In my segment… “From My Moleskine To You” I fully intend to post my tasting notes for each week so you can see what is out there and how I feel about it. I have tasted many wines this month already, and for some reason have not taken as many notes as usual. So I am making it a New Years resolution to submit my tasting notes from my Moleskine to you each week, regardless if it is one wine or thirty. Here are the wines that I have tasting notes on for the first three weeks of January 2012.
2009 Root:1 Carmenere Colchagua Valley, Chile … $10.99
I have been a fan of this wine for a long time. I love the true expression of the grape with the vegetation coming through i buckets. Admittedly it is not for everyone as many like a more fruit-forward style of wine. For those looking for “Old World” wine this will fit the bill.
Aromas of green bell pepper, celery, black pepper and dark fruits. Black currants with whipped celery notes hit you on the front of the palate. A little tomato stem action on the mid-palate with hits of pepper on smooth, well structured tannins. Nice balance and good intensity on a finish featuring cassis notes. Like I mentioned, some may be put off by the vegetable notes but I like it. 89 points
2009 Cono Sur Vision Series Carmenere Cachapoal Valley Chile … $13.99
You may be wondering why there are two carmenere in a row. I was searching for a wine for our tasting “The Best Wines With Chili”, and we thought a wine from Chile would be kind of cute. Both Pete and I felt that carmenere would do the trick so these are the two I tried. Although I liked the Root:1 personally, I felt this one would appeal to a broader audience.
Aromas of minty black currants, blackberries and an interesting beef marinade element. Plums and black currants with an underlying forest floor element, framed by structured, smooth tannins. Nice leather notes come through with hits of white pepper. Nice balance and excellent structure Long finish with traces of white pepper lingering for some time. This carmenere skips the vegetation, yet has the old world feel in it. 90+ points
2010 Charles & Charles Red Columbia Valley, Washington … $9.99
Last year, I was all over this wine putting it on my top 40 for under twenty dollar list. This is an example of why you should try a new vintage before you go crazy and buy a case or more.
Interesting nose of toasty vanilla, blackberries and what seems to be hints of coconut. Very smooth and grapey with notes of blackberries coming through. I found the wine to be slightly one-dimensional. This wine has a nice delicious factor with slight hits of bacon fat on the finish. Lacks complexity. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of folks will like this wine especially as an everyday red. I am just comparing it to what it was last year and it does not measure up. 87 points
2010 Concannon Selected Vineyards Pinot Noir Central Coast, California … $7.99
Aromas of bright cherries and hints of strawberries. Very light in the aroma category. Fruit forward almost jammy notes of black cherries, blackberries and plums. Slightly thin on the finish. This comes across as a big gob of fruit. A lot of folks might like this for it’s simplicity and fruit. It certainly is tasty. However, I find that it does not represent the varietal in a very good way, which is too bad because the price is right. If you are a die hard pinot fan, do not go here. 83 points
2008 J Vineyards Pinot Noir Russian River, California … $34.99
This is when I get just a little pissed. I compare two pinot noir, and the more expensive one shows so much better then the inexpensive one. How can I do my job as the Blue Collar Wine Guy this way? Kidding aside, I feel that this pinot is a pretty good value for what you get… And yes, I would have loved to have the eight dollar version show just a little better.
Wonderful nose on this baby with notes of earth, (good start) dusty rocks, dark cherries, red plums and anise. Deep and sexy on the palate with notes of ripe black cherries and black plums nestled by soft silky tannins. There is an underlying acidity that drives the dark fruit flavors backed by hits of minerality. Seamless across the palate with a long ass finish. A little on the soft side but a stunning wine. 90 points
2009 Chateau Les Deux Cedres Bordeaux … $10.99
2009 is another classic vintage from Bordeaux. They have had an amazing run of great vintages in the first decade of the new millennium. I am always on the look-out for wines from these vintages that fall in the “other appellations” arena. Many times they show excellent quality for the price.This is exactly what I am looking for.
Aromas of flowers, minerals, tomato stem, tobacco leaf and caramel. Black fruits, tobacco leaf and tomato stem are framed by refined, silky tannins. Notes of blackberries and red currants come through with a nice leather component on the finish backed by spice and earth. Not your typical Bordeaux but close, showing some love handles on the mid-palate. For eleven bucks, this one is hard to pass up. 90 points
2009 Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills, Washington … $13.99
Aromas of black currants, red cherries and perfumed spice. If you are going to just “Pop & Pour” this baby, here is what you will find. Round notes of brown sugar currants that penetrate through the mid-palate with an interesting leather spice and mocha hit on a fruit forward finish. This is really a tale of two wines. If I scored this on the “Pop & Pour” method I give it 86 points. If you decant it for just a little bit, the fruit subsides and the wine becomes less of a fruit bomb with the brown sugar element disappearing. Decanted, I give this wine 89-90 points.
2009 Foppiano Vineyards Petite Sirah Russian River, California … $14.99
Restrained on the nose with notes of beef and dark currants. Powerful black fruits on the palate with notes of spice and mocha on sweet tannins. Nice hit of grip and spice on a long finish with a pepper and spice hit on the back end. A classic example of never judging a wine by it’s nose. This is not as inky and bright as some can be, but it is well built and delicious. 91 points
2009 Chateau d’ Oupia Minervois, France … $11.99
Aromas of earth and blackberries with a backside of dried herbs and cassis. Loads of minerals on the palate backed by notes of leather and cassis. Nice dried herb element on the mid-palate. Little bit of a leather grip edge with hits of dusty rocks on a decently long finish. A true “Old World” style red. 60% carignan, 30% syrah, 10% grenache. 88+ points
2010 La Coterie Cotes -du – Rhone, France … $10.99
Aromas of perfumed red flowers, herbs, vanilla and cassis. This is a very young wine and it shows. Dirty on the palate with a load of minerals that over-power the fruit. Crushed rock, blackberries, cassis. Slightly awkward with a tannic grip on the finish. This will change over the next couple of years, but I am not sure which direction it will go… Dirt or fruit. Made with 100% organically grown fruit. 84 points
2010 Fontana Fredda Briccotondo Dolcetto Langhe, Italy … $13.99
A little “Old World” stink on the nose along with notes of blackberries and perfumed black licorice. As it airs out the aromas get deeper. Soft and plush on the palate with notes of red plums, cassis and spice. A nice little chocolate hit on the mid-palate backed by a nice core of brightness from start to finish. Finish is slightly thin. This baby screams for BBQ ribs or a peppered steak. 87 points
2008 Fonterutoli Badiola Tuscany, Italy … $12.99
Even though it hails from Chianti, because it has 30% merlot in it they cannot put Chianti on the label. Also 70% sangiovese the main grape of that region, this little red is done in what they call a “Super Tuscan” style. I love it when I stumble upon a great value from Italy.
Aromas of currants, cassis, forest floor, dried herbs and hints of pencil lead. Quite an interesting nose for a thirteen dollar wine. There is a nice intensity on the palate with concentrated blackberry and currant notes that blend into minerals and spice on the mid-palate. Nice underlying notes of chocolate and mocha that lead into a nice finish with hits of worn leather on the backside. This little gem has a lot going on and I think it is one of the best values I have run across recently. Will pair nicely with a pasta dish with red sauce, pizza, burgers a hearty stew or juicy steak. Thinking it might be my pick of the month in February… We’ll see. 91 points
2010 Michael David Incognito White Lodi,California … $16.99
Had a nice little sit down with the Michael David rep. a couple of weeks ago and a nice line-up of wines to taste.
This is mostly a blend of viognier (68%) and chardonnay (20%) with a splash of sauvignon blanc and roussanne. Beautiful aromas of cut grass, grapefruit, kiwi and hits of lime and minerals. Creamy on the palate with notes of grapefruit, kiwi, papaya, mango backed by a very nice minerality. This is a great white that I have over-looked for some reason. No more! 90 points
2010 Michael David 7 Heavenly Chards Lodi, California … $13.99
It’s nice to see them change the label on this wine. I fell in love with this chard a few years ago but had trouble selling it, mainly because of the label.
Interesting aromas of smoked ham and peaches. Nice and lean on the palate. More of a white Burgundy style with hits of peaches and minerals. The New World comes through on the finish with hits of butter and oak. The best of both worlds if you ask me. Nice balance and very interesting. 89+ points
2009 Michael David 7 Deadly Zins Lodi, California … $14.99
Deep aromas of strawberries, black raspberries, anise and a little hit of bacon fat. Very jammy on the nose. Jammy on the palate but not out of whack. This wine has good structure with delicious notes of mocha and blackberry that flow seamlessly across the palate finishing with notes of spice and bacon fat. One of the more interesting zins I have tried recently. I liked it! 89+ points
2009 Michael David Incognito Red Lodi, California … $16.99
A blend of syrah, cinsault, carignan, mouvedre, petite sirah, greanache and a splash of tannat. Talk about a kitchen sink red! Aromas of bacon fat (Go figure) mocha and boysenberry. Spicy on the palate with bright notes of bramble berries, mocha and vanilla. Nice charcoal hit on a long finish. Seriously good barbecue red. 89 points
2009 Michael David 6th Sense Syrah, California … $15.99
Very deep aromas of black plum and bacon. Love this aroma out of a syrah. Notes of blueberry and blackberry come through on the front of the palate. Nice spice notes on the mid-palate, leading into notes of coffee bean, mocha, bacon fat and boysenberry on a lingering, delicious finish. I love syrah, and this hits the spot. 91 points
2009 Michael David Petite Petit Lodi, California … $15.99
A little subdued on the nose with notes of boysenberry and, you guessed it… bacon fat. Flavors of blackberries are vibrant on the palate with notes of black cherries joining it on the mid-palate. Minerals and smoke with a little hit of spice and licorice come through on a long ass finish. This is petite sirah with a splash of petit verdot, thus the name Petite Petitl 90+ points
2007 Michael David Windmill Petite Sirah Lodi, California … $12.99
Aromas of black plums, boysenberries and a backside of char. Nice leather component on the palate with notes of boysenberry, mocha and hints of blueberry. Notes of vanilla and spice linger for some time on the finish. This wine is a nine in the delicious category. 89 points
2009 Michael David InkBlot Cabernet Franc Lodi, California … $37.99
Very restrained on the nose with hints of blackberry and coffee bean. Penetrating notes of coffee bean, charcoal, bacon fat (??) and boysenberry are framed by sturdy, appr0achable tannins. Very clear and precise on the palate from start to finish. Just a little over-priced if you ask me. 88 points
Well, there you have it. My first three weeks of January and hardly anything to show for it. However, I do believe I found my pick of the month for February which I am happy about. Happy drinking! Stan The Wine Man
