Maysara, Jamsheed, Pinot Noir, 2005
Ahh, Pinot from home. And despite the fact that I drink way too much Pinot (I'd drink more if I won't go bankrupt in the process), lucky for me I hadn't ever tried Maysara before.
(If you missed the wines before, this is wine number four from our "Pinots of the World" flight night).
The nose was nutmeg? Cinnamon? Not sure, but something spicy for sure. There was also leather, vanilla, violet, and carmel. Our Wine MC smelled procuittio! And Denise found coconut. Interesting. The taste was rose, raspberry, pepper and compost. The finish was back to raspbery and pepper (and a bit of citrus).
Denise described this as like an Italian grandma who smells of rose perfume, cooks in the kitchen -- and whose bosom you want to nuzzle (that's what she said). Mike thought it smelled like rose shampoo from Marriott hotels (regardless of this description, he really liked this wine).
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Devil's Corner, Tasmania, Pinot Noir, 2007
So here we are at a dinner, and we're having a "Pinots of the World" tasting. California: yep. Burgundy: of course. Oregon: definitely. New Zealand: sure. But Australia? I didn't know they were in the running. Technically: sure. But really, it's Tasmania. And what else are you going to call your wine from such a place: the devil, of course.
The nose on this was cola, strawberry, grass, and ... chicken!? Yep Madeleine was onvinced of the chicken. Denise found oak and vanilla and rose. The taste was red cherry, citrus, and strawberry. It was smooth, and light in body. Later on, the taste and finish moved from red cherry to strawberry.
Sort of interesting, but much less complex than the Burgundy that preceeded this. This was the second bottle that had any wine remaining the next day (ie, it wasn't the favorite); but again, Andrew reported that this (and the New Zealand Pinot) improved greatly by the second night.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Francois Gay et Fils, Chorey-les-Beaune, 2006
This was wine number two in our "Pinots of the World" flight night. Next up: French Burgundy. Yummy.
The nose was crazy good: peppermint, violet, dirt, leather, tobacco, sweet pea, wood chips, asparagus, cinnamon, mushroom, and dust. Yeah, there was a lot in there. Then drink, and, well, this is Burgundy. And the body is quite light. The flavors are much more subtle when compared to Oregon or California Pinot. Yet, if you were patient, there was mushroom, barnyard, oregano, dust, pomegranate, and strawberry. The finish did have citrus (but not as bad as the Pinot from New Zealand), and the fruit was more like red cherry. At the very end, it had that apple-dryness and some mineral hints.
Some at the dinner that night decidedly did not like this wine, and I would guess it's the very light body that drives this aversion the most. But for me, this one was far superior to the Pinot from New Zealand, and was one of my favorites of the evening. And, I really enjoy it when, the next day (or even days later), I inexplicably and randomly, suddenly taste or smell the wine again as if it's haunting me. Usually it's the really interesting or satisfying wines that produce this for me. Well, this one did it to me the next day a few times. Interesting, and good.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
The Red Square, Pinot Noir, 2005
Our friends Andrew and Madeleine bought a raffle and subsequently won a night of Pinot Noir with a "Wine Educator". And they were nice enough to invite us to participate!
This was the first of five Pinots we had that night. New Zealand, Burgundy, Australia (Tasmania), Oregon, and California -- and in that order. This one was from New Zealand.
I told our wine MC that I had, of course, heard about New Zealand Pinot Noir, and that it was considered the next "hot" place to produce the stuff. However, while I have tried a number of Pinots from the land of the kiwi's, I have yet to actually drink a Pinot I liked. And exacerbating the problem: Pinot's from New Zealand tend to be fairly expensive. No, not as costly as ones from Oregon, but it's hard to gamble something like $20 to $40 bucks on a total mystery.
So, here was another opportunity to find gold down, well, not exactly "under", but down in the southern hemisphere anyway. Disappointingly, well, I was disappointed ... again.
The nose was ... vanilla! Lots of oak here. Past that, there was some rose. The body was light. The flavors reminded me of a lot of that 2005 Pinot from Oregon: it tastes like someone added orange or tangerine juice to the wine. It's just too acidic for my tastes. Under the citrus, there was raspberry and hints of strawberry, but that's about all I got. Denise found a bit more complexity -- fig, bark and dry dirt in there too. The finish was also raspberry, pomegranate, and some of that apple-pucker.
However, this was one of two bottle (out of the five) that still contained wine in them in the morning. And Andrew reported that this wine improved a lot the next night. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to experience that. So I will, necessarily, remain a New Zealand skeptic.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Duck Pond, Columbia Valley, Syrah, 2004
We've been drinking a lot of European wines recently, so it was nice to have something much closer to home for a change. We had a bottle of Morgon open (see other review), and have had lots of Spanish, Italian and especially southern Rhones. But we were having seared Ahi Tuna with a pepper sauce and potatoes. We needed a bit meatier wine for such an occasion. Syrah sounded about right.
While Duck Pond is in Oregon -- like many other wineries -- they tend to source Cab and Syrah grapes from Washington, actually. The heat of the south-central Washington is prefect for such grapes.
The nose included vanilla/oak, plum, and was a bit dusty. Later we found spices -- nutmeg? oregano? -- we think it was closer to all-spice. Denise found hints of ginger, cherry, and carnation (green floral). Even later -- and after a bite of chocolate -- it smelled like the sea -- seaweed and muscles (in a good way)! And on top of all that, there was a nutty smell (and taste): hazelnut! Interesting.
The taste was plum and black cherry. The plum is predominant as you swirl it in your mouth -- then there's black cherry for a second as you swallow. It was also rich and creamy (with that oak/vanilla). The mouthfeel was both smooth and full-bodied.
The finish was white pepper! And, there was something citrusy and slightly sour -- maybe just a slight stem/tannic taste at the end. Sort of like a unripe (and not sweet) tangerine.
This wine was perfect for our purposes; it went great with our Ahi Tuna.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5
Michel Guignier, Morgon, 2006
A confession is in order: I'm generally not a fan of Beaujolais, or Gamay for that matter. While I love Pinot, Gamay is just too thin, generally, for my tastes. And I also have to admit that I picked up this bottle -- "Morgon" -- not knowing this was Beaujolais. Oops. So here we are, and here's this bottle. What else is there to do but drink it?
The nose was really interesting. Stems. Cinnamon. Cedar. Something veggie -- like rhubarb. Floral. Honey crisp apple. Hyacinth. Dust.
This wine has a sweetness to it, unlike many other reds. It's not literally sweet, but it feels like it's sweet. Closing my eyes, I might guess it was a dry Rose. At first it tasted like pomegranate or thin cranberry juice. It was super light. A bit later, it was like thin strawberry juice.
The finish dropped quickly, yet along with the thin strawberry, contained something herbal, ans something floral -- both subtle. Thyme? There was also mineral there too (super subtle). The last bit was dry red apple.
Cost:
Rating:
6.0
Guest Critics: Elizabeth and Kenney (Inauguration Night)
Kenny: Kenny works in construction finance for Kaiser. He volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and his hobbies include golf, soccer, the outdoors and music. This "Weegie" is originally from the west coast of Scotland.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth is a commercial real estate investor. She is active in many Portland nonprofits and is busy raising her three-year old daughter.
Dinner: To celebrate the beginning of something different, we decided to do something ordinary. We ate French cuisine, not Freedom cuisine; we drank French wine, not Freedom wine. And we toasted to the return of freedom and civil liberties and the Geneva Conventions. And it felt good.
- baby butter lettuce salad
- roasted red bell pepper soup with crostini and a drizzle of olive oil
- crab leg gorgonzola tortellini
- medley of cupcakes from St. Cupcake
Wine:
- Domaine du Galet des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2005
- Chateau Gruaud Larose, Grand Cru, St Julien, 1983
- Demessey, Premier Cru, Santenay, 2004
Posted by Jason on January 23, 2009 10:23:00 PM PST
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Demessey, Premier Cru, Santenay, 2004
This was our third bottle of French red on inauguration night. We were starting desert and I wanted a Pinot to accompany that. Oregon or French was the conundrum. With French wine all night, we opted to keep it totally French and opened up this wine.
I picked this up from a wine distributor that was going out of business. Wholesale, this was about $40. And it's a Premier Cru. So, the expectations were high. We were celebrating our new President and I wanted something good. Unfortunately, this was not that.
The nose was pomegranate and strawberry, and not much else. Then to taste, and it was super thin! Sure, Burgundy isn't that Jammy fruit bomb like Oregon can be. But then, this was even thin for Burgundy. This reminded me of one of those bad German Pinots -- like watery strawberry juice. And, just to make it a bit worse, it had a bit of a salt taste too (not good).
Now, I've also had Burgundy that was flabby and disappointing at first. But then, you wait about an hour, and it turns into something magical. This was not that either. I tasted it again and again. I even waited until the next day. This just didn't improve.
Now, it wasn't totally horrible. I drank it for dinner the next night. But this is just not worth anything close to the $50 or $60 you'd have to normally pay to get this.
Cost:
Rating:
5.0
Chateau Gruaud Larose, Grand Cru, St Julien, 1983
This was red bottle number two on inauguration night. And once again, another bottle of French. This was also the last bottle we won at the Dougy Center Auction -- which included a bottle of Petrus 1975! This was not that exactly, but, it was very good.
The nose exploded with all kinds of things: rose, sea salt, carmel, herbs, eucalyptus, and beefcake tomato -- which reminded Elizabeth of a caprese salad. Denise in usual form was shouting about how this was a lolita wine! Because it seemed young, sexy and flirty. Later, Elizabeth could smell salomon in there too. Kenny corrected her, it was smoked trout and I agreed.
The taste was also a broad mix -- really interesting. Chocolate. Cinnamon Black Cherry. Raisin. The body was medium and it was, according to Denise, "smooth like water". That is, it was very smooth. It had that deep, cold lake thing we often find in quality Bordeaux's. Here and there, you'd get a flash of peppermint and anise. The finish had various elements from above. Later on, we found firewood (maybe akin to the smoked trout smell?) and tobacco.
I attacked this bottle a bit too quickly, and nearly lost the cork into the bottle!
Oops. But I finagled it out in the end (luckily).
We also neglected to decant this, and paid for it when we got down to the last glass's worth of wine in the bottle. There was just a TON of sediment in there.
Bottomline: I really liked this wine and thought it was the best one of the night. However, Denise disagreed slightly. She liked the Chateauneuf du Pape (see the other reviews) better with the food we were eating (gorgonzola and crab leg tortellini), but thought this was a better wine overall. Either way, this was super yummy.
Cost:
Rating:
9.5
Domaine du Galet des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2005
So here we are on inauguration night. We made a really nice dinner. We had some friend over. So what to drink? As a kick-in-the-butt-on-the-way out to Bush we drank French! And after some champagne, this was our first bottle of red.
Our friends just love Chateauneuf du Pape, and are usually adept at finding lovely bottles. Though, I have to say that I can't remember many bad bottles of the stuff. And this one was particularly good.
The nose was just full of spice. Cinnamon at first, then nutmeg, then clove. Super spicy! Under that was some red cherry. Elizabeth immediately tasted green apple and carob. I got red cherry and raisin. And later, the taste slowly got spicier: pepper and then cayenne. There was also some citrus of some kind (though we drank it right away). And just for an instance, here and there, there was vanilla. But unlike American or Spanish oaking, this was sort of illusive, and really nice. Just enough to tease (and please). But the taste and finish kept changing and evolving over the time we drank it. There was also something vegetable in there too. Rhubarb? Carrot? Fennel? We couldn't tell exactly, but we all agreed it was there. The finish went back to the cherry and spice, but also had manure and peat.
This was really tasty!
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Cardwell Hill Cellars, Pinot Noir, 2006
I'm always in search of a good Pinot. They're expensive, so I've learned to moderate such purchases. So when the card says this is good, sometimes I'm compelled to try it. And seeing as I've not had anything from Cardwell before, I just had to buy it.
The nose was really interesting and includes all kinds of aromas. Peach. Vanilla. Nutmeg. Boysenberry. And some of that -- I'll call it "Pinot magic" -- it's some sort of exotic spice smell (very subtle). cinnamon and clove. Definitely clove! The taste was boysenberry (just slightly sweet tasting). And it was smooth. It also had a hint of oak/wood/vanilla right as you swallow; that's likely the sweet taste. But the finish was not at all sweet: marionberry and pomegranate and wood. Strangely, the last taste in the finish was -- seriously -- watermelon jolly rancher. Now, I don't mean to imply that it was sweet, but that's the taste. Imagine a non-sweet watermelon jolly rancher, and that's what was there. And later, I detected something vege at the very end. Sort of bitter, but not stemy. Never did discern that exactly. Interesting.
The cloves made this taste a little like mulled wine. That sounds bad, but I just mean it was spicy. Actually, I really liked this Pinot. Not bad for about $24.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Hedges Family Estate, Red Mountain, 'Three Vineyards, 2005
It was New Years Eve. Denise was really sick, so we decided to just stay home. I went down to Zupan's and looked for something, anything for the occasion. Sure, we have a lot of wine on hand, but ... well, any excuse to try something new. So I hit up the wine steward: "what's good?" "How about Champagne?" was the obvious reply. Okay, I need to give a little info to get some. "I like red" I replied. Standing near the Cabs, she points to this bottle. "It's a nice wine for the money" she claimed. So I tried it.
First, it was very good, and smooth. And while many will really like how creamy it was -- it was really creamy. And by that I mean: vanilla. This baby was oaked up for sure. Had Denise not been sick, she would have been disappointed. For me though, sometimes I like that too. And like I said, it was very smooth.
The nose was nutmeg and clove, dust and zuchinni. And of course: vanilla. The taste was plum -- and vanilla. It was tannic -- stems -- but it was not overly bitter as many low-end French wines can be. However, a bit later on, the wine evolved a bit. I got marionberry and then black cherry. Definitely black cherry. But it didn't end there. I found some anise and then some lavendar. The floral and spice elements were subtle. And then, I got some zucchini at the very, very end of the finish.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5(Cabernet Sauvignon 36%, Merlot 61%, Cabernet Franc 3%)
Chateau de Pennautier, Cabardes, 2006
I picked up this wine purely because of the region. I found the Chateau Jouclary so intriguing that I had to try something else from the area. The area is called "Cabardes", which is in Languedoc, and is right next to the much larger "Corbieres" appellation. If you're not familiar with this area, it is really close to Carcassone, which is in-between the Marseille and Barcelona (or more precisely, in-between Toulouse and Montpellier). And it's not too far from Bordeaux either (just to the northwest).
As you an see from the back of the bottle, folks from Carcassone are very proud of the old fortress there. That label claims Carcassone to have "Europe's only completely intact fortified medieval town". Hmmm, not sure about that. Maybe I'm not catching what's unique in all those words (such as in a Clintonian way), but Denise is adamant that, while very beautiful, she's seen other towns with castles just as "intact" in France, let alone all of Europe.
Whichever the case, it's really spectacular regardless. Anyway ...
The nose was bark along with some subtle thyme and moss. Mostly, it's bark. The tase is red cherry and raisin and was a bit fruity from what I expected from the nose. And that bark returned -- it tastes tannic (stems!). It wasn't super grainy, but then it's not smooth either. The finish is very dry -- raisin and stems. However, it's not so dry as to be bad.
So, while I'm still smitten with Jouclary, not everything from Cabardes is golden. This isn't to say this was bad. Actually it was a fine table wine (for about $12).
Cost:
Rating:
6.5
Rosso di Montalcino DOC, 'Mocali', 2006
Recently, I really enjoyed the Avignonesi, which was a Montepulciano. And seeing as I'm happy to admit novice in terms of Italian wines (and you thought French wines were complicated?), I thought this and that were the same. Apparently Montepulciano and Montalicino are, well, not the same. Who can remember at the store. Oops. So here I am, and here's this wine. Best to just drink it.
The nose was a little bit vanilla. Now, I don't mean new-world vanilla. Nothing like a California or even a Spanish wine. But, there was a bit more than you might find in, say, a typical French wine. Just a hint, let's say. Then there was this ... and this admittedly sounds terrible to write ... but it smelled a bit like that old model paint -- "Testers". And I really don't mean it in the "it's burning my nose hairs off" sort of model paint. I don't mean turpentine. But there was something there that reminded me of those little "testers" paints nonetheless. The intriguing part was the earth. Denise and I both love earthy wines. It was mainly dusty, and a bit musty. That's the stuff we love.
Then I take a swallow. Strawberry and marionberry. There's a bit of that "musty" in the taste too. I swallow and then it's pepper! Along with strawberry and marionberry. It's very dry -- not quite as dry as some of those French Cabardes wines we've had recently.
This is a medium to light body wine. Just slightly thin; but then, I'm just a sucker for those earthy notes.
Cost:
Rating:
7.0
Carabella, Pinot Noir, 2006
Carabella is located on Parrett Mountain, which is within the Chehalem Mountains AVA in Oregon. Mike Hallock makes the wine along with his wife Cara. Denise melted thinking about naming the wine after his beautiful wife (hence "Cara-bella"). You can see our recent review of their Chardonnay here (which was a real hit at our table).
The nose was a combo of red cherry, raspberry, and vanilla. The body was very light, but not in a bad way. Just noting that this is not one of those super-jammy Oregon Pinots; instead, it's much more Burgundian. The mouthfeel was really, really smooth. It was definitely easy to drink. The flavors were berry and spice. Nutmeg and clove. And raspberry and cherry. The finish was mainly berry and spice again. There was also a hint of maple at the very end, and maybe apricot.
Denise really likes wine like this, and really like this wine in particular. She was all about how "elegant" it was, and that it tasted "romantic" (she was obviously still thinking about the name). My dad also really liked it; he said it wasn't the best he's ever had, but it was really enjoyable (he had a second glass).
Cost:
Rating:
9.0Ken Wright Cellars, 'Guadalupe', Pinot Noir, 2007
You can read other reviews that we've written on Ken Wright and know that we generally love the product of his work. We did have a very disappointing '05 Carter at a restaurant awhile back. But that was likely an anomaly, and/or poor storage on the restaurant's part.
The nose was vanilla and wood and cinnamon and spices. The mouthfeel was smooth and super creamy (it's that strong vanilla and oak). The taste was raspberry and red cherry -- and a little hint of smoke.
This wine was on the one hand very enjoyable, yet it wasn't as great as others from Ken we've had in the past. It was tasty, but it wasn't very complex. It was smooth, yet it wasn't that velvet hammer.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Grochau Cellars, Toute de Suite, Pinot Noir, 2007
I pick up a lot of random bottles at the store, and once and awhile, it'll be a gem. And this is one of those. Yes, this is Oregon Pinot. And yet, it was only $16.99 at Fred Meyers (Zupan's has a more expensive, and presumably higher end, version for about double that ... must remember to try that too). I really liked this for the price.
I have to admit, I don't have a long description. It's pretty darn simple: raspberry and rose. Put both in a blender, and that's the wine: the smell, taste and finish. Okay, maybe a little vanilla too. But it's just done really well. Lots of people at the party I brought this bottle asked me about it; the consensus was that it was exceptional for the price.
Tasty and yummy. Yes, I ran right back and got a case. Enough said.
Cost:
Rating:
8.0
Chateau Jouclary, Cabardes, 2005
Wow, what a find! If you see this and happen to like earthy French wine even just a little bit -- buy this. It cost me $10. And now I have to remember where I got this and search for more.
Denise liked to call this the "old McDonald" wine. She also wanted to make a joke by referring to it as "Belle Ferme" (in homage to Beaux Freres, another favorite of ours). Denise at one point went wild: "it's an old McDonald wine ... with a mushroom here and a peat miss there ..."
The nose was total barnyard -- musty and dank. Hard to tell exactly, but I think the fruit was red cherry (the earth was very much predominant). The fruit was subtle. The taste, again, was barnyard and manure and mushroom. Denise found some subtle strawberry and plum in there too. And later we got some currant as well. It was just slightly bitter, and it was not sweet in any way.
As intrigued as I was, I found this on the web about the appellation:
"... Cabardès is located on the southern slopes of the Montagne Noir, the southernmost outcropping of the Massif Central, just outside the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. Though the appellation was awarded in 1998, wine has been produced here for over a thousand years. There are fewer than 20 estate producers. Its unique climatic situation with influences from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea give rise to the appellation's motto "Vent d'Est, Vent d'Ouest." In fact, the A.O.C. laws mandate that a minimum of 40% of the varieties must be "atlantique;" Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc and 40% "mediterranean;" Syrah or Grenache; also a maximum of 20% of Cot or Fer Servadou may be used."Wacky: it's French, and yet, it's not traditional. Yummy nonetheless.
Cost:
Rating:
8.5
Chateau des Granges d'Or, Bordeaux (Cru Bourgeois Medoc), 2005
We're slowly moving out of our southern Rhone rut. Here we move a little to the west and into Bordeaux.
In a word, this was a smelly wine. It has a musky meaty smell, kind of like an arm pit (but in a good way). Denise, as irreverent as always, said it smelled like genetalia (yes, she meant this in a good way, if you can believe that).
The taste was plum, raisin, and bark right off the tree. Stems too. It was somewhat (but not overly) bitter and tannic. Disappointingly, it was also a bit "watery". It was a light to medium body wine. From those strong aromas (and that it's a Bordeaux), we really expected a more full bodied wine. The finish took a slightly surprising turn: the plum changed to cherry. And that was mixed with a little cayenne. Spicy.
Bottomline: the nose was really interesting (if not unsettling) yet the mouthfeel and taste were not up to par.
Cost:
Rating:
6.5Guest Critics: Alexandra and Herb
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
- curry carrot apple soup
- Moroccan vegetable stew
- dahl with couscous
- chocolate chip cookies
- Satsuma mandarins
Wine:
- Carabella, 'Dijon 76 Clone', Chardonnay, 2006
- Frank Family Vineyards, Chardonnay, 2006
- Arcane Cellars, Riesling, 2007
Posted by Jason on January 2, 2009 10:11:23 AM PST
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