Just as I was losing faith in screw caps, along comes a wine that makes me hesitate on totally giving up on them…
Actually a blend of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, this selection boasts 14.5% alchohol and is a limited production of only 250 cases. Named for and dedicated to the winemaker’s wife, this wine also boasts a 94 rating from Robert Parker.
The color is a deep, dark, inky blue-black. The nose is rich with dark fruits, cassis, graphite, smoke, and a hint of pepper. Those dark fruits (blackberry, plum, currant), smoke, and yes the pepper too, continue thru the palate with a hint of leather. The finish is long; the smoke and leather diminishing as the pepper takes over.
Do I have any regrets at all? Yep, it could have cellared another couple years. To be honest, I just didn’t trust the screw cap… been burned too many times. This is a winner.
September 13th, 2007
Posted by
Jim |
Wine |
2 comments
This showed up at my door the other day. I was quite intrigued as the label gives no information about the wine other than the 14.8% alcohol content.
My first taste told me that I opened this one many years too soon. So I let it sit for a bit and I was well rewarded.
This wine is awesome!
It is very dark in color, and it smells a lot like the grilled steak with freshly ground pepper that I served it with. There is a bit of plum and black cherry in there also.
It the mouth, it is very intense. The flavors include minerals, blueberry and a tinge of cherry-cola.
I really liked this one, but I’m sure that I’ve probably missed any opportunity to acquire more as they only produced 590 bottles…
August 24th, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
no comments
I paid about $60 for this one a couple of years ago. I was cooking up a nice steak, home-made mashed potatoes and green beans and was looking for something to drink with the meal. I saw the “S” and thought to myself that it was one of the $23 current vintages so I pulled it out. I saw what it was and almost put it back. Then I said “What the heck. It is time.”
Boy did I get that right, as I don’t think this one could sit any longer. When I pulled the cork, it broke into three major chunks. I figured that the wine was probably toast, but the cork pieces all felt soft and the wine stain did not venture up the side of the cork more than about a quarter-inch.
The color is intense dark red with nice legs and the aromas are of toasted oak, ripe dark fruit – mostly dark cherry and a bit of dark chocolate.
It is very smooth with quite a bit of pepper (which went nice with the freshly ground pepper on my grilled steak…). There is a bit of cedar in amongst the dark fruit but the wine changes as it sits in the glass. At first the cedar flavor is a bit too intense, but after a few minutes, that burns off and the dark fruit takes over, as it should.
The finish builds with a bit of heat but then tapers off quite nicely with a touch of mocha at the end.
I’m glad that I opened this one. I would have been sad if I would have waited any longer.
August 6th, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
no comments
This is an awesome blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Mourvedre.
I must say upfront that I think that I opened it much too early. This is a huge wine with a lot of alcohol, but I think it sit another year or two. It is very fruity, but has a great mouth-feel, the taste curve is well-balanced and it matched up with my Trader Joe’s Goat Cheese pizza quite nicely.
Color is dark purple and the wine has nice legs.
Aromas include blackberry, leather, a touch of blueberry, some cedar, and a touch of vanilla. I would like to say it smells like a late harvest Zinfandel, but that doesn’t quite explain the rich and ripe aroma.
In the mouth, it has a great balance. Flavors include blackberry, blueberry, and a horse saddle. (Ok, there’s a bit of leather in there.)
The finish is hot with tons of dark fruit and perhaps a touch of eucalyptus on the very end.
I like it a lot!
May 18th, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
no comments
I figured that I probably waited too long to open this one, but I think I caught it right at the peak. It is much more intense than I remember.
The color is intensely deep, dark purple in color. The aromas include very ripe blackberry and blueberry, with a just a touch of vanilla. The flavors include a lot of very ripe dark fruit. And the finish is very hot. There is a lot of alcohol in this one.
This one scores 20 out of 20 points for me!
May 16th, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
no comments
Got this one on a recommendation at a local wine store. After a brief discussion about my preferences (no slander to be given here), he steered me in the direction of a few choice selections; one was this most excellent product from the Santa Ynez Valley. Research shows a rating of 95 from Robert Parker and I totally agree with it.
Complex and full bodied, this wine is dense purple in color with notes of blackberries, blueberries, cassis, licorice, vanilla, oak, and pepper. Gotta love the heat (15.2%) and the finish is long. As memory serves, this one was priced around $35 and well worth a second purchase.
May 10th, 2007
Posted by
Jim |
Wine |
no comments
This wine has a lot – a lot of dark purple color, a lot of dark fruit aromas and flavors and a lot of pepper on the finish. There is also a little chocolate and vanilla which rounds it out nicely.
I have to say that this is one of my favorite wines that I’ve tasted this year!
http://www.hermanstorywines.com/
April 11th, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
one comment
This is the best Coteaux du Languedoc wine that I’ve ever tasted – period!
I’m not totally over my cold, but I can smell well enough to drink wine for the first time in over a week!
If I had this one blind, I would never guess that it was an old world wine.
It has a bright appearance with a black-cherry color with nice legs.
The aroma almost says “Paso Robles.” (The color is not dark enough though.) I say “almost” as I think I smell some roses or other flowers…I don’t smell any wood what-so-ever. (Which is why I wouldn’t think it is a French wine.)
Flavors are well-blended, there is nothing overbearing. There is a little cherry-cola, a touch of licorice, a touch of chocolate, a touch of grilled steak,
A nice long finish it falls off very slowly. Every time you exhale, it comes back to remind you what was just there. Finally a touch of cedar at the back of the mouth… Very nice indeed.
February 1st, 2007
Posted by
Dave |
Wine |
one comment