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...
Showing posts with label Washington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington. Show all posts
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, December 19, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, November 7, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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.
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.
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