First Mourvèdre Monday in the new format!!
Image credit: Alaskan Dude via Flickr
I’ve tried 3-4 of the wines in this lineup over the past year or two and this is first one that has really grabbed my attention.
Price: around $17
Category Archives: Tasting Notes
Finca el Origen Malbec Reserva 2008
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The photo above is of the BBQ pit at Smitty’s in Lockhart, Texas, one of my absolute favorite BBQ joints. This fire sits practically in the middle of the hallway as you enter and the smell in this little room is heavenly. Put this place on your bucket list.
Image credit: jstorer via Flickr
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Tasting notes: Practically glowing red at the rim. Bright berries and plum on the nose, with a heavy aroma of wood smoke and ash, like in an old-school Texas BBQ joint. The wine is a bit simplistic on the palate, with spice-sprinkled red fruit. Medium-bodied, with dry tannins and a very satisfying sense of earth and stone on the finish.
Overall impression: At $10, this is VERY solid. B
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CORRECTION: The country of origin was originally mislabeled as Chile. It has been corrected to Argentina.
M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut ‘Occultum Lapidem’ 2007
Price: Around $25
Image link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dobrych/4552132976/
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I’m experimenting with this new review format. I thought it would be cool to take the free association image I would typically insert in a post and give it more impact by making it the primary feature, with the text for bottle info (just the basics) and my tasting notes layered on top. I’m digging it, but let me know what you think.
Cheers!
Jim
Wine Guerrilla Forchini Vineyard DCV Zin 2008
“Rising from the Sonoma terroir like the weathered fists of century-old men, these 100+ year old vines have seen history.” [from the winery’s website]
Producer: Wine Guerrilla
Grapes: A field blend (yay!) of around 95% Zin and the rest a mix of Carignan, Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet.
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley (AVA, California)
Vineyard: Forchini Vineyard
Vintage: 2008
Winemaking: No info on the website, so let’s make shit up: The grapes were press by the feet of Swedish supermodels and the juice was then filtered through the Shroud of Turin.
Price: $30
Tasting notes: A big rich, spicy noseful of dark fruit. Also (and I know how pretentious this sounds), there’s something that reminds me the smell after a rainfall. Definitely can smell the 15.7%. The heat’s there on the palate as well, distracting from the dark berry flavors.
Overall impression: This one is too hot (and a little one note) for me. C+
Free association:
“Imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists.” – Charlie Sheen
Image credit: ~Zeigler
More info:
This bottle was provided as a press sample from the winery.
Wine Enthusiast rated this wine an 84, noting the excessive heat.
#ChileBlends Tasting
Way back in October, Wines of Chile held a twitter tasting of red blends from Chile (hashtag: #ChileBlends). I had signed up for the tasting and received the wine, but a family emergency kept me from being able to participate on the night of the event. That also coincided with this blog going into a coma for several months. But I tasted the wines and made my notes and am finally posting my comments.
Chile made it’s mark on the US wine scene via inexpensive varietal wines, mainly cabernet, merlot and chardonnay back in the mid-1990s. While I knew things had moved on from that, I figured most of these blends would stay in the Bordeaux mold, with various combinations of cab, merlot, carmenere, and a bit of cab franc and petite verdot here and there. So I was pleasantly surprised by the range of grapes and some unusual combinations. Syrah is a trendy grape in Chile these days and a few of these add that Rhone grape to the Bordeaux blends. A couple include mourvèdre, my favorite grape. One makes use of old-vines, dry-farmed carignan, a hidden treasure of Chile’s. One even mixes syrah, merlot and pinot noir (though this was my least favorite of the lineup).
Below are my notes and free associations. They are in order from my favorite (bonus: it’s also the least expensive) to my least favorite. (Interestingly, my least favorite bottles all had a preponderance of Syrah.)
Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere 2008 Colchagua Valley ($15)
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere
A beautiful dark fruit nose, with just-right green/herbal notes. The palate has an iron minerality at the core, draped with black cherry and blackberry flavors, ripe tannins and a touch of creamy caramel. It finishes clean and minty. This wine has a take-another-sip quality that’s singing to me. It’s just plain delicious and a great value at $15. A-
Free association:
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Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol 2008 Colchagua Valley ($23)
31% Syrah,29% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Carmenere
At first taste, I thought “This is the one I’m not gonna like.” But it started to appeal to me with time; kinda like Cougartown. The nose is like walking around the Christmas tree tent picking out your overpriced Douglas fir — including the whiffs of cigarette smoke from the carnie working there. A little mint too. Dry and tannic in the mouth with a tight core of sultry black fruit (it is a 2008) and tobacco. A wine worth spending an evening with. B+
Free association:
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Valdivieso Eclat 2005 Maule Valley ($27)
56% Carignan, 24% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah
There is a wildness to the smoky cherry nose with it’s green/vegetal notes and leather. On the palate it is medium-bodied and smooth-textured, with chocolate and black cherry flavors. Finishes cool. Nice wine. B
Free association:
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Estampa Gold Assemblage Carmenere 2008 Colchagua Valley ($22)
57% Carmenere, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot
Pretty herbal and sandalwood notes highlight the fresh red fruit on the nose. The palate’s plummy/blueberry flavors feel controlled and precise, not overblown. A dry, woody, tannic finish. B
Free association:
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Emiliana Coyam 2007 Colchagua Valley ($29)
38% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 17% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Mourvèdre
Dynamite nose of berries and a touch of cocoa/chocolate on a frame of crushed rock. On the palate, the dark berry fruit is a bit reserved behind the prominent woodiness. It’s nicely smooth-textured at the beginning then turns a bit coarse, with barky/woody tannins and a minty finish. The palate doesn’t pay off the promise of the nose, but a pleasant bottle. B-
Free association:
Image credit: seaan via Flickr
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Maquis Lien 2006 Colchagua Valley ($19)
42% Syrah, 30% Carmenere, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec
Interesting nose of modest red fruit with fresh green pepper (more the white inner stuff than the green outside) and a metal and slightly saline quality. On the palate, the initial blueberry fruit is polished, but the wine tightens up and gets quite woody and grippy. It finishes with some black pepper spice (though a touch hot). The wine improves after a few hours open, but overall it’s not a favorite. B-/C+
Free association:
Image via Accidental Mysteries
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Casa del Bosque Gran Estate Selection Private Reserve 2007 Casablanca Valley ($50)
61% Syrah, 26% Merlot, 13% Pinot Noir
As the last wine in the lineup, and the most expensive, I had high hopes. (I should know better about price/quality expectations, but it’s a hard bias to shake.) The wine is dense & figgy, but I found the fruit to come across as “overcooked” and it finishes hot (despite only 14.4% on the label). It feels like there is some interesting complexity hiding in there, but it’s been stamped out. C+
Free association:
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Additional Notes:
I misplaced my notes on the De Martino Single Vineyard Old Bush Vines “Las Cruces” 2006 Cachapoal Valley ($45), 66% Malbec, 34% Carmenere, which was also a part of this tasting. My apologies to the good folks at Wines of Chile. I suck.
Other blogger posts on this tasting at drinknectar , cheapwineratings and 1winedude.
Bonny Doon Syrah “Le Pousseur” 2007
I’ll admit to having a geekcrush on Randall Grahm, president-for-life of Bonny Doon Vineyard. So take my opinion on his wines with a grain of salt. You can geekcrush on him, too, here and here and here and here and here.
FYI: “Le Pousseur” translates to “the pusher”.
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Producer: Bonny Doon Vineyard
Grapes: 100% Syrah
Appellation: Central Coast
Vineyards: Sourced from multiple growers. Hand-harvested.
Vintage: 2007
Winemaking: French oak barrels (duration unknown). Untoasted oak chips also used.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $18.00 (currently $15.30 from the winery website)
Tasting notes: Gamey, peppery, floral accents grace the dark fruit on the nose. I could sniff this all night. Full and rich on the palate without being sappy. Black fruit flavors, with meaty notes, earth and more pepper. It’s got a cool-mint finish with some tannic grip.
Overall impression: This wine’s no swag. It had me from first sniff. I’m buying what Randall’s pushing. B+
Free association:
The visual symmetry between the figure in the label and this image of Eric Stoltz’s drug dealer (le pousseur, bien sur) character in Pulp Fiction makes me unaccountably happy.
More info:
CellarTracker average: 86.8 points
New World Albariño
I haven’t experienced a lot of New World albariño, so I thought it’d give this one a try when I spied it at Costco. I’m glad I did.
tangent Albariño 2008 Edna Valley
Producer: tangent (they seem to prefer the lowercase t). They’re an intriguing producer focused on white varietal wines other than Chardonnay. Their lineup includes albariño, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, pinot blanc, viognier and grenache blanc (and a blended bottling they call Ecclestone).
Grapes: Albarino (presumably 100%, though not certain from the website)
Appellation: Edna Valley (AVA, California). The Edna Valley sits very near the ocean and runs east-west, which makes it one of the coolest, most marine air-influenced wine regions in California.
Vineyards: From tangent’s estate Paragon vineyard, which has earned the SIP™ (Sustainability In Practice) certification.
Winemaking: No oak and no malolactic fermentation
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $17 at Costco
Tasting notes: The nose is briny yet floral, with bright, full orangey citrus notes. (On day two, I swear I’m catching a hint of pumpkin, but maybe I’m just flashing back to Halloween pumpkin carving.) The palate is leaner and mineral-laden, with terrific acid.
Overall impression: A pretty wine, with serious backbone. B/B+
Free association:
Mourvèdre Monday #24: Castaño Hecula 2005
Back to Spain for Mourvèdre Monday. This one’s from Bodegas Castaño, one of the biggest producers of Monastrell in Yecla, in southeastern Spain. This wine got 90+ points from Parker for 5 straight vintages, including this one. Let’s see what’s up.
Producer: Bodegas Castaño
Grapes: 100% Monastrell
Appellation: Yecla
Vineyards: From 30+ year old vines in two vineyards: Las Gruesas and Pozuelo. Both with soils of sand, clay and limestone.
Vintage: 2005
Winemaking: 6 months of aging. It’s not clear from tech sheet in what vessel, but I would guess tank or neutral oak.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: Around $12
Tasting notes: Dusty fruit on the nose playing second fiddle to dried flowers and a sweaty, meaty aroma. I catch a fleeting licorice note as well. On the palate there are rich blackberry and red fruit flavors with an interesting mossy background note. Finishes short and dry with a little heat.
Overall impression: Some intriguing elements that don’t quite come together into a harmonious whole as well as I would like. Still an nice bottle that I enjoyed spending the evening with. And a nice value at around $12. B
Free association:
More info:
90 points from Parker and Tanzer. Parker gave this wine 90 or 91 points in vintages 2002-2006.
Jeff over at Viva La Wino reviewed this one last year and loved it.
Mourvèdre Monday #23: Becker Vineyards Prairie Rotie 2007
Mourvèdre Monday finally makes it to Texas. Becker is a big name in the Texas wine scene. I’ve tried quite a few of their wines over the years with mixed results. I had high hopes for their “Prairie Rotie” — a Southern Rhône blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan (though the name is a play on Côte Rôtie, which is a Northern Rhône appellation where the wines are either all Syrah or Syrah + Viognier). Let’s check it out.
Producer: Becker Vineyards,whose winery and tasting room are in the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg
Grapes: 68% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 6% Carignan
Appellation: Texas High Plains AVA – way up in the panhandle
Vineyard: Martin Vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Winemaking: This wine spent 9 months in new American oak barrels.
Alcohol: 13.8%
Price: $16.95 on Becker’s website, but I believe I paid about a few dollars less at HEB (supermarket).
Tasting notes: This wine smells purple, grapey. Or like some imaginary Kool-aid flavor called Sparkleberry. Some sweet oak coming through pretty strong as well. Extracted, overripe berry fruit on the palate, coming across a little raw. The winery’s description promisingly mentions forest floor and herbs and coffee, but I didn’t pick up any of that in the wine. I grew bored of this very quickly.
Overall impression: A Texas winery taking pains to make and market this as a Rhône-style wine set my expectations to a way different place. I hope Becker (and others) continue working with these grapes here in Texas, but this particular wine didn’t do much for me. C
Free association:
Oddball Wine of the Week: Niellucciu
When I saw “Niellucciu” named as the grape on the back label — which looks to me more like a Scrabble rack than any grape variety I’d ever hear of — I bought first and asked questions later. Back home, Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines — a must-own book in my opinion — revealed to me that Niellucciu is a Corsican grape that’s identical to Sangiovese. Well, okay, so not a new grape to me. But French Sangiovese and the unusual synonym qualifies it for Oddball Wine of the Week. Let’s check it out.
Clos Teddi 2006 Patrimonio
Producer: Clos Teddi
Grapes: 100% Niellucciu (Sangiovese) – hear it pronounced here
Appellation: Patrimonio (AOC, France) – the first AOC in Corsica
Vineyards: 25-35 year old vines in “granitique” sand in the Agriates desert. Farmed organically.
Vintage: 2006
Winemaking: 12 months in tank before bottling
Alcohol: 13%
Price: I paid $21.37 at Spec’s in Austin
Tasting notes: Starts with a stout Old World funk. Meaty. Savory. Sweaty. But with a very nice sweet strawberry note at the core. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with more red fruit flavors and a tannic, plum skin note. Dry finish.
Overall impression: I enjoyed this quite a bit. That strawberry note on the nose really made this one for me. If you see it, give it a try. B
Free association:
