2004 Korta Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon - $11 Lontue Valley, Chile. This estate grown cabernet is dark ruby red in color, with aromas of plum, earth, and subtle oak. On the palate this wine is full bodied, smooth, with mild tannins and a lasting finish. An incredibly well balanced cabernet for $11. This is straightforward cabernet, but well done straightforward cabernet for cheap is impressive.
California almost never produces this kind of quality at this price point. Chile is still coming through with the delicious reds at prices points even stockholders of Chrysler can handle. This wine also pairs well with an ACC rivalry where Duke knocks down a very game Wake Forest team. I've also tried the Korta syrah at the same price point and was similarly impressed with the quality, this wine is one to find.
www.korta.cl/ingles/productos.htm
Sunday, February 22, 2009
2006 Wente Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Wente Vineyards Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - $13 Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay, Cali. This estate grown cabernet is medium to light red in color. The wine has aromas of fresh flowers and nutmeg. On the palate this wine is medium bodied with mild tannins and very tart. The wine is overly tart. Once the wine has been breathing for 45 minutes or so it softens slightly but the tartness of the wine is overpowering. The nose is much better than the taste. I think I've had this same wine before and same vintage and I liked it, that's why I bought it for the report but this time around it is just way too tart. I'm not sure why the big difference in the wine I tasted 2 months ago and this one. This is one that I would stay away from. I liked it before, but now for whatever reason this wine is not so good, too tart.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
How to spot wine gone bad
2003 Cristobal 1492 Oak Reserve Malbec - $13 Argentina. The color of this wine is inky black and purple. It has aromas of alcohol, smoke, and what I can best describe as a flat fruit smell. On the palate the wine is tart, too acidic, and dry.
When I got this bottle home I realized it was an '03, which for a cheap Malbec is a bit too old of a vintage, this bottle of wine is almost 6 years old. Most all Malbecs from Argentina in the $10 -$15 range are from the '05 vintage or later, the problem with this wine being from '03 is that it was most likely released in '05 and hit the shelves no later than '06. I just bought this wine in the second week of February '09, which means this wine has been on the shelf for about 3 years. The wine had turned, it had died, and it tasted like crap. You don't want to buy a wine that has been sitting on a shelf for 3 years because a shelf in a retail store is not an ideal place to store wine. If you store wine for 3 years and expect it to be drinkable, it must be stored in a cool dark place, otherwise the wine will go bad. Wine is a perishable good like lettuce and it has a shelf life. The major difference between wine and lettuce is that wine if stored properly will last several years and sometimes develop better more complex flavors as it ages. If not stored properly it will go bad just like lettuce. I recommend buying wines that are no more than 2 years from their release date, the younger the better. If you can't tell how long the wine has been on the shelf try to ask an employee, if there is no one to ask and you think the wine is too old, don't buy it.
I would try this wine again but only a newer vintage, I shouldn't have bought this bottle in the first place, it was too old. I poured this wine down the drain.
When I got this bottle home I realized it was an '03, which for a cheap Malbec is a bit too old of a vintage, this bottle of wine is almost 6 years old. Most all Malbecs from Argentina in the $10 -$15 range are from the '05 vintage or later, the problem with this wine being from '03 is that it was most likely released in '05 and hit the shelves no later than '06. I just bought this wine in the second week of February '09, which means this wine has been on the shelf for about 3 years. The wine had turned, it had died, and it tasted like crap. You don't want to buy a wine that has been sitting on a shelf for 3 years because a shelf in a retail store is not an ideal place to store wine. If you store wine for 3 years and expect it to be drinkable, it must be stored in a cool dark place, otherwise the wine will go bad. Wine is a perishable good like lettuce and it has a shelf life. The major difference between wine and lettuce is that wine if stored properly will last several years and sometimes develop better more complex flavors as it ages. If not stored properly it will go bad just like lettuce. I recommend buying wines that are no more than 2 years from their release date, the younger the better. If you can't tell how long the wine has been on the shelf try to ask an employee, if there is no one to ask and you think the wine is too old, don't buy it.
I would try this wine again but only a newer vintage, I shouldn't have bought this bottle in the first place, it was too old. I poured this wine down the drain.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
2005 Chateau Du Piras
2005 Chateau Du Piras - $15 Bordeaux, France. Another great wine from one of the greatest vintages. The color is of dark crimson that fades as the wine approaches the edge of the glass. Aromas of cinnamon, holiday spice, sweetness, and a touch of sour apple. On the palate the wine is medium bodied, soft and supple tannins, with a slight tart finish. This is a well balanced effort. At 13.5% alcohol it packs a lot of ripe flavors but doesn't have the heat of high alcohol that most new world wine with this flavor have. Goes excellent with NY strip steak, oven roasted home fries, and marinated mushrooms. This wine is really good, this is the reason why you keep trying new wines because occasionally you find one like this. A really good wine at a really good price, you can pay a lot more and not get a wine this well made. I couldn't find any information about this wine and there is nothing on the label. Coming from Bordeaux this wine is probably a blend of some sort but I guess it is mostly merlot, blended with smaller percentages of the other Bordeaux varietals. You gotta try this wine.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
2004 Altocedro Malbec Reserva
2004 Altocedro Malbec Reserva - $29 Argentina. This malbec comes from the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley in Argentina, this is an up and coming area for high quality malbec. The malbec vines for this wine are 65+ years old. This is truly handcrafted wine with all harvesting to crushing done by hand. The wine has a dark pink, cherry color that extends fully to the glass. Aromas of spice, ripe strawberries, and asparagus comprise the deep smooth nose of this wine. The taste is bold, silky, with a small amount of earth. A different flavor profile than most malbecs likely due to the 15% of tempranillo blended with 85% malbec. Medium tannins with a tart dry finish. This is a big wine. I like this wine but this is one for veteran fans of malbec, who are looking for a different take on the varietal. With only 1,100 cases made this is one to seek out.
www.vinodelsol.com
Friday, February 6, 2009
2007 Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Montes Classic Series Cabernet Sauvignon - $10 Colchagua Valley,Chile The color of the wine is dark ruby red that extends to the edge of the glass. Aromas of cracked pepper, earth, and a bit of alcohol smells. The taste is dry with moderate tannins and a pleasant finish, it seems a bit too light for a cabernet. This is decent straightforward wine, it tastes and drinks like a $10 bottle of wine, a honest wine for a reasonable price. It is a young wine a will definitely benefit from a good 30 minutes or so of decanting, it gets better as it breathes. A blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% merlot. This wine should be easy to find from grocery stores to wine shops. It's worth a try.
www.monteswines.com/english/nuestros_vinos/cs_cabernetsauvignon.htm
www.monteswines.com/english/nuestros_vinos/cs_cabernetsauvignon.htm
2007 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel
2007 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel - $23 California. This is it, this wine is the most hyped wine I have ever seen; and it totally lives up to the hype. This wine is nothing short of amazing, spectacular, etc. This vintage received 93 points from the Wine Spectator (the highest rating ever for this wine) and they named it #10 on their list of Top 100 wines of the world. It is also the cheapest wine in the top 10, the combination of high quality and low price made this wine an incredible value. Seghesio made 68,000 cases of this wine and you can't get it (or you will have to try very hard), for a wine made in such quantity it's hard to believe that you can't buy it. I used to sell this wine but after the Top 100 came out I could no longer buy it from the distributor because it had been allocated, that means the wine is only sold to restaurants. They aren't even pouring this wine at the winery (I was there last week and couldn't get any).
Now to the wine, it really is good. This is my favorite Zinfandel and this is the best vintage of this wine that I've had (I think I've had 5 vintages but at least the last 4). It is a blend of different zinfandel vineyards in Sonoma County; some of which the Seghesio family have been farming for over a century, with a bit of petite sirah to add complexity and depth. It has a powerful nose with aromas of dark berries that darn near rise right out of the glass. The color is dark purple red that extends all the way to the edge of the glass. The big dark flavors of this wine blend seamlessly together with a silky mouthfeel that is incredibly well balanced. The tannins are soft but persistent and the finish lasts for days. Big flavor. This wine comes in at 15.5% alcohol content, and to me that is a lot. The high alcohol doesn't detract from this wine at all, you don't smell it on the nose and you don't taste it, but after a few minutes you definitely feel it.
If you can get your hands on this wine, congratulations! If you can't buy this vintage don't worry, I still see the '06 on some shelves and it is an excellent wine, and it's still my favorite zinfandel. Then the '08 vintage will come out around Nov/Dec. and it's almost guaranteed to be at least good. This is a quality wine vintage to vintage.
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