d’Arenberg McLaren Vale The Dead Arm Shiraz 2005
In the nose there is vibrant fruit enhanced by earth and complementary oak. There’s a mouthful of dense fruit as well to keep up with a big structure in this youthful Shiraz – deliciously chewy. Aged in new and one use French and US oak for 22 months. [...]

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Clarendon Hills Clarendon Kangarilla Grenache 2004
Vibrant black fruit, actually liquer-like in the nose. The palate is spiritous, ripe, framed with acidity around a vast expanse of fruitiness. Sourced from old Grenache vines in the Kangarilla Vineyard. P&B in Blewitt Springs 14.5% $55.99 at Bottle Barn Clarendon Hills
Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Butchers Block 2005
A complex medley [...]

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Yangarra McLaren Vale Single Vineyard Roussanne 2007
Pretty floral notes with bits of herbs. The mouth is full of citrus with a light body and some refreshing acidity. V&B in McLaren Vale 13% import sample
Yangarra McLaren Vale Single Vineyard Viognier 2007
A stunning example of the exotic peaches that Viognier can convey with an oily and rich [...]

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Domaine des Bernardins Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise 2005
Quite complex with apparent alcohol. 100% Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains. Mis par Cave Castaud in Beaumes-de-Venise 15% $12.99 (375ml) at Bottle Barn

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Perrin & Fils Cotes du Rhone Villages 2004
Gamey with earthy notes and a fair amount of tannin. This wine is 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache. Mis in Orange 13% $9.69 at Bottle Barn

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Chateau La Canorgue Cotes du Luberon 2006
Unfortunately this wine is showing its alcohol quite overtly. The grapes for this wine are Clairette, Roussanne, Marsanne and Bourboulenc. La Canorgue farms its 30 hectares biodynamically. Mis au chateau par Jean-Pierre et N. Margan, prop. et recolt. a Bonnieux 14.5% $13.69 at Bottle Barn
Domaine de Grangeneuve Coteaux-du-Tricastin Les [...]

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Craggy Range Martinborough Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Te Muna means ’secret place’ and it is where this vineyard is located, adjacent to the Huangarua River. P&B in Havelock North 13.5% $19.99 at K&L Craggy Range

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Domaine de la Mordoree Tavel La Dame Rousse 2006
Smells of strawberry and bisquits.  There’s a broad mouthfeel with fruit to taste and added weight compared to other roses – very nice. The grapes behind this pink wine are 60% Grenache, 10-20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 5-10% Clairette and 5% Bourboulenc. The domaine has 40 hectares [...]

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Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvee Brut nv
This wine is typically quite complex with earthy notes that are not always embraced by those who favor more fruit-forward styles of sparkling. While I’m a fan of fruit too, I love the multitude of flavors in this wine. On average the grapes for the cuvee are 60% Pinot Noir, [...]

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Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2004
The previous bottle of 2004 tasted earlier in the year was full of toasty oak with brett complexity. The brett was a nice touch but too much for some. Also the mouth was laced with velvety tannins. Though obviously different vintages, the styling followed a similar taste profile for the 2003, [...]

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Blandy’s Madeira 10 Years Old Rich Malmsey nv
Last tasting notes show great complexity though the 5 year is a pretty good value. Again the wine is complex, nutty and shaped by the acidity that we expect from Madeira. A little spiritous to smell but the alcohol is integrated on the palate. Bring me some Rocquefort [...]

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Though we often associate Verdelho with the volcanic island of Madeira, there is also a following for this grape in Australia. It makes up less than 5% of the total white grape harvest but still out paces ever fashionable Viognier.

Mollydooker South Australia Verdelho The Violinist 2007
Owners and winemakers Sarah and Sparky Marquis. P&B [...]

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Penfolds South Australia Club Tawny Port nv
The last bottle tasted was maple syrup personified with completely integrated alcohol. Made from Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre and matured in small oak in Kalimna 18% $10.99 at Traverso’s Penfolds
Grant Burge Barossa 10 year old Port nv
The grapes that made this port-style of wine are Grenache, Mourvedre and [...]

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On a later date we tasted the substantial Pinot from Amisfield alongside this gem from Australia.
Kooyong Mornington Peninsula Haven Pinot Noir 2004
This is one of the single vineyard bottlings from Kooyong. Tasted a year later in December ‘08, there are stewed red fruits and smokiness. In the mouth, the wine is quite concentrate with plenty [...]

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De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate Grown Shiraz Viognier 2005
Smells of sweet cherry pie, oak and a hint of eucalyptus. This dense Shiraz shows how good it can be when there’s a good heft of acidity to balance the taste profile. Grown at the winery’s Dixons Creek Vineyard. The wine was aged for 10 months in [...]

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Wild Rock Central Otago Rose 2006
Fresh strawberries and perfume to smell and a clean, dry, fruity palate with some creamy texture. Vin Gris from Pinot Noir, P&B in Hastings, Hawkes Bay 14% $9.99 at Bottle Barn Wild Rock

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In this latest taste-off, we look at a Kiwi Chardonnay alongside the Giaconda.
Babich Hawke’s Bay Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
This wine is all stainless steel. P&B in Henderson 13.5% $10.99 at K&L Babich
Two delicious wines, two very different interpretations of one grape.
Yangarra McLaren Vale Un-Oaked Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2007
Full of a bevy of fruits with built up [...]

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Kendall-Jackson Arroyo Seco Late Harvest Chardonnay 2005
We’re featuring the wines of France tonight. As we don’t have a bottle of the Thevenet’s Late Harvest wine from the Macon, I thought we would taste one of the few late harvest Chardonnays produced in California. If you can imagine tangerines crystallized into a sugary dessert, preserving the [...]

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Maison Ambroise Cote de Nuits Villages 2005
More brett than I would have liked, this wine is quite astringent and a little warm in the mouth. Frankly, it’s not up to what I’ve had from Amroise in the past. Vinified and mis en bouteille by Bertrand Ambroise in Nuits-Saints-Georges 13% $28.99 at Bottle Barn Ambroise
Domaine Denis [...]

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This flight offers the opportunity to look at two versions of Gamay. The first is brand new Nouveau (is that redundant?) and the second is from the Cru Julienas.
Domaine Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Villages Nouveau 2007
This is a textbook example of Nouveau with bubble gum and fruit gushing from the glass. Little to almost [...]

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This flight features Chardonnay from 3 respected producers. There is an inexpensive Macon, a more formidable Puligny and lastly a Chablis with some age on it.
Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon Macon 2006
This wine embodies the citrus side of Chardonnay with a light body and plenty of acidity. Produced from biodynamically grown grapes in the Macon [...]

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Domaine Goisot Bourgogne Aligote 2004
An evolving nose and aging palate with nutty complexity and ample acidity. Eleve et mis en bouteilles par Anne et Arnaud Goisot in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux 12% $10.99 at K&L
Domaine Goisot Saint-Bris 2004
Lots of sulfur to start in the nose; a very brisk, acidic palate with flavors of citrus and grapefruit rind with [...]

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Kir
This classic French aperitif was orginally made with the austere Aligote and the sweet Cassis, both from Burgundy. With the least expensive Bourgogne Aligote selling for $11 in San Francisco, however, it makes no sense to be a traditionalist. Rather, you might take the easy and affordable path chosen by most restaurants – [...]

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Jade Mountain California La Provencale 2004
Previous notes show the wine as complex and oaky though the 2nd bottle earlier in the year seemed a little alcoholic. Tonight’s bottle is very supple again and I don’t think most people would notice the alcohol. This is a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah. P&B in Napa 15.2% [...]

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Domaine Les Pallieres Gigondas 2003
This has been a consistent performer at a more affordable price than the well-made Brunier wines from CDP. The last bottle tasted earlier in 2007 was good again, but the tannic astringency at that time seemed out of balance with the density of flavour. Tonight we try it again [...]

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Chateau Guiraud Bordeaux Vin Blanc Sec 2005
The last bottle tasted in early 2007 was very fresh, combining high acid with depth of flavor. This bottle was on target again, with roundness to complement the acidity. Sourced from vines with an average age of 15 years, with up to 70% Sauvignon in the final blend and [...]

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Régis Cruchet Vouvray Sec 2005
The last bottle tasted earlier in the year was rather evolved yet still possessing the textbook acidity. Perhaps it was one bottle where the cork didn’t hold in the SO2 effectively. No, again we see this premature evolution and the development of volatile acidity. Really, it’s OK and complex [...]

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Vincent Girardin Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux 2005
Very nice. Vinifié, élevé et mis en bouteille a Meursault 13.5% $24.99 at K&L Vincent Girardin .com
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2005
My notes from previous bottles of the 2004 and 2005 consistently note the high acidity, tastes of green apple, a sense of Burgundy with appropriate oak [...]

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The previous tasting in the California and Europe class in San Francisco pitted Baumard against Oremus. Tonight’s flight brings in a different top-flight producer, this time from Sauternes. Both the Raymond-Lafon and the Oremus will be tasted side-by-side. In both cases the Oremus proved the favorite.
Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2002
My notes from the [...]

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Inexpensive, clean and perhaps a hint of residual sugar. Jean-Paul and Michel Dardé maintain a 70+ hectare vineyard near the bassin de Thau in the commune of Meze, where they grow Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Terret, Muscat, Syrah, Merlot and Vermentino. Mis at the domaine in Meze 13% $5.99 at Bottle Barn

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