When it comes to tasting and analyzing wines, there is one thing that is certain. There are good weeks and bad weeks. I have literally tasted through dozens of wines to find one worth getting excited about. And then there are the times like this past week where just about every wine I put to my lips was above average or better. Needless to say, I love it when that happens.
It is harder to run across poorly made wine these days with all the technology and refining of wine making methods. However, it is not uncommon to run across uninspiring, average wines. Just stop by Trader Joes and pick up a couple of bottles of Charles Shaw and you begin to understand what I am talking about. Their not of poor quality, they are just boring. Well, this past week was not boring and I am happy to pass on my experience with you. Here are my tasting notes.
2009 Foxglove Chardonnay… Central Coast, California … $14.99
Very “old school” on the nose with aromas of butter, oak, peach and pears. Oak hits right up front on the palate with ripe pears coming through. Hits of butterscotch on the mid-palate leading into a finish of caramel and pears. Oak is present on this baby from start to finish. This is a retro chard for sure and will appeal to the oaked chard lover. 86 points
2009 Dreaming Tree “Crush” Red … North Coast, California … $13.99
Like many celebrities, Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band has decided to jump into the world of wine production. This is a result of a collaboration of Dave Matthews and Steve Reeder, wine maker at Simi Winery.
Bright aromas of cranberries, red currants, violets and under ripe blackberries. Plush on the front of the palate with notes of black currants, dates and spice. Smooth and delicious with an underlying brown sugar component leading into a medium finish with some spice elements lingering. This is not a complex wine and may be a touch flabby, but I think it will appeal to a lot of folks. 86+ points
2009 Leese-Fitch Merlot … California … $11.99
On the nose, notes of cherries, rose pedal a little oak and some veggies on the back end. Dark fruit up front with notes of blackberries and black plums coming through. A little spice, mocha and vanilla hit on mid-palate leading into a medium finish with a little branch/twig component coming through. Smooth, spicy and simple for twelve bucks. Not bad. 87+ points
Non-Vintage Barnard Griffin Cabernet-Merlot … Columbia Valley, Washington … $9.99
I’ve always felt that this wine represented one of the best values for an everyday red out of Washington State. It is consistently good and always around ten bucks. This version is 65% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Aromas of blackberries, green tea and tomato leaf. Plump on the front with notes of black currant, black plum backed by tomato stem flavors. A little sweet spice hit on the mid-palate flowing into notes of black tea and tomato stem on a medium to long finish. I like the herbaceous element to this wine, but I’m not sure if everyone will. A little Chinon like on the palate. Not as user friendly as past blends but if you are in for a little old school action, this should do. 87 points
2009 Atalaya Laya Red … Alamansa, Spain … $8.99
A blend of 70% grenache and 30% monastrell (mouvedre). Vibrant aromas of blackberries, black currants and spice with a little dust component on the back end. Nice bright core on this baby with barbecue spices, black currants and blackberries coming through on front and mid-palate. This is a plump wine but there is good acidity that drives the fruit flavors. Oak comes through on the finish with a little char and spice action. Good balance on this wine, but there may be just a little too much oak on the finish. You be the judge. 88 points
2009 Milbrandt Vineyards “Brothers Blend” … Columbia Valley, Washington … $14.99
Hefty aromas of blackberries, spice and vanilla. Blackberries, vanilla and mocha come through on the front of the palate. Barbecue spices and a little char hit on the mid-palate leading into a pleasing mocha, vanilla, chocolate and blackberry finish.This is a heady red with a long finish and lots of fruit with soft, silky tannins. I” KNOW” most folks will love this wine. It has all the qualities your looking for in a easy to drink yet BIG red with a nice price tag. 88 points
2008 J. Bookwalter “Foreshadow” Merlot … Columbia Valley, Washington … $29.99
Interesting nose on this merlot. Aromas of burnt tar, black currants, black tea and hints of brown sugar and flower stems. Plush dark fruits hit the front of the palate with a nice intensity into a mid-palate of barbecue spices that flow into a long finish of cassis, tar, spice and black plum with a little saddle soap action on the backside. This is a smooth, structured wine with silky tannins. I like this wine a lot but never like a thirty dollar price tag. However, this wine is interesting and complex enough to make it worth the thirty bucks. 90 points
Non-Vintage Terra Blanca Arch Terrace Lot 1 Red Blend … Red Mountain, Washington … $19.99
57% cabernet sauvignon, 26% syrah, 17% merlot. This is the first non-vintage Arch Terrace red blend that I am aware of. By going non-vintage, it gives the wine maker a little more leeway on what juice to use. It worked on this baby showing off the Red Mountain terroir. Aromas of red berries, rose pedal, wood, red plums with a menthol on the back end. Solid structure and excellent balance showing off notes of blueberries and bing cherries on the palate backed by a beam of brightness. Mouthwatering on the finish with spice and cassis notes with underlying chocolate. This baby shows off the Red Mountain baked earth throughout. I am a sucker for Red Mountain juice and this represents it well. 90 points
2008 Ventisquero “Grey” Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon Trinidad Vineyard … Maipo Valley, Chile… $19.99
I think this may be one of the best cabs I have had from Chile in recent memory. A lot of the ones I try lean heavily towards the herbaceous spectrum of the flavor scale. Not so this baby. Aromas of perfumed red currants herbs, fennel and a little petroleum action. Nice deep core of black fruits on the palate backed by refined tannins. Violets, rose pedals and herbal black tea components come through on the mid-palate leading into a long finish of black currants, cassis and spice. Drinks great now, but will develop nicely over the next 10-15 years. Nice effort! 93 points
2010 Berger Zweigelt … Austria … $14.99
A lot of you might look at this one liter bottle with a pop cap and say “What is this?”. Well, it is exactly what it says it is, a Zweigelt which is the name of the grape from Austria. Zweigelt is a hybrid cross between what we know in the U.S. as lemberger (blaufrankisch) and St. Laurent. It is a lot like a pinot noir if that is helpful and it comes in at a modest 12.5% alcohol making quite user friendly.
Aromas of perfumed blackberries and dark cherries with a little menthol action on the back end. Blackberry Sweetarts and dark cherries come through on the front of the palate. There seems to be a little apple juice component on the mid-palate leading into a pleasing finish of dark cherry skins that linger. This wine is well balanced with soft acidity and silky tannins. With the low alcohol, you can confidently pop the cap and consume the 1ltr bottle with a friend. 89 points
2009 Ventisquero “Queulat” Pinot Noir Single Vineryard … Casa Blanca Valley, Chile … $14.99
Very earthy on the nose with notes of cassis and underlying dark cherries. Ripe black cherries and spice fill the front of the palate. Nice flow across the palate maintaining the fullness of the fruit and leading into a long finish with black tea notes backed by spice and petrol. Nice balance of fruit and acidity with silky smooth tannins. The Ventisquero wines continue to impress me and this pinot is a super good value. The same quality out of Oregon would fetch over twenty bucks easy! 91 points
Alandra Tinto Vino de Mesa Non-Vintage … Portugal … $4.99
Portugal continues to pump out some very nice values that are under the radar. I know there are a few of us around that understand the quality of wine coming out of this country for next to nothing, but as of now it is still waiting for mass public recognition. This little gem, is a classic example of what I am talking about.
Aromas of dusty black currants and a light hit of blackberries. Good core of black currants on the palate backed by an interesting black olive element. Tobacco leaf hits on the mid-palate, leading into a finish of white pepper, blackberries and black currants. The finish is a little thin, but that is nothing when you are only paying five bucks for this baby. The best value I’ve tasted this week. 88- points
2008 Maggio Family Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel … Lodi, California … $10.99
Perfumed ripe black currants on the nose with a little “meaty” element, maybe beef jerky? Ripe black currants, white pepper and brown sugar come through on the front of the palate. This is a heady zin with loads of ripe fruit flowing across the palate into a long finish of brown sugar, black currants and pepper. A lot of folks will like this zin, because it is “10” in the delicious factor. It just has a little too much of the brown sugar element for my taste. 85 points
2009 Maggio Family Vineyards Petite Sirah … Lodi, California … $10.99
Almost a blueberry/chlorine element on the nose backed by notes of black currants, vanilla and hits of brown sugar. Full notes of black fruits on the palate (blueberries and black currants) with a little spice kick. Tiny hits of tar and tobacco leaf with a little vanilla thrown in on a long finish. This wine is simple, slightly one-dimensional but not bad for the money. If your in the mood for something easy and delicious and a little out of the ordinary, I think you just found it. 87 points
2010 Blue Plate Chenin Blanc … California … $9.99
I love chenin blanc when it is done right. It can be vibrant and mineral driven with that classic wooly component that set it apart. This one does not fall into the “vibrant” category, but it has enough to make it very interesting.
Aromas of red delicious apples, peach pit and wet wool. There is a nice mineral feel on the palate with creamy notes of pear and apple backed by the wooly component that you get out of so many chenin blanc out of the Loire Valley, France. The finish is pleasing and the flavors linger. I can see this with shellfish or poultry and it is just right for sipping before a meal. 88 points
That’s my wrap up for this week. I am excited about the many values I discovered, especially the Ventisquero line of wines. I am going to go nuts with that pinot noir this spring and summer. Both the Portuguese red and the chenin blanc were nice surprises and wines that will do well in the department. Over-all it was a good week for the Moleskine and I hope it was helpful for you. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
