COLOR: 5/5 - More purple than red; very saturated.
NOSE: 11/15 - Initially there was lot of bacony goodness on the nose. That blew off pretty quickly and was left with muted cherry and leather. After 3 hours, vitually no nose. Points given for initial impression.
FLAVOR: 7/10 - Very straight-forward blackberry, black pepper, and leather.
FINISH: 6/10 - Not much going on with the very short finish. Echos of the flavors just slide away leaving nothing behind.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - Not a lot here that indicates any advantages to holding on to this any longer.
OVERALL: 2/5 - Maybe past its prime, this wine just couldn't get out of its own way. Overpowered by a very simple red sauce with pasta and completely collapsed within a few hours of being open. This bottle definitely needed to be decanted; there was a considerable build-up of sediment in the bottle. Not a bad wine, very light-fare friendly.
** SCORE: 83/100 **
I'm really surprised where this wine came out. My first 'great' (don't laugh) experience with wine came probably 10 years ago in my early 20's at a friend's wedding where I had a Hogue Riesling. I knew nothing about wine and they had the Hogue on the all the tables. I grooved to the slender bottle and marveled at the synthetic 'cork.'
Fast forward to when I picked up a mixed half-case of Hogue wines around a year ago (in-store sale + Mail-In Rebate = cheeeeeep wine!) CellarTracker told me to drink this wine before it's time had passed, so it came outta the cellar tonight... and just didn't do it for me. The nose right out of the bottle saved this from being an 82 point (or lower) wine.
As I continue to finish the glass/bottle (1+ glasses went into the pasta sauce tonight) and ramble on, I came up with an imperfect metaphor for the wine as it's drinking now -- purple dry-erase marker. Imperfect because it's not all vapory like a marker, but it's got this fake essence about it and, well, something that evidently reminds me of being in a white-boarding session at work.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
2004 Generations of Sonoma Winery Highway 12 Serres Ranch
COLOR: 5/5 - Dark ruby red colored right to the edges.
NOSE: 12/15 - All elements of this wine are apparent on the nose -- berry jam Cab Sauvignon and vegetal Cab Franc are present, but an earthy Merlot nose dominates.
FLAVOR: 8/10 - Strong, bold flavors. Still somewhat tannic, but reasonably in balance with the fruit and other flavors in the wine.
FINISH: 7/10 - Finishes as sour cherry, dark chocolate, and still a bit tannin-dry.
POTENTIAL: 3/5 - Good structure, strong tannin, and strong fruit should result in a wine with some moderate cellarability.
OVERALL: 3/5 - Probably still needs a bit more time for the tannins to tame and mellow on the finish, but there's a nice blend of earthy and jammy flavors in this that make it a food-friendly wine as well as a good drink-alone (or with friends) wine.
Score: 88/100
I really got down with the blending here. I thought that the equal parts of CS, CF, and Merlot were deftly pulled together and created a wonderful drinking wine that showed each grape well.
NOSE: 12/15 - All elements of this wine are apparent on the nose -- berry jam Cab Sauvignon and vegetal Cab Franc are present, but an earthy Merlot nose dominates.
FLAVOR: 8/10 - Strong, bold flavors. Still somewhat tannic, but reasonably in balance with the fruit and other flavors in the wine.
FINISH: 7/10 - Finishes as sour cherry, dark chocolate, and still a bit tannin-dry.
POTENTIAL: 3/5 - Good structure, strong tannin, and strong fruit should result in a wine with some moderate cellarability.
OVERALL: 3/5 - Probably still needs a bit more time for the tannins to tame and mellow on the finish, but there's a nice blend of earthy and jammy flavors in this that make it a food-friendly wine as well as a good drink-alone (or with friends) wine.
Score: 88/100
I really got down with the blending here. I thought that the equal parts of CS, CF, and Merlot were deftly pulled together and created a wonderful drinking wine that showed each grape well.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
2004 Parker Station Pinot Noir
Parker Station Pinot Noir came up from the cellar tonight. Should've brought it up a week ago for Halloween 'cause MAN is this a scary wine!
78/100-
COLOR: 4/5 - Translucent, light cranberry red, dingy around the edges.
NOSE: 10/15 - Tight nose at first that begins to open after a few hours. It's somewhat rubbery, the alcohol is noticeable, and both overwhelm the raspberry and strawberry that are there.
FLAVOR: 5/10 - At first shot, there's something there, but it disappears rapidly. Bitter rhubarb is the dominant fruit flavor, but the wine tastes alcoholic and watered down and falls apart like a house of cards in about 3 seconds.
FINISH: 6/10 - Best part of the finish is that it's very short. The thin, bitter flavor carries into the finish and then just disappears.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - Doesn't seem to have enough fruit character to survive more time it the cellar.
OVERALL: 1/5 - Not even an average Pinot Noir. Nose is by far the best aspect of this wine at 'average' and the balance, mouthfeel, flavor, and finish border on unpleasant. A poor example of the varietal, even at this low price point.
78/100-
COLOR: 4/5 - Translucent, light cranberry red, dingy around the edges.
NOSE: 10/15 - Tight nose at first that begins to open after a few hours. It's somewhat rubbery, the alcohol is noticeable, and both overwhelm the raspberry and strawberry that are there.
FLAVOR: 5/10 - At first shot, there's something there, but it disappears rapidly. Bitter rhubarb is the dominant fruit flavor, but the wine tastes alcoholic and watered down and falls apart like a house of cards in about 3 seconds.
FINISH: 6/10 - Best part of the finish is that it's very short. The thin, bitter flavor carries into the finish and then just disappears.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - Doesn't seem to have enough fruit character to survive more time it the cellar.
OVERALL: 1/5 - Not even an average Pinot Noir. Nose is by far the best aspect of this wine at 'average' and the balance, mouthfeel, flavor, and finish border on unpleasant. A poor example of the varietal, even at this low price point.
Monday, November 5, 2007
2005 Caliterra Cabernet Sauvignon
Interesting wine, purchased from WTSO.com during their last marathon. I've learned the hard way *cough*Palandri*cough* not to trust their talk-up reviews of cheap wines, so I bought this expecting a $8 wine and in that light I wasn't disappointed.
It was a good QPR purchase and it's a nice change of pace from the Califruitia wines that dominate my cellar. That said, it's a squarely average wine that's just awkward.
82/100-
COLOR: 5/5 - Nice traditional burgundy color.
NOSE: 10/15 - Dirty, bacony nose with some smoke with elderberry/boysenberry deep down. Not overly expressive.
FLAVOR: 7/10 - Flavors are earthy, woody, with the smokiness from the nose coming through on the mid palate. Balance is suspect with the tannins jumping right out immediately.
FINISH: 6/10 - Oaky finish at first, replaced by a tannic bite again. Ends smokey.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - While there's a prominent tannin character to this wine, there really isn't a whole lot of fruit that's begging to come out. Might be interesting to see what happens to this in a few years. Might not improve beyond where it is today.
OVERALL: 2/5 - Considered without regard to price, this is an okay bottle of wine. For an $8 wine, it's pretty decent. It would be a much better food-wine than a quaffing wine that would pair well with hearty fare (think shepherd's pie).
It was a good QPR purchase and it's a nice change of pace from the Califruitia wines that dominate my cellar. That said, it's a squarely average wine that's just awkward.
82/100-
COLOR: 5/5 - Nice traditional burgundy color.
NOSE: 10/15 - Dirty, bacony nose with some smoke with elderberry/boysenberry deep down. Not overly expressive.
FLAVOR: 7/10 - Flavors are earthy, woody, with the smokiness from the nose coming through on the mid palate. Balance is suspect with the tannins jumping right out immediately.
FINISH: 6/10 - Oaky finish at first, replaced by a tannic bite again. Ends smokey.
POTENTIAL: 2/5 - While there's a prominent tannin character to this wine, there really isn't a whole lot of fruit that's begging to come out. Might be interesting to see what happens to this in a few years. Might not improve beyond where it is today.
OVERALL: 2/5 - Considered without regard to price, this is an okay bottle of wine. For an $8 wine, it's pretty decent. It would be a much better food-wine than a quaffing wine that would pair well with hearty fare (think shepherd's pie).
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
2002 Kent Rasmussen Petite Sirah
Absolutely fell in love with this wine. Deep, dark, broad, layered, I could see myself getting into trouble by drinking the whole damn bottle in a single setting!
COLOR: 5/5 - Deep, dark, inky red right out to the edges. Julia Robertsesque legs in the glass.
NOSE: 13/15 - Effusive nose of black currant, mint (think Wrigley's Winterfresh), vanilla, licorice, and old leather just swirl and frolic from the glass into the deepest corners of your brain.
FLAVOR: 9/10 - Take small sips. This wine explodes on your palate and muscles its way into every nook and cranny in your mouth. I get some of the minty licorice flavors as well, but this is where the fruit starts coming in with black currant and (maybe?) pomegranate.
FINISH: 8/10 - I'm not sure if it's a trick of the alcohol or if there's bit more residual sugar in this than a typical Petite Sirah, but there's an initial sweetness (relatively speaking) at the beginning of the finish. A waning candied raspberry evolves through a gradual puckering reprises of currant through the licorice mint and ends with a small-berry glow (currant, elderberry).
POTENTIAL: 4/5 - Petite Sirahs are the Sean Connerys of the wine world -- the only improve with age and this clearly has the quality and stamina to last 20+ years in a good cellar.
OVERALL: 4/5 - Why not 5/5? It's not perfect! The sweet caught me off guard and I'm still not sure what to do with it. In the 2 hours I've had it open it's started to fall apart a little bit on the mid palate and pick up a tannic edge. If you open this with two other people and pop & pour I guarantee you the bottle will disappear long before it starts to slide... and even now it's a DYNAMITE glass of wine.
COLOR: 5/5 - Deep, dark, inky red right out to the edges. Julia Robertsesque legs in the glass.
NOSE: 13/15 - Effusive nose of black currant, mint (think Wrigley's Winterfresh), vanilla, licorice, and old leather just swirl and frolic from the glass into the deepest corners of your brain.
FLAVOR: 9/10 - Take small sips. This wine explodes on your palate and muscles its way into every nook and cranny in your mouth. I get some of the minty licorice flavors as well, but this is where the fruit starts coming in with black currant and (maybe?) pomegranate.
FINISH: 8/10 - I'm not sure if it's a trick of the alcohol or if there's bit more residual sugar in this than a typical Petite Sirah, but there's an initial sweetness (relatively speaking) at the beginning of the finish. A waning candied raspberry evolves through a gradual puckering reprises of currant through the licorice mint and ends with a small-berry glow (currant, elderberry).
POTENTIAL: 4/5 - Petite Sirahs are the Sean Connerys of the wine world -- the only improve with age and this clearly has the quality and stamina to last 20+ years in a good cellar.
OVERALL: 4/5 - Why not 5/5? It's not perfect! The sweet caught me off guard and I'm still not sure what to do with it. In the 2 hours I've had it open it's started to fall apart a little bit on the mid palate and pick up a tannic edge. If you open this with two other people and pop & pour I guarantee you the bottle will disappear long before it starts to slide... and even now it's a DYNAMITE glass of wine.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
It starts here. It starts now.
Well, put enough wine in this Vermonter and things like this happen.
I have a blog.
This comes with the crowning of the Boston Red Sox as the 2007 World Series Champions. As such, I will dishonor this maiden posting with a repeat tasting of a precious NV 21 yr old Glengoyne Singlemalt scotch that presided over the Sox's 2004 Championship and has only been cracked once since then. With this tasting, I have enough for MAYBE 2 more championships. I'm willing to make the Big Purchase and pick up another bottle if the Boys from Beantown can keep it going.
So this bottle is special. It's the last man standing from a trip to Scotland in 2002. There have been many since and none its equal. Scoring will follow my typical wine rubric (sans "Potential" for hopefully obvious reasons):
94/100
COLOR: 5/5 - Pure 24k gold in a glass.
NOSE: 13/15 - Strong, dominant butterscotch on the nose with a bit of ripe apple.
FLAVOR: 8/10 - Knowing there's not a bit of peat in this malt, I find myself imagining it there, yet not missing it. My wine-trained palate cannot describe the flavors of this smooth drinking highland malt other than to say it's truly a lowland styled whiskey. Honeydew Melon?
FINISH: 9/10 - Minerality, toast, and butterscotch all blend together at the end to give an outstanding, smooth, lingering, enticing finish.
OVERALL: 9/10 - It's smooth. It's flavorful. It's an outstanding malt that's well made. Heck you could 'cellar' this for 20 years, but you're only hurting yourself, chief! Drink now & drink often. Slainte!
I have a blog.
This comes with the crowning of the Boston Red Sox as the 2007 World Series Champions. As such, I will dishonor this maiden posting with a repeat tasting of a precious NV 21 yr old Glengoyne Singlemalt scotch that presided over the Sox's 2004 Championship and has only been cracked once since then. With this tasting, I have enough for MAYBE 2 more championships. I'm willing to make the Big Purchase and pick up another bottle if the Boys from Beantown can keep it going.
So this bottle is special. It's the last man standing from a trip to Scotland in 2002. There have been many since and none its equal. Scoring will follow my typical wine rubric (sans "Potential" for hopefully obvious reasons):
94/100
COLOR: 5/5 - Pure 24k gold in a glass.
NOSE: 13/15 - Strong, dominant butterscotch on the nose with a bit of ripe apple.
FLAVOR: 8/10 - Knowing there's not a bit of peat in this malt, I find myself imagining it there, yet not missing it. My wine-trained palate cannot describe the flavors of this smooth drinking highland malt other than to say it's truly a lowland styled whiskey. Honeydew Melon?
FINISH: 9/10 - Minerality, toast, and butterscotch all blend together at the end to give an outstanding, smooth, lingering, enticing finish.
OVERALL: 9/10 - It's smooth. It's flavorful. It's an outstanding malt that's well made. Heck you could 'cellar' this for 20 years, but you're only hurting yourself, chief! Drink now & drink often. Slainte!
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