Tonight is not about complicated, it was all about finding something simple and enjoying it ... I looked at an Argentinean Malbec, a Chilean Carmenere, and an American Zinfandel - but none seemed to fit the bill, too much alcohol, the average of these three bottles was 14.5% ... not simple at all - too taxing for my stuffed up head (I feel a cold coming on). While putting one of these monsters away I noticed a lonely bottle with its skirt showing (the capsule had already been removed) ... which means I had already almost drank this one once before, but something else caught my eye - I know fickle me - so it was time to show this baby some love. I pulled on the neck and this Ironstone Cab was revealed to me. I checked the alcohol, 13.5%, seems as well as I'll do this evening. I popped the cork and I was off to the races. Blackberries and raspberries, a hint of plum and a little chocolate - nothing complex here. Sipping was also an easy task, plum, cherry, chocolate with whiffs and tastes of vanilla. I didn't want complicated and that's just what I got.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Bodega San Gregorio 2005 Papa Luna (Spain)
From the Catalayud region of Spain comes this tasty little number in the fat bottle. Made from old vines Garnacha, Shiraz and Monastrell it's a delicious wine full of black fruit, plum and spice - I found that it smoothed right out once decanted, but it also lost much of its pleasant spiciness. So I think this one should have been left in the bottle because poured straight from the bottle it was a better wine ... oh well, you win(e) some you lose some. Still a very nice bottle of wine.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Baron Ricasoli 2006 Campo Ceni (Italy)
This wine was tasted in conjunction with 10 other wines. Every so often I get together with some buddies: one guy provides the food; another the activity (both are happily married so strippers are out of the question) this evening it was the 8th hour of 24; and I provide the wine. I grabbed a number of bottles on my way out of the house and the party was on. In truth the party was us standing around talking over pizza, while one guy put his kid to bed - a hot time in the big city for sure! One of my friend has no taste for wine what-so-ever, he's a rose drinker - though he is redeemed by his love for Port. The other is quite the wine drinker - we differed on our favourite this evening, though he did finally come around to my way of thinking because I noticed that this was the only empty bottle on the table this night. The wine is primarily Sangiovese (95%) with a touch of Merlot to give it some smoothness. Here we had a nice, lightly spiced, good herbed and nicely fruited wine. I enjoyed it, but I did not finish the whole bottle - which means somebody else liked it too.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Robert Mondavi 2006 Vinetta (California)
This wine was chosen as more of a tribute to Robert than it was for any other reason. I had just come from a Riedel glass tasting lead by Maximilian Riedel himself. He told us all a story about how his father had met Robert Mondavi in California and converted the California icon to his glassware. Max had called it a "beautiful" story - I did not think it beautiful, cute maybe; but considering it was this meeting that introduced Riedel's stemware to a larger North American audience (as Mr. Mondavi turned his tasting room into a Riedel only winery), and made them a household name on this side of the pond, then I guess it is a beautiful story, if you're a Riedel. Now, the reason for the tribute to Robert was because part of the tasting's bonus was to walk away with your set of glasses (4 in total) - so I thought it appropriate to pay tribute to the men who introduce North America to fine wine in the right crystal glass. The wine chosen was Vinetta, which is the very first true Bordeaux blend made at the house of Mondavi; which means they use all five grapes. Made up primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon (72%) with some Merlot and Petit Verdot (10% each) and a smattering of Malbec and Franc. The wine tasted wonderful in the glass with lots of blackberry and spice - it was smooth and very enjoyable ... not much more to say - the preamble kinda wore me out.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Casa Vinicola Botter Carlo 2006 Ogio (Italy)
Italian food called for an Italian wine - I'm not changing my tune on food and wine pairings just thought I would try it. The food was good and the wine was just what I expected. Ogio is made from the Primitivo grape, which is akin to California's Zinfandel. The nose was plum,. cherry and vanilla - the palate had a touch of tannins, but was for the most part smooth with vanilla, plum and sweet cherry. Simple wine for a simple lasagna meal. Pleasant and juicy, exactly what I expected from an $8.95 wine made form this grape.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Ernest and Julio Gallo 2001 Sonoma County Merlot (California)
Holy Hanna ... this is not what I expected at all from this wine. These days you hear the Gallo name and you chuckle to yourself - you think of huge conglomerate, uni-wines (wines that taste the same), and non-vintage blah blends. I opened this one on a lark, wondering how it would taste, wondering if the only 5 months in oak and 6 years in my cellar had helped or hindered this wine ... I can say categorically that it helped. There wine had quite a bit of spiciness and some tannins in the glass and on my tongue, so I decided to pull out the Merlot decanter and open her up a bit. As I did so I fully admit I did not expect to see sediment, but that is precisely what I got, so I slowed up my pour to avoid putting too much back into the decanted wine. I inspected the bottle and saw lots of floaties stuck to the bottle and plenty more (of the fine gritty variety) were found in the decanter once the wine was all served. The nose was loaded with dried blackberries and black cherries with hints of forest floor and buckwheat honey (probably from the 14% alcohol). As for the taste, awesome ... the fruit seemed a little fresher than what the nose let on and there were even nuances of chocolate. I have to admit I was not expecting much from this wine, which meant what I got was a whole lot more ... kudos to the Gallo team of 2001.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Domaine Cazes 2005 Latour de France L'Excellence Triniac (France)
Back to some serious wine notes now. A busy weekend ended with dinner chez mom and dad. Roast beef is on the menu, so I decided to give a recently purchased French wine a go. This is a blend from the Rousillon region of France made up of "old vines" Black Grenache, Syrah and Carignane. The nose is perfect, as far as noses go. At first it was a little tight, the wine had made the journey with me from Niagara and was a bit on the chilled side thereby giving off nothing at first, but once it warmed and opened there was plenty of black cherry, blackberry and a touch of spice. The palate was even better, it followed the nose with lots of great cherry and spice, along with fine tannins that did not dry out the mouth, but instead added character and intensified the flavours on the tongue. In the end, it was smooth and luscious and went exceedingly well with the roast.
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