Archives for the 'Tasting Notes' Category
Parducci Petite Syrah, 2005
OK for cooking.
If I used the 100 point scale I’d give it a 50. A big disappointment because I have had other good Parducci wines (I think I have) and it was only $7. It’s getting harder and harder to find good wines under $10.
Preston of Dry Creek Valley Carignane, 2005
A few days ago someone dropped some ripe cherries on the floor in the barn near the kerosene can and under the hanging saddles.
If I were to use the 100 point scale I’d give it an enthusiastic 89.
Seghesio Arneis 2006
Ché idiot! I actually blamed the corkscrew for being too dull to pierce the plastic wrap over the cork (there’s probably a name for that) but after the second corkscrew couldn’t pierce it I realized I was trying to slice through the aluminum cap. And it’s not like I haven’t opened a bunch of screw caps before.
I didn’t take any notes, including the vintage, the first time I tried this wine but I liked it. The second bottle, a 2002, sucked. Oddly, I forgot the second taste and remembered the first so I bought a couple bottles of the 2006 the other day. It’s very nice and interesting. It’s much paler than I remember — almost clear! A bitter nose of white pepper with tastes of white peach, nutty pear and melon and prosciutto — honestly, that last one is the best descriptor I can think of. Not that it would go with Prosciutto con il Melone but that it tastes like it. It’s delicately sweet and appropriate as an apéritif.
Four thumbs up (Mrs. Dink shares my enthusiasm).
$15, Tower
update - 03-11 - Two days later, the wine doesn’t hold up. The meaning of the grape name, “little rascal,” purportedly is due to the difficulty of growing this grape but I have to wonder if it might also be referencing a grape that doesn’t age well. The flavors are now being intimidated by the high alcohol (14.3 or 14.5 % (my aging eyes can’t be sure)). It was sealed up tight and refrigerated but still degraded quickly. Note to self: buy it again if you like but drink it quickly.
Marietta Old Vine Red, Lot Number 45, NV
I wish I had kept a more exhaustive inventory of wines and tasting notes over the last several years because my preferences have changed drastically. I started drinking wine approximately 25 years ago with mostly decent, inexpensive French and Italian reds. I can remember returning to my first “loft” living space (a converted (by me) print shop in an abandoned commercial building in the heart of downtown Oakland, Ca — nowadays “loft” means luxury apartment or townhome, which is bullshit but whaddaya gonna do?) with a bottle of Pinot Noir and a baguette from the deli that constituted dinner. I was in my mid-20’s and felt sophisticated and urbanly hip.
Shit, shit, shit! I just realized I finished the wine before I wrote any tasting notes! Balls! Now what can I say about the wine? Oh well, and before you jump to the conclusion that I’m such a drunk I drank a whole bottle in the time it took to write one simple paragraph, let me say that I was only drinking one last glass that was left in the bottle from a few days ago.
I was very happy drinking cheap French and Italian reds for a couple years until I got a job as a waiter with a caterer that worked in Napa County. That was when I discovered California wines for real. It was long enough ago that the Cally wines weren’t the Welch’s Grape Jelly Fruit Bombs that they became in the 90’s but it was the beginning of a period where I ignored wines from anywhere East of Fresno.
OK, for the purposes of this post it’s time to cut to the chase. Short version: I started with decent Old World style wines. Moved to decent New World wines a couple years later. At the turn of the century I became enamored, like a newly pubescent pre-teen, with the bold and fruity charms of the Cally Fruit Bomb. Currently, I’m in a phase of re-discovering and appreciating European style wines of a more restrained character. I’ve been craving and enjoying subtler wines, of which this is not an example. Call it slipping or merely nostalgia for a less cultured time of my life but I sometimes still can’t stop myself from drinking something that appropriately belongs in my jelly jar wine glasses.
Marietta Old Vine Red, Lot Number 45 is a fun, sweet, simple, over-ripened but not too hot, wine that would do well being poured at a 60’s era soda fountain for kids who are just getting started with wine. I remember what that felt like and maybe it’s just the beginnings of a middle-aged yearning for lost youth but tonight, that would be me.
$14, Tower
Crabbie’s Jamaican Green Ginger Wine
I brought less clothes so I could smuggle in 4 bottles of something decent, not expecting to find any drinkable wine in Negril, Jamaica. I’ve mostly been drinking rum –Appleton 12 Year old — but tonight we trekked a little bit away from the resort into a local neighborhood for Elvis’ Annual Chinese New Year Bingo Extravaganza and this was one of the drinks offered. Tastes like honey sweetened ginger. Not bad on ice.
I only mention it because it sounds like the kind of wine a fool would drink…
Trentadue Old Patch Red 2005
Repeat, if possible.
Each year’s blend will vary so pay attention to vintage. The 2005 is 70% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, 5.5% Carignane, 4.5% Syrah.
Soft and creamy Cranberry Root Beer in a wine glass.
$10 at Green’s.
Domaine De Dournier Grenache Noir 2005
Vinegar. I don’t mean it’s turned into vinegar. I mean it tastes like vinegar. I don’t mean it’s gone bad. I mean it is bad.
No nose, no body, no flavor. If I scrunch my eyes up real tight and imagine intensely I come up with some mild berry, straw and musty leather but I don’t want to have to work that hard to drink wine.
$10 at Green’s.
Live Blogging Tasting Note: Domaine Alfred DA Red, 2005
Live from Cabbagetown, U.S.A. Hold on to your hats.
2005 Domaine Alfred DA Red, Edna Valley, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah, unknown percentages, weird blend
8:21 pm - opened
8:21 pm - The first sip was too cold. I’ll give it a few minutes. By the color if it were 70’s rock band it’d go by the moniker, Deep Fuschia.
With a name like Erwin Dink you might think I’d support a wack job like Ron Pall but I don’t — that guy is an isolationist advocate for screw you amerikka.
8:31 pm (what’d you expect from the Dink? I can’t wait forever) - P.N. doesn’t want to play nice and is beating the crap out of Grenache, which aint surprising giving it’s wallflower reputation, but it’s also clobbering Syrah which is surprising given it’s reputation as a champion weightlifter.
I’ll never vote for corporate cocksucker Billary. If I thought Dodd or Kookinich had a chance I’d help ‘em out which basically leaves me wondering if it should be Hair Cut Boy or Non-Muslim B-Hussein-O (rhymes with Bingo).
8:50 pm - Am I full of shit or do I detect cherry on wood (P.N.), sweat on tobacco (Grenache), pepper on earth (Syrah) and arugula on tomato (my dinner)? I’m usually full of shit but in spite of that I do declare that they somehow managed to create a wine that tastes equally of all three components. Now I’m going to ponder why.
Why do I even vote? They stole it in 2000 and then again in 2004. And with the voter ID laws soon to be confirmed by the Supreme Coots they’ll steal it again in ought-eight.
9:17 pm - With a little air and a couple degrees more of Farenheit this wine is
Breaking news: Faux News is reporting that Brad Pitt, B-Hussein-O, Dick Cheney, Shrub and John Kerry are all related. Fuck yes, that’s the raw data I’ve been waiting for! I’m voting for Pitt.
9:32 pm - Well, the bottle is almost empty so I guess I didn’t hate it. Would I buy it again at $20 (Tower on Piedmont)? I would if I wanted to bring a P.N. to a dinner with someone who doesn’t like P.N. I would if I wanted to expose my tongue to a wine conundrum for contemplation. This is an odd duck wine that works so I heartily recommend it to odd duck aficionados.
I think this country is ready for a chick vice-president. Vote Pitt/Thelma for President.
Tetra Pak Candy Bar
When last visiting Italy one of our favorite wines was a cheapo red blend picked up at the supermarket. It was “bottled” in a 1 liter Tetra Pak and we drank our last bottle of it on the train, passing it around swilling it directly from the pak, wino style.
One of the best things about Trader Joe’s opening around the corner is that Whole Paycheck, which is just around the opposite corner, has had to become competitive, resulting in some less outrageous markup and the inclusion of more inexpensive offerings (not all of which are drinkable but that’s another story).
The 2006 Green Path Shiraz from Australia comes in the same 1 liter Tetra Pak and cost $9. The grapes are organic and the packaging is being touted as more sustainable (whatever the hell that means) than glass bottles. Glass bottles are re-usable, recyclable and biodegradable (as are Tetra Paks) but they are heavier and hence more costly to transport (OK, time to admit I only glanced at the Tetra Pak web site — there are probably more arguments for it than the weight).
In this case the light weight applies to the contents as well. Not light as in body or flavor but short of character. It’s sweet, salty and simple which means it will probably sell well to people who know enough not to be put off by the alternative packaging but not enough to be able to compare it to a quality bargain shiraz (Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa 2005, for example). There’s only fruit and no earth, spice or mineral elements. It’s actually not bad but it’s not good either. Drink it, sure, but don’t start the evening with it. Wait until you’ve consumed enough of the good stuff to have numbed your palate a bit and then, when it’s past the time when you should have stopped but you’re determined to have a little more, this can save you some pennies.
Michel-Schlumberger Dry Creek Valley Chardonnay 2002
The winemaker’s note says
…subtle aromas of citrus, guava and mango to those of dried flowers and minerals…
but I’d modify that to say
…subtle aromas of oak, oak and oak to those of dried oak and oak…
They then claim that
These new plantings bring a fine structure, found in the best Chardonnays but an elusive quality factor for most New World examples.
Can you get more incomprehensible than “an elusive quality factor”? I think what they’re trying to say is “an impalpable value aspect”. Got it?
BTW, are there any grapes in this? It tastes like someone figured out how to squeeze the juice out of their firewood. It’ll run you about $20 if you go for this sort of thing. Serve cold to minimize the alcohol (13.9% which is almost too much but just barely).
Obversely Anthetical
Tablas Creek Vineyard specializes in Rhone blends which is why they called this 2005 Chardonnay “Antithesis.” They should have named it “Epitome” because, while it may be different from the majority of their wines, this is a very typical buttery California chardonnay. I’m tempted to scramble some eggs in it. This is a silky wine with noticeable oak, medium body and almost too-high alcohol. Tastes of butter, vanilla, pear, a tiny bit of pineapple, sweet apple and with the slightest hint of spice.
The weird thing? Checkout these tasting notes from CellarTracker.com users:
The color on this wine is “18K gold.” On the nose the wine is a bit grassy with other hints of hay and honeydew. On the palate the wine’s texture is light and chrisp but firm. There are tones of pear, honey and minerals. The acidity in the wine plays well with the fruit on the palate. (trekwars2000)
The first two sentences sound like sauvignon blanc, which this is nothing like, but I agree with the fruit flavors and acidity.
Great style of chardonnay without heavy oak; tropical fruits, minerals, fairly rich body; nice, clean finish (Anonymous)
The oak may not be heavy but it sure ain’t light. Oak and butter were the first two things I tasted.
Clear light gold color and a semi tropical nose of pineapple and citrus, and just a little minerality underneath. A touch of sweetness on entry that had an immeadiate counter balance and a bracing fruity grip at mid palate…with a pleasant finish. No oak…all fruit and very good on it’s own without food. (Tejano)
So which is it? “18K gold” or “clear, light gold”? I’m taking the easy way out and saying it was somewhere in the middle which makes them both either half wrong or half right. No oak? Then where does the heavy vanilla come from?
…without typical California-style oak or butteriness. (VegasTony)
I beg to differ.
No formal note, but this seemed to strike a fine balance between California Chardonnay and a mineral-driven, crisp Chablis. (MarkC)
Sorry, but I place this squarely in the California camp.
update, the next day - Still calling it for Cally but it’s less buttery and more spicy on the second tasting. It’s got a bite to it, and, while I liked it fine yesterday when it was fresh out of the bottle, I like it much better a day later when it’s had a little time to oxidize, however slightly.
Edmunds St. John, Shell and Bone White, 2004
I first wrote about this in March of this year. At the time, I called it interesting and gave it a B+. I have since dropped the silly habit of assigning grades to wines but if not, I’d bump it up to an A.
I have finally come to accept that it takes several sessions before I can really assess a wine accurately. Maybe it’s a shortcoming on my part but there it is. Many times I’ve revisited a wine that I had a very strong first impression of only to be disappointed.
Just for example, I previously described Paulinshof Reisling (2004) as “amazing” and “luscious” but on subsequent tastings felt that it was cloyingly sweet and heavy. I know I’ve said that context is important but I now also believe multiple tastings are required to really get to know a wine.
This one just keeps getting better. This is my third (and last) bottle of Shell and Bone and I wish I had more. It’s incredibly rich and complex. It has more flavors than Baskin-Robbins. It’s got fruit, oak, spice and earth. It’s got plenty of acid and a little bit of sweetness. The 14.2% alcohol sounds high but it goes down smoothly and with no antiseptic aftertaste — I guess that shows balance.
Alas, the 2004 is getting scarce but I’ve heard the 2005 is going to be just as good if not better. If you didn’t know about Edmunds St. John wines, now you do.
2005 Zarafa Pinotage
Tastes too young and unripe. It’s close to good but instead just remains barely drinkable. Pinotage is a hybrid whose parents are Pinot Noir, as you might guess, and Cinsault, which you would only know if you knew. This one has some gamey, grapey, raspberry aromas and flavors from Dad (Pinot Noir, of course) and I don’t know what, if anything, from Mom. It’s got an anti-septic taste which comes from the high alcohol (14%).
When Trader Joe’s first threatened to open a block from my house I was excited. I had only shopped at one TJ’s (in LA) and remember getting some good inexpensive wines from them. Given that the closest grocery store to my house for the last few years has been Whole Foods I was thrilled to have an alternative to their over-priced (but decent) wine selection. When it finally opened 4 or 5 months ago I resisted buying the infamous Charles Shaw swill but I did walk out with a mixed case of inexpensive imports ranging from a $5 Albarino to a $17 “Amarone”. They all sucked enough not to say anything about any of them. I haven’t bought a bottle of wine from TJ’s since then — until tonight. The temptation is just too great. I’d love to find a really good, albeit modest, $5 every day drinking wine and so I broke down and bought three tonight. This was the first one opened. If I made it in my basement I’d be somewhat satisfied with it as a decent early effort but that’s the best I can say about it.
OK, Again
The next night. It’s getting late. It’s hot and humid. I’m in the mood for a nightcap, which my dictionary defines as, “an alcoholic or hot drink taken at the end of the day or before going to bed.” I’ve got the aforementioned Brandy, which I bought for exactly an occasion such as this. Brandy is often drank in a snifter usually at room temperature but many people like to warm it up a bit by holding the bowl in their hands. That’s fine and dandy but tonight I did something I’ve never done before. I’m hot enough that I want a cool drink. I considered a glass of white wine but it just didn’t feel right. I considered a bourbon but it’s after 11:00 and bourbon usually gives me a lift and what I want is a mellowing agent. Thus I turn to the Brandy. But it’s hot so I poured poured a shot over ice. I almost cringed as I did it wondering if I was making a mistake.
What… a… wonderful… surprise. The flavor was all smoky sweetness and the ice took away the heat. It was quenching and soothing and I think I’ve got a new Summer late night ritual.
An Indulgence
I hate visiting a wine blog and seeing articles about beer or vodka. When I visit a wine blog I wanna read about wine, damnit*. And it’s not just beer and vodka but those are the two most frequent intruders in the winesphere. I can tolerate an occasional post about gin but that’s because it’s the anti-vodka, the finest of which still tastes like formaldehyde, if you ask me, and don’t even get me started on how and why a vodka martini is no such thing. Don’t believe me? Look it up. A martini is a “cocktail made from gin and dry vermouth.”
Brandy, however, while not usually as compelling as wine, is at least made from grapes and sometimes even made in the same facility. I am therefore going to go slightly “off topic” and mention the one I’m drinking tonight.
Cardenal Mendoza Brandy de Jerez has an amazing mahogany, cocoa, coffee and deep amber color. I could almost just hold it up in the glass and look it at it to get a buzz but I can’t do that with something so fine and amazing. It smells like it looks and it tastes like it smells: woodfire roasted chocolate covered coffee beans with a pleasant burning aftertase of alcohol. I don’t like high alcohol wines (except when I do) but I love a brandy that seduces my tongue with a calmative warmth. I hesitated a few seconds at the $53 price tag but quickly calculated that I often consume $10-20 worth of wine in a single dinner and this will probably last more than a month even if I were to indulge in a nightly night-cap twixt now and then so I came home feeling like a bargain shopper.
*I know the common spelling is “dammit” but I can’t bring myself to use it. The words are “damn it” and I’ll be damned if I use dammit. I usually opt for the colloquial but in this case formality feels more forceful.
Tablas Creek, Cotes de Tablas Blanc, 2005
I have a new crush.
I visited Tablas Creek a couple weeks ago and loved every wine I tasted. They make wines from organic grapes in the Rhone style, both white and red. With most of their wines priced at $27 and up they’re a little out of my budget range except for occasional drinking but I bought a mixed case and signed up for their wine club. In a nutshell, these are the wines I was looking for on my trip to the Central Cost wine region: finely crafted, organic wines made in an old world style with lots of minerality and earthiness.
The Cotes de Tablas Blanc is a Viognier, Roussanne, Marsane, Grenache Blanc blend. Meant to drink young, it’s got mild acidity, a smooth and creamy mouth-feel and a hoppy (mildly bitter herbs) taste with a very ripe apricot finish.
Double Plus Good.
Caparone Sangiovese 2002
Unfined and unfiltered means this is a gamey wine. 100% Sangiovese gives it a tawny color. Deliciously grapey and tangy with insinuations of vanilla, cherry and pine-straw. The finish, believe it or not, reminds me of pineapple.
Double-Plus Good.
Another thing about Clautiere…
Just to add to my two previous posts… to get a sense of the kind of fun the Clautiere crew likes to have you should visit www.myspace.com/clautiere.
Clautiere Rose´2005
This is a big rose. Almost 15% alcohol and some substantial body makes it a bold and chewy wine. It lingers long on the tongue and works great as a pre-dinner opener if you’re looking for a little buzz to take the edge off of a busy work day. Drink it cold alone or with almost any kind of food. Like most rose´s it will have a soothing effect after eating something spicy but I always try a new wine without food so I can really taste it. The color is pale salmon and my first taste impression was a not too sweet bubble gum - not Bazooka but something in a stick and without the powdered sugar coating. It’s a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Counoise. The suggested retail price is $15 but it’s on sale for $7 if you buy it direct from the tasting room. I like it.
Chateau Gloria St. Julien 1997
We interrupt this Central Coast tour for a brief taste of a 10 year old Bordeaux. For someone who primarily drinks young wines this was a strange one. A very dark cinnamon color — almost opaque — with a finely gritty and smooth texture. It tasted like dirty, chocolate covered grilled broccoli — almost no fruit to speak of. Drank it alone for a first impression and then with mixed grill (pork, beef, lamb). I liked it but it was a little flat.
For what it’s worth.
Qupe 2006 Marsanne
Qupe Pronunciation test:
- koop
- kyoo-pay
- kwoo-pay
- koo-pay
- If I tell you I’ll have to kill you
Qupe 2006 Marsanne
87% Marsanne, 13% Roussane
A very young Rhone white which drinks well now but will age well. It’s a great summer lunch time sipper at 12.5% with subtle hints of Mexican mango (the small tart, yellow kind), peach skin and citrus and has a dry minerally finish. At $20 it’s a bit over-priced for drinking now but if you put a few bottles away for several years I bet it will impress your friends when you open it as a rich and and earthy medium bodied well rounded white for people who don’t like white.
Tangent Paragon Vineyard Pinot Gris, 2005
Under the
coarse grain of a
foggy ashen sky,
the gray grape
reigns.
This Edna Valley
version
is a perfect diamond,
crisp and light,
like lemonade
on the rocks
with a
dash of spice.
It longs for
a seaside snack:
grilled and smoky
squid with
cauliflower,
white bean and
garlic.
Topolos: Drink It Now
I don’t have a large wine collection but I do have a few cases in the cellar (crawl space) some of which I’ve been hoping to leave there for some years. One wine that I have been particularly looking forward to drinking in 2012 or later (I might have said 2022 except I can’t imagine holding anything that long) is a 2002 Topolos Alicante Bouschet. I’ve tasted very few wines where Alicante Bouschet was the featured attraction instead of a minor player but I have enjoyed them all. I bought a case of this one four or five years ago and I’ve only got four left but my intention had been to leave them alone. This is a varietal that is supposed to age very well. I’ve never had an aged Alicante but I’ve read that it can last as long as 20 years or more.
I also have some Topolos Zinfandel from 2000 and 2001. These I’ve been expecting to finish off no later than this year because Zinfandel doesn’t hold up much longer than 4-6 years. In fact, the last one I opened proved to be past it’s prime and so I’ve brought all the remaining bottles up from the cellar for drinking asap. They’re still good but they won’t last much longer — each one I open displays similar qualities including a brownish red color on the edges, a velvety soft texture and a sweetly alcoholic earthen flavor. Which got my curiosity up so last night I opened one of the last four Alicante Bouschets.
It’s a good thing I did because it’s also past it’s prime but so slightly so that it almost takes like a mature Amarone or Barolo. It’s incredibly rich, aromatic, smooth and full and just starting to fall out of balance with the alcohol starting to overtake the fruit. Topolos drinkers of the world: Drink it now! (They’ve gone out of business and I think their last vintage was 2003 or 2004.)
Vinos Pinol Ludovicus 2005
Love the name. For some reason I want to pronounce it “vee-nuss pine-all loo-dawv-uh-cuss” but it’s really “vine-us pee-noll loo-dove-ick-us.” It tastes a little bit like a sweaty gym shirt and I like it. I’m not suggesting I generally like the smell of sweaty clothing. Really.
2003 Foris Siskiyou Terrace Cabernet Franc
When I open a new bottle I have an immediate taste for a quick first impression. I’ve found that most wines benefit from at least a few minutes of air so I’m not worried if the first impression isn’t good but it’s especially delightful when the first impression pleases because I know I’m going to at the least enjoy the wine and possibly even be smitten. I’m smitten. Call it a crush, if you will, but I think I have a new wine-friend. The first taste is naturally preceded by sticking my nose in the glass and, in this case, it was love at first whiff.
In spite of the early Spring freeze that’s blanketing the East coast I am transported to an Autumnal California hillside garden. I smell fresh herbs, vegetables and dirt. I taste dried sulphuric cherries and cranberries and feel a light chalkiness coating my tongue and mouth. This is why I drink wine… aroma, texture, flavor, sense memory and, yeah, I’ll admit it, the buzz.
75% Cab Franc, 19% Cab Sauv, 6% Merlot, 100% oak, 14% alcohol and all good.