I’m going to dispense with my usual lead in, and get right down to business with this one. A blizzard was bearing down on us and Kerri was kind enough to pick up a random wine for us to review. Now here is the thing about random, you really have an equal choice of getting a good wine, or a bad wine. Fate wasn’t on our side with this one.
It’s a blend (40% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Syrah), and normally when I think of blends, I imagine layers of flavor deftly woven together. In this wine blend was probably closer to the flavors you used to get as a child, when you went into 7-11 and filled you cup from equal portions of the various fountain soda taps. There are a lot of flavors in this wine ranging from the passably acceptable to “why in gods name am I drinking this”.
The nose, is equally as interesting (in the way that a twelve car pile up on the freeway is interesting) with a heavy level of alcohol mixed in with black cherry or currants.
What really killed it for us was the taste. It starts fairly fruity, and quite frankly turns to ash in your mouth. After less than a glass, I’m packing it in and putting this one down the drain.
Sometimes a $10 wine, isn’t even worth that much, this is one of those times.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
2004 The Blend of Poggiotondo
Well, as you may have heard, the eastern seaboard of the US got hit with a pretty big snow storm this weekend. And while most people were at the grocery store on Friday night picking up bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper – you know, because you never know if you might be snowed in for a day and your family of say 12 is going to eat up all of the bread and eggs, drink all the milk, and use up all of the toilet paper in the known universe in those 24 hours (oh no! we might starve and be forced to drink water, eat ketchup, and use paper in the bathroom) – I had my priorities in order and stopped at the liquor store to get gin and wine!
I know that some folks drink wine every day and as such, purchasing wines that are around the $15 price point can be a bit spendy, so I sought out a wine around the $10 mark to review. That’s how we ended up with this....
The facts:
2004 The Blend of Poggiotondo
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Variety: 40% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Syrah
This is where I’d normally provide a photograph of the wine. In this particular case, I’m going to refrain from that practice lest you see this wine in a store, recall the photograph from our blog, and purchase it because you can’t recall what we said about it, but you know you’ve seen it before. Read on and you’ll see why.
My take:
When you first pour the wine into your glass, it smells purple, with the slightest bit of chalky pink candy. Seriously. Not necessarily a bad thing. But, it quickly turns to something strange – I’d say gray becomes the predominant color. And it tastes exactly the same way. It’s purple, gray, and chalky. When Jonathan and I were talking about the wine, trying to figure out what it was all about, I specifically said, “it tastes like gravel and ash in a liquid mouthful.”
Yeah, not a fan. And I say this knowing full well that I do not like a gray wine. However, I know what a good gray wine tastes like – there is a gray characteristic to a lot of malbecs that Jonathan likes that I simply don’t care for. This is not that same gray. This is a bad gray, at least in my oh so humble opinion.
Other qualities, just in case you want more info – it’s dry, medium bodied, a little spicy, and there’s still some purple (somewhere between grape and currant) in there, despite the ashy flavor.
This is not one I’ll be buying again. In fact, I’m not even going to drink a full glass.
Price point: We bought locally for $10.99, but an internet search revealed bottles for as little as $8.27.
I know that some folks drink wine every day and as such, purchasing wines that are around the $15 price point can be a bit spendy, so I sought out a wine around the $10 mark to review. That’s how we ended up with this....
The facts:
2004 The Blend of Poggiotondo
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Variety: 40% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Syrah
This is where I’d normally provide a photograph of the wine. In this particular case, I’m going to refrain from that practice lest you see this wine in a store, recall the photograph from our blog, and purchase it because you can’t recall what we said about it, but you know you’ve seen it before. Read on and you’ll see why.
My take:
When you first pour the wine into your glass, it smells purple, with the slightest bit of chalky pink candy. Seriously. Not necessarily a bad thing. But, it quickly turns to something strange – I’d say gray becomes the predominant color. And it tastes exactly the same way. It’s purple, gray, and chalky. When Jonathan and I were talking about the wine, trying to figure out what it was all about, I specifically said, “it tastes like gravel and ash in a liquid mouthful.”
Yeah, not a fan. And I say this knowing full well that I do not like a gray wine. However, I know what a good gray wine tastes like – there is a gray characteristic to a lot of malbecs that Jonathan likes that I simply don’t care for. This is not that same gray. This is a bad gray, at least in my oh so humble opinion.
Other qualities, just in case you want more info – it’s dry, medium bodied, a little spicy, and there’s still some purple (somewhere between grape and currant) in there, despite the ashy flavor.
This is not one I’ll be buying again. In fact, I’m not even going to drink a full glass.
Price point: We bought locally for $10.99, but an internet search revealed bottles for as little as $8.27.
Monday, December 7, 2009
2007 Canneto Rossa Di Montepulciano
Frankly, I was a bit stumped about how to start talking about this wine. It’s good, certainly serviceable, but the lead in… the hook was escaping me.
I was sitting on the couch, sipping the wine, contemplating that special moment when the wine first tickles your nervous system. That first gentle warm flirtation of sensation that lets you know you have reached that slightly altered state. I had been discussing the wine (and my difficulty in describing it) with Kerri, when I blurted “I don’t like being punched in the mouth with fruit, but I do like something to chew on”.
Now, out of context, it might sound a bit strange, and as you have come for answers, I intend to provide them. The Canneto is long on finish, and what starts as a nominal experience when first sipped, lingers and gathers steam as the wine slides down the back of the throat. What starts as a gentle earthy caress of flavor, rolls into a significant finish robust, hearty and even a bit jammy. That gets me to the description of my above quote. By and large, I tend to not be fond of overly fruity wines, and certainly not any wine that gets described as “fruit forward”. This particular wine has the strength and body of that type of wine, but without the cheapness that comes from leading with a mouthful of jam. It has all of the elegance and passion that comes from a full host of flavor, but the sophistication to tease you up front, and then draw out the enjoyment over long finish.
Overall, I like this wine. I think the nose is interesting, and the flavor more so. I tend to favor wines that open up and reward persistence and exploration, and this fits that mold handily. The Canneto delivers well as a sipping wine, and for pairings, I would lean probably more to the winery's suggestions of more rustic (and less heavily spiced) foods. This is going to go in the buy it if you see it category.
I was sitting on the couch, sipping the wine, contemplating that special moment when the wine first tickles your nervous system. That first gentle warm flirtation of sensation that lets you know you have reached that slightly altered state. I had been discussing the wine (and my difficulty in describing it) with Kerri, when I blurted “I don’t like being punched in the mouth with fruit, but I do like something to chew on”.
Now, out of context, it might sound a bit strange, and as you have come for answers, I intend to provide them. The Canneto is long on finish, and what starts as a nominal experience when first sipped, lingers and gathers steam as the wine slides down the back of the throat. What starts as a gentle earthy caress of flavor, rolls into a significant finish robust, hearty and even a bit jammy. That gets me to the description of my above quote. By and large, I tend to not be fond of overly fruity wines, and certainly not any wine that gets described as “fruit forward”. This particular wine has the strength and body of that type of wine, but without the cheapness that comes from leading with a mouthful of jam. It has all of the elegance and passion that comes from a full host of flavor, but the sophistication to tease you up front, and then draw out the enjoyment over long finish.
Overall, I like this wine. I think the nose is interesting, and the flavor more so. I tend to favor wines that open up and reward persistence and exploration, and this fits that mold handily. The Canneto delivers well as a sipping wine, and for pairings, I would lean probably more to the winery's suggestions of more rustic (and less heavily spiced) foods. This is going to go in the buy it if you see it category.
2007 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano - Reviewed by Kerri
The facts:
2007 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano
Region: Montepulciano, Italy
Variety: 90% Sangiovese grosso, 10% Canaiolo nero, Mammolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot
Aging: 18 months in French oak
My take:
This one smells pinkish purple. I hate to say it, but upon swirling and taking a sniff, it brings to mind strawberries. Seriously.
This is an odd wine. It took a while and several tastes to really figure out what to say about it. First, I’ll say it’s a rather simple wine that moves through the flavor profile quickly. When a bit cold from the wine fridge, it's light, both in taste and feel, up front. After letting it open up some, it's a little chewier in texture and a bit more intense on flavor. That being said, you get most of the flavor in the middle and on the finish. Here’s the thing.... It’s jammy at the end. And I mean grape jelly jammy. It’s a strange finish.
For me, the wine is nothing special, but it’s not bad either. I preferred it earlier, when it was a bit on the cold side. Now that it's had some time to open up, it's a bit too purpley and chewy for my taste. Originally I wrote that I think it makes a good sipping wine. It does not, however, go well with spicy red sauce! After eating pasta for dinner, I had to cleanse my palette to enjoy this wine. Trying it immediately after the red sauce was not good – a bit dank and astringent all at the same time.
So all in all, I’d say this one is medium bodied, pink to purple with a bit of earthiness to it (that’s the sweet dankness), rather simple, and slightly dry.
We got this wine through wine club and after going through the swirl, sniff, taste routine and typing up my notes, I read the tasting notes from wine club. They say it’s "earthy, flamboyant, juicy, and highly scented." I don’t know if I’d go as far as flamboyant, but other than that, their tasting notes seem spot on to me.
Price point:
$12 - $14
Sunday, November 29, 2009
2008 Rocca Bello Negroamaro - reviewed by Kerri
The facts:
2008 Rocca Bello Negroamaro
Region: Puglia, Italy
Variety: Negroamaro
We picked this up one day at a local liquor store because we’ve had negroamaros a few times before and Jonathan has liked them. That, and we were looking for a slightly less expensive wine to review. (I’m not sure how we routinely choose bottles that are around $13.99, but that seems to be our resting point these days.)
My take:
It smells dark red and young (i.e., I could smell the alcohol), but I guess you’d expect that since this is a 2008. I’d say it’s medium to full bodied and complex enough for the price point. (It’s not a $30 wine in an $11 bottle. Nor is it a $7 wine in an $11 bottle. It seems right on the money for $11, maybe a tad more complex than you’d expect at that price.)
When just sipping...
Most of the flavor is up front, comes across as dark purple, the middle seemed a bit weak for me, the finish is longer than I expected at the price point, and it’s on the dry side.
Pulling some air over it is when the wine really expresses itself. The flavors are more balanced through the beginning and middle. It tastes dark red to purple up front and then the taste buds perk up a bit in the middle, where you get more of the complexity, and the finish is even longer with a bit of spiciness to it.
I wish I could write sonnets about it, but it’s just not doing it for me tonight for some reason. It makes me want to have some cheese. Perhaps as a sipping wine, I find it a bit too big? Not mellow enough? Not sure. I suspect it would age well and if I weren’t full from Thanksgiving leftovers, I would definitely be tempted to break out some manchego and give it another try.
Okay, so let 5 minutes pass and pick this up again. As soon as I wrote that perhaps food would add to my enjoyment of the wine, I felt guilty for not giving it that chance. So, I broke out some cheese.
I do enjoy the wine more with the cheese. As I said, I think it’s just a tad too big for my tastes to be a sipping wine. In the interest of full disclosure..., the wine bottle itself says it’s “perfect with red meats, pizza and all Mediterranean spiced dishes.”
Price point:
It was $10.99 in DC.
2008 Rocca Bello Negroamaro
Region: Puglia, Italy
Variety: Negroamaro
We picked this up one day at a local liquor store because we’ve had negroamaros a few times before and Jonathan has liked them. That, and we were looking for a slightly less expensive wine to review. (I’m not sure how we routinely choose bottles that are around $13.99, but that seems to be our resting point these days.)
My take:
It smells dark red and young (i.e., I could smell the alcohol), but I guess you’d expect that since this is a 2008. I’d say it’s medium to full bodied and complex enough for the price point. (It’s not a $30 wine in an $11 bottle. Nor is it a $7 wine in an $11 bottle. It seems right on the money for $11, maybe a tad more complex than you’d expect at that price.)
When just sipping...
Most of the flavor is up front, comes across as dark purple, the middle seemed a bit weak for me, the finish is longer than I expected at the price point, and it’s on the dry side.
Pulling some air over it is when the wine really expresses itself. The flavors are more balanced through the beginning and middle. It tastes dark red to purple up front and then the taste buds perk up a bit in the middle, where you get more of the complexity, and the finish is even longer with a bit of spiciness to it.
I wish I could write sonnets about it, but it’s just not doing it for me tonight for some reason. It makes me want to have some cheese. Perhaps as a sipping wine, I find it a bit too big? Not mellow enough? Not sure. I suspect it would age well and if I weren’t full from Thanksgiving leftovers, I would definitely be tempted to break out some manchego and give it another try.
Okay, so let 5 minutes pass and pick this up again. As soon as I wrote that perhaps food would add to my enjoyment of the wine, I felt guilty for not giving it that chance. So, I broke out some cheese.
I do enjoy the wine more with the cheese. As I said, I think it’s just a tad too big for my tastes to be a sipping wine. In the interest of full disclosure..., the wine bottle itself says it’s “perfect with red meats, pizza and all Mediterranean spiced dishes.”
Price point:
It was $10.99 in DC.
2008 Rocca Bella Negroamaro
A darkly enticing aroma. I wrote that just as a note to myself just by way of a note to begin the writing process. I was going to embellish it some and string it into a long metaphor, involving candle lit swanky bars with muted electronic down-tempo playing, with fez wearing fashionistas smoking clove cigarettes, but that seemed a bit much, so we will just have to settle for using it as the wine blog equivalent of “it was a dark and stormy night”.
So my love of the Negroamaro started at Proof on either our second or third visit there. They had one by the glass and I was absolutely smitten by it. This leads me to the greatest and worst thing about Proof. Their wine list is constantly changing, and its not uncommon to have a different line up on two visits in the same month. Alas the next time we went, literally three weeks later, my new love was gone a dim memory in the backlighting of their glass bar.
Unfortunately, as it is not a particularly common grape, the odds of running into one are somewhat akin to a chance encounter with either the Loch Ness monster or an Australian wine worth drinking. If you see one on a menu, I highly recommend stopping what ever you are doing and ordering a glass, a bottle, or better yet a nebakanezer immediately.
So, I started with the aroma, and I think I will pick back up there. As mentioned it has a somewhat dark aroma, with an air of cherry and earthiness to it. Much like tawny port, this would be a wine that I am content to swirl in a glass and living in the luxuriousness that is the nose of this divine beverage.
The color would be a deep dark rich red, and with less than half a glass in me, I feel compelled to go to the garage, get a ladder, climb up to the roof and proclaim my love for this wine loudly for all to hear. Alas, drinking and ladders don’t go together, nor would my neighbors take kindly to a crazy man shouting about wine from the top of his house. That being said, you could probably label me as a fan.
Opened up, and in the glass this wine becomes increasingly expressive. Starting with what would be best described as the most fleeting of gently sour notes, giving way to an enveloping array of subtle, yet strong flavors. I would speak of them individually, but to do so would less their entirety. Suffice to say cherries are involved in a way that legitimizes that much maligned fruit (I should note, I don’t think cherries are actually much maligned, it just sounded good, and I don’t tend to like them.) and the finish is a long drawn out affair that serves to slow down consumption and to draw out the enjoyment of this wine.
I’m not sure what the availability is like in general, but we picked this one up at our corner liquor store (one that isn’t known for its wine selection) and I know I will be heading back up their to take their remaining stock.
So my love of the Negroamaro started at Proof on either our second or third visit there. They had one by the glass and I was absolutely smitten by it. This leads me to the greatest and worst thing about Proof. Their wine list is constantly changing, and its not uncommon to have a different line up on two visits in the same month. Alas the next time we went, literally three weeks later, my new love was gone a dim memory in the backlighting of their glass bar.
Unfortunately, as it is not a particularly common grape, the odds of running into one are somewhat akin to a chance encounter with either the Loch Ness monster or an Australian wine worth drinking. If you see one on a menu, I highly recommend stopping what ever you are doing and ordering a glass, a bottle, or better yet a nebakanezer immediately.
So, I started with the aroma, and I think I will pick back up there. As mentioned it has a somewhat dark aroma, with an air of cherry and earthiness to it. Much like tawny port, this would be a wine that I am content to swirl in a glass and living in the luxuriousness that is the nose of this divine beverage.
The color would be a deep dark rich red, and with less than half a glass in me, I feel compelled to go to the garage, get a ladder, climb up to the roof and proclaim my love for this wine loudly for all to hear. Alas, drinking and ladders don’t go together, nor would my neighbors take kindly to a crazy man shouting about wine from the top of his house. That being said, you could probably label me as a fan.
Opened up, and in the glass this wine becomes increasingly expressive. Starting with what would be best described as the most fleeting of gently sour notes, giving way to an enveloping array of subtle, yet strong flavors. I would speak of them individually, but to do so would less their entirety. Suffice to say cherries are involved in a way that legitimizes that much maligned fruit (I should note, I don’t think cherries are actually much maligned, it just sounded good, and I don’t tend to like them.) and the finish is a long drawn out affair that serves to slow down consumption and to draw out the enjoyment of this wine.
I’m not sure what the availability is like in general, but we picked this one up at our corner liquor store (one that isn’t known for its wine selection) and I know I will be heading back up their to take their remaining stock.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
2006 Chateau Lamothe de Haux
The facts:
2006 Chateau Lamothe de Haux
Region: Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, France
Variety: 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
(Disclosure: I cheated and did not take a photograph of our wine bottle; I grabbed this image from the internet. Rest assured that the bottle we have is 2006, not 2005.)
My take:
I was excited to try this wine – I love a good Bordeaux blend and the color was beautiful – a nice red-brown. The nose was light, which seemed perfect to go with pork tenderloin. That’s as far as my optimistic notes are going to go.
I think I finally had what I would consider a full-bodied wine. This wine feels quite thick and viscous in the mouth. I personally didn’t care for the texture. The taste is very light up front, a bit more brown in the middle, and you get some complexity in the finish, if you pull a good amount of air over the wine. However, if you’re just sipping this wine, it’s completely nondescript. It’s very short, with little complexity or flavor. After the first glass and making some notes about it, I found myself completely uninterested in drinking more.
Don't get me wrong..., I didn’t dislike the wine, but I didn’t like it all that much either. I will say, drinking it with dinner did lengthen the wine somewhat, but I still found it thin in flavor (not texture). Luckily, dinner did not disappoint. For any food network aficionados, I made Paula Dean's apple stuffed pork tenderloin. Now that I can recommend. It was easy and delicious!
Price point:
Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps the Chateau Lamothe de Haux Blanc is better and/or more well-known than the Rouge. We got the red through our wine club and an internet search reveals lots of places selling the white, but I couldn’t find the red.
2006 Chateau Lamothe de Haux
Region: Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, France
Variety: 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc
(Disclosure: I cheated and did not take a photograph of our wine bottle; I grabbed this image from the internet. Rest assured that the bottle we have is 2006, not 2005.)
My take:
I was excited to try this wine – I love a good Bordeaux blend and the color was beautiful – a nice red-brown. The nose was light, which seemed perfect to go with pork tenderloin. That’s as far as my optimistic notes are going to go.
I think I finally had what I would consider a full-bodied wine. This wine feels quite thick and viscous in the mouth. I personally didn’t care for the texture. The taste is very light up front, a bit more brown in the middle, and you get some complexity in the finish, if you pull a good amount of air over the wine. However, if you’re just sipping this wine, it’s completely nondescript. It’s very short, with little complexity or flavor. After the first glass and making some notes about it, I found myself completely uninterested in drinking more.
Don't get me wrong..., I didn’t dislike the wine, but I didn’t like it all that much either. I will say, drinking it with dinner did lengthen the wine somewhat, but I still found it thin in flavor (not texture). Luckily, dinner did not disappoint. For any food network aficionados, I made Paula Dean's apple stuffed pork tenderloin. Now that I can recommend. It was easy and delicious!
Price point:
Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps the Chateau Lamothe de Haux Blanc is better and/or more well-known than the Rouge. We got the red through our wine club and an internet search reveals lots of places selling the white, but I couldn’t find the red.
2006 Chateau Lamothe de Haux Bordeaux Rouge
So sometimes, a wine needs to open up a bit before you truly can enjoy it. You know that kind of wine? This one isn’t it. Now, that’s not to say that a little air, a little warmth, a little time hasn’t effected it, they did, and unfortunately it made it suck a bit more than it did when I tried at a 55 degrees.
So I am going to do two reviews. It’s like a twofer for you my beloved readers.
Review 1. Wine straight out of the wine fridge and a mellow 55 degrees (Yes I am aware that’s too cold, but the thermostat on the fridge doesn’t work, and they are expensive, so unless you are going to send me a big fat check for a new one, that’s the temperature this wine is getting reviewed at).
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It was like a non-wine really, a grape colored slightly alcoholic starter wine for those who are afraid of flavor. Hardly any nose to speak of, with a watery semi-grape smell. The color was decent, on the red side of thing (as opposed to the purple). I think the tap water I was drinking actually had more flavor then it did.
Review 2. 35-40 minutes later after dinner.
It was like things went from bad to worse, excepting, of course, that it wasn’t really bad before hand, just kind of “meh”. So, I guess that’s from meh to bad then, or is that from meh to worse? Details.... Once opened up it moved from no nose, to a decided aroma of wet leaves. Not wet leaves in that “gee isn’t fall great” kind of way, but more like in that “what’s that smell” kind of way. The flavor went from “upfront, short and unremarkable” to a slow lingering tannic assault that besmirches the good name of all of the wines that have gone before it.
Fine…..maybe that last sentence was pure literary hyperbole so that I can flex my previously declared universal poetic license, but suffice to say the wine just isn’t really that good. In fact, if you ever decide to try this wine, maybe have a shot of tequila or three first, I suspect it will heighten the enjoyment immensely.
So I am going to do two reviews. It’s like a twofer for you my beloved readers.
Review 1. Wine straight out of the wine fridge and a mellow 55 degrees (Yes I am aware that’s too cold, but the thermostat on the fridge doesn’t work, and they are expensive, so unless you are going to send me a big fat check for a new one, that’s the temperature this wine is getting reviewed at).
zzzzzZZZzzzzZZzzzzZZzzzzz
It was like a non-wine really, a grape colored slightly alcoholic starter wine for those who are afraid of flavor. Hardly any nose to speak of, with a watery semi-grape smell. The color was decent, on the red side of thing (as opposed to the purple). I think the tap water I was drinking actually had more flavor then it did.
Review 2. 35-40 minutes later after dinner.
It was like things went from bad to worse, excepting, of course, that it wasn’t really bad before hand, just kind of “meh”. So, I guess that’s from meh to bad then, or is that from meh to worse? Details.... Once opened up it moved from no nose, to a decided aroma of wet leaves. Not wet leaves in that “gee isn’t fall great” kind of way, but more like in that “what’s that smell” kind of way. The flavor went from “upfront, short and unremarkable” to a slow lingering tannic assault that besmirches the good name of all of the wines that have gone before it.
Fine…..maybe that last sentence was pure literary hyperbole so that I can flex my previously declared universal poetic license, but suffice to say the wine just isn’t really that good. In fact, if you ever decide to try this wine, maybe have a shot of tequila or three first, I suspect it will heighten the enjoyment immensely.
Monday, October 19, 2009
2005 Concannon Limited Reserve Petite Sirah
The facts:
2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah
Region: Central Coast, California
Winemaker: Adam Richardson
Variety: Petite Sirah
This wine is one of our regular stand-bys. We almost always have it on hand and drink it pretty often. We first tasted it at the DC International Wine & Food Festival a couple of years ago. We wandered by a table that was tasting wines from Big House and Concannon. The guy who was pouring the wine told us the Big House wines are more popular, but we liked the Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah better than the Big House wines. And yes, that is a mouthful (no pun intended). I’m saying “Limited Release Petite Sirah” deliberately because the Concannon winery makes more than one petite sirah. The Limited Release one is the only one we’ve tried, but they also produce a Reserve Petite Sirah and a Heritage Petite Sirah. I’m also deliberately spelling it the way they spell it – makes it easier for you to find online, should you be searching for it.
At the time, when we first tasted it, neither of us could believe there was actually a California wine that we enjoyed. Now, that could have had something to do with the amount of wine we had already consumed that day, so when we saw it at the grocery store (yes folks, even Safeway carries it), we decided to give it another try. And we were pleasantly surprised once again. So we tend to keep it on hand. I’d call it a good sipping wine – not one that requires or demands food.
So here’s my take:
The wine smells dark red, maybe a little purple, with just a bit of the stringent alcohol scent/sensation. Upon sipping, it’s spicy and more complex than I’d expect from a wine in this price range and I think it has a rather long finish. It's on the dry side and I might call this one full-bodied.
As an aside, I’d love to have someone in the industry give me a light-bodied, medium-bodied, and full-bodied wine one after the other so I can feel the difference. Maybe then I'd actually get it. I had an experience like that at the International Wine Expo some years ago, when a pourer perfectly demonstrated for me what oak smells and tastes like. Ever since then I've been able to smell oak on a wine and now I know that I dislike oak aging of white wines – especially American oak. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program....
Drinking the LRPS (that’s the texting shorthand for Limited Release Petite Sirah, heheh) with Italian food (red sauce) made it taste a bit more on the purple side than red and made it less dry; kind of mellowed (dulled?) it out a bit. It definitely seems less complex and less spicy after the red sauce.
Price point:
$10 - $14 per bottle
2005 Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah
Region: Central Coast, California
Winemaker: Adam Richardson
Variety: Petite Sirah
This wine is one of our regular stand-bys. We almost always have it on hand and drink it pretty often. We first tasted it at the DC International Wine & Food Festival a couple of years ago. We wandered by a table that was tasting wines from Big House and Concannon. The guy who was pouring the wine told us the Big House wines are more popular, but we liked the Concannon Limited Release Petite Sirah better than the Big House wines. And yes, that is a mouthful (no pun intended). I’m saying “Limited Release Petite Sirah” deliberately because the Concannon winery makes more than one petite sirah. The Limited Release one is the only one we’ve tried, but they also produce a Reserve Petite Sirah and a Heritage Petite Sirah. I’m also deliberately spelling it the way they spell it – makes it easier for you to find online, should you be searching for it.
At the time, when we first tasted it, neither of us could believe there was actually a California wine that we enjoyed. Now, that could have had something to do with the amount of wine we had already consumed that day, so when we saw it at the grocery store (yes folks, even Safeway carries it), we decided to give it another try. And we were pleasantly surprised once again. So we tend to keep it on hand. I’d call it a good sipping wine – not one that requires or demands food.
So here’s my take:
The wine smells dark red, maybe a little purple, with just a bit of the stringent alcohol scent/sensation. Upon sipping, it’s spicy and more complex than I’d expect from a wine in this price range and I think it has a rather long finish. It's on the dry side and I might call this one full-bodied.
As an aside, I’d love to have someone in the industry give me a light-bodied, medium-bodied, and full-bodied wine one after the other so I can feel the difference. Maybe then I'd actually get it. I had an experience like that at the International Wine Expo some years ago, when a pourer perfectly demonstrated for me what oak smells and tastes like. Ever since then I've been able to smell oak on a wine and now I know that I dislike oak aging of white wines – especially American oak. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program....
Drinking the LRPS (that’s the texting shorthand for Limited Release Petite Sirah, heheh) with Italian food (red sauce) made it taste a bit more on the purple side than red and made it less dry; kind of mellowed (dulled?) it out a bit. It definitely seems less complex and less spicy after the red sauce.
Price point:
$10 - $14 per bottle
2005 Concannon Limited Reserve Petite Syrah
So I have a dirty little secret. It weighs on me heavily at times, and today is the day that I free myself from its crushing weight. Given that, I think perhaps its best to just put it out there before I go on.
Our house/table wine is Californian and I love it dearly.
Yes…yes… I know it may come as a shock, and I can certainly understand why it does. I spend more time talking shit about Californian wines than I do writing sonnets about French ones. And while I am sure this admission will bring jeers, this wine is certainly worth enduring the mockery that comes from my love affair with a left coast wine. That being said, we ran into this wine as the DC International Wine Expo a couple of years ago, and to this date I don’t think any wine we have had at a large venue tasting has had such a a lasting impact on me. It’s the Concannon Limited Release Petite Syrah, and I think its wonderful.
There I said it. Its like a weight has been lifted from me.
The gentleman who was pouring it was pushing the distributing wine group's Big House series of jail themed wines (true story….) and mentioned that the Concannon was the lesser known “off brand” (As a slight tangent, I cant think of anything that makes less sense than jail themed wines other than say….a Wookie on Endor, but hey, they do silly things out in Cali so who am I to judge). As you would expect the big house wines sucked being single note, huge and jammy as is the coin that Californian wines typically trade in. It was this off brand however that really did capture my attention, and I dare say undying devotion. The moniker off brand does this wine a great disservice, but hey, that’s how it was presented.
First and foremost it’s a Petite Syrah. For those of you not in the wine industry, a Petite Syrah is basically like a Syrah (or Shiraz) that doesn’t suck….or maybe I am just editorializing a tad. Regardless, the wine is a rich red tending more towards the purple, and the nose is fruity and light. The flavor is where it shines for me. I find it incredibly soft on the palette, so much so, in fact, that you can fill your mouth with wine holding it there without a hint of tannins or alcohol, simply meditating on the soothing blend of soft complexity. With air pulled across said mouthful, again we are treated to a dizzyingly complex array of flavors and aromas without the least hint of overbearing tannins. The complexity, the softness, and ease with which this wine goes about it's busniss all belie its modest price tag, and are what make it shine in otherwise crowded wine racks.
For the record I am well aware that I am swooning over a $13 wine. Did I mention the price? While not a dollar twice (but granting, that the reaction is indeed satisfaction) the Concannon is a steal. It’s widely available, and infinitely drinkable, and for those nights that you want a glass (or three) of wine and don’t feel like getting into something new you cant beat it. It’s also widely available, finding its home in most reputable wine shops, as well as grocery stores.
I love it, and don’t think I have had more bottles of any single wine other than this one. Which makes sense, because if I had the same number of bottles of $30 bottles of wine, I would need to force Kerri to get a second job. To summarize, you are unlikely to find a wine of the complexity and character in this price range. And if by some miracle you did manage to make that happen, it’s likely that you would be telling me about it when you showed me your pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, Leprechauns and Big foot.
Run out to buy a bottle or six now.
Our house/table wine is Californian and I love it dearly.
Yes…yes… I know it may come as a shock, and I can certainly understand why it does. I spend more time talking shit about Californian wines than I do writing sonnets about French ones. And while I am sure this admission will bring jeers, this wine is certainly worth enduring the mockery that comes from my love affair with a left coast wine. That being said, we ran into this wine as the DC International Wine Expo a couple of years ago, and to this date I don’t think any wine we have had at a large venue tasting has had such a a lasting impact on me. It’s the Concannon Limited Release Petite Syrah, and I think its wonderful.
There I said it. Its like a weight has been lifted from me.
The gentleman who was pouring it was pushing the distributing wine group's Big House series of jail themed wines (true story….) and mentioned that the Concannon was the lesser known “off brand” (As a slight tangent, I cant think of anything that makes less sense than jail themed wines other than say….a Wookie on Endor, but hey, they do silly things out in Cali so who am I to judge). As you would expect the big house wines sucked being single note, huge and jammy as is the coin that Californian wines typically trade in. It was this off brand however that really did capture my attention, and I dare say undying devotion. The moniker off brand does this wine a great disservice, but hey, that’s how it was presented.
First and foremost it’s a Petite Syrah. For those of you not in the wine industry, a Petite Syrah is basically like a Syrah (or Shiraz) that doesn’t suck….or maybe I am just editorializing a tad. Regardless, the wine is a rich red tending more towards the purple, and the nose is fruity and light. The flavor is where it shines for me. I find it incredibly soft on the palette, so much so, in fact, that you can fill your mouth with wine holding it there without a hint of tannins or alcohol, simply meditating on the soothing blend of soft complexity. With air pulled across said mouthful, again we are treated to a dizzyingly complex array of flavors and aromas without the least hint of overbearing tannins. The complexity, the softness, and ease with which this wine goes about it's busniss all belie its modest price tag, and are what make it shine in otherwise crowded wine racks.
For the record I am well aware that I am swooning over a $13 wine. Did I mention the price? While not a dollar twice (but granting, that the reaction is indeed satisfaction) the Concannon is a steal. It’s widely available, and infinitely drinkable, and for those nights that you want a glass (or three) of wine and don’t feel like getting into something new you cant beat it. It’s also widely available, finding its home in most reputable wine shops, as well as grocery stores.
I love it, and don’t think I have had more bottles of any single wine other than this one. Which makes sense, because if I had the same number of bottles of $30 bottles of wine, I would need to force Kerri to get a second job. To summarize, you are unlikely to find a wine of the complexity and character in this price range. And if by some miracle you did manage to make that happen, it’s likely that you would be telling me about it when you showed me your pictures of the Loch Ness Monster, Leprechauns and Big foot.
Run out to buy a bottle or six now.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
2007 Il Cuore Rosso Classico
The facts:
2007 Il Cuore Rosso Classico
Region: Mendocino, California
Winemaker: Dennis Patton
Variety: 51% Syrah, 26% Zinfandel, 12% Sangiovese, 6% Carignane, 5% Merlot
Aging: “Modest oak barrel” aging according to their website
This wine is all about mixed messages for me. The label leads me to be skeptical.
I have a hard time taking wine seriously, when it has kitschy things on the label (like the hearts, cats, etc.). But this is a blend of Syrah, Zin, Sangiovese, Carignane (for some reason in California, they add an E on the end), and Merlot. I usually like a red blend, so that led me to be hopeful.
My take:
It looks purple in the glass and upon seeing it, we both remarked, “Well this is a California wine.” It smells purpley-black to me.
The wine is big up front and a bit of spicy in the middle, but more so if you’ve pulled air over it. If you’re just sipping it, the middle kind of falls flat. It has a rather long finish (maybe 10 to 15 seconds) – longer than I’d like, actually because I’m not a huge fan of the taste.
It tastes the same way it smells – purpley-black; almost like dull blackberries, as if they were not tart or sweet, but bland. Because it's a California wine, I expected a more intense flavor, but didn’t really get it. And then the finish is a bit gray.
I’d call it medium bodied and not dry.
Now, all that being said, I went and read up on the wine after tasting and describing it. Turns out Il Cuore is Italian for “the heart” and is a tribute to the Italian immigrants who first planted grape vines in Northern California. Sheds a bit of light on the label, which was designed by Dan Rizzie, a cubist artist. All that is well and good, but it doesn’t make me like the wine any better. It’s just not my style. (I did mention at the outset of this endeavor that I’m biased toward old world style wines.)
If you like California-style wines, you might enjoy this. I read other reviews that indicated this embodies a Northern California wine.
Price point:
$10 - $13 per bottle
2007 Il Cuore Rosso Classico
Region: Mendocino, California
Winemaker: Dennis Patton
Variety: 51% Syrah, 26% Zinfandel, 12% Sangiovese, 6% Carignane, 5% Merlot
Aging: “Modest oak barrel” aging according to their website
This wine is all about mixed messages for me. The label leads me to be skeptical.
I have a hard time taking wine seriously, when it has kitschy things on the label (like the hearts, cats, etc.). But this is a blend of Syrah, Zin, Sangiovese, Carignane (for some reason in California, they add an E on the end), and Merlot. I usually like a red blend, so that led me to be hopeful.
My take:
It looks purple in the glass and upon seeing it, we both remarked, “Well this is a California wine.” It smells purpley-black to me.
The wine is big up front and a bit of spicy in the middle, but more so if you’ve pulled air over it. If you’re just sipping it, the middle kind of falls flat. It has a rather long finish (maybe 10 to 15 seconds) – longer than I’d like, actually because I’m not a huge fan of the taste.
It tastes the same way it smells – purpley-black; almost like dull blackberries, as if they were not tart or sweet, but bland. Because it's a California wine, I expected a more intense flavor, but didn’t really get it. And then the finish is a bit gray.
I’d call it medium bodied and not dry.
Now, all that being said, I went and read up on the wine after tasting and describing it. Turns out Il Cuore is Italian for “the heart” and is a tribute to the Italian immigrants who first planted grape vines in Northern California. Sheds a bit of light on the label, which was designed by Dan Rizzie, a cubist artist. All that is well and good, but it doesn’t make me like the wine any better. It’s just not my style. (I did mention at the outset of this endeavor that I’m biased toward old world style wines.)
If you like California-style wines, you might enjoy this. I read other reviews that indicated this embodies a Northern California wine.
Price point:
$10 - $13 per bottle
2007 Il Cuore Rosso Classico
They say packaging is important, that it can draw you in and make you want to purchase or try a product. Or…. if you are me, it also has the possibility to make you completely discount a product and write it off entirely. Meet my friend Il Cuore. They decided to jazz up their label and put hearts all over the bottle. I'd say I'm not sure why, but the sheet we got with wine club went into detail about it, and its a bunch of crap that some clod in marketing wrote to try and justify it...or they are just chumps. True story. We aren’t talking about just one heart here, there are no less than 5 hearts on the bottle, the foil is even emblazoned with a heart. Awwww…. how precious. Gee…. maybe the hearts will prompt me to pick it for a romantic occasion OR maybe they will warm my black heart and get me all sentimental. Or more likely they will give me yet another reason to talk shit about Californian wines and reinforce my theory that they are, by and large, so devoid of character that they need to resort to clever packaging to ever have a chance of leaving the shelf when there are French, Spanish, or Italian wines in stock.
Ok…I feel better now. Or not. Hearts people…. Seriously? Why not just put a kitten on there? Or an Alien! With Lasers! And a robot. Now, that my friend, is a wine I would buy just because of the label! I should note I did, in fact, once buy a wine called Nostradamus, because A. It came in a clay jug, and B. It's named Nostradamus, and who isn’t going to buy an Eastern European wine named after the premier soothsayer of our time. I’m not sure that’s a good thing to admit but it’s neither here nor there.
On the plus side it’s a blend, weighing in with a good 51% Syrah 26% Zinfandel and 12% Sangiovese. Now I likes me some blends, and if anything can save a Cali wine, its going to be mixing some grapes together. And it works here for the most part.
Poured, the wine splashes into the glass with a warm purple-red hue. Its rich and dark and when swirled clings longingly to the side of the glass. The nose comes off a bit grapey for me but surprisingly low on the alcohol aroma. I wouldn’t call the aroma particularly complex, one good sniff and swirl and you can pretty much get its full measure.
Time to taste.
Gut reaction:
The wine deserves a better label. It doesn’t really suck badly enough to be festooned with brick brack and a cubist doily for a label. I found the syrah to give it a nice soft base on the pallet with the zinfandel punching it up and providing some wow factor (I’d note, that wow factor for me is typically unnecessary and generally what I dislike about Californian wines, I prefer them subtle). I don’t quite know what the Sangiovese is adding, but I found the wine to be balanced and there was no flavor or aroma that was glaringly out of place. It’s smooth, medium bodied and drinkable. Ultimately, the wine ends up being a bit jammy for my tastes, but if you tend to like the offerings of our Western coast, then you might want to give this one a try.
And one of these days, if you all behave and eat your vegetables like you are supposed to, I will let you in on my dirty little secret and tell you about the Californian wine I adore.
Ok…I feel better now. Or not. Hearts people…. Seriously? Why not just put a kitten on there? Or an Alien! With Lasers! And a robot. Now, that my friend, is a wine I would buy just because of the label! I should note I did, in fact, once buy a wine called Nostradamus, because A. It came in a clay jug, and B. It's named Nostradamus, and who isn’t going to buy an Eastern European wine named after the premier soothsayer of our time. I’m not sure that’s a good thing to admit but it’s neither here nor there.
On the plus side it’s a blend, weighing in with a good 51% Syrah 26% Zinfandel and 12% Sangiovese. Now I likes me some blends, and if anything can save a Cali wine, its going to be mixing some grapes together. And it works here for the most part.
Poured, the wine splashes into the glass with a warm purple-red hue. Its rich and dark and when swirled clings longingly to the side of the glass. The nose comes off a bit grapey for me but surprisingly low on the alcohol aroma. I wouldn’t call the aroma particularly complex, one good sniff and swirl and you can pretty much get its full measure.
Time to taste.
Gut reaction:
The wine deserves a better label. It doesn’t really suck badly enough to be festooned with brick brack and a cubist doily for a label. I found the syrah to give it a nice soft base on the pallet with the zinfandel punching it up and providing some wow factor (I’d note, that wow factor for me is typically unnecessary and generally what I dislike about Californian wines, I prefer them subtle). I don’t quite know what the Sangiovese is adding, but I found the wine to be balanced and there was no flavor or aroma that was glaringly out of place. It’s smooth, medium bodied and drinkable. Ultimately, the wine ends up being a bit jammy for my tastes, but if you tend to like the offerings of our Western coast, then you might want to give this one a try.
And one of these days, if you all behave and eat your vegetables like you are supposed to, I will let you in on my dirty little secret and tell you about the Californian wine I adore.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
2007 Onix Classic
Ok ok… So when I said I got dragged out a while back for a “good” Australian wine that wasn’t exactly accurate. Truth be told, I was lured out to New Heights with the promise of two interesting wines. The first being the aforementioned Cat amongst the pigeons, and the second, being the topic of this particular missive.
So we actually had the Onix a while back, and never really got around to reviewing it. Sadly my notes on the original tasting were lost when I decided to erase the notes on my blackberry to make room for directions for a thousand mile ride in the rain (of course at the time I didn’t know it was going to rain, but that’s neither here nor there). That being said, I couldn’t in all good conscience review the wine without trying it again. That gets us to snag #1.
Snag #1 New Heights has Gin….lots of it. We went back, I tried it again and got derailed by cocktails. Win some; lose some…that’s my motto, and hell who isn’t willing to try a third time. And this, dear reader, is where we ran into snag #2.
Snag #2 nobody carries it. Now if my gin soaked memories served me correctly, it was pretty good and I want to take a crack at it while at the keyboard so that I could transcribe its loveliness into prose so I would just pop down to the store and grab a bottle and review it again (in the name of science of course). The problem with that being, we couldn’t really find it anywhere locally. That is, of course, until Kerri’s brother completely randomly found it and bought it for her as a thank you gift for babysitting.
So bottle in fridge, it was time for a reckoning. Well…a reckoning less in the OK Corral kind of way and more in a, hey let's have some wine!
So it’s a Garnacha and Carinena blend, which in my book would bode well. Pulling it out of the fridge and pouring a glass brings you a wine that is surprisingly purple, and I wasn’t really ready for that. Swirling it around in proper hoity toity fashion gives off a somewhat fruitier nose than I was I was expecting. Color me unimpressed. Right about then I was wondering what I saw in it the first two times that had me coming back for thirds. I needed to think about this and take its full measure in, there had to have been something to it but I wasn’t getting it from a sippy sip.
After pouring a glass and relaxing, letting it open up if you will, I am now in firm belief that my wine fridge is just too cold. It was free, and the temp knob doesn’t really work, and I am thinking 55 is just too cold (its stuck there). So warmed up and opened up, here is what I thought (Yes I know it took 500 words to get to the wine, but honestly its more entertaining this way and you didn’t really have anything better to do).
It's old world, first and foremost. That fruit sensation and nose declines greatly once it opens up, and I am sure if I were a true wine snob, I might actually describe it as blossoming, but since I’m not, I won't. The fact remains however that this wine does well with some time and some air. So much so, that I now recall why I am having it for the third time. Why you say? Simply put, this wine doesn’t suck. I am going to put it on my list of wines that everyone should try at least once. I wont say go out and buy a case, but seriously think about having a romp through the hills of Priorat (yes its hilly there, and yes I did look that up just to make that joke work). Beyond that, I’d like to see this wine again in say 5 or so years (or maybe find a bottle from say 2000-2004) I suspect with a little age, it might go from “ok” to love in a bottle.
We had it with no pairings any time we drank it, but I can see it with a big chunk of Manchego and a pile of Chorizo.
So we actually had the Onix a while back, and never really got around to reviewing it. Sadly my notes on the original tasting were lost when I decided to erase the notes on my blackberry to make room for directions for a thousand mile ride in the rain (of course at the time I didn’t know it was going to rain, but that’s neither here nor there). That being said, I couldn’t in all good conscience review the wine without trying it again. That gets us to snag #1.
Snag #1 New Heights has Gin….lots of it. We went back, I tried it again and got derailed by cocktails. Win some; lose some…that’s my motto, and hell who isn’t willing to try a third time. And this, dear reader, is where we ran into snag #2.
Snag #2 nobody carries it. Now if my gin soaked memories served me correctly, it was pretty good and I want to take a crack at it while at the keyboard so that I could transcribe its loveliness into prose so I would just pop down to the store and grab a bottle and review it again (in the name of science of course). The problem with that being, we couldn’t really find it anywhere locally. That is, of course, until Kerri’s brother completely randomly found it and bought it for her as a thank you gift for babysitting.
So bottle in fridge, it was time for a reckoning. Well…a reckoning less in the OK Corral kind of way and more in a, hey let's have some wine!
So it’s a Garnacha and Carinena blend, which in my book would bode well. Pulling it out of the fridge and pouring a glass brings you a wine that is surprisingly purple, and I wasn’t really ready for that. Swirling it around in proper hoity toity fashion gives off a somewhat fruitier nose than I was I was expecting. Color me unimpressed. Right about then I was wondering what I saw in it the first two times that had me coming back for thirds. I needed to think about this and take its full measure in, there had to have been something to it but I wasn’t getting it from a sippy sip.
After pouring a glass and relaxing, letting it open up if you will, I am now in firm belief that my wine fridge is just too cold. It was free, and the temp knob doesn’t really work, and I am thinking 55 is just too cold (its stuck there). So warmed up and opened up, here is what I thought (Yes I know it took 500 words to get to the wine, but honestly its more entertaining this way and you didn’t really have anything better to do).
It's old world, first and foremost. That fruit sensation and nose declines greatly once it opens up, and I am sure if I were a true wine snob, I might actually describe it as blossoming, but since I’m not, I won't. The fact remains however that this wine does well with some time and some air. So much so, that I now recall why I am having it for the third time. Why you say? Simply put, this wine doesn’t suck. I am going to put it on my list of wines that everyone should try at least once. I wont say go out and buy a case, but seriously think about having a romp through the hills of Priorat (yes its hilly there, and yes I did look that up just to make that joke work). Beyond that, I’d like to see this wine again in say 5 or so years (or maybe find a bottle from say 2000-2004) I suspect with a little age, it might go from “ok” to love in a bottle.
We had it with no pairings any time we drank it, but I can see it with a big chunk of Manchego and a pile of Chorizo.
2007 Onix Classic by Vinicola del Priorat - Reviewed by Kerri
And we're back. Apologies for the radio silence on our end. You know how it is at the end of summer: trips to take, things to do. But, we knuckled down and drank some more wine - just for you. ;)
The facts:
2007 Onix Classic by Vinicola del Priorat
Region: Priorat, Spain
Variety: 50% Garnacha (aka Grenache), 50% Carinena (aka Carignan)
Aging: Stainless steel
My take:
This is a wine that I originally tried at New Heights restaurant back in March. We tried to find it locally at a few different wine stores and had some trouble, but then as luck would have it, my brother and sister-in-law actually found it (without knowing I’d been looking for it) at a Whole Foods in Virginia. Excellent - thanks guys! Time to go in for a second try. (Or is it a third by now?)
The nose is a bit dark red-purple. The taste comes across the same – dark red; plummy even. I get a bit of spice and complexity in the middle and a somewhat dry finish, though I wouldn’t call this a dry wine. It feels like a medium-bodied wine to me – not super light, but not super heavy either.
This is a 2007 and I find myself wondering if it would age well. I can kind of taste the earthy brown in it, but get more of an alcohol-like taste to it that I suspect might go away if it were another couple of years old. (And incidentally, that alcohol-like taste actually mellows out a bit as the wine opens up. I like the wine better after it's had some time in the glass to open up.)
Bottom line – it’s okay. I don’t love it, but I’d certainly have it again if I were to come across it. And as I said, I’m really curious as to what it might taste like after aging another 2 or 3 years. Right now, I’d call it a general sipping wine.
Price point: $13 - $17
Sunday, August 30, 2009
2006 Poggio del Falco - reviewed by Kerri
For this review, I have to start with the story, so I’ll end with the facts.
The other day, I wanted wine after work. So we opened a bottle of something (don't recall what it was and unless you want to know what not to drink, it doesn't matter) that smelled like really ripe blackberries. It didn’t taste like ripe blackberries; it tasted like jam – and not in a good way. At first, I thought, it’s okay; not my favorite, but I don’t hate it.
I tried some cheese (both manchego and a sharp cheddar) to see if that would make the wine any better. The cheese had no flavor compared to the wine! How is that possible? Seriously, how is it possible to make a sharp cheddar taste almost like nothing???
So, we poured it down the drain. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… life’s too short to drink bad wine.
Then we opened the Italian Poggio del Falco.
OMG.... I hadn’t even taken a sip and I felt compelled to break out my laptop to start writing. The color is beautiful – that brownish red I’ve come to love. And the nose is so pleasantly sweet – like sweet tobacco. And not in a bad Marlboro kind of way (and that's not to disparage Marlboro - I've been known to smoke one here and there), but in a sweet, vanilla, pipe tobacco kind of way. And for some reason the nose reminds me of sweet alyssum, though I admit I haven’t actually smelled sweet alyssum in a couple of years.
After smelling the wine for I’d say a good 10 minutes (I could smell this wine forever), I finally took a taste. Ahhhhh, now that’s what a wine is supposed to taste like. And this is where I fall down in terms of reviewing the wine. After several tastes, I was still having trouble describing it. The only thing that kept coming to mind is that it tasted exactly like what wine should taste like! I realize that's not exactly helpful, so.... What I can say is this:
It tastes a little brown-red; definitely does not taste as sweet as it smells. The texture is that nice resting place between suck your mouth dry and coat your mouth with creaminess. It has a rather long finish. I’d call it medium bodied, though tasting notes online say it’s full bodied. I think the only thing that would make it better is if it were velvety in texture.
Important safety tip – be careful at the bottom of the bottle. There’s a fair amount of sediment and I’d venture to say you don’t want a mouthful of that.
Everyone should try this wine! Well, okay, everyone who is a fan of old-world style wines. If you prefer a full-bodied, in your face, fruit forward, hello I’m a huge wine party in your mouth kind of wine…, then this is not the wine for you.
So there's my story. Jonathan’s on vacation now and didn’t feel as compelled as I to write something up while we were drinking it, so this is a wine review - 1 way. But don’t misunderstand – he did enjoy the wine and I've already ordered 2 more bottles so he may post his take in the not too distant future. Personally, if I had the space for at least half a case, I’d order at least half a case. Maybe we need a bigger wine fridge. hmmm....
Now for the facts:
2006 Poggio del Falco
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Winemaker: Michele Barbiero of the Morazzano Estate (Turner Wine is the importer)
Variety: Sangiovese, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon (organic)
Price point: $15-$20
The other day, I wanted wine after work. So we opened a bottle of something (don't recall what it was and unless you want to know what not to drink, it doesn't matter) that smelled like really ripe blackberries. It didn’t taste like ripe blackberries; it tasted like jam – and not in a good way. At first, I thought, it’s okay; not my favorite, but I don’t hate it.
I tried some cheese (both manchego and a sharp cheddar) to see if that would make the wine any better. The cheese had no flavor compared to the wine! How is that possible? Seriously, how is it possible to make a sharp cheddar taste almost like nothing???
So, we poured it down the drain. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… life’s too short to drink bad wine.
Then we opened the Italian Poggio del Falco.
OMG.... I hadn’t even taken a sip and I felt compelled to break out my laptop to start writing. The color is beautiful – that brownish red I’ve come to love. And the nose is so pleasantly sweet – like sweet tobacco. And not in a bad Marlboro kind of way (and that's not to disparage Marlboro - I've been known to smoke one here and there), but in a sweet, vanilla, pipe tobacco kind of way. And for some reason the nose reminds me of sweet alyssum, though I admit I haven’t actually smelled sweet alyssum in a couple of years.
After smelling the wine for I’d say a good 10 minutes (I could smell this wine forever), I finally took a taste. Ahhhhh, now that’s what a wine is supposed to taste like. And this is where I fall down in terms of reviewing the wine. After several tastes, I was still having trouble describing it. The only thing that kept coming to mind is that it tasted exactly like what wine should taste like! I realize that's not exactly helpful, so.... What I can say is this:
It tastes a little brown-red; definitely does not taste as sweet as it smells. The texture is that nice resting place between suck your mouth dry and coat your mouth with creaminess. It has a rather long finish. I’d call it medium bodied, though tasting notes online say it’s full bodied. I think the only thing that would make it better is if it were velvety in texture.
Important safety tip – be careful at the bottom of the bottle. There’s a fair amount of sediment and I’d venture to say you don’t want a mouthful of that.
Everyone should try this wine! Well, okay, everyone who is a fan of old-world style wines. If you prefer a full-bodied, in your face, fruit forward, hello I’m a huge wine party in your mouth kind of wine…, then this is not the wine for you.
So there's my story. Jonathan’s on vacation now and didn’t feel as compelled as I to write something up while we were drinking it, so this is a wine review - 1 way. But don’t misunderstand – he did enjoy the wine and I've already ordered 2 more bottles so he may post his take in the not too distant future. Personally, if I had the space for at least half a case, I’d order at least half a case. Maybe we need a bigger wine fridge. hmmm....
Now for the facts:
2006 Poggio del Falco
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Winemaker: Michele Barbiero of the Morazzano Estate (Turner Wine is the importer)
Variety: Sangiovese, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon (organic)
Price point: $15-$20
Sunday, August 16, 2009
2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon - reviewed by Kerri
The facts:
2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Region: Morgon, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Variety: 100% Gamay
My take:
It smells rosy before swirling, then… I get that smell that’s not paint thinner, not nail polish remover, not metallic, but burns my nose a bit – plain ole alcohol I guess.
After taking the first sip, I remarked, this is weird.
I let it sit in my mouth, swished it around a bit and got almost nothing until I swallowed. It’s very light – both in taste and feel. It tastes somewhat purpley-pink, maybe light red. It feels light up front with a little more depth in the middle, where you can feel your taste buds perking up (going, what’s this?) and a strange finish that is almost creamy in texture. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that creamy finish. I find myself taking my tongue around my gums to get rid of the creaminess in a way. (Apologies if that’s TMI.)
After swirling and smelling the wine, I expected it to taste a bit harsh and acidic, but I don’t get any of that. I don’t get any of that alcohol-y sense in the taste, only in the smell. I’m having a hard time describing what it is, but I find that I want more, perhaps just in an effort to define it, to nail down its essence, to figure out if I like it or not.
I sipped some more and then started eating dinner – nothing fancy, but something I’m sure lots of people have in their kitchen: chicken nuggets. (Neither one of us felt inclined to cook a full-on dinner tonight and opted to take the easy way out. But that's a different talk show.)
I discovered that I was more interested in the wine when not eating. Once I started eating, the wine became even creamier in texture, which I didn’t care for. That’s a texture I expect in a white wine, not a red, and it’s not one I like in white wines either.
To be fair, I tried a few different things to see if I liked the wine better with something else... manchego cheese, cheddar cheese, wheat thins, kalamata olives.... The only thing that seemed to cut the creaminess were the olives. In fact, the olives actually extended the finish on this wine.
Now, this is 100% gamay and I don’t have much experience drinking gamay. Perhaps this is a great expression of gamay; I couldn’t say. Other write-ups about this wine and the winemakers (Marcel Lapierre and Jules Cauvet) indicate this wine is made from organically grown grapes, using modern techniques, with no additives. Admirable - yes. Did it pan out in this case? For me, no, but only you can say whether or not it works for you.
All in all, it’s not my favorite wine, but it is intriguing. If you’re looking for a light red to sip in the summer, this might just fit the bill, especially if you like creamy textured wines. Personally, I don’t like that texture, but i still find myself going back for another glass and I don’t do that with all wines. (I’ve been known to open a bottle, take a sip, and be perfectly willing to pour the $20 down the drain.)
Price point:
We got this wine through a wine club where we pay a flat fee per month, but a quick internet search revealed bottles available for between $14 and $20.
2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Region: Morgon, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France
Variety: 100% Gamay
My take:
It smells rosy before swirling, then… I get that smell that’s not paint thinner, not nail polish remover, not metallic, but burns my nose a bit – plain ole alcohol I guess.
After taking the first sip, I remarked, this is weird.
I let it sit in my mouth, swished it around a bit and got almost nothing until I swallowed. It’s very light – both in taste and feel. It tastes somewhat purpley-pink, maybe light red. It feels light up front with a little more depth in the middle, where you can feel your taste buds perking up (going, what’s this?) and a strange finish that is almost creamy in texture. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that creamy finish. I find myself taking my tongue around my gums to get rid of the creaminess in a way. (Apologies if that’s TMI.)
After swirling and smelling the wine, I expected it to taste a bit harsh and acidic, but I don’t get any of that. I don’t get any of that alcohol-y sense in the taste, only in the smell. I’m having a hard time describing what it is, but I find that I want more, perhaps just in an effort to define it, to nail down its essence, to figure out if I like it or not.
I sipped some more and then started eating dinner – nothing fancy, but something I’m sure lots of people have in their kitchen: chicken nuggets. (Neither one of us felt inclined to cook a full-on dinner tonight and opted to take the easy way out. But that's a different talk show.)
I discovered that I was more interested in the wine when not eating. Once I started eating, the wine became even creamier in texture, which I didn’t care for. That’s a texture I expect in a white wine, not a red, and it’s not one I like in white wines either.
To be fair, I tried a few different things to see if I liked the wine better with something else... manchego cheese, cheddar cheese, wheat thins, kalamata olives.... The only thing that seemed to cut the creaminess were the olives. In fact, the olives actually extended the finish on this wine.
Now, this is 100% gamay and I don’t have much experience drinking gamay. Perhaps this is a great expression of gamay; I couldn’t say. Other write-ups about this wine and the winemakers (Marcel Lapierre and Jules Cauvet) indicate this wine is made from organically grown grapes, using modern techniques, with no additives. Admirable - yes. Did it pan out in this case? For me, no, but only you can say whether or not it works for you.
All in all, it’s not my favorite wine, but it is intriguing. If you’re looking for a light red to sip in the summer, this might just fit the bill, especially if you like creamy textured wines. Personally, I don’t like that texture, but i still find myself going back for another glass and I don’t do that with all wines. (I’ve been known to open a bottle, take a sip, and be perfectly willing to pour the $20 down the drain.)
Price point:
We got this wine through a wine club where we pay a flat fee per month, but a quick internet search revealed bottles available for between $14 and $20.
2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Frenchy French…that’s the call.
When we were looking for a wine to drink tonight, three candidates came to mind a tempranillo, a super Tuscan, and the frenchy French wine. (2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon for those of you who demand proper accrediting and naming).
Its always fun to open a French wine, there aren’t usually a lot of details on the label, its not always clear what’s in it and this one had a wax dipped top. Bonus! Now that wax dipped top might look nice and all, but frankly, its just a pain in the ass when you are trying to get the thing open. Don’t get me wrong here…. I’m not calling for a screw top revolution, but hey…a foil covered cork just works. It satisfies the ritual elements of opening the wine, without too much hassle, it’s just a nice balance. Yes, yes…tangents, I know.
After going down to the garage for a sawzall, blowtorch and the Jaws of Life to free the cork from its wax tomb, we were ready to pour. Hi, first shock of the night, this wine was a very very light red.
“Is this a rose?” I asked
“I don’t think so” she replied
It’s a tarp!
Ok…ok.. It’s not a rose, its just so damned light it would make a pinot look like a cab. While light, it’s certainly got the distinct brown hue typical of French wines, ready to get to drinking, I raised the glass and swirled. The nose left a lot to be desired, well…that’s assuming that you don’t find the smell of pure rubbing alcohol a pleasant aroma for a wine. The heavy chemical scent aside, the nose was short, without many of the typical fruit flavors, perhaps a slight smoky and earthy nose.
Time for the drinking. Well, dear readers, for the second week in a row, you have been spared from me writing sonnets. It’s interesting; I’ll give it that. Good? Sure…great? Not really. The nose followed through to the pallet, it’s a bit heavy on the alcohol (Yes, I am aware of the irony of me complaining about that, thanks). Past that is where it starts to get interesting. It has that undeniable French mystique that certain “je ne sais quoi”. We actually crushed the bottle of wine in our effort to take its full measure.
It's smooth, it's pleasant on the palette and it's very light on the tannins. I’m not sure I would go out and order it again, but I don’t feel like this research was in vain. If you want an odd wine, and don’t mind turpentine, I’d say give it a go, but honestly there are better things out there to drink. The only caveat to that I have is this; I would love to find an older version of this wine. I think with maturity it might just have enough going on to move it from nondescript to more please.
Pairing note: Smoked Gouda Grilled cheese sammich and tater tots.
When we were looking for a wine to drink tonight, three candidates came to mind a tempranillo, a super Tuscan, and the frenchy French wine. (2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon for those of you who demand proper accrediting and naming).
Its always fun to open a French wine, there aren’t usually a lot of details on the label, its not always clear what’s in it and this one had a wax dipped top. Bonus! Now that wax dipped top might look nice and all, but frankly, its just a pain in the ass when you are trying to get the thing open. Don’t get me wrong here…. I’m not calling for a screw top revolution, but hey…a foil covered cork just works. It satisfies the ritual elements of opening the wine, without too much hassle, it’s just a nice balance. Yes, yes…tangents, I know.
After going down to the garage for a sawzall, blowtorch and the Jaws of Life to free the cork from its wax tomb, we were ready to pour. Hi, first shock of the night, this wine was a very very light red.
“Is this a rose?” I asked
“I don’t think so” she replied
It’s a tarp!
Ok…ok.. It’s not a rose, its just so damned light it would make a pinot look like a cab. While light, it’s certainly got the distinct brown hue typical of French wines, ready to get to drinking, I raised the glass and swirled. The nose left a lot to be desired, well…that’s assuming that you don’t find the smell of pure rubbing alcohol a pleasant aroma for a wine. The heavy chemical scent aside, the nose was short, without many of the typical fruit flavors, perhaps a slight smoky and earthy nose.
Time for the drinking. Well, dear readers, for the second week in a row, you have been spared from me writing sonnets. It’s interesting; I’ll give it that. Good? Sure…great? Not really. The nose followed through to the pallet, it’s a bit heavy on the alcohol (Yes, I am aware of the irony of me complaining about that, thanks). Past that is where it starts to get interesting. It has that undeniable French mystique that certain “je ne sais quoi”. We actually crushed the bottle of wine in our effort to take its full measure.
It's smooth, it's pleasant on the palette and it's very light on the tannins. I’m not sure I would go out and order it again, but I don’t feel like this research was in vain. If you want an odd wine, and don’t mind turpentine, I’d say give it a go, but honestly there are better things out there to drink. The only caveat to that I have is this; I would love to find an older version of this wine. I think with maturity it might just have enough going on to move it from nondescript to more please.
Pairing note: Smoked Gouda Grilled cheese sammich and tater tots.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Cat Amongst The Pigeons - reviewed by Kerri
The facts:
2007 Cat Amongst the Pigeons – Alley Cat
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Winemaker: Mark Jamieson
Variety: 61% Grenache, 39% Shiraz
My take:
I ended up tasting this wine because I was lambasting Australian wines. (In general, I am not a fan of new world style wines - I prefer old world style wines.) Seeking out a glass of wine after a conference and before a dinner meeting, I went to New Heights restaurant, in Washington, DC. After perusing their reds by the glass, I opted for a Spanish wine and started talking with the bartender about wine.
After talking some smack about Australian wines, which I typically find too bold, too fruit forward, and too jammy, the bartener insisted I try the Cat Amongst the Pigeons. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. So much so that I made Jonathan come back to New Heights with me the following week to check it out.
The wine is much more mellow and subtle than I ever expected from an Australian wine. The wine smells a bit red (you’ll see after reading some of my reviews that I tend to smell in colors), maybe a bit dark or slightly on the purple side. Anyway..., it’s a soft, mellow wine. It’s not too dry, not overly tannic, has some depth in the middle, and has a relatively long finish.
It makes a good sipping wine for sure, but it also pairs well with food. I’ve had it with various cheeses and with steak and in both cases feel like it paired well. All in all, it’s one that I’ve sought out since I first had it – and I never thought I’d actually go looking for an Australian wine in a wine shop. If you’re looking for something unexpected, I highly recommend checking it out.
Price point:
After doing a quick search online, it looks to be between $14 and $20 a bottle.
2007 Cat Amongst the Pigeons – Alley Cat
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Winemaker: Mark Jamieson
Variety: 61% Grenache, 39% Shiraz
My take:
I ended up tasting this wine because I was lambasting Australian wines. (In general, I am not a fan of new world style wines - I prefer old world style wines.) Seeking out a glass of wine after a conference and before a dinner meeting, I went to New Heights restaurant, in Washington, DC. After perusing their reds by the glass, I opted for a Spanish wine and started talking with the bartender about wine.
After talking some smack about Australian wines, which I typically find too bold, too fruit forward, and too jammy, the bartener insisted I try the Cat Amongst the Pigeons. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. So much so that I made Jonathan come back to New Heights with me the following week to check it out.
The wine is much more mellow and subtle than I ever expected from an Australian wine. The wine smells a bit red (you’ll see after reading some of my reviews that I tend to smell in colors), maybe a bit dark or slightly on the purple side. Anyway..., it’s a soft, mellow wine. It’s not too dry, not overly tannic, has some depth in the middle, and has a relatively long finish.
It makes a good sipping wine for sure, but it also pairs well with food. I’ve had it with various cheeses and with steak and in both cases feel like it paired well. All in all, it’s one that I’ve sought out since I first had it – and I never thought I’d actually go looking for an Australian wine in a wine shop. If you’re looking for something unexpected, I highly recommend checking it out.
Price point:
After doing a quick search online, it looks to be between $14 and $20 a bottle.
Cat Amongst The Pigeons - Opined By Jonathan
The facts:
2007 Cat Amongst the Pigeons – Alley Cat
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Winemaker: Mark Jamieson
Variety: 61% Grenache, 39% Shiraz
“So I had a good Australian shiraz”
The words still reverberate through my skull…and quite possibly the echoes even might be heard from space one day. A good Australian wine? Is that possible? Sure, I understand on an intellectual level that people:
A: Like Shiraz (who am I to Judge)
B. Like Australian wines (I mean…I’m sure they are good…I mean, when I think of wine, visions of koala bears and platypuses are the first thing that comes to mind)
So given that you could see that, in fact, I was more than a tad dubious. I agreed to go check it out. In general, I’ve never been a fan a Shiraz, maybe a petit syrah (Concannon…. I’m looking in your general direction....) but a Shiraz? Good…sounds a bit strong to me.
“But it was” she said with conviction.
Now with that level of certainty in her voice and a good excuse to go drink some wine, I decided to give it a go. So we hauled ourselves up to New Heights to have a glass.
I asked for a glass of the Cat Amongst the Pigeons, and the bartender starts to wax poetic about it as well. Now I knew something was up, either the pod people had taken over or there was something to this wine.
He poured, I drank.
I’d like to now take a moment and apologize (well…somewhat) for the last 200 words besmirching the honor of this good wine. I was actually fairly impressed. Is it from the northern Rhone, no, is it a good wine, yes. The first thing I noticed was a nose, that while robust, didn’t punch me in the face with the smell of fruit. I thought it had a decent balance of scents, with and undercurrent of subtlety that certainly prompted me to explore it further.
Where this wine really shines for me is in the mouth (as it should). Pull a decent sip, and hold on to it for a moment, letting it wash over your taste buds. Its not particularly tannic, nor seemingly too young. What it has a nice rich velvety texture, but not enough so to write sonnets about, but certainly worth a haiku (minus the effort of getting the syllabic count correct).
I had two glasses of it the first night (for scientific reasons of course) and have subsequently bought another three bottles. For me the bottom line, is: Its tasty and drinkable. It’s a good drinking wine, pleasant; upfront what you see is what you get. Is it exotic? No. But it has a place in our limited wine fridge and is fantastic with tenderloin. Buy it and drink it proudly. This one doesn’t aspire to be anything its not, and certainly calls me back for a second or third glass.
2007 Cat Amongst the Pigeons – Alley Cat
Region: Barossa Valley, Australia
Winemaker: Mark Jamieson
Variety: 61% Grenache, 39% Shiraz
“So I had a good Australian shiraz”
The words still reverberate through my skull…and quite possibly the echoes even might be heard from space one day. A good Australian wine? Is that possible? Sure, I understand on an intellectual level that people:
A: Like Shiraz (who am I to Judge)
B. Like Australian wines (I mean…I’m sure they are good…I mean, when I think of wine, visions of koala bears and platypuses are the first thing that comes to mind)
So given that you could see that, in fact, I was more than a tad dubious. I agreed to go check it out. In general, I’ve never been a fan a Shiraz, maybe a petit syrah (Concannon…. I’m looking in your general direction....) but a Shiraz? Good…sounds a bit strong to me.
“But it was” she said with conviction.
Now with that level of certainty in her voice and a good excuse to go drink some wine, I decided to give it a go. So we hauled ourselves up to New Heights to have a glass.
I asked for a glass of the Cat Amongst the Pigeons, and the bartender starts to wax poetic about it as well. Now I knew something was up, either the pod people had taken over or there was something to this wine.
He poured, I drank.
I’d like to now take a moment and apologize (well…somewhat) for the last 200 words besmirching the honor of this good wine. I was actually fairly impressed. Is it from the northern Rhone, no, is it a good wine, yes. The first thing I noticed was a nose, that while robust, didn’t punch me in the face with the smell of fruit. I thought it had a decent balance of scents, with and undercurrent of subtlety that certainly prompted me to explore it further.
Where this wine really shines for me is in the mouth (as it should). Pull a decent sip, and hold on to it for a moment, letting it wash over your taste buds. Its not particularly tannic, nor seemingly too young. What it has a nice rich velvety texture, but not enough so to write sonnets about, but certainly worth a haiku (minus the effort of getting the syllabic count correct).
I had two glasses of it the first night (for scientific reasons of course) and have subsequently bought another three bottles. For me the bottom line, is: Its tasty and drinkable. It’s a good drinking wine, pleasant; upfront what you see is what you get. Is it exotic? No. But it has a place in our limited wine fridge and is fantastic with tenderloin. Buy it and drink it proudly. This one doesn’t aspire to be anything its not, and certainly calls me back for a second or third glass.
An Intro...of sorts
We decided to start Wine – Two Ways to share our love affair with wine, and to document the adventure that comes with exploring the endless varietals, wineries and wines that seem to be available these days.
What you won't get here are reviews using the traditional 100 point review system or long-winded posts detailing the intimate (and in some cases overly obtuse) descriptions of the nose (was that a cloying hint of blackberry I detected?) trying to list as many fruits as possible to describe it. That, my friends, has been covered exceptionally well by folks much better at it than we are.
What you will get is the experience of the wine (well, our experience anyway), the thoughts that it brings to mind, and a description of taste and scent from our point of view. Wine doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s served in a room, consumed by people, and shared with others. All of these things can serve to color or flavor an experience, and that entirety of experience, is what we are hoping to capture.
Jonathan and Kerri
What you won't get here are reviews using the traditional 100 point review system or long-winded posts detailing the intimate (and in some cases overly obtuse) descriptions of the nose (was that a cloying hint of blackberry I detected?) trying to list as many fruits as possible to describe it. That, my friends, has been covered exceptionally well by folks much better at it than we are.
What you will get is the experience of the wine (well, our experience anyway), the thoughts that it brings to mind, and a description of taste and scent from our point of view. Wine doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it’s served in a room, consumed by people, and shared with others. All of these things can serve to color or flavor an experience, and that entirety of experience, is what we are hoping to capture.
Jonathan and Kerri
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