Tag Archives: Merlot

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

A $12 Sicilian Red With Some Attitude

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Here’s an inexpensive, widely-available wine that hits the sweet spot for my palate:

It’s worth noting that I found the 2006 a few weeks after tasting this 2007 and didn’t like it nearly as much. Look for the 2007.

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Image credit: Illuminaut via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/illuminaut/3996050349

An offering to the SEO gods: PLANETA La Segreta Rosso 2007 IGT Sicilia | This wine says f*ck you to bullshit $12 fruit punch wines from the New World. | Red berries, spicebox, dry leaves, earth, leather, badassitude | B+

Price: 16-20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Cleavage Creek Trio

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I am long overdue to review these wines from Cleavage Creek, kindly provided as samples by the winery. I had been waiting to do some sort of tie-in with Breast Cancer Awareness Month or something like that (Cleavage Creek donates 10% of gross sales to various breast cancer research organizations.) When I heard the awful news last month that the winery’s owner Budge Brown had died in a plane crash, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. Rest in Peace, Budge.

Note: each of these wines is priced at $18, though I received them as press samples from the winery.

Cleavage Creek Tracy Hills Merlot-Shiraz 2007

Tasting notes: Though it’s labeled “Merlot-Shiraz” it’s more Shiraz (67%) than Merlot (33%). Using the Aussie name for Syrah, tips you off to the style. Very dark in the glass. The nose is fruit-forward and fumey. A little something sour or pickley in there, too. On the palate, the wine delivers loads of sweet (almost pruney), fruit but wrapped in a smooth texture that I think many will like. It’s big and full-bodied, reminding me of Zins with punny names like Zinsanity or Livin’ in Zin. There is a note in the background, perhaps a faint Syrah-ian peppery prickle, that keeps it from total mayhem. Finishes cleaner than you’d expect; despite its’ fruitbombiness, I’m left wanting another sip. C+

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Cleavage Creek Tracy Hills Secret Red 2007

Tasting notes: The website says it’s 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Shiraz, leaving 15% unknown (that’s the Secret, I guess). On the nose, it starts out more subtle with the fruit than the Merlot-Shiraz, but by day two has opened up considerably with a heady red & black fruit aroma. I also get a bit of the pickled note I got on the Merlot-Shiraz. On the palate, it’s certainly fruit-forward with big cherry/berry flavors, but a cranberry tartness keep things in check. Finishes clean. My favorite of the three. B-

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Cleavage Creek Tracy Hills Chardonnay 2008

Tasting notes: A pretty appley/melony nose, half-buried by oak. On the palate, the oak dominates the faint melon & honey flavors. Waxy-textured, it could use more acid. Kinda what I expect from a new world Chardonnay. The nose makes me wonder what might have been if they’d dialed back the oak and let the fruit shine. C

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Overall, these are well-made fruit-forward wines. Not the style I’m into these days, but plenty of people will like these. And you can’t beat the cause.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Price: 16-20 bucks, Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

#ChileBlends Tasting

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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.

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #17: Carro Tinto 2008

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This wine always catches my eye on the shelf, with it’s orange label and simple design. I’ve had past vintages and like it pretty well, so let’s see what’s up with the 2008.

Carro Tinto 2008

Producer: Bodega Señorio de Barahonda. They put out 10 or 12 different bottlings of Monastrell or Monastrell blends under the Barahonda, Carro and Bellum labels, including two previous Mourvèdre Monday wines: the Barahonda Monastrell 2006 (B-) and the Nabuko 2007 (B). Based on past results, I’ll taste as many of their wines as I can find.

Grapes: 50% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, 20% Tempranillo and 10% Merlot

Appellation: Yecla, (D.O., Spain)

Vineyards: From high-altitude vineyards (2339 feet) with rocky limestone soils.

Winemaking: no oak

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $9 or $10, usually

My tasting notes: Dusty blue and black fruit on the nose with significant earthiness, minerality and barnyard funk. On the palate, the funk goes on and on, with a strong meaty/animal aspect that brings to mind that episode of Man vs. Wild when Bear Grylls snacks on a dead Zebra (I mean that in the best possible way). There are some nice smoke and pepper/spice notes.  The fruit is there, too — blackberry & plum — but it’s not playing the starring role. The wine finishes very dry with a pronounced iron/mineral character that I’m enjoying.

Overall impression: Old World fans will find a lot to like here, while I suspect New World-ers may fear the funk. Give it a good bit of air for best results. I like what it brings to the table for $10. And, while only 50% Monastrell/Mourvèdre, it delivers a lot of that grape’s character, for my palate. B/B-

Update 6/08/2010: This review was written after one evening with the bottle. The next day, I finished the other half of the bottle and it was drinking beautifully on day two. So I’m bumping it to a full B.

Free Association:

More info:

88 points Parker (Jay Miller) and 87 points IWC.

Other blogger reviews: Bottle a Day, Wine Reviews You Can Understand and Wine-Smith

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Valley of the Moon Cuvée de la Luna 2006

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Producer: Valley of the Moon Winery

Grapes: This is their Bordeaux-style blend, which they call Cuvée de la Luna. 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Appellation: Sonoma County AVA

Vineyards: Various lots were sourced from Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Mountain and other area in the county.

Vintage: 2006

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation, then 24 months is a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: About $30 at winery’s website, but easy to find at $20 elsewhere online. (I got it as a gift from a friend.)

My tasting notes: For the first hour or two this wine seemed to actively resist observation, like a Stealth bomber or something. Eventually it opened up and started making an impression. Dusty/ashy dried cherry and fig on the nose. Nice smooth texture in the mouth with more fig and currant flavors with a bit of mocha and a modest minerality. The tannins are dry and a bit stemmy.

Overall impression: First impression was that this was a dud, but once it opened up I liked the not-so-exuberant flavor profile. I’d definitely drink it again; I’d just decant it first next time. B-

Free association:

More info:

3492 cases produced.

Tasting Notes

Cork’d Tasting with Gary V in Austin

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GV_at_CorkdATX
Thanks to @SummerH for the photo above

Gary Vaynerchuk made a stop in Austin recently on his book tour for Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. In addition to the three book signings he did around town that day, he and Lindsay Ronga organized a Cork’d tasting that night. (Cork’d is the wine social networking site GV bought in 2007; Lindsay is the CEO). I was fortunate enough to get an invite (thanks, Addie!) and had a great time. I thought I’d share a bit about it.

Gary is unpretentious about wine. And this was not a pretentious wine tasting. Firstly, it was held in the conference room of a local tech firm. Secondly, the wine geeks seemed to be in the minority. Thirdly, we were drinking from plastic cups.

As this was a Cork’d event, the idea was for everyone to post their notes to the site “live” as we were tasting them. It was a diverse crowd and a diverse range of opinions and scores were collected (every wine received scores as low as mid-70s and as high as low-90s). Below are the wines we tasted and my comments.

Terlato Family Pinot Noir 2007 Russian River Valley

For me this was easily the best wine of the night. My notes were:  Nice cherry, meaty and herbal nose. The fruit gets darker on the palate, but very clean and pure. Very smooth and silky on the front then tightens up on the back. This is a lip-smacking, delicious pinot. Would be a great food wine. I scored it a 90 (Cork’d requires a score on the 100-pt scale).

Rutherford Hill Merlot 2005 Napa Valley

My notes: The color is a bit light. The nose is juicy, “purple-y” and stemmy/green. On the palate, the red fruit comes across a bit fake to me, and thin. Rustic tannins. Feels like I drank some sediment. Buttery oak. A little stemmy. A nice mineral note in there. Dry finish. Kinda of an awkward wine for me. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t seek it out again. Score: 85

Mont Tauch Reserve Fitou 2006

My notes: I like this nose – jammy for a French wine. On the palate, it feels light and tannic at the same time. I’m having trouble pegging this one. Fruit seems a bit tight one moment, then bright the next. I’d like to try this again when I can have a more leisurely glass or two. Score: 86

Lamborn Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2004/2005/2006 Howell Mountain

This wasn’t a vertical. Rather, there was not enough of any one of these to go around, so everyone got poured 1 of the 3. I got the 2006. My notes: Good dark color. A dark, brooding, smoky nose. On the palate its got jammy fruit flavors. Feels sticky in the mouth, like a chewy candy. Very dry. Finishes hot. The nose appealed to me, but the palate… not so much. I’d like to try it again with a few more years of bottle age. (Score reflects how it’s drinking for my palate tonight.) Score: 86

Flat Creek Super Texan 2006 Texas Hill Country

This one was meant to be a surprise blind tasting for Gary, while the rest of the crowd was told what it was. There were some loose lips from one or two people who didn’t quite realize what was going on so Gary probably heard something. It’s a wine I’ve liked in the past and I was kind of excited to see how he would like it. He panned it. I found it to be light but tasty. My notes: Color has an orange cast. Nose has appealing dried fruit character. Nice mouthfeel. Silky red fruit. Long finish. Score: 89  (probably generous in retrospect)

You can see the list at Cork’d and click each wine to see everyone’s notes.

All in all, it was a great night. No blockbuster wines for me, but some nice (& pricey) bottles I wouldn’t normally try (and did I mention it was free!). It was fun to see so many tasting notes on the same wine from the same tasting.

Plus I got to meet some good people: @ronga, @baconator, @personalwine, @amberdemure, @SummerH, @smartdonkey, @wesley83. And Gary…

Yes my teeth are purple. Yes that's Randall Grahm on my shirt.
Yes, my teeth are purple. Yes, that's Randall Grahm on my shirt.
Thanks to @baconator for the photo above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/my-misc-pics/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
More event photos from @SummerH and @baconator.

Update: I realized I published this without really saying much about Gary. In person, he’s pretty much exactly like he is on camera only dialed down a notch. Or maybe that was the fact that it was his 4th stop of the day in the middle of his book tour. Either way he’s unfailingly friendly, taking the time to go around the room and shake every one’s hand individually and chatting them up. As for the wine, he liked the Terlato, Lamborn (he had the 2004) and Rutherford Hill wines, was ho-hum on the Mont Tauch and panned the Flat Creek (as I mentioned above). Thanks, Gary, for putting on this event! Hope to see you again the next time you come through Austin.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Foppiano Merlot 2004 Russian River Valley

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I was in Spec’s the other day with no real direction to my shopping, just browsing around. I saw the Merlot section and thought “why not?”  I rarely buy Merlot, but I was feeling a bit guilty for not being more open-minded. I saw this bottle with a healthy dollop of Cabernet Franc (and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon) and from Russian River Valley, which has a generally cooler climate than many places Merlot is grown in California and is known for Pinot Noir and elegant Zinfandels. I’ve visited the Russian River Valley 2 or 3 times and I’ve had Foppiano on my list of places to stop because of their reputation for Petite Sirah, but I never managed to make it there. So I thought I’d give this bottle a shot. Let’s check it out.

FoppianoMerlot04_labelProducer: Foppiano

Grapes: 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation: Russian River Valley AVA (California)

Vineyards: Estate vineyards on benchland.

Winemaking/aging: no info

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $12

My tasting notes: This wine offers dusty red & black fruit on the nose with some green vegetal notes from the Cabernet Franc. On the palate, it’s all cherries and a bit of vanilla. Finishes very dry.

Overall impression: The Cab and Cab Franc provide some backbone to this pleasant, but unexciting Merlot. It’s fine but not something I’d seek out again (though I still want to try some of the Petite Sirah). C

Free association:

YawningSign

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbadly/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0


More info:

Wine Enthusiast scored this wine an 83.

Wannabe Wino mentions this bottle in a report on her visit to the winery.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Rubizzo Sangiovese di Toscana 2007

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Rubizzo_SangDiToscana2007Picked this up on a whim at the grocery store for a spaghetti and meat sauce dinner.

Producer: Rocca delle Macie  (pronounced ROH-kah DELL-eh mah-CHEE-ah)

Grapes: 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot

Appellation: Sangiovese di Toscana (IGT)

Vineyards: estate vineyards

Aging: unknown

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $13

My tasting notes:  The first whiff bursts with juicy cherry aromas followed by some leathery notes. Subsequent sniffs don’t elicit the same bright fruit…I start to get more dried flowers with the fruit in the background. (We have this bunch of roses that I gave to my wife at least a decade ago and she dried and kept — the smell of those dried roses is what comes to mind.) On the palate, the cherry notes remain, though now a bit darker and mixed with spices. Makes me think of a Persian dish of rice and cherries that I’ve had a few times. There is also a iron/graphite minerality to this. Finishes very dry.

Assessment/score: As I write this, I feel like it’s sounding better than it actually tastes. Not that I’m not enjoying it…it’s a solid bottle. I like it just fine. But I don’t “like it like it”, as we used to say in the 6th grade. B-/C+

Free association: Tropic Thunder – On paper I should have liked this movie more than I did. Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. … all actors I like. And funny previews. But at the end of the day, it didn’t add up to a memorable movie.

200px-Tropic_thunder_ver3

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Chateau Liversan Haut-Medoc 2005

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Chateau Liversan

Producer:  Chateau Liversan (Domaines Lapalu)

Grapes:  50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc (that is according to the label; I find different %s in different places online)

Appellation:  Haut-Medoc (AOC), France

Vineyard:  96 acres; gravel limestone on a chalk subsoil acts

Aging: 12 months in oak

Alcohol:  14%

Production:  20,830 cases

Price:  I believe I paid around $15 at Costco.

Tasting Notes:  Nice dark color. Nose starts off pretty tight. With time I pick up some blueberry, whiskey barrel and a definite lotion-y smell. (Not some fancy herb-infused botanical beeswax aromatherapeutic stuff, but basic Curel or something.)  On the palate, it’s a little thin and angular for me. The tannins attack my tongue, almost sealing off my taste buds to prevent them from tasting any fruit that might be hiding in there.  I pick up very little else; maybe some cranberry and some graphite. Finishes very dry.

Assessment/Score: Hmm. The nose is pretty cool once it opens up, but it’s just tight tight tight in the mouth. Definitely not “delicious”, but seems like it would do better with more time in bottle. For drinking right now, I have to go with C+.

Free association:

Dry Mouth (by flea.ef via Flickr)
Dry Mouth (by flea.ef via Flickr)

Wine Spectator (85 points): Mineral, blackberry and licorice aromas follow through to a medium body, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit simple on the palate, but pleasant. Best after 2010.

Lots of other tasting notes at Cellar Tracker.