Boitano Family Wines 2006 Barbera (Amador County Best in Show 2008)
C ountry: USA State: California Region: Sierra Foothills Appellation: Shenandoah Valley //by way of Lodi// Label: Boitano Family Wines Varietal: Barbera Year: 2006 Color Dark ruby, rather opaque for a 2006. Aroma Tangy, acidy and raspberry-y... Taste I am coming to fall in love with Barbera more and more with every bottle I drink. Its high acid tends to overwhelm, but when that subsides there are depths to it rivaled only by the best Cabs I've tasted. The first: Underneath the initial blast of acid, pepper and raspberry lies a subtle tone of mushroom. In the background raspberry, blackberry, bell-pepper and oak paint quite an interesting canvas. Second: An interesting flavor of taco seasoning, cassias and black tea. Finish The wine has one of the best...
Table Wine, Cheap Wine and Young Wine (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)
Life is to short to drink bad wine, or more importantly, there is enough good wine out there such that you should never have to drink bad wine. Here's the thing though, I kind of like table wine. What I really don't like is cheap wine. Table wines like Carlo Rossi have become a regular part of my life as food and wine culture become more ingrained in my day to day. The goal is to drink about a glass of red wine each night, for health reasons and to reduce stress, without breaking the bank. To do this, my wife and I typically drink table wine weeknights, a 20-50 dollar bottle over the weekend or when we entertain, and for special occasions break out the 50 dollar plus bottles. Most of the wine enthusiasts I have met have a similar method, it allows...
Corked!
Although I've been involved in the wine my whole life, I still consider myself a novice when it comes to wine tasting. The genesis of my wine journal is really about figuring out what type of wine I want to make more than developing my tasting pallet. Anyhow, when I opened up a 90+ point Pinot Noir from Rodney Strong and tasted what I had read was what corked wine tasted like, I did second guess myself a bit. So, I took my normal wine journal entry, and fully intended to post it... but it didn't feel right. I knew what this Pinot should have tasted like, and I knew Rodney Strong's strong reputation. It didn't feel right posting. So, all there was to do was go right to the source: Well, ego bruised, but now I know to trust that what I read and what I...
Mollydooker 2007 Merlot (The Scooter)
C ountry: Australia Province: South Australia Region: McLaren Vale //also the Sub-Region// Label: Mollydooker Varietal: Merlot Year: 2007 Aroma Cedar box, berries, overall very sweet. Taste There were many layers to this wine, and the more I savored it the more it opened up to me. It started with a white pepper that spread into a spiced rum and star anise. The high acid and murkiness really helped with the layering, and I tend to like less filtered Bordeaux varietals. Once I adjusted to the acidity, a gram cracker flavor started interweaving with a lemongrass and pine needle undertone. The last layer of flavor that came out was a strong sense of hibiscus, which some would call a flowery tea mixed with a little tobacco. This wine truly amazed me, at...
Ghost Pines 2008 Cabernet (Napa & Sonoma Blend)
C ountry: USA State: California Region: North Coast Sub-Regions: 68% Napa County, 32% Sonoma County Label: Ghost Pines Varietal: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Petite Sirah, 1% Cabernet Franc Year: 2008 Aroma Blast of plum, overtone of raw bacon //hickory smokiness with a little lemon grass tang//. Taste Medium acidity, a little bite. Not too peppery, a little bit of tobacco. Hints of cassis, boysenberry and blackberry. It is a little too filtered for my taste, I like my Cabs a little murky. It is balanced, with light fruit, and bold but not too bold. It could be overbalanced, it doesn't seem to have as much depth or character as most North Coast single vineyard Cabs I'm accustomed to. I wonder if blends work well with lower...
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