Archive for Wine Tasting Notes
{ June 3, 2009 @ 12:58 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2003 falset old vines, baker city, bella, cabernet sauvignon, garnacha, grenache, montsant, oregon, red wine, Spain, spanish red wine, Spanish wine, Wine, wine review, wine store, Wine Tasting Notes }
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Sitting in my sweltering studio, I’m daydreaming of Spain. Strolling the Rambla, driving the countryside, sipping unctuous Priorat red wines.
Back to reality. (Boo. Hiss.) I received a phone call from my mom a few weeks ago. She was contemplating purchasing some wines on special at a local wine store. She began to read off the list of wines when I stopped her mid-sentence. “Did you say Las Rocas?” My heart fluttered. In case you missed it, I reviewed this wine a while back. To summarize, I went ga-ga for this delightful garnacha, especially at the price.
A journey to the high desert of Oregon was already planned for Memorial Day weekend to visit my folks. Now, a girls’ wine shopping trip was added to the agenda.
Pulling into Baker City, I admired the charming downtown with its wide streets and its boutiques interspersed amongst the local drinking spots. Entering Bella, I ambled through kitchen gadgets and the well-stocked cooler of cheeses, finally arriving at (ta-duh) the ah-maze-ing wine section. Where was I? Baker? How could this be?
While Bella carries a wide selection of wines, it seemed to me the owner shared a passion of mine: Spanish wines! I drooled and dabbled over bottle after bottle and even thought about buying a box of Montsant perched upon a shelf. When, at last, I decided to buy a 2003 Falset Old Vines Montsant. I wanted to share with my mom a taste of the Spanish countryside where I wandered about last year about this time of year.
The majority of the ‘03 Falset is garnacha (85%) with a splash of cabernet sauvignon (15%). A deep garnet color, this red wine emits hints of blackberries and dusty earthiness. The dark fruit comes through on the palate, along with casis and licorice. Twinges of blueberries and dark chocolate intertwine in this velvety-textured wine.
The ‘03 Falset Old Vines is an easy-drinker and pairs well with grilled meat, which makes it perfect for sipping at summer BBQs. Now, for the bad news; this wine is hard to find. I guess that is only to be expected, since only 450 cases were made for export to the US. Good news: Bella ships wine! (Hopefully it’s still in stock.
If you’re interested in reading up about the Montsant region and this wine, Ole Imports has a web page detailing the climate, soil types, etc.
{ May 8, 2009 @ 8:47 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: "2008 syncline rose", 2008, balanced, biodynamic, cinsault, columbia gorge, columbia river, complex, counoise, gorge, grenache, inexpensive, inexpensive wine, james mantone, lyle, mourvedre, poppy mantone, rhone, rhone blend, rose, sycline, under $20, viticulture, washington, washington state, washington state wines, washington wines, Wine, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes, winemaking }
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The basics:
- 2008 Syncline Rose, Columbia Valley
- 44% Cinsault, 17% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache & 9% Counoise
- 13.8% alcohol & 610 cases produced
Each summer I seek out the perfect warm weather wine. With an unseasonably warm day in Seattle, I was inspired to begin my quest early this year. Perusing my grocer’s wine cooler, my eye was drawn to Syncline’s elegantly embossed label. Then I noticed the Columbia Valley designation and I was sold, especially for the under $15 price tag. I was also intrigued by the Rhone varieties used in this blend, since I, on occasion, grab up and gulp down GSMs (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre)!
The nose, to summarize, was lovely. Initially I couldn’t pinpoint what I was smelling, but then it came to me: fresh sliced peaches. Once I swirled and waited (agony), floral accents blossomed.
Would these tantalizing promises in the bouquet deliver on the palate? Bawbang! They delivered and then some. This rose, with its meticulous structure, provided bursts of strawberry and hints of cantaloupe with a tinge of mango thrown in. A tight-rope walker this wine is indeed; it is well balanced with a wonderful finish.
This rose is the antithesis to the stereotype of the slog formerly known as blush. It is dry with a refined mouth-feel and (thankfully) lacks the sharpness I’ve encountered in some pink wines.
What to pair with this wine? I treated myself to a fancy loaf of seeded bakery bread and Jarlsberg cheese to start. Then I progressed onto my baked salmon and salad main course. All of these dishes were fabulous with the Syncline Rose. (Or was it the Syncline that made these dishes so fine?) With the cuvee of Rhone varietals, this rose can stand up to a variety of culinary delights or is perfect on its own.
I highly recommend this wine. In fact I challenge anyone who says they’re not a fan of rose to give this wine a swirl and sip. I’ve never tasted a rose so well-made and so full of interesting, yet integrated, flavors.
Visit the winery’s website, www.synclinewine.com, to read about James and Poppy Mantone, the owners/winemakers, their wines and vineyards in which they practice biodynamic viticulture.
{ February 20, 2009 @ 5:49 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: "pinot blanc", "white wine", 2006, dundee, erath, oregon wine, tasting notes, wine review }
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Oregon white wine, so very fine
Paying homage to where I first learned about wine, I decided to buy an Erath Oregon Pinot Blanc to serve as a counterbalance to the tangy pasta dish–Fusilli Alla Crazy Bastard–I planned to prepare for dinner. Funny name, fast preparation, and free of meat, this goat cheese and oven-roasted tomato slathered pasta dish paired superbly with the dry Pinot Blanc, just as I imagined it would. Go ahead and give it a shot! The recipe can be found at this Food and Wine’s recipe link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fusilli-alla-crazy-bastard.
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, wine. Let me just say, first of all, that I am of the “Old School” Oregon wine biz (circa 1995-1997), pre-tasting-room-fee days, in fact. The name Dick Erath is synonymous with the Oregon industry,having made his first vintage in the early 1970s. (For more winery information, please visit Erath’s website: www.erath.com.) (There are many other pioneers of the Oregon wine industry, but I dare not try to list the names, for fear of leaving off someone important. Perhaps another post…)
Yet I digress and I shall digress even more by proffering up some trivia to go along with this 2006 (ten years after “my time”) Erath Pinot Blanc. Here we go: What was the original name of Erath and who currently owns Erath? (Answers appear below.)
Now onto the important things in life: wine. This Pinot Blanc’s light straw color offers up nothing about the many surprises to come. When chilled, aromas of green apples with floral accents were first to come forth. After warming a bit, a richer scent of freshly mowed grass tantalized my senses.
Like Van Gogh’s sunflowers with their plump canary heads, petals swaying to an invisible breeze, this Oregon Pinot Blanc captures the essence of summertime. What do I mean by this crazy artistic reference? I dare thee to read on!
Refreshing lemon is the first flavor I detect. Soon this gives way to a luscious layer of butterscotch. Let me stop here a moment and emphasize that this is indeed a dry wine. So, why am I tasting butterscotch? I really can’t explain myself. It definitely was NOT sugary sweet, but rather creamy and caramelized. That aside, this wonderful white wine finishes out with a dash of kiwi and a streak of minerality, which provides a sense of place–terroir de Willamette Valley. To my surprise and delight, this Pinot Blanc is exquisitely well-balanced.
Label (Non)Sense:
I actually like the nice anagram and tagline Erath has developed for their label because it slices away the snobbery to reveal the true spirit of wine: Earth, Heart, Erath.
For all you cork die-hards, a warning about this wine: Erath uses screw tops. Shocking, I know, but ecologically sound, right? And, if you forget your corkscrew on your picnic, no worries, mate!
Verdict: Buy now! Drink now! Yummy!
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Trivia answers: Knudson-Erath and Chateau Ste. Michelle. Dick Erath still runs the show, as far as management of the vineyard/winery.
{ February 5, 2009 @ 5:30 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2007, Bodegas, jumilla, Luzon, monastrell, red wine, Spanish wine, syrah, tasting notes, Wine, wine review }
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Easy to Drink with Simple Meals
Like a blind date, first impressions mattered when it came to picking out this wine. Wandering through the aisles of my local grocer, I fumbled around until I came across a bottle that met many of my unknown wine criteria: a region I know I like (Jumilla in Spain), an importer I trust, and a price of under $10.
Back home, I ripped the heal from my baguette and pulled the (real) cork from this Jumilla, I poured a bit into a glass to let it breath. Oh, who am I kidding; the wine barely hit the glass before I took a swig.
The color appeared to be rich purple, but don’t quote me on this because I’m missing the light from my salon. (Yes, I said salon; I live on my sailboat.) Anyway, back to the delicious nectar of Dionysus…
Sniff:
Earthy and sweet, I inhaled in the aromas of tobacco infused with spicy cinnamon and essences of dark berries.
Sip:
After the bread tasting piqued my interest in this Jumilla, I wondered how it would go with food. So, I waited until my pasta with marinara was cooked and plated before imbibing again. Upon the first bite and sip, I thought, ah, here is the beauty of this wine; it begs to be paired with food with its bright acids and soft tannins. Dark fruit punctuated by coffee and cassis glided across my tongue without distracting from the tomato, garlic and thyme of my simple Italian meal.
Verdict:
I recommend this wine for a nice accompaniment to Italian fare and Spanish dishes like paella. It even tasted great with my white chocolate dessert. Go figure!
It is a young, young wine, so I’d be interested in a re-taste after it is all grown up. At times it felt a bit jagged on my palate. The acids prickled the tip of my tongue and finished nicely, but fell short of wowing me on the mid-palate.
The Label:
2007 Jumilla
70% Monastrell
30% Syrah
The Winery:
Luzon Bodegas, located 350 km southeast of Madrid, is a family-owned winery consists of 90 hectares. Founded in 1916, these vineyards, located in the La Hoya de la Carrasca valley, receive little rain and have chalky and gravelly soils.
For more information on the Luzon Bodegas, you can visit their website: www.bodegasluzon.com. (Be sure to turn down your speakers first, unless you enjoy thumpin’-good techno music!)
{ January 8, 2009 @ 10:35 am }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2006, cabernet sauvignon, jumilla, Mad dogs & Englishmen, monastrell, red, shiraz, Spanish wine, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes }
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THE LABEL: Spanish red from Jumilla, 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Shiraz.
SWISH: Deep purple-red. Medium bodied.
SNIFF: Ah, the joy of this bottle lies in the nose. So, take a little time and let this red’s molecules bounce around in your glass before you dive right in. With rich black fruit, currants with a hint of tar, the bouquet tantalizes and teases.
SIP: Surprisingly, this wine is not the big fruit bomb that I expected from the nose. It has a nice mouth feel backed up by some acid and soft tannins. With a hint of the blackberries and spice rolling around on my tongue, I look forward to trying it with food.
Dinner consisted of a nice tuna steak accompanied by sauteed carrots and tabouli salad. The Mad dogs & Englishmen’s subtle flavors enhance rather than overwhelm the fish.
VERDICT: Buy once and try now. Plus, buy again to see how this 2006 melds in the bottle. For $10.99, I’m impressed with this puppy!
{ December 31, 2008 @ 2:47 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2007, argentina, el portillo, mendoza, pinot noir, red wine, valle de uco, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes }
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LABEL STUFF: Valle de Uco; Mendoza, Argentina
SWIRL: Spoiled by Oregon pinots, I was baffled by the deep garnet color of this light bodied wine.
SNIFF: After some time, the nose revealed hints of barnyard, which is not necessarily a put-down for pinots.
SIP: The bright red fruit of cherries with some coffee flavors flitted about on the palate, but were not backed up by much acidity or tannins.
VERDICT: Overall, this pinot is a passable table wine, but lacking in panache. I have a hunch that this wine is a bit overworked, meaning fined, filtered and pumped. But, for washing down a handful of mixed nuts, it’s not too bad.
{ November 20, 2008 @ 1:35 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2006, ajello, ajello majus, Italian Wine, majus, mazara del vallo, nero d'avola, red wine, sicilia, sicilian wine, sicily, Wine, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes }
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2006 Ajello Majus
2006 Majus by Ajello from Sicilia; Wine Variety: Nero d’Avola (Red); Price: $12.99
I’ve let you know already that I’m merely a wine dabbler and dreamer, not to be confused with an expert. While I know a little about a few wines, I know nothing about Sicilian wines. I selected this bottle based upon a shelf talker that said it would pair well with red sauce, which was part of my evening’s dinner plan.
While prepping the bell peppers and zucchini, I poured myself a little sip. After some time, it opened up to fragrances of currants and roasted chestnuts. With a medium body, it presented bright fruit flavors, including raspberries, with some acidity up front. Its backbone of tannins was not overwhelming, and I detected some toasted flavors on the mid-palate.
I reduced the olive oil I sautéed my veggies in with a dash of the Majus and some balsamic vinegar. After letting the strained tomatoes simmer in the sauce and cooking my fresh pasta, I was ready to see if the shelf talker was all talk or not.
With its subtle fruit and plentiful acids, the Majus perked up the flavors of my pasta dish. When paired with food, the wine’s fruit darkened to blackberries, a spiciness emerged, and a hint of toasted nuttiness blossomed at the back of my palate. It was like soul mates reuniting in my mouth.
Verdict: This wine takes time to open up and to share its complexities. But, when I tasted it with my pasta dinner, it was amore at first bite and sip. This is a must-try, easy-on-the-palate (and wallet) wine.
{ November 7, 2008 @ 11:56 am }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2005, Calatayud, eric solomon, european cellars, garnacha, good value, grenache, Las Rocas, red wine, Spanish wine, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes }
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2005 Las Rocas de San Alejandro GARNACHA
Perusing my local grocer’s shelves of wine, I wondered what to pair with baked mahi-mahi. Drawn to the small Spanish section, my eye fell upon a garnacha (grenache). I began to salivate. Then, spinning the bottle around, my eyes popped when I realized I had unearthed the holy grail! I had, by dumb luck, stumbled upon an Eric Solomon European Cellars Selection*. And, the frosting on my cupcake, it was only $12!
Admittedly, I’m a glutton for grenache. But, would this grenache uphold Solomon’s reputation? Slicing off the foil, I sunk my corkscrew into the black, plastic cork. Unable to wait, I poured myself a small glass and took a sip. So far, so good.
As I let the wine molecules dance about in the open air, I cooked a dinner of mahi-mahi baked in olive oil accompanied by yellow bell pepper and zucchini sauteed in olive oil and garlic, finished with red wine and balsamic vinegar, newly-opened wine (of course), and red pepper flakes. Salad with homemade vineagrette and bread were also served as sides.
So, had I made the right decision? Let’s just say, I’ll be buying more of this glorious gem of a wine! Its toasty nose provided whiffs of cherry and black pepper. The fruit carried through on the palate in bursts of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of cinnamon. Mouth-feel was divine, and the fruit was balanced with acids and soft tannins that pleasured my entire palate. And the nearly-everlasting finish…bravo!
This is indeed a holy grail of find. When such a treasure awaits you for so little, why wait? Buy now, drink now, and enjoy!
* Eric Solomon is well-known for his extraordinary portfolio. It contains his wife’s own Clos Eramus (Priorat, Spain) and Eben Sadie’s Dits del Terra (Priorat, Spain) and Columella (South Africa), just to name a couple of the idols of the wine world. Click on this link to go to Eric’s website.
{ November 4, 2008 @ 11:23 am }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: 2007, cortijo III tinto, grenacha, grenache, red wine, rioja, Spain, Spanish wine, tempranillo, Wine, wine review, Wine Tasting Notes }
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I tried a tempranillo, again. Only I cheated by 20 percent! This Rioja has 80-percent tempranillo and 20-percent grenacha. Ah, the glorious grape known as grenache and grenacha!
My Impressions: A nice purple-red color, this wine takes time to open up. It is, after all, still a youngster. The nose, once warmed a bit, came across with some pepper and hints of blueberry and cinnamon. Earthy tempranillo paired with fruity grenache is backed by acid and soft tannins. Mouth feel is not full or well-rounded; however, it would be interesting to retaste this wine after the acids mellow in a couple more years. While acids play at the sides of my tongue, a burst of black cherry jam hits my mid-palate. Overall, this is a nice, simple wine that pairs well with food.
Label Blah-blah: Tastes of wild red berries with a clean palate with flavors of strawberry and raspberry. Grown around the town of Hormillo, which is at 1,865 feet. The vineyard’s soil is comprised of red clay and sandy limestone. The clay produces “ripe silky tannins with red berry flavors,” while the limestone gives the wine its “intense aromatic berry jam and plum accents.” The average temperature is 61.5-degrees Fahrenheit and annual rainfall is 18.3 inches. The wine is imported by Ole.
{ September 26, 2008 @ 1:35 pm }
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{ Wine Tasting Notes }
{ Tags: inexpensive wine, mourvedre, red wine, Spanish wine, Wine, wrongo dongo }
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Wrongo, whato? It’s wine, of course! So, pop down to your local wine shop and boldly ask for some Wrongo Dongo, baby! I’m thinking barbecue, or even pasta with marinara. You really can’t go wrongo with the berry blast of flavors backed up with enough acid and soft tannins to stand up to hearty, spicy dishes.
Don’t let the name fool you. Wrongo Dongo is the bomb for a fun, fruit-forward, easy-drinking red wine. Plus, here’s the kicker: it’s cheap! I picked up a bottle from Fred Meyer for $8. So, what are you waiting for? Wrong Dongo hails from the Jumilla region of Spain and is made of 100% mourvedre grapes.
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