Kettle Valley Winery, Chardonnay Ice Wine (Henschel Vineyards), 2004
Smell: Strong honey, apricot and subtle peach.
Taste: Predominantly honey. Also apricot. Unfortunately, there's nothing more than honey and apricot--nothing subtle or complicated.
Finish: Apricot. Fairly viscous. A bit too syrupy,
Cost:
Rating:
4.5
Chateau Siran, Grand Cru Margaux, 1997
Smell: Cedar, mushroom, vanilla, caramel and artichoke. Mossy rocks and musty logs in a river. Freshly lacquered wood (in a good way--cedar with a chemical).
Taste: Asparagus, mushroom, raisin and prune. Not sweet at all. Reminiscent of a Tolkien forest.
Finish: The smell of rain on dry riverbed rocks. Hint of citrus. Slightly thin-- a 1% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Barton & Guestier, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2001
Smell: Moss, pepper, straw, tangerine, and loganberry. Manure and barnyard (in a good way). Very earthy. The nose was very interesting.
Taste: Manure (in a good way), blackberry and currant.
Finish: Berry, kiwi and subtle citrus. Lighter than expected--a 2% milk consistency Too thin for a chateauneuf. And this was a bit disappointing.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Caravaggio, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (DOCG), 2004
Smell: Moss, mushroom and prune. Earthy like a forest floor.
Taste: Dirt, campfire and pine needles. Slightly sweet. Tastes like a cold lake.
Finish: Prunes and vegetables (zucchini, green beans and eggplant).
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Ayres, Willamette Valley (Ribbon Ridge), Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Pepper, cloves and raspberry.
Taste: Blackberry, black cherry and pepper.
Finish: Pepper, cherry, subtle citrus and a slight sourness. Smooth.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Brick House, 'Select' (Ribbon Ridge), 2006
Smell: Raspberry, light blackberry, red cherry, cedar, pepper, subtle anise and canned hominy (in a good way). Once it opened up, the anise became more predominant and carnations (green smell, not sweet) emerged.
Taste: Cedar, honeydew melon and fruit essence (without the sweet). Like fruit sitting in a cup of wood.
Finish: Tangerine and cherry. Very feminine, light and elegant. Velvety. Very yummy. A 2% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Evesham Wood, Pinot Noir, 2006
Smell: Band-aids, cantaloupe, cherry, candy and cedar. Yeasty like a freshly-baked roll (not in a bad way).
Taste: Boysenberry and pepper.
Finish: Slight sourness.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Castello di Bossi, Chianti Classico (DOCG), 2003
Smell: Turpentine and paint (no, not good). After the nose burn, hints of green bean and asparagus.
Taste: Blackberry and currant. Overly sweet.
Finish: Pie cherry, huckleberry and pomegranate. Slightly sour. Ear wax bitterness (yuck). Medium-bodied.
Cost:
Rating:
4.0
Bruno Giacosa, Roero Arneis, 2004
Smell: Nothing--possibly a hint of lime.
Taste: Citrus, lime, artichoke and herbs (sage). Crisp and light-bodied. Reminiscent of a muted Sauvignon Blanc (in a good way).
Finish: Citrus--lemon and lime. A bit of an indiscernible nutty flavor.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Our Daily Red
Smell: Vegetable, dirt, artichoke and earth (tannins).
Taste: Currant and a hint of blackberry.
Finish: Currant and red cherry. A 2% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Guest Critics: Venki, Scott and Shelley
Venkatesh (aka: "Venki"): Venki is a computer programmer in Bangalore, India. This is his second trip to the United States. During Venki's time in the U.S., he has enjoyed snowboarding on Mt. Hood, trick-or-treating during Halloween, and all things Santa.
Shelley Eilers: Shelley sells condos for a real estate agent in Portland. Shelley loves to travel and has visited Japan, Brazil and Thailand. Shelley is an only child, so she needs lots of love and attention.
Scott Eilers: Scott is the Director of Sales for NetXposure. Scott enjoys kayaking, baseball and the outdoors. Scott is a happy newlywed and lives in Portland with his wife, Shelley.
Dinner:
- swiss cheese and kirshvasser fondue with sliced apples, celery and bread
- garden salad
- cauliflower soup with pesto
- pan-fried shrimp with broccoli and rice pilaf
- apple crisp with vanilla ice cream
- satsuma mandarins
- Chateau Bellevue, 'Cuvee Vielles Vignes', Chateau Bellevue, 'Cuvee Vielles Vignes', Cotes de Castillon (Bordeaux), 2000
- Guilhem Duran, Vin de Pays d'Hauterive, Syrah, 2005
- Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, 'Vigna di Pianrosso', Brunello di Montalcino, 2001
- "Awesome! Like a party in my mouth! ... not blah." -- Shelley
- "Except for software, everything is bad in America" -- Venkatesh
- "I've got a $30 palette--I can taste the Two Buck Chuck, but not the $100 bottle" -- Scott
Posted by Denise on December 9, 2007 9:00:00 PM PST
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Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona, 'Vigna di Pianrosso', Brunello di Montalcino, 2001
Smell: At first, very perfumey--difficult to smell anything else. Later, the smell was indiscernible: sort of a weird decay, maybe old plastic. And asparagus.
Taste: Nasty taste. Decaying fruit. Later, there were more spices--saffron and a sweet Asian spice. Certainly complicated. We might have been hasty in opening this bottle--apparently some of these wines can be cellared for almost 100 years!
Finish: Anise. Dry--just like after biting into an apple.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0 (perhaps this is our fault for opening it too soon)
Guilhem Duran, Vin de Pays d'Hauterive, Syrah, 2005
Smell: Vanilla and maple. Cookies. Totally butterscotch!
Taste: Vanilla extract and a little peppery. Feels like a firey, spicy clove -- stings the tongue.
Finish: Butterscotch.
Cost:
Ratings:
7.5Chateau Bellevue, 'Cuvee Vielles Vignes', Cotes de Castillon (Bordeaux), 2000
Smell: Rose, tree bark, oak, moss and perfume. Organic -- smells healthy.
Taste: Lemon, grapefruit, wood and earthy. A tannic earthiness.
Finish: Lemon, grapefruit and wood. Dry. A bit thin in weight--a 1% milk consistency.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Lustau, 'Los Arcos' Dry Amontillado (Solera Reserve), Sherry
Smell: Oxidized, almond and butterscotch.
Taste: Nutty and almond with hints of hazelnut.
Finish: Dry alcohol, not sweet. Again, hints of almond. A medicine-sort of bitterness. Quite viscous--not syrupy, but definitely on the thick-side.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
El Maestro Sierra, Oloroso '15 Year', Sherry
Smell: Alcohol, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). Faint wood.
Taste: Hints of nuts. Not at all sweet. Slight sourness/bitterness.
Finish: Hazelnut and oxidation. Fairly long finish. Really smooth for sherry. Viscous--thick but not syrupy.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Guest Critics: Herb and Alexandra
Herb: Herb works for Providence in the mental health field. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Herb is a closet historian and may have anarchistic leanings.
Alexandra: Alexandra is a mental health therapist. Alexandra loves to cook, read, tackle crossword puzzles and frequent the beach.
Dinner:
- garden salad
- cream of celery soup
- steamer clams
- sauteed mushrooms in an Herbes de Provence cream sauce
- crab and saffron risotto
- apple crisp with vanilla ice cream
- cheese
Favorite quotes heard around the dinner table:
- "Sometimes you want to rag on the Californians, but you know, sometimes they make a good bottle of wine." --Jason
Wine:
- St. Innocent, Freedom Hill, Pinot Blanc, 2005
- Perrin, 'Reserve', Cotes du Rhone, 2000
- K Vintners, 'Milbrandt' Wahluke Slope, Syrah, 2000
- Estancia, Meritage, 1999
Posted by Denise on December 1, 2007 9:35:00 PM PST
#
Estancia, Meritage, 1999
Smell: Asparagus, green beans, dirt and bananas.
Taste: Citrus, peach, fig, almond and banana. It's the tropical jungle wine. For as many fruits that explode in the mouth, this wine is not sweet--pretty amazing. An excellent and exquisite bottle of wine. So much going on in the taste. An amazing and complex wine.
Finish: Pineapple, vanilla, banana and lavender. Just wonderful. A very surprising wine--we thought it would be good, but we weren't expecting it to be absolutely memorable.
Cost:
Rating:
9.5(76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot)
K Vintners, 'Milbrandt' Wahluke Slope, Syrah, 2000
Smell: Peppery with a teensy bit of vanilla. Soft mushroom.
Taste: Anise and black cherry. Like wet moss off the coast, north of Neskowin.
Finish: Cherry, bark, earthy. Like a dirt path. Chalky.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Perrin, 'Reserve', Cotes du Rhone, 2000
Smell: Pepper, earth, rose and blackberry. Great wine to smell.
Taste: Blackberry. Thin like water. Not much other flavors going on.
Finish: Blackberry, currant and the tartness of cranberry. Metallic like gasoline. Goes down really well. This wine is definitely about the smell and finish. Not much going on in the taste.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0(60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault)
