This week I was going to try three different reds from varietals that are seen less. That plan didn't quite work out, but I was pretty happy with all the wines that I tasted.
2009 Eugenio Bocchino "Roccabella" Nebbiolo de Langhe 14% abv
c- dusty red
a- violet, tar, animalistic, very perfumy and aromatic but a little restrained.
f- deep long finish, medium mouthfeel. very tannic. nice acidity. nuanced, subtle, earthy. violets and tar. good now but could use some time.
90 now with bottle age I could see this in the 92-94 range.
2006 Odfjell Orzada Carignane Cauquenes, Chile 13.5% abv
c- dark black purple, lighter edges.
a- motor oil (also described as the smell of the plate on the back of a semi cab- the smell of grease, dirt, and metal rubbed together), alcohol, dark fruit, oak.
f- funky (as in off the beaten path). dark fruit, oak, nice adicity. a little alcoholic? full bodied, medium to long finish. I decanted this to get it off the sediment and then poured it back into the bottle for storage. the oak became much more integrated with some air time, day two onwards. would recommend a decant.
88-89.
2004 Marques de Caceres Rioja Reserva 13.5% abv
c- maroon to lighter pink edges.
a- tart cherries, vanilla, earthiness, animal.
f- medium body, long finish. more earth with less fruit. cherry, tobacco, berries, espresso.
89-90. I think this is the first Rioja I had and YUM!
I was happy to break a seemingly long streak without tasting any really great wines. I think all of the wines I tasted this week would be worth buying by the case to keep around for the future. I could see the Carignane being a little off putting to some as well as hard to pair with food, but as I have said before, it was interesting. And the best part is that all of these wines can be had for 20 or less dollars!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Zinfandel/Primitivo tasting and comparison.
I am the first to admit that Zinfandels aren't really my thing. If left to my own devices, I would probably not buy many or any at all, but in the name of science and education, I tasted four different wines over the past two weeks.
The thing I don't really like is the big and brash personality- often accompanied by prodigous amounts of alcohol. The lowest percentage abv of the wines I tried this time around was 14. They seem to be hard to pair with food, at least what I have been eating. I imagine they would work best with something simple like grilled steak.
But I do like the earthy, woodsy, mushroomy flavors and aromas I found in these bottles. That is certainly something I would go back for. I have liked the more expensive and refined and sometimes aged zins that I have had the opportunity to try from producers such as Turley and Ridge. I rated Orin Swifts' The Prisoner (primarily based on zin) at 92 points. Maybe I do like them after all?
2007 Felline Primitivo di Manduria 14% abv
c- dark concentrated purple, light bricking at edges.
a- alcohol, acid, dark baked fruits, stewed plum.
f- dark stewed fruits, medium plus body. not horrible, but disappointing for the price.
83
Rosenblum Cellars Cuvee XXXIII Zinfandel 14.5% abv
c- magenta but not very concentrated color.
a- acid, oak, smells pinotish?
f- lighter, brambly woodsiness, mushroomy, spicy, hot. Ok and got better with some time- definitely better on the second day.
85
2007 Bogle "Phantom" 14.5% abv- This is actually majority petite sirah, with 44% zin.
c- deep concentrated purple
a- oak, alcohol, berry
f- oaky, vanilla, wood. some of that brambly woodsiness. off balance and incredibly oaky. decanted on the second day and it helped a little, but not much.
82. Funny if you google "2007 bogle phantom" one of the first things that comes up is someone elses blog who states that they would recommend this to people who like The Prisoner because it is half the price and still hits on most of the same cylinders. I couldn't disagree more. The Prisoner has refinement, class, and much more to it than oak!
2009 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 15% abv.
c- dark but clear purple.
a- berry, woodsy, mushroom, alcohol.
f- really confirms the aroma with a touch of oak. a bit hot, but seems much more in balance than the Bogle. Medium plus body with a medium plus finish.
88
Overall a fun experiment. I would buy again and recommend the Rosenblum and Cline. Both were pretty tasty and represent good values. The primitivo was fun to try, but a disappointment for the price. The Bogle was my least favorite. I wish I had skipped that and tried Orin Swifts' Saldo instead. Maybe next time.
On a side note, my wine 'cellar' has now grown to over 100 bottles and is valued at roughly 5300. The oldest and also most expensive bottle I have is a 1989 Trimbach Clos Ste Hune Vendanges Tardive. The youngest bottles that I have and plan on keeping for a little bit are 8 2009 A. et P. de Villaine Cote Chalonnaise 'Les Clous'.
Around 30% of my cellar is Chardonnay, with 22% Pinot Noir, 17% Riesling, and 13% Syrah/Shiraz, however, it is 52% red and 48% white overall. The region most represented by far is Burgundy, with 56 bottles or 51%, with the Rhone being second with 17 bottles or 15%.
The thing I don't really like is the big and brash personality- often accompanied by prodigous amounts of alcohol. The lowest percentage abv of the wines I tried this time around was 14. They seem to be hard to pair with food, at least what I have been eating. I imagine they would work best with something simple like grilled steak.
But I do like the earthy, woodsy, mushroomy flavors and aromas I found in these bottles. That is certainly something I would go back for. I have liked the more expensive and refined and sometimes aged zins that I have had the opportunity to try from producers such as Turley and Ridge. I rated Orin Swifts' The Prisoner (primarily based on zin) at 92 points. Maybe I do like them after all?
2007 Felline Primitivo di Manduria 14% abv
c- dark concentrated purple, light bricking at edges.
a- alcohol, acid, dark baked fruits, stewed plum.
f- dark stewed fruits, medium plus body. not horrible, but disappointing for the price.
83
Rosenblum Cellars Cuvee XXXIII Zinfandel 14.5% abv
c- magenta but not very concentrated color.
a- acid, oak, smells pinotish?
f- lighter, brambly woodsiness, mushroomy, spicy, hot. Ok and got better with some time- definitely better on the second day.
85
2007 Bogle "Phantom" 14.5% abv- This is actually majority petite sirah, with 44% zin.
c- deep concentrated purple
a- oak, alcohol, berry
f- oaky, vanilla, wood. some of that brambly woodsiness. off balance and incredibly oaky. decanted on the second day and it helped a little, but not much.
82. Funny if you google "2007 bogle phantom" one of the first things that comes up is someone elses blog who states that they would recommend this to people who like The Prisoner because it is half the price and still hits on most of the same cylinders. I couldn't disagree more. The Prisoner has refinement, class, and much more to it than oak!
2009 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 15% abv.
c- dark but clear purple.
a- berry, woodsy, mushroom, alcohol.
f- really confirms the aroma with a touch of oak. a bit hot, but seems much more in balance than the Bogle. Medium plus body with a medium plus finish.
88
Overall a fun experiment. I would buy again and recommend the Rosenblum and Cline. Both were pretty tasty and represent good values. The primitivo was fun to try, but a disappointment for the price. The Bogle was my least favorite. I wish I had skipped that and tried Orin Swifts' Saldo instead. Maybe next time.
On a side note, my wine 'cellar' has now grown to over 100 bottles and is valued at roughly 5300. The oldest and also most expensive bottle I have is a 1989 Trimbach Clos Ste Hune Vendanges Tardive. The youngest bottles that I have and plan on keeping for a little bit are 8 2009 A. et P. de Villaine Cote Chalonnaise 'Les Clous'.
Around 30% of my cellar is Chardonnay, with 22% Pinot Noir, 17% Riesling, and 13% Syrah/Shiraz, however, it is 52% red and 48% white overall. The region most represented by far is Burgundy, with 56 bottles or 51%, with the Rhone being second with 17 bottles or 15%.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Pinot Gris/Grigio tasting and comparison.
Last week I was hankerin' for some whites, so I decided to taste a few Pinot Gris/Grigios. My experience with this varietal (besides in reading) is limited to the two selections we have at my work, so it seemed like a good idea...
2006 Hugel Pinot Gris "Classic" 12.5% abv
c- light gold, hints of green
a- minerality, slate, white flowers, spicy
f- acidity (I actually wrote 'boom!'), mineral, touch of honey. crisp. medium mouth feel, between a short and medium finish. floral.
89
2009 Bollini Pinot Grigio Trentino 13% abv
c- yellow gold
a-musky, white flowers, acid
f- lemon, snappy, acid. light mouth, short finish. very drinkable but doesn't stand out to me like the Hugel.
85
2009 Handley Pinot Gris Anderson Valley 14.2% abv
c- gold
a- apple
f- acidity, honey. short finish, light mouth. alcoholic and flabby. not much there.
84-
There is a clear winner here again- Hugel. I think this was again around the most expensive bottle, but the Pinot Grigio was close if I remember correctly. I would buy the Hugel again, and also the Bollini but probably only as a summer refresher. I was disappointed with Handley. I have really liked most of their wines I have tried, but as you can tell from my notes, I didn't find much there to say about it. Oh well.
Next week: Zinfandels!
2006 Hugel Pinot Gris "Classic" 12.5% abv
c- light gold, hints of green
a- minerality, slate, white flowers, spicy
f- acidity (I actually wrote 'boom!'), mineral, touch of honey. crisp. medium mouth feel, between a short and medium finish. floral.
89
2009 Bollini Pinot Grigio Trentino 13% abv
c- yellow gold
a-musky, white flowers, acid
f- lemon, snappy, acid. light mouth, short finish. very drinkable but doesn't stand out to me like the Hugel.
85
2009 Handley Pinot Gris Anderson Valley 14.2% abv
c- gold
a- apple
f- acidity, honey. short finish, light mouth. alcoholic and flabby. not much there.
84-
There is a clear winner here again- Hugel. I think this was again around the most expensive bottle, but the Pinot Grigio was close if I remember correctly. I would buy the Hugel again, and also the Bollini but probably only as a summer refresher. I was disappointed with Handley. I have really liked most of their wines I have tried, but as you can tell from my notes, I didn't find much there to say about it. Oh well.
Next week: Zinfandels!
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