1. Anton Bauer Wagram Cuvee No. 10, 2004, Score=2-Red wine from Austria! Grapes are Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and something else with a long name (found it, it is BLAUFRÄNKISCH). Piroca had this wine in one of Lufthansa flights to Europe. These grapes must not get much sun. Color is ruby red and light. Nose is aromatically challenged. On the palate, mostly red fruits and some herbs with good but mild tannin. Short finish. Grenache was mentioned but this (red from Austria) is the first for most of us. Incidentally, there was an article about Austrian reds in WSJ.
2. Roots Run Deep Winery Educated Guess Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=2+
We thought this to be Cali Cab. Classic cab nose with black cherry and some oak. The palate is nice with lots of black and red fruits. Good structured tannin. The grapes for this wine are from Beckstoffer Vineyards in Rutherford, and the Napa Wine Company in Yountville and Oakville. Although good, the finish could be longer. We think PQR is quite good for this wine.
3. Melis Priorat Red 2005, Score=2+This was deemed the best tasting in this session. Most of us thought this is new world and specifically Cali Cab or red blends. Actually, this is from Priorat Spain and made from a blend of 63% Grenache, 16% Carignan, 14% Syrah, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. For predominantly Grenache, it is rather heavy and more tasted like Cab Sauv. Black cherry and plum nose with earthy minerals. The palate is of new world with lots of black fruits and good tannin and oak. Long finish. Probably we are tasting this too young.
4. Leon Barral Faugeres 2004, Score=2Most of us thought this wine as one from Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape was mentioned by more than one. It is a Languedoc and the grapes appear to be a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan.
"The sloping vineyard is situated on the schist soils that stretch from behind the town of Beziers into the lower slopes of the Cevennes near to the hameau of Lentheric. The gnarled vines are managed biodynamically by Didier Barral who is following the tradition established by his grandfather of never damaging the soil through the use of chemicals. The shiraz is combined with Carignan and Grenache."
Nose is nice with red fruits (strawberry was mentioned), mint, cracked black pepper, and olive. The palate is light with red fruits and some spices. Nice tannin and a reasonably long finish. Compared to Melis, which is also Grenache or Garnacha based, what the difference. This one comes across much lighter.
5. Kosta Browne Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2003, Score=2+Another attempt at educating us by Uncle-E. This is a heavy duty wine for Pinot. To begin with, the color is dark with slight brown (or browne?) tinge on the rim, not usual light translucent red color of Pinot. The nose is very nice with red fruits and minerals (iron?). The palate is also very well structured with some black and red fruits with good chewy tannin. Almost taste like Cali cab. Rhone was mentioned but nobody thought to mention Pinot. We know some California producers do make darker more Cab-like Pinot but certainly this one fooled us.
6. Vinos Sin Ley Montsant G-2 Garnacha 2005, Score=2This is an interesting wine from Spain. "Vinos sin Ley" translates to "Wines without Law", so this is definitely an attempt at making new world wines and they have G, M and Zetos series almost sounding like new cars from Infiniti. The color is light with slight funk and dusty note on the nose. Rather simple tasting with sour cherry with short finish but it is sort of enjoyable wine. Easy to drink.
So three wines are predominantly made from Grenache or Garnacha but three are quite different. Kosta Browne Pinot was also different from what we usually expect from Pinot-based wines. So, the morale of story today is that wine makers could make quite different styles from the similar grapes.
No comments:
Post a Comment