Bouchaine, Napa Valley – Carneros, Estate, Chardonnay 2006 The nose combines freshly split wood, vanilla, toast and stone fruits. The mouth is full-on with oak essence and butter layered over peaches and green apples. The wine received all of the bells and whistles from the winemaker, including battonage  as well as ML for 50% of [...]

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Cayuga Ridge Estate, Cayuga Lake, Cayuga Cuvee This wine is very aromatic, sporting candied fruit and floral notes. The flavor is quite reminiscent of Riesling with zippy lime and plenty of acidity – very refreshing. There is no indication of vintage on the bottle tasted. Currently online at the winery the 2006 is on offer [...]

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Bella, Dry Creek Valley, Late Harvest, Zinfandel 2004 If you can imagine drying some blackberries and  dusting them with black pepper, that’s what this wine smells like. The jammy fruit really pops in the mouth and is beautifully sweet. P&B in Healdsburg 14.0% price unknown Bella

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Domaine Skouras, Nemea, Aghiorghitiko, Saint George 2006 The grape is spelled both ways on the label thus the redundancy that you see in my post – good for both sides of the Atlantic. The nose features dried and fresh fruits, some prunes and brown spices. The mouth displays red fruits and ample acidity with supple [...]

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Joseph Drouhin, Beaujolais, Nouveau 2008 This is a very clean Nouveau with traditional bubble gum in the nose. The mouth is an explosion of the fruity style you expect, with tart acidity and a bit of tannic grab – nice. Mis by Drouhin, negociant eleveur a Beaune 12.5% $18.95 at Traverso’s Drouhin

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Dr. Loosen, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Urziger, Wurzgarten, Riesling, Auslese 2006
In the nose there is minerality wound around limes and a touch of petrol. The mouth is rich and viscous with balancing acidity. This wine is very concentrated and cries out for a freshly cracked crab. Loosen’s oldest vines are located here, some as old as 120 years. [...]

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Dr. Loosen, Mosel, Blue Slate, Riesling 2007 The nose is filled with cotton candy and juicy fruit gum. The mouth is light-bodied and has a nice balance of the sweet and the tart, like well-made fresh lemonade. Qualitatswein, bottled in Bernkastel 8% $15.99 at Bottle Barn at the time of this first post, down [...]

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Koster-Wolf, Rheinhessen, Riesling, Trocken 2007 In the nose you sense peaches and floral notes. In the mouth, the wine i dry and austere, quite acidic, with a sense of drinking lemon juice. Qualitatswein, gutsabfullung in Albig 12% $11.99 for a full litre at Traverso’s

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Rippon, Central Otago, Lake Wanaka, Pinot Noir 2006 This vintage sports smoky and toasty notes in the nose. The mouth is densely packed with fruit and the ample acidity carries the flavor for a long time.
Notes on the previous vintage: Lots of brown spices and black pepper to taste with an acidic frame.
The wine was [...]

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Sherwood Estate, Marlborough, Pinot Noir 2007 Brambles, earth and green spices mark the nose and the fruit is still in the background, waiting to come out. In the mouth though, the fruit is poignant, framed by lots of acidity. Proprietors Dayne & Jill Sherwood. P&B in Waipara 13% $14.99 at K&L Sherwood Estate Wines

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ZD, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2004 The black red fruits are jammy and sweet in the nose of this wine. This is developing nicely, with complexity coming with time in the bottle yet ample fruit at this youthful stage. This wine is very concentrated and has a polished texture – very nice. The wine was aged [...]

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Buena Vista, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2005 There is warm, sweet, stewed fruit with brown spices in the nose. The mouth is oaky, soft in texture with acidity to frame it yet it’s warm and the fruit is receding. The fruit is sourced from the winery’s Ramal Vineyard. The wine was aged in oak for 8 [...]

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Roche, Carneros, Pinot Noir 2006 In the nose there’s cherry liqueur, earth and a sense of oxidation. The palate is quite gripping. Estate Grown, Produced and Bottled in Sonoma 14.5% $27.95 at the winery Roche Winery

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Toad Hollow, Sonoma County, Eye of the Toad, Pinot Noir, Dry Rose 2007 Fresh, aromatic and fruity in the nose; plush and very fruity in the mouth. V&B in Sonoma 11.5% $7.99 at Bottle Barn Toad Hollow Cellars

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Laurent-Perrier, Champagne, Demi-Sec nv The nose is sweet and toasty. The wine is moderately concentrated and mildly sweet making for an easy starter beverage at Sunday morning brunch. The grapes behind this wine are 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier. About 10-20% reserve wines make up the final blend and the wine [...]

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Schramsberg, North Coast, Reserve 2001 The nose is very smoky and toasty, with a sense of freshly buttered pastry. In the mouth, the wine is reminiscent of a fresh pastry made with lemon and custard and topped with lots of lime cordial – a sweet-tart essense that is quite long. This wine is very rich [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Rose, Brut nv Concentrated red fruits mark the nose. The mouth repeats this expression of fruit on a layer of minerality. – very young, very dense and very long – yes. The grapes are sourced from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Approximately 30% reserve wines were [...]

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Gloria Ferrer, Carneros, Late Disgorged, Carneros Cuvee, Brut 1998 There is lots of perfume in the nose and the mouth is soft and a bit sweeter than other bubblies labeled as brut, a sparkler with ginger ale and candy-like flavors. In August ‘09 the nose is going through an awkward patch, losing the freshness it [...]

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Jacquesson, Champagne, Cuvee No.732, Brut The name of Jacquesson’s nv brut changes with each successive base wine, the current release being No. 732. The nose features floral notes, sweet in nature, like jasmine with a sense of candied fruits – very pretty. The mouth is very dense, with fresh and baked fruit flavors. While there [...]

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Tarlant, Champagne, Brut Zero The nose features minerality, toast and citrus fruits. The mouth is bone dry and austere, like biting into the pith of an orange. The grapes are roughly 1/3 each of the players in Champagne, namely Chardonnay and each of the Pinots.  The base wine is mostly from 2005 with the addition [...]

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La Spinetta, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Bricco Quaglia 2007 This is a personal favorite from the legend. I was blessed to meet Rivetti before the skyrocket to fame. This wine remains an affordable way to taste some of this estate’s expertise. The White Muscat is sourced from Bricco Quaglia, the first single vineyard Moscato in Italy. [...]

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Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls, Rimage 2006 There are Port-like notes of dried and stewed fruits topped with a nutty piece of pastry. The wine tastes of sweet black fruits and chocolate, sweet but not overly so, tasty with some bittersweet chocolate. Mis par Docteur Parce & Fils, proprietaires a Banyuls-Sur-Mer 17.6% $22.99 for a [...]

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Domaine Fontanel, Rivesaltes, Ambre 1998 This golden wine smells of citrus peel and nuts. In the mouth it like eating nuts and toffee, very sweet and viscous with acidity that offsets the richness and a little warmth from the fortification – a decadent value. Grenache Blanc is the grape behind this wine and the vines [...]

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Chateau La Caminade, Cahors, La Commandery 2004 There’s a slathering of new oak on this wine, showing toast, vanilla and smoke in the nose. In the mouth there is great density and balance, the tannin not dominating but rather playing a role. Give it a few years for the oak to integrate and many more [...]

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Chateau du Cedre, Cahors, Cedre, Heritage 2004 The grapes are 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot. The nose combines the rugged side of wine-love, with horse blanket, cheese and ripe berry fruit. In the mouth the wine is quite tannic and strongly reminiscent of the horse, certainly too much so for many drinkers. This is the [...]

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Domaine de Fontsainte, Corbieres 2006
The rose wines from this domaine have shown complexity and suppleness. This wine exhibits cedar, vanilla, a sense of the garrigue and some earthiness in the nose. The tannins are supple, the acidity is lively and the fruit is in the background. The horse saddle character is too much for some [...]

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Domaines Bunan, Cotes de Provence 2006 The nose is very lively with fruit, as in some whole berries in the fermentation amping up the fruitiness. This follows through in mouth with ample acidity and ripe tannins – nice. Mis en bouteille by the Bunan family in La Cadiere d’Azur in the heart of Bandol 13.5% [...]

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Mas Jullien, Coteaux du Languedoc, Rose 2007 The nose is clean and full of red fruits with brambles as well. In the mouth the red fruit shines and there is structure, reminding us that this was produced from black grapes, showing a light grip of tannin – good value. The property is planted to 25% [...]

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Domaine Jean-Louiis Denois, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Les Oliviers, Roussanne 2006 Unfortunately this wine is exhibiting some very strong rotten egg aromas at first opening. With time the fruit comes through and the funk blows off but will everyone wait? Many in the class gave up on this and rightly so. Yes there are funky [...]

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Haut-Marin, Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne, Cuvee Marine 2007 This wine is profoundly herbaceous with a hint of hard working body odor. The mouth is quite crisp and the overall pungency is reminiscent of Kiwi Sauvignon – very nice. The only challenge is that the wine was a little corked, having a low [...]

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