Flaugére Merlot Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardeche (2005)

October 15, 2007 — -

Flaugere Merlot 2005I am tasting this Flaugére Merlot Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardeche 2005 from France for the second time. As I taste it again, I can easily remember why this is a keeper. The wine is elegant with a subtle nose and a fruity palate of rasberries and cherries. The finish is exceptionally long and smooth with a hint of espresso.

I chose this wine to accompany our dinner of stir-fried chicken and broccoli with brown rice and fresh, sliced tomatoes from the garden. Mmmm, a healthy dinner and a lovely wine!

Posted in French wines, Merlot, Over $10. Leave a Comment »

Chateau Andrea Cabernet

October 14, 2007 — -

Chateau Andrea Cabernet Sauvignon 2005This Chateau Andrea Cabernet is wonderful. I have been saving this one because the first time I tried it, I knew it was special. It’s delicious.

Today, I picked about 25 ripe tomatoes from my little garden. I washed the tomatoes, removed the stems, and assembled a batch of spicy, garlicy spaghetti sauce, which is simmering as I write this. I decided that tonight was a good night to break open another bottle of this delicious California Cabernet.  The color is a dark ruby red. The nose is pine trees and plums and black cherries. It has a wonderful balance of dryness and tannicity with a long finish.

It is a Sunday night like tonight when I wonder if life could be any better. I don’t think so!

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

Condesa de Leganza Crianza (2001)

October 13, 2007 — -

Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2001Tom purchased this Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2001 for $9.99 at Busch’s grocery store in Ann Arbor. This wine makes me think of my son Tony Reifel and his friend George Royce, just because it is a Spanish wine and both Tony and George are world travelers and speak fluent Spanish [brag, brag, brag]. I know that Tony is fond of Tempranillo (he showed me his bottle of a Tempranillo on display in his room at college).

This is a wonderful Spanish red. The Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2001 is 100% Tempranillo from Spain. The color is a deep garnet red with purple undertones. The nose is a give-away: it’s going to be good! It is complex with a hint of licorice. In the mouth it feels voluptuous, round, and velvety smooth with an expressive ripe fruit, subtle yet structured tannins, and a perfect degree of dryness. The finish lingers at the back of the throat with hints of pine-sap. Delicious!

As a side note, I must report that I attended the Bob Dylan concert in Ypsilanti last night. Tom was too sick to go with me (a nasty cold) so my son Tony agreed to go with me! We started with dinner at Cady’s in Depot Town then stopped at his house to say hi to a few of his roommates (Jake Smith, Chris Vronik, and George Royce). Then on to the concert where the opening acts were Amos Lee and then Elvis Costello. Tony and I enjoyed both of these musicians. Bob Dylan was also great, although his voice was very gravelly! Yet, in spite of his croaky voice, the music he made with his band was beautiful. We had a wonderful time. Thank you, Tony!

Posted in Spanish wines, Tempranillo, Under $10. 4 Comments »

Dona Ermelinda Palmela DOC Castelão (2004)

October 9, 2007 — -

Dona Ermelinda Palmela DOC 2004This Dona Ermelinda Palmela DOC 2004 is made from the Castelão grape in Portugal. I chose this wine to go with our dinner of homemade soup and bread. The weather has turned a bit cooler, my day was busy, and I had some soup in the freezer for a night like this one!

This medium-bodied Portuguese wine is quite wonderful. The color is a dark purple. The nose is spicy yet it also has an earthy, bramble-like quality as well. The palate has soft tannins, wood and cherries. The finish is aggressive and long lasting. This wine makes for a great pre-dinner sipper and will also go well with our dinner. This is undeniably a big and delicious red, sure to please those of you who don’t object to a dry, lip-smacking, powerful red. Cheers!

Posted in General, Over $10, Portuguese wines. 1 Comment »

Il Papavero Vino da Tavola Rosso

October 7, 2007 — -

IL Papavero Vino da Tavola RossoThis Il Papverro Vino da Tavola Rosso is an Italian red table wine. (Il papavero means “the poppy” in Italian.) A yummy cherry and plum nose. The taste is delicious red fruit and dark chocolate — but also very dry.

This is an easy-drinking red wine that is wonderful for cocktail hour! And it will also accompany our grilled chicken breasts and brown rice nicely.

Posted in Blends, Italian wines, Over $10. 11 Comments »

Osborne Solaz (2004)

October 5, 2007 — -

Osborne Solaz 2004Osborne bullThis Osborne Solaz 2004 is a Spanish wine with a blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon — two of my favorite wines blended together — surely I will like it, right? Right! It is a very tasty wine with well-balanced tannins and a nose of berries. I must say, these Spanish wines that Tom bought recently have all been surprisingly delicious — and my kind of wine — dry, tannic, big and bold.

This Osborne Solaz 2004 has a pronounced taste of pepper on the palate with a finish of berries and black tea. What a value. I know that Tom purchased this wine for under $10. I want to get more of this. It is wonderful — and a lovely treat for a Friday night after a long week.

Posted in Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Spanish wines, Tempranillo, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Rojo GranRojo (2005)

October 4, 2007 — -

Rojo GranRojo 2005Tom purchased this Rojo GranRojo 2005 from Spain at Busch’s grocery store in Ann Arbor. I can’t tell you exactly what he paid, but he told me it was under $10. This is a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha (known as Grenache in France). When Tom first opened the bottle he was concerned I would not like it because the nose was light and he could tell it was not a big wine. Well, he is right — it is not a big red — but I do like it.

This Rojo GranRojo 2005 is pleasant and drinkable. It is just lighter than what we generally enjoy. The body is light and the nose is subtle, with a touch of licorice and red berries. It has the bluish appearance of crushed blueberries. With well-rounded tannins, it is refined and fresh with hints of minerals. There is a bit of thyme and minerals on the finish. We will have this wine with boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are simmering in a cast-iron skillet, with mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh-picked tomatoes (from my garden), and steamed green beans. Oh, and some whole-grain bread that Tom brought home from Busch’s.

Tom: We’re focusing on Spanish wines this week and they’ve been excellent. This Rojo GranRojo 2005 is a quite light red, a combination of the rosé-like garnacha and the medium-body tempranillo. It’s dry with pleasant berry fruit and should go very well with our chicken tonight.

Posted in Blends, Garnacha, Spanish wines, Tempranillo, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Castaño Monastrell (2005)

October 3, 2007 — -

Castano Monastrell 2005Tom purchased this Castaño Monastrell 2005 from Spain at Busch’s grocery store for about $9. We are having it tonight at 9:00 p.m. A bit late for cocktail hour, but we have to do what we must do — which is wait for me to come home from work!! I have soup on the stove and I know we should be eating by now but I am determined to relax with this wine and eat later. Tom is being very patient.

This Castaño Monastrell 2005 is delightful. The nose is almost nothing; honestly, this wine has very little nose to it. There is just a whiff of dark berries. But the palate is delicious; it is dry and delicious, but not complex. It has a predominance of blueberries and other dark fruits. The finish is bitter and tannic. Perfect! This is a great value and I would definitely purchase more of this wine.

Posted in Monastrell, Spanish wines, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Panarroz Jumilla (2005)

October 2, 2007 — -

Pannaroz Jumilla 2005Tom purchased this Panarroz Jumilla 2005 from Spain today at Busch’s grocery store in Ann Arbor. We were excited to taste it because Robert Parker awarded 90 points on this wine and defined it as, “An opulent, medium-bodied, fruit-filled personality with a savory texture and a pure, long finish. Robert Parker doesn’t lie and he knows his wine!

This Panarroz Jumilla 2005 is a deep-purple, ruby color with a nose of dark, ripe fruit, leather, and a subtle touch of savory. The body is medium with lots of fruit and well-structured tannins. The finish is pure bitter, dark chocolate and very, very dry. This is quite wonderful! The blend is 40% Mourvèdre, 38% Grenache, and 20% Syrah. I highly recommend this wine if you like a dry and fruity red.

Posted in Blends, Spanish wines, Under $10. Leave a Comment »

Flaugére Merlot Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardeche (2005)

October 1, 2007 — -

Flaugere Merlot 2005We are having this Flaugére Merlot Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardeche 2005 from France for the first time tonight. It is a rainy and dark night in Michigan, but we are having a cozy evening inside. I think this wine is delicious. As you may or may not know (depending upon how often you read this blog), I am a Cabernet Sauvignon fan and tend to turn my nose up at Merlot (as unflattering as that may be).

But this Flaugére Merlot 2005 is a very fine Merlot with absolutely nothing to sniff about! The nose is very delicate and lovely with a hint of cloves. On the palate is rasberries and chocolate. The finish is very long and velvety smooth with a bit of coffee at the very end. This wine is really, really delicious! I am making chicken breasts in a cast-iron skillet tonight and, although this wine would probably be perfect for pasta, I think this will also do just fine with the chicken. And the rain. And the coziness. Cheers!

Posted in French wines, Merlot, Over $10. Leave a Comment »
Newer posts »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.