Bonterra Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (2005)

May 17, 2007 — -

Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon 2005The owner of A&L Wine Castle in Ann Arbor did not disappoint me with his recommendation for this Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon. He recommended several “big” reds for us to try and this is the first of the batch that I purchased today. Yummy, yummy. It’s big and well structured. The wine is energetic and juicy. The abundance of fruit flavors, predominantly raspberries and cherries, also has delicate notes of citrus and thyme. This Mendocino County wine is structured with plenty of tannin — mmmmmm. The finish is strong and lengthy for a lovely tasting experience. Excellent!

Tom: Bone dry, hints of tobacco, nice taste of berry fruit. A delicious, upscale-tasting cabernet.

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, California wines, Over $10. Leave a Comment »

Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

May 17, 2007 — -

Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2004This Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 is a reliable big red bursting with big fruit flavor. I enjoy the firm texture and the grippy tannins. The taste of  blackberries is prominent with a touch of cinnamon on the finish. I have never had a Jacob’s Creek that I didn’t enjoy. I think I prefer the Cabernet-Shiraz blend, but this is very good!

Posted in Australian wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Under $10. 1 Comment »

Fairview Pinotage 2005

May 16, 2007 — -

Fairview Pinotage 2005Our friend Richard told us that he has discovered an excellent pinotage: Fairview Pinotage 2005. Richard mentioned that Pinotage is becoming his favorite varietal and that an advantage of pinotage is that it peaks sooner than other varieties and so a 2005 may be at its peak. We’ll be on the lookout for this.

Posted in Over $10, Pinotage, South African wines. Leave a Comment »

2003 Uva Negra Cuvee Martina

May 14, 2007 — -

Uva Negra Cabernet FrancA lovely red color, this Uva Negra Cabernet Franc from Argentina flaunts lovely aromas of oak, coffee, vanilla and coconut. On the palate, I taste cherry, raspberry and sweet pepper. Tannins are powerful. with a velvety finish. An absolutely lovely wine! I would rate this as excellent.

Posted in Argentine wines, Cabernet Franc, Over $10. Leave a Comment »

Huelken Maipo Valley (2001)

May 11, 2007 — -

Huelken Cabernet Sauvignon 2001This Huelken Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile is quite delicious. It will be a fine accompaniment to our burgers and pasta dinner. The aroma is of cranberries, cloves and tobacco. On the palate is pepper, blueberries and raspberry. Gentle tannins and a long and satisfying finish.This is a great value. We bought it on sale at A&L Wine Castle for under $10. I would rate this wine as an exceptional value — very good taste and reasonable price.

Tom: This is a striking, tasty wine. It tastes Old World, definitely no trace of the sweetness or fruitbombiness that some New World wines have become famous — or infamous — for. Dry, quite tannic, quite acidic. A nice, rich taste of fruit, perhaps blueberries. This is a red-wine drinker’s red wine.

(Tony e-mailed us that he had some very nice Chilean red wine in Bogotá when his friend’s parents there graciously took George and him out to dinner. Based on this wine, we can see why he was impressed.)

Posted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Chilean wines, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Golden Path Merlot 2003

May 10, 2007 — -

Golden Path Merlot 2003Tony and LeenaWe had a farewell dinner for Tony and his girlfriend, Leena, before Tony and his best friend, George, left for a three-month trip to South America. Tony and George will backpack their way through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. This Golden Path Merlot went well with our chicken dinner.

The four of us had this Golden Path Merlot 2003 with a chicken-and-rice dish. The wine was excellent: soft, dry, with rich berry fruit flavors. The celebration was bittersweet because we’ll all miss Tony, but it’s an adventure of a lifetime.

Posted in California wines, Merlot, Over $10. 2 Comments »

Masi Campofiorin (2003)

May 10, 2007 — -

Masi Campofiorin 2003This Masi Campofiorin is an interesting red with black cherries, chocolate and raisins. I like this very much. We will have this wine with pizza tonight and I believe it will compliment the strong tomato sauce and mushrooms. I notice this wine has a pleasant aroma, light to medium body and a short finish. It is elegant and drinkable. I would rate this as very good.

Posted in Blends, Italian wines, Over $10. Leave a Comment »

Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel 2002

May 7, 2007 — -

Alder Brook Old Vine Zinfandel 2002Although we’ve had Zinfandel in blends, such as the excellent Coppola Rosso Classic (that’s 47% Zinfandel), this Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel 2002 is the first pure Zinfandel that we can remember tasting. It’s very delicious. It has rich, jammy fruit flavor (without being fruit bomby) and a pleasant dryness. Very nice. We’ll definitely get this again.

Posted in California wines, Under $10, Zinfandel. Leave a Comment »

Torres Gran Sangre de Toro 2001

May 3, 2007 — -

Torres Gran Sangre de Toro 2001This Torres Gran Sangre de Toro 2001 is an odd one. It has a funky, punky, herbaceous, vegetal quality to it. I’m not sure if it’s an intentional quality of this particular wine or what. I don’t think we’ll be seeing this one again.

Posted in Blends, Spanish wines, Under $10. 2 Comments »
Newer posts »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.