One More Time

A few nights ago, I received a call from a friend who had asked me over Christmas, what to recommend for a good Napa Valley Cabernet under $15. I told him to give the 2006 Montoya a try. He did. His response was that the wine was too spicy, tannic and that he "didn't get too much from it." Surprised by his comments, as he drinks on a fairly regular basis, I thought to try the Montoya once more (I have tasted it over Christmas, notes are here).

2006 Montoya Cabernet Sauvignon
Double decanted it the night before. Color exhibits deep purple, showing garnet on the rim. The wine immediately displays aromas of cedars, spices and dark fruits; a closer whiff reveals floral scents, vanilla and hints of oak. Lovely smell to be quite honest. The spices are definitely dominant although it does let the fruits and flowers come through. I also smell hints of cinnamon in the back end of the glass. Palate full of blackberries and cherries. Very good. Not too ripe, which is what I prefer; hints of dark chocolate in the finish. Speaking of the finish, medium finish, tannic, yet smooth. Structure is nice, with the tannins not completely overwhelming the fruits; although complexity is somewhat lacking.

For some reason, I believe that this tasting is revealing more of the wine than the first time I tasted it. Perhaps of the double decant 24 hours prior to tasting? Maybe. Should probably be even better tomorrow! The nose is truly beautiful. This is a perfect example of Napa Valley Cabernet. 88+ pts

A Lovely Bottle of Chardonnay Bubbles

A great introduction to the world of blanc de blancs in champagne! Blanc de blancs (BdB) is champagne made with 100% chardonnay grapes – no blending with any other grape varietal of any sort.

NV Paul Goerg Blanc de Blancs Brut
The Paul Goerg BdB gives off an impressive nose: full of green apples, almonds, and other citrus; definitely includes some bread like toast aromas as well. I also get hints of honey and floral scents towards the end. Palate full of almonds and juicy white fruits; mostly green apple dominating the core tart flavors with pears contributing to the sweetness. Great balance; medium finish with plenty of bubbles! Very crisp champagne indeed – not as dry as usual bruts out there. Priced at $25, a lovely bottle of chardonnay bubbles for anyone who wishes to venture into the world of blanc de blancs! 91+ pts

Note: Will try again in 12-24 months

Tasting Notes: $3 Wine vs $20+ Wine

Recently, I tried an experiment: compare and contrast a $3 wine versus a $20+ wine. Would there be a great difference? Would I be able to tell? Here are the results!

2005 Panther Creek Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Double decanted. Nice dark garnet color, ruby red on the rim. At first, nose of deep earth, dark cherry, cassis and blackberries with hints of medium oak, smoke and bits of leather; still tight, even after almost two hours in the glass. But definitely lots and lots of earth – manure, rocks, dirt, dry haystacks. . . Flavors of mild dark fruits – still very tannic as the bitterness lingers on the finish. Dark chocolate? Medium finish, not smooth at this point, quite tart. I revisited this wine the very next night and it has evolved quite dramatically. Nose is no longer tight, rather it’s full of cherries, freshly brewed coffee, hints of cedar and vanilla; the smoke and leather remains. Earth is still overwhelmingly present. Palate is full of dark fruits and the finish is much smoother than last night; however, structure isn't strong and complexity is weak. No dark chocolate. Not terrible for $24, but not overly impressive either. 87+pts

2008 Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon
My father wanted me to try this wine he picked up at Trader Joe's. I hesitated when he told me the price point ($3 aka, Three-Buck-Chuck), but I ended up doing so anyway – thought it would be a nice experiment/experience. These notes are based off of a bottle that was opened 5 days ago.

Wine exhibits a pretty ruby color all around. Candy?! For some reason, I get plenty of candy aromas, almost like strawberry Laffy Taffy. Definitely not what I was expecting! On the palate, the wine is a fruit bomb, plenty of ripe strawberries and cherries, however lacks backbone and texture. No oak whatsoever. The finish, abet smooth, is very short. All in all: didn’t like the nose at all and not much in the core juices either. Not my type of drink. But I guess, for $3, you can’t have great expectations. 75 pts

2007 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay CHX – (Revisited)

The wine was calling to me, “Give me another chance! I’ll try harder to impress!”

2007 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay CHX
For some reason, I felt compelled to go back to the 2007 Mondavi CHX – maybe because it was the only chardonnay I purchased in my recent Napa trip, or maybe because it’s not sold at retail stores (it’s a winery direct purchase) and I had great expectations for it. For whatever reason, I’m revisiting this drink seven days after the initial pour.

Swirling, swirling . . . light golden color; quite pretty actually. Once again, nose of honeysuckle, fresh, crisp Asian pears and ripe golden apples – lots of fruits. This time, some mint came through. Hints of citrus hung in the aromas – once again, I get tangerine on the very end of the nose. In the glass now for about 10 minutes, some classic perfume coming through, almost like light potpourri. Lovely nose in general, quite lovely indeed. Let’s have a sip. Apples showed again, some pears and that’s really about it – very mild oak. I get this tangy, tart, semi-bitter taste in the finish, which I do not particularly like.

Wrapping up this Mondavi chardonnay: it has a beautiful fragrance, everything that you can ask for in a nice, refreshing chardonnay, but on the palate, it’s really not doing much for me. It seems to lack texture and structure altogether. I want to give it a good score . . . believe me, I really do, but I simply can’t. Not for $32. 87 pts

Tasting Notes: Holiday Wines 2009

I tasted a few bottles over the holidays (span of 2 weeks or so). A few CA, one Spanish and a few Bordeaux. Here are the tasting notes! Enjoy!

2006 Daglia Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon
Decanted for about an hour. Nose of cherries and blackberries. Flavors of spice and hints of vanilla. Opened up more in the glass as the night went on – smooth finish. 87 pts

2006 Montoya Cabernet Sauvignon
Popped and poured. At first, nose of cassis and that was about it; very tight. Flavors of very mild fruits and charcoal? Revisited the following night and boy did the wine open up. Nose had great fruit, some dried roses and vanilla. Palate full of blackberries, hints of cherries, cedar and for some reason . . . potpourri. For $10 . . . not bad at all. 88 pts

2005 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve
Upon opening, nose was muted. Decanted for about 1.5 hours and aromas of cherries came through. After taking 2 lengthy sips . . . chocolate!! Definitely chocolate on the finish! Also revisited the next night; much better . . . fuller wine now with nose of ripe cherries, cinnamon, and hints of new leather. Chocolate again dominated the finish. Could probably benefit with 3+ years of cellaring. 90 pts

2007 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay CHX
Bought it during my visit to Mondavi Winery in August of 2009. $32. Nose of honeysuckle, Asian pear, golden apples . . . bits of tangerine? Smells great, I must say . . . On the palate, crisp golden apples again and hints of vanilla. Very, very mild oak. Short to medium finish. For $32, I don’t think I’d buy it again. Nose is really refreshing though. A nice glass for a hot summer day, paired with crackers, cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese! 86+ pts

2004 Lan Rioja Reserva
Decanted for about an hour. Nose of earth, spice, crushed rocks, crushed rose petals and . . . herbs? Let me get one more sniff. Seems like something between mints and leafy greens. Anyways, rich flavors I must say – ripe fruits, mainly plums and cherries. A bit oaky, but nice balance; smooth finish. 87 pts

2005 Chateau Cruzeau
Popped and poured at a family get together. Really needed at least 4+ hours decant. Nose really tight – didn’t get much except bitter tannins. No fruit for me here. Couldn’t detect any fruits in the first few sips . . . maybe blueberries? I poured some more in the glass and went upstairs and set it on a remote table (so little kids wouldn’t spill it). Came back after 5 hours. Now we’re talking! Nose of tobacco, cedar and leather. Opened up much more here . . . palate included, yup, blueberries for sure this time, and cherries. Nice wine – but really needs time. 88 pts

2005 Chateau De Rochemorin
Popped and poured at dinner. Why do I keep doing this to the 2005s? Tight, as expected. Didn’t even bother to really try it until 2 hours later. Better showing now with nose full of cedar, leather and smoke. Lots of leather more than anything else. Flavors of cherries and vanilla – the finish was actually a bit spicy . . . interesting. Revisited the next night – and once again, leather dominated the nose, but this time, some floral scents lingering . . . nice. Cherries and cassis are definitely there. For $19, a great 2005 Bordeaux! 89 pts

2005 Chateau La Louviere
Decanted for 1 hour. Probably should have left it there for another 3 hours. Anyways, another great 05 example. Like the 2005 Chateau De Rochemorin, lots of leather in the nose followed by cassis. Cherries, plums, toasted oak and dried roses. Still reserved after 4 plus hours. Nice finish, has decent length, although not very smooth at this moment. Needs at least 10+ years. 89 pts

2000 Chateau La Louviere
Double decanted and brought to restaurant. Nice earthly aromas along with blackberries, hints of cherries; leather was there as well. Palate began with smooth texture with chocolate showings towards the end. Fruits were present along with crushed rocks. The wine evolved throughout the dinner, reaffirming the above notes. The cherries became more dominant and boy, did the chocolate really begin to show itself. Nice smooth finish. Very nice. 91 pts

Happy New Year everyone!!