Tasty

Innocent Bystander

I can't remember where I bought this, but tonight I opened a 2005 Innocent Bystander Shiraz from Australia. 97% shiraz, 3% viognier. It is very good, not aussie like at all, very much in a rhone style. Smoked meat, good acid, red fruit, hint of garrigue. 16 pts. My notes say I paid $14 for it, I suspect I bought it at the Wine Club but not sure. Anyway, if you run across it I highly recommend it for that price!

March Tasting

The March tasting was attended by a few dedicated tasters. They were treated to a tasting that I arranged. My notes:

Wine 1: d ruby, slightly herbal green note, dark fruit. l/m acid, l/m to m tannins, ripe cherry and currant fruit, soft oak, medium finish. This wine is very nicely balanced, a pleasure to drink. 15.5 points,

Wine 2 - very dark ruby, the darkest of the flight. Dark currant fruit, a hint of mint, and soft oak. l/m acid, m tannins, chalky reddish fruit, cola notes, mocha finish. Very good. 16+ points.

Wine 3 - d ruby, purplish rim. Smoky dark fruit, bit of a mint note comes out. l/m acid, l/m to m tannins, herbal stalky note, decent fruit attack but gets a bit thin in the mid palate and this continues on to the fin. 14 points.

Wine 4 - dark ruby. Cool berry fruit, some toast and a bit of stalkiness on nose. l/m to m acid, similar tannins, mix of red and dark currant fruit, cola finish, lovely balance, very tasty wine. Excellent. 16+ points.

Wine 5 - dark ruby. Nose starts off with a bit of that stinky weedy smell, blows off a bit but is still earthy. l/m acid, l/m to m tannins, earthy dark cherry fruit, toasty. Nice balance. 15 points.

Group favourites - Wine 4 was first, wine 1 was second, wine 3 was last.

My favourites - Wine 4 was first, wine 2 was second, wine 3 was last.

As you may have guessed, these were cabs. The first four were 06 California Cabs, the last was an 07 Chilean.

Wine 1 - 2006 Mondavi Napa - $17 at Costco

Wine 2 - 2006 Mondavi Oakville - $28 at Costco

Wine 3 - 2006 Simi Alexander Valley - $18 at Safeway

Wine 4 - 2006 Stags Leap Napa Cab - $38 at Safeway

Wine 5 - 2007 Montes Alpha - $13 at Costco.

The wine prices at Safeway were 30% off with a club card.

I think the two Mondavis at Costco are a great price, stock up while you can.

February Tasting

Maybe at some point I will post January notes! Time is of the essence.

Wine 1 = dark mahogany. Slightly sweet, hint of vanilla, cola. Medium acid, sharp cherry with woody mid palate and nutty finish. Tired but interesting. 14 pts.

Wine 2 - dark ruby, purple. Herbal leathery nose. Med acid, low/med to med tann, med body, nice fruit with a bitter nutty note. Long, slightly oaky finish. 15 pts

Wine 3 - med/deep ruby. Vanilla and slightly herbal nose. Med acid, low/med to med tann, med body, tanns build, a bit vegetal and med fin. 13 pts.

Wine 4 - dark ruby, purple rim. From the nose this wine seems a bit corked, smoky oak comes out. Low/med acid, med/deep body, rich smoky oak notes with a bit of dk cherry, woody. Med fin. The nose bothers me. 12.5 pts

Wine 5 - Inky. Light nose, oak comes out. Med acid, low/med to med tanns, med body, red cherry with med to long fin. Nice balance. 15 pts.

Wine 6 - Inky, purple rim. Light ns, vanilla. Med acid, med body, light fruit and wood. OK, shortish fin. 13.5 pts.

There you go. My faves were 5, then 2. 4 was last, as I think it was flawed. These were definitely not California wines, and received a mixed review from the assembled swines. Better with food, or course.

Wines were:

1. Aurora Gauthier Chateauneuf du Pape 1998, from Todd's vast cellar, approx $25.

2. Chateau Raspail Gigondas 2007, $17

3. Domaine Cecile Chassagne Gigondas 2007 $18

4. Domaine Des Senechaux Chateauneuf du Pape 2007, $40

5. Domaine Constant Duquesnot Vinobres 2007, $23

6. Perrin and Fils Vinobres 2007, $15

Vinobres is a newish appellation in the Cotes du Rhone area, near Gigondas.

November Wine Swines Tasting

Alright, the event just ended, and Annette is not here so I can get on the computer.

Wines for tonight's event were acquired by Todd and Gordon. We had several great ideas for themes, with the idea that we would spend a bit of the surplus in the slush fund (but not on high end Chardonnay, right Steph?). However, we talked about the subject matter and prevaricated for so long that we ran out of time to do a strategically coordinated event. The theme of the tasting ended up being three wines that Todd wanted to try, and three that Gordon wanted to try. But you know what? It worked. My wines were 1 to 3, and Todd's were 4 to 6. We had 15 attendees.

Wine 1 - this one was dark ruby, and slightly bricky around the edges. The nose started a bit raisiny, and was definitely funky. After a while a really strong toasty smell emerged that was quite pleasant. The wine had l/m acid, and tannins that at first I thought were fairly soft. Ripe red cherry fruit, with a medium finish that was a tad herbal. After it sat for a while the palate became a bit more complex, with some fig and chocolate notes coming out. The tannins also became more pronounced. An interesting wine that will get better with time. 15 pts.

Wine 2 - dark ruby all the way. The nose is currant, and it has a cool sort of red fruit minty note, and is a tad herbal. Very nice nose. l/m to m acid, similar tannins, dk currant fruit and a definite cola note. The wine has a somewhat light texture, which is interesting balanced with the flavours. Definitely cab, but it has cool climate characteristics. I like it. 16 pts.

Wine 3 - inky. Nose starts smoky and sulfury, with a vague chemical note. Stays smoky as far as I am concerned. l/m acid, relatively soft tannins, plum fruit with a minerally note. The finish seems a bit odd to me. 13 pts.

Wine 4 - dark ruby all the way. The nose is dark currant, with a mix of cola and vanilla. I really like this nose. Excellent. Textbook california cab - oops, am I giving it away? Unfortunately, the palate does not live up to the nose. l/m acid, close to m tannins, red fruit that turns in the mid palate to a sort of fuzzy tannin finish with little flavour. Too bad, so much potential for a crazy high score. 15 pts.

Wine 5 - dark ruby again. I detect a whiff of acetone (Dave I says VA), but there is also vanilla and fruit and an herbal note. l/m acid, close to m tannins, with an intense currant mocha flavour. Wow, quite a mouthful. Crap, if we mixed the nose of 4 with this palate, we would have a winner. As it is, 15 pts.

Wine 6 - dark ruby again. The nose has currant fruit, but also a note of mint, stalk, and oak. Very nice. l/m acid, similar tannins, dark cherry fruit and mocha cola notes. Long chocolate finish. This reminds me of a high quality california merlot. I like it. 15.5 pts, close to 16.

I guessed that 4 and 5 were California Cabs, and 6 was a California Merlot. My favourite was 2, followed by 6. Least favourite was 3.

The group preferred 4 (6 first place votes). 2 was the second favourite. 1 was the overwhelming least favourite with 7 votes. I think the old world funk in wine 1, definitely an acquired taste, was not obviously not popular.

Wine 1 was the 2004 Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is Italian for expensive sangiovese. Brunello is an area in Tuscany that produces heavier, more intense sangio's than Chianti, and the wines are usually pretty pricey. The wine spectator gave this wine 96 points, and it cost $45 at Costco. You don't get to try a 96 point wine everyday, so this was an experience.

Wine 2 was the 2005 Whitehall Lane Napa Cab. $40. A good producer that I have liked in the past. Wine Enthusiast gave this 93 pts. A solid wine.

Wine 3 was the 2006 Teusner Ebenezer Road Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia. Regular $30, on sale for $15. Parker gave it 93 pts. Given the rating, I was disappointed.

Wine 4 was the 2003 Gallo of Sonoma Estate Cabernet. $40.

Wine 5 was the 2004 Trefethen Cabernet. $46.

Wine 6 was the 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry, which is a meritage blend. Todd acquired this somewhere for $30, which is an excellent price. I have enjoyed this wine in the past, and I expect to enjoy this vintage for a while.

That is all for now.

Gordon

Review #1

Trying something new - a real time tasting note.

Picked up a red wine at Bevmo yesterday that was one sale, thought I would try it and see if acqusition of more is warranted. This is a product that has been well reviewed, points well into the 90's, and regularly sells for $20+ but was on sale for $17. No, not a five cent wine.

OK, just took it out of the Vinotemp (which means it is cool, well below room temp) and opened it. Screw cap.

Colour is dark, almost inky, with ruby right to the edge.

Nose if fairly tight, with a definite smoky edge. This has just been opened, so the nose may have to develop.

In the mouth, there is medium acid. Tannins are there but soft, in the low to low/medium range. The fruit is red cherry and plum, with a slight herbal resiny note. The fruit is ripe but the amount of acid makes it seem crisp. The finish has a mineral and black pepper edge.

I'll give it a rest and play a short video game with Lincoln.

Back to it after 20 minutes, vanilla and coffee notes have come out on the nose. Maybe a hint of something floral as well. The palate is similar but a bit lusher in the mouth as it warms up. Abit of mocha and coffee in the mid palate. A black licorice note starts to develop near the end, along with the mineral bit. Very nicely balanced, with good structure for food.

I give this 15.5 pts, close to 16. If I was scoring it out of 100, it would be 89 or 90.

The wine is the 2006 d'Arenberg "The Footbolt" Shiraz. Australia, from McLaren Vale. 14.5 % alcohol. I like the lively, fresh style that is not the common heavy, cloying and over oaked Aussie shiraz. Good food wine. I suggest that it be aged for another few years. for $17, I recommend it.

Scary Wines

15 adventurous and hardy Wine Swines gathered on Halloween for the "scary wine tasting". Interesting food accompaniments added to the general festive atmosphere.

We had two whites and five reds. The scary part turned out to be either the name or the label.

First white - p/m to m gold. Nose starts out nutty, tutti frutti smell develops and gets stronger. l/m acid, some residual sugar, tangerine melon flavour and a nutty finish. 14 pts. This was the 2006 Beck Hartweg Pinot Gris "Frankstein Vineyard" from Alsace. $30.

Second white - m to m/d gold. Smoky toasty nose, with hints of rubber. Some say the dreaded perm solution. m acid, rubbery taste, some apple and citrus. 14.5 pts. This was the 2005 Black Widow Pinot Gris from BC. About $20. This wine was bought a couple of years ago and has really changed. I really thought it was a Riesling, the rubbery note wtih some apple would have made it a fine example. Pinot Gris would have been far down the list of possibles.

First red - d ruby. Nose is raisiny and toasty, with notes of clove and cinnamon. A bit heavy handed on the oak. l/m to m acid, similar tannins, ripe dark berry fruit. Not as ripe as I expected from the nose. Oak is heavy on the fnish. 13 pts. This was the 2007 Twisted Oak "River of Skulls", a rhone blend. About $25.

Second red - inky. Nose is sweet coconut and dk cherry, but overall fairly light. l/m t m acid, similar tannins, nice cherry berry fruit and restrained oak but quick finish. 13.5 pts. This was the 2006 Bogle Phantom, mostly petit sirah. $16.

Third red - d ruby. Nose is smoky, bit of burnt rubber. l/m acid, l/m to m tannins, dk plum and smoky notes. Fairly long finish. 15 pts. This was from Washington, an Owen Roe "Sinister Hand", a rhone blend. $23.

Fourth red - d ruby. Nose is a mix of vanilla, dark bramble and currant. l/m to m acid, l/m tannins, red berry fruit and a hint of stalk. Nicely structured. 15.5 pts. This was the 2006 Dead Letter Office Shiraz from Australia. $20.

Fifth red - inky. Nose is raisiny and ripe. l/m acid, m tannins, rich ripe brambly fruit with integrated oak. 15 pts. This was the 2007 Orin Swift "The Prisoner" zin. $35.

The Prisoner got 4 first place and three second place votes, so it was the overall winner. The Frankstein Vineyard Pinot Gris got 4 first place and two second place votes, so it was a close second. The Dead Letter Office Shiraz got three first place and five second place votes, so it came third.

The least favourite was the Black Widow with five negative votes (the perm solution thing is not a big seller). However, the first two reds were not popular either and each got 4 negative votes.

There you have it. Another fabulous event.