Wine Tasting on Februry 23, 2008

We tasted 6 wines, all blind. Present were Uncle-N, Jimmy, Piroca, Winepath, and Uncle-E. They appear as we tasted them. Again we are struck by the fact we are pretty bad in identifying wines either varietals and origins (for the most part) but this fact should not deter us further trying. (I forgot to take my notes with me so the below are all from my memory...I will update later- Now I got my notes, I updated.)

1. Melville Estate Pinot Noir 2006, score=2+

Piroca's attempt at fooling us but we immediately recognized that this is California (Lompoc, coastal side near Santa Barbara) Pinot. The color is transparent garnet. The nose is very nice with red fruits (strawberry and raspberry) and floral scent (and very slight funk). The taste is pinot with red fruits and (for Pinot) nice structured tannin but the mid palate is bit thin and short finish. We tasted some Pinots which try to be more like Cab with darker color and more tannin but this is not one of these (which is probably good). I do not see the point of making Pinot like Cab.


2. Alto Moncayo Garnacha 2005, score=2+ or 3

Well, we all thought this is a high-end Cali Cab or Australian Syrah but we were wrong. This is the same wine maker who made Clio. This hot new (started in 2002) Campo de Borja project includes Bodegas Borsao, importer Jorge Ordonez, Grateful Palate owner Dan Philips and Australian winemaker Chris Ringland. The color is dark, almost black. This wine has lots of vanilla, butter (buttered popcorn by Piroca) and immediately can sense oaky nose with lots of black fruits especially black cherry. The palate is also nice with lots of black fruits with strong oak (buttery, vanilla, chocolate and caramel). Good chewy tannin and long finish. All liked this wine but was surprised to learn that this is 100% Garnacha. How can they make this dark in color and this big? Definitely new world wine. There is some difference in opinion regarding the tastes derived from wood. Some of us think this is too much wood but others thought it was just fine. Certainly such a contrast from other 100% Granacha (Vinos sin Ley G-series) from Spain that we tasted last Friday.

3. Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre 2004, Score=2

The tasters did not have a good sense of what kind of wine this was . Languedoc and Spanish were mentioned. This is a rippaso style Veronese wine from Allegrini (famed for Amarone) and made of 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Sangiovese. They believes that traditional rippaso method leads to oxidized wines. Instead Allegrini dries a portion of the grapes (around 30%) and ferments them separately in the same style as an Amarone, then adds that wine to the larger portion of the wine, which is fermented in the conventional manner. The nose has some earthy smell with plum, ceder, and smoke. The palate is plum, raisin, and some black fruits. Good tannin and the finish has some bitter note.

4. Merryvale Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Score=2

Again, most of us thought this is European because of the funk (earthy and sweet) on the nose with plum and rather austere palate. It has some similarity to Allgerini above. But this was from Napa. The wine is made from 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. The nose has some black fruits with earthy tone ("septic tank" by Prioca). The palate is rather austere with firm tannin. Very drinkable but nothing extraordinary.

5. Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Score=2

Again, this one smells and tastes like the Merryvale and most of us thought of European including the possibility of Bordeaux. The nose has definite funk and black fruits. The taste is rather austere with good tannin but one dimensional. No fruits bomb. We thought of European but added Bordeaux blend from California could be the possibility.

6. Domaine de Nizas Coteaux du Languedoc 2003 , score=2 or 2+

This was added at the end to confirm how a real French wine will taste like. Most of us thought that this is Syrah possibly from Australia or California. This is made of 60% Syrah, 35% Mourvédre, 5% Grenache Noir. The nose has some earthiness with plum and black fruits. The palate is rather austere but mixed red and black fruits, plum and nice structured tannin. Not much of vanilla or caramel here. Although some may not like our saying this but "a perfect food wine". Some of us think it is a good buy for the price (about $20), although it may be the upper side of the price range for Languedoc.

Wine Tasting on February 15, 2008

We tasted 6 wines. Present are Uncle-N, Jimmy, Uncle-E, Piroca (back from Carnival), and a a very brief appearance by Grasshopper. As usual, we tasted blindly and the below appear as we tasted them.

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=2

Most 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=2

This 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.

Wine tasting on February 8, 2008

This was small wine tasting. Present are Uncle N, Uncle E, and Winepath. We tasted three bit unusual wines and we all had difficult time in placing these wines in terms of grape varieties as well as country of origin. All were tasted blindly and they appears as we tasted them

1.Domaine De Baron'arques Limoux 2004, Score=2

Limoux is an area of the Languedoc quite close to the city of Carcassonne. The team from Baron Philip de Rothschild made this which appears quite different from usual reds from this region. The choice of six grape varieties are merlot, cabernet sauv and franc, syrah and grenache. The last one escapes me but could have been Cinsault.

The tasters are totally baffled. However, we thought of mixture of grapes and noted green pepper nose to suggest cab franc. The nose has a slight funk with hints of green pepper ad caramel. The palate is rather autere and bit thin with sour cherry and a hint of chocolate. Good tannin. Rather short finish. Cali Cab and cab blends are mentioned. But the tasters did not think of European origin of this wine.

2. Cchia Amarone della Valpolicella 2001, Score=2

We again did not even thought of Amarone. The color indicated the age with brown tinge. Nose was slight funk indicative of European origin but otherwise bit closed. The palate is also austere without more characteristic raisin taste. Rather long finish with bit of bitter taste (which could have been the hint). We thought this to be Italian probably Piedmont (north) because of rather austere palate. We are not sure this much of brown color and rather flat taste is due to poor storage (at the store) or this is the taste this wine supposed to be. We feel that this wine was probably not stored correctly and lost many of the taste characters.

P.S. What the heck is this label, is this some kind of extra terrestrial creature???


3. Finca Sandoval 2005, Score=2+

Again, tasters could not have even thought of Sapin to be the country of origin. Uncle-N had 2004 vintage twice rather recently but could not recognize this wine. Certainly the best of the tasting. This is unusual for spanish wines because this wine is made from mostly syrah (83% Syrah, 9% Monastrell, and 8% Bobal) in the high altitude reigon of Castilla-La Mancha located at the very center of the Iberian peninsula. The color is deep with purple fringe. The nose is good with slight funk and smoked plum. Rather smooth viscous mouth feel with black fruits and some earthiness. Nice long finish and well structured tannin.
2004 vintage got RP=93. If I am correctly remembering the taste of 04, it had more dense viscous feel with additional licorice and mocha on the palate. We will taste 04 in the near future to see what happens.

Wine Tasing on Feb 1, 2008

We skipped tasting last Friday. Actually we did taste but just one wine and Uncle-N and Jimmy. This one is also posted for the record. For today's tasting, present are Unlce-E, Jimmy, Winepath, and Uncle-N. Piroca is conspicuously absent due to Carnival in Brazil. We tasted 4 wines blindly.


0. Rousset Crozes-Hermitage 2004, Not scored

This was only wine we tasted on Jan 25. Nice Crozes-Hermitage. Plum, black cherry and some earthy nose. Rather intense palate with plum, strawberry, and back fruits. Compared to Australian Shiraz, bit more complex and not as fruits bomb. Nice black pepper and black licorice on the finish. As a relatively inexpensive ($25) Crozes-Hermitage, we think this is a buy.



1. Pere Caboche Chateauneuf Du Pape Elisabeth Chambellan Vv 2005, Score=2+

Wine maker is the mayor of Chateauneuf du Pape, Jean-Pierre Boisson, old-vine cuvee. For a RP=90 young Chateaueuf, it is bit disappointing. Nose is nice with red fruits, mostly cherry, without any funk. Nice mouth feel, easy to drink. Black cherry mixed with some red fruits (raspberry, strawberry) on the palate. Good firm tannin. Lacks in complexity.

Tasters thought of Rhone blends but did not think this to be Chateauneuf. California Syrah, Grenache were mentioned.

2. Hanenhof Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc Barossa valley 2004, Score=2-

What a nose! Chemical nose with melting tar, hot asphalt, burned rubber hiding green pepper and some black fruits. Taste much better than it smells. Black fruits, chocolate and sweet herb finish. Tasters thought this could be Australian Shiraz-Cab combo but none of us thought of Merlot to be the main blend. We do not know how they produce this nose. Because of the nose, this wine gets some negative points.











3. Artesa Elements Red 2003, score=2+ to 3

This is a Bordeaux blend from Artesa winery. Grapes were from Napa and Sonoma. If their intention was to make a Bordeaux-style red wine, they have succeeded to the point of reproducing earthy moldy nose. Nose is of black cherry and earthy moldy notes. Rather austere palate with controlled fruits, mostly back fruits. Distinctive herbal note on the finish and rather strong tannin.
We all thought this is a Bordeaux. We really like this one. Again, good buy.







4. Ladera Napa Valley Cab Sauv2001, Score=3+

This is the best of the tasting. Everybody recognized this to be a good classic Cali cab. Nice nose with black cherry, vanilla, and caramel. Not a fruits bomb but nice black fruits with very smooth mouth feel. Chocolate, mocha and caramel. Nice structured tannin with log finish. What can I say, we like this style.

Wine Tasting on January 18.2008

Good wine tasting. All 5 wines are very drinkable and enjoyable. Present are Uncle-N, Uncle-E, Winepath, Piroca, Jimmy and repeat appearance of Grasshopper. We tasted 5 wines blindly in the order appears below.

1. Larkmead Cab Sauv 2001, Score=3+

Everybody agreed this is a classic California Cab Sauv., although nobody could identify this to be 2001 Larkmead. This wine was one of our old favorites. We especially liked 2001 vintage. Classic Cali Cab nose of Black cherry with vanilla and caramel. Fruits froward palate, nice structured tannin but not too strong and long finish. We must be getting jaded. Although we thought this is a good Cali Cab, we did not go "WOW" like we did few years ago.


2. Charles Creek "La Sonrisa del Tecolote" Cab Sauv 2002, Score=3+

Many guessed this wrong. Australian Syrah, Italian or Spanish were mentioned but no mention of Cali Cab. The nose is rather intense and interesting with cedar, oak and something very unique but can't quite describe it. The palate is also good with lots of black fruits, chocolate. Nice well structured tannin and long finish. Some of us considered this best in the tasting.

The name "La Sonrisa del Tecolote" (The smile of the Owl) is said to come from the family's grand mother who was nick named "Tecolote". If she has tasted this wine, she would have smiled.


3. Château Les Tours de Peyrat 'Vieilles Vignes' (Premières Côtes de Blaye) 2005, score=2+

Because of distinctive cave or wet basement smell, European especially Bordeaux origin was suggested. The palate is actually very nice with good fruits, relatively mild but nice tannin and pleasant finish. Nothing wrong with this wine. Actually, this was featured in WSJ as "Value wines in prized (i.e. expensive) vintage of 2005". Their description goes " Good fruit, lots of minerals and earth. Blackberries. A touch of licorice, especially at the end, and maybe a little bit bitter on the finish, but classy and more austere than most. Could age a bit." We did not feel this was more "austere" than any Bordeaux we have tasted. Some thought this could not be Bordeaux because of rather forward fruits. We agree this is a good value for 2005 Bordeaux.


4. Joseph Phelps Cab Sauv 2005, Score=3+

Again all agreed this is a good Cali Cab. Complex nose of cherry, cassis, chocolate, caramel, and minerals. Nice palate; smooth mouth feel with complex black fruits with chocolate, mocha and vanilla. Nice strong tannin and oak is not overwhelming because of these complex tastes. Jo knows how to make a good red wine.




5. Domain des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 2001, Not scored

This is Uncle-E's contribution; after some hesitation of serving up this wine, he decided to taste blindly. He insisted to rinse glasses, wash mouth and cleanse our mind, before tasting. From the pale color and nose of raspberry and earthy minerals, we immediately thought Burgundy. The palate is rather nice with some fresh fruits, mineral and surprisingly tight tannin. Knowing how we feel about Burgundy and Pinot, it is not fair to score this otherwise wonderful wine. As far as Burgundy goes, it is a very nice one.

Wine Tasting on January 11

We had a special guest, Grasshopper. Present were Uncle-N, Winepath, Piroca and Grasshopper. We tasted Carodorum (this was not blinded) and the following three wines blindly.

1. Carodorum seleccion especial 2004, score=3 0r 3+

Grapes were all from 100+-year-old Tinta de Toro vines and spent 18 months aging in French oak. Nice fragrant nose with hint of cedar. Plenty of black fruits and plum with smoky note. Very structured tannin and long finish. This is a serious wine. The tannin is rather strong but because of other complex tastes, it is well balanced. With some food, this will be great and we suspect it will age well (but again in our group this is not a good option). Everybody liked this except Grasshopper who thought it tasted "metallic". We continue to like wines from Spain (it even rhymes).
2. Leviathan California Red 2005, Score=3 or 3+

Everybody thought this is California Cab or Cab blend. We have tasted this before but as usual nobody could identify it exactly. A blend a 55% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Nice candy, caramel, vanilla nose. Fruits forward with mostly black fruits vanilla and caramel. Good but mild tannin. This does not really taste like predominantly Syrah. This is what we expect from good California reds.

3. Stanton vineyard Delectus Merlot 2001, score not given, oxidized.

The color has dark brown tinge indicating "age" but for 2001 vintage, this may mean poor storage. The nose is challenged with faint "sweaty" smell. The palate is rather flat with only acid and taninn and tasts oxidized. Our conclusion is that this bottle is cooked.

4. Ramey Claret 2004, Score=2

Bit of disappointment. 2001, 2002, and 2003 Ramey Claret are our old favorites. This vintage appears not to have things we liked about previous 3 vintages. The nose is very nice; Perfumey with vanilla and black cherry. The palate is weak with hollowness in the mid-palate and rather short finish. Muted black fruits. The tannin is very soft. We do not know if our palates have changed but certainly this is not our favorite any longer.

The first tasting for 08 and farewell to Grasshopper

This is the first tasting of 2008 and also farewell tasting for Grasshopper. Grasshopper will remain as a member and hope he can stop by often. We tasted 5 interesting wines blindly. Present were Uncle-N and -E, Piroca, Winepath, Grasshopper and Jimmy. None of the wines are extraordinary but all quite drinkable in different ways. The below are in the order of as we tasted them.

1. Selvapiana Bucerchiale Chianti Rufina Riserva 2003, Score=2 or 2+

A surprise winner. Nose is very nice with floral scent without any "funk". Complex back fruits on the palate and mouth drying tannin. Long finish with sweet spices. Among Tuscan wines we tasted in the past tasting, this is one of the better one. We really liked the nose. As usual, tannin is rather strong and drys your mouth but with some food (good cheese, bread with olive oil etc), this will be just fine. It could also benefit from bottle aging. Uncle-N has couple more bottles but "aging" is usually not a good option for this group. The tasters thought this to be Italian, Cali Cab, Rioja in the blind stage. Some thought to give this score of 3.

2. Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz 2006, Score=2

What a contrast to the Chianti. Everybody thought this is Australian Shiraz immediately. The nose is characteristic with plum and black pepper with meat juice. The palate is heavy on black fruits and plum but tasted bit "sugarfied" or"fake". Black pepper on the finish. Classic young Australian over-the-top Shiraz. This style became so pervasive in popular Shiraz from Australia. It is better than many wines in the similar price range from California, though.


3. Cruz Alta Malbec Reserve 2005, Score=2

The nose , we thought, was similar to the previous wine and assumed that this is also Shiraz but we were wrong. This is 100% Malbec. No obvious "purple" fringe in the color.The taste is plum, black fruits and bit "grapey" and finishes with some spices. Fruits are more controlled and do not taste "fake" or "sugarfied". This wine lacks in complicity but good everyday wine.





4. Trapiche Malbec Vina Victorio Coletto 2004, Score=2+

We tasted this several times before and some of us really liked this one but we could not identify it (as usual). Mint, black cherry and hint of chemical (rubber tire) on the nose. Smooth mouth feel with lots of black fruits. Really taste like a new world wine such as high-end Cab Sauv from California (but we, or at least one of us, were wrong, again). Nice structure tannin with decent lasting finish. Some may give this 3 but consensus was 2 or 2+. Among the two Malbecs, we preferred Trapiche.

5. Chateau Charmail Haut-Medoc 2000, Score=2

Everybody thought this is Bordeaux or possibly California Bordeaux-blends but the unmistakable wet-basement smell gave it away. Perfectly decent Bordeaux with 50% Melrot, 30% Cab Sauv and 20% Cab Frank. Behind the wet basemen smell, there are black cherry and some vegetal notes. The taste is classic as well with rather austere but complex tastes with black fruits and good nice balanced tannin and acid. Some of us would have given 2+ or 3. At least, the nose is not overwhelming to detract from enjoying the taste of the wine.