The Blog Wine Cellar

2005 Twisted Oak Calaveras County *%#&@!

2009-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Have your guess at what the label means, but It's almost always commonly referred to as the F**K wine. These guys have a great sense of humor and anytime you grab a bottle of Twisted oak wine, remember to read the back label .

This wine is sourced from various vineyards in Calaveras and is composed of 28% Mourvedre - Dalton Vineyard, 23% Mourvedre - Fodhli Vineyard, 33% Syrah - Tanner Vineyard, 10% Grenache - Dalton Vineyard, 6% Grenache from the Estate vineyard. The wine is aged for 11 months in both new and used French and American oak.

On the nose this wine displays aromas of black plum, wild blueberry, spice, dried herb, and a touch of earth. The more the wine opens up the better the blueberry aromas surface and become pie-like. There is also a touch of black pepper that develops when it opens.

On the palate this wine is very rich and full of ripe fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, spice, molasses, licorice, and mouth coating boysenberry are all flavors that describe the intense, fruit-rich, and complex wine.

I knew this wine had swagger because I had tasted it three or four years ago and remember it being insane. Tasting it now has confirmed that if you can pick up a bottle of this stuff than it's definitely worth the money. I think it's around the twenty dollar range which makes it an absolute steal. 92 points

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2005 Herdade da Malhadinha Nova Monte da Peceguina

2009-07-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Malhadinha Nova’s 2005 Monte Da Peceguina was produced in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The red varieties grown here are Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet and Alfrocheiro. So I am assuming that this wine is a composition of all or some of these varietals. I know from the label that it was aged in French and American oak for 6 months. Believe it or not this wine was hard to find tech data on, but I did find some interesting info. on the winery here -> Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

This darkly colored wine is packed full of intense black raspberry, red currant, espresso bean, cedar, and, dried herb and meats. On the palate the wine shows a bit more red fruit with some nice ripe cherry and red currant. The texture is very silky and refined, which I find quite intriguing considering the ruff and rugged terrain where this wine is made. The finish is full of strawberry rhubarb and red raspberry fruit, combined with a touch of spice, toast, and white pepper.

I really enjoy this wine and was perhaps expecting a bit more power and grit but I'm amazed at the forward fruit and lack of rusticity. I'm not entirely sure how available this wine is, but I would highly recommend seeking it out and purchasing a bottle. It has great finesse, texture, and complexity. 91+ points

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2009 Oregon Pinot Camp

2009-07-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Oregon Pinot Camp was an amazing experience to remember and one of the most fantastically planned and executed events I have ever attended.

I'd like to thank all the wineries, winemakers, vineyard managers, and all the personal that made this event possible. It was truly one of the most marvelous occasions and four days I will never forget. The instruction was brilliant and extremely educational and the wines were amazing to say the least.

I've never met a group of people who could answer every question, no matter how wine-nerdy it may have seemed. In fact, the most cork dork questions were answered in an even superior nerdy manner with absolutely no pretension. Here are a bunch of my photos from the event.

2007 Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red

2009-06-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

The 2007 version of Pillar Box Red is composed of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. The majority of the fruit for this wine was sourced from vineyards located in Padthaway, with a small amount from local growers. These vines are grown in various soil types including red loam, black loam & deep sand over limestone. It was aged in 75% French oak and 25% American.

On the nose I get creamy vanilla notes combined with candied wild raspberry, bramble berry, and lots of oak. The oak is so heavy it almost turns into a creamy coconut type aroma which I often use as a descriptor for wines that are far too over-oaked.

The flavors are rich and the texture is somewhat viscous, creme de cassis, candied fruits, dark inky black fruits, and even that coconut thing is happening again on the palate. This wine is very clumsy, heavily extracted, and slightly off balance with some bitter green tannins on the finish.

I really don't get it...this wine has been amazing in past vintages and has always been one of the best values on the market. Now I feel this wine if far too extracted and grossly manipulated by oak. Maybe my palate has changed to an older world type of liking, or maybe I'm right and this wine has just gone through the shitter. At any rate, I don't fancy it! 72 points

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Why rosé is the perfect summer wine for red drinkers!?

2009-06-24T19:34:00.001-07:00

I just had an amazing rosé and realized for the millionth time that rosé is just my favorite wine during the summer months. Most red wine drinkers like myself, tend to enjoy red wine more than white because we feel we can get the complexity in a red for a more reasonable price. This is not to say you can't get equal complexity out of the top white wines, but as a general rule cheap red has more complexity than most cheap white. Anyways, in the summer rosé is the perfect balance.

Summer time here in my wonderful state of Arizona is simply just not the time to drink big hearty red wines with big hearty meals. If I was to eat a plate of steak and potatoes for lunch with a Syrah or Cabernet every day I would need at least a three hour siesta!! What most people need in the summer is a wine that goes well with lighter cuisine such as salad and sandwiches.

Take my advice and look no further than rosé and here's why......

1. Rosé is generally more complex than your everyday white like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.

2. Rosé has nice crisp acidity and is very refreshing on the palate.

3. Rosé is an under appreciated category of wine so the prices are reasonable.

4. Rose is amazingly versatile with thousands of foods combinations and cheeses. (My wife made grilled chicken caesar salad and the rosé was the most gratifying pairing I've had in at least a year!)

It's important to get over the stigma of drinking blush wines. White Zin has cast it's plunky shrowd over rosé and it's time people expand their palates to the amazing benefits of drinking the most amazing summer wine!

Here's a list of amazing rosé's that you should try:

Etude rosé of Pinot Noir - Carneros

Turkey Flat rosé - Barossa, Australia

Francis Coppola rosé of Pinot Noir- Carneros

Domaines Ott - Bandol, France

2007 Planeta Rosé

2009-06-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Planeta Rosé is made from 100% Syrah grapes from Sicily. It has a salmon-pink color and soft aromas of wild strawberry, fresh pomegranate seeds, red apple skin, and perhaps a touch of seaweed. It almost has a savory side to it that reminds me of salty foods.

On the palate this wine expresses flavors fresh pomegranate, cranberry, pink lemonade, and sea salt. This wine comes across really salty for some odd reason. Without knowing too much about the soils where these grapes were grown, I would immediately think they were calcareous in nature and perhaps seashell and beach sand.

The texture of the wine is also quite round and full and the acidity is very light but shows up on the finish. In my honest opinion this wine is dying for shellfish and would also pair with salmon and capers. This is a great summer wine for red wine drinkers that still want the complexities involved with their favorite Syrah's and Cab's. The finish is quite extended and the strawberry and light cherry notes are wonderful. 89+ points

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2006 Cass Grenache

2009-06-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

This Paso Robles estate grown Grenache is composed of 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. Cass Vineyards and Winery is located between Paso Robles and Creston on California's Central Coast. The tech data wasn't available on the winery website so we'll have to assume this wine was aged in oak for some time although I'm not sure what kind.

Right off the bat I notice that this wine has very powerful aromas of oak, so much so that it almost comes across as coconut creme. Other aromas that I noticed were prune, plum, dates, molasses, and tobacco.

On the palate this wine continues with the theme of being far too over-oaked with loads of coconut creme flavor mixed with dates, tobacco, molasses, prune juice, raisins, and perhaps some banana runts candy! To be quite honest this wine doesn't really appear to be wine at all! In fact it would probably be best poured over ice cream, either that or down your sink drain. Not much fruit here besides creamy coconut, dates, and prunes........ 75 Points

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2008 Santa Rita 120 Carmenere

2009-06-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

The 120 Carmenere from Santa Rita is a marvolous example of the potential of this varietal and why I think Carmenere is Chile's best hope for classic wines. If fact most of us wine lovers are familiar with the famous Clos Apalta wine from Casa Lapostolle, which recently won the Wine Spectator "Wine of the Year" award and that wine was made with 42% Carmenere. After tasting this wine and wines like the Clos Apalta I am convinced that this ancient French varietal is Chile's most valid attempt at greatness.

Now that I'm through with that mini rant lets get to the wine!!

On the nose I get huge luscious black raspberry aromas, combined with pepper, eucalyptus, and espresso grind. It's a beautiful aroma profile and one distinctively unique to Chile but has all the seduction and fruit of a California Cabernet.

On the palate the wine is just as big and delicious at the nose and boasts flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, espresso, chocolate, coco powder, and hints of pepper and dried herb. This is a spicy but voluptuous wine that has a long complex finish of black cherry, licorice, and coco.

To be quite honest I'm completely blown away by this wine. It is the best wine under ten dollars that I have tasted in my wine career and it beats out many California and French wines that are triple the price. Amazing Stuff! - seek it out! 91 points

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2004 Schuetz Randall Petite Sirah

2009-06-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

The 2004 Schuetz Randall Central Coast Petite Sirah is produced from grapes grown in a secret hillside vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was near impossible to find tech info so I'll just leave you with my tasting notes.

The wine has a very dark color (just slightly fading towards the edges) as one might expect with Petite Sirah. On the nose this wine expresses aromas of grape jelly, cassis, currant, spice, and slight hints of meat, bacon, and smoke. There is also a slight soapiness that is just lingering on the end.

On the palate this wine is very rich, powerful, and flavorful, the black currant takes center stage as well as secondary notes of black cherry, grape jelly, chocolate, pomegranate, cranberry, cassis, and spice. There is a touch of bacon fat and a meaty character on the finish that is awesome! The finish is extremely extended and last for a few minutes.

Up until now I had never heard of this producer, nor had I ever tasted the wines, but I'm truly amazed at the quality and complexity of this wine. There is superb balance with this wine and I just love how the alcohol stays in check. Petite Sirah is often overdone in my opinion but this wine has great focus, depth, and most importantly balance. Really amazing stuff! 94 points

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2008 San Giuseppe Pinot Grigio

2009-06-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

This Pinot Grigio from Italy's Veneto region is a very light style white wine with minimal color. It falls into the under twenty dollar category of Pinot Grigio's and has some nice packaging that helps it compete with Santa Margarita.

On the nose i get fresh lemon-lime zest, melon, acacia flower, and perhaps a touch of apple flesh. The flavors follow suit with some fresh citrus drop, lemon, melon, and just a touch of bread dough. I detect some sort of lees aging or perhaps neutral wood, but couldn't find much in the way of tech sheets for the wine to validate my suspicions.

Like I previously mentioned, this is a very light style Pinot Grigio with minimal acid and is not entirely too impressionable. It could pair well with your basic everyday leaf salad. 84 Points

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2007 Sacred Hill Marlborough Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

2009-06-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

This Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough appellation is a classic example of a very herbaceous and greenish-gooseberry laden wine that typifies the region. Smelling this one blind may not be that tuff for the wine tasting professional and those that sell and taste wine for a living, will no doubt peg this wine blind in a heart beat!

On the nose I get loads of yellow grapefruit, green been, celery, green apple skin, and heaps of gooseberry. To say this wine smells like New Zealand SB is a gross understatement! There is loads of gooseberry and a pronounced herbaceousness here and this wine is certainly not bashful about it.

On the palate there is citrus and grapefruit in abundance as well as gooseberry, green been , white pepper, and mineral. The texture is surprisingly round though, and the acid is there but not as piercing as one would expect. I suppose when all is said and done, this wine is perhaps just a bit too vegetal for my complete satisfaction.

85 points

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2006 Sagelands Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon "Four Corners"

2009-06-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

The 2006 vintage of the "Four Corners" Cabernet Sauvignon from Sagelands is another exceptional value play from Washington's Columbia Valley appellation. If you're looking for a great Cab for under fifteen bucks then you'll be hard pressed to find one much better than this.

The wine is composed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 6% Merlot, 3% Syrah, 1% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot. The grapes were sourced from four distinct appellations in eastern Columbia Valley; the Doval Vineyard, located at the bottom of Saddle Mountain by the Columbia River, the Andrews Vineyard on Horse Heaven Hills, the Spring Creek Vineyard in lower Yakima and Elephant Mountain Vineyard perched high in the Rattlesnake Hills. The wine was aged in 100% American Oak barrels (15% new) for 16 months.

On the nose I get some really nice dark fruits and black cherry aromas combined with dark chocolate, earth, spice, oak, and a touch of anise. This smells like real wine folks, and at this price range it's hard to find a wine with great complexity and depth in aroma.

On the palate I get flavors of black berry, black cherry, toasted oak, and a touch of black licorice. There is nice savory and spicy fruit here and a velvety texture with pronounced but integrated tannin. This wine would be brilliant with steak and potatoes and delivers exceptional quality for the price. 88+ points

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Tasting your wine the second day

2009-06-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to emphasize the importance of tasting a bottle of wine after it has been opened for a least a day. I could not begin to tell you how many times I have tasted a wine the next day and have found it to be completely different and many times even better than the first day of being open.

This is especially true with wines like Aussie Shiraz or big California Cabs because of their monstrous tannin structure that often times needs to be substantially aerated. However, today I tasted the a Pinot Noir that I reviewed yesterday (2006 Firesteed Pinot Noir) and noticed that it had improved at least two points from the day before. It was softer, more complex, and finished with much more polish than the day previous.

I'm convinced that before giving a 100% assessment of any wine, that it's vitally important to save a glass until the following day when it can be analyzed again. I would be interested in the opinions of those who have experienced this second-day improvement as I have and those that think I'm just nuts too!!

2006 Firesteed Cellars Pinot Noir

2009-06-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Firesteed Cellars is located in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the Eola Hills region and is currently the third largest winery in Oregon and Oregon’s largest producer of Pinot Noir.

The 2006 Firesteed Oregon Pinot Noir is made from Pinot grapes sourced throughout the Willamette, Umpqua, Rogue and Walla Walla Valleys, making it a sort of "Oregon field-blend". The 2006 vintage was a very beautiful growing season and the weather condition provided for a smooth harvest in September and October.

The aromas of this wine start off with a good dose of mixed berry pie then move towards more earthy tones and perhaps some mineral and smoke notes. There is also a touch of oak that is accompanied by some vanilla aromas.

On the palate this wine is light but shows good acidity, flavors of rustic wild raspberry and hints of mineral are the main features of this wine and also a touch of cedar and leather on the finish. It's a cold weather style that is similar to some of the mineral driven village wines of Burgundy.

In my honest opinion the wine lacks a touch of depth in terms of layers and finish but is a good buy and a value in it's price point. I'm still searching for that $20 Pinot that rocks my world thought. 86+ points

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What's worse cheap Pinot Noir or cheap Cabernet?

2009-06-12T05:18:00.001-07:00

Recently I tasted a few cheap and mass produced Pinot Noir and Cabernet's and couldn't help but wonder, which one is worse..... I generally tend to believe that nothing tastes worse than a cheap Pinot Noir, but then I think about how damn easy it is to grow Cabernet and even the most woeful producer should be able to churn out something drinkable. Here are some tasting notes I took recently of some budget Pinot and Cab:

2006 Irony Pinot Noir - Monterey County
Nose: strawberry jam, oak
Flavors: oak, green tannin, raspberry, bitter
Notes: tastes like mass produced oak-chip laden wine!
Score: 73 points

2007 337 Cabernet Sauvignon - Lodi
Nose: vitamin, hi-c fruit punch, artificial mixed berry, vanilla, oak, spice, medicinal
Flavors: berry, green tannin, off balance green finish
Notes: off balanced, mass produced, horrible shit, artificial
Score: 68 points

So the verdict is in on this tasting and the Cabernet stole the show! But I'm quite interested to see what you all think. Which is worse, cheap mass produced Pinot Noir or cheap mass produced Cabernet Sauvignon????

2006 Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel

2009-06-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel is a wine sourced from 35 to 80 year old vines in California's Lodi region. I won't dive into the finite details of how this wine is vinified because I really don't think those that produce this wine really are focused on the details of how the wine was made, but more upon how it's marketed.

On the nose I get aromas of black cherry and a medicinal-like cherry cough syrup. On the palate the wine starts off with big black cherry flavors, chocolate, oak, and some spice. There is also a touch of orange peel, sour cherry, and alcohol that make their way into the wine on the finish. You can pretty much sum this wine up by saying that it has a heavy dose of wood and cherry character. Not a great wine by any stretch of the imagination but it is drinkable. I just think that for twenty bucks you can find a way better buy in this category. -- ie. Marietta

84-85 points

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2006 Balletto Pinot Noir

2009-06-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

This Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is one of the best value wines on the market and has shown consistent quality for the last three to four vintages I've tasted. I actually had the opportunity to visit the winery on my last trip to Sonoma and it was a great experience too because they share their tasting room with Dutton-Goldfield winery, who I think make some of the very best wines in all of Sonoma.

This 2006 Estate Bottled Russian River Pinot Noir was produced from 100% Pinot Noir aged 9 months in 100% French oak barrels. It is a light and subtle style Russian River Pinot with plenty of grace and elegance to go along with it's chiseled minerality and brimming acidity.

On the nose I get an obvious strawberry rhubarb aroma, along with mineral, wet stone, and some nice wild raspberry notes. It's light, soft, and elegant on the palate and shows flavors of strawberry and raspberry, combined with a nice mineral character. I find this wine to be distinctly cold weather Sonoma Pinot Noir because it's not rich in flavor or body but more penetrating with razor sharp focus. This is the kind of Pinot I totally love with Salmon!! 89+ points

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2007 Abrazo Garnacha

2009-06-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Abrazo is 100% Grenache from Spain's Cariñena D.O. , which is the oldest D.O. in Aragón and is located near Zaragoza. The average age of the vineyards is 20 years and yield 5 tons/hectare.

It has a light to medium red color and shows aromas of cherry, raspberry, truffle, crushed rocks, and a touch of smoked meat. On the palate the wines displays relatively light flavors of cherry, red raspberry, cedar, leather, and mineral.

This is very simple wine that has bright red fruit aromas and flavors and it light enough to enjoy in the warm summer months. Texture wise this wine is very similar to Pinot Noir and I think this wine might fool a few people in a blind tasting. The only thing that gives it away as being Spanish would be the smoky and meaty flavors that combine with a slight earthiness. I believe this wine is meant to be somewhat simple and light and it delivers a nice, straight forward, and fruity wine experience. 86 points

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2004 Chateau Haut-Bergeron Sauternes

2009-06-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Located in the Sauternes commune of Bordeaux, Chateau Haut-Bergeron has been in the enduring hands of the same family (Lamothe) since the end of the 18th century. In the 1950's the estate was expanded into nearby vineyards as well as into Barsac. Haut-Bergeron is an esteemed and regionally well-regarded property, with over 61 acres of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle planted to vine.

This golden colored dessert wine is a blend of 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon blanc, and 2% Muscadelle. As with most Sauternes this wine has an intriguing aroma profile filled with nuances of peach, apricot, and french vanilla. On the palate the wine shows delicate flavors of dried apricot, orange marmalade, and honey. The wine is relatively light on the palate and shows a nice zip of acid on the finish. For Sauternes, this wine shows just a medium-length finish and perhaps lacks a bit of power and edge. Great Sauternes usually will be a bit heavier in terms of texture and complexity, but this wine is a very sleek and crisp style. It's truly the kind of dessert wine that doesn't overwhelm me during the hot summer months here in Phoenix, and hence I like it! 90 points

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2005 Chateau Campot-Lafon

2009-06-06T01:57:00.000-07:00

It was difficult to find any information about this wine online so all I know is it's from Bordeaux. As to what part of Bordeaux or the varietal breakdown, I'm totally in the dark. I would guess there is a fair amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc.

On the nose this wine is very rustic and shows notes of cherry, leather, brett, band-aid, mineral, vitamin, and black chai tea. This to me would be a fairly easy wine to blind taste and pinpoint France as the country of origin. In fact I would probably say it was Bordeaux too, but vintage date would have been the problem. This wine smells and tastes far more mature than 2005, especially because 2005 was such a powerful vintage.

On the palate this wine is incredibly soft and subtle. It shows very light flavors of cherry and fresh pomegranate, lots of earth, leather, and brettomyces (barnyard). This wine drinks as soft as seriously aged Bordeaux and if it were more brownish in color you'd probably be able to fool a number of trophy hunting Bordeaux fans.

If you love stinky French wine as much as I do, then this wine is right down your alley. This wine is so French and flawed with brettomyces it's almost funny. If you're a fruit lover then stay away from this little gem, but if you're a corkdork such as myself then I would definitely recommend this wine. 85 points

P.S. Quality wise this wine is and 85 pointer, but I'll secretly give it a 90... hehe...shhhhh...

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Craft Beer is becoming the new wine!! ??

2009-06-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to see the revolution of the craft brew industry and witness the increase in both interest and sales of small production micro-brews. When I think back around ten years ago, the options for really interesting beer with diverse flavor profiles was almost nil.

Today consumers have the option of everything from a fruity style Hefeweizens to the darkest of dark barrel-aged Stouts. It seems as the variety grows and the quality increases, beer has become a viable contender in the culinary-wine-spirits competition. More and more people are tasting beer as they would wine, that is to say, they are getting involved in analyzing and categorizing their beers and expanding their palates.

It's really quite interesting to see how the economy also has weighed in at just the right time for the malty or hoppy beverage. Consumers realized that having a beer with dinner might be a bit more of a conservative play in these economically stressing times. It just doesn't seem as indulging and luxurious as wine, and so people are willing to fork out less than ten dollars for a good sixer of brew.

It's also incredible how well certain beers pair with certain foods. The styles of beer are also similar to wine in that some can be dry, some sweet, some bitter, and some malty and savory. Plus what goes better with pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers (all of which are inexpensive and famously American meals) Cabernet or Pilsner??

Yes, wine will always be wine and a very special drink that is the nearest to my heart, but beer is fastly becoming a companion and perhaps a slight market competitor for our beloved grape juice. I just happen to be indulging in a nice hoppy glass of IPA as we speak and for some odd reason I couldn't help but give the brew a shout!! Cheers!

1999 Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-06-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love getting the opportunity to taste wines like these. Wines that have a bit of age on them and in particular those that are not the top classics. Yes, Penfolds Bin 407 is a wine of considerable quality and is hovers between the $20-3o price point, but it isn't a wine that is generally collected for extended cellaring. Anyhow, I thank the kind wine buddy that had the patience to hold on to this wine for such a long time and share it with me.

A little background of the wine from the Penfolds Website:

"launched in 1993 with the 1990 vintage, Penfolds Bin 407 was developed by Penfolds Chief Winemaker, John Duval, in response to the increasing availability of high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. inspired by Penfolds Bin 707, Bin 407 offers varietal definition and attention to detail, at a more affordable price point."

The 1999 vintage of Bin 407 is composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that was sourced from various vineyard plantings throughout Australia's Southern Region. It was aged for 12 months in both new and used French and American oak.

This wine has obviously developed quite a bit since it's release so I will give you my best assessment of how I smell and taste the wine today. On the bouquet I get plentiful aromas of cherry, cola nut, coco, tea leaf, sweet tobacco, black currant, fig, and perhaps a little touch of kalamata olive. This is the type of wine you could smell for days because it's literally that complex and develops into something new every time you sniff it. On the palate the wine has a very soft and delicate texture with very integrated tannins. The flavors of this wine are equally as intense and complex and show nuances of cherry, plum, tea leaf, sweet tobacco, cherry cola, and just the slightest note of eucalyptus and mint on the finish (very slight hints). The finish is laced with loads of soft cherry and leather and goes on for at least a minute.

Like I said above, I really love this kind of wine and it's just educational and inspiring to see how a wine this ages after 10 years. Makes me really want to lay down some Bin 407 because it has aged extremely gracefully. As is I score this wine 93 points, even though the experience and the maturity of the wine probably boosted the score around three of those points!!

Click here to find out more about this wine

2005 Torres Celeste Crianza

2009-06-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

The 2005 Torres "Celeste" is a 100% Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero Spain. It was aged in French and American oak barrels for 12 months and has the Crianza classification which means the wines are two years old, with at least twelve months spent in cask.

The color of this wine as you might have guessed if you are familiar with wines from Ribera, is very full and dark purple. On the nose I pick up aromas of black currant, cassis, and creamy oak. Those oaky aromas almost appear to be vanilla and coconut cream like. On the palate the creamy oak flavors and big rich cassis and blackberry fruits continued to dominate the flavor profile. The texture of the wine is very round and creamy and it finishes on the palate with some firm and chunky tannin.

For me this wine is just a tad bit over-oaked. Perhaps the use of American oak has masked the true identity of the fruit and this is what bothers me about this wine. The coconut cream thing is just too synthetic for my liking and you almost get the feeling that this wine has been over manicured. It's like the woman who goes a bit too far with plastic surgery! One too many face lifts! Interesting wine, but just not my style. 80 points

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2007 Torres Viña Esmeralda

2009-06-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

This white wine from Spain's Catalunya region is composed of 85% Moscato and 15% Gerwurztraminer. From the sound of those two varietals one might preconceive that this wine could be sweet. However, this is a slightly off-dry wine with just the faintest touch of residual sugar. You could also bet on it being a very aromatic wine as well, because of the intense aromas that are normally associated with these two varieties. I have to admit I am surprised that the bouquet is slightly less expressive than I was expecting.

On the nose I get aromas of fresh lime zest, orange marmalade, mineral, crushed rock, and white rose. On the palate this wine is crisp and displays a sharp acidity, coupled with flavors of lemon-lime, mandarin, and a touch of passion fruit. There is just a slight touch of residual sugar but the wine finishes crisp and clean.

I see this style of wine pairing very well with crab legs, shrimp cocktail, or and Asian chicken salad. It's a crisp, refreshing wine that is neutral enough to pair with many types of light cuisine. 87 points

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2006 Roessler Red Label Sonoma County Pinot Noir

2009-06-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

The 2006 Red Label Sonoma County Pinot Noir from Roessler Cellars is a blend of fruit from throughout the county, with a particular focus on the Russian River Valley. It's another great small production wine from this winery and I'm thoroughly convinced that these guys make great wine.

Winemaker Scott Shapley previously worked as the assistant winemaker at Siduri, and we all know what those guys can do with Pinot Noir. He also worked for Crushpad and honed his skills making small lots of Pinot and Syrah. Teamed up with the Roessler's, who also have great experience in the wine industry and some really good fruit, it makes for a killer combo!

The bouquet of this wine shows aromas of pure unsweetened cherry paste, candied strawberry, and wild berry fruits. The bright red fruit continues onto the palate and expressions of raspberry, strawberry rhubarb, red plum, and soft cherry all combine for a balanced and complex fruit profile. There is also great minerality here and perhaps a slate like character. The wine is very "Sonoma County" with it's wild strawberry notes and lush palate. Great stuff - 91 points

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