Red #Wallonie #wine from Belgium: 2008 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Le Boisé. Producer: Baele & Fils, Domaine du Ry D'Argent, Rue de la distillerie, 51, B-5081 Bovesse. Vintage: 2008. Purchased from vineyard. Appearance very deep red with very thick sediment on the cork (and my shirt) with deep black cherries aromatics. The attack is quite dry and minerally. Evolution: Like Rondo wine with a finish which is grenadine in nose, rondo on swallow. Sweetness: 0. Acidity: 3. Tannin: 0.5 with a texture which is very rough soft water! and the length is very good. As for balance, it's a little metallic for my taste. The wine has a cork closure and is 12% abv. Overall, this wine is: Quite nice, definitely a “food” wine, went well with vegetarian lasagne. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.

Red #California #wine from USA: 2005 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Zinfandel. Producer: Walker's Pass. Vintage: 2005. Purchased from thresher's. Appearance deep purple, very thick & viscous on the glass with oodles of sweet blackberries aromatics. The attack is oodles of sweet blackberries. Evolution: Oodles of sweet blackberries. And some black cherries – like the little bits you used to get in yoghurts in the 80s with a finish which is sweet blackberries on the swallow and in the nose. Sweetness: 2.5. Acidity: 2.5. Tannin: 2 with a texture which is syrupy and the length is a little patchy. As for balance, it's a bit sweet, but very juicy and quite pleasant. The wine has a synthetic closure and is 14.5% abv. Overall, this wine is: A little one-dimensional but very chewy. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.