Tag Archives: 2006

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #5: Edward Sellers Cognito 2006

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It’s back to California for today’s Mourvèdre Monday post, specifically Paso Robles. Though I first fell in love with Mourvèdre via the old vines examples from Contra Costa County, Paso Robles is a hotbed of Rhône grape-growing in California. Edward Sellers is a Rhône-style specialist in Paso, with a focus on blends vs. varietal bottlings (though not exclusively). This bottle, which they call Cognito, is a CdP-style blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache with some Zin added for a California flair. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Edward Sellers

Grapes: 45% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 20% Zinfandel, 15% Grenache

Appellation: Paso Robles (AVA, California)

Vineyards: no info

Vintage: 2006

Winemaking: 100% neutral French oak.

Alcohol: 14.9%

Price: I paid $29 at Spec’s in Austin.

My tasting notes: The nose is throws a punch of raspberry fruitiness and cherry cola, with a bit of creamy vanilla and a touch of mocha. On the palate, it’s fat and fruity, mostly red fruit again. A hint of minerality if you’re really searching for it, and a peppery note at the finish. Despite Mourvèdre being the largest share of the blend, I don’t get much of what I really enjoy from Mourvèdre-based wines: structure, meatiness, earthy/savory qualities.

Overall impression: This is another one where I was not digging the first glass, but it evened itself out by the second glass into something closer to my liking. In the end, though, it’s not something I’d buy again, not at nearly $30. C+

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/warmnfuzzy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

576 cases produced.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Story Winery Picnic Hill Zinfandel 2006

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I received this bottle as a sample provided by the winery.

Producer: Story Winery (these guys own the www.zin.com domain, so they’re serious about Zin)

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Shenandoah Valley, an AVA within the Sierra Foothills appellation. Officially called “California-Shenandoah Valley” to distinguish it from Virginia’s “Shenandoah Valley” AVA). Gold Rush country.

Vintage: 2006

Vineyard: The vines in the Picnic Hill vineyards were planted over 100 years ago. Them’s seriously old vines, folks. Some wineries have 30 year old vines and call them old vines. These are Model-T old. Pre-forward pass in football old. Old old.

Winemaking: Aged 10 months in neutral French and American oak. Unfiltered.

Alcohol: a whopping 16%!

Price: $25 from the winery or Snooth.

My tasting notes: A very sweet-smelling, candied nose. There are beautiful raspberry/strawberry notes along with darker fruit. And something in there makes me think of the candied almonds you get at the fair. On the palate, the wine saturates my tongue with more sweet berry fruit and vanilla creme. The texture gets almost gritty toward the end (unfiltered). It finishes hot, though you don’t feel it so much in your throat as in your esophagus.

Overall impression: Definitely from the high-octane school of Zin. I really enjoyed the seductive nose. This is a bottle to share with several friends at the end of the night. B-

Free association:

"These go to eleven." (click for video at YouTube)

More info:

There’s a video review of this wine at Organic Wine Review. They call it: “Berry Balanced for the BBQ”

Some others’ reviews on Snooth.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #1: Barahonda Monastrell 2006

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Just after the New Year, I decided to make 2010 ‘The Year of Mourvèdre‘ for VINEgeek and pledged to institute Mourvèdre Mondays. For this, the first installment, I didn’t want to begin with a top-dog wine (Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, for example), mostly because I didn’t want the rest of the year to seem like a letdown. I want to ease into this thing. We’ve got 50 weeks to go, dear readers. So I decided to go with an affordable bottle from Spain, where Mourvèdre (or Monastrell as they call it) originated. And fittingly for the first installment, we start with a winery whose “major ambition is to reveal the great potential of wines made with 100% Monastrell.”

Producer: Señorio de Barahonda

Grapes: 100% Monastrell

Appellation: Yecla (DO, Spain). 85% of the grapes grown in this region are Monastrell, according to the Oxford Companion to Wine (2006).

Vineyards: Barahonda owns 840 acres of vineyards in Yecla, with 500 planted to Monastrell. The age of the vines range from 15-120 years. The soils are composed of limestone and chalk topsoil with clay and gravel subsoil.

Winemaking: No oak treatment. (They do a version called Barahonda Barrica which sees time in oak and gets some Cab blended in.)

Alcohol: 15%

Price: I paid $13 at Central Market, but I see it online for $10.

My tasting notes: Rich blackberry jam and earth notes on the nose. More blackberry and maybe cherry flavors on the palate with a sort of meaty, roasted fruit quality. It’s somewhat soft-textured in the mid-palate, but not flabby. There’s a nice little prickle of minerality and acidity at the end. It finishes with a bit of tannic grip and some definite heat from the 15% abv.

Overall impression: A solid start to Mourvèdre Mondays. Tasty dark fruit with some character. If you can get it for around $10, that’s a good value. B-

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drwhimsy/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

Other reviews at CellarTracker.

Some nice photos from the Barahonda website:

Price: 16-20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week: Prieto Picudo

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Pardevalles ‘Gamonal’ Prieto Picudo 2006

Pardevalles_Gamonal_2006Producer: Vinedos y Bodega Pardevalles

Grapes: 100% Prieto Picudo – Google Translate converts this to both ‘acacia weevil’ and ‘billfish’. However, the importer’s website says it means “bunched and peaked” for the way the grapes grow in a very tight cluster and the bunches taper sharply at the bottom. I prefer acacia weevil.

Appellation: Tierra de León (DO, Spain)

Vineyards: Gamonal – a 16-hectare (about 40 acres) dry-farmed, hand-harvested vineyard of alluvial and clay soils.

Winemaking: The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in new French and American oak, then spent another 9 months in new oak barrels (50% French Allier and 50% American oak). Unfiltered.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $19.10

My tasting notes: A dark purple color, though not especially dense. A complex nose with scents of dusty flowers, red berries and (just like it says on the back label) “fallen leaves and freshly turned earth”. It is lively on the palate, with Luden’s-like cherry and blackberry flavors predominating with an herbal and mineral edge. Modest tannins and plenty of acidity, but it maintains a nice, polished mouthfeel. It has good length on the finish. I’m finding this wine is growing on me with each sip.

Overall assessment: Not necessarily a value play at nearly $20, but a very nice wine. B/B+

Free association:

ludens

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bessicajach/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

More info:

Only 2000 cases of this wine were produced.

This wine was rated 90 points by Wine & Spirits and Wine Advocate, and 87 by Wine Spectator.

Reviews at CellarTracker and The Spanish Table in Berkeley.

An acacia weevil:

AcaciaWeevil

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Viña Zaco 2006 Rioja

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VinaZaco_Stilleto_screengrabVinaZaco_bottleshotThis wine is #71 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 for 2009, making it one of the most exciting wines of the year in their view. They rated it 90 points.

This winery is trying very hard to make this wine seem young/hip/sexy/cool/rebellious. The bottle and website are stylish black, red and white. On the website they talk about pairing the wine with modern music (including a press release about a psychologist’s study on the subject). They talk about being “a new generation of Rioja”, “a contemporary twist” and “not constrained by the rules.”

I can forgive some over-eager marketing if the juice is good. Let’s see…

Producer: Bodegas Bilbainas

Grapes: 100% Tempranillo

Appellation: Rioja (DOC, Spain)

Vineyards: from the Rioja Alta region

Winemaking: Assuming they used a similar oak program as 2005 (website doesn’t have details for 2006), this wine spent 9 months or so in American and French oak.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: Around $10-12 at Costco. ($15 according to WS)

My tasting notes: Sweet blue & red fruit with hints of chocolate/mocha and herbs on the nose. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and a bit empty – the fruit is on the thin side and disappears quickly leaving just a slight cool mint kind of impression and dry woody tannins.

Overall impression: Style over substance in my opinion. Not sure what Wine Spectator saw in this one. Nothing special. C

Free association:

Paris_Hilton

More info:

Other reviews at Slashfood and Good Wine Guru.

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Can Petit Verdot, Tannat and Spain Harmonize?

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There is very little information about this wine online. It’s not even listed on the importer’s website and the winery’s blog doesn’t say much more than what’s on the label. But it got 90+ points from Jay Miller in the Wine Advocate so I guess that’s why it ended up at Costco. When I saw that it was Petit Verdot and Tannat from Spain and it was 10 bucks, I couldn’t resist.

cuveeharmoniebottleChapillon Cuvée Harmonie 2006

Producer: Chapillon

Grapes: 90% Petit Verdot, 10% Tannat

Appellation: “Red Wine from Aragon” (Spain)

Vineyards: No info, but some photos from the winery’s blog are at the bottom of this post.

Winemaking: No info

Alcohol: 14%

Price: About $10 at Costco.

My tasting notes: Good dark color with a vibrant red edge. An enjoyable and interesting nose. Initially, I get loads of black pepper and behind that are pine and dusty violet aromas. On the palate, it is very green/herbal/stemmy and dry, with bright (not rich) raspberry and blueberry flavors and a bit of meatiness. A few times I catch a hint of creamy oakiness, but it’s fleeting. I’d say it leans toward medium-bodied.

Overall impression: Pleasant and interesting, though probably not compelling enough to make me seek it out again. I can’t help but think it might be improved with a healthy dose of something richer in the blend. A decent (and cheap) introduction to varietal Petit Verdot, perhaps. C+/B-

Free association:

GreenViolet-EarHummingbird
The Green Violet-Ear Hummingbird

More info:

The winery’s blog reproduces the 90+ point Wine Advocate/Jay Miller review.

Another wine blogger review at The Caveat Emptyer Wine List.

Mean score at CellarTracker is 88.5 (from 9 ratings).

Signalwriter, an ad blogger, didn’t like this wine, but liked the plastic cork.

Importer is Misa Imports, Inc. (Dallas).

Photos of the vineyard:

ChapillonHarmonie_vineyard_photo2

ChapillonHarmonie_vineyard_photo

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Cannonau – WBW #62: A Grape By Any Other Name

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Argiolos Costera-Bottle Shot

The theme of this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday #62 (hosted by Dale Cruse at Drinks Are On Me) is “A Grape By Any Other Name”. The idea is to taste a wine labeled with a lesser known name of an otherwise common grape. Now this is the sort of thing that I’d normally stew over at length. However, on a recent trip to Costco, I happened upon a bottle that I thought was a great fit: a 100% Cannonau from Sardinia.

Argiolas Costera 2006 Isola dei Nuraghi

Producer: Argiolas

Grapes: 100% Cannonau – the name for Grenache in Sardinia

Appellation: Isola Dei Nuraghi IGT (Sardinia, Italy)

Vineyards: The Costera vineyard, a 61-acre vineyard with clay and limestone soils and southeasterly exposure. It was planted in 1989.

Winemaking: Tank fermented, then spent 6-8 months in French barriques.

Alcohol: 13.9%

Price: $14 at Costco

My tasting notes: Dark, yet translucent. A gemlike garnet in color. On the nose, this wine is pungent with tire shop smells. If there’s fruit there it is well-hidden. In the mouth, there is a lot of iron and perhaps a little tarriness, but some good raspberry fruit comes through as well. It finishes with nice grippy tannins. After being open a few hours, the tire aroma recedes and the fruit shows up on the nose. The palate integrates a bit more and starts to lean toward wild berries and meaty flavors, while retaining a stony minerality. On day two it’s drinking even better – the fruit is really shining now and it’s plush while retaining some backbone.

Overall assessment: I enjoyed drinking it over a couple days, and at $14 I don’t think it’s a bad value, but I do think there is a lot of competition at that price as well – stuff I like even more. However, I like finding nice wines like this from regions I rarely think about. B-

Reflecting on the theme of this WBW, I think this Cannonau has some similarities and some differences from the Grenache wines I’ve been drinking recently. First, it does convey the minerality that I find in Garnacha from Spain (e.g., Montsant) or Grenache from the Southern Rhone (e.g., Vacqueyras, Vinsobres). On the other hand, this one is much more tightly wound and takes lots of time (day 2) before the delicious fruit shows up. Of course, much of the French and Spanish Grenache/Garnacha is blended, often with Syrah, while this is 100% varietal. It was definitely an interesting bottle and I’m glad Dale’s WBW theme led me to it.

Free association:

TireTreadMacro

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

More info:

Imported by Winebow/Leonardo LoCascio. Lots of geekster details on the wine at their website.

CellarTracker tasting notes (avg. 88 points).

Other blogger reviews: Viva la Wino, Canadian Wine Guy, The Gastronome’s Cellar and Wine Belly.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Vale do Bomfim 2006 Douro

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Bomfim_bottleshotAs sales of Port have been trending downward, many Port houses are using a portion of their grapes to produce red table wines. I like Port, but I drink it maybe a couple times a year and almost always at a restaurant by the glass. So I love this trend. I love that they use indigenous grapes that are rarely found elsewhere. I love that they aren’t 15% alcohol monsters. And I love the price point – most are under $15.

Let’s see if this one is a winner.

Producer: Symington Family Estates (Dow’s)

Grapes: 40% Touriga Franca, 25% Tinta Roriz (the Portuguese name for Tempranillo), 20% Tinta Barroca, and 15% Touriga Nacional.

Appellation: Douro Valley DOC (Portugal)

Vineyards: Quinta do Bomfim (profile) & Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira (profile). Schist soils and hillside vineyards.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation, then 9 months in a mix of French and American oak.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $10-12

My tasting notes: Inky dark color – near opaque. Nose of dark fruit, oak and dried flowers. (Both Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional are noted for producing wines with floral qualities). A bit green and stemmy, but not in an unpleasant way. Rich blackberry and cherry flavors with leather, mineral and chocolate notes and chewy, spicy tannins. Maybe a bit on the rustic side. A lengthy finish.

Overall assessment: This is an enjoyable red for those who don’t require exuberant fruit. While there is a richness to this wine, and it’s certainly not austere, it’s not what I think most people would consider fruit-forward (note the lower alcohol, too). I liked it and would like to try it again with more time in bottle. B-

Free association: I normally don’t use photos of the vineyards in my “free association” spot. I like to be less literal. But the Douro is such freaking beautiful vineyard land, that’s what my mind goes to when I think of these wines. Feast your eyes…

Dows_Bomfim_VineyardTerraces Dows_BomfimWalls

Dows_Senhora-da-Ribeira_Vineyard Dows_Senhora-da-Ribeira_Vineyard2

(Photos from the Dow’s website.)

More info:

Other bloggers reviews of this wine (all liked it): The Wine Curmudgeon, The Grape Crusader, The Wine Skinny, Red White and Food, The O’Neill Review. Also a few reviews at Cork’d and CellarTracker.

A discussion of the 2006 vintage in the Douro (and at Bomfim in particular) by Paul and Charles Symington at JancisRobinson.com

The producer’s tech sheet.

“Portugal: The California of Europe” – Interesting marketing from PortugalWines, a promotional organization for Portuguese wines in the US. Isn’t it usually the US producers comparing latitudes with famous European wine regions?

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Perrin & Fils Vinsobres “Les Cornuds” 2006

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PerrinVinsobres_NV_bottleshotPerrin & Fils is a producer that always catches my eye. I’ve had a number of very good bottles from them and no bad ones. So when I saw this bottle at Costco from an appellation I’m not familiar with and a couple of nice scores (91 WS and 90 RP), I couldn’t resist.

Producer: Perrin & Fils

Grapes: Back label says 65% Syrah, 35% Grenache – but I read in two places that the AC rules for this appellation require a minimum of 50% Grenache. So I’m assuming they got it backward on the label and it’s 65% Grenache.

Appellation: Vinsobres (AOC, France) (map). Formerly classified as Côtes du Rhône Villages (1957), then Côtes du Rhône Villages Vinsobres (1967), this appellation was granted its own AOC (just Vinsobres) in 2005.

Vineyards: From vineyards at Domaine de la Bicarelle and the Julian estate. They describe the soils as “Stony and sandy marl on the slopes, with quartenary stony alluviums on the terraces.”

Winemaking/aging: Label says 35% is aged in French oak, but no indication for how long or whether the barrels are new or not.

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $12-15

My tasting notes: Dusty red fruit, pencil shavings and dried herbs on the nose. Feels weighty in the mouth, with flavors of dried cherries, plums, figs and just a hint of black olive. Persistent minerality on the finish. (Drinks well on day two – a little fruitier and fleshier.)

Overall assessment: A nice wine. Good balance of restrained fruit and minerality/earth, especially after a few hours open and the next day. A good way to explore lesser-known Rhone appellations. B-

Free association: In the my last post, I used Iron Man to convey the iron notes in the wine. I have comics on the brain, so I’m using The Thing to convey the earthy minerality of this wine.

TheThing_Cover

More info:

Wondering how to pronounce the name of this wine?

Other blogger reviews: Gang of Pour,  Viva la Wino and Passport Foodie

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Montsant: My New Favorite Spanish Appellation

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After really enjoying the last Montsant wine I tried, I have been on the lookout for more. I saw this one for about $11 and had to give it a try.

Falset 2006 Montsant

Falset06_snapshot2Producer: Falset Marçà

Grapes: 50% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation: Montsant (D.O., Spain)

MontsantDO

Vineyards: Vineyards are at 1240 feet with soils of slate, granite, sand, limestone and clay.

Winemaking/aging: Aged in stainless steel.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Package: A rather plain label, but I like that they use the D.O. Montsant logo on the front (appellation pride – woot!)

Price: $10.95

My tasting notes: Not the deepest color. Nose is very mineral-driven: iron and rock dust. Blackberries, too. Cherries, plums and more blackberries on the palate, which manages to feel rich while maintaining a strong core of minerality and acid.

Overall assessment: A very nice, complex, balanced wine. Like the last Montsant wine I reviewed, I love the minerality and complexity you get for a very reasonable price. B

Free association:

ironman_no1

More info: The importer’s winery profile.