New Hampshire Wine-man

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Fontana D' Italia 2007 Merlot

Fontana D' Italia 2007 Merlot, $11.00-$14.00: This wine may have been slightly "Cooked"-Cooked Wine winedoctor.com.
The aroma was dull, the flavor was predominately stewed prune, and the cork was, unnoticeable under the capsule, just slightly protruding. Though the wine had these problems, it wasn't a totally bad experience. I went back to the store I bought this wine from (Shaws in Londonderry), and some of the other bottles had the same slightly raised corks and some were not.
The lesson is, pay attention. This time, it cost me $11.00, but what could happen?
I hope to find this wine somewhere else and give it another tasting.

Now, to commentary time.
What advise (benefit) do you, the New Hampshire wine "lover" get from wine reviews? The answers to this question will not be answered here, but rather, if you are interested in the subject-if you look for reviews to help you in buying a wine, then it makes sense to give it some thought.
As for benefiting from my mistakes, I hope that the two faults (Corked-Cooked Wines) will be of some help, but as for ratings, which I've discussed before, they can be a guide to you when a reviewer tends to match your own palate (Not a science).
I came across this interesting wine-tasters conundrum-point of view, which should give much to ponder.

"I have to arrive at quick decisions. But it does trouble me. I wish I could review one wine a day, taking the time to let it develop in the glass, trying it with different foods, letting my mind change. But I can’t. Unlike Gus, I have to limit each wine to its immediate appeal, day after day. I’m not saying that’s the best approach. But it’s what we wine critics have to deal with." http://steveheimoff.com/

I don't know Steve Heimoff (Hope this isn't too presumptuous), but it seems that having a blog does allow for that "one wine a day" review, while giving less attention to other "assembly-line" wine tasting duties he has with Wine Enthusiast or whatever his employment obligations are; what's needed (My thought) is with all the wines he has only minutes to judge, just maybe there is that one wine which Steve can embrace and comment on.
After all, there is a blog called: 2daysperbottle

Index of reviewed wines

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Yalumba 2009 Viognier-Barossa Patchwork 2008 Shiraz

Yalumba 2009 Viognier, $10.99-$15.99 (I paid $11.99), 88 points, has a rich off-lime color, the nose is almost honey-suckle, the mouth feel is the same as the wine "moves", like a light olive-oil. The flavor is bitter-sweet, but not offensive, with kumquat and and mellow grapefruit.

Yalumba Barossa Patchwork 2008 Shiraz, $15.99-$17.99, 91 points, was found at Market Basket, and what a find it is was; The color is a dense purple with a thin layer of russet at the rim (Will benefit with decanting), the aroma is rich and strong with cedar-spice, the flavor has plum, licorice and mocha hints, and the finish is long crushed black-pepper and residual Kahlua. This is a typical Big South Australian Shiraz, and will pair nicely with Big Beef, Lamb or Barbecue.

Index-of-reviewed-wines

Clos Du Val 2007 Carneros Chardonnay

Clos Du Val 2007 Carneros Chardonnay, $16.99-$24.99, 90 points, strikes me poetically as the color of a New England autumn morning as the fog lifts. Okay, corny, but when you look through this wine, there are all kinds of red, yellow, green, and orange colors that seem to mimic its surroundings. Again, okay, and I've never gone on with the color of a wine before, but there is always a first time.
French name, and rightly so, considering the Chablis quality of this California (Napa Valley) Chardonnay; with apple and lemon-oil on the nose, and a clean crisp texture that carries-over to the palate, finishing long with ginger-spice.
Clos Du Val continues to impress me.

Index of reviewed wines

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

White Hall Lane 2007 Merlot & Campo Rioja Gran Reserva 2003 Tempranillo, Week-End Duo

White Hall Lane Napa Valley 2007 Merlot, $25.99-$30.99, 92 points, is like an old friend with a new hair-cut and new shoes. However the old friend (wine) is still the same person we've always loved.
White Hall Lane 2007 Merlot has a clear Burgundy red color with flashes of amber tints.
The Bouquet is of sweet-spice, slightest of earth tones, and the three Cs: a pleasant balance of Cinnamon, Clove, and Cedar.
A sleek silky mouth-feel gains power throughout the palate with espresso, plum, licorice, and gentle floral notes.
The finish is long and wonderfully spicy, my Zinfandel taste-buds were a-singing.
Often, I try to review wines for my "average" reader: people who don't want to spend more than $10.00, $20.00 Maximum, for a bottle of wine, but if you wanted a vacation day to have a special wine (Like We Did), this Merlot fit the bill perfectly (Paired with "Hot" Salami pizza and dark espresso chocolate).
So, with a Merlot from France and one from Washington State, the reviews were ordained to have a California Merlot in the mix.

Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva 2003 Tempranillo, $14.99-$18.99, 90 points, is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo.
The color is a clear rusty red with orange hints.
The aroma is gently sweet, with cedar-spice, plum-coffee, and grape hints.
The mouth-feel is supple and smooth in a light to medium body.
The flavors are strawberry and plum with a light bitterness.
I loved this wine. Some others who were with me thought it just okay, but for the price, this wine is a good introduction to Rioja wines.

Index-of-reviewed-wines

Monday, September 5, 2011

Italian Chardonnay and the Cucco

Casina Cucco 2009 Chardonnay, $27.00-$24.00, 87 points, has an unfortunate name, in my opinion. The bird on the bottle resembles a cuckoo more than the "Chicken-like legend", and if indeed it is the egg-supplanting sneak, it is unfortunate, because the wine itself is a bit of a sneak: chilled, it was reticent and a bit bitter, but as it warmed I found its creamy-citrus to be pleasant enough. The color is a deep off-gold with shades of green. The aroma is a light orange/lime, but diminishes. With just a hint of vanilla in a matrix of citrus, this was not a notable wine for me, and the price made this Chardonnay one I'll not soon buy again.
One store manager said: "I've never had a good Italian Chardonnay." I have to disagree with him. The Casina Cucco 2009 is a "good" wine, just a bit over priced for me. However, you might remember the Antinori-Umbria-Cervaro-Della-Sala Chardonnay, and just how much I loved it. I haven't gotten any feed back or comments on that Chardonnay, but, as for me, I don't require it.
We paired the Casina Cucco with Lobster rolls and chips.

http://nhwineman.blogspot.com/2011/02/index-of-reviewed-wines.html

Friday, September 2, 2011

Chateau-Wine Estate-Bordeaux-Burgundy And Mr. Boyer Quickens My Interest

Chateau Pesquie 2004 Quintessence , $22.99, 92 points, is probably a good choice in trying French Red Wine, a Syrah-Grenache blend (Ventoux appellation) having a deep red-purple color , a fragrant aroma, with a fair amount of fruit and spice; the finish is long and sweet-spice. Pesquie is a wine for the American palate (Me), and Robert Parker scored this wine 91 points, but the 2005 he scored the Quintessence 93 points. So, you can't go wrong with that one, and if you find the price in the vicinity of $20.00-$25.00, you'll be a "happy camper".

Chateau Coufran 2005 Merlot, $20.17-$32.99, 88 points, from the Haut-Medoc appellation, is an earthy wine of leather and black fruit on the nose and on the palate. Wine Enthusiast scored this wine 93 points (He's the expert), but my "young" palate was a bit over-whelmed, and since I bought two bottles, I'll try this again next year. My advice is, if you are like me, if you find this Merlot for the lower price-point, experiment, let me know what you think, but if the "earth-tones" are too much for you, I'd go with the "Bad-Boy" Bordeaux (Merlot) or the Quintessence.

Laurent Tribut Grands Vins DE Bourgone 2009 Chablis, $21.24-$24.99, 89 points, is clean, crisp, and, oh so Chablis, like a transparent jade jewel in a glass, light aroma of citrus, generous minerality and acidity: pairs nicely with scallops and haddock, light salad, or alone.

Index-of-reviewed-wines

Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Velvet Devil 2009 Merlot

The Velvet Devil 2009 Merlot, $11.89-$13.99, 84 points, has a very clear magenta color, and aroma of Welch's grape juice and a hint of diesel, both of which carry-over to the palate. There is a an over-whelming syrupy licorice flavor, but the the texture is somewhat "velvety".
I thought a Halloween Merlot from Washington State (Columbia Valley-A Charles Smith Wine) would be interesting, juxtaposed to the French Bad Boy Merlot, but there's no comparison! So if a wine for Halloween is your interest, this one won't cost you an arm and a leg, but the Devil is in the details.

Index-of-reviewed-wines