Dionysus's Diary

2011-01-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

2006 Elk Cove “Willamette Valley” Pinot Gris,

2007-11-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

The intoxicating aroma on this wine is enough to keep me happy. It is so pleasing I was afraid the flavors on the palate could only be a let down. Wonderful ripe pear lingered a while giving way to hunneysuckle and pineapple. Fortunatley the flavors of this wine kept pace with the boquet. Vibrant pear is rich and lush but a pronounced minerality throughout the finish kept a sexy shape to this wine.

Winery: Elk Cove Vineyards
Vintage 2006
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Coupage: N/A
alch: N/A
Richard's $20

2003 Finca & Bodega Corte B Vistalba

2007-11-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is a solid effort from Finca & Bodega and is a value at $17. The vineyards are centered in Vistalba and the wines they produce under the same name are classified by the varieties CORTE A, B and C.
Corte B is a blend of 42% Malbec, 32% Cabernet Suavignon, 16% Bonarda, 10% Merlot and is aged in medium toasted French oak for 12 months. The final blending is bottled and stored another 10 months.
This wine started off with a bouquet that instantly reminded me of this smokey old bar in Cordoba Spain. The smell of tobacco scented leather couches mixed with the dozen or so Serrano hams hanging from the ceiling as well as cocoa and coffee. Very ripe and lush plum fruit and fig layered with cocoa, cinnamon and black pepper spice. Very smooth in the mouth with a long velvety finish.
Winery: Finca & BodegaWine Vistalba Corte B.
Vintage 2003
Appellation: Vistalba, Lijan De Cuyo, Mendoza. Argentina
Coupage: 42% Malbec, 32% Cabernet Suavignon, 16% Bonarda, 10% Merlot
alch: 13.9%
Spec's$17

2003 Umberto Cesari Sangiovese di Romagna Riserva

2007-09-25T18:03:00.001-07:00

A straight forward Sangiovese from a good wine maker.
Eucalyptus, balsam, and hints of cedar wrapped with dark fruit flavors. Dry across the palate and easy tannins gave a somewhat elegant feel in the mouth. The finish disappointed me. It quickly faded away, never to be seen again. Sorta like the first downhill run on a roller coaster then the ride is over. My overall feeling was a decently made wine but the 14 bills at the local Specks didn't match the wine. I've had similar Sangiovese at $10.
12.5% alch.

2005 Borsao Campo de Borja, Bodegas Borsao, Spain

2007-09-11T18:38:00.001-07:00

I just finished the '04' Borsao and was expecting a challenging comparison.
Totally dissapointing!
Aromatically challenged, no focus whatsoever! All I could pull from it was a very faint component of sardines in vodka sauce. Nothing in the mouth! Lame up front, absent in the mid range and no finish to speak of. A real dissapointment even at $7.
score: 73
$7 at world Market
alch 14%

2004 Borsao Campo de Borja, Bodegas Borsao, Spain

2007-09-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

What a value! I picked this up for $7.
New world fruit bomb in the face. Dark berry fruits with vegetal aromas of cooked brussel sprouts. Old world big fruit all through the mouth. Decently balanced tannins and sugars made this an easy to drink wine. Not a tight, super complex powerhouse but for $7 this is one to have around.
score - 89
$7 at World Market
14% alch

2002 Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Gris Les Princes Abbés

2007-07-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

A classic Alsacian Pinot Gris indeed. A woderful rich honet colored wine with pronounced aromas of lilly flowers, golden raisans, lemon zest and ripe cantaloupe. In the mouth there is well structured rich fruit and citrus flavors concentrated in the back of the mouth that finishes with fresh straw and a clean mouth. Very nice!
score: 90

2004 Maculan Pino & Toi

2007-07-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

This wine can not really taste like this! There must be something wrong with it but I can not figure out what. This IGT Venato Bianco is a blend of 60% Tocai, 25% Pinot Bianco and 15% Pinot Grigio from various vineyards in and around the town of Breganze.
The nose on this wine reminded me of three leaves of fresh mint, 4 pieces of the dark mushy radicchio from the bottom of the salad container and a healthy drizzle of sweat all muddled together. Bitter, minty fresh, a sweaty eucalyptus component, with the occasional floral scent peeking out. All very strange and completely unstructured but none of the usual suspects of corked or cooked wine. I couldn't figure this one out. The flavors in the mouth didn't help either. Muddled and mixed up flavors of golden raisins, red wine vinegar, fresh grapes, and some funky thing I still cant place after two days of tasting this wine. "When in doubt throw it out" and that's just what I did with this one. I still think this was a bad bottle so I will try it again just to prove that theory.
alch: 12%
score: N/A

2004 2 up Shiraz

2007-07-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

This South Australia blend from Kevin O' Brien has a deep, inky purple color containing aromas of oak wood smoke, raspberry jam, and fresh plum. Bittersweet chocolate, tart raspberries and a hint of fresh oak wood bump around haphazard in the mouth. This big, oaky mouth of a wine does offer up pronounced and well structured tannins and acids in the mid palate and the long finish makes this an all around pleasant wine. I would expect this to drink well for another 5 years.
alch: 14%
score: 90

2001 Palladino Barbera d'Alba Superiore Bricco della Olive

2007-07-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

A very well done, powerful Barbera!
Brilliant dark ruby translucent color with all those tiny bubbles around the rim that I like so much., big nose of red cherry, blackberry fruit, spice and cedar wood. Barrique aged with moderate tannins and med/high acidity, very solid structure, great complexity and fruit.

2002 Dry Creek Vineyards Merlot

2007-06-29T18:49:00.002-07:00

A well made, mild mannered wine. Rich purple color with well aged deep golden hints at the edge. Classic chocolate, cassis, and eucalyptus aromas lead way to a semi sweet, slate covered chocolate. Mild tannins leave a decently dry mid palate and finish.
alch: 13.5%
Score: 88

2004 3 Rings Shiraz

2007-06-29T18:49:00.001-07:00

This Barossa Valley Shiraz crafted by Chris Ringland is a intriguing wine. Upon first pouring I was almost bowled over by the strong, unmistakable aroma of licorice that fortunately faded away after a few minutes. The flavors in the mouth were well rounded and just as interesting. There is eucalyptus, bitter chocolate, pepper spice, hints of licorice and tart raspberry. All this combined with some surprisingly assertive tannins and a long finish left me happy with this wine.
alch: 15%
Score: 89
Price: ?????

2005 Red Guitar Navarra

2007-06-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Who is the marketing genius that figured the word red would sell wine. I have seen Red Fin, Red Bush, Red Truck, Red Light, Red House and now Red Guitar.
This wine is a 55% Old Vine Tempranillo and 45% Grenacha blend by Bodega ADA. The nose on this wine started out very closed and didn't reveal much. After what seemed like 30 minutes it started to release slight scents of casis and clay loam. Very light and uncomplicated wine giving up flavors of tobacco leaf and moist earth. Medium tannins sat nicely in the mid-palate that led to a quickly fading finish. All in all my impression is the effort put into this wine was weak.
alch: 14%
Score: 86
Price: $11 at Whole Foods on Bellair.

2004 Rosenblum Petite Sirah “Heritage Clones”

2006-11-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

I have had this wine several times since I first commented about it. Lush! Great richness and velvety texture.

2003 Côtes de Ventoux Vieilles Vignes, Patrick Le Sec Selections.

2006-11-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

2003 is a vintage year for the Barron district in the Cotes de Ventoux and this 75% Grenache,(50 year old vines), 25% Syrah(10 year old vines) wine shows it.
Deep red color and a dry spicy nose of raw cinnamon and pepper. Tight and spicy in the mouth giving way to jammyness as it had time to breath. A subtle finish of aged leather and dry sage.
Score: 89

2004 Pepper Bridge Merlot

2006-10-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Even though Jean-François Pellet kvetches about losing his Merlot vines to the freeze and having to "borrow" neighbors vineyard he has put together a well bred Merlot.
This wine is well put together but needs time to mature.
It opens a bit closed with hints of moist earthy smells. After 5 minutes it opened up nicely with aromas of casis, rich cherry, moist clay and toasted cocoa.
Very rich and velvety across the tongue with well defined cherry, coffee, and casis flavors. Pronounced acid led to a dry clay like mineral finish.
All in all very nice. In 1 to 3 years this wine will be amazing.
alch: 13.5%
41$ at Spec's

2005 Cabernet D'Anjou, Domain Atignon

2006-10-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

A classic Cabernet D'Anjou. 80% Cabernet Souvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. A very fresh nose with the slightest floral aromas, Tasting this wine was a trip up strawberry hill. Crisp, sweet strawberry, lime zest, and limetone flavors filled the mouth. Sweet but it is well balanced with acids. An easy, mineral finsh made this a classic.
score: 88

2004 Gewurztraminer, 'Classique' (Screwcaps), Paul Blanck

2006-10-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

A wine of crisp golden straw color yields aromas of lilly, kiwi, and wet sand. A full in the mouth wine with well balanced flavors of sweet green apple, honey, and Pecos Cantaloupe but lacking the depth this wine deserves. There is an interesting effervesence to this wine.
score: 88
$17 at Speck's
13% alch.

2001 St. Francis Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Nuns Canyon, Sonoma Valley

2006-09-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

Deep inky color and a nose of alder smoke and dried currant. A structurally balanced mouthful of tannins and acids lead to a wine that is all about rich cigar tobacco and dark chocolate with bits of dark roast coffee trying to break out. A suprisingly mellow finish made this a enjoyable wine to drink. Alch: 14.3%
Price: ?
Score: 89

2004 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc

2006-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

As soon as I popped the cork this wine was 'interesting'. The immediate aroma of greek green olives and yeast. This wine was more angular than I was expecting. It offered up the aromas of newly wet stone and lilly flowers. In the mouth it had a fairly tight kernal of greek green olives, mild parmesan, and green apple. Medium bodied and balanced tannins. It finished nicely with green almonds and slate.
$9 at Specks.
score 87

2005 Chateau Routas Rose Rouviere Rose , Provence

2006-08-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

It is 100 degrees here...and its 9:30 at night! This dry, crisp, rose is 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 30% Cinsault and the perfect remedy for the heat.
A wonderfull color of a fresh pink rose with aromas of strawberries. Lively, Crisp and fresh strawberries on the tongue with a distinct vein of vanilla running through it. Very refreshing with a light finish.
$13 at Specks.
Score 87.

2001 La Croix Lartigue

2006-07-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

This classic 'Grande Vin De Bordeaux' opens with a big, earthy nose that easily gave up aromas of aged leather and sweet berries. Very round in the mouth with nicely balanced flavors of coffee, cocoa, and cassis. A touch of velvet in the front and medium tannins with a faintly dry finish in the back of the mouth made this an enjoyable wine.
Score: 89
Price: about $15

2004 Dellatorri Pinot Grigio

2006-07-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

A perfect wine for a summer day in Venice. A refreshing, light, crisp wine with hints of lemon peel and green apple on the nose. Tight acid and balanced with the slightest vein of sweetnes up front, a light bodied wine with a medium finish.
I'm not sure how this got into my box but I am glad it did.
Score: 87

2003 Scubla Tocai Friulano

2006-07-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

Something happened to this wine. When I opened it was very funky. Overpowering chalk and strange aromas of earth and grass. After 20 minutes of air it started to mellow into something drinkable. Almond, minerals and a thread of sweetness appeared but quickly faded on the tongue. I tried it again and again over two days but never could get a handle on it.
Score: ?

2003 Bogle Phantom Red Blend

2006-07-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

I tasted this wine after a long night of Mojitos and Vietnamese food so these notes are far from complete. What I remember is vibrant fruit with a good amount of spice involved. It worked well with the spicy, sour, salty food. Surprisingly soft tannins rounded this wine out nicely. I am definately going to try this one again.
Score: ?

2004 Rosenblum Petite Sirah “Heritage Clones”

2006-06-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

This is my first tasting from Rosenblum. This wine is tight tight! Very nicely done. A well endowed nose of leather, mesquite smoke, and berry fruits. A tightly structured, densely packed wine with flavors of chocolate, pepper, vanilla, and ripe boysenberry. The med long finish left me with a wonderful dry mineral mouth. This wine was very enjoyable. It weighs in at 16% alcohol.
$28 at Cova.
Score: 90

2004 Kumeu River Pinot Gris "Kumeu"

2006-06-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Rich floral nose leading into a nicely balanced, creamy textured wine that gives up hints of mellon and honey. Distinctive mineral flavors are present in the easy finish.
$18 at Cova
Score: 87

2005 Cline 'White Truck' Pinot Griggio

2006-06-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cline is always doing some fun stuff with their wine. I noticed their latest adventure and had to try it. A bright straw color made from four grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc 55%, Pinot Grigio 25%, Viognier 10% and Chardonnay 10%. A strong floral nose leads to crisp wine with cantaloup and honeysuckle flavors. Exactly as it should be for $8
Score: 87

2004 Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot

2006-06-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

A suprisingly complex merlot. A nose packed with rich berry aromas. A full bodied wine with dense fruit up front, med tannins and flavors of leather, ripe plums and hints of mineral. A long finish ends this wine nicely.
$13 at Spec's.
Score: 88

2004 Cousiño-Macul Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-06-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

'WOW' A dark ruby color and a 'big' nose that lasted down to final drop. Aromas of plums, chocolate, and pepper spice. A well structured wine with mild tannins and a mouth layered with chocolate, thyme, and coffee.
Score: 88

2005 Terrazas Andes Malbec Reserve

2006-06-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

A wonderful nose of rich cherrry pie. Medium bodied and soft tannins lead to hints of chocolate, plum, and cherry.
Score: 87

2004 La Crema Pinot Noir

2006-06-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Aromas of plum, chocolate, and hints of smoke led into a nicely balanced wine with flavors of chocolate, plum, and leather. It all rounded out with a smooth, medium finish.
Score: 87

2004 Vina La Rosa La Capitana Carmenere

2006-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

I found this 100% Carmenere from the Cachapoal valley hidden on the top shelf behind some chardonnay. How long it had been there I don't know but I suspect it had something to do with the 'tired' appearance this wine made.
It opened with the aroma of warm mushrooms that gave way to sharp cherry candy after about ten minutes. It layed tired on the tongue with hints of chocolate and vanilla and the finish faded away leaving you with nothing. I don't think this was a good representation of the wine. I guess I will have to try another one. I read the 2005 got the "Gold Medal, International Wine Challenge 2006, UK " Sounds good to me!
No score on this one....

2003 Vinas de Narvaez Merlot

2006-05-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

This Merlot is marketed as “Merlot the way it used to be made”. This may be true and I much prefer “Merlot the way it is made today!”.
The house of Cavas Rosell Boher has always specialized in sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Their 2003 Merlot is deep purple in color with cherry rock candy on the nose. Weak in the mouth with a flavor of sweetened black berries. Lacking complexity and depth.
Score: 85

2003 Vina La Rosa La Capitana Cabernet Sauvignon

2006-05-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

60% Cab, 40% Merlot yields a deep ruby red wine with aromas of leather, casis, and thyme. Tight structure in front of mouth with flavors of mint, dark chocolate, and pepper. Pronounced tannins with a long finish. $14 at Specks, 14% alch.
Score: 89

2001 Torregiorgi Barbera D'Alba

2006-05-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Inky purple color leads into distinctive aromas of spice(clove, pepper), leather, and smoke. Fills your mouth with pepper, leather, and raspberry. Pronounced acid and tannin are followed by a long smoky finish. $11 at Speck's. This should age nicely another 3 -5 years.
Score: 88

Degorgement

2006-05-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Degorgement, or disgorgement, is the removal of the sediment that naturally occurs during the secondary fermentation. It is linked to remuage, which is a technique that moves all the sediment into the neck of the bottle. Without these processes, champagne would not be the clear, bright drink it is today.
To remove the sediment, without emptying all of the wine from the bottle and losing its sparkle, the waste must first be collected in the neck of the bottle. The sediment contains a mix of waste products, some of which are very sticky, so simply turning the bottle upside-down doesn't work very well, even if you leave it upside-down for some time.
Nicole-Barbe Clicquot Ponsardin was widowed in 1805 at the age of 27, and ended up in charge of a major Champagne house. Veuve (widow) Clicquot cut holes in her kitchen table and stood the bottles vertically upside-down. By regularly taking them out and shaking them, much of the sticky waste was loosened and did collect in the neck.
Some still remained, however. Not satisfied with this, she hired Antoine Muller in 1810 to help her. He hit upon the idea of sloping the bottle at 45° to start with, slowly turning the bottle and increasing the slope until it was perpendicular.
This process takes about eight weeks, turning each bottle daily by hand. Mechanical methods have now replaced this in most vineyards, which has reduced the time needed to just eight days. It's also cut down on the claims for repetitive strain injury that were starting to build up.
The basic method for making champagne has not changed since about the 1880s - however, there have still been many improvements that have helped the annual volume increase from 20 million bottles to about 120 million bottles today. One significant advance uses brine chilled to below the freezing point of water. The necks of bottles ready for degorgement were placed in this brine, which caused the sediment to freeze into a slush. This made it much easier to remove, as the bottle can be turned the right way up and the pressure of the wine ejects the slush. The slush holds all the sediment, so the clarity of the wine is also improved.

2003 Uvaggio

2006-05-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Barbera is an under-appreciated grape variety. From the l’Uvaggio di Giacomo winery, this wine has wonderful plum and blackberry aromas. Big berry and date fruit up front. Well balanced structure and full in the mouth. Soft tannins lead to a smooth medium lasting finish. $15 at The Tasting Room.
Score: 89

2004 Fritz Russian River Valley Chardonnay

2006-05-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Vibrant golden straw in color with floral aromas and hint of pear. Full in the mouth, well balanced. Hints of lemon peel, golden raisin, new oak. Long finish ending with mineral (maybe sulfur).
Score: 89