January 2008 Wine
Tasting Notes
Mondavi, 2005 Cabernet
Sauvignon, Napa Valley $20
Probably the best Napa Cab made by the Mondavi firm in at
least 5 years. The price is a special deal currently available, but
it is doubtful if it will hold long. The wine is a terrific Cab
value with rich fruit flavors and well-balanced, best after about
one year more of bottle-aging.
Westbend Vineyards, 1995
Cabernet Sauvignon, Yadkin Valley
When this wine was made there were only 8
wineries in all of NC and today there are 72 with 23 in the Yadkin
Valley appellation. The grape vines at Westbend were planted in the
70s and 80s so the fruit came from well-aged vines and the wine was
made by NC's premiere winemaker Steve Shepard. It needed about 30
minutes of breathing in my large glasses to open up and it showed
very good fruit after 12 years of aging. The wine was purchased at
the winery in February, 2003 then stored in my cellar.
Yellow Tail, 2005 Shiraz
Reserve, Australia $11
The term reserve has no definition in America or Australia.
This reserve wine represents 50,000 cases out of a total of 8.1
million cases imported to this country. Is this what we consider a
true reserve? Well, the Wine Spectator must consider it a
great wine since it named it the 72nd best wine of 2007
and rated it 90 points. When I tasted it I found little to no fruit,
little taste on the palate and no finish. The body was lacking and
it had little or no balance. Who do you trust for wine
evaluations?
Tablas Creek Vineyards, 2003
Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, Paso Robles
A blend of 68% Roussanne, 27% Grenache Blanc and
5% Viognier this Paso Robles wine has truly outstanding flavors and
richness. At four years old this is just reaching its maturity. See
October, 2007 for notes on the Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge.
Prager, 2005 Grüner Veltliner,
Hunter de Berg, Austria
Tasted at the Bleu Restaurant, Prager is considered one of
the finest producers in the Wachau Valley and this is an outstanding
wine, even though it doesn't fit the profile of a Grüner. This is a
clean, rich and full-flavored wine, but without the usual spices you
might expect. If I had been blind tasting I would have guessed it
was a superior Chenin Blanc.
Van Ruiten Vineyards, 2002 Old
Vine Zinfandel, Lodi $16
While "old vine" is not a defined term in America I have been
to the Van Ruiten Vineyards and saw the 7-inch thick vines. These
vines stand upright without trellis support due to the age of these
vines. This is a great Zin for the price and it has the structure of
higher priced wines, but does not have the over the top alcohol and
tannins which means it is very drinkable at 5 years.
Windmill, 2005 Cabernet
Sauvignon, Lodi $14
This is another Michael-David wine and it has their quality
combined with a modest price. Winston-Salem and the Wine Merchant
Gourmet wine shop are the second best market for these wines outside
of California. The Cab is a winner with softer tannins which makes
it approachable at this young age.
McDowell, 2006 Viognier,
Mendocino $19
I haven't
seen any McDowell wines in our area in many years, so I was anxious
to try this one. As in the past they deliver good quality wines. The
Viognier is a full-flavored, rich wine that would be great with a
wide variety of foods, but I had it as a wine at a New Year's party
and it was a treat without a meal.
Las Rocas, 2005 Garnacha Vinas
Viejas, Calatyud $20
In
the past several vintages Las Rocas has been making superior wines
for the price. This old vine Garnacha has rich flavors with subtle
spice. They make a version for about half the price which is also a
good value.
Rosenblum Cellars, 2005
Zinfandel, Paso Robles $18
You will find frequent notes on the wines from Rosenblum
because they are always outstanding at their price point. The Paso
Robles Zin is no exception. Full Zin flavors bring great pleasure in
the glass. I had this with my home-made spaghetti sauce and it made
a perfect match because of the subtle acidity in the wine.
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