Friday 29 January 2010

TN : Zaca Mesa Z Three 2004, Santa Ynez Valley, California, USA


This wine is a blend of 44% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre, and 34% Grenache.

All of the grapes were hand harvested, fermented, and barrel aged separately for seven months. The resulting wines were then combined and aged for an additional 14 months in French oak barrels.



Clay Brock was the Winemaker.

The wine was imported by Vinobele.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blackberry, toast, liquorice, mint

Taste : Mint, liquorice, blackberry, violets, pepper blueberry, toast, grainy tannins on finish

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 227 SEK (Reduced from 284 SEK)

Mark : A-

Website : Zaca Mesa Winery
Website : Vinobele Wine Agency

Tuesday 26 January 2010

TN : Maverick Trial Hill Eden Valley Riesling 2007, Maverick Wines, Barossa, Australia


The vineyard which produced the grapes for this wine is two hectares big.

This wine was bottled under screwcap.



Colour : Bright yellow

Aroma : Lemon, lime, petrol, mineral

Taste : Intense zingy lemon and lime, petrol notes, minerals, dry very long finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 169 SEK (Reduced from 215 SEK)

Mark : B-

Website : Fondberg & Co
Website : Maverick Wines

Monday 18 January 2010

TN : Maverick Trial Hill Eden Valley Shiraz 2005, Maverick Wines, Barossa, Australia


Maverick Wines Pty Ltd. was established in 2004. The total acidity is 6.56 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.50. 460 cases were produced. The winemaker was Ronald Brown. The grapes were harvested in early-April and fermented in small, open top fermenters. After basket pressing, the wine was matured in new (44%) and conditioned (56%) French oak barriques for 20 months.



On the back label it states An historic and distinctive flat-topped, stone pine tree marks the highest point in the Barossa. The "Monkey Nut Tree", as it is known locally, overlooks Maverick's Trial Hill vineyard. The vineyard is 1.6 Hectares and is situated on a North-facing slope high in the Eden Valley.

This wine was imported by Fondberg & Co.

Colour : Inky purple

Aroma : Raisins, dark fruits, savoury, meaty

Taste : Raisins, blackberry, blackcurrant, toast, slightly overoaked, sweet, long finish

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 299 SEK (Reduced from 399 SEK)

Website : Fondberg & Co
Website : Maverick Wines

TN : Chardonnay Exklusiv 2006, Weingut R&A Pfaffl, Weinviertel, Niederoesterreich, Austria


All the grapes for this wine come from the Rossern vineyard. The soil is sandy. The sea has left its mark in that under a very thin bed of loess, that was deposited here by winds in the ice-age, there is pure sand.



Colour : Bright yellow

Aroma : Buttered toast, nutty, sharp green apples

Taste : Buttered toast, green apple, slight mandarin, slightly overoaked, bitter oak on finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 144 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Weingut R&A Pfaffl

Wednesday 13 January 2010

TN : Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Vineyard Selection, Jonkershoek Valley, South Africa


This wine was bottled under screwcap.



At the time of writing, there are no details about the specific vintage of this wine available on the Neil Ellis Wines website.

Colour : Pale lemon

Aroma : Asparagus, passion fruit, lime

Taste : Asparagus, oak, pear, nettles, zingy finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Neil Ellis Wines

TN : Serame Viognier 2006, Vin De Pays D'Oc, France


This wine was under screwcap.



Colour : Yellow

Taste : Oak and fruity lemon

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 5 Euro (18.7 cl bottle British Airways In-Flight Service)

Mark : C+

TN : Mediterra 2007, Tenuta Poggio Al Tesoro, Bolgheri, Italy


This wine is a blend of 40% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot.



Poggio Al Tesoro is a partnership between Allegrini of Valpolicella and Leonardo LoCascio, president of Winebow, an exporter and distributor of Italian wines to the USA.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Spice, tobacco, herbs, chocolate, cherry

Taste : Spice, cherries, tobacco, plums, herbs, drying tannic finish

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 149 SEK

Mark : B

Saturday 9 January 2010

TN : Gran Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005, Torres, Penedes, Spain


This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Tempranillo.



Colour : Blackcurrant

Aroma : Oak, herbs, fruit cake, cherry, blackcurrant, vanilla

Taste : Blackcurrant, herbs, cherry, fruit cake

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 96 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Torres

TN : Champagne Lansson Rose Label Brut Rose, Champagne, France



This wine was a blend of 53% Pinot Noir, 32% Chardonnay, and 15% Pinot Meunier.





Colour : Orange/pink

Aroma : Biscuits, hints of red berries

Taste : Rich tea biscuits, strawberry, raspberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 369 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Champagne Lansson

TN : Luddite Shiraz 2005, Western Cape, South Africa


This was bottle 5056 out of 25400 bottles.

After pressing the wine was put into 90% French Oak, 5% American and 5% Hungarian Oak. 25% of these barrels were new and the rest were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fill. An average analysis of the fruit at harvest yielded results of 25 Baling, a pH of 3.65, and TA of 6.5. An analysis of the final wine yielded results of pH of 3.6, TA of 5.8 grammes per litre, and residual sugar of 1.8 grammes per litre.



The wine was imported by Prime Wine Sweden AB.

Colour : Deep blackberry

Aroma : Plums, blackberry, herbs

Taste : Spice, herbs, blackberry, plums, pepper, slight vinegar note

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 289 SEK

Mark : C+

Website : Luddite Wines
Website : Prime Wine Sweden AB

TN : Syrah Reserve by Rudi Schultz 2005, Stellenbosch, South Africa


This wine is a limited release from the best Syrah of the vintage. The wine was matured in four new French oak barrels for twenty months.



This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.

Colour : Deep purple

Aroma : Toast, vanilla, meaty, black fruits

Taste : Toast, vanilla, violets, pepper, savoury, meaty, dark fruits

Alcohol : 15 %

Price : 279 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : JPC Wines AB

Thursday 7 January 2010

TN : Riesling 2008, Kamptal DAC, Weingut Rabl, Austria


This wine was sealed with a screwcap. Fermentation was in steel tanks.



Colour : Pale yellow

Aroma : Pear, orange skins, mandarin

Taste : Pear, oranges, apples, orange skins, gooseberry

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 89 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Rabl

TN : Vina Robles Petite Sirah 2005, Paso Robles Jardine, California, USA


This wine was aged for 19 months in French oak barrels.



This wine was imported by MURAM International AB.

Colour : Inky blackberry

Aroma : Blackcurrant, blackberry, oak, herbs

Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, herbs, pepper, oak, toast on finish

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 198 SEK

Mark : B+

Website : Vina Robles
Website : MURAM International AB

TN : Montepasso 2007 Rosso Conero, DOC, Moncaro, Italy


This wine is 100% Montepulciano.



Colour : Inky purple

Aroma : Spicy, plums, herbs, cherries

Taste : Spicy, cocoa, cherries, plums

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 79 SEK

Mark : C

Website : Moncaro

TN : Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite), Colchagua Valley, Chile


DBR began modernising Los Vascos in 1988. 350 cases of this wine are produced annually.



Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, oak, sandalwood#

Taste : Mainly oak and sandalwood, blackcurrant. Opened too early, this wine needs another two years for the oak to calm down whilst still maintaining the fruit. The Vina Los Vascos website recommends decanting for one hour.

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 8.90 Euro (Frankfurt Airport Duty Free)

Mark : C

Website : Vina Los Vascos

TN : Chateau Fournas Bernadotte 2003, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France


This property was mentioned as early as 1645 according to the back label but it is not stated where the mention was. At both the time of harvest and bottling, the chateau was under the ownership of May-Eliane de Lencquesaing who also owned Chateau Pichon-Lalande. The wine is a second selection of Chateau Bernadotte.



The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Colour : Dark red

Aroma : Blackcurrant, herbs, oak

Taste : Blackcurrant, herbs, oak, cedar, plums

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 181 SEK

Mark : B-

Website : Chateau Bernadotte