Monthly Archives: March 2010

Here’s a couple of Napa Valley chardonnays that I’ve tried fairly recently. Napa seems to have fully made the transition from over-oaked butterball wines to something a little more reminiscent of the Burgundian-style wines of France. Much more focus on the fruit and the acidity of the wines, allowing them to shine without a ton of manipulation. Both Pride and Neyers were definitely on the leading edge with this style and have helped push out the oak monsters.

2005 Neyers Napa Chardonnay

We took this wine to our favorite ‘BYOB’ restaurant in New Jersey.  It had not been chilled prior to opening.  I actually found it good both at room temperature and also chilled.  There was a lot of carmel, oak and earthiness at room temperature.  When it was slightly chilled, it had a little more of the crisp acidity flavor.

This winery always produces solid values.  This wine is no exception with classic Napa richness and caramel notes.  These flavors mix with apples and pears. The wine is not buttery by any means.  It is just a nice middle of the road wine between the California and Burgundy styles. Priced around $25.

Rating: 90 pts

2005 Pride Chardonnay

The nose from this wine was full of lemon and herbal scents, along with noticeable caramel notes. The flavor at first was a little muted, not tasting as strong as the nose would have indicated. The wine exhibited notes of honey, custard and lemon. However the flavors, for a wine of this quality, came across weak. The finish was smooth and rich, though not lengthy. Priced around $35, this wine did not have a great quality-price ratio (QPR) as would have been expected.

Rating: 88 pts

When the weather starts to get cold, I turn to the red wines, and I seem to always turn back to the Rhone valley. I can always depend on these wines to be hearty, meaty, and maybe in cases a little austere. They tend to be the perfect balance between drinkability and serious reflection. I find myself turning to these wines at the end of the week when I want to unwind from everything and slip into the weekend. Here’s a few options if you’re looking to do the same.

2005 Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Les Champauvins

This wine had some huge fruit and a ton of tannins. Though I drank this right away, the wine took around 2 hours to really open up. The nose was full of bosanberry, lavender and black licorice. The flavors included kirsch, bacon fat, and leather. There were also notes of earth and a game-y quality. The intensity of the wine continued right until the end of the bottle. Priced around $17.

Rating: 92pts

2005 Domaine Le Colombier Vieilles Vignes Vacqueyras

This wine had a very pretty nose of floral and earthy components. The color was at first thin, however with a little bit of air, the wine turned a more violet hue and seems to thicken. A mostly Grenache base, this wine was smooth and subtle on the front of the palate, mixing in a little bit of spice and licorice. The end was a little rustic and earthy, showing a bit of dirt and tar at back of the throat. I quiet enjoyed the cherries and dark chocolate flavors. Nice floral component as well – a little lavender I believe, cut with some mustard greens. Priced around $17.

Rating: 92 pts

2005 Domaine Presidente Cairanne Cotes Du Rhone Villages

This was a wonderful wine from a great vintage. As my first taste of the 2005 vintage, it didn’t disappoint. There was a lot of fresh fruit, with nice cranberry and raspberries notes. There was also the classic licorice and lavender flavors mixed into earthy mushroom and bacon fat. Overall, this was a very enjoyable wine with good body and nice finish. It was also a good value, priced around $13.

Rating: 91pts

Oregon Pinot has to be one of my favorite wine regions. Their pinot tends to be a nice middle-ground between the richer, bolder California wines and the austere French version. They tend to capture both the power and grace, along with the rich flavor complexities. There also tends to be more structure to the wines allowing them to really open up in the glass and expand. Here are some tasting notes on these Oregon beauties.

2004 Ransom Pinot Noir

Not as full bodied as say the Patty Green wines, but still a very rich and mouthfilling wine that delivers the goods. Lots of strawberry and raspberry flavors backed by mushrooms and earthy complexity. Good medium body, and well integrated tannins. Decent finish though a little short. Overall, this wine drinks remarkably well. Priced Around $27.

Rating: 91 pts

2006 Ken Wright Cellars Shea Vineyards Pinot Noir

This was a massive pinot. Priced around $40, it was the perfect blend of New and Old World styles. After decanting for about an hour, the nose really blossomed into a mix of strawberries, wild mushrooms, and black tea spices. The tannins were huge in this wine, probably the most pronounced I’ve ever had for a Pinot. There was a distinct earthy quality to the wine that allowed the flavors to just linger on the tongue. While I admit, it was probably a little soon to try this wine based on the underlying acidity, I can’t say I was disappointed by any means. A great wine!

Rating: 94pts

2005 Witness Tree Vineyards Pinot Noir

This wine has beautiful perfumes of lavenders and lilacs. There are also some strawberry notes on the nose as well. This wine has a medium-bodied, velvety texture, though it drives through with a ton of acidity. The finish is long and elegant. There are very earthy elements in this wine. Mushrooms, dried cherries and strawberry-flavored dirt seem to be sprinkled in. This is a fantastic wine, especially for the price point of around $30. From the Willamette Valley, it’s a great cross between the California fruit-bombs and the funky, Burgundy pinot noirs.

Rating: 93pts

2006 Chateau Bianca Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Oregon

This wine started off with a nice fragrant nose, containing hints of flowers and mulling spices. The flavor started off tasting like cola and cotton candy. There was a sense that this wine was almost over-processed. However over time, the cola sweetness faded away, and the wine found a more earthy nature along with a richer body. It never became a serious wine, but for the price of around $15, it delivered a solid Oregon Pinot experience.

Rating: 88pts

2006 Patricia Green Cellars Eason Vineyard Pinot Noir

This Oregon wine started initially with a light bright red color, however within an hour it darkens significantly. The nose was a bouquet of cranberries and fall spices. The initial taste was full of cranberries and apples, along with a hint of oak and tobacco underneath. Within about an hour however, that taste expanded and the fruit forward wine gave way to an earthy mix of mushrooms and exotic spices. The wine possessed notes of nutmeg and cinnamon, along with star anise and tea leaves. The finish was long and luscious. This was an extremely well made wine.

Rating: 94pts

Australia does a number of things right. One of those things just happens to be wine, which makes me happy. They also tend to produce quality wine at a good price which makes my wife happy when balancing the checkbook. Shiraz has been the wine of choice for Aussie producers to stamp there mark upon. Based on the reviews below, I think they’ve definitely done a great job with that.
2005 Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend

At $12, this blend of Shiraz, Cab and Merlot was nothing fancy.  But it did not really try to be either.  It was a very fruit-forward wine, with integrated tannins and a nice smooth finish.  Good chocolate and raspberry flavors persist through a finish that lingered just long enough.  If you enjoy a ton of fruity flavor in your wine, this is a great wine for you. Overall, it is a nice bargain.

Rating: 90
2004 Innocent Bystander Shiraz/Viognier

This was a very well-made wine. This blend reminded me more of a California Syrah I’ve had recently in that it wasn’t the big monster wine that most Australian Shiraz tends to be. Instead the wine had notes of mushrooms and lavender, along with mocha and hints of tobacco. The body was smooth and round on the palate and the finish was also very nice. I would say this wine tended more towards the French style of syrah. It was a solid wine and great value for the price of $15.

Rating: 91pts
2004 Aramis Black Label Shiraz

The nose was full of blueberries and raspberries with hints of Asian spices and white pepper too. The taste was big and rich – a fairly full-bodied wine, that starts off a little tight, but within an hour is nice and lush. There’s a lot of good fruit here too. There was some tannins in the wine but they were already integrated well into the mid-plate. Flavor components include those same raspberries along with some chocolate and tobacco notes. The finish was medium length, and very smooth. Overall this wine was very enjoyable. Priced around $20

Rating: 92 pts

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz Parable

This was a big meaty wine with a spicy nose and lots blue and blackberry flavors. My first taste was overwhelmed with oak and earthiness. There were huge tannins. Even after 3 hours, they are still big and vibrant. The wine possessed flavors of chocolate cake and raspberries, followed by earth and tobacco. By the 3rd hour, the wine had sweet fruit, big tannins and earthy tar, along with tremendous grip. There were notes of tobacco and leather mixed with green bell pepper and spice box.

Rating: 94pts

Is Napa Valley the center of the wine world? Hard to say, but for many the answer is yes. And the main reason is Cabernet. Cab Sav is still by and large the principle grape grown in the valley, though others are making inroads. Every winery wanting to be a major player in the market rolls out there “big boy” high-end release each year, hoping to snag a huge Parker or Spectator score, and slap the $100+ price tag on the bottle. Having tasted a number of wines from Napa, in a lot of cases, their prices may be justified. Napa cabs just seem to have the richest flavors, huge gripping tannins, and long rounded finishes. Here are just a few of the cabs I’ve tried over the years with tasting notes.

2000 Broman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

This wine came as a gift from some friends last year. Noting the vintage, I figured this wine was ready for drinking. I wasn’t disappointed with my decision. A beautiful wine with finely integrated tannins, a earthy nose, with olives and mushrooms, giving way later to cherries, touch of oak for backing. On the initial pour I found the wine to be a bit tight and acidic. But within an hour of decanting, the acidity and griping tannins melted away, and the wine started to show its true character. Not an overpowering wine but more of a rustic style, with medium body. Because of its rustic nature, I really enjoyed this wine.  Priced around $30.

Rating: 91pts

2001 Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon

I thought this was a wonderful wine – it seemed to be smooth and aged. Plump and ripe with solid fruit, and a smooth rich sweet finish. There were very integrated tannins that would just ripple below the surface. I had some doubts about this wine given the bad press this one got on some of the web sites out there. But the fruit was still in good shape and the flavors were really just starting to gain complexity. I’ll be very excited for my second bottle in a year or two.

Rating: 93pts

2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Ruby-red to deep purple in color, this was a dark and rich wine. This wine had a nose with perfumes of blueberries, lilacs, and hints of allspice. The flavor is all chocolate and cherries. As this wine progressed through the tasting, it continued to be sweet, smooth and suave, with spicy flavors of currant. There was also a decent amount of oak that backed this wine, but nothing over-powering, say like a Silver Oak. This was a big wine that kept on going and going, and would have been good for a few more years to come. Served this with a roasted duck breast, rich cherry sauce and polenta.

Rating: 92pts

2003 Amizetta Cabernet Sauvignon

Not much nose on initial pour – taking its time to open up. Still even after 2 hrs it’s a bit closed down – a note of spice and violets, lavender as well. Bell pepper nose and on the taste. Not a ton of oak holding things up either. Fruits are muted some by a tannic and acidic nature of the wine overall. Softens up after about 2 hours – still a good grip of tannins and raspberry earthiness. Good finish and follow-through with pencil lead and tobacco. Warm molten bittersweet chocolate.

Priced around $40

Rating: 91pts

2004 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a really wonderful, rich Napa cab that is showing really well in these early stages of life. It possesses big sweet fruit, with raspberries and green peppers on both the nose and tongue. There are notes of mocha, mushroom and tobacco flavor. The finely integrated tannins give this wine a solid mid-pallet and finish. A really nice wine all around for the price, which I’ve seen for around $30.

Rating: 91-92pts

2004 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a wonderful wine full of big, brawny, and bold flavors. The flavor was rich and multi-dimensional, with the tannins bold at first however quickly fading into the body. Chocolate raspberries and classic Napa blueberries dominate the mid-palate, with an earth tobacco and charred earth mix in the finish. Good length and body, especially for the price of around $35. This was a solid Napa cab for the money.

Rating: 93pts

2005 Monticello Vineyards Jefferson Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a wonderful wine from Napa Valley. I let it decant for about 1 hour prior to tasting. The initial taste however found this wine to still be tight and acidic. There was a good nose on the wine however, with aromas of black fruit and earthy spices. The flavor was big, long and lush, and with a little more time, the wine opened up perfectly. Blackberries and black cherries dominated the palate, and mixed in with tobacco, cocoa, and cassis. The finish was relatively long and the tannins, while fairly well integrated, still had a nice bit of grip to give the wine that bigger mouthfeel. Overall I found this wine to be exceptionally well-made and even went out to buy a second for the cellar.

Rating: 93pts