New Hampshire Wine-man: July 2018

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Enzo Boglietti 2016 Barbera D'Alba (DOC)

Enzo Boglietti 2016 Barbera D'Alba (DOC), $15.99-$19.99, 91 points, poured broadly opaque terminating purple/red at the clear wine ring and glass bowl thickly lined with tinted legs.
The nose was widely purple grape-like with nuanced cocoa, juniper, dusty truffle, and a perfumed floral vibe.
This near full-bodied red wine is very busy, lively, and youthful; showing bright acidity and slightly astringent tannin, this food friendly Barbera delivered tart blue/black fruits trimmed with fennel and allspice.
Finished quite long on the trailing palate and a warm 14.5% alcohol energized pepper spiciness.
Paired well with our Mexican cuisine.

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Monday, July 30, 2018

Groth Oakville-Napa Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

Groth Oakville-Napa Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, $50.99-$69.99, 93 points, poured a core opaque ruby red with violet flashes and grading lighter and unrefined toward the broad meniscus and a glass bowl of stained drapes.
The nose showed a lovely bouquet of black currants, black olives, salivating savory, calm cocoa, and soft sandalwood.
Near full-bodied with good acidity and firm grainy ubiquitous tannins managed to deliver the bouquet onto the palate with developing tobacco and fig piquancy.
Finished quite long on escalating peppery spices, a hint of mint, red raspberry, and an appropriate 14.5% alcohol.
Righteously paired with our beefy cuisine.

Groth Vineyards, why it's a "go to" winery.
2014 California Cabernet Sauvignon wines tasted

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Sunday, July 29, 2018

Arca Nova 2017 Vinho Verde

Arca Nova 2017 Vinho Verde, $9.99-$11.99, 87 points, proved to be exactly as Portugal's slightly green, slightly effervescent, refreshing, and reasonably priced white wine tends to be.
The 2017 vintage (often a NV white wine), was a light brass color with green highlights showing a slight fizz.
Smelled of apples.
Light-bodied with good acidity, a touch of effervescence, flavors of tart quince and a hint of lime were indeed refreshing.
Finished on a soft palate landing, a hint of ginger, and an off-dry 10.5% alcohol.
Paired well with our native buttered corn on the cob and sautéed North Atlantic halibut.

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Saturday, July 28, 2018

Kim Crawford Marlborough 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

Kim Crawford Marlborough 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, $6.79-$9.99 (375ml), 87 points, was a light gold color.
Aromas of grass, yeast, and grapefruit were good.
Light-bodied with bright acidity delivered a restrained, for a NZ SB, flavor profile, but don't believe this 2017 KC was devoid of pink grapefruit, it wasn't, and along with kiwi, yeast (reminiscent of ale), and grass notes was quite delicious.
Finished on the trailing palate, a trace of ginger, and an easy 12% alcohol.
Paired fine with our North Atlantic Sea scallops.

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Friday, July 27, 2018

Mezzacorona Trentino 2017 Pinot Grigio (DOC)

Mezzacorona Trentino 2017 Pinot Grigio (DOC), $11.49-$13.49, 87 points, poured a medium gold color clearing at the glass edge.
Smells of green melon with a touch of lightly toasted sour dough bread were okay.
Light bodied with appropriate acidity managed to add to a stony minerality with enough fruitiness to pair well with my coast of Maine soft-shelled lobster.
Finished fair on the trailing palate, a hint of ginger, and well-balanced 12.5% alcohol.
I bought this PG at the Hannaford's Super Market of Bedford.

Italian Pinot Grigio Vendemmia (Vintage) 2017 Has Finally Begun To Trickle Into New Hampshire! Yea!

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Thursday, July 26, 2018

Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri "Sassicaia" 2013 DOC Toscana Bordeaux-styled Red Wine

Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri "Sassicaia" 2013 DOC Toscana Bordeaux-styled Red Wine, $144.49-$169.99, 97 points, poured a sunburst ruby red grading a bright garnet red toward the broad clear wine ring and glass bowl of stained glass draping.
A unique floral potpourri bouquet nuanced with cocoa, tanned leather, cedar, and ripe blackberry was exceptional.
The supple full body boasted good acidity and a firm supportive underlayment of tannin as a backdrop for finely fashioned flavors reflective of the bouquet and highlighting violets and damson plum.
Finished long on fading violets, red raspberry, and damson plum, transitioning to a crescendo of racy spicy seasonings and a spot-on 13.5% alcohol.
Varietals were 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.

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July 26, 2018 Marks Eight Years Of New Hampshire Wineman's Wine Blogging!

Eight Years, 3,000 Posts, and a Few Good Friends Later on a Rough Trail Experiencing Wines!

I still stop for one of my "go to" wines.
I'm always amazed at just how fast time flies; it seems like yesterday I began this sometimes blusterous business of blogging, but it has been a decidedly difficult and demanding discipline regardless of what some may assume (I've seen many come and go).
If you've been following me, my blundering beginnings began here at Newbie Me And Zin, but along the way more graceful people than I helped to prolong this sometimes and by 'all' (you know who you are) accounts less than honorable hobby.
Either way, I'm still here (three thousand posts later), still tasting and finding opportunities to engage others in the business of wine, proclaiming wine is for food, all wines are not created equal, and In Vino Veritas!
Ben, who along the way has been a favorite wine pal and inspiration, helped make this occasion so much fun!

Cheers!
Salute!
Skål!
à votre santé!
Jubel!
Aclamaciones
Živjeli
Στην υγειά σας

乾杯

Saluti

ура

Підбадьорює

Chúc mừng

건배

في صحتك

לחיים

Well, you get the picture!

Some reflections on eight years of wine blogging.
The New Hampshire Wineman blog is not designed to be a Wine Spectator type of resource, but a local, NH based advocate for friends and family, and if others outside of NH benefit from my relatively few reviews (approx. 3,000), then all-well-and good.
I have not solicited or facilitated advertisements, and my web host will not sponsor advertising for this blog (ad sense), but now that I'm retired I am open to the idea.
Though no wineries have seen enough value in this blog to inquire about advertising or have even offered me wines to review, and after eight years, not a single sponsor even seems interested, which is really no big deal, but curiously makes me wonder about winery’s promotional goals and marketing, especially when there are wineries I boast upon regularly and enthusiastically (their wines are good to great), but maybe their wines sell themselves! No matter!
As to scoring wines, and I have covered that often enough, but to recap, if a wine receives a score of 90 points or higher, that wine might just be worth purchasing for $20 or more; if a wine scores under 85 points, I won’t buy it again, unless extraordinary circumstances intercede; all others are ‘Merlots’ in the middle.
So, keeping scores helps me to remember to either buy a wine again or not. Can you remember how much you liked or paid for a particular wine you tasted years ago?
I know many people that have a favorite wine, and that’s all they buy year after year, and I have met many wine drinkers that are only interested in buying as inexpensive a wine as possible; that’s cool! The NHWM will not likely be of any interest or help to these stalwarts of predictability, but for the adventurer, we can challenge each other to get out of the proverbial box and taste a Petit Verdot or a Verdelho (pretty hard to find either of these wines here in NH).
The future of this blog? Who can tell, but steady as you go is the watchword.
I’m still finding photo-thieves out there, plagiarizers true to our corrupt culture, and difficulties with my blog-host, but for now, this hobby will continue as before, not particularly sophisticated, but hopefully helpful enough to benefit some ships in the night!

Index-of-reviewed-wines

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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Eroica (Chateau Ste Michelle-Dr. Loosen) 2015 Columbia Valley Riesling

Eroica (Chateau Ste Michelle-Dr. Loosen) 2015 Columbia Valley Riesling, $17.99-$21.99, 91 points, was a light gold color.
Aromas of lemons, apples, and a light petrol note were pleasant.
Light-bodied (off-dry) with good acidity and flavors that rightly reflected the aromas were pleasant too.
Finished typically on a 12% alcohol, a hint of ginger, and a chorus of minerality.
Paired remarkably well with a smorgasbord of appetizers, but my favorite was simple sharp cheddar with crisp toasted wheat crackers; others preferred the sautéed scallops.
An interesting human element to the wine itself was how a Rechabite (teetotaller) was coaxed into tasting this wine: "I hate wine, but give me a sip. Wow! This is the only wine I've tasted that I like; the alcohol is non-obtrusive too."

Index-of-reviewed-wines

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Mollydooker Carnival Of Love 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz

Mollydooker Carnival Of Love 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz, $44.99-$84.99, 95 points, poured thoroughly black with but a thin deep Shiraz purple/red penumbra bleeding into the broad meniscus with stain-glassing fat legs.
An amazing bouquet of juniper, sweet chocolate, and toasty black fruit impressed.
Full-bodied with good acidity, a potent 16.5% alcohol, and firm grainy tannins combined to springboard energized flavors of hot peppers, blackberry, cocoa, eucalyptus, and mint.
Finished forever on black licorice and spicy blackberry liqueur.
Not usually a fan of high octane wines, but the delicate equilibrium of fruit, spice, mint, eucalyptus, and alcohol was extraordinary; whether I feel this way on the second day or not is not here and now the issue.

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Monday, July 23, 2018

I Kept My Promise To Drink More Australian Wines

Here's holding true to my commitment of last December to: ". . . seek out a few boomerang Aussie wines to refresh my love of what they do as well any other country: turn grapes into wine, and when I'm done, "she'll be apples." I have one more of this group to go, and Ben better get over here or the Love won't wait.
From: Wines From Down Under aka Terra Australis Incognita.

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Torbreck Vintners "The Steading" Barossa Valley 2014 GMS Red Wine

Torbreck Vintners "The Steading" Barossa Valley 2014 GMS Red Wine, $27.19-$31.99, 90 points, poured an unusual opaque cranberry/ruby red color grading lighter toward the broad clear wine ring and raining legs.
Aromas of very ripe red fruit with reticent leather and floral notes were unusual as well.
Near full-bodied with good acidity and a firm plank of tannin managed to translate the aromas throughout the palate with fig, date, earth, and pomegranate.
Paired perfectly with my spiced Australian rack of lamb.
Finished well on escalating hot spices and alcohol (15%).
Varietals were 77% Grenache, 15% Mataró (Mourvèdre, Monastrell), and 8% Shiraz.

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Sunday, July 22, 2018

Greg Norman Estates Eden Valley Australia 2016 Chardonnay

Greg Norman Estates Eden Valley Australia 2016 Chardonnay, $10.19-$14.99, 84 points, poured a deep straw yellow color.
Strong smells of caramel and Chardonnay-specific grape were almost pungent and unpleasant for me.
Though the early medium-plus body showed creamy with good acidity, the texture morphed hard along with austere flavors of cantaloupe, caramel, and wood.
Finished long on the fading palate with an awkward 14% alcohol and a redeeming hint of lime.
I didn't care for the pairing of Ollie's bake-stuffed Butterfly shrimp.
Having had previous Greg Norman Chardonnays, I was disappointed.

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Saturday, July 21, 2018

Penfold's South Australia BIN 389 2015 Shiraz/Cabernet Red Wine

Penfold's South Australia BIN 389 2015 Shiraz/Cabernet Red Wine, $29.69-$69.99, 93 points, poured core black with purple/reds lapping the glass wall of dripping tinted heavy tears.
Aromatic cedar, black currants and lush ripe blackberries were excellent.
Full-bodied with bright acidity and early strident tannins might strike some as a bit too tight, but the flavors reflective of the aromas with citrus and pomegranate were deliciously enlivened.
Finished long and dry on the trailing palate, accelerating pepper spices, mulberry, sweet tobacco, and an appropriate 14.5% alcohol.
Varietals were 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Shiraz.

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Friday, July 20, 2018

Bordeaux Red Wine Vintage 2008

Bordeaux Red Wine Vintage 2008

My few tasted

Being a member of the American hoi polios and a teetotaller until 2009, as well as being maze-phobic (Unnecessary Fear And Loathing Of French Wine Labels; Well, Maybe Not Unnecessary!) had me typically buying wines in the grocery stores, and not many Bordeaux wines at that.
Well, now that's out of the way, I overcame my phobia and began sticking my big toe in the wild wine waters of France when in 2012 the New Hampshire liquor commission wisely brought into the State the 2009 vintage Bordeaux wines; I dived in!
That's my 'Newbie' story (again), and reasons for not drinking 'old' and older Bordeaux wines.
Vis et apprend!

Château Croix Mouton Jean-Philippe Janoueix 2008 Bordeaux Superieur

Château Croix Mouton Jean-Philippe Janoueix 2008 Bordeaux Superieur, $14.44-$17.99, 89 points, poured an impenetrable garnet red color, a bleeding broad wine ring, and fat hanging legs.
Aromatic toasty black fruit, cedar, cocoa, and a perfumed floral vibe were excellent.
Medium-plus body with good acidity and still slightly astringent tannin carried flavors reflective of the aromas onto the early palate weakening mid-way and intensifying in the moderately long finish garnished with easy pepper spices, plum, mint, and an appropriate 13.5% alcohol.
Paired fine with our meatball subs.

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Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (Cali)

Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (Cali)

Decoy Sonoma County 2017 Sauvignon Blanc

Decoy Sonoma County 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, $14.95-$19.99, 88 points, was a light brass color clearing at the glass shallows.
Aromas of grapefruit, lemon/lime, grass, and hints of vanilla and a floral vibe were delightful.
Light-bodied with bright acidity delivered good flavors of pomelo, flowers, grass, and lemon zest.
Finished fair on citrus, ginger, a whisper of vanilla, and a well-balanced 13.5% alcohol.
Paired perfectly with my Canadian Maritime halibut.

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Thursday, July 19, 2018

Dow's Late Bottled Vintage 2008 Port

Dow's Late Bottled Vintage 2008 Port, $17.59-$24.99, 91 points, appeared broadly black to impenetrable purple/reds which at the penumbra completed the color transition with the clear wine ring and a very dense layering of legs.
Aromas were steeped in a peat-like blackberry liqueur with an undercurrent of floral notes.
Full-bodied (round rich texture) with good acidity and appropriate tannins delivered the aromas onto the palate with mint and licorice.
Finished forever on a building 19.5% alcohol inspirited spiciness and wood notes.
Paired perfectly with our blueberries in dark chocolate.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Stags' Leap 2014 Petite Syrah

Stags' Leap 2014 Petite Syrah, $37.10-$46.99, 92 points, poured black throughout with flashes of deep Shiraz purple, a broad clear meniscus and dense draping.
The potpourri of mulling spices, cedar, and blackberry liqueur were exceptional.
Full-bodied with good acidity and a solid foundation of comfortable tannins supported rich flavors of truffle, blackberry liqueur, and plum.
Finished long and herbal with easy pepper spices, and a well-integrated 14.2% alcohol.
Paired perfectly with my spice-rubbed rare Angus rib eye steak, beef gravy and Morchella (Morel) mashed potatoes and asparagus tips.
Varietals were 77% Petite Syrah, 12% Syrah, and 10% Grenache (1% other).

Stags' Leap Napa Valley, Why it's a "Go to Winery."
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