Mourvèdre Monday #26 – Esprit de Beaucastel

Date: Mon, Dec 3, 2012 Wine Tasting

I tasted this wine back in the summer, but never got around to blogging my notes. So I decided to dust them off for today’s Mourvèdre Monday post.

Complex nose of cherry/raspberry fruit with a hit of coffee/mocha and mint. On the palate, it is mouth-filling without [...]

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VINEgeek VINstagram: Christmas Tree

Date: Sun, Dec 2, 2012 Wine Tasting

on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/SwIL1TM56g/

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VINEgeek VINstagram

Date: Tue, Nov 27, 2012 Wine Tasting

The always delicious KUNGFU GIRL Riesling (2010) #hiiiiiiiiiiiiya #vinegeekapproved #vinegeek on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/SjmIC_M56r/

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Wine: Global Warming Poster Child?

Date: Mon, Nov 26, 2012 Wine Tasting

If traditional sugar-beet growing regions in eastern Colorado had to move north, nobody would care. But if wine grapes can’t grow in the Napa Valley anymore—which is an extreme statement, but let’s say so for the sake of argument—suddenly you have a global warming poster child right up there with the polar bears.

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Wines of Chile Terroir Master Class – Part 2: Pinot Noir

Date: Sat, Nov 24, 2012 Wine Tasting

Chilean Pinot Noir is not something I have a lot of experience with, so I was happy to get to taste three side-by-side as a part of the Wines of Chile Terroir Master Class blogger tasting. I’ve previously posted about the three Sauvignon Blancs that were a part of the tasting. And there will be [...]

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My Thanksgiving Wine

Date: Fri, Nov 23, 2012 Wine Tasting

Here’s what I drank at Thanksgiving dinner this year: Bruno Rocca Dolcetto d’Alba 2011 Trifolé. I thought it worked well overall. The cranberry sauce helped pull the wine and the mostly white meat and carb-y plate together.

None of my guests were drinking wine with me, so I didn’t open anything else. Waiting [...]

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Laya 2010

Date: Mon, Nov 12, 2012 Wine Tasting

I tasted an interesting little wine recently, the Bodegas Atalaya Laya 2010 from Spain’s D.O. Almansa, a blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (which is Alicante Bouschet) and 30% our good friend Monastrell. I didn’t record any tasting notes, but I quite enjoyed it and thought it had a lot going for it at around $10. Wine Enthusiast names this [...]

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VINEgeek VINstagram: Jaboulet Still Life

Date: Sun, Nov 11, 2012 Wine Tasting

Jaboulet 2006 Crozes-Hermitage “Nouvelère” #stilllife #vinegeekapproved #vinegeek on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/R6Zt3HM5-n/

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Wines of Chile Terroir Master Class – Part 1: Sauvignon Blanc

Date: Thu, Nov 8, 2012 Wine Tasting

Recently, I participated in the Wines of Chile blogger tasting Terroir Master Class. Fred Dexheimer led the tasting from Chile while sitting with and chatting up the winemakers. We bloggers followed along via video, twitter and a chat tool. It was great fun.

There were 3 wines in each of 4 flights: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot [...]

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Anybody Home?

Date: Sun, Sep 19, 2010 Wine Tasting

Amigos: My non-blogging life has been quite busy lately and I haven’t been able to keep up with posts. So I’ve been on informal hiatus. But I will be back and better than ever in a few weeks. Gracias, Your friendly neighborhood VINEgeek

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Mourvèdre Monday #24: Castaño Hecula 2005

Date: Mon, Aug 30, 2010 Wine Tasting

Back to Spain for Mourvèdre Monday. This one’s from Bodegas Castaño, one of the biggest producers of Monastrell in Yecla, in southeastern Spain. This wine got 90+ points from Parker for 5 straight vintages, including this one. Let’s see what’s up. Producer: Bodegas Castaño Grapes: 100% Monastrell Appellation: Yecla Vineyards: From 30+ year old vines in two vineyards: Las [...]

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Mourvèdre Monday #23: Becker Vineyards Prairie Rotie 2007

Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 Wine Tasting

Mourvèdre Monday finally makes it to Texas. Becker is a big name in the Texas wine scene. I’ve tried quite a few of their wines over the years with mixed results. I had high hopes for their “Prairie Rotie” — a Southern Rhône blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan (though the name is a [...]

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Oddball Wine of the Week: Niellucciu

Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2010 Wine Tasting

When I saw “Niellucciu” named as the grape on the back label — which looks to me more like a Scrabble rack than any grape variety I’d ever hear of — I bought first and asked questions later. Back home, Oz Clarke’s Grapes and Wines — a must-own book in my opinion — revealed to [...]

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Three Thoughts on the Latest Wine Spectator (Aug. 31, 2010)

Date: Wed, Aug 4, 2010 Wine Tasting

It’s the “Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers” issue with a directory of all their award winners. I don’t want to rehash the legitimate questions about the level of scrutiny (or lack thereof) applied to these awards. I just want to take them at face value and make some observations. 1. Apparently, you can’t have a best-of-the-best [...]

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