A blend of Grenache and Syrah which is matured in stainless steel vats. On the label it is written "Legend has it that the Silenus (tutor of Dionysius the Greek god of wine and the Grape) has ever since watched over this wine".
The Silène des Peyrals domain in the appellation Coteaux du Languedoc of southern France owes its name to an ancient clay seal found there, bearing the head of Silenus, Dionysus's old schoolmaster. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and wine festivities. After over 25 years of experience in the Languedoc vineyards, the Skalli family chose in 2000 to grow an exceptional wine on the domain.
The domain's location is set in a typical Mediterranean scrubland known as "garrigue", it is perched two hundred meters above the Thau lake, overlooking the Herault valley. Exposure to steady breezes brings plenty of light and sun to the grapes. The soil is gravelly, sandstone soil, deep and rich in minerals. The vineyard covers roughly 50 acres and is surrounded by olive trees, umbrella pine and holm oak.
Colour : Pale red
Aroma : Fresh red berries, strawberries
Taste : Clean fresh berries, dry
Alcohol : 12.5%
Mark : C
Website : http://vinsfamilleskalli.com
Website : Domaine du Silene des Peyrals
Wednesday 11 April 2007
TN : Esprit du Silene, Rose, Coteaux du Languedoc, 2006, Skalli
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:11 2 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday 10 April 2007
TN : Riesling Kabinett, 2005, QmP, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Wingut Wwe Dr H Thanisch, Erben Mueller Burggraef, Bernkastel, Germany
Colour : Pale yellow/lemon
Aroma : Honey, green apple
Taste : Honey, pears, lime, spice, spritzy minerally very long finish
Alcohol : 9%
Mark : B
Website : http://www.dr-thanisch.de/
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 11:24 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Jacob's Creek Shiraz Rose Vintage 2006, South Eastern Australia
This wine was sealed with a screwcap.
Colour : Pale Strawberry
Aroma : Sweet strawberries & cream
Taste : Dry, red fruits, faint strawberry, spice
Alcohol : 12.5%
Mark : C+
Website : http://www.jacobscreek.com
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 11:14 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Thursday 5 April 2007
TN : 2005 Bush Vine Grenache, Barossa, Yalumba, Australia
Made from 70-year old gnarled bush vines. Harvested April & May 2005. Aged in older French hogsheads. Label states that this wine can be cellared until 2011.
Aroma : Alcohol, stewed red fruits, cloves
Colour : Bright red/damson
Taste : Spicy berries, long very spicy finish
Alcohol : 14.5%
Mark : C
Website : http://www.yalumba.com
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 06:51 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday 3 April 2007
TN : Rene Barbier, Spanish Rose Wine, Bag-in-Box, 3 Litres
The text on the box states that this was packaged on January 22 2007 so one would hope that this is vintage 2006 and it tastes fresh enough to be. This is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Carinena.
Léon Barbier came to Catalonia over a century ago. As the son of vineyard proprietors in the Avignon region, Barbier applied his knowledge of the French tradition of treating grapes to Catalonia's climate and soil. All the grapes used for the wine are picked by hand during September and October in the D.O. Penedès vineyards. They are transported in small boxes so that the grapes are not damaged. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and transferred to big vats. Sulphur dioxide is added as an antiseptic and antioxidant. Maceration also takes place, but for a short time. The aim is to obtain a fresh and young wine with a pink colour. Yeast is added and the alcoholic fermentation starts. Carbon dioxide and heat are produced and the blend must be kept at a controlled level of 14 to 18ºC.
Colour : Pale red, strawberry, copperish hints
Aroma : Hints of strawberries but not much on the nose
Taste : Clean red fruits, dry
Alcohol : 12%
Mark : C++
Website : http://www.renebarbier.com/
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 08:13 5 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
England : An Official Wine Producing Country By 2010
By 2010, England will become an official wine producing nation. This is according to Mike Roberts, owner of Ridgeview Wine Estate and the Chairman of the English Wine Producers. English Wine producers have made a representation to the House of Lords in support of scrapping EU regulations on vine planting as it is restrictions could hamper future growth of the UK wine industry. Currently, people are planting vines like mad in England. Current EU regulations don't apply to countries making less than 3,000,000 bottles but is forecast that by 2010 this limit will be exceeded. Coincidently, the current EU regulations are due to be reviewed during 2010. The no-planting policy is to help countries, such as France, where lots of unwanted cheap wines are produced without a market for them. This is a completely different situation to what is seen in the UK.
Website : Thirty-Fifty News
Website : English Wine Producers
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 06:45 0 comments
Monday 2 April 2007
TN : Chateau Moulin de Cassy 2004, Medoc, France
Surface area : | 11 hectares |
Yield : | 55 hectolitres / hectare. |
Production : | 50 000 bottles |
Soil type : | Clay and limestone. |
Pruning method : | Double guyot |
Grapes varieties : | 50 % cabernet sauvignon - 50 % merlot |
Average vine age : | 25 years |
Vine density : | 6500 plants / hectare |
Vinification time : | 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the vintage |
Vinification : | Little volumed vats |
Ageing : | For a minimum of 12 months in oak barrels, including 20% new oak |
Bottling : | Light filtering before bottling 18 months after the grape harvest |
Owners : | SCEA Pierre et Olivier COMPAGNET. |
Consulting Oenologist : | Antoine Medeville |
Colour : Light ruby
Aroma : Raspberrys, oak
Taste : Thin, oaky, tannic finish, good plummy fruit at first
Alcohol : 13.5%
Mark : C
Website : http://www.compagnetvins.com/chateau-moulin-de-cassy/en/default.aspx
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 11:23 3 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Friday 30 March 2007
TN : Ernest & Julio Gallo, Sonoma County, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
Aroma : Oak, Blacurrant Cassis
Colour : Dark Cassis, some sediment
Taste : Some oak, intense cassis, vanilla, fine tanins
Alcohol : 14%
Mark : A
Website : http://www.gallo.com
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 11:19 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Thursday 29 March 2007
Terroirs & Signatures de Bourgogne, 28th March 2007
I attended the Terriors & Signatures de Bourgogne tasting yesterday, held at Operaterrassen, Stockholm, during the Muskänkarna dedicated session between 18:00 and 19:30. There were 23 producers at the tasting.
Highlights for me were Maison Thomas Moillard who had some nice drinkable Pinot Noirs, especially the Gevrey-Chambertin, la Croix des Champs, 2004 which I could have happily drunk then. I was told that they are gradually converting over to organic growing, including making viticultural decisions according to the phases of the moon. In addition, I found out that a lot of their very old 90 year old vines have recently been replanted and that the new vines's roots follow the same path as the ripped out vines which was something I didn't know before.
Other wines I enjoyed were Bouchard Aines & Fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras, 2004, Domaine Parent Beaune 1er Cru Les Epenottes 2003, Domaine AF Gros Chambolle-Musigny 2004, Domaine Michel Prunier et Fille Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2004 and the Chateau de Fuisse Pouilly-Fuisse Vielles Vigne 2005.
Almost all of the wines on show need some age to show their best, to allow the new oak to integrate, and the tannins to soften.
Website : http://www.franskaviner.com
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 06:59 0 comments
Wednesday 28 March 2007
TN : Chamine 2005, Cortes de Cima, Vinho Regional Alentejano , Portugal
This is a blend of Aragonez (Tempranillo) 50%, Syrah 41%, Trincadeira 5 %, and Touriga Nacional 4 %. The total acids are 5.0, final pH is 3.82 and the residual sugar is 2.6. It was bottled on the family estate in May 2006. The total production was 641,000 75cl bottles and 49,000 37cl bottles. There was no aging in barrels and the wine was released in July 2006.
In the Alentejo, rainfall since October 2004 was the lowest for more than a century, recorded at 219 mm, down from our annual average of 600 mm. The winter was not only dry but cold, with morning frost and temperatures as low as -5 °. Not surprisingly, bud break was delayed by a fortnight and the growing season was shorter than usual. The ‘ideal’ September harvest weather, brought along cooler nights and warm, sunny, breezy weather during the days, just was what was needed for the phenolic ripening of the grapes, to preserve some good fruit acid and flavor.
The fruit from local Portuguese varieties was handpicked at optimum maturity. It was fermented without stems at controlled temperature with frequent delestage (rack-and-return). This wine was lightly filtered and bottled early to maintain clean, youthful, ripe fruit flavours.
It received 87 points from Wine Spectator and 84 points from Robert Parker.
The grapegrower and head winemaker at Cortes de Cima is Hans Kristian Jorgensen who is Danish-born.
Colour : Plum red
Taste : Savoury red berries, slightly tannic, dry finish
Alcohol : 14%
Mark : C+
Website : http://www.cortesdecima.pt
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:28 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Riesling Trocken, Haardter Buergergarten Kabinett, 2005, Weingut Mueller-Catoir, Pfalz, Germany
The oldest record of winegrowing on the property dates back to 1744. The winery estate is in the village of Haardt, a part of Neustadt situated a little above the main town and lying at the foot of the Haardt hills, with an extensive view across the Rhine plain. The present owner is Jakob Heinrich Catoir. Junior: Philipp David Catoir. The estate has been owned by the same family since 1744, now in the 9th generation. For almost 100 years, the winery was run by women (great-grandmother, grandmother and mother of the present owner), whose influence has lent the property the distinctive note it has today. Martin Franzen, a viticultural engineer, comes from the Moselle region of Germany and learned wine-making under more difficult conditions. He made his name as the head of operations at Schlossgut Diel on the Nahe river and Gut Nägelsförst in Baden. As the rising star in the international wine world, he has now taken on the legendary position of estate manager with Müller-Catoir.
Colour : Pale yellow / lemon
Aroma : Grapey, lemony
Taste : Minerally, fruity, lemony, spitzy clean long finish
Alcohol : 13%
Mark : B
Website : http://www.mueller-catoir.de
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:16 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday 27 March 2007
Wines from Austria Tasting, March 26th 2007
I went to the Wines from Austria Trade tasting yesterday at Operakällaren in Stockholm. There were over 60 wineries participating. I didn't take much in way of tasting notes but recollect a few items of interest.
The Freie Weingärtner cooperative, based in Wachau, had some interesting wines to taste. I gave them all a B except for the 1981 Riesling Domaine Wachau which as not to my taste. I like more residual sugar in my aged Rieslings. However, it was showing classic petrol notes and mature characters. It was also bottled in a Burgundy-shaped bottle as the classic Germanic flute bottle was not yet used.
Weingut Nastl was present seeking an importer for Sweden. However, there are not a new winery and have been in business for over 300 years. Highlights for me were the Gruner Veltliner Kittmannsberg, B+, and the Eiswein which had an extraordinary long finish and I gave it an A.
Weingut Sepp Moser had a nice showing of wines. I gave them all a B though I didn't taste the "stickies".
The wines from Josef Umathum were very good. All had classic Pinot Noir characters, stewed fruit aromas, even though only one of the wines was actually Pinot Noir; the others were varieties such as Blaufrankisch or St Laurent. The Umathum range need a good 10 years of aging, lots of well-integrated tannins, to be at their best. I was told that in Austria these wines would typically be drunk much earlier though.
Website : http://www.winesfromaustria.com/eindex.php
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:15 0 comments
Monday 26 March 2007
TN Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Concha y Toro, Chile
"More than 100 years ago Don Melchor de Concha y Toro reserved for himself an exclusive batch of the best wines he produced. And, to keep strangers away from his private reserve, he spread the rumour that the devil lived in that place. Hence the name : Casillero del Diablo or Cellar of the Devil."
Aroma : Blackcurrants, Green vegetables boiling
Taste : Blackcurrant, black coffee
Colour : Dark blackcurrant / Cherry
Alcohol : 13.5%
Mark : C
Website : http://www.casillerodeldiablo.com/
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 08:42 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Friday 23 March 2007
Vinunic
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:47 0 comments
TN : 2005 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin, Lodi, California
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:34 1 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Thursday 22 March 2007
Bordeaux Trip 2006, Vinorama
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 07:17 0 comments
Wednesday 21 March 2007
Wine Australia Tasting February 5th 2007
I attended the 2007 Wine Australia tasting in February this year. I didn't take any tasting notes as such. The highlights for me were Glaetzer Godolphin 2004 and the Amon-Ra 2004 which I both scored as A. The Katnook Odessey Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 Coonawarra I found disappointing and scored as a C+. The Dalwhinnie Pinot Noir 2003 scored a B. The Peter Lemann 2000 Menor Barossa Valley scored a B- as I thought it was a bit hot as a result of its' high alcohol.
Website : http://www.wineaustralia.com/europe/
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 10:00 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
Tuesday 20 March 2007
TN : Tsantali Assyrtiko Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Tsantalis, Halikidi, Greece
This is a blend of 50% Assyrtiko and 50% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes came from the Agios Pavlos vineyard. The wine was vinified in Stainless Steel tanks
Taste : Classic Sauvignon Blanc flavours with Almond and Creamy Apricot
Alcohol : 12.5%
Mark : B
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 13:20 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Antu Ninquen Syrah 2004, Vina Mont Gras, Colchagua; Chile
Initiated in 1997, MontGras’ Ninquén Project was born of an appreciation for the unique properties of the specific terroir on Ninquén Mountain in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, and an ambition to forge a name for MontGras in the elite ultra-premium category. 222 acres atop Ninquén were dedicated to the venture and planted with a range of red grape varieties. With this move, MontGras became Chile’s first winery to plant atop the plateau of a mountain (Ninquén means “plateau on a mountain” in ancient local dialect).
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 13:01 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note
TN : Cabernet Mitos Trocken 2004, Anselmann, Pfalz, Germany
Posted by ANDY CHEESE at 08:02 0 comments
Labels: Tasting Note