Monday, October 31, 2011

Maison Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine 2009 Pinot Noir




Maison Louis Latour Domaine de Valmoissine 2009 Pinot Noir, $12.99-$14.99, 88 points, was a good choice to warm-up with on this "day-after" the storm; having just begun the cleaning-up of downed trees and the shoveling of 12 inches of heavy snow which arrived a full month before it was due, was cause enough for sunshine in a bottle.
I say good choice, because this Pinot Noir is "hot" and spicy with biting acidity and a firm tannic presence, with a minutes-long spice finish, this wine warms more than just the eye with its fiery Burgundy color. The aroma is a pungent vegetative black current with hints of blackberry fruitiness. All of this is carried on waves of a medium-body, filled with tart cherry flavors.





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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Elk Cove Willamette Valley 2007 Pinot Noir


Elk Cove Willamette Valley 2007 Pinot Noir,$20.39-$28.99 ,87 points, is a dark ruby red wine with a pleasant, but having a nearly mute aroma of plum, the flavor is pleasant though, but nearly one dimensional on a medium body of boysenberry and faint red cherry. The bright side of this wine is the fair finish of spicy tart cherry with some floral notes. The 13.5% alcohol is unnoticeable as is the tannin, and weak acidity makes for a rather mediocre Pinot.
I like this wine as a sipper, but with the price and little impact and complexity not a recommend (From me).


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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Albert Bichot Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir Bourgogne 2007





Albert Bichot Vieilles Vignes 2007 Pinot, $12.99-$16.99, 89 points,
is a bright-crystal clear ruby red color, the nose is 
a beautiful mature cherry with hints of cooking 
spice, the mouth-feel is acidic and cheek-
smacking, tannin is present (Perfect with my homemade beef stew), and the flavor, though one 
dimensional, is bright and fresh, with tart cherry that 
is wrapped in a light-body, and finishes fairly long
with tart-spicy cran-cherry. This is another value 
Pinot Noir, but this one is French, and if their 
value Pinots are this good, I'll be looking for something steeper to sample.





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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Murphy-Goode 2009 Pinot Noir


Murphy-Goode 2009 Pinot Noir, $9.99-$18.99, 89+ points, is a remarkable achievement in a value-quality Pinot Noir. 
I bought this at Market Basket in Londonderry this morning for a remarkable $9.99 (What a steal), and I left only two bottles for all you other folks (Who knows-maybe there was more in the storage room).
The color is more purple than the other Pinots we've tried lately, and having a prune tint.
The nose is a toasty Red cherry, the flavor is a juicy strawberry-cranberry with a light to medium body, and the finish is a fair "fireball" cherry.
This wine is vibrant and lively and, as is the case with Pinot Noir wines, will pair nicely with a wide variety of cuisine; we found it paired perfectly with a Porterhouse steak with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli.
Market Basket Supermarkets often do a great job of making "good" wine available at affordable prices; at the store I was at this morning they also had the Yering Station Yarra Valley 2007 Pinot Noir for $14.99. What a deal!
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Oregon 2007 Pinot Noir



Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Oregon 2007 Pinot Noir, $32.99-$50.00, 92 points, reminds me of a sherry, with an almost coppery-red color, a more "sticky" mouth feel, an aroma of spicy plum, and a near perfect balance of juicy flavors ranging from dark cherry to hickory smoke, with a finish of pleasant heat reminiscent of a twenty year-old scotch whiskey without the medicinal quality, or the kick.
I've not had any wine like this before, and found it delicious, unique, and it paired perfectly with a smoked-paprika dry-rub Tenderloin.
When the price is right, I'll be back for more.
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Wine-ing about Birds And loving Dogs

I know, I know, this is a wine blog, a place to get an opinion about wine, but I want to put my opinion in perspective: wine opinions are of two natures (at least for the purpose of this post), there are those who go to school to be an "Expert" or sommelier, and they deserve great consideration, but even they will sometimes let you down, so you look for those experts (Provided you either want one, need one, or like the reflections or comparisons they provide) who will HONESTLY guide you with good and wise wine purchases. The other option is the "Band-of-Brothers"  option which includes blogs that are similar to personal journals (Which is the option of this blog)
Why Wine-ing about birds?
I love birds, always have.











I took this picture over thirty five years ago.

Now to my point via my story.

One spring day when I was eight years old I was in the woods in the back yard, I guess boys still leave their video-games and play and explore outside, when I saw what was (To me) a new bird, in fact there were several of them; they were a beautiful shade of  cerulean blue, frosty white (Solidly on the breast with streaks almost everywhere else), black and with a touch of lemon yellow on the crown of their heads and the rump of their backs. I got very close to them, maybe my size had something to do with that.  I say "new" because my "Bird-guide" book was for little children and was hopelessly incomplete, but it did identify American robins and Bald eagles. Later I learned the taxonomic approach to identifying birds and found the colloquial name to be "Myrtle warbler", now known as Yellow-rumped  warbler.
The more (I spent almost 55 years watching birds) time I spent watching and studying birds the more I realized it was my experience of them that mattered more than the details; listening to the sweet gentle spring sonata of the Slate-colored junco, the whimsical chimes of the Winter wren, beholding the sheer arrogance of the steel-blue mother Goshawk as she mythically swam through the dense mixed forest melting her attack and stealing away with Ruffed grouse, Gray squirrel, or even a crow to feed her young.
I'm not one to put feathers under microscopes, but rather still young at heart and watching the acrobatics of the Barn swallow; do we need ornithologists that use microscopes? Yes!

Now, for the wine: I'm no  sommelier (Yes, we need sommeliers), but what I am is one who has a new love of wine, and I'm trying to look at each wine as "NEW"; is it beautiful, what personality does it have, is it gentle, does it sing like the junco or is it just a caw, caw. Whether this is important or spitting against a Northeaster is neither here nor there, but it is my way of sharing the common-thing about us, and if my observations are helpful to especially New Hampshire wine lovers, then I'm as glad as when I found the first Cerulean warble seen in NH in 20 years, and Dennis from Maine came with his parabolic microphone and recorded  it; his pleasure and the pleasure of several others was a great delight for me as we shared this together, and wine is best enjoyed together as well.
For the dog lovers out there, I love them too.

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Hundred Acre Vineyard Stanley Ranch Cherry Pie 2007 Pinot Noir



Cherry Pie Hundred Acre Vineyard Stanley Ranch 2007 Pinot Noir, $39.99, 89+ points,
began its dance with me by stepping on my toes, but as the night wore-on I began to appreciate its "juicy" nature, almost like an intense Gamay grape, but with a big cherry taste. The color is ruby-red with amber tints, the nose settled-down to a whisper from an intense toasty-burnt quality.
I bought this wine more than a year ago and was looking for the right time to open it, and for Thanksgiving I thought this should be a crowd pleasing center-piece, especially as a compliment to the tables appearance.
Here was my impromptu presentation:
















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Monday, October 24, 2011

Vampires Lie And Vampire Pinot Noir Is Halloween's Own Trick



Just when I thought I'd end my Halloween Wines I stumble upon this irresistible Pinot Noir. Sorry! 




Vampire Napa Valley 2010 Pinot Noir, $11.99, 84 points, was not a treat, at least not for me (price was good).

The Vampire PN was as much a disappointment as their Merlot was a pleasant surprise.

This wine had a typical PN color of cranberry to ruby-red, the aroma is spicy cherry with unpleasant rubber hints, and the flavor is easily summed-up as a sweet, tangy, and syrupy-red cherry. This Pinot Noir did improve a bit with air.





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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Prepare for Thanksgiving with Pinot Noir


Rebounding from some not so interesting Cabernet Sauvignon wines, I was determined to change course and restore my joy of wine once again, and Pinot Noir didn't let me down.

LWC (Loring Wine Company) Gary's Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 2009 Pinot Noir, $33.99-$39.99, 91 points, begins my afternoon with its bright cranberry-plum color, and has this beautiful aroma of gentle, but palpable cedar-cinnamon spice. The flavor is of gentle red fruit with floral hints, bright and lingering. I find Pinot Noir a bit mysterious, like it wants to hide, yet it whispers words of delight that keeps me coming back for more. This is a nice wine, but the price tends to thwart another purchase in the near future.

Siduri Ewald Russian River Valley 2006 Pinot Noir, $25.99-$39.99, 89 points, faces some of the expected cost-factor of many good Pinot Noir Wines. This PN is a bit lighter than the LWC, but the color is very similar, the nose is not as pleasant, but the spice is more noticeable. I sense that this wine is past its peak, having flavors of mushroom and earth with cherry undertones.

Bearboat Russian River 2008 Pinot Noir, $15.29-$17.99, 89 points, is you "Best Buy" PN of the three, this wine is the same color as the LWC (Cranberry-Plum), the aroma is similar, but toned-down, and the flavor is a delicious blend of raspberry and tart red cherry. The finish is a moderately long fruit-spice that continues that delicious factor.

In all these wines the alcohol is well balanced and unnoticeable, carrying the fruit-flavor to the fore. It is no-wonder that so many people have fallen in love with Pinot Noir.
All these PNs paired well with Buffalo-wings and Monterey-Jack Nachos, but not so well with a loaded pizza.
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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Twisted 2009 Zinfandel And Halloween Wines

 

Twisted Old-Vine 2009 Zinfandel, $7.20, 84 points, is the last of the Halloween Wines for this season, though I did buy Spellbound and Masked wines I've come to the end of my desire to "chance" inferior wines, even though I had some pleasant surprises with this game of hide and seek, and determine if I'd been tricked or treated; the Twisted 2009 Zinfandel did not cost that much and with its ability to pair quite well with spiced baby-back ribs was an okay wine, but on its own it was not pleasant to me. At the end of this review I'll list all the links to wines that might interest those looking to compliment their adult Halloween party.


Twisted 2009 Zinfandel's appearance is a light cranberry, the aroma is plum-rubber, and the flavor is a tart (Almost sour) red-cherry, plum notes, and a hint of diesel. The finish is a candied spice that lasts maybe twenty seconds.

It is important to me to taste wines that I think will economically appeal to "ordinary " wine buyers, but I've had so many mediocre wines lately, I thought I might get prepared for Thanksgiving by tasting some supposedly "good" Pinot Noirs and maybe some food-friendly Italian wines.


Links to Halloween Wines:











 
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Three unexciting Cabernet Sauvignon wines



Rex-Goliath Giant 47 Pound Rooster Cabernet Sauvignon, $4.50-$8.00, 84 points, was labeled at 13.5% alcohol, and poured a light ruby color. This Cab. is similar to Bare-foot or most mediocre California Cabernets. Rex was fruit-forward with diesel hints and unripe plum; unlike Rex whites which I liked, I found this Cab. to be almost undrinkable for me (Give me Welch's). The thing I appreciated the most about this Cab. is the aroma which pleasantly displayed grape-coffee hints.

Peneley Estate Phoenix Coonawarra 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, $18.00-$26.00, 86 points, 15% alcohol, is deep magenta with orange flashes, aroma is alcohol, cedar, and bright toasty plum, with mocha hints, the flavor on a light body is reminiscent of the aroma with licorice.

Stonehedge Napa Valley Reserve 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, $14.49-$24.99, 86+ points, 14.3% alcohol, is a prime example of just how "Reserve" can be "meaningless" when weighing relative quality; I'm glad I didn't pay the higher price, and as I've found better Cabernets for $10.00, I was a bit disappointed even at the lower price.
This wine is magenta in color, the aroma is black fruit with hints of tobacco on plum (Quite nice), the flavor is black currant with a smooth licorice.

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Monday, October 17, 2011

Casa Lapostolle "Cuvée Alexandre - Apalta Vineyard" (Chile) 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon




Casa Lapostolle "Cuvée Alexandre - Apalta Vineyard" (Chile) 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon,
$14.44-$18.95, 90 points, is a deep magenta color, with a beautiful aroma of blackberries, tobacco, and cinnamon, and the flavor is a quaff-able medium body of tart cherry, plum, and spice; this is a delicious wine, packed with a firm tannin presence on a moderate finish.
The 14.1% alcohol is well balanced with fruit, tannin, and acidity. Unless you are looking for it, the alcohol is unnoticeable.
The grapes were sourced from sixty year old non-irrigated vines (For the viticulturist in you).
Casa Lapostolle paired nicely with a loaded cheese steak grinder.
At $14.44, this bottle of wine would grace your table with class and would grace the palates of family/friends with your class.
 



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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Ben, this post is for you.

AUSSIE-STYLE chewy candy and what we paired our Arizona Stronghold Cabernet with.
The educational experience of wine is (In Part) to learn to smell and taste everything you can, so I'll go into a store and buy all-kinds of stuff to bring back memories and to create new ones. I didn't pay $12.00 for a tiny bottle of Cardamom because I am a gourmet chef, although I have since come to love it. So it is wine 101 to smell Dill, Fennel, Cumin, Thyme, Savory, Sage Allspice, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Clove, Basil, Marjoram, etc., not to mention fruits, vegetables, wood-types (Cedar, Oak, Redwood, Birch), though some wood is almost odor free (Beech-wood), and even as you pointed-out, and appropriately so: "wet cement". So wine can be a venue for appreciation which goes way beyond wine.
A pedantic moment is up.
Thanks Ben for your comments.
Sincerely Dennis
PS., Ben, I thought I should remind you of what is waiting behind curtain number 2 ;-)

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

ARIZONA Stronghold 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon


ARIZONA Stronghold 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, $22.49,-$24.99, 87 points.


The color is a deep cranberry-violet, the aroma is Redwood and strawberry (Very nice) with hints of horse-hair, the mouth is light bodied, and the flavor is a spicy Aussie chewy strawberry candy (Not like any Cabernet I have ever tasted). The Arizona Stronghold is, to me, a "sweet red wine" (13.6% alcohol) with a very long finish which is similar to over-all palate.
If you like "Big Tannin" wine, this isn't it. 
This is a rather unique Cabernet experience which I enjoyed, and thanks to Paula from Bella Vino (Now Closed) for letting me know of its availability. 









Some of you may know Maynard James Keenan who is the musician-businessman who began this wine endeavor. Here on "Wineweek" you can hear and see an interview by Brad and Danny with MJK: wineweekArizonaStrongholdwine Wineweek has stopped blogging!

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Laboure Roi "Vallon d'Or" Pouilly Fuissé 2009 Chardonnay

Laboure Roi "Vallon d'Or" Pouilly Fuissé 2009 Chardonnay, $11.99-$17.99, 89 points, is a lovely white wine, it is lively yet very discreet, it is a great wine for light affairs, flavors are subtle yet there is a presence that gives this wine a place without demanding attention.
I paired this with white-fish and dare I say French-fries.
The color is a slight coppery-gold, the aroma is lemon zest, the flavor is washed stone and subtle citrus, and the texture is gently smooth.
I bought this wine for $11.99; now that's a great deal. I hope many of my Canadian readers took advantage of the 15% off sale while visiting or going through New Hampshire last month; if any of you picked-up this wine and get a chance to let me know how you liked it , I would greatly appreciate it. 

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Decoy Sonoma 2009 Zinfandel



Decoy Sonoma 2009 Zinfandel

Zinfandel Greets Autumn with red wine that spices-up the deepening shadows of the end of another year.


After greeting Autumn with the St. Francis Zinfandel I'm following-up with a repeat winery and the 2009 vintage of the Decoy Sonoma County 2009 Zinfandel, $21.99-$24.99 ($2 more than last year), 91 points, is a dense ruby red, with a plethora of aromatics, from blackberry leaves to the fruit itself, to hints of clove and cinnamon, with earth notes. The flavor is cut & dry bramble-berries with a satisfying finish of black pepper and jalapeno.
This is a good value wine, a wine that, to me, goes to the heart (Without stealing your wallet) of what a good Zinfandel should be.


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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

EL PUNTIDO 2005 Rioja


EL PUNTIDO 2005 Rioja,
$35.74-$47.00, 93 points, and bought at the lower price was quite a good deal. Do you want a truly great wine from Spain? We all do, right! I'm quite sure there are better wines from Rioja, but I haven't tasted them.
100% Tempranillo, but silky and sexy, with bright tannin with hidden mint and floral notes, both on the nose and on the palate.
The color is deep magenta welling into black. There is early palate black olive and blackberries, but this is followed by pomegranate, licorice, plum, and a touch of tobacco. As the wine breathed for some time, hints of strawberry graced my palate as well; there are lots of subtle flavors encrypted here.
EL Puntido 2005 (One of the top vintages in almost a decade) is a quaff-er, with a medium to full bodied presentation, this wine is just beginning to unfold its magic.
The finish is long and persistent, having a white-peppered clove that neither over whelms nor departs unmemorable. 


These are the dishes we so satisfyingly paired with this wine:



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Sunday, October 9, 2011

St. Francis Sonoma County "Old Vines" Zinfandel





St. Francis Sonoma County "Old Vines" 2007 Zinfandel, $14.44-$21.99, 87 points, is dense magenta, strongly aromatic with clove, cinnamon, and cedar, and the flavor is not muted, not mum, vespers it is not, but fruit-forward with black-berries and plum, with hints of tart cherry wound in a medium body of rich tannin and a lush mouth-feel that carries well into the finish. 


Though this Zinfandel is "loud", the 15.5% alcohol may have you hearing those vespers;-), but You won't hardly notice it before it's too late.
Well, good night "Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."



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Since my review isn't anything like the winery's, I have provided a link to their web-site: St.Francis 2007 Old Vines Zinfandel

Friday, October 7, 2011

Montevina Amador County 2006 Zinfandel



Montevina Amador County 2006 Zinfandel, $9.95, 88 points, is an interesting Zinfandel. It struck me as a spicy Primitivo. The color is cherry red.
The aroma wasn't very pleasant: earthy, grape-y, with just a hint of clove.
Though the back label tasting notes had  blackberry and plum, I was "damned" if I could find them (My son found them), but being a "Newbie" wine taster, I'll just blame myself for that. What I did find was a wonderful balance of "cran-grape" with licorice hints, finishing quite strong with a ginger and white-pepper. There's no noticeable heat here, other than the spice itself, and in keeping with the Primitivo (Italian) style of wine, the alcohol is 13.5%, which is well under most modern Californian Zinfandel wines. 
With an 88 score, you can tell I liked this wine, with a different quality (flavorful-light profile), and being priced right,  and having paired nicely with spaghetti and spicy meatballs, also with salami-green pepper pizza, this was more than just a pleasant "table wine". I found this at Angela's Pasta and Cheese Shop.



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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Cakebread Cellars makes Chardonnay


Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley 2010 Chardonnay,
$30.59-$35.99, 89 points, has a light ginger-ale color (Finishes with a bit of ginger), the aroma is apple, lemon and lime, and carries over to the palate. This Chardonnay reminds me of a more medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc (Crisp and refreshing) with only hints of oak; what you have here is the delicious factor.

Cakebread Cellars Carneros Napa Valley Reserve 2007 Chardonnay,
$46.74-$54.99, 91 points, is very similar to the 2010 Chardonnay, but add a creamy texture, vanilla hints, and a longer, more ginger-spice on the finish, and voila, the same wine.
Both wines paired well with battered scallops and shark steaks.
Though I liked these wines, the QPR is problematic.
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

LADERA Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

LADERA Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, $34.99-$69.99, 91 points, has a dense royal purple color, with hints of black olive and leather on the nose, as well as hints of cinnamon and cedar, the mouth-feel is smooth and velvety, having flavors of licorice and black cherry with grape and some gentle floral notes.The finish is long, pleasant, and spicy. With all the sediment, this wine needs to stand straight-up in the bottle for sometime or be decanted.
We liked this wine very much, but the price is a bit on the high side of a 91 point wine. I wasn't disappointed!
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