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Archive for September, 2007

Bohemian Rhapsody

2004 Bohemian Highway Cabernet - St.Helena, CABohemian Highway 2004 Cabernet (St. Helena, CA) has a great fruity flavor, I picked up cigars and smoked cherries – delicious. I will admit the quirky label grabbed my attention first and the price made me put it in my basket – only $4.99. You don’t need to attend A Night at The Opera to enjoy this inexpensive, but completely enjoyable bottle of cab.

Scallops & Muscadet

2005 Domaine Le Fruitiere MuscadetI need to sneak in some Seafood and White before this summer is over. Last night I seared up some simple salt/pepper scallops and opened a 2005 Domaine Le Fruitiere Muscadet . The nose on this white was addictive, extremely fresh citrus, not overpowering. Taste was light citrus (not like sauv blanc) with a mineral/rocks/earth finish. My kind of white! I don’t give many whites 90 pts but for $9! 90 pts all the way.

Recipe Link – Seared Scallops

Gary V does Long Island (Cab Franc)

Finally!

Dolcetto etto etto ey ey ey

2005 Giacomo Grimaldi Dolcetto d’AlbaJust heard that addictive Umbrella song so that explains the title…

Wine Library TV episode #302 inspired this post and my drink of choice for tonight. Native to the Piedmont region of Italy, Dolcetto is often overshadowed by the leading nebiolo and barbera grape varieties. As a result, Dolcetto frequently yields tremendous QPR. Onto the wine…

The 2005 Giacomo Grimaldi Dolcetto d’Alba presented with a vegetal-peppery nose followed by a pleasingly tannic raspberry/blackberry flavor. At $13 this blows most wines in that price range clear out of the water. Solid 89, great effort!

Labor Day 2007 – Raleigh, NC

2003 Rio Sol Cabernet/ShirazFriend of mine from college settled just outside of Downtown Raleigh with his wife about 3 years ago and I have imposed on them annually ever since. I wish i was writing about the local Raleigh wineries but unfortunately they weren’t in the schedule this year (hopefully next year). Luckily, we did get a chance to drink some wine and check out some good eats downtown.

Saturday night in downtown Raleigh started of with an excellent sandwich at a small bistro style restaurant called Rockford’s. Toasted pumpernikel, melteld fresh mozzelrella, pesto, basil and red roma tomatoes. Sipped on a 2003 Rio Sol Cabernet/Shiraz, excellent everyday value quaffer, soft tannins made for a smooth finish. Onto Vin wine bar where the fun begins…

2005 Gilbert Picq Chablis2003 Chateau Courtin2004 Piombo ShirazAt Vin I tasted 3 wines. First the 2005 Gilbert Picq Chablis, typical Chablis, juice a lemon over a piece of toast and thats basically this wine. Expected a tad more body but nonetheless still great, 87. Next i went straight for the only Bordeaux on the menu which was the 2003 Chateau Courtin. Medium in body this Bordeaux displayed an old world terrior driven nose of soil, rock and some black cherry. Great balance with a nice slightly spicy finish. This wine was still pretty young (like most Bordeaux us Americans consume), would be nice to revisit in 4-10 years. 90 pts for the Bordeaux, looks pretty limited on wine-searcher but for $30, I would drink again. My visit to Vin ended with my newfound love for Aussie Shiraz. If you enjoy new world fruit bombs then definitely try the 2004 Piombo Shiraz. This McLaren Shiraz exploded with BALANCED dark fruit! I stress balanced. This wine was just plain fun to drink. Reminded me of the Step Rd Shiraz i last reviewed, only better, 92 pts.

The night ended at Rum Runners. Great dueling piano bar with lots of college kids, bachelor/bachelorette parties, dancing, beer, and more beer. No wine here, sorry!

2004 Step Rd Shiraz

2004 Step Rd ShirazAfter a long drive back from Raleigh, NC my wife in I weren’t in the cooking mood so we opted for a wine and cheese dinner. I wish i could do this every night but i am certain my doctor wouldn’t approve. Onto the note…

I look forward to seeing Aussie wines utilizing the screw cap (or as the snobs called it, the stelvin enclosure), needless to say I was disappointed to have to break out the almost obsolete corkscrew. The nose shouted “fruit bomb” with sweet strawberries & dark berries. The forward fruit coated my entire pallet with a finish that lingered 15+ seconds. If you are a new world fan then this is for you. Old world fans, don’t even touch this. I’ll go 90+ , great effort, [new world fans] seek this out!