Table of Contents
It's been a long year, but we've made it
through!
Well folks, it's the last day of the year,
and so far we've witnessed some once in a lifetime things,
as well as the lows and highs that go along with life. For
those that don't realize it, most of us are truly blessed
and have many things to be thankful for (health, friends
and/or family), employment, a roof over our heads, food, and
working utilities -- note to self: pay electric bill on
Monday morning).
I am going to make it brief as I have a
couple things to do before the end of this decade. I want
to thank you for reading, thank you for supporting my
events, and thank you for your interest in wine. Make some
resolutions to try a new varietal each month during the
year, and a wine by another producer, but for varietals that
you have already enjoyed. For example, if you have had a
Cabernet Sauvignon from France, try one from the same region
but a different producer, or from a different country.
That's it folks. Happy New Year and I wish
that the next year as well as decade is very blessed.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
It's the end of the year, and while many people will be
drinking a bevy of sparkling wines and incorrectly calling
it champagne (that always gets me when some folks think that
it having the name 'champagne' makes it a better and more
classy drinking experience).
The more I learn about
wine, the more I learn about wine. I have written on
Champagne, as well as other sparkling wines, or bubblies,
such as Prosecco, Asti, Franciacorta, Fresita, Cava, and
Brachetto. I haven't touched upon Sekt yet, which is
sparkling wine from Germany and Austria), but I have had
that as well as Crémant, which is a term for sparkling wine
from France but not from the Champagne region.
Well,
this time, I was looking around for a nice bottle of bubbly
to have for New Year's Eve, and while I saw a couple nice
interesting bottles that were quality and a nice sugar level
(demi sec of course; for those that don't remember,
brut is extra, extra dry), I cam across a bottle that
caught my eye before, but never my interest. This time, it
changed. The wine is a white sparkling wine made in the
traditional method (secondary fermentation in the bottle),
but from a different appellation than Champagne, and this
appellation is Blanquette de Limou, which is produced in the
famous Languedoc region of France.
And on the
bottle, it claims to be France's oldest sparkling
wine.
What differs mostly from Champagne is the
grapes, with the main one being Mauzac, locally known as
Blanquette, and then Chardonnay and Chenin blanc (the latter
also known as Vouvray). It also has to be at least 90%
Mauzac. That said, the taste should be generally and
predominantly that of apple.
The most famous aspect of
this wine is that it's also the oldest example of sparkling
wine, which was first produced in 1531.
And while
other people are drinking champagnes and wines that they
think are champagnes, I'll be content with opening my mind,
my vision and my palate, and drinking what they are having
in Limoux, France. You know I poo poo on the French, but
this year, I am going to give some of their lesser known
folks a little praise.
Happy New Year's folks!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
For those that know me personally, I am a stickler when
it comes to words and their true definitions (this means
that what the word really means versus what people have
assumed and improperly redefined the word to mean). One of
my favorite words is "respect," which is from the Latin,
with the prefix 're,' meaning again, and 'spect,' which
means look. Quite simply it means to look again, or
realistically, to properly analyze something, giving it a
second look. An example would be in not either
underestimating, nor overestimating your
opponent.
Over the past week, I have been sampling a
number of wines from four brands that were delivered to me,
and most of what came were red wines. With the last wine
sampled, a low-priced Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, I
almost made the mistake of judging the wine too soon… in
essence, not giving it respect. Wine production is a
process, and even though not all producers put the same love
in it that others do, it still is a process.
With red
wine, you have to give it time to open up, which doesn't
happen immediately after it comes out of a bottle just
opened a few minutes ago. It usually is great after ten or
twenty minutes, and I have been known to enjoy a red that
has had time to sit for a couple of days (strange, but
true).
And it's a shame that many people immediately
turn away from red wines in general, having experienced
something that was either too dry, had too much tannins,
wasn't properly decanted, or simply not their style of
taste. The reality is that there are a lot of red wines
that have more 'sweetness' to them via being more full
bodied, and some of those wines aren't even
expensive.
Red wine, being one of the three major
types of wine (rosé and white would be the other two; I am
specifically leaving out fruit wines right now) is a
wonderful thing. And it can run the gamut from very dry to
what seems to be very wet (again, technically in most cases
red wines are dry, but the level of body in them can change
things). This time around, is was red wines under the Lucky
7 and Friday Monkey labels which surprised me. I also have
a Cabernet from someone else that is supposed to knock my
socks off. There is also a bottle of Zin, a 'Sweet' Shiraz,
a Syrah (same thing as Shiraz) and four other reds to try
from this delivery.
For those that haven't tried a
great red that they love, this year I have had some
interesting red wines from the country of Georgia made from
the Saperavi grape, which actually are quite sweet. I have
also had some phenomenal Zinfandels that would satisfy
anyone's sweet tooth. There have been great wines, good
wines, so-so wines, bad wines, and even sour wines (two
Syrahs I've had were the worst). However, on the whole
experience, it was mostly rewarding.
Summarily, or as
some people would say, in closing, red wine is not to be
taken lightly, nor to be cast judgment on too quickly.
Served within the proper amount of time, it can be a
wonderful libation. Served too soon, it can be the winning
lottery ticket that you threw away without double checking
to see if you are a winner (I did that once, but found my
winning ticket in the trashcan when I went to check another
ticket from an entirely different day). Give it some time
to breathe, and you'd be amazed at what you might
find.
Good drinking to you!
Inky purple, woody, dry
| Brand Name | Lucky 7 |
| Wine Name | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| AVA | Rapel Valley |
| Country | Chile |
| Wine Class | Red |
| Wine Type | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Alcohol Percentage | 13.5% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 8 (on a scale of 1-10) |
It's a shame when a wine reminds me of another wine which
is a different grape. Actually, that's not too bad when
you're introduced to another varietal, but not good when a
Cab Sauv reminds me of a Cab Franc, or even a Ruby Cab.
Well, that's my first thoughts, as I can smell a tannin
laden wood component to the smell, though the color is a
rich inky purple.
However, as you give this wine some time to breath, the
fruit flavors come through. In this case, it is composed of
raspberries, blackberries and dark cherries, moreso than
plumns, but still with the woody nose to it.
The finish is gradual with the taste lasting in your
mouth for a good fifteen seconds after your swallow.'
It will be interesting to see what they would bring out
in a reserve line.
|
A meaty Cabernet with the smoke and spice of Shiraz
| Brand Name | Friday Monkey |
| Wine Name | Cabernet Shiraz |
| AVA | South Eastern Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Wine Class | Red |
| Wine Type | Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz |
| Alcohol Percentage | 13.5% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 9 (on a scale of 1-10) |
This is a wine that I wasn't expecting to like, though I
have had great combinations of Cabernet with Shiraz before.
Seventy percent of the former with the remaining thirty of
the latter, this is a wine with an exceptionally long finish
for the price, and some strong spice in the end that settles
slowly down your throat.
Let's get past both color and texture, and talk about the
taste, which is the most important thing anyway. You start
out with the traditional dark fruits of Cabernet which has
been infused with the meaty-ness of Shiraz. This gives way
to lighter (but not light) tannins which convey the flavor
of a wood barrel. The spice reminds me of something from
the islands, Allspice and Nutmeg, but with a little dose of
fire in it.
I've got one more bottle of Friday Monkey to taste and
review. They are amazing me I must say.
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This wine battled for a 10, and got it
| Brand Name | Lucky 7 |
| Wine Name | Carmenere |
| AVA | Rapel Valley |
| Country | Chile |
| Wine Class | Red |
| Wine Type | Carmenere |
| Alcohol Percentage | 13.5% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 10 (on a scale of 1-10) |
I was just introduced to this Lucky 7 brand wine last
week in regards to trying it and writing some reviews. I
will admit that I wasn't expecting anything to wow me, since
the Sauvignon Blanc left me wanting a good Sauv Blanc, but
this Carmenere actually is quite good.
I remember the first time that I had a Carmenere; I was
at a wine tasting at Swanky Bubbles, and Greg Cohen of
Southern Wine and Spirits had provided the wine. It was a
wonderful bottle by Casillero del Diablo, and several weeks
later, I would convince a customer at Canal's that was
looking for a nice bottle for a New Year's party to pick up
a case.
Well, this wine floored me. I was high on giving it a 9,
but finally decided on giving it a ten. As soon as I opened
this bottle, I smelled it, and it had a lovely aroma of mild
tannins, smoke and plums. The color is deep purple and
reminded me of the fact that I have talked much about the
colors of red wine in quite awhile. It definitely is an
inky purple, but also reminds me of a nice scarlet red (not
the color, just the sass of the taste).
The taste is thoroughly infused with a smoky essence, and
the tannins are quite soft, with the texture being very
velvety. The flavor is nothing more than dark plums; no
more fruit flavors, and no less than this in its purity.
This is definitely amazing for a bottle of wine that
comes in at around $8.
|
A mid-grade Aussie Chard
| Brand Name | Friday Monkey |
| Wine Name | Chardonnay |
| AVA | South Eastern Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Wine Class | White |
| Wine Type | Chardonnay |
| Alcohol Percentage | 14% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 7 (on a scale of 1-10) |
Chardonnay is one of my favorite grapes and at the same
time, one that I don't want to get locked into. Sometimes,
I come across an exceptional one, sometimes one that is bad,
and other times one that is just bad for me. I hate the
heavy oak and the butter expressed in some styles of Chardonnay.
I consider this wine middle of the road. It is a
competent Chardonnay without to much oak or butter, but it
doesn't rate up against my favorites. But then again, this
wine is at least $5 a bottle less than those too. That's
why I consider it mid-grade, but better than average for its
price.
Summarily, I think that this wine is pretty much part of
a label that will replace a lot of other staples for pubs
and restaurants, and does so quite admirably. Let's see if
it gives YellowTail a run for the money.
|
Clean and inexpensive, but missing that sharp citrus
| Brand Name | Lucky 7 |
| Wine Name | Sauvignon Blanc |
| AVA | Maule Valley |
| Country | Chile |
| Wine Class | White |
| Wine Type | Sauvignon Blanc |
| Alcohol Percentage | 13% |
| Price | $10 and Unders |
| Site Rating | 7 (on a scale of 1-10) |
There are many styles of winemaking; two different wines,
for example, can be made with the same grape, Chablis and
Chardonnay being a prime example of this. Then there are
styles of making a wine out of certain grape which differ
either by appellation within a country, or by country.
Being an African American, I tend to like the brighter
styles of some white wines which are mainly evident in South
American and Australia & New Zealand. However, sometimes
some folks stick to the traditional French methods of doing
something.
That is the case in the Sauv Blanc, which lacks the sharp
citrus aspects normally found in New World Sauvignon Blancs.
The bouquet is wonderfully florid, the taste very clean,
but it is definitely missing that over-the-top citrus
experience that has come to define Sauvignon Blanc to me.
Now, this is not to say that this a bad wine; it falls
closer to a pH of 7 [metaphorically] and in that, is more
palatable for those that hate the high citrus appeal. The
taste is more rounded, with a slight buildup of acidity in
the end, which drops off rather quickly.
As the label says, this is a young wine, especially since
the vintage is being the same year of consumption. I am
wondering what this wine will yield a year from now in
regards to flavor. However, it is affable, and for the
price, can easily be a staple for many, as well as many
restaurants and bars.
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