Cartlidge & Browne Dancing Crow2009 Sauvignon Blanc

 

Cartlidge And Browne Dancing Crow 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, $9.00-$15.00, 88 points, is simply a very nice, crisp, refreshing, and fish friendly wine. 
As many of you know Sauvignon Blanc is the "Mother" of Cabernet Sauvignon, but I would never have guessed it.
This "Dancing Crow" is the most Lime-like Sauvignon Blanc I've tasted; with hints of lemon, the light yellow color, and proper acidity all lead to a satisfying and inexpensive wine for refreshment or with your meal. I had this wine with Conch and Scallops. 
Sorry I don't remember where I bought this; Todd, if you remember selling this, please let me know.

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Chalk Hill Estate 2007 Red Wine

Chalk Hill Estate 2007 Red Bordeaux Style Wine, $63.74-$74.99, 94+ points, was a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, 13% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.
This Red Wine had the deepest Ruby red without being opaque.
The nose belied its intense color with gentle airs of cinnamon, clove, and cedar, with just hints of bacon and tobacco.
The nearly full body carried beautiful flavors of smoky blackberries, licorice, and finished with a tremendous white pepper and tart cherry.
With this wine you get what you pay for; there is only the transformation of sun and fruit, water and stone, hands and toil, into a compelling wine of distinction, flavor, and complexity.
This is a wine for today and tomorrow. This is art, not only on the label, but in the bottle.

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Time to warm-up with a cheerful glass of wine and a Christmas song by Sarah Brightman.

Stag's Leap Cellars Napa Valley 2006 Merlot

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Napa Valley 2006 Merlot, $31.12-$43.99, 90 points, is as my son describes: "A Mercedes Benz, no matter the age and no matter the model, it is still a Mercedes Benz." A well built car is so much like a well built wine, and to not see wine as constructed, is to miss just how difficult it is to make a very good wine.


Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Napa Valley 2006 Merlot is a balance of a sexy perfume (I usually don't like), silky blend of black olive, plum, strawberry, allspice, truffle, and the kitchen-sink. 
The aroma begins strongly floral, but tones down, as it does on your palate, with some air. 
The color is deep-dark ruby-red with purple tones.
The texture is a silky smooth, medium to full bodied, and the finish has a bit of spice to add complexity.
As I've said, I don't usually like powerful floral flavors, but this wine somehow is able give those floral flavors meaning in the context of its Gestalt without over whelming the wine.
As for advocacy, this is an expensive and not an everyday wine, but lots of us know people who drink mostly Merlot, and you may want to give a special gift; this is a special gift.


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Chateau Nardian Saint Emilion 2009 Bordeaux And Two Kissing Cousins From Californian Appellations

Chateau Nardian Saint Emilion Grand Vin De 2009 (100% Merlot) Bordeaux, $16.99-$18.99, 88 points, has a mature Burgundy color welling opaque, and having pleasant earthy aromas with candy-cane hints. The medium body carries just a hint of acidity and tannin. The flavor is earthy black fruits with a pleasant, but marginal finish.


Franciscan Estate Napa Valley 2007 Merlot (92% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Petit Verdot) $13.50-$20.00, 89 points, has a youthful Burgundy color with a dark core, spectacular aroma of flowers and cooking spice, carried nicely on a medium body of of firm acidity and noticeable tannin, with flavors of tart cherry and violet hints, finishing on a fair bed of spice.


Merriam Vineyards Windacre Russian River Valley 2005 Merlot is labeled Melot, but it is a Bordeaux-styled wine (93% Merlot 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc), $29.70-$32.99, 90 points, steps-up the intensity with a bit more alcohol (14.2% vs. 13% and 13.5% respectively). Having a youthful Burgundy color with clear-bright ruby hints radiating from a near black core, this Merlot (Bordeaux style) wine has an aroma of fall leaves and a touch of alcohol, a medium bodied wine of a balanced acidity and a light to moderate tannin presence. The flavor profile is black fruit and Damson plum. There is a bit of heat throughout, but that heat is most noticeable on the long finish. 


Three Merlot wines, very similar in color and flavor, with some differences in aroma, but the Merriam stands out in alcohol and price; for $13.50 the 2007 Franciscan (Bought on sale at Hannaford's supermarket, Hooksett, NH) is your "Best Buy", but if you're out for quality and 1 or 2 points makes a difference to you, then give the Merriam a try (Bought at http://www.bellavinonh.com/ ). 
Just a note on "Grand Vin" which means a winery's best wine (this was a small "blind tasting") and 88 points might not seem like a fair score, but that 88 points really out shine's and makes MUCH MORE sense than WS giving Stag's Leap Artemis 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon 80 points; I guess my repeating this gripe manifests my disorientation with their reality, but once again they're the pros.

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Meritage Wine (Geyser Peak And Lyeth Wines)

 Meritage Wine is a non-French way of saying a wine is a "Bordeaux style" of wine without the French origin. These wines are usually food-friendly (The French treat wine in the European tradition of wine equals food).


I have two examlpes of California Meritage Wines for your consideration as a substitute for French Bordeaux, but it is important to understand that to have a Bordeaux style wine, the wine does not have to be a certified Meritage wine, but rather typically (Sometimes having only two varietals) a blend of any of these six wines: (For Red Wine) Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Melbec, Carménère, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.


Geyser Peak Alexander Valley 2005 Meritage, $17.99-$35.99, 89 points, is not always an inexpensive wine, but at the lower-end of the price scale is a fair value. Quaffable is a word that comes to my mind as we polished-off this bottle in a brief foray into a mostly Cabernet Sauvignon wine (68%). The color is a deep garnet, but black at the core. The aroma is a pleasing soft coriander-clove.
The wine body is medium to full which carries flavors of primarily plum and licorice, and having a fair finish with some heat.

Lyeth Sonoma County 2006 Meritage, $12.74-$17.99, 87 points, is a more affordable Meritage with a similar profile, though not quite as dry and with almost no heat on the finish as was the case for the Geyser Peak, and also having a medium body. The aroma is a muted cluster of cooking spices, but the flavor, though not as lush, is predominately plum and licorice with a more noticeable tannic presence and a longer finish.
At the lower price, this too is a fair buy and won't break your bank account for something a little different and competently made.

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Christmas Dinner And Wine Reviews-Bordeaux Wines

Chateau Bonnet 2008 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon, $13.99-$15.99, 91+ points, was such a nice change from the fruit-bomb of a Concha Y Toro 2009 Merlot last night (85 Points).
Wine 101 has the Bordeaux wines to be from the Bordeaux region of France, though indigenous varietals are grown all over the world and are usually listed as these six wines: Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Melbec, Carménère, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, or blends (There are Bordeaux White Wines which I'll save for another post). It is important to understand that the designation of "Meritage" is the same varietals without encroaching on the Bordeaux region of French origin.

Chateau Bonnet 2008 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon proves once again that there are very good French wines for very reasonable prices.

Chateau Bonnet 2008 Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon has a somewhat deep cloudy magenta color with a large transparent rim.
The aroma is a quite nice flowers and plum with hints of cinnamon spice and earth.
The medium body carries the very dry wine with ample tannin.
Flavors of gentle violets accent the more powerful plum and cherry.
The finish is fair, but delicious.
How does this wine pair with chocolate? How does Fred Astaire go without Ginger Rogers, Sony without Cher, or even Batman without The Joker, oops, Robin?
I was very pleased with this wine, and for $13.99 and at least a 91 point wine makes for a best-buy from me.


Vin français est une aventure en beauté !
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Castello DI Monastero 2007 Chianti Classico

Castello DI Monastero 2007 Chianti Classico, $16.14-$20.99, 91+ points, is my last Thanksgiving wine review, but Christmas is coming quickly and I want to present a few Bordeaux varietals common to NH. So, if you haven't finished with your preparations, then this one should do quite nicely. I bought this one at the New Hampshire Liquor Stores a few months ago, but I wouldn't doubt that you'll find this wine to be obtainable almost everywhere.
Castello DI Monastero 2007 Chianti Classico opened with a perfect ruby hue, the aroma is a very nice earthy blackberry with subtle hints of cinnamon and clove, this very dry red wine has a medium body and carries a rather straight forward but excellent flavor of  blackberries with earth tones and hints of licorice. The finish is long on smooth tannin and black pepper.
I paired this with Chipotle Pasta and sausage with a cheesed Focaccia grilled in the oven, but this wine will pair well with poultry or beef as well.
This is a great stand-alone wine if you like a dry red wine.

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