2000 Lanzerac Merlot

I’m drinking a Merlot?

I don’t have the receipt handy, but I think this one cost about $22.

The color is deep red, with a nice clear edge.

The aroma is bold and smoky with a touch of blackberry. There is also a touch of chocolate in there trying to work its way through to your nose.

The flavor is definitely un-Merlot like. This is a big wine, not like your typical wimpy Merlot. This one actually has flavor. Oh, I apologize to all you Merlot drinkers out there. But if you are like me, and don’t like the soft, bitter taste and harsh finish of a typical Merlot, then this is THE Merlot for you.

I had it with smoked salmon. The two stood up to each other quite well.

2003 Barrel 27 Appellation Paso Robles Syrah $16

Okay, someone said “You should try this…” And I bought the last two bottles.

Now I know why they have none left. This is a spectacular Syrah.

I really know nothing about this one, and the label is of little help. It says that it was produced and bottled by Herman Story Wines.

The color is very dark purple and I like that. I smell lots of dark fruit – somewhere between a dark cherry and blackberry, and I like that too. Oh, and since someone made a big deal out of it, commenting on another post – this one has nice legs!

The flavors include the aforementioned blackberry, just a touch of earthiness or leather, I’m not sure which. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say there is a buttery characteristic on the beginning of the finish. (Does that make any sense?)

The taste curve on this one is very nice, very balanced. I really love the finish.

I paired this with a heavily peppered filet browned in a bit of olive oil in a skillet. I served a fresh, sliced Romano tomato on the side. I splashed a little of the wine in the skillet drippings, added a little cream, butter and Kitchen Bouquet and served that over the steak, and of course sopped up the rest with a little cracked wheat-sourdough bread.

Amazing combination.

Good luck finding any though…

2002 Paringa Cabernet Sauvignon Individual Vineyard $9

Dark purple, very fruity, a touch of flowers, perhaps a little vanilla. My first thought when I opened it was that there was something fishy about this wine. Really, I thought that I could smell something like seafood. Perhaps even a touch of lobster. But it went away. This is a very young wine. I don’t know if it will get better with age. If you could get it a little cheaper than what I paid, you’d be very happy with it.

2002 Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Shiraz $36

This one is very fruity, very spicy and very big.

It’s been a while since I’ve had an Australian Shiraz. I had not heard of this one, but my local wine merchant suggested that I might like this one.

Holy Cow!

On the label, it says “This wine will benefit from at least 10 years cellaring…” They are probably right, but what fun is that? I say go ahead and drink it now!

I poured the wine into my glass. The blackberry aroma caught my attention almost as fast as the dark, almost ink-like color. I think that was my first hint that this one is a winner.

In the mouth, this wine is bright, bold and indeed young. There is the blackberry, a bit of raspberry, and a touch of plum. The finish is long, and very nice. I’ll be going back for more.

I paired it with a Capriotti’s Cheese Steak, with grilled onions and hots – of course. This combination is amazing!

1999 Kelham Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon $45

This is an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon.

I bought these at a special tasting with Ron Nicholsen, one of the winemakers, in July, 2003, and I’ve been dying to try one.

Pulling the cork, I got a whiff and knew instantly that this one could sit another ten, twenty or more years. It is HUGE! I poured a bit into my glass and took a sip. My first thought was that I should put the cork back in and put it back in the cellar for a couple of years because it was a very young wine. What I did instead was a little decanting. I served it with a premium dark chocolate, which turned out to be an excellent combination.

Someone in the group said “This is the best wine that I’ve ever tasted!” I will say that I’ve tasted some that I thought were a bit better but cost three times as much as this one. So for me, this one is a great bargain, and I will say that it is among the best wines that I’ve ever tasted also.

So what did it taste like, you ask? Here were the comments from the group. Black current, toffee or caramel and chocolate.

Did I mention that this one is outstanding?

1999 Robert Biale Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel $38

I love the Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel, but I like this one a lot also. For me, this Zinfandel defines the point where if it is any more ripe or jammy, then I don’t want it. Unfortunately for me and a few others that I know, the mass market wants them with as much jam and raisin character as they can get.

This wine is big and spicy with a lot of blackberry and pepper. It feels wonderful in the mouth, and I shed a tear when the bottle was empty.

Rosenblum Cellars Daniellé A Tawny California Desert Wine With Natural Chocolate Flavors $16 (non-vintage)

What can I say? This is desert in a glass. Really, you can just pour an ounce or two, and sip it after dinner while talking with friends or watching a movie. This stuff is really nice. I think that they used to call this a Tawny Port, but probably for legal reasons changed the name. In any case it has a lot of character. There is of course a lot of chocolate flavor and a bit of wood flavor over the top of vanilla, black cherry and a hint of citrus.

So this one was a gift from my daughter… If you are into Zins and tired of those big jammy fruit bombs and think you are ready to work your way into the spicier (“hotter”) ones, at $13 this one qualifies as a decent entry level.

Don’t expect anything like a Lamborn, D-Cubed, or Biale Black Chicken. This one has a clear garnet color with a fairly clear rim (a sign of a young wine?) and decent legs. The nose has raspberry and currant with a touch of pepper and spice. The spice comes out a bit more on the palate with some clove and pepper along with the berry. Not a bad finish either; even a bit of heat — not much, but enough to get you started into the hotter Zins.

Try a bottle or two of this one and then head for the ones that really pack the heat.

2000 Robert Young Alexander Valley Scion $50

In January, I took my first wine trip to Sonoma. The night before I left, I talked to a friend who had gone many times. Continue reading →

2000 Quivira Dry Creek Cuvee $5

Yep, it was five bucks, and I bought it at Trader Joe’s. It is probably the soon to dry up wine glut that brought us the likes of “Two-buck Chuck” in recent years. All I can say is given the choice between the two for something to drink with pizza or spaghetti, choose this one. For the price, it is a nice blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Zinfandel.

According to this page, one of the big wine magazines gave this one 91 points.

2001 Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel $34

Have I mentioned that I really like the Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel? I probably did, but just in case, assume that I do!

I like the nice spicy finish with no raisin or prune flavor. There is some plum flavor, but it is not over-ripe. The 2001 Black Chicken is simply a great Zinfandel in my book!

They are currently selling the 2002 version of this one, and I’m a bit worried about the description, because they use the words “jam” and “jammy” in the same sentence to describe it. Well I hope they haven’t changed it much from this one, as this one is very nice as it is.

2000 Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC about $30

I like this one a lot!

If I didn’t have the label to look at, I’d say this was a nice Napa wine. Nice dark red color with dark fruit or perhaps a bit of cherry aroma. There is just a touch of chocolate in the taste, and the wine is very well balance from beginning to end.

So this is a very nice blend from Spain; 45% Grenache, 35% Cab, and 20% Tempranillo. The label reports that the grapes are from 50 year old hillside vines (or older) — love those hillsides. I cannot remember exactly what we paid for it, but I want to say it was under $10.

A dark ruby color and 13.5% alchohol, this one exudes raspberry, cherry, and rose on the nose with plum, cherry, and a hint of spices and tobacco on the palate. We enjoyed it with roast chicken one evening and London Broil the next. Have gone thru 3-4 bottles and still have one in the cellar. Looking for an inexpensive red blend to go with your next Bar-B-Q meal?? You cannot go wrong with this one.

This is one of those wines that was so good that you don’t want to throw away the bottle after you’ve finished it. I may have let it sit on the mantle for a while.

I had three of these in the cooler, so of course I thought that I could safely open one. I remember when I first tasted it, that I thought that it could sit for a while.

This wine is huge! In fact I think that I’ll keep the other two bottles for two or three more years. They would easily last longer.

The color is very dark red. The aroma contains a little red fruit, perhaps plums. I noticed that after an hour it opened up quite nicely. I would definitely say to decant this one and let it sit for a little while.

As for the taste, it has a perfectly balanced taste curve. Everything about it is perfect. Very nice tannins. Great finish.

Here is what Antinori has to say about the 1999 Tignanello.

This is a GSM (43% Grenache, 39% Shiraz, 18% Mourvedre) from Grant Burge Wines, Barossa Valley Australia. Very much a Rhone-style from “Down Under”. If memory serves, this was around $36.

Have had this in my cellar for a couple years. Think it could have lasted another couple, but was in teh mood for a GSM, so couldn’t wait any longer. Purchased on a recomendation from a friend. To be honest, it is nice but not up to the hype; just not the “great wine” he said it was. I honestly expected a bit more heat and a little less fruit, but all-in-all it is very decent. Rich ruby/garnet color, nice legs, fruity but not a big “bomb”.

I remember tasting the ’99 and the ‘2K which were very similar to this. Have had better GSMs and a lot better Rhones and Rhone-styles for the same price range (or less).

Would I buy this again?……… probably not.
Sorry I bought this? …………. not really.

So, this is an interesting red blend (Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zin) from an Oregon winery known mostly for their Pinots. A friend (and novice oenophile) recommended this one and I was intrigued by the blend. Couldn’t find the percentages, but for $18 you cannot go wrong with this one.

The color is a beautiful garnet and real nice legs for 13.5%. The nose is definitely Pinot with floral and red berry essences. Raspberry comes thru on the palate as well as the spice and tannin from the Syrah and Zin. I got some heat and some anise/licorice on the finish.

As for pairings, we had roasted chicken with cheesy pasta and it was real nice. This would go great with a nice burger off the backyard grill. Bottom line, I would definitely get this again.

Tonight, I’m polishing off a Sutter Home… er, I mean a 2002 Trinchero Family Selection Napa Valley Pinot Noir.

How’s it look?
Darker and clearer than any Burgundy on the market.

How’s it smell?
I smell leather and lots of blueberry.

How’s it taste?
Wonderful! I taste leather, dark cherries, something else that I can’t quite place, but it is pleasant.

How’s its finish?
Lots of blueberry on the finish. Never in my wildest dreams of ten years ago would have I said that a grape wine tasted like blueberries. And blueberries is not normally something I want in say a Red Zinfandel, but in this wine it really adds to the flavor and overall impression of the wine.

You should get some, even if you don’t normally buy Pinot Noir.

1998 Topolos Russian River Valley, Piner Heights Zinfandel

This one is very sweet, or it’s over the top, I’m not sure which. Okay, I don’t think it is over the top. I’ve had their Zin port, and this reminds me a bit of that one. If you like very ripe Zinfandels, you’ll probably love this one. It sort of reminds me of the 2002 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel.

Let me find some desert to see if it improves.

2001 Adelaida Paso Robles Zinfandel $22

I’m not sure what to say about this one, as my first thought was that it would be a decent pizza wine. And in fact I tried it with my home-made pizza, and it was good. I’m not tasting anything outstanding though, and that bothers me. For the price, I think I can come up with better pizza wines.

2002 Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $50
http://www.caymus.com/

This is a very nice wine. It is dark red in color. I can smell a touch of smoke with a lot of dark fruit. There are lovely tastes of dark cherries, leather, cigar-box, a touch of mocha and perhaps a bit of coffee.

This wine is extremely well-balanced, and I’m very sad that I have none left.