Yesterday evening, a special tasting of Beaucastel wines , conducted by Pierre Perrin, the current winemaker was held. Here some of my impressions from the evening :
1. It was the first time I tasted the famous whites of Beaucastel. While very nice (The regular white CdP with mostly citrusy flavours and fresh acidity in the mouth. the Rossanne VV much more complicated, with less fruit and more butter and minerality both in nose and the mouth), I didn't fell in love with it, and still prefers the whites of Alsace and germany.
2. The 2001 and 1998 vintages of Beaucastel regular red CdP, always among my favourite wines , underperformed this evening. The 2001 was too ripe and porty and lacked the freshness I got from former bottles. The 1998 had too much brett in it, in my opinion.
3. Before this evening, I couldn't understand why they put the 1994 vintage in this tasting, but this wine was the big surprise of the evening, a lovely wine, great for drinking now, with great balance, and good food matching.
4. The Beaucastel regular CdP from 1989 vintage was the wine of the night (WOTN in hebrew). without any serious competition. Simply gorgeous. Complicated nose of red fruits (mostly Cherries , with some meat and spices in the background, medium, to full bodied, balanced, very rich with long long finish. Superb.
5. The Hommage 2005 tasted like ...Shiraz. Dark coloured, strong nose of raspberries without much subtlety , superconcentrated and a bit sweet. Even though I like some Australians, this one was too much for me, and didn't integrate well with the other wines. I liked the regular Cdp from the same vintage much more.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Some latest TN - Friday group
Last month I drank some really nice bottles at Wine Route , that also represents good values :
Antinori - Guado al Taso , 2001 - Very dark ruby, nose quite closed with black fruits, tobacco and licorice. In the mouth , full bodied, rich, quite tannic feel , with good persistency and aftertaste. not ready now, but will be very good in 2-3 years. Score - 95
Clos Mogador, 2004 - My second time with this wine , and my impression didnt change. Nose still closed with hints of black and dark red , spices and licorice, full bodied. very rich , chewy , great midpalate feel with long aftertaste. Superb value at 339 NIS before discounts. Score - 95-96
Artadi - vinas de gain, 2005 - One of the last bottles remained. Jay Miller (from the Wine advocate) gave it a score of 94 and drinking ability till 2030, not sure about both. Dark coloured, Medium to full bodied, still a bit tannic but quite fruity, decent mid - palate feel but not quite like the Clos mogador 2004, tasted afterwards, and nice finish. Overall, a very nice bottle , can be drank now or better 1-2 years from now. Probably will last 10-12 years from now , but why should we wait. Score- 92 . At 139NIS before discounts , a great value .
Clos Du Caillou - CdP Quartz , 2000 - Ruby coloured , wild nose of meat, leather , provencal spices and some dark red fruits in the background , the wine is quite full bodied, rich, spicy, chewable , with classic Chateauneuf feel in the palate, and nice aftertaste. I drank it with friends , some of the not realy Chateauneuf fans, and still all of the liked it a lot. Score - 94 . Again realy nice value for 349NIS before discounts.
All those wines makes me hold my opinion that today, with the rising prices of the Bordeaux & Burgundy wines , wine lover should pay attention to wines from the Rhone valley , Spain and Italy (Superb Barolos from good vintages such as the wines of Clerico and Scavino are being sold in Italy and hopefully in Israel for about 50-60 Euros), not to mention Australian wines which have a different style , but if you like it , you can find superb wines at a relatively good prices.
Antinori - Guado al Taso , 2001 - Very dark ruby, nose quite closed with black fruits, tobacco and licorice. In the mouth , full bodied, rich, quite tannic feel , with good persistency and aftertaste. not ready now, but will be very good in 2-3 years. Score - 95
Clos Mogador, 2004 - My second time with this wine , and my impression didnt change. Nose still closed with hints of black and dark red , spices and licorice, full bodied. very rich , chewy , great midpalate feel with long aftertaste. Superb value at 339 NIS before discounts. Score - 95-96
Artadi - vinas de gain, 2005 - One of the last bottles remained. Jay Miller (from the Wine advocate) gave it a score of 94 and drinking ability till 2030, not sure about both. Dark coloured, Medium to full bodied, still a bit tannic but quite fruity, decent mid - palate feel but not quite like the Clos mogador 2004, tasted afterwards, and nice finish. Overall, a very nice bottle , can be drank now or better 1-2 years from now. Probably will last 10-12 years from now , but why should we wait. Score- 92 . At 139NIS before discounts , a great value .
Clos Du Caillou - CdP Quartz , 2000 - Ruby coloured , wild nose of meat, leather , provencal spices and some dark red fruits in the background , the wine is quite full bodied, rich, spicy, chewable , with classic Chateauneuf feel in the palate, and nice aftertaste. I drank it with friends , some of the not realy Chateauneuf fans, and still all of the liked it a lot. Score - 94 . Again realy nice value for 349NIS before discounts.
All those wines makes me hold my opinion that today, with the rising prices of the Bordeaux & Burgundy wines , wine lover should pay attention to wines from the Rhone valley , Spain and Italy (Superb Barolos from good vintages such as the wines of Clerico and Scavino are being sold in Italy and hopefully in Israel for about 50-60 Euros), not to mention Australian wines which have a different style , but if you like it , you can find superb wines at a relatively good prices.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Roger Sabon / Emrich Shonleber
about a month ago my old PC passed away at the age of 7 . It took me some time to arrenge a new one , so I'm back. During that time I haven't had the chance to drink many wines but 2 bottles stood out.
The Roger Sabon - Cdp Cuvve Reserve 2004, was one of the nicest surprises I've had for a long time. A nose of red and black fruits intermixed with provencal herbs and a bit of bret , In the mouth it was full bodied, rich with chewy tannins, some spicyness and a very nice finish. I gave Kobi Shaked (The importer) a sip , blind, and he was very impressed, he almost couldn't believe that this was the Cuvee reserve , a wine that was sold for about 160NIS . If I could find more I would buy at least 5-6 more bottles. Score - 93-94
About 2 weeks ago I've had a bottle of Emrich Shonleber , Monzinger Halenberg , Riesling Spatlese 2004 at Zepra. By the time I arrived to the restaurant the bottle was a bit hot , and even though we got a Champagniere , it took more than 30 minutes till the wine reached the correct temperature , but when it reaches it, it was great. sweet nose of minerals, some lime , apples and flowers , in the mouth it had a great balance between sweetness and refreshing acidity, great fruitiness and long finish. Superb. maybe even better than the Donhoff that I've had a month before. Score - 95 . If you can still find one, grab it immediately.
BTW
It was my first time at Zepra. The service (including the wine service) was very good, and the food mostly very good. It is a restaurant that meant mostly to have fun with its small palates . Not a cheap one , but the whole experience worth the money in my opinion.
The Roger Sabon - Cdp Cuvve Reserve 2004, was one of the nicest surprises I've had for a long time. A nose of red and black fruits intermixed with provencal herbs and a bit of bret , In the mouth it was full bodied, rich with chewy tannins, some spicyness and a very nice finish. I gave Kobi Shaked (The importer) a sip , blind, and he was very impressed, he almost couldn't believe that this was the Cuvee reserve , a wine that was sold for about 160NIS . If I could find more I would buy at least 5-6 more bottles. Score - 93-94
About 2 weeks ago I've had a bottle of Emrich Shonleber , Monzinger Halenberg , Riesling Spatlese 2004 at Zepra. By the time I arrived to the restaurant the bottle was a bit hot , and even though we got a Champagniere , it took more than 30 minutes till the wine reached the correct temperature , but when it reaches it, it was great. sweet nose of minerals, some lime , apples and flowers , in the mouth it had a great balance between sweetness and refreshing acidity, great fruitiness and long finish. Superb. maybe even better than the Donhoff that I've had a month before. Score - 95 . If you can still find one, grab it immediately.
BTW
It was my first time at Zepra. The service (including the wine service) was very good, and the food mostly very good. It is a restaurant that meant mostly to have fun with its small palates . Not a cheap one , but the whole experience worth the money in my opinion.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Lamaione 1997
When I started my obsession with wine , at the beginning of the millenium, Super-Tuscans were very popular, the 1997 vintage was just released , and recieived praises all around. Many wines were , relatively affordable. and approachable. Among the wines that were available in Israel were the top wines of Antinori (of which , the Guado al Taso was my favourite), many wines from Banfi (The Sirrah and Cabarnet was sold at around 100NIS and were very nice) , Cassalferro from Ricasoli, and more but one of the greatest wines was the Lamaione from Frescobaldi, a 100% Merlot wine from Castelgiocondo in Montalcino.
Since then Super Tuscan went out of fashion . One reason was that the success of the 1997 vintage made many raise their prices. Another reason was that these wines were good but not unique like other regions (maybe too internationally styled). Today when Bordeaux prices reached stratosphere , the Super Tuscan are actually bargain. Wines such as Massetto 2004 are sold for about 1000NIS , much cheaper than top Pomerols.
Yesterdai I opened my last bottle of Lamaione 1997, and again it was superb. Dark ruby, Nose of black cherries, plums and a little bit oak. the highlight was in the mouth, medium to full bodied, rich, smooth , fruity, mouth coating, with long and sweet aftertaste. Elegant in the best sense of the word. Score - 95
Since then Super Tuscan went out of fashion . One reason was that the success of the 1997 vintage made many raise their prices. Another reason was that these wines were good but not unique like other regions (maybe too internationally styled). Today when Bordeaux prices reached stratosphere , the Super Tuscan are actually bargain. Wines such as Massetto 2004 are sold for about 1000NIS , much cheaper than top Pomerols.
Yesterdai I opened my last bottle of Lamaione 1997, and again it was superb. Dark ruby, Nose of black cherries, plums and a little bit oak. the highlight was in the mouth, medium to full bodied, rich, smooth , fruity, mouth coating, with long and sweet aftertaste. Elegant in the best sense of the word. Score - 95
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Fonseca - Vintage Port 1985
2 month ago during an evening with some of my friends at home, I opened a bottle of Fonseca, Vintage Port , 1985. We didn't finish the bottle so I corked it again with vaccum , and forgot about it. Yesterday night I had difficulties to fall a sleep so I opened it and drank the remaining - simply wonderful. Nose of Chocolate and cassis , Full bodied , Very rich, live, still a bit tannic with long finish. I think it actually got a little better during last 2 month. Score : 95-96
BTW , I quickly fell a sleep afterwords. Maybe I should start prescribing this for my patients, costs more than Bondormin or Nocturno but tastes much better.
BTW , I quickly fell a sleep afterwords. Maybe I should start prescribing this for my patients, costs more than Bondormin or Nocturno but tastes much better.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Super Tuscans at Barcarola
3 days ago a special super tuscan tasting was held at Barcarola restaurant in Kfar-Sava. The tasting was held with the collaboration of the restaurant and especially with the help of the restaurant's manager (and Sommelier) , Elad Chen.
The restaurant made a special 6 course menu that was very good , especially a rissotto with mushrooms & artichokes , a great green salad with aged Gauda cheese and Revioli with cow tail meat. We all got 2 excellent wine glasses and some of us , asked (and got) third glass in order to allow the wines to breathe. I was quite impressed with the wine selection, prices and the knowledge of the manager/sommelier.
I didn't write formal tasting notes during the evening to the notes here are short and are mostly of general impressions:
1. Argiano - Solengo, 2000 : Seemed a bit corky at the beginning but improved with time. A very ripe almost raisiny nose with black fruits followed by medium body, smooth and quite long. Score : 90-91 , but probably not the best bottle.
2. Lamborghini - Campoleone , 1999 : dark ruby colour, Nose of black and dark red fruits with some spices and flowers , in the mouth medium to full bodied with great balance, good acidity , good hold. Finish was a bit short , but overall a very well made wine (some said too technical, and without clear identity) . Score : 93-94
3-4. Antinori - Guado al Taso 1998+1999 : The 1998 had a nose of ripe black fruits with some toastiness , medium to full bodied, smooth , not very long nice finish . a well made wine but a bit annonymous . Score : 92-93 (Others liked it more) . The 1999 was very closed down, both in the nose and mouth and wasn't rated.
5. Castello dei Rampolla - Vigna d'Alceo, 1999 : Dark coloured. Superb nose of black fruits, spices, licorice and graphite, followed by full body, very smooth, great mid palate presence and long aftertaste. Beautiful wine. Score : 97-98
6. Gaja Ca Marcanda - Camarcanda 2000 - The surprice of the tasting. Lovely nose of ripe cherries and blackberries with candies , medium to full bodied , with good balance and sweet aftertaste. Yummy wine. Score - 94-95
7. Tua Rita - Giusto di Notri , 1999 : Dark coloured and corky . NR
8. Fattoria Petrolo - Galatrona , 1999 - very very dark coloured. Impressive nose of black cherries, chocolate and spices, very full bodied , still quite young and tannic with huge mid palate and medium finish. Great bottle of wine. Score : 96-97 (The medium finish prevented it from scoring few more points , but still if you could find it, buy it)
9. Zind Humbrecht - Clos Windsbuhl, Vendage Tardive 1990 - A bonus wine I brought with me , scored 100 at the WA. Golden yellow , great pure nose of tropical fruits, some apricots and peaches. The nose a bit strange and acidic at the first moments became better after a few moments , with medium body, great fruitiness, very sweet but with enough acidity to balance it, and long aftertaste. A superb desert, sweet, smooth, and elegant without any hard edges found sometimes in desert wines. Score 97-98.
The restaurant made a special 6 course menu that was very good , especially a rissotto with mushrooms & artichokes , a great green salad with aged Gauda cheese and Revioli with cow tail meat. We all got 2 excellent wine glasses and some of us , asked (and got) third glass in order to allow the wines to breathe. I was quite impressed with the wine selection, prices and the knowledge of the manager/sommelier.
I didn't write formal tasting notes during the evening to the notes here are short and are mostly of general impressions:
1. Argiano - Solengo, 2000 : Seemed a bit corky at the beginning but improved with time. A very ripe almost raisiny nose with black fruits followed by medium body, smooth and quite long. Score : 90-91 , but probably not the best bottle.
2. Lamborghini - Campoleone , 1999 : dark ruby colour, Nose of black and dark red fruits with some spices and flowers , in the mouth medium to full bodied with great balance, good acidity , good hold. Finish was a bit short , but overall a very well made wine (some said too technical, and without clear identity) . Score : 93-94
3-4. Antinori - Guado al Taso 1998+1999 : The 1998 had a nose of ripe black fruits with some toastiness , medium to full bodied, smooth , not very long nice finish . a well made wine but a bit annonymous . Score : 92-93 (Others liked it more) . The 1999 was very closed down, both in the nose and mouth and wasn't rated.
5. Castello dei Rampolla - Vigna d'Alceo, 1999 : Dark coloured. Superb nose of black fruits, spices, licorice and graphite, followed by full body, very smooth, great mid palate presence and long aftertaste. Beautiful wine. Score : 97-98
6. Gaja Ca Marcanda - Camarcanda 2000 - The surprice of the tasting. Lovely nose of ripe cherries and blackberries with candies , medium to full bodied , with good balance and sweet aftertaste. Yummy wine. Score - 94-95
7. Tua Rita - Giusto di Notri , 1999 : Dark coloured and corky . NR
8. Fattoria Petrolo - Galatrona , 1999 - very very dark coloured. Impressive nose of black cherries, chocolate and spices, very full bodied , still quite young and tannic with huge mid palate and medium finish. Great bottle of wine. Score : 96-97 (The medium finish prevented it from scoring few more points , but still if you could find it, buy it)
9. Zind Humbrecht - Clos Windsbuhl, Vendage Tardive 1990 - A bonus wine I brought with me , scored 100 at the WA. Golden yellow , great pure nose of tropical fruits, some apricots and peaches. The nose a bit strange and acidic at the first moments became better after a few moments , with medium body, great fruitiness, very sweet but with enough acidity to balance it, and long aftertaste. A superb desert, sweet, smooth, and elegant without any hard edges found sometimes in desert wines. Score 97-98.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Apology & Tasting note
Apology
A few days ago , I wrote in the Fat Guy forum some words against the over hype about wines from Burgundy. I wrote that even though I like the whites, The prices of both red and whites are way exagerated and that the too much writing about them prevents us from enjoying some excellent wines from other regions that are priced more reasonably such as Alsace and Germany. By mistake , I wrote that the main importers of german wines to Israel , Giaconda, doesn't bring the top wines from the producers they import. Another member in the forum, Gilad , and later Anat from Giaconda payed my attention to the fact that in the last catalogue, there are wines from the top sites of Donhoff, and from this year also from J.J.Prum and Egon Muller , 2 wine producers that considered by many (along with Donhoff, Muller Catoir and other) at the very top of the premier league of the german wineries.
I suggest any wine lover who likes german wines (or didn't try them yet) to go and grab them. The very few bottles I had, were enough to make me fell in love with them, and for the first time, even my wife shows some interest.
I think the success of Giaconda , waked up some guys at Shaked who started again importing some wines from Dr.Loosen, another well regarded german producer.
Last week I opened a bottle of Dr.Loosen, Wehlener Sonnenuhr , Riesling Auslese, Gold cap, 2005 . a straw coloured, It had a nice nose of sweet lime, peaches and minerals. In the mouth it was medium sweet with great balance between the sweetness and Acidity (one of the hellmarks of good german Riesling) , very fruity with long aftertaste. Score - 93-94 . Only a bit lack of complexity prevented it from acheiving higher score , but it worth the wait.
A few days ago , I wrote in the Fat Guy forum some words against the over hype about wines from Burgundy. I wrote that even though I like the whites, The prices of both red and whites are way exagerated and that the too much writing about them prevents us from enjoying some excellent wines from other regions that are priced more reasonably such as Alsace and Germany. By mistake , I wrote that the main importers of german wines to Israel , Giaconda, doesn't bring the top wines from the producers they import. Another member in the forum, Gilad , and later Anat from Giaconda payed my attention to the fact that in the last catalogue, there are wines from the top sites of Donhoff, and from this year also from J.J.Prum and Egon Muller , 2 wine producers that considered by many (along with Donhoff, Muller Catoir and other) at the very top of the premier league of the german wineries.
I suggest any wine lover who likes german wines (or didn't try them yet) to go and grab them. The very few bottles I had, were enough to make me fell in love with them, and for the first time, even my wife shows some interest.
I think the success of Giaconda , waked up some guys at Shaked who started again importing some wines from Dr.Loosen, another well regarded german producer.
Last week I opened a bottle of Dr.Loosen, Wehlener Sonnenuhr , Riesling Auslese, Gold cap, 2005 . a straw coloured, It had a nice nose of sweet lime, peaches and minerals. In the mouth it was medium sweet with great balance between the sweetness and Acidity (one of the hellmarks of good german Riesling) , very fruity with long aftertaste. Score - 93-94 . Only a bit lack of complexity prevented it from acheiving higher score , but it worth the wait.
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