2005 Cougar Crest Anniversary Cuvee

Quick write-up on this one...

Nose is unremarkable. I get a bit of sour cherry, but otherwise pretty flat. I remember this being a lot better when I tasted it the first time. I'll update if there is a difference in bottle two.

On the palate, there is good acidity, and a sour cherry/cranberry mid palate. There isn't a heavy tannin taste, but the wine dries on the tongue as if there is. Finish stays fruit forward and has a lingering cherry note.

A good drinking wine. I have to look at what I paid, but I would hope well under $20. if so, good table wine. If not...

2006 Amavi Cellars Walla Walla Valley Caberbet Sauvignon

Amavi was a fun Walla Walla find. End of the day on Saturday, we were winding down and saw a sign for Amavi. As many of you might know, visiting a winery after a day fo drinking is dangerous; every wine becomes fabulous and you seem to need a case of it. But by the time we got to Amavi, we were winding down and honestly not really wanting much more.

The people at Amavi were wonderful and accommodated us, even though we arrived right as they were about to close. I welcomed the chance to give our purchases a taste in the light of... complete soberness.

One the nose, this Cabernet Sauvignon has oak notes combined with a fruit sweetness that is hard to pinpoint on the nose. Definitely jammy, and possible blackberry or currents. One the palate, the tannins are strong with a cedar/oak component. The fruit is towards the end and is pronounced berries, fading into a bittersweet chocolate. Even later is a nice raspberry and strawberry. It seems to get sweeter and jammier as it fades.

A nice wine. I think it could use some more time (open 3 hours as of tasting, maybe a decanting would be good).

As good as I remember it, but a bit more oaky in the nose. Overall not an "end of day don't know what I'm doing" wine. I have a second bottle I'll put aside for a few years.

OMG, do you like everything?

OK, a bit of a secret. So far, the wines I've written about are pre-screened. What that means is that I either bought them after a trip to the winery, or had them in a tasting and picked up bottles of what I liked. Soon I hope to get into more blind tastings, where I 'm sampling something I just picjed up blind, or based on someone else's recommendation.

2004 Tyrus Evan Ciel Du Cheval Claret

Tyrus Evan is Ken Wright's small boutique winery. It produces Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah and Claret, all in small quantities. We came across it the first time quite by accident. Their tasting room is in the old railway station in Carlton. We tasted through a flight and fell in love with the Clarets.

The nose of the 2004 Ciel Du Cheval is peppery, with red fruit and a touch of (as Gary V. would call it) poop. On the palate I get ripe raspberry and blackberry, ripe plumbs, solid tannins, and a peppery, cherry finish that lingers nicely. I find it to be surprisingly fruit-forward. The nose would lead you to believe it will be much heavier in tannins and pepper, but it it balanced nicely.

As I drink this, my wife and I both agree another trip to Willamette is necessary. This was our last bottle of the Tyrus Evan and we need to stock up.

2006 Kennedy Shaw Tempranillo

The giant killer...

I'm almost embarrassed to say that this was originally an impulse buy at Costco, purchased more for its price-point than anything else. Boy was I ever surprised...

The nose is a nice blend of oak and dark fruit. Perhaps even a bit of cedar. On the palate, there is a nice full cherry, some pepper, a hint of dark chocolate, and a slight hint of raspberry. The finish is long with hints of bittersweet chocolate and dark cherries. It smells good and tastes good. Quite amazing for a $15 Costco bottle ($30 elsewhere).

We hosted a blind wine tasting of "bold reds". In the mix were 7 wines, all tasted blind. The prices ranged from $15 to close to $90. This wine came in second overall, and was clearly the value wine of the night.

I'm actually a bit afraid to tell the public how good this really is. Right now it can still be found at Costco, but I worry that as soon as word gets out, it will disappear.

2004 Torii Mor Pinot Noir

Torii Mor has a lovely Japanese-themed tasting room in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I've always found their wines to be hit or miss. On one trip, their whites will be great, and on another their reds. Digging through the wine cellar, I found a bottle of their 2004 Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir stashed in a corner and decided to open it.

The first shock was the color. It was light, but had a brown-ruby color. I was surprised by the color. It waasn't offputting, but definitely had a strange color.

I found the nose to be a bit tight an hour after opening it. It had a hint of carmel and red fruit. On the palate, it seemed pretty well balanced. The acids and tannins were nicely balanced. The oak comes though as carmel and lingers in the finish. The fruit is a blend of strawberry and raspberry. Overall it is light on the palate and has a nice finish.

This is not my personal favorite style of Pinot Noir, but it is a nice Pinot for sipping.

2007 Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a continuation of the Purple experience from Monday night. We had tasted the Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon and really liked it. We were lucky to grab a bottle at Esquin for $10.99. I've had it open for about 30 minutes, so it has breathed a bit, but I suspect it will get a bit better over the next hour or so.

The nose is different than I remember it. Perhaps because it needs to breathe more, but I get nice black fruit and marinated meat. The marinated meat had me smelling it over and over trying to identify the aroma. But I fine it to be reminiscent of Korean kalbi. I also get alcohol in the nose, perhaps again because it needs to breathe.

On the palate I get fruit and tanins. I'm thinking sweet fruit. Like current jam, with a nice finish into a sweet mocha. There is a small amount of acid that seems well balanced. As much as I think it needs to breathe to open up the nose, it is really nice on the palate for a $10 wine. I can't imagine saving it. It seems ready to drink now. Overall, quite a find for $10. I'll try and give it an hour and update. Really, I mean try. Honestly I don't know if it will make it that long without being finished off...

~~
OK, revisit. The nose has opened up slightly and is more fruity. I get more blackberry aroma, but the marinated meat is still there. The palate has become a bit more fruity as the tannins dye out a bit. Still a drink now wine. Still quite a value at $10 a bottle.

2007 Vina Chocalan Carmenere

Tonight the wife and I went to Purple Wine Bar in Seattle and drank our way through two flights. There were several stand out wines, and that prompted a trip to Esquin on the way home. We arrived right after they closed, but Esquin being the great company they are let us in for a quick buy. The were sold out of the Carmenere we went in for, but they recommended the Vina Chocalan. At $10.99 a bottle, it was hard to say no.

Carmenere is a very interesting grape. It always seems to really reflect the terroir, with bold and interesting aromas and flavors. This one didn't fail to impress.

The nose is green. Grassy, and herby (basil, oregano), with a slight gasoline aroma. A second sniff gives me a bit of clothes dye and manure. None of this is bad, despite what you might think!

The wine has a surprisingly fruity mid-palate. It has a nice note of red fruits. I think of ripe raspberries. It has nice tannins and a definite, pronounced bitterness. A second taste keeps the fruit, but has a definite pepper and herb component.

This reminds me that I don't drink enough Carmenere. it is a lovely grape and seems to run such a wide gamut of flavors and aromas. I can't praise the Vina Chocalan enough. At its price point, it is a fantastic buy for a very fun wine.

2006 Hudson-Shaw Riesling

I came across Woodhouse Family Cellars quite by accident. Costco (who doesn't love Costco for whine) had a lovely Kennedy Shaw Tempranillo what had me completely fascinated. When I learned that they were in Woodinville, a trip was in order.

Unfortunately, they were not tasting the Tempranillo or the Petit Verdot, which I was dying to try. Instead they had a focus on their whites. After the round of tasting, the 2006 Hudson-Shaw Riesling stood out as a real winner.

It is always good when a bottle of wine lives up to your memories of the tasting. As I'm sure many can relate, sometimes you get "tasting fever" (e.g. drunk) and lose your ability to discrimitate. A simple sniff of the wine told me this wasn't an unjustified purchase. The nose has a lovely melon-apple smell with overtones of honey. It is fairly low alchohol at 12.4% so I don't get it in the nose. On the palate, it is slightly sweet with honey and apple flavors, finishing to a nice ripe melon. I think honeydew melon. The acid is complimentary, although a bit in the background. The finish is long with a nice sweetness, although this definitely isn't a dessert wine.

If you like your rieslings sweet, but not raisin-y, you should give it a try. Overall a nice wine. We paired it with a vegetarian casserole with kidney beans, tomatoes, zuchini and a corn bread crust.

Lovely.

2005 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Noir

I first went to WillaKenzie about 7 years ago. As I mentioned in a previous post, I usually ask the tasting room people what they like to drink and at the time people were raving about the WillaKenzie whites. They were, in fact, quite good. They overshadowed the reds.

Years later, I've had a hard time laying my hands on the whites, but that's OK, the reds are quite good. The nose has a nice plum and cherry aroma. The oak is light, lending a slight vanilla scent.

On the palate, the wine is light with plum and cherry flavors as revealed in the nose. It has a slight spiciness. I get a creamy flavor in the mid palate that is really good. It finishes to a slight bitterness.

I like this wine. I had it with a ribeye steak covered in a red wine and mushroom reduction and roasted root vegetables. It paired well, with enough left in the bottle to enjoy as a sipping wine.

2003 Kiona Cabernet/Merlot Blend

Kiona will always hold a special place in my heart. I went on a wine tasting tour with a bus-load of friends and Kiona was one of our stops. What I found was proof that an $8 bottle of table wine doesn't have to taste like an $8 bottle of table wine.

Kiona is by no means perfect, but for the price, it is a lovely drinking wine that has more character than other alternatives. The nose is super oaky. I'm reminded of Gary Vaynerchuk's "Oak Monster" comment. Its forgivable because it is interesting. This is not your mama's box wine.

On the palate, the wine is definitly oaky, but also exibits a fruity flavor. I think of sour cherries, finishing towards a bittersweet chocolate, to just a pure bitterness.

This is not a prestigious wine. If you are having company, look elsewhere. But for an inexpensive wine, you could do worse. In fact, this is good enough to have been the red wine at my wedding reception. Great budget wine for events.

2006 White Rose Nekaia Pinot Noir

White Rose was an accidental, but fantastic discover in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Every time I go to a wine region, I try and ask the tasting room people what wines (besides their own, of course) they are in to. A few years back, White Rose was pretty much the consensus pick. A visit proved the rumors to be true, and I discovered what has been my favorite Oregon Pinot Noir ever, the Michelle. Unfortunately, the Michelle was a single release (if you find it, buy it immediately), but the last visit proved the Michelle wasn't a fluke and I came home with 5 bottles of the 2006 Nekaia, and a bottle of the 2006 Estate which I'll review another time.

The nose is fantastick. Fruity... I think of plumbs and cherries with a bit of vanilla. It is a light ruby-garnet color.

The taste is quite good. Fruity, with solid acid, light tannins. Strawberries and ripe cherries. The finish is a bit peppery, with a vanilla-carmel flavor that lingers. The finish is long and dies into a slight bitter flavor, but not what I would call bitter chocolate.

This is a lovely, drinkable Pinot Noir. I did decant it, but drank it straight away. The balance is excellent as-is. Don't think those other 4 bottles are going to stay in the cellar too long.

2007 Facelli Winery Lemberger

About three weeks ago the missus and I spent an afternoon out in Woodinville. We went out specifically to visit Woodhouse Family Cellars (details in another post) but since we were there we stopped into a few other wineries. Facelli is one of the oldest wineries in Woodinville. It is family-owned, and you are likely to run into the whole family when you visit on the weekend. We tasted several of the Facelli wines and decided on their Lemberger.

I honestly don't know that much about Lemberger. The only other Washington winery that I know of producing single-variatal wines with it is Kiona. Since I don't really know what a Lemberger's flavor profile is supposed to be, I get to give you a pretty open review of what it is like.

The wine is ruby red. The nose... I get raspberries. But with a sweetness that often makes me think of strawberries. Let's call it sweet raspberries. I also get a hint of a smell I associate with new carpet. Sort of a chemical/synthetic smell.

The wine is fruity on the palate, confirming the previous sweet raspberry thoughts. No real tannins, and the acid is light. The finish is short, and trails into a sour fruit flavor. Sort of like a cherry jolly rancher, with a touch of bitterness that doesn't quite fully develop into bittersweet chocolate.

Its a drinkable wine. I can't really tell you how it is as a Lemberger, but as a table wine, it is decent. At $17 a bottle, I think you can get a better table red or daily-drinker red. Still, if you are looking for something different, you might find it interesting.

2005 Marigny-Neuf Sauvignon Blanc

Lately I've been on a bit of a Sauvignon Blanc kick. It started with a search for a good spicy food wine, and the typical high-acid of an SB seemed appropriate. With their relatively-low alcohol, they make for a great daily drinker. I've found the variety you get, from grapefruity to tropical and their price point (typically I can find good ones under $15) makes them a fun wine to drink.

I've been drinking a lot of New Zealand, Australian, and South African SBs, so I have grown to expect a nose with lots of citrus or flowers. The Marigny-Neuf was completely different. The nose seemed a bit tight, and there was no standout aroma. On the palate, I got a lot of minerality. The fruit was is the background, like a glass of grapefruit juice that had been watered down. I could feel the acid on my tongue more than I could taste it. The finish was long, with just a touch of honey moving to a lime-peel bitterness.

Weird thing is that this is not at all what I typically am looking for in an SB, but I found it strangely compelling.

I had it paired with fajitas. Seemed like a good combo to my palate.

I picked it up for $8, so I can't complain too much. A decent wine, but I've had wines I like a lot more at this price range.

Why?

Well, I drink a lot of wine. I'm not really one to "cellar" wines with the hope they will gain value. My biggest challenge is not breaking into what I'm supposed to be putting away for 3-5 years.

I could use cellar tracker, but that involves discipline in adding wines to the list as I purchase them. It is much easier for me to write about them as I drink them. So this blog is about wine drinking, my thoughts on various wines, and other wine-related tidbits.