Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Columbia Valley Red Wine 2007 Wine Review (NW)

Date: Sun, Jan 13, 2013 Wine Tasting

Tasting notes:

Ripe boysenberry and blackberry with some spice on the nose

Full bodied on the palate

Dark chocolate, kirsch, and coconut on the finish

Summary:

This is a beautiful wine from Columbia Crest. It's very good, rich, flavorful, and layered. Known for their large quantities of well made and inexpensive wine, the Walter Clore Private Reserve is a much smaller production red blend from the Columbia Valley in Washington. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, it has all the stuff you expect from a reserve wine and is ready to drink now. Expect to pay around $30, and raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Folie A Deux Merlot 2010 wine review by (PB)

Date: Sat, Jan 12, 2013 Wine Tasting

This is a fairly intensely pigmented Merlot with robust bouquet of green pepper and white pepper,with some nice dark berries underneath.

Palate--Cinnamon galore with delicious dark berries and a wonderful integrated palate with touches of dark chocolate.

This is a well made, easy to drink, gentle structured Merlot from grapes sourced along the Alexander Valley.

My wife paid around $20 for this tasty Merlot and I am loving it so raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Mandolin Syrah 2009 wine review by (PB)

Date: Thu, Jan 10, 2013 Wine Tasting

Medium black cherry hue with fruity bouquet of dark berry and espresso with a slight twinge of cedar.

Palate--Big fruity front with dark berry flavor and nice structure with integrated ripe, tannins. Bittersweet chocolate finish.

This Central Coast Syrah (California) is tasty and drinking well. At $11 I'd buy another bottle or two; nothing special but solid.

I paired this with a moose ragu and paperadelle in lieu of classic Tuscan boar. It was OK but a rustic Chianti would have been better. At $11 raise a glass never-the-less!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

DaVinci Chianti 2010 wine review by (PB)

Date: Wed, Jan 9, 2013 Wine Tasting

Purple hue with decent Sangiovese bouquet of dried cherries and a touch of sweet spice.

Palate--Nice presentation of Tuscan making with gentle tannins and solid cherry and tart cherry flavor.

Finish lasts a bit with a subtle smokey finish.

Made with 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Merlot grapes with only 15% of the wine seeing oak.

At the $12 price point this is a good entry level Chianti suitable for any tomato based sauce and pasta.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Jordan 2008 Alexander Valley Cabernet Wine Review by Billy

Date: Tue, Jan 8, 2013 Wine Tasting

Nose: Delightful layers of cherry, currants and spicy cracked black pepper
Palate: Delicious and savory. Excellent tannin forward profile and great acid balance. These combine for an absolutely exquisite mouth feel. It is plush and full, absorbing, enchanting.
Finish: More lingering fruity cherry with savory herbs.
Overall: I was entertaining at an upscale steak house and saw this 2008 California Cabernet on the menu. The only thing older was an '07 Silver Oak for $95 bucks more (!) than the $100 I paid for this bottle. By way of comparison, this bottle will typically run anywhere from $37 - $50 in a regular wine shop and not at a restaurant with their insane markups. The 2008 Jordan Cabernet was still tight and young. We had it decanted which helped it open up some. It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone at the table. Still, this is a young wine. It is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. You can see a video of the wine maker, Rob Davis, describe it here.

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Rubrato Aglianico Feudi San Di Grigorio 2010 wine review by (PB) (real time review)

Date: Fri, Jan 4, 2013 Wine Tasting

Pretty garnet presentation with aromas of pungent, forest floor fruit with rustic cherry/berry bouquet.

Palate-Deep flavor in the front that is waiting to break out on opening; all kinds of intense espresso fruitiness with roasted and charred wood finish.

This is a big wine that needs to both warm up from cellar temp which is around 55 in the winter as well as breath. There is a big wine here waiting to show its stuff!

After coming up to temp and breathing for an hour and a half, I have to say that the wine doesn't benefit very much from either. I like this wine but could certainly use another 2 years on the shelf but drinking quite well now. At $16, its bold enough to stand up to grilled pork loin chops on a charcoal grill even though where I live, tonight it is in the single digits. So raise a glass to good wine, and a winter gill!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Villa Canestrari Auge Soave Supreriore Riserva 2006 wine review by (PB)

Date: Mon, Dec 3, 2012 Wine Tasting

Lovely golden hue that nearly glows.

Bouquet--Big vanilla nose with tantalizing melon and gooseberry aromas with ultra sweet perfumy notes that remind me of viognier and spices that remind me of Christmas!

Palate--Utterly perfect in integration with off dry complex fruit and spice that is both juicy and succulent in its presences.

It finishes with a light vanilla bitters ending.

This was sent to the WineCask Blog for review and this is a spectacular Soave! I was unable to find a reference price on this wine. This is a special wine!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Villa Canestrari Auge Soave Superiore Riserva 2006 Sponsored Wine Review

Date: Mon, Dec 3, 2012 Wine Tasting

Nose: Honeysuckle, vanilla and pear nose. Incredibly round, soft and smooth scents. The nose is amazing on this comparatively older Soave.
Palate: Velvety soft mouth feel that has a lovely balance and just enough of an acid backbone to stand up without buckling. Elegant and delightful. Great structure that stands up to fatty dishes.
Finish: Young finish even though this is over 6 years old! Lasting and Lingering greenery and honeydew melon tastes.
Overall: This is the best Soave I have had the opportunity to taste! It is bold and round while maintaining a sophisticated and balanced elegance. The nose is simply amazing. This Italian white wine is comprised ofGarganega 85% andChardonnay 15%. The Chardonnay imparts a buttery fullness while the Garganega delivers on structure and vanilla. It is an amazing blend and a truly Superior Soave!

We had the opportunity to taste this with PB of this blog while he was out visiting from the Northern Wine Cask Blog Annex. It was made even more delightful for his being here. Raise a Glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Garnet Monterey County Pinot Noir 2010 Wine Review (NW)

Date: Fri, Nov 30, 2012 Wine Tasting

Tasting notes:

Fragrant strawberry and rose petal on the nose

Medium bodied on the palate

Raspberry jam, with some fresh earth notes and vanilla on the finish

Summary:

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I found myself pleasantly surprised that this wine is quite nice. It's fragrant and shows some other interesting characteristics that keep it real and not overly manufactured.

The price is around $15, and it should pair well with lighter dishes and poultry. I recommend you grab this as a nice value-priced Pinot Noir if you happen to see it. Raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Chateau Pavie St. Emilion 2001 Wine Review (NW)

Date: Fri, Nov 30, 2012 Wine Tasting

Tasting notes:

Gorgeous notes of cigar and currant on the nose

Full bodied with plush texture on the palate

Dense, rich layers of dark fruit, smoke, cedar, and loam on the finish

Summary:

This wine is drinking beautifully right now. It'sexpressive and full of flavor, accented by smoky notes throughout. Merlot dominates the blend with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, much like many other classified St. Emilion wines from the Bordeauxregion of France.

Good friends shared this wine with us over a wonderful dinner of lamb. Retail prices for the 2001, where available,seem to be around $140. Raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Milbrandt Vineyards Brother's Blend 2010 wine review by (PB)

Date: Thu, Nov 29, 2012 Wine Tasting

Purple garnet hue with aromas of black berry mulberry, with notes of cedar and chocolate.

Palate--Rich textured foundation of big fruit bomb berries with plenty of milk chocolate. Tannins are young and mouth drying but should mature and mellow. Finish is considerable with dark fruit and light spice with charred oak hint.

This Columbia Valley blend is a compilation of Mourvedre, Merlot, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Syrah and Barbera. Normally I tend not to care for "hyper blended" wines of this many grapes as it tastes like what it is; a hodgepodge.

But in this case I am inclined to believe the Milbrandt brothers have made it work as a drinkable red wine with decent flavor heft and structure. It is too young to enjoy fully but its never-the-less a tasty full flavored red wine. It lacks integration but a couple years should help that. I will pair it tonight with an Italian dish of some sort.

I paid $13 for it and it's a big wine but needs a couple more years. Buy one and lay it down; it might just reward the wait!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Trenel Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2012 wine review by (PB)

Date: Tue, Nov 27, 2012 Wine Tasting

Powerful strawberry aromas that are nearly floral contained in a lovely purple hue.

Minerally front with strawberry fruit, deliciously fresh and fruity. A day later there is a huge blast of white pepper through the fruit!

Beaujolias Villages is a step up from the label that simply reads "Beaujolais" nouveau and it costs a couple dollars more. I grabbed it for $12. It is classic Nouveau and both the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages are wonderful examples of the fruity Gamay grape made in this ready to drink informal style.

This is the year for Noueveau so raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Vietti Barbera D'Asti 2009 "Tre Vigne" wine review by (PB)

Date: Mon, Nov 26, 2012 Wine Tasting

Lighter garnet hue with ample aromas of gentle cedar, slight licorice, sweet vanilla and cherry fruit.

Palate--Lovely integrated flavors of cherry, white bread, green herbs and a beam of caramel or maple that is subtle but delightful.

This is a really nice wine for the price ($15)and well constructed with a ready to drink presence. Raise a glass to this delicious grape!

Read Full Wine Blog Post

Our 2,500th Wine Review...and Counting! (NW)

Date: Sun, Nov 25, 2012 Wine Tasting

We are pleased to offer you our 2,500th wine review below! It's a bit of a milestone as we've averaged nearly one review posted per day for over 7 years. We hope you've enjoyed the reading and have made good use of our straightforward postings. Many of our recommended wines earning our "Raise a glass!" endorsement are value priced as well. Sometimes we enjoy collectible and high priced wines, but we often concentrate on every day wines which most people want to know about. Thanks for visiting our site and please let us know if you have any feedback. Raise a glass!

Read Full Wine Blog Post