Wine name: Canon Fronsac. Producer: J. Bussier, 33126 St-Michel-De-Fronsac, Gironde. Vintage: 2001. Appearance surprisingly red and only looking a little aged with rich and firm blackcurrant scent with a touch of wood and forest floor aromatics. The attack is a touch of watery juice and quite low-acid. Evolution: Blackcurrants and red blackberries, crisp acidity and no sign of age with a finish which is watery blackberry juice on the swallow, red fruits in the nose. Sweetness: 0. Acidity: 2.5. Tannin: 1 with a texture which is sandpaper and the length is very varied over the tongue and nice lingering redcurrant and blackcurrant flavours. As for balance, it's a little watery and lacking in body. The wine has a cork closure and is 12.5% abv. Overall, this wine is: This is nice but was overpowered by my corned beef hash. It's very light for a Bordeaux and has that slight watery quality, but this doesn't detract from it: it gives it a certain elegance. I am particularly struck by its youthfulness. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 83 points.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Monday, 24 October 2011
White #Alsace #wine from France: 2004 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
Wine name: Trimbach Riesling
Producer: F.E. Trimbach, Ribeauville, Alsace
Vintage: 2004
Purchased from local wine merchant
Appearance is slightly greenish yellow, receding yet medium and quite syrupy-looking on the glass, like glycerine with candy cigarettes and that sort of intense tropical fruitiness you get on an older Riesling in the nose. The attack is very fruity, a little off-dry and a depth of juiciness.
Evolution: Deep spicy white grapes and really chubby body, this is very unlike a lot of Rieslings in that it's god very fat body with a finish which is spice in the nose, concentrated bramleys on the swallow.
Sweetness: 1. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is slightly oily water and the length is excellent and lingering.
As for balance, it's very new world in its style, but the slight over-extraction is balanced by good acidity. The wine has a cork closure and is 12.5% abv. Overall, this wine is nice and interesting, although not immediately drinkable due to its intensity. It's not the style you usually find for an Alsace Riesling but this is nice and interesting and stood up well to Duchy Originals organic paté. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.
Producer: F.E. Trimbach, Ribeauville, Alsace
Vintage: 2004
Purchased from local wine merchant
Appearance is slightly greenish yellow, receding yet medium and quite syrupy-looking on the glass, like glycerine with candy cigarettes and that sort of intense tropical fruitiness you get on an older Riesling in the nose. The attack is very fruity, a little off-dry and a depth of juiciness.
Evolution: Deep spicy white grapes and really chubby body, this is very unlike a lot of Rieslings in that it's god very fat body with a finish which is spice in the nose, concentrated bramleys on the swallow.
Sweetness: 1. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is slightly oily water and the length is excellent and lingering.
As for balance, it's very new world in its style, but the slight over-extraction is balanced by good acidity. The wine has a cork closure and is 12.5% abv. Overall, this wine is nice and interesting, although not immediately drinkable due to its intensity. It's not the style you usually find for an Alsace Riesling but this is nice and interesting and stood up well to Duchy Originals organic paté. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.
Friday, 21 October 2011
White #Venezia #wine from Italy: 2009 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
Wine name: Santa Lucia
Producer: not stated on bottle!
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: crystal clear Chardonnay yellow with delicately-scented with summer flowers. The attack is light-ish but with plenty of Pinot richness.
Evolution: Flowers, a touch of honey, dry mud and clay, bitter melon with a finish which is apples on swallow, flowers and honey in nose.
Sweetness: 0.5. Acidity: 2. Tannin: 0.5 with a texture which is very rich and syrupy and the length is a little patchy.
As for balance, it's nicely balanced between body and acidity. The wine has a screwcap closure and is 12% abv. Overall, this wine went very nicely with dinner, and was a nice wine. Quite juicy and mouth-watering, with good body and nice, interesting flavours. Very nice for a Pinot Griggio!. My score is 84 points.
Producer: not stated on bottle!
Vintage: 2009
Appearance: crystal clear Chardonnay yellow with delicately-scented with summer flowers. The attack is light-ish but with plenty of Pinot richness.
Evolution: Flowers, a touch of honey, dry mud and clay, bitter melon with a finish which is apples on swallow, flowers and honey in nose.
Sweetness: 0.5. Acidity: 2. Tannin: 0.5 with a texture which is very rich and syrupy and the length is a little patchy.
As for balance, it's nicely balanced between body and acidity. The wine has a screwcap closure and is 12% abv. Overall, this wine went very nicely with dinner, and was a nice wine. Quite juicy and mouth-watering, with good body and nice, interesting flavours. Very nice for a Pinot Griggio!. My score is 84 points.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
White #Trimbach #Gewurztraminer from France: 2009 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
Wine name: Trimbach Gewurztraminer.
Producer: F.E. Trimbach, Ribeauville, Alsace.
Vintage: 2009.
Appearance: Acacia honey yellow, crystal clear, medium and receding on the glass and actually, it smells like an Austrian Gewurztraminer I once had. It has slightly aged spice and none of the “artificial candy” smell I normally associate with this type of wine. The attack is very smooth and creamy with some good acidity coming through.
Evolution: It's here that the Gewurztraminer flavours begin to come through, although it's still a little understated. There are pear drops, dry spices reminiscent of a tagine, and a touch of water. This wine is drier than I expected with a finish which is pepper and a touch of tropical fruit in the nose, and a dry oloroso sherry on the swallow with a late hint of black pepper.
Sweetness: 1. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is smooth like honey and very varied flavours along the length of the tongue. As for balance, I'm not one for over-extraction on wines, but i can't help feeling this could have a little more body. It's just a little light for what I was expecting. Having said that, it's got great finesse and is very refined and smooth. Is it worth the £15-a-bottle price? probably not. The wine has a cork closure and is 14% abv.
I love Alsace wines and was expecting something a little more full-bodied and crisp for that sort of money. The smoothness is beautiful, but it's just lacking somewhere. It's definitely a nice wine, but a touch over-priced when compared with some other Alsace wines which are cheaper and organically grown, which I'm a great believer in. My score is 84 points.
Producer: F.E. Trimbach, Ribeauville, Alsace.
Vintage: 2009.
Appearance: Acacia honey yellow, crystal clear, medium and receding on the glass and actually, it smells like an Austrian Gewurztraminer I once had. It has slightly aged spice and none of the “artificial candy” smell I normally associate with this type of wine. The attack is very smooth and creamy with some good acidity coming through.
Evolution: It's here that the Gewurztraminer flavours begin to come through, although it's still a little understated. There are pear drops, dry spices reminiscent of a tagine, and a touch of water. This wine is drier than I expected with a finish which is pepper and a touch of tropical fruit in the nose, and a dry oloroso sherry on the swallow with a late hint of black pepper.
Sweetness: 1. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is smooth like honey and very varied flavours along the length of the tongue. As for balance, I'm not one for over-extraction on wines, but i can't help feeling this could have a little more body. It's just a little light for what I was expecting. Having said that, it's got great finesse and is very refined and smooth. Is it worth the £15-a-bottle price? probably not. The wine has a cork closure and is 14% abv.
I love Alsace wines and was expecting something a little more full-bodied and crisp for that sort of money. The smoothness is beautiful, but it's just lacking somewhere. It's definitely a nice wine, but a touch over-priced when compared with some other Alsace wines which are cheaper and organically grown, which I'm a great believer in. My score is 84 points.
Monday, 10 October 2011
White #Rheingau #wine from Germany: 2005 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
Wine name: Abtei St. Hildegard.
Producer: Abtei St Hildegard.
Vintage: 2005. Purchased from Rüdesheim.
Appearance: pale yellow, smooth and medium on the glass, crystal clear with quite a light Riesling, with a small of fresh green apples aromatics. The attack is crisp yet quite full-on for an old-world white.
Evolution: Nice and dry, filling the mouth with flavours of green apples, green apple peel, a touch of star fruit and a really good structure with a finish which is star fruit in the swallow, slightly spicy in the nose with cracked pepper.
Sweetness: 0.5
Acidity: 3
Tannin: 0
...with a texture which is hard water and the length is excellent and varied across the tongue with a long lingering finish of English autumn harvest. As for balance, it's lovely balance, this wine has a firm crisp backbone which is balanced by a nice helping of fruit, without being over-powering. It has finesse. The wine has a cork closure and is 13% abv. Overall, this wine is very nice. I always like Abtei St Hildegard's wines, and this one is nicely mature at 6 years old. Good structure, nice subtle and less-subtle flavours and a thoroughly nice bunch of people who sell it in their shop in Rüdesheim-am-Rhein. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 91 points.
Producer: Abtei St Hildegard.
Vintage: 2005. Purchased from Rüdesheim.
Appearance: pale yellow, smooth and medium on the glass, crystal clear with quite a light Riesling, with a small of fresh green apples aromatics. The attack is crisp yet quite full-on for an old-world white.
Evolution: Nice and dry, filling the mouth with flavours of green apples, green apple peel, a touch of star fruit and a really good structure with a finish which is star fruit in the swallow, slightly spicy in the nose with cracked pepper.
Sweetness: 0.5
Acidity: 3
Tannin: 0
...with a texture which is hard water and the length is excellent and varied across the tongue with a long lingering finish of English autumn harvest. As for balance, it's lovely balance, this wine has a firm crisp backbone which is balanced by a nice helping of fruit, without being over-powering. It has finesse. The wine has a cork closure and is 13% abv. Overall, this wine is very nice. I always like Abtei St Hildegard's wines, and this one is nicely mature at 6 years old. Good structure, nice subtle and less-subtle flavours and a thoroughly nice bunch of people who sell it in their shop in Rüdesheim-am-Rhein. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 91 points.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
A little piece about #organic #french #wine http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
I love France and I love French wine. My wife and I have spent a lot of holidays and weekends away driving through the French countryside and visiting vineyards. France is also great for organic wine - they produce a lot of it, and much of this wine is very good, if not excellent. The thing that lets France down, though, is the 3 most famous regions: Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy. In practically all the other wine regions of France, the very best winemakers and vineyards operate organically or biodynamically. Some of the biggest names in provincial France fly the flag for organic agriculture. Vineyards like Huet and Papin-Chevalier in the Loire, Cazes Freres in Languedoc, Zind-Humbrecht or Domaine Gresser in Alsace - these are the best winemakers of their regions, and they manage to make first class wines completely organically and, with the possible exception of Zind-Humbrecht, at a reasonable price.
Where France lets itself down, is the big regions charging the serious money for their wines. Very few of the first growth Bordeaux make their wine organically, and certainly the big champagne houses don't. For these people it seems to be much more about profit and mass-production rather than care for the environment or pride in their own agriculture.
Next time you're wine shopping, why not search out organic wine and do your bit for the environment, your health, and your taste buds!
Where France lets itself down, is the big regions charging the serious money for their wines. Very few of the first growth Bordeaux make their wine organically, and certainly the big champagne houses don't. For these people it seems to be much more about profit and mass-production rather than care for the environment or pride in their own agriculture.
Next time you're wine shopping, why not search out organic wine and do your bit for the environment, your health, and your taste buds!
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Red #Bordeaux #wine from France: 2009 #organic: http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd
Wine name: Chàteau Moulin de Riba. Producer: J.-J. Garbay, Saint-Germain d'Esteuil (Gironde). Vintage: 2009. Purchased from Carrefour. Appearance dark purpley red, slow and viscous on the glass with earthy Bordeaux, a touch of black cherry, blackcurrant aromatics. The attack is hard and juicy. Evolution: Blackcurrants, forest floor, pretty acidic, cassis with a finish which is sharp on the swallow, blackcurrants in the nose. Sweetness: 0. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 4 with a texture which is sandpaper and the length is excellent, quite long finish. As for balance, it's over-acidic and too young. The wine has a cork closure and is 13.5% abv. Overall, this wine is: Good body but way too much acidity. Perhaps this could have done with another 3-4 years in the bottle. It was quite nice with venison stew, but on its own it's hard to drink. My score is 78 points.
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