Posts Tagged ‘saint’
Monday, April 13th, 2009
90/B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Mar 2009
The wine is an opaque deep purple in the glass surrounded by a tiny bright ruby rim. Warm, rich and opulent aromas of blackberry and chocolate are wrapped in crème de cassis and accented by a touch of wet stone. Black cherry and cassis jump on the front of the tongue, and are nicely balanced by the acid. Ripe, soft tannins support the body yet make it approachable now. A touch of cedar and toasty vanilla come in on the finish.
A blend of 77.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22.5% Petite Sirah. Aged for 18 months in 100% new French Oak barrels.
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Tags: 2005, black cherry, blackberry, cabernet sauvignon, california, carol, carol's vineyard, cedar, chocolate, creme de cassis, j. lohr, napa valley, north coast, petite sirah, purple, red wine, ruby, saint, st. helena, stone, toast, USA, vanilla
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / A+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 10 Nov 2008
Intense, dark purple core with a ruby and purple rim. The aromas are bright and rich with plum and blackberry fruits surrounded by toasted hazelnut, a smack of white pepper and a hint of scorched earth. Fruity and lush on the palate with intense wild blueberry surrounded by earth and white pepper. Medium bodied with great balance of fruit, acid and tannins. This is an incredibly easy wine to drink with a velvety smooth feel and a long, lingering finish with a flair of vanilla.
Delas has done it again, hands down producing one of the best values from France in years! 2007 is an outstanding vintage for the Rhone, and this is an impressively complex wine that packs a ton of flavors. Despite the complexity, it is restrained enough to sip by itself or match up with all kinds of foods from cheeses to pastas to a big juicy burger. The Delas Cotes du Rhone is always a great wine, but they have clearly outdone themselves this year. Grab several bottles now to have on hand for yourself and to impress any winos that may be coming to dinner. (If you buy a bottle, drop me a line and I’ll be there tomorrow!)
A blend of 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache. This just started to hit the country, so if you don’t see it in your local shop right away, ask for it and come back. They make a lot, so there’s plenty to go around!
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Tags: 2007, blackberry, blueberry, Cotes, delas, du, earth, esprit, france, freres, hazelnut, pepper, plum, purple, red, red wine, Rhone, ruby, saint, scorched, Southern, st, toast, white, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
93 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 23 Dec 2008
Deep ruby core with a touch of garnet on the rim. Lots of rich earth, coffee and cedar spice in the aromas, surrounded by sweet plum, cassis, dried tobacco, dusty minerality and toasty oak. Beautifully silky entry on the palate. Medium to full bodied. Great to drink now, but still has nice supporting tannins through the back. Blackberry, plum, cassis, cedar, leather and tobacco flavors are all balanced very well. Medium length finish with mocha and black truffle joining the fruit.
I let the wine sit in my glass for a good 45 minutes, and it kept opening up. This is delicious now, and will continue to be at peak drinking for another 10 years.
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Tags: 1995, black, blackberry, Blend, bordeaux, cassis, cedar, chateau, coffee, dried, dry, dust, earth, estephe, france, garnet, leather, mineral, mocha, montrose, oak, plum, red, red wine, ruby, saint, silk, spice, sweet, toast, tobacco, truffle, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Dec 2008
Dark purple core with a lighter fuchsia rim. Oak and vanilla aromas float over rich black cherry, cassis and raspberry with dark charcoal, spicy cinnamon and a hint of eucalyptus. Smooth entry on the palate, quickly building to a full bodied wine. Lots of tannins, yet very well integrated and balanced. Cedar and cinnamon are layered over plum and cassis leading to a chocolate, spice and fruit finish. Decant a couple hours and enjoy it now or put some in the cellar and let it keep getting better for several years.
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Tags: 2005, black, california, cassis, cedar, cepages, charcoal, chateau, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, cinq, Coast, eucalyptus, fuchsia, jean, North, oak, plum, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, saint, sonoma, spice, st, vanilla, 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 - 05 Dec 2008
Medium ruby core with a bright rim. Charcoal and slate aromas over dusty roses, rich black cherry and a spicy touch of eucalyptus. Big tannins from the front all the way through the back palate. Dark cherry, plum and cassis are underscored by smoky charcoal. Coffee lingers on the finish. Still young and evolving; could get even better with age.
This is a blockbuster of a hidden gem that has managed to fly under the radar thus far. Complex enough to impress any Bordeaux connoisseur, yet priced right for just showing off in front of a few friends. A well made wine that is built to hold up for a while and will keep improving for a decade. Given the hype around the 2005 vintage for Bordeaux, many of the wines have skyrocketed in price, well beyond the value for what they deliver. Fortunately a few, like this one, remain accessible (for now…).
P.S. It’s pronounced “puh-TEET bock.”
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Tags: 2005, black, bocq, bordeaux, cassis, charcoal, cherry, coffee, estephe, eucalyptus, france, Petit, plum, red, red wine, rose, ruby, saint, slate, smoke, spice, st, wine
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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.
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Tags: 2005, black, california, cherry, clement, Coast, coffee, earth, floral, fruit, licorice, merlot, Napa, North, red, red wine, roast, ruby, saint, st, violet, wine
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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.
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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
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
91 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 03 Nov 2008
Dark ruby core with a lighter rim and a hint of garnet to the edge. Huge plum aromas with fresh black cherry juice surrounded by spicy cedar, nutmeg, raw oak and candied cinnamon. Spicy, rich and dark on the palate. A touch of mocha and cinnamon spice surround lush, juicy plum and blackberry. Medium to full bodied with solid ripe tannic grip. Lingering dark fruits with a touch of earth, scorched oak and coffee beans.
Not your average Merlot, this wine delivers quite a punch of fruit and power. It is good to see Napa producing Merlot of this quality again. Ignore the remarks in “Sideways.” This a great bottle of wine.
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Tags: 2004, beans, black, blackberry, california, candy, cedar, cherry, cinnamon, clement, Coast, coffee, earth, garnet, juice, merlot, mocha, Napa, North, nutmeg, oak, plum, red, red wine, ruby, saint, scorched, sideways, spice, wine
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 20 Nov 2008
Dark purple and ruby core with a lighter, bright rim. Rich aromas of plum, black cherry and raspberry with wild, raw honeycomb accents. Very fruit forward with plum and raspberry dominating the flavors. Full bodied with very nice acid keeps it from getting too heavy. The finish lingers with lighter touches of violets and vanilla spice.
The intense flavors are a result of the grapes growing on 125 year old vines. Older vines produce smaller berries with more concentrated juice.
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Tags: 2005, black, california, Cellars, cherry, church, Coast, honeycomb, North, old, peter, peters, plum, purple, raspberry, raw, red, red wine, Rosenblum, ruby, saint, sonoma, spice, vanilla, vine, Vineyard, violet, wild, wine, Zinfandel
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