Della Flora Zinfandel (2006)

April 11, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Della Flora Zinfandel 2006

It is Friday night and we are glad! It’s been a long, demanding week.

Tonight, I chose this Della Flora Zinfandel 2006 to accompany our dinner of leftover soup and bread. The nose is exuberant with a generous amount of fruit. In the mouth are elaborate flavors of plum, blackberry and cherries. Mmmm, this is delicious. I love a big red and this is big but very different than our usual Cabernet Sauvignons. This is fruitier but very strong tasting and dry.

Posted in General. No Comments »

Sibaritismo Tempranillo (2005)

April 9, 2008 — Tom & Melody

Sibaritismo Tempranillo 2005Sibaritismo Tempranillo 2005 is a lovely ruby red in the glass. The nose has a blend of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and earthy spices. It has a distinct leather quality on the palate. This is a food-friendly big red.

I looked back at my previous wine notes and, interestingly, I chose this wine for a similar meal the last time we had it. I am making chicken, brown rice and a salad for dinner tonight and that is what I had the last time we had this wine. I guess I subconsciously have decided that tempranillo is a good accompaniment to chicken and rice. And, it makes sense. The taste of tempranillo is bigger than the chicken and rice but it adds just the right amount of pizzaz to the meal. Yummy. . .

Posted in General. 2 Comments »

Jean Descombes Morgon Beaujolais 2005

December 2, 2007 — Tom & Melody

Jean Descombes Morgon Beaujolais 2005This Jean Descombes Morgon Beaujolais 2005 is good and surprisingly different tasting. Morgon is the name of one of the ten Beaujolais crus, or villages, each of which has its own appellation contrôlée. (The Beaujolais from the ten crus are a level of quality above Beaujolais-Villages, which in turn is a level above basic Beaujolais.)

This Morgon Beaujolais has a very strong taste of strawberry, a surprise that almost makes it seem like a dessert wine. It’s quite good and intriguing. It will be interesting to try other Beaujolais crus to see if they have a similar taste.

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

Dona Ermelinda Palmela DOC Castelão (2004)

October 9, 2007 — Tom & Melody

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 »