Posts Tagged ‘wine’
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
89 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 25 Dec 2008
Golden yellow hues with lots of small to medium sized bubbles. Toasty and rich aromas with hints of caramel and biscuit around yellow apple, pear and a touch of lemon. Fresh and bright on the palate with a nice mix of toast and fruit. Apple fruit is surrounded by lighter toasty oak spices and a touch of white flowers, leading to a lingering hint of butterscotch on the finish.
The perfect way to start any holiday party. Very balanced flavors make this easy to drink and a sure crowd pleaser for anyone who likes bubbly. Dry and crisp - perfect to drink before dinner, but with enough body to stand up to fish, shellfish, white meat and pastas with cream sauce. Heidsieck & Co Monopole is one of the oldest Champagne producers in France, and their decades of experience really come through in this well made and well priced (for traditional Champagne) bottle. A blend of approximately 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier.
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Tags: apple, biscuit, blue, brut, bubble, butterscotch, caramel, champagne, chardonnay, flower, france, godlen, heidsieck, lemon, meunier, monopole, noir, pear, pinot, rich, sparkling, sparkling wine, spice, toast, top, white, wine, yellow
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
88 / A
Tasted by Mike Supple - 07 Jan 2009
Dark purple core with a bright fuchsia rim. Incredibly young on the nose - very fresh and vibrant. Sweet vanilla and violets surround blackberry, licorice and thick sweet herbal notes with a touch of minerals and flint. Dense on the front palate. Young and bright with lots of acid to balance the solid core of mocha, licorice and blackberries. Medium bodied with a flinty finish.
One of the first 2008 red wines I’ve tasted, and the outlook is very promising for 2008 in Mendoza. (The Southern Hemisphere is 6 months ahead of the Northern, so their wines always come out first.) This is a great little wine that is ready to drink now. Not so complex that you have to think about what you’re doing, but with plenty of smells and flavors to keep you coming back for more. Drink it by itself, with aged cheeses or any red meat, but the ultimate pairing here is some slow-roasted baby back ribs swimming in barbeque sauce.
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Tags: 2008, Argentina, baby, back, barbeque, blackberry, cheese, flint, fuchsia, herb, licorice, maipe, Malbec, meat, Mendoza, mineral, mocha, purple, red, red wine, ribs, sauce, vanilla, violet, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Jan 2009
14k gold color. Medium sized bubbles with a medium persistence. Very toasty aromas with roast hazelnut over a touch of caramel and pear. Tons of minerality up front with toasted brioche over green apple, pear and citrus zest. High acid on the mid palate with mouth-filling bubbles. Lingering toast and caramel on the finish.
As this wine ages, the fruit is fading and the nutty, toasty and caramelized flavors are coming forward. A real Champagne drinker’s Champagne.
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Tags: 1995, apple, brioche, brut, bubble, caramel, champagne, citruz, cru, france, gold, grand, green, hazelnut, mineral, nutty, pear, pommery, roast, sparkling, sparkling wine, toast, white, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Jan 2009
Black/purple core with a ruby rim. Rich aromas with warm, toasty oak and vanilla surrounding ripe blueberry, sweet eucalyptus, plum and grape Big League Chew Gum. Great entry on the palate with dark black cherry, blackberry and blueberry leading the charge. Full bodied with full, chalky tannins. Toasty, charred oak and blackberry on the finish with a touch of minerality.
This wine is a second label of the famous Bordeaux estate Pichon-Longueville Baron. A blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.
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Tags: 2005, Baron, big, black, blackberry, blueberry, bordeaux, cabernet, chalk, char, charred, chateau, cherry, chew, de, eucalyptus, france, grape, gum, league, les, Longueville, merlot, mineral, oak, Pauillac, Pichon, plum, purple, red, red wine, ruby, sauvign, tast, tourelles, vanilla, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
84 / C+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Jan 2009
Dark purple (almost black) in the core with a purple rim. Sour cherry aromas surrounded by dusty oak, toast, copper and some funky earth over darker cherry and cassis. Black cherry on the front of the palate with a heavy dose of toasted oak. Somewhat disjointed between the acid and the tannins. Lots of vanilla on the finish.
This is a second label of La Lagune, one of Bordeaux’s top Chateaux. Made from their younger vines. A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot.
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Tags: 2004, black, bordeaux, cassis, cherry, copper, de, dusty, earth, france, funk, La, lagune, medoc, moulin, oak, purple, red, red wine, sour, toast, vanilla, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
89 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Jan 2009
Medium garnet core with a lighter rim. Very sweet aromas up front. Cola, black cherry and vanilla give way to lurking dark wet earth, smoke and mushrooms with an accent of strawberry jam. A touch of dill on the front palate with earth and black cherry fruit. Less overtly fruity than the aromas with more structure, dark scorched earth and burnt tobacco. Fairly high acid, and very well balanced overall.
This is a very nice wine, particularly for the 2004 vintage in Burgundy. Many of the wines are harsh and herbal, but this wine has great silky mouth feel and ripe fruit. The so-called “off” vintages are the best ones to find great deals in Burgundy. This is a great price for a well made Premier Cru wine.
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Tags: 1er, 2004, beaune, black, Burgundy, burnt, chanson, cherry, cola, cote, cru, de, dill, Domaine, dominode, earth, et, Fils, france, garnet, jam, les, mushroom, noir, pere, pinot, premier, red, red wine, savigny, scorched, smoke, strawberry, tobacco, vanilla, wet, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 05 Jan 2009
Pale lemon yellow core with a clear rim. Candied lemon zest aromas surrounded by jasmine, sweet herbs, wet stone and a touch of cantaloupe. Soft entry on the palate with sweet white peach balanced by a zesty core of lemon. Medium acidity with tons of minerals under the fruit. Medium length with a clean, crisp finish.
100% Sauvignon Blanc (somewhat rare for this region as you often fine Semillon blended with it). Delicious right now, but enough acid and body to hold for a little while. Drink over the next 2 - 3 years.
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Tags: 2005, blanc, bordeaux, candy, cantaloupe, chateau, de, france, herb, jasmine, lemon, Leognan, mineral, peach, Pessac, rochemorin, sauvignon, stone, wet, white, White wine, wine, yellow, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 02 Jan 2009
Dark, inky purple core with a vibrant rim. Spicy aromas of caramel, licorice, cardamom and nutmeg around rich plum and blackberry with a smoked ham and white pepper punch. Big in the mouth but with great balance. A hint of nickel and minerals come in on the mid-palate supporting toasty red cherry and raspberry, leading to lingering candied violets.
A blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Malbec.
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Tags: 2006, Argentina, blackberry, candy, caramel, cardamom, cherry, consulta, double, du, ham, La, labourde, licorice, luca, Malbec, Mendoza, mineral, nickel, nutmeg, pepper, plum, purple, raspberry, red, red wine, select, smoke, spice, Syrah, toast, uco, valle, valley, violet, white, wine
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / A+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 13 May 2008
Dark ruby and purple core with a bright ruby rim. Chocolate and fresh oak over rich dark fruit, crushed violets and a hint of spice and game. Orange zest and ripe red cherries on the front palate. Full-bodied with round tannins. Just a hint of black truffle and pepper spice over plum, dark cherry and a baker’s chocolate finish.
Incredibly complex for a Cotes du Rhone. Approachable now and will continue to improve for another 3-5 years.
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Tags: 2005, baker, baker's, beaucastel, black, chateau, cherry, chocolate, Cotes, coudoulet, crushed, de, du, france, game, oak, orange, pepper, plum, purple, red, red wine, Rhone, ruby, Southern, spice, truffle, violet, wine, zest
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Sunday, February 1st, 2009
91 / A-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 13 May 2008
Purple core with a ruby and violet rim. Blueberries leap from the glass, surrounded by wet earth and charcoal with bright crushed flower petals and fresh pencil shavings. Soft and sweet entry on the palate. Honeycomb flavors melt around blueberry and cinnamon spice. Full bodied with a lot of alcohol, but great balance and a long finish.
A blend of 60% Garnacha and 40% Tempranillo. A fantastic, dense blend. Starting to show well now, and will continue to do so for another decade.
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Tags: 2005, alcohol, blueberry, Bodegas, charcoal, cinnamon, comb, crush, earth, flower, fresh, Garnacha, grenache, honey, honeycomb, palacios, pencil, petal, propriedad, purple, red, red wine, remondo, Rioja, ruby, shaving, spain, Tempranillo, Tinto, violet, wet, wine
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