Posts Tagged ‘anise’
Monday, April 13th, 2009
92/B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Mar 2009
Dark, inky purple core with a glass-staining fuchsia rim. Gamy and meaty aromas of brown sugar glazed ham stalk over fresh herbal anise, dark blueberry and ripe blackberry fruits. Wild yet impressively restrained blueberry and huckleberry on the palate are backed by ripe black cherry. Thick and mouth filling with enough acid for balance. The dense fruit gives way to wisps of smoky ham and brown sugar on the finish.
A blend of 79.1% Petite Sirah, 9.5% Syrah, 9.1% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2.3% Valdiguié
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Tags: 2006, anise, black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, brown sugar, ca, california, central coast, fuchsia, game, gamy, ham, herb, huckleberry, j. lohr, meat, meaty, petite sirah, purple, red wine, san luis obispo, smoke, Syrah, tower road vineyard, USA
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
86 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 09 Jan 2009
Dark purple/ruby core with a ruby rim. Fresh black cherry aromas backed by anise, cassis and a hint of spicy herbs. Easy entry on the palate with lush black cherry over wet stone, cassis and raspberry. Nice juicy finish.
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Tags: 2004, anise, Australia, black, cabernet, cassis, cherry, eastern, herb, hill, koonunga, penfolds, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, ruby, sauvignon, Shiraz, South, spice, stone, Syrah, wet, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 16 Oct 2008
Dark ruby core with a lighter pink rim. Sweet blackberry and cherry aromas up front are surrounded by smoke, soy sauce, dried anise and a hint of barbeque ribs. Medium bodied in the mouth with ripe fruit flavors of blueberry, black cherry and raspberry. The tannins are fairly small and ripe, making this an approachable wine that is ready to drink (but with enough oomph to last another 2 - 4 years). Nice lingering finish with a touch of Good & Plenty candy licorice.
Argentina strikes again by bringing one of the best values to the wine world. A blend of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon (for red fruit and structure), 33% Malbec (for spice and acidity) and 33% Syrah (for rich, dark flavors and body). All this fruit and power needs balance to keep the wine from going over the top, and the acid in the Malbec does the trick. We pulled this wine out on set recently while shooting some Supple Wine videos and not a single person could resist. Two cases of this stuff disappeared in a heartbeat!
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Tags: 2005, and, anise, Argentina, barbeque, black, blackberry, blueberry, Bodegas, cabernet, candy, cherry, good, Malbec, Mendoza, pasodoble, pink, plenty, poesia, raspberry, red, red wine, ribs, ruby, sauce, sauvignon, smoke, soy, Syrah, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
92 / A+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 29 Jul 2008
Bright, vibrant ruby in the glass. Explosive aromas of roses and violets surround red and black cherry fruits with a really great streak of flint and sweet leather. Bold in the mouth with great body and voluptuous tannins. Black cherry and plum flavors with a nice dusty, earthy accent. Lots of dark, roasted cocoa beans with bold highlights of dried anise and cinnamon spice. Long, lingering finish.
Argiano grows grapes in a very expensive and high quality region of Italy. They produce some outstanding high-priced beauties, and some of those grapes found their way into this fantastic bottle for a fraction of the price. $23 may not be cheap, but for wine of this quality out of Italy - it is a downright steal. This is perfect for any time you need to impress an Italian wine buff, and if you’re looking to dabble with $100 Italian wines, this one will get you there and save you 75 bones. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah.
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Tags: 2006, anise, argiano, bean, black, cabernet, cherry, cinnamon, cocoa, confunditur, dust, earth, flint, italy, leather, merlot, non, plum, red, red wine, roast, rose, Rosso, ruby, Sangiovese, sauvignon, spice, Syrah, toscano, Tuscany, violet, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
93 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Dec 2008
Dark ruby core with a bright rim. Smells like hot caramel dripped over wet slate with dark red cherry and cassis fruit, spicy anise and a touch of oak. Smooth entry on the palate. Medium to full bodied with big, round tannins. Dark cherries and roasted earth flavors on the mid-palate. Very smooth and elegant in the mouth with a long, silky finish accented by orange zest and cocoa powder. Better to let it age for a few more years, but starting to be approachable now. Will last another 15 years easily.
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Tags: 2005, anise, bordeaux, caramel, cassis, chateau, cherry, cocoa, earth, france, julien, oak, orange, pierre, powder, red, red wine, roast, ruby, saint, slate, spice, st-julien, wet, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 01 Jun 2008
Opaque purple core with a ruby rim. Pretty floral aromas over dark plum, cassis and cherry fruits with a toasted biscuit note, all accented by fresh anise. The palate is rich with cherry and orange zest flavors backed by a touch of earth underneath and just a hint of toasty oak lingering in the finish. The tannins are very ripe and approachable and are balanced by a good hit of acidity. This wine is approachable now if decanted for a few hours - it will be at its best in the next 3 years or so.
Some of the best wines ever made in Bordeaux were produced in 2005. This wine more than lives up to the challenge of providing outstanding drinking during a time when the Euro is so strong against the dollar. The wine is made of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyard team takes immeasurable care to grow the best quality grapes while using a minimum of fertilizers and pesticides. The grapes are all sorted by hand to ensure only the top berries make it into the vats for fermentation. Many 2005s are still too young to drink, but this wine is starting to show itself beautifully, particularly if you shake it up and expose it to some air (or decant it for a few hours). Very fruity and approachable with great structure and mouthfeel. A fantastic value for 2005 Bordeaux. [Note: this is NOT to be confused with this winery's other wine, Chateau Reignac, which is also from Bordeaux Superieur, and made from a similar blend of grapes. This wine costs a few dollars more (~$28) and is more tannic.]
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Tags: 2005, anise, biscuit, bordeaux, cabernet, cassis, chateau, cherry, earth, floral, Franc, france, merlot, oak, orange, plum, purple, red, red wine, reignac, ruby, sauvignon, Superieur, toast, wine, zest
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
92 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 17 Nov 2008
Medium ruby core with a touch of garnet to the rim. Complex, heady aromas. Light floral notes quickly yield to spicy fresh anise, earth and white truffles all surrounding a dark core of wild blackberry and strawberry. Very fruity on the front palate followed quickly by darker earth and truffle flavors. Creamy vanilla over black cherry in the mid palate leads to a long, lingering cream and spice finish underscored by dark scorched earth. Balanced and delicious.
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Tags: 2007, anise, black, blackberry, california, cherry, Coast, cream, eareth, earth, estate, floral, garnet, marimar, noir, North, pinot, red, red wine, scorched, smith, sonoma, spice, strawberry, truffle, vanilla, Vineyard, w.h.smith, white, wild, wine
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
92 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 19 Feb 2008
Very dark purple in the glass with a bright fuchsia and pink rim. This wine is spicy and dense in the nose with anise, new oak and vanilla over big ripe blueberry and blackberry. Dark earth, toffee and a touch of smoky game underlie the fruits. In the mouth this is a lush, round wine with great mouthfeel. Dark, jammy fruits make this wine distinctly Aussi Shiraz, but the balance of the acid and tannin keep it from getting too hedonistic. Rich bittersweet chocolate and vanilla notes linger in the toasty, creamy finish.
More typically Australian with the huge, powerful fruit and color that will stain your teeth (probably not the best way to impress on a first date). With all that fruit though, they manage to make a wine that is well balanced and good to drink. A bit powerful for most foods, but nice fruit and easy to enjoy while sitting on a couch or just hanging around.
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Tags: 2005, acid, anise, Australia, Barossa, bittersweet, blackberry, blueberry, Bogan, bright, chocolate, cream, dark, dense, earth, fruit, fuchsia, game, jam, Kaesler, oak, pink, purple, red, red wine, Shiraz, smoke, South, spice, table, tannin, toast, toffee, valley, vanilla
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
94 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 18 Mar 2008
Bold ruby red core with a slightly lighter ruby rim. Fresh aromas of raspberries, milk chocolate, orange zest with a touch of white flowers, dusty slate and caramel. Amazing entry and mouthfeel. Silky doesn’t really even begin to describe it. Fantastic acidity is balanced very well by the fruit and ripe tannins. This wine has the smooth feel of a well made Pinot Noir. Raspberry and cherry fruits with a touch of fresh anise, black truffle and orange zest. Long, smooth finish.
100% Nerello Mascalese, a grape native to Sicily. Grown on the rocky volcanic soils of Mt. Etna. This is a stunning little wine, and more than worth every penny. Try it if you want something smooth and easy to drink that will go with just about any food.
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Tags: 2005, anise, bold, caramel, cherry, chocolate, dusty, flower, italy, Mascalese, milk, Nerello, orange, Passopisciaro, raspberry, red, red wine, ruby, Sicily, silk, slate, smooth, table, truffle, zest
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
92 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 03 Oct 2008
Intense inky purple core with just a glimmer of a fuchsia rim. Massive aromas of bacon, roast coffee, toffee, blackberry, white licorice, violets and a hint of truffle. Soft and full on the front palate. Sweet dark fruits: raspberry, blackberry, cassis. Round and full on the mid-palate without getting weighty. Good fresh anise flavors spice up the finish with roasted earth and dark chocolate notes.
This is a big, young wine, so I had it sit around open for about 12 hours before tasting it, giving it time to breathe. While it weighed in at 14.25% alcohol (according to the label - and given the legal margin of error here putting .25% is ridiculous) it managed to stay very impressively balanced. This is a great example of what Syrah can be when not made in a heavy, jammy, Australian manner.
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Tags: 2005, Alesia, anise, bacon, barbara, blackberry, california, cassis, chocolate, coffee, County, dark, earth, Fairview, fruit, fuchsia, Highlands, licorice, Lucia, purple, Ranch, raspberry, red wine, roast, santa, sweet, Syrah, toffee, truffle, USA, violet
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