yet I cannot remember how much I paid for this bottle.  85 points and if it was under $20, 3 stars.

(re-tasted on 10/20/13)

IMG_2218

Chateau Denisiane 2009

19 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Wine

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,


Before we begin, (it’s going to be brief), check out my previous post on the Denisiane.  Not much has changed, it’s still a really bad wine.  The basic profile is nothing more than candied cherries and a sharp retractive initial palate attack..  I was hoping for evolution, perhaps something, anything…..nothing.  A major downer, 80- points and no stars at this point.  Ugh….IMG_2203