Archive for July, 2008
Wine Boxes
It seems I’ve switched from wine to wine boxes. One hundred forty wine boxes, another sixty or so to go. Why wine boxes? They are just the right size for packing books, much better than the shipping boxes you can buy online. The hunt for wine boxes led me to some interesting encounters with wine ci…
Vibrant Alentejo red
Very appealing red wine tonight from leading Alentejo producer Herdade de Malhadinha Nova.Monte da Peceguina 2007 Alentejo, PortugalFrom Malhadinha Nova, that a blend of Alicante Bouschet, Aragonês, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tinta Caida, aged in French oak for seven months. It’s a …
Off to Oregon, after some petrol-heading
Off to Oregon in a few hours for the Pinot Noir celebration. Flight leaves at 0630.Spent today taking the boys to the London motorshow, held at Excel in the Docklands (pictured). It was a fun day, with lots of very fast and expensive cars to ogle. I do have a sense of guilt, though, when I realize h…
Chilensis Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 wine review by (PB)
Garnet and a little opaque with some intensity.Bouquet is strong and parotid stimulating! Strong berry and cedar nose with a palate that is crisp, tasty, a little hot, with berries that are dark, cedar, and sweet tannins. Blueberry notes emerge later and that is a value wine from Chile. I padi $8…
Snoqualmie choose Riesling 2007 wine review by (PB)
We do not see much Snoqualmie wines out here in Maine which is really unlucky as they produce many nice value wines.This Riesling is a light golden with a bouquet of pears, apples and peach with cream galore!In the mouth that wine is sweet with vibrant acidity that carries the sweetness well and the…
Dancing Bull Zinfandel (California) 2005 wine review by (PB)
This $9 Zin tastes like a $5 Zin. Blackberry jam and plum nose with coarse presence, a little cedar but a flaw in the mid palate–a positive bitterness–pass. (Be certain to read the labels of the Rancho Zabaco wines carefully; they are easily mistaken one for another eg. California vs Sonoma. It…
Chateau La Fleur Pichon 2005 wine review by (PB)
Grand Vin De Bordeaux from the Lussac St. Emilion: Gorgeous ruby hue with a tinge of purple with sweet aromas of plum pudding and jammy blackberry on the nose.Palate–Steelly front palate but very tight and a touch tannic.It lightened up a bit with some air but cedar nose was all it had to offer. …
Fetzer Gewurtztraminer 2006 wine review by (PB)
This perennial favorite for summer moment quaffing is a light golden with peach and mandarin orange in the bouquet with a little spice and fruit compote like sangria which is very nice.Palate–really sweet and a bit flaccid in acid; it is not flabby but it is not crisp either. It has a pleasant sto…
Chardonnay fest
Four Chardonnays compared and contrasted. All pretty good.Howard Park Chardonnay 2006 Great Southern, Western AustraliaFresh but warm nose of buttered toast, spice and citrus fruits. The palate is concentrated and taut with classy, toasty oak combining well with rich tropical fruits offset nicely by…
A warm evening and its smells
Tonight is an unusually warm evening in London. It’s not hot or sweaty; rather, just the sort of temperature that when you go outside it feels slightly warmer than inside (I don’t know why - we don’t have air conditioning), and in the absence of any breeze it’s as whether the air joins seamlessly wi…
