Price: $15.99 @ Gary's Liquors (West Roxbury, MA)Recommended by: Wine Spectator (90 points)
Comments: Frickin' Almond Husks. That's right. Almond husks. Who the hell knows what almond husks taste like??? I'll tell you who. A pretentious idiot whose opinion about wine you definately do not want to trust. And yet, it's the winemaker that lists among this wine's flavors . . . almond husks. Also (and not surprisingly), the winemaker finds an array of tropical fruits with quince, ginger, and lees. Speaking of which, what the hell does a lee taste like? Denim? But nevermind, we're here to review a wine. And it's a good one, although we're not sure it deserves its place in the top 100 wines of 2007 by Wine Spectator. Although we didn't note almond husk, we did enjoy its pear and grapefruit flavors. The smell is "minerally" apparently, although Rob isn't sure it doesn't have a faint scent of cat pee (but in a good way!). The finish is fairly long and buttery, and a tad bitter, but also in a good way. We would get this one again but we're not sure it's worth the price when some really fantastic Sauvignon Blancs cost less and would pair equally well with similar food (seafood, particularly shellfish).
Rating: 6.75/10
Solid cherry hue with great cherry bouquet with sweet cocoa, some wood and steal. Awesome!
Montegrossoli "Podere Ciona" 2008 ($14)
Columbia Crest H3 (Horse Heaven Hills) Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Nose: Big Jammy nose of blueberry, plum. Cracked black pepper and tar.
A wonderful Australian Shiraz I reviewed this past summer, The Long Road Shiraz 2010 has won Best Shiraz in Australia's National Wine Show. Production only began in 2008 when they won The Jimmy Watson Memorial trophy for their first vintage.
"The vineyard for this wine is located in Gundagai, where some of the most exciting Shiraz in Australia is being grown," explains Eden Road's Winemaker Nick Spencer. "The region features basalt-rich soils, which deliver highly perfumed, aromatic wines, and ironstone-rich soils, which provide a mineral, crushed rock and gravelly tannin structure."
Naked Wine Review 110Wine: Chateau Puech-Haut Le PrestigeGrape Variety: 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Carignan Producer: Philipee Cambie & Eric SolomonVintage: 10'Region: France>Languedoc Roussillon>Languedoc>Coteaux du Languedoc>Saint-DrezeryPrice: 20.00Date tasted: 11/27/12Place tasted: I grabbed my bottle of wine and made sure I was packing a reliable cork screw and balloon glass. Then I danced right through that magic portal into a land of lavender scented rain, waterfalls, and ocean shores. There I sipped my wine in the company of glowing madrona's and colorful starfish; the warm soothing song of the faeries lulling me into sweet serenity. Served with: Italian spinach sausage pie would be good. Serve with strong, sturdy flavors such as lamb, venison, and other red meats. Things like herby red sauces, sharp cheddar or bleu cheese, and rich dark chocolate are good choices as well. Avoid more subtle flavors such as cream sauces and fish. She can handle a fair amount of spice and begs to be somewhat challenged when pairing with food. Appearance: Rich ruby velvet muted with a soft glowing antique light, inspiring memories of quiet old books and simpler times.On the snoot: I see a woman standing in the kitchen of an old country cottage picking spices from a cupboard. There's a vase of fragrant fresh cut flowers bursting forth from the heavy dark oak table behind her. She's preparing a variety of berry pies, tarts, and jams to sell at tomorrows community marketplace. This wine embodies the scent of that image.Taste: Dense, dry and complex, she is a vision dressed in black current, anise, and cracked pepper. A mouthful of pleasing elements such as earth, mineral and wood accessorize her charming demeanor. The long full and satisfying finish with plentiful soft tannins leaves your palate feeling joyfully blessed and spiritually grounded.Balance: She is perfectly balanced; focused, centered and clear in her intention. She moves slow like lava and displays a full sensuous naked body with no one particular feature dominating another. Comments: This wine takes place in a different time. It's as if you can taste the ancestors in the grapes flowing through ancient vines, like the blood in all of us.
Naked Wine Review 111Wine: P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Bourgogne La Chapelle Notre-DameGrape: Pinot NoirProducer: P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Pere & FilsVintage: 10'Region: France>Burgundy>La Chapelle Notre-Dame>Bourgogne ControleePrice: 20.00Date tasted: 12/12/12Place tasted: I was in an abandoned tree house in the middle of ol' Grapers back woods. Someone would have asked me if I were alright had I not messed up my trail of bread crumbs. It had snowed on my gold fish earlier which made him happy as he chased the little flakes around his bowl. There was a nice selection of wine in that warm solar-paneled tree house so I chose this French Pinot Noir to sip on as my view expanded over twilights indigo kingdom; crescent moon shining silent and empty on the earths snowy winter facade.Served with: I had it with baked salmon and miso butter served on a bed of spinach and fresh basil garnished with lemon wedges. Fish, chicken, duck, cream sauces, mushrooms, brie...all good choices. Go with subtle flavors to complement the delicate beauty of this wine.Appearance: A pale clear candy apple red through which a gentle neon orange glow emanates.On the snoot: Strong powerful floral nose mingling with strawberries and soft wet moss.Taste: Fruit forward with strawberries, clean and dry. Complexities featuring slight mushroom and sweet earth join the ride in mid palate followed by a slight feather dusting of tannin on the finish which lingers and levitates like a blessing before her final ascension.Balance: Well balanced, light and dry. She is elegant with colorful complexities, depth of character, and well defined integrity. Comments: All good wines go to heaven, and this truly fine Pinot Noir has earned her wings. She tastes like an exotic floral bouquet (and I don't say that to all the wines).
Naked Wine Review 113Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon Producer: Girard WineryVintage: 09'Region: California>Napa County>SonomaPrice: 23.00Date tasted: 1/10/13Place tasted: The sky was rich and dark with snow, and somewhere in the distance a hoot owl echoed in deep colors of luminous melancholy. In my survival kit was a bottle of wine, a thermos of hot chili, Bob, and for some reason a New Years Eve noise maker. The budding crescent moonlight reflected my mood beyond the light of sun as I snowshoed my way to a warm fireplace and the comfort of a dear friend. Served with: We had it with my own hot chili mole, which is of course the best chili ever! It is very food friendly, just stay away from fish, cream sauces and more subtle flavors and you'll be fine.Appearance: A black garnet facade that cannot quite hide her deep glowing amethyst soul.On the snoot: Fragrant notes of sweet cherry, wet mineral, and a little basil rise to bless the happy snoot.Taste: Rich jammy fig, black current, and pomegranate rest comfortably on a posh blanket of vanilla and coffee bean with well integrated tannins throughout. Finish is dry and bright with fruit yet heavy with leather and earth which slowly crescendos into an orgasmic release of pure palate satisfaction. Whew, is anyone else warm?Balance: Beautifully balanced with all the proportions I find most attractive in a fine red wine; warm, yet no sticky residual sugars, high in alcohol and acid, and plenty of chewy tannins. Comments: Let her breathe and notice how she opens up like an exotic flower. She's a smooth, dry, complex, and most tasty cabernet. I cannot wait to try more Girard varieties.
From the Calatayud region of Spain this red wine is a 100% Garnacha that is fruit forward, and easy drinking. The vineyards are at a high elevation, the soil gravelly and dry, and the vines are old and gnarly, making the grapes earn their living and producing a really interesting everyday wine with a great price tag of $8.45 (Bottle/case price $5.91... I had a 30% off coupon at Pop's Wines in Island Park, NY).
From Marlborough, New Zealand, a terroir known for amazing Sauvignon Blanc grapes comes Monkey Bay. With pale straw colors, clear and bright, attractive aromas of grapefruit, grass and pineapple, giving way on the palate to bitter pineapple with hints of melon, citrus and lychee. Bright and refreshing with a nice finish which paired nicely with a garlic and parsley poached red snapper (using some of the wine in the poaching liquid) with a side of pasta with fresh pesto sauce.
Tasting notes: