Archive for the ‘$50 to $100’ Category
Friday, February 19th, 2010
2007 was a good year in the Hunter for reds. A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 14% Petit Verdot. Opened for 4 hours before tasting. Colour-wise, a black core with red edges. Smell-wise, black fruits, cola, cedar, vanilla, herbs and a touch of sarsaparilla. Young. Taste-wise, currants and raspberries, earth and spice, cloves, cedar, savoury fruits with a drying edge. Smooth with good tannins. A touch of something tinny or metallic on the finish, but only a smidge. Lovely drinking now and should do 10 years plus, as is typical for the marque. Sealed under cork. $55. 13% abv. Drink 2010-2017+. 92 points.
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hunter Valley, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
I had to get the camera out for this wine because I couldn’t find any decent pictures on the net. Any tips to take a better bottle shot would be appreciated. Sweetly perfumed, with cherry, raspberry, earth and a touch of oak spice: all soft and delicate. The palate is clear and clean: linear fruits, cherries and raspberries, with some spice. Supple with good persistence and no hard tannins. Quite a lovely wine, with the perfume being the highlight for me.
Rated : 87 Points
Tasted : Jan10
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $80
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012-2017
Source : Eurocentric Wine
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
I have had this a couple of times in the past few months, and either the wine has settled and improved significantly in those intervening months, or is it just a cork variance. Either way, I think I have consumed both of these bottles too early. I reckon 8 years (or thereabouts) is a good ballpark figure to the start of its drinking window. A bright nose, lively fruits, plums, fruitcake, Christmas spices, cinnamon, with a touch of caramel and earth, and some varnish and spice. The palate is strongly flavoured, robust black fruits, plums, spices, earth, new leather, caramel and something not unlike stalk. Enjoyable now, and though there certainly is a lot to contemplate when swirling the wine, it should be better with another 5 years.
Other vintages: 2004
Rated : 92+ Points
Tasted : Sep09 and Dec09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $51
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2015+
Source : Cellar
Website : Rockford
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Barossa Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | 3 Comments »
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
From the stable of the Barons de Rothschild, which in Bordeaux also includes Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Rieussec, Château L’Évangile, Château Paradis Casseuil and Château Peyre-Lebade. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. Tasted over 2 nights, and to be honest was a bit like the stereotypical teenager: geeky and disjoint, gave nothing and just took took took. An odd nose: graphite, dried red currants, dusty cedar, milk chocolate, horse hair, pencilly oak with some cloves. A dry palate, some red curranty fruit, with vanilla pod, cinnamon quill, dry spices and dry herbs, and a barky finish. Savoury and red, and seems to be almost fighting against itself at the moment. Hopefully time with see it improve.
Rated : 88+? Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $90
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012+
Source : Cellar
Website : Lafite
Posted in $50 to $100, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, France, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
I recently read a profile of Domaine Lucie et Auguste Lignier on the Burgundy Report. Here’s a link. Anyway, it got me thinking about some Hubert Lignier wines I purchased several years ago, and that perhaps it was time to try them. And I’m glad I did, because though this one was enjoyable, it is certainly at its peak, or perhaps a little past it. A light red. Bold aromas, glossy cherries, earth and some spice. On the lighter side of medium bodied, rounded flavours with red cherries, brown spices and dried meats. Not terribly complex, but has some poise. Has some acid on the finish. Very nice with a potato and ham frittata. Drink now.
Rated : 86 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $75
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009-2010
Source : Cellar
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
Calderara is one of Terre Nere’s three single vineyard wines, and has vines averaging between 40 and 50 years of age. A blend of 98% Nerello Mascalese and 2% Nerello Capuccio. Imported by Arquilla Wines. Initially a bit stinky, with dark cherries and gunsmoke, and unpleasant flavours: savoury minerals with sour cherries and ash. Very dry and unloving.
Seven hours later and the wine was hitting its straps. Still showing dark cherry but only a touch of gunsmoke, and had evolved to also show a delicate rose-like floral, with herbs, dried meats and forest litter. The palate had rounded out, full flavoured, with savoury cherry fruits, dried herbs, minerals, iron filings and dry spices. A touch of raspberry acidity and pippy bitterness on the finish. The tannins are slightly chewy, and the length good. I have seen reviews that have compared this wine to both a Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Nebbiolo from Piedmont, but on this showing I would be leaning towards the latter. An interesting wine.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Dec09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $60
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2011-2018
Source : The Wine Emporium
Posted in $50 to $100, Italy, Notes, Price, Sicily | 2 Comments »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
Yes, the “A” in the wine name does stand for Aubert, the same Aubert de Villaine who is the co-owner and the co-director of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Based in the Côte Chalonnaise in Bouzeron, they produce several red and white wines from this region.
A light and clear red in colour. A delicate nose; lightly spiced and lifted red fruits, minerals, animalé, with a touch of clean earth. The fruits are in the red cherry spectrum with perhaps some softly pressed strawberries. The palate is pleasant, gentle red fruits with a fair vein of rich minerals cutting through them; a bit austere and underweight without food, but has purity and some charm. Now even though it is from what might be considered a lesser appelation, it certainly improved with time in the glass and especially overnight, and according to their website and the wisdom of Allen Meadows, it is a wine that should be able to take some medium term cellaring. So leave it alone!
Rated : 87+ Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : $55
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2013+
Source : WineStar
Website : Domaine de Villaine
Posted in $50 to $100, Burgundy, France, Notes, Pinot Noir, Price, Varietal/Style | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
I asked Anthony to toss a random bottle in my last dozen from Boccaccio Cellars and this is what he chose. Good work too, because it was delicious and interesting. A big nose, with lots of stuff happening at the same time – dark cherries, plums, vanilla, dried herbs, tobacco leaf and a touch of balsamic. At this point I should disclose that I nicked the last descriptor from Gary Walsh’s note, and that’s because he’s spot on. The palate is big and quite tannic, with lurking fruits, good intensity and bags of potential. A wine to contemplate if you open it now, but really needs a few years tucked away somewhere cool.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $60
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2012-2020
Source : Boccaccio Cellars
Website : Castello Monsanto
Posted in $50 to $100, Italy, Notes, Price, Sangiovese, Tuscany, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Another ripper of a wine – I am on an excellent run at the moment. And another good’un from Meerea Park. A vibrant red/purple in colour; inviting, and upon swirling the glass there were aromas of blackberries, red plums, liquorice, pepper and vanilla. The palate showed a congregation of red and black fruits, with some gunpowder and spice. Medium bodied and with time it seemed to appear slightly backward. Excellent length, as you would expect. Should be long lived, if you can keep your hands off it.
Other vintages: 2005, 2006, 2005, 2004
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $70
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2017+
Source : Winery Sample
Website : Meerea Park
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Hunter Valley, Notes, Price, Shiraz, Varietal/Style | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
I picked this up from a friend at Fridays, and after 30 minutes in the fridge it was ready to rock’n'roll. Quite a rich nose, blackberries and dusty plums, tobacco and spices, all served up with a sliver of chocolate cake. The palate is smooth, showing black berries and cedar, liquorice, a touch of cola and leaf, with a hint of caramel on the finish. Tasty indeed, and almost slutty in its givingness. Lovely balance, liquid tannins and good persistence. A fine wine from the Granite Belt.
Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Nov09
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : $50
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010-2016+
Source : Fridays
Website : Witches Fall
Posted in $50 to $100, Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Granite Belt, Notes, Price, Varietal/Style | 1 Comment »