This wine is very like a German Mosel Riesling minus the mineral content. The wine was sealed with a screwcap.
This wine was imported by Divine AB.
Colour : Pale lemon
Aroma : Floral, slight petrol notes, honey, oranges, lemons
Taste : Oranges, lemons, limes, honey, petrol, semi-dry, very fruity, long finish, slight ginger
Alcohol : 10%
Price : 169 SEK
Mark : A-
Website : Craggy Range Winery
Website : Divine AB
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
TN : Craggy Range Single Vineyard Riesling 2008, Glasnevin Gravels Vineyard, Waipara, New Zealand
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:06 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
TN : Domaine Gerovassiliou Syrah 2005, Epanomi, Greece
This wine won a gold medal at the 2006 Concours Mondial in Brussels.
Colour : Blackberry
Aroma : Sandalwood, toast, dark fruits
Taste : Developed, toasty oak, blackberry, blueberry, talcum powder tannins on finish
Alcohol : 14%
Price : 229 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Domaine Gerovassiliou
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:58 1 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Domaine Gerovassiliou Viognier 2009, Epanomi, Greece
This wine won a gold medal in the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards.
The grapes for this wine were fermented in new French oak barrels and matured on lees for six months.
Colour : Pale lemon
Aroma : Mandarin oranges, almond, herbs
Taste : Peach, pineapple, mandarin oranges, almonds, herbs
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : 179 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Domaine Gerovassiliou
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:49 1 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Errazuriz Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2010, Central Valley, Chile
This wine is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec.
This wine was sealed with a screwcap.
Colour : Bright raspberry
Aroma : Strawberry, blackcurrant, melon
Taste : Strawberry, raspberry, melon, blackcurrant, grapefruit
Alcohol : 13%
Price : 69 SEK
Mark : B-
Website : Vina Errazuriz
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:17 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Monday, 6 September 2010
TN : Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand
Probably New Zealand's most famous wine. Cloudy Bay Vineyards was established in 1985 by Cape Mentelle Vineyards in Western Australia, and is today part of Estates & Wines. The winery takes its name from the bay at the eastern extremity of the Wairau Valley, which was named Cloudy Bay by Captain Cook on his voyage to New Zealand in 1770.
This wine was sealed with a screwcap.
Colour : Very pale straw
Aroma : Asparagus, lemon, passion fruit, gooseberry, peach
Taste : Gooseberry, blackcurrant, leafy, grassy, lemon
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : 199 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Cloudy Bay Vineyards Ltd
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:32 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Robert Craig Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Napa Valley, California, USA
The 26 acre vineyard site is located at 1800 feet on the slopes of the Southwestern Mayacamus range and was planted in 1990. The vineyard soil is sandstone and blue slate.
This wine was imported by Primewine Sweden AB.
Colour : Blackcurrant, slight brown notes
Aroma : Blackcurrant, vanilla, cedar
Taste : Blackcurrant, blackberry, cedar, vanilla, dust tannic finish, good upfront fruit but became tired tasting after about 10 minutes in the glass
Alcohol : 14.9%
Price : 323 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Robert Craig Wine Cellars
Website : Primewine Sweden AB
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:22 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
TN : Catena Alta Malbec 2006, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina
The grapes for this wine were sourced from small estate grown vineyards. The Angelica vineyard is at 2,850 feet elevation (10%), the La Piramide vineyard is at 3,100 feet elevation (6%), the Nicasia vineyard is at 3,870 feet elevation (30%), and the Adrianna vineyard is at 4,725 feet elevation (54%). This wine spent one and half years in French oak of which 70% was new. The total acidity is 5.57 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.63. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.
Colour : Deep purple
Aroma : Coffee, toasty oak, plums, herbs, cherry, blackberry
Taste : Coffee, toasty oak, blackberry, plums, herbs, tannic and taught, not giving much away currently, leave for 2 to 3 years and then try again
Alcohol : 14%
Price : 295 SEK
Mark : B-
Website : Bodega Catena Zapata
Website : VinUnic AB
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:39 1 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Viu Manent El Olivar Alto Malbec 2007, Single Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile
The grapes for this wine come from Malbec blocks 6 and 7 and Petit Verdot block 20 of the El Olivar Estate vineyard. This is a limited edition wine made from vines with an age of 7 years and planted at a density of 2,899 plants per hectare. All of the grapes were hand-harvested and the wine was fermented in small stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months in new French (93%) and American (7%) oak barrels. The wine was bottled on December 4th 2008 and 17,365 bottles were produced.
This wine received 90 points from Robert Parker's 2009 Wine Advocate.
Colour : Dark blackberry
Aroma : Blackberry, herbs, cherry, blueberry
Taste : Mineral, blackberry, violets, spicy on finish
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : 229 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Viu Manent Winery
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:27 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Shaw and Smith Shiraz 2006, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Shaw and Smith was established in 1989 by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith.
The grapes for this wine were sourced from the warmer, drier parts of the Adelaide Hills around Macclesfield and low yielding Shiraz from Balhannah, near the Shaw and Smith Winery. The soil structures in the region are shallow red/brown loam over schist and clay. The vines are planted to a high density of between 2700 to 5500 vines per hectare. All the vines are hand pruned and trained to have vertical shoot position canopies. The yields were restricted to 1.8 kg per vine and all the grapes were hand-picked. The wine was matured in new (1/3) and older French oak barriques for 14 months. The total acidity is 6.7 grammes per litre and the pH is 3.47.
This wine was sealed with a screwcap.
Colour : Dark blackberry
Aroma : Liqourice, blackberry, spice, black pepper, slightly meaty
Taste : Blackberry, blueberry, spice and black pepper on finish, slightly meaty
Alcohol : 14%
Price : 142 SEK
Mark : B-
Website : Shaw and Smith
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:14 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Monday, 30 August 2010
TN : Clos de l'Echo 2005, Couly-Dutheil, Chinon, Loire, France
Colour : Red, blue hues
Aroma : Blackcurrant, herbs, black pepper
Taste : Drying tannins on finish, herbs, fruity blackcurrant, black pepper on finish (leave 1-2 years for tannins to soften)
Alcohol : 15%
Price : 189 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Couly-Dutheil
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:29 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Home Viticulture : Petit Verdot
I have invested in my second vine this year. Time to branch out into vinifera and I have purchased Petiti Verdot. I am not sure if it will survive the Swedish winter outside so this will be grown indoors on the window sill.
This is the Frankenthaler from last year.
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:34 1 comments
TN : Sabanis Red Dry Wine, Central Greece
This wine is a blend of Cabernet, Agiorgitiko, and Syrah. Each variety was vinified separately. The Agiorgitiko underwent 8 days of maceration and the Cabernet 10 days. Malolactic fermentation and partial maturation was in French oak barrels for six months.
In 1980 Tasos Sampanis, a Mechanical Engineer, and his wife Elli, created in Ritsona, Avlida, the Sabanis winery. Their state-of-the-art winery, situated in the heart of the winemaking zone of Agios Ioannis, Avlida, is 15 km outside the city of Halkida. The climate is characterized as Mediterranean with cold winters, a warm summer and a long dry fall. The soil is of an average sand-argillaceous type. The vineyards are semi-mountainous, at an altitude of between 350 and 450 metres, and are cooled by the South Euboic Sea. The privately owned vineyards today amount to 28 acres and 15 more acres were added as of the end of 2007.
Colour : Red
Aroma : Pepper, oak, blueberry
Taste : White and black pepper, earthy, blueberry, spice, fruits of the forest, very peppery
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : 195 SEK (Restaurant Samos, Tyresö, Sweden)
Mark : B-
Website : Sabanis Estate
Website : Restaurang Samos
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:19 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Asyrtiko 2008, White Dry Wine, Domaine Sigalas, Santorini, Greece
The grapes for this wine were grown on volcanic soils on the island of Santorini.
Aroma : Almond, marzipan, lemon
Taste : Hazelnuts, marzipan, earthy, dirty, sharp lemon, minerals
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : 149 SEK
Mark : C-
Website : Domaine Sigalas
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:07 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Sunday, 15 August 2010
TN : Viu Manent El Olivar Alto Syrah 2007, SIngle Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile
This wine was "Highly Recommended" by Decanter magazine and received 90 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 2009.
The wine is a blend of 94% Syrah and 6% Petit Verdot. It was produced from Syrah blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Petit Verdot block 20 of the El Olivar vineyard. The vines were seven years of age. All the grapes were hand-harvested and the must was fermented in small stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged for 18 months in new French (93%) and American (7%) oak barrels. The wine was bottled on December 5th 2008 and 12,060 bottles were produced.
Colour : Dark red, blue hues
Aroma : Burnt toast, blackberry, herbs, coffee, milk chocolate
Taste : Toast, blackberry, herbs, plums, coffee, drying tannic finish; leave for another two to three years to see if the tannins calm down but still drinkable now
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : 229 SEK
Mark : B
Website : Viu Manent Winery
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 15:10 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, California, USA
Colour : Red
Aroma : Blackcurrant, oak, vanilla, strawberry
Taste : Upfront rough lightly toasted oak, blackcurrant, vanilla, red berries, light, fruity
Alcohol : 13%
Price : 219 SEK (3 Litre Bag-in-Box)
Mark : C
Website : Beringer Vineyards
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 14:54 3 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Friday, 13 August 2010
Book : The Wild Vine, Todd Kliman
This tells the story of the Norton grape and a look at the current status in the USA regarding Norton. The modern day story centres around Jenni McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards who is portrayed as a Norton fanatic and champion. The book tells the story of how a bottle of Norton won a gold medal at a wine competition in Vienna in 1873 and then has almost vanished off the radar only to be promoted by Jenni and few other ecentric vintners.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history of Norton but was disappointed to hear that the grape is still in obscurity in the USA and simply a curiosity. It is a niche grape variety and will always remain so.
I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the history of viticulture and enology in the USA.
Website : Chrysalis Vineyards
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 16:18 0 comments
Labels: BOOK REVIEW
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Book : In an Out of Africa ... in search of Gerard Depardieu
Francis Gimblett, The Wine Adventurer, tastes a Moroccan wine made by Gerard Depardieu and then travels to North Africa to try to find similar or better wines. He visits Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
This book is in two parts. The first is a travelogue about his exploits and mixes winery visits with colourful descriptions of the places he visits and episodes that happen whilst on route to these places. The second part of the book is a detailed description of each winery he visits and comes complete with tasting notes.
I found this book very entertaining and my only complaint is that there wasn't more of it.
Website : The Wine Adventurer
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 16:40 2 comments
Labels: BOOK REVIEW
Saturday, 7 August 2010
TN : Spinifex Esprit 2007, Barossa, Australia
Spinifex was founded in 2001 by Peter Schell and Magali Gely. This wine is a blend of 36% Shiraz, 26% Grenache, 25% Mataro, 7% Carignan, and 6% Cinsault.
This wine was imported by JPC Wines AB.
Colour : Dark red, blue hues
Aroma : Liqourice, spice, pepper, blackberry
Taste : Fruit bomb, liqourice, spice, pepper, blackberry, plums
Alcohol : 14.5%
Price : 269 SEK
Mark : B-
Website : Spinifex Wines
Website : JPC Wines AB
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 21:00 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : TH Pinot Noir 2008, Vina Undurraga, West Casablanca, Chile
TH stands for "Terroir Hunter". The grapes for this wine come from a 1.59 hectare North-facing hillside in Las Dichas at tha far South-Western end of the Casablanca Valley. Only 685 cases of this wine were produced. The grapes were grown in well-drained red clay loam over alterated granite subsoil, rich in quartz. 100% Davis 1 Pinot Noir clones were used. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.
Colour : Red
Aroma : Strawberry, spice, plums, oak
Taste : Red berries, oak, plums spice
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : 149 SEK
Mark : C+
Website : Vina Undurraga
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 20:47 1 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Friday, 6 August 2010
TN : Catena Alta Chardonnay 2007, Bodega Catena Zapata, Mendoza, Argentina
The grapes for this wine come from the Adrianna vineyard at 5000 feet elevation (80%) and the Domingo vineyard at 3700 feet elevation (20%). The wine spent one year in French oak, half of which was new.
This wine was imported by VinUnic AB.
Colour : Lemon
Aroma : Oak, pear, sweetcorn, pineapple
Taste : Sweetcorn, oak, mango, pineapple and oranges on very long finish
Alcohol : 14%
Price : 189 SEK
Mark : A-
Website : Bodega Catena Zapata
Website : VinUnic AB
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 16:29 7 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Sunday, 1 August 2010
TN : Syrah Rose, Vin de Pays D'Oc, International Wine Broker Handelsgesellschaft mbH, France
Colour : Bright strawberry, raspberry
Aroma : Fresh red berries
Taste : Strawberry, raspberry, spritzy
Alcohol : 12.5%
Price : 6 Euro (250 ml bottle, Le Buffet, Oberpolinger, Munich, Germany)
Mark : B
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 15:40 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note