| August 2009 Tasting Report |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Rodney Strong 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon – Sonoma County, California |
Notes – Well it has that sweet oaky nose and
flavor that Rodney Strong is famous for.
Probably not as much fruit as in better
vintages, but there is a lot to like here,
especially when you take price into
consideration. Maybe not the best choice
with dinner, given all of the oak, but certainly
a great choice for relaxing and drinking with
friends.
flavor that Rodney Strong is famous for.
Probably not as much fruit as in better
vintages, but there is a lot to like here,
especially when you take price into
consideration. Maybe not the best choice
with dinner, given all of the oak, but certainly
a great choice for relaxing and drinking with
friends.
| About $12.00 |
| Score B+ (87) |
Since it has been a while since our staff reviewed some wines together, I
thought I would submit a tasting report on my own for the month of
August. Unlike the rest of our tasting reports, which all had a theme,
like grape varietal, region, vintage, etc... this report is all over the
place. I tasted wines ranging in price from $10.00 all the way to
$300.00 and a few different varietals rather than just one. So I guess
you could say that there is something for almost everyone on this list.
Now, there are some things you should know about this report that are
also different from the others. Well two main things anyway. One is
that these tastings were not done blind, i.e. I knew what bottle I was
drinking. Two, this is not a comparative tasting in that I was not
tasting all of these wines side by side. Actually in each case I
consumed the entire bottle before taking the notes. This actually, I
think, is a bit fairer to the wine. That is as long as one, in this case me,
can be honestly objective about the review. I think I was pretty
straight up with my ratings and reviews, but I'll let you be the judge.
In one last twist, these reviews are not in order from highest to lowest
scoring, so be sure to read each and every one. You don't want to miss
a real winner!
thought I would submit a tasting report on my own for the month of
August. Unlike the rest of our tasting reports, which all had a theme,
like grape varietal, region, vintage, etc... this report is all over the
place. I tasted wines ranging in price from $10.00 all the way to
$300.00 and a few different varietals rather than just one. So I guess
you could say that there is something for almost everyone on this list.
Now, there are some things you should know about this report that are
also different from the others. Well two main things anyway. One is
that these tastings were not done blind, i.e. I knew what bottle I was
drinking. Two, this is not a comparative tasting in that I was not
tasting all of these wines side by side. Actually in each case I
consumed the entire bottle before taking the notes. This actually, I
think, is a bit fairer to the wine. That is as long as one, in this case me,
can be honestly objective about the review. I think I was pretty
straight up with my ratings and reviews, but I'll let you be the judge.
In one last twist, these reviews are not in order from highest to lowest
scoring, so be sure to read each and every one. You don't want to miss
a real winner!
| La Crema 2007 Chardonnay – Sonoma Coast, California |
Notes – When I think of La Crema wines, I
think of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and I
think of wines that have a great price to
quality ratio. This Chardonnay was no
exception as it seemed to be very much in
balance on all levels. Not too much oak, not
too much malolactic fermentation, a.k.a.
buttery texture and flavor. However, there
was not as much fruit there either. It is kind
of neutral. I would peg this wine to be voted
“least likely to offend” in a blind tasting.
Good for food because it would blend into the
background, just lacking a little oomph!
think of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and I
think of wines that have a great price to
quality ratio. This Chardonnay was no
exception as it seemed to be very much in
balance on all levels. Not too much oak, not
too much malolactic fermentation, a.k.a.
buttery texture and flavor. However, there
was not as much fruit there either. It is kind
of neutral. I would peg this wine to be voted
“least likely to offend” in a blind tasting.
Good for food because it would blend into the
background, just lacking a little oomph!
| About $17.00 |
| Score B+ (87) |
| Mitolo 2006 Riever Shiraz – Barossa Valley, Australia |
Notes – Winemaker Ben Glaetzer needs no
introduction to lovers of fine Australian wine,
he is a master of the Australian Cult Shiraz’s.
He makes this wine for the owners of Mitolo,
but is probably more famous for his own wines
like Amon Ra. On top of Glaetzer’s
expertise, Parker had rated this wine pretty
high and with that information, I was set to be
impressed. It is young and therefore,
desperately needed decanting, so I did just
that. For the first half of the bottle, I found
the wine to be very acidic, so much so that I
wasn’t sure I was drinking a Shiraz and kept
looking at the label in wonderment. I suppose
it is pretty tight now and certainly needs more
time in the bottle, but even still, it was much
less dense then Mitolo’s other wines, like G.A.
M. for instance, and I was a little under
whelmed. The positives, well for one, it still is
a very good wine, but because of the acidity, it
is hard to consume by itself. That being said,
it is a great choice for dinner, especially with
red meat.
introduction to lovers of fine Australian wine,
he is a master of the Australian Cult Shiraz’s.
He makes this wine for the owners of Mitolo,
but is probably more famous for his own wines
like Amon Ra. On top of Glaetzer’s
expertise, Parker had rated this wine pretty
high and with that information, I was set to be
impressed. It is young and therefore,
desperately needed decanting, so I did just
that. For the first half of the bottle, I found
the wine to be very acidic, so much so that I
wasn’t sure I was drinking a Shiraz and kept
looking at the label in wonderment. I suppose
it is pretty tight now and certainly needs more
time in the bottle, but even still, it was much
less dense then Mitolo’s other wines, like G.A.
M. for instance, and I was a little under
whelmed. The positives, well for one, it still is
a very good wine, but because of the acidity, it
is hard to consume by itself. That being said,
it is a great choice for dinner, especially with
red meat.
| From $29 to $49 |
| Score B+ (89) |
| Waterbrook 2005 Reserve Merlot – Columbia Valley, Washington |
Notes – I don’t know what’s in the water at
“Waterbrook Winery”, but I am drinking it! I
think this winery is impervious to bad wines.
They make a little blend called “Melange”
that is always a winner. While at Cork I was
able to taste a lot of wines from their portfolio
and I remember them all being quite good, red
and white alike. This Merlot was no
exception. Not a big bruiser like a Napa
Merlot would be, but very concentrated with
mocha, coffee, plum and berry fruit. A decent
amount of acidity makes this wine much better
than your normal Merlot with food as well. At
this price point, you can’t expect to do better
than this.
“Waterbrook Winery”, but I am drinking it! I
think this winery is impervious to bad wines.
They make a little blend called “Melange”
that is always a winner. While at Cork I was
able to taste a lot of wines from their portfolio
and I remember them all being quite good, red
and white alike. This Merlot was no
exception. Not a big bruiser like a Napa
Merlot would be, but very concentrated with
mocha, coffee, plum and berry fruit. A decent
amount of acidity makes this wine much better
than your normal Merlot with food as well. At
this price point, you can’t expect to do better
than this.
| About $24.00 |
| Score A (90) |
| Penfold’s 1999 Grange Shiraz – Southern Australia |
Notes – Well I suppose it is not everyday that
one is lucky enough to enjoy a treat like this,
but recently I won the proverbial wine lottery.
We were eating grilled baby lamb-chops and a
good friend dropped by and surprised me with
his last bottle of 1999 Grange. This is the
first time I have ever tasted the most famous
wine to come out Australia. Grange is 100%
Shiraz (Syrah), but instead of being sourced
from a single-vineyard it is blended from
several vineyards in various regions in South
Australia. These are the grapes that Penfold’
s considers the best of the best. Oh how to
describe!?! Well for starters, the nose was
intoxicating with multiple layers of spice, mint,
black and blueberries. It threw a lot of
sediment in the decanter which made it lighter
than it would have been in its youth, but it was
still very lush in the mouth. I lost count of the
finish because it did not appear that it was
ever going to end. The lamb chops and the
wine were in perfect harmony by the way. I’ll
categorize this wine as phenomenal!
Certainly not an everyday wine, but treat
yourself anyway. Come on, you deserve it!
one is lucky enough to enjoy a treat like this,
but recently I won the proverbial wine lottery.
We were eating grilled baby lamb-chops and a
good friend dropped by and surprised me with
his last bottle of 1999 Grange. This is the
first time I have ever tasted the most famous
wine to come out Australia. Grange is 100%
Shiraz (Syrah), but instead of being sourced
from a single-vineyard it is blended from
several vineyards in various regions in South
Australia. These are the grapes that Penfold’
s considers the best of the best. Oh how to
describe!?! Well for starters, the nose was
intoxicating with multiple layers of spice, mint,
black and blueberries. It threw a lot of
sediment in the decanter which made it lighter
than it would have been in its youth, but it was
still very lush in the mouth. I lost count of the
finish because it did not appear that it was
ever going to end. The lamb chops and the
wine were in perfect harmony by the way. I’ll
categorize this wine as phenomenal!
Certainly not an everyday wine, but treat
yourself anyway. Come on, you deserve it!
| Starting at $300 |
| Score A+ (96) |
| DuMol 2001Eddie’s Patch Syrah – Russian River Valley, California |
Notes – This wine followed the Grange in my
tasting and if you can believe it, this Syrah
stood up well to the challenge. This was
extremely thick and chewy like blueberry pie
filling. Gorgeously rich in fruit flavors and
spice, this also possessed a wicked finish on
it. Even at eight years of age, it still had
plenty of life ahead of it. Newer vintages of
this wine can be found in Dallas and believe
me, it is well worth the pursuit.
tasting and if you can believe it, this Syrah
stood up well to the challenge. This was
extremely thick and chewy like blueberry pie
filling. Gorgeously rich in fruit flavors and
spice, this also possessed a wicked finish on
it. Even at eight years of age, it still had
plenty of life ahead of it. Newer vintages of
this wine can be found in Dallas and believe
me, it is well worth the pursuit.
| About $65.00 |
| Score A (94) |
| Ben Glaetzer 2006 Wallace Shiraz/Grenache – Barossa Valley, Australia |
Notes – This is the second wine in my report
from Ben Glaetzer (the other one was the
Mitolo). This is kind of his entry level wine
from his personal portfolio. While the
Grenache, which makes up 20% of the blend,
probably makes this a better food wine by
boosting up the acidity, I also think it tends to
water it down a little. I guess he was going for
a dinner wine style more than a “wow” wine.
It has some peppery blackberry fruit along
with the zingy zip of raspberry from the
Grenache. Again, I feel this wine was a solid
value for its price point and I guess I shouldn’
t punish it for not being “the Grange”.
from Ben Glaetzer (the other one was the
Mitolo). This is kind of his entry level wine
from his personal portfolio. While the
Grenache, which makes up 20% of the blend,
probably makes this a better food wine by
boosting up the acidity, I also think it tends to
water it down a little. I guess he was going for
a dinner wine style more than a “wow” wine.
It has some peppery blackberry fruit along
with the zingy zip of raspberry from the
Grenache. Again, I feel this wine was a solid
value for its price point and I guess I shouldn’
t punish it for not being “the Grange”.
| About $20.00 |
| Score B+ (88) |
| Bodega Norton 2006 Reserva Malbec – Mendoza, Argentina |
Notes – Take this wine for what it is, a good
table wine for an inexpensive price. Is it
worth spending the extra three or four dollars
to get this reserve over their cheaper bottle?
Perhaps. There is more noticeable oak which
translates to vanilla and it also implies in my
opinion that it was not a very expensive oak
treatment. It is fair to say that this was fairly
typical in profile as Malbec wines from
Argentina go, a little spicy blueberry, but not
a whole lot of depth. Again, it is what it is, an
$11 to $12 wine.
table wine for an inexpensive price. Is it
worth spending the extra three or four dollars
to get this reserve over their cheaper bottle?
Perhaps. There is more noticeable oak which
translates to vanilla and it also implies in my
opinion that it was not a very expensive oak
treatment. It is fair to say that this was fairly
typical in profile as Malbec wines from
Argentina go, a little spicy blueberry, but not
a whole lot of depth. Again, it is what it is, an
$11 to $12 wine.
| About $11.00 |
| Score B (86) |
| Rodney Strong 2007 Chardonnay – Sonoma County, California |
Notes – This might date me a little, but do you
remember that Wendy’s commercial with the
old woman that brings her hamburger up to
the counter and yells, “Where’s the beef?”
Well after drinking this Chardonnay, one
could easily ask, “Where’s the fruit?” I’ll be
honest, I know it is an inexpensive
Chardonnay, but Rodney Strong is a solid
winery that turns out good quality at all price
levels and this one did not fit the bill. Salty
from oak treatment and even after I let the
wine warm up to room temperature it still did
not deliver the fruit. Very one-dimensional
and boring. I got salty, lemony oak out of it
and that was pretty much all I got. A lot of
times I do not recommend chilling your
Chardonnay wines very much because they
really shine closer to room temperature, but in
this case….chill away!
remember that Wendy’s commercial with the
old woman that brings her hamburger up to
the counter and yells, “Where’s the beef?”
Well after drinking this Chardonnay, one
could easily ask, “Where’s the fruit?” I’ll be
honest, I know it is an inexpensive
Chardonnay, but Rodney Strong is a solid
winery that turns out good quality at all price
levels and this one did not fit the bill. Salty
from oak treatment and even after I let the
wine warm up to room temperature it still did
not deliver the fruit. Very one-dimensional
and boring. I got salty, lemony oak out of it
and that was pretty much all I got. A lot of
times I do not recommend chilling your
Chardonnay wines very much because they
really shine closer to room temperature, but in
this case….chill away!
| About $11.00 |
| Score B- (83) |
| Perrin & Fils 2007 Cotes du Rhone Reserve – Rhone, France 60% Grenache / 20% Syrah / 10% Mouvedre / 10% Cinsault |
Notes – Be patient here, because if you are
used to drinking just new world wines, i.e.
California and Australia, you are going to be
initially turned off by this little gem. Like all
French red wines, it tends to have a little
funky earth aromas and it takes a short bit of
time for that to blow off. However, it almost
always does with French reds. Once you are
past that stage with this fun little red, you are
treated to a wine full of exotic dark fruits and
spices. Not too heavy and therefore you may
enjoy this wine during the summer and it also
happens to be very food friendly. This is a
good starting point for people who want to
experiment with French wines, but have
always been a bit too intimidated to do so.
used to drinking just new world wines, i.e.
California and Australia, you are going to be
initially turned off by this little gem. Like all
French red wines, it tends to have a little
funky earth aromas and it takes a short bit of
time for that to blow off. However, it almost
always does with French reds. Once you are
past that stage with this fun little red, you are
treated to a wine full of exotic dark fruits and
spices. Not too heavy and therefore you may
enjoy this wine during the summer and it also
happens to be very food friendly. This is a
good starting point for people who want to
experiment with French wines, but have
always been a bit too intimidated to do so.
| About $11.00 |
| Score B+ (87) |
