Máté 2007 Brunello di Montalcino

Máté 2007 Brunello di Montalcino, $42.83-$58.99, 94 points, bursts upon the scene with a supernova-like ruby-shimmering orange, touching the surface clear at the glass rim.
Yes! Bask in the sunshine of a wine.
This is not just solar-fruit in a bottle, but the bottle becomes a vase of fragrance as well. Though some amount of swirling and swishing is necessary to set this Brunello free, aromas of dominant earth tones leads the train of hinted notes of black cherry, coffee, and rose pedal.
This is a substantial wine, though the body just passes beyond a medium threshold; the sharp acidity is what might be expected from a good-young Brunello, as is the approachable (to me) layers and layers of tannin.
Máté 2007 Brunello Di Montalcino texturally is edgy, coats your mouth with spice, eucalyptus, dark cherry, and heat, lots of heat (15% alcohol), all of which transitions into the long finish, with the addition of menthol (no silk here).
As the wine "breathed", more red fruit became apparent with strawberry leading the way, and a touch of tart pomegranate following.
This wine is not for the faint hearted, at least not now, and it seems to accentuate the "hot" 2007 Brunello wines I've tasted this year.
Some musical fire to go with your wine and cuisine (Italian): Fireworks by Stravinsky ?

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Chalk Hill Sonoma County 2006 Merlot

Chalk Hill Sonoma County 2006 Merlot, $29.99-$49.99, 90 points, begins more Bordeaux red than the previous collection of California Merlot wines, though near black at the core, trends more red than a typical Bordeaux , and culminating clear at the rim.
Aromatically more earthy than those recently reviewed, the age of the wine is manifest in a more vegetable-like black currant than blackberry fruit.
The medium-plus body has good acidity and moderate tannin.
Flavors of black currant and mulberry are still juicy, and a cedar-like smoky meatiness with dried herbs adds to the complexity.
Chalk Hill climaxes its Merlot with a long finish of spice and considerable heat (15% alcohol).
I'm thinking that this wine is on the decline!



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Margaret Thatcher

Just saying good-bye to one of History's "great" leaders, Margaret Thatcher!

1925-2013

  When you are as old as I am, you see more transition, more looking back than forward, and maybe just a little more sadness.
  Whether Margaret Thatcher was a personality you loved or hated she was your (English) flagship for eleven years; I wonder how many even know who she was? When Elisabeth Taylor died, I said to the cashier at the super market that it was a sad thing (her passing away), and the girl said to me: "Who was she?" I wonder if tomorrow I mention Margaret Thatcher to the cashier, if she'll know who she was?
  Well, this is my toast to the "Iron Lady"! Cheers!

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Castle Rock Napa Valley 2007 Merlot

Castle Rock Napa Valley 2007 Merlot, $10.15-$13.99, 85 points, fits perfectly into the category of "Red Wine", as the color is a true red with a clear rim.
The aroma is a toasty earth with hints of vanilla, sweet cooking spice, and cedar.
Just bridging the line of a medium bodied wine, it weakly displays fair acidity, light tannin, and flavors of blackberry, licorice, and a little smoky meatiness.
The finish is weak too, but it is juicy and adds some spice too.
There is no ill flavors to gainsay this wine, but it is a bit mediocre and remains substantially a red table wine.





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Rombauer Carneros 2006 Merlot

RombaueR Carneros 2006 Merlot, $25.49-$32.99, 90 points, begins dark red with some bricking toward a clear rim.
A bouquet of rich earth, clove, coffee, violets, and black currant expressed exuberance.
This medium-bodied Merlot had good acidity and mild tannin.
Flavors were reminiscent of a Dry Creek Zinfandel, with briary blackberries, hints of clove and violets without any edginess; thus it was texturally silky and quite smooth.
Finished moderately long on spice, heat (14.4% alcohol), and a touch of menthol.

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Lockhart 2010 Merlot

Lockhart 2010 Merlot, $9.90-$13.75, 89 points, appears to be a true ruby-red color, as true as any I've seen, and has the diagnostic clear rim of a young red wine.
Earth, sweet cherry, and licorice are aromatic.
Texturally smooth (not as smooth as velvet;-) with a medium-plus body carrying good acidity, fair fine tannin, blackberry and black cherry flavors in a juicy package.
The moderately long finish is the trailing palate with the addition of plum notes and white pepper.
Lockhart 2010 Merlot offers a tremendous quality, price, ratio (QPR) red wine.
Bought at the Londonderry Hannaford's supper market.

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Emma Pearl Central Coast 2009 Merlot

Emma Pearl Central Coast 2009 Merlot, $13.99-$16.99,  89 points, is one of those wines that no review or tasting is required to purchase; just look at the label and you can see a "Martha Stewart" decorating a table-setting with it. Yeah, it is on the thin-side of an apron more expensive than your bin-sale Merlot, but when you're playing the role of a "Martha Stewart", you dig a "five" deeper into that purse to impress. Right!

In the glass, the color appears slightly more ruby than pomegranate and is quite clear, but is crowned with only a thin clear rim.
Mildly aromatic, the nose is a sweet red cherry, light cinnamon and cedar, with just a whiff of alcohol (14.5%).
Good acidity and mild tannin are carried by its medium body and a "normally" smooth and textured Merlot.
Flavors of  tart red cherry, plum, with hints of smoke and alcohol trail long into a spicy finish.

I was pleasantly surprised by this Merlot, and I would certainly recommend it, but the caveat is that great spice on the finish: some may prefer less of it.

Bought at the Londonderry Shaws super market, but is now available at the NHLSs.

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