Posts Tagged ‘fruit’
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
90 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 21 Jan 2009
Inky purple core with a bright fuchsia rim. Dark boysenberry with blackberry notes on the nose, followed by a touch of mint, light toasty oak, nutmeg and cedar spice all surrounded by violets and crushed stone. Dark and thick on the palate with juicy blackberry, blueberry and crème de cassis flavors. Medium (+) acid with medium ripe/fine tannins. A touch of smoke, vanilla and baker’s chocolate join the dark fruit on the finish. Still very young and primary, but with enough fruit and structure to age. Drinks well now, and should go at least another 5 years.
Made from 100% Malbec. Aged for 15 months in new (65%) and second use French oak barrels. 1439 bottles produced.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2007, Argentina, baker, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, cassis, cedar, chocolate, fruit, fuchsia, los vencejos, Malbec, Mendoza, mint, nutmeg, oak, red wine, smoke, spice, stone, toast, valle de uco, vanilla, violet, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
90 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 16 Jan 2009
Dark purple core with a bright ruby rim. Dark cherry and cassis aromas are surrounded by roasted oak and cinnamon with crushed stones, fresh ground coffee beans and a bright violet lift. Smooth entry on the palate with wet stones over bright cherry and plum. Medium to full bodied with great acid and tannins. A nice spicy fruit finish that lasts for several seconds. Delicious.
Martini consistently produces a Cabernet from Sonoma that over delivers for the price, and the 2006 is a hands down winner. Juicy and fresh with good structure, this is a wine that you can open for a group and keep pouring all night. Great acidity makes it easy to drink and pair with tons of different foods. Not too heavy to open before dinner, and can easily transition into any dish with cheese, tomatoes, beef, sausage, or eggplant. Also a great accompaniment for just kicking back in front of the TV and ordering Domino’s off your Tivo.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2006, bean, cabernet, california, cassis, cherry, cinnamon, coffee, fruit, louis, martini, north coast, oak, plum, purple, red wine, roast, ruby, sauvignon, sonoma, spice, stone, violet
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
89 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 15 Oct 2007
Very pale lemon-green color. Lighter sweet tree fruit aromas - apricot and green apple with ripe candied citrus. Dark toasty flavors with strong clay mineral notes. Big acidity through the palate. Long lingering earthy notes over citrus, with a touch of white truffle on the finish.
Click here to see full grades section
Tags: 2002, apple, apricot, brut, candy, chamagne, citrus, clay, cuvee, earth, france, fruit, gastronome, gimonnet, green, lemon, mineral, pierre, sparkling wine, toast, tree, truffle, white
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 13 May 2008
Dark core with a pink and purple rim. Liquid caramel around a thick dark core of black fruits with a cedar spice aroma. A bit thin on the front palate, but builds in body on the mid-palate with nice acid. Sweet cherry and lots of floral notes. Spicy and silky with great balance. Long finish.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2005, achaval, Argentina, black, caramel, cedar, cherry, ferrer, Finca, floral, fruit, Malbec, Mendoza, mirador, pink, purple, red, red wine, spice, sweet, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 08 Dec 2008
Dark purple core with a medium purple/ruby rim. Smoky and rich with a core of spicy plum and wet earth minerality. Black cherries are surrounded by toasted nutmeg spice. Fruity entry on the palate with good tannic grip. Lush black cherry and plum fruits are balanced by great acidity. Smoky, stony and a touch of earth. Chewy finish with a touch of coffee on the finish.
Made of 50% Carinena, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Garnacha.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2004, Agricola, black, cabernet, carignan, carinena, castell, cherry, coffee, earth, falset, falset-marca, fruit, Garnacha, grenache, marca, mineral, montsant, nutmeg, plum, purple, red, red wine, ruby, sauvignon, smoke, spain, spice, stone, toast, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 19 Dec 2008
Dark ruby core with a bright rim. Fleshy fruit aromas of black and red cherries surrounded by darker earth, roast coffee, licorice and a nice violet floral lift. Soft on the front palate with nice round tannins building on the mid-palate giving great texture and mouthfeel. Read to drink now, with the body to hold for several more years. Just like the 2004 this is juicy and delivers much more than your average Merlot.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2005, black, california, cherry, clement, Coast, coffee, earth, floral, fruit, licorice, merlot, Napa, North, red, red wine, roast, ruby, saint, st, violet, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
89 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 21 Oct 2008
Clear purple core with a vibrant ruby rim. Hints of violets float around candied strawberry and raspberry aromas with a darker streak of smoke, black cherry and fresh herbs. Smooth, easy entry on the palate bringing lush sweet fruits backed by smoke, a touch of game and a streak of minerality. Good supporting acid makes this an easy choice for dinner. Lingering touch of caramel on the finish.
A blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. Delivers quite a bit of flavor and power for such an approachable young wine. Minervois is a great region to find some of the best values not only from France, but in the world right now.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2006, averoux, black, candy, caramel, cherry, cuvee, Domaine, fernand, france, fresh, fruit, game, grenache, herb, Languedoc, leocadie, mineral, minervois, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, Roussillon, ruby, saint, sainte, smoke, strawberry, sweet, Syrah, violet, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
89 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 21 Nov 2008
Dark maroon core with a garnet rim. Boysenberry fruit, light floral and fresh herb aromas followed by plum and hints of menthol. Juicy entry on the palate with dark, ripe plum surrounded by dark earth. Medium bodied with lots of great acid. Fresh ground nutmeg and mint on the finish.
Made from a blend of 80% Negroamaro, 20% Malvasia.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2006, apulia, boysenberry, Castello, earth, floral, fruit, garnet, herb, italian, italy, liante, malvasia, maroon, menthol, mint, monaci, negroamaro, nutmeg, plum, red wine, salentino, salice
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
91 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Feb 2008
Inky dark ruby core with a bright ruby rim. Rich blueberry fruit aromas are countered by nice slatey minerality, smoky *lardon*, and a hint of vanilla cream. The font of the palate is dominated by blueberries and boysenberries. The mouthfeel is impressively round and balanced, and much more restrained than your average overblown Barossa Shiraz. Soft and supple, this beauty is ready to bring home and pop the cork tonight.
Not the typical big jammy South Australia Shiraz. Not the wine if you are looking for an explosive fruit bomb to drink by itself, but rather a more stylish, elegant wine that would go well with powerful, meaty foods.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2005, Australia, Barossa, Binder, blueberry, boysenberry, bright, core, cream, dark, dry, fruit, Heysen, lardon, mineral, red, red wine, rich, Rolf, ruby, Shiraz, slate, smoke, South, table, valley, vanilla, wine
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
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.
Click here for full grades section
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
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »