Thursday, December 11, 2008

Wine Tasting - The Merchant of Vino @ Cork

Cork: A Bottle Shop
THE MERCHANT OF VINO'S AUSTRALIAN TASTING hosted by Cork: A Bottle Shop, Portland, OR (12/10/2008)

Rob from The Merchant of Vino and Darryl from Cork put on this special sit-down tasting at the Alberta Street Cork store. An incredible selection from some of Australia's top producers, all with a couple years (or more) of age on them.

Cool Weather Wines
The first two wines are from cooler regions in Australia. I don't know if this is because of the cooler temperatures, but both wines were VERY tannic. Hmm.
  • 2002 Gralyn Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
    Having tasted this before, I wasn't surprised at the tannic grip on this wine. Color is a light ruby, going to clear at the rim. Very tight on the nose, giving up only a bit of earth. On the palate, bitter cherry fruit, with clay and LOTS of tannins. The finish is a long, tannic crush of sour cherry. This is from the "Bordeaux of Australia", the Margaret River region, where it is much cooler. I don't know if that explains the incredible tannins of this wine, but, there you go... (90 pts.)

  • 2004 Berry's Bridge Shiraz - Australia, Victoria, Western Victoria, Pyrenees
    Another cooler region, a semi-mountainous region called "The Pyrenees". Color is dark maroon. Much darker than the Gralyn cab. Very fragrant nose of blackberry and earth. On first sip, the one thing I immediately think of is "BIG". Totally coats the mouth with fruit and earth flavors, predominantly blackberries, and a loamy sort of earth. Lots of tannins in this wine also. From the nose, everyone thought this was co-fermented with Viognier, but it is, in fact, 100% Shiraz. Was originally going to go with 90 points, but tacked on another just for the incredible perfume. (91 pts.)


Kaesler Wines
The second two wines were both from Kaesler, and showcased the "right-up-to-the-line" style of winemaker Reid Bosward.
  • 2005 Kaesler Grenache The Fave - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Color is a lighter ruby. Nose is redolent of strawberries, with an odd cinnamon aroma...almost a candied smell. Spicy on the palate, with strawberries, cherry and spice (cinnamon?). Very smooth and easy to drink, but overshadowed by the other wines tonight. (87 pts.)

  • 2004 Kaesler W.O.M.S. - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Having tasted this before in an ideal setting (and with food) on my birthday, I was doubting this rating would be as high as last time (98/100), and I was right. Color is a dark ruby. Nose is all raspberry, with LOTS of yummy earth aromas. On the palate, you can instantly tell the wine has incredible integration. Big flavors of raspberry and earth mingle with chewy tannins, sharp acidity and a bit of oak. They all play together nicely, making the wine absolutely delicious! (95 pts.)


The Big Boys
Both of the final two wines needed to be decanted, and unfortunately we only got about 1 hour's worth. However, both wines still showed very well.
  • 2004 Charles Cimicky Shiraz Reserve - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    Decanted 1 hour. Color is a thick, dark purple, almost black. Delicious nose of blue and black fruits, with a touch of earth and oak. On the palate, smoked meat, with the sweet taste of blueberry pie, and oaky vanilla on the finish. VERY nice wine! (95 pts.)

  • 2004 Torbreck Shiraz The Factor - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
    My wine of the night, just ahead of the WOMS and Cimicky Reserve. Decanted 1 hour. Color is a very dark maroon, almost black. Very thick. 100% Shiraz from 4 vineyards. Nose of very sweet blackberry...maybe blackberry pie, following to the palate, with the addition of blueberries. Very jammy, and still quite young. This really needs another 2-3 years before it begins to shine. Lots of tannins on the finish, which seems to go on forever. An outstanding wine from David Powell! (96 pts.)


Thanks to Rob from The Merchant of Vino and Darryl from Cork for putting on this event!

Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Wine Tasting - Carlton Wineries, Part Deux

CARLTON WINE TASTING: PART DEUX - Carlton, OR (12/6/2008)

Kristina and I drove down to Carlton, in Oregon wine country, for the Cana's Feast Winery wine club pickup party, and decided to hit another winery in the area.

Cana's Feast Winery

Cana's Feast Winery
Attended the wine club "pickup party", to pick up my club shipment. Food pairings were available for each wine, as well as olive oil, artisian cheese and gourmet salt tastings. A great party!
  • N.V. Villa Loredan Gasparini Prosecco Montello e Colli Asolani Brut - Italy, Veneto, Montello e Colli Asolani
    Food Pairing:
    Baked cheese-stuffed fritter.
    Tasting Notes: Nose of honeydew melon. LOTS of activity in the mouth...fiercely carbonated, to the point where I don't want to take another sip. Swirling the wine helped a bit, but still not pleasant. Flavors were very nice, however, and it paired well with the cheese fritter offered. (84 pts.)

  • 2006 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Bricco Two Rivers - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
    Food Pairing:
    Beef & root vegetable soup (did not eat).
    Tasting Notes: Very nice fruit, with a lovely nose of raspberry, tobacco and a floral component. Flavors of red raspberry, tobacco leaf and some earthiness. This is still quite young, with some integration of tannins, fruit and acidity still needed. For the coin, this is giong to be a blockbuster! (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Bricco Two Rivers Reserve - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
    Food Pairing:
    Beef & root vegetable soup (did not eat).
    Tasting Notes: New wine this year, coming from the same fruit as the regular Two Rivers bottling, but with a different oak program. Tastes just like the regular Two Rivers, but with a bit more wood. Lots of vanilla on the finish, along with tight tannins. Again, this is going to be a blockbuster wine, but costs twice what the regular Two Rivers costs. Maybe a +1 for me, as I like the vanilla finish. (91 pts.)

  • 2006 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Cana's Feast Red Mountain - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
    Food Pairing:
    Portabello mushroom and cheese empanada.
    Tasting Notes: Delicious wine, but infanticide at this point. Compared to the 2003 I had last weekend, this is tight and green. Vigorous swirling in the glass helped with the overabundance of tannins somewhat. Still much too young to be enjoyable. Lots of earth in this one too, which I love. Going to lay my bottle down for at least 2 years. (91 pts.)

  • 2008 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Counoise - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
    Food Pairing:
    N/A.
    Tasting Notes: Barrel sample with the winemaker. I've never had this varietal by itself before. Very interesting! Lighter than expected, with a spicy zing to it. Nice strawberry fruit, smooth, with just a hint of pepper. Light tannins. Winemaker said this will most likely go into a blend, with their Syrah, but he may pull a barrel and do a small run of this alone. I hope so! (88 pts.)

  • 2005 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Syrah Bricco - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
    Food Pairing:
    Chocolate madiera torte.
    Tasting Notes: Just tasted this last weekend. Consistent notes, and again my favorite of the tasting. Nicely paired with a tasty chocolate torte. (92 pts.)

  • 2006 Cana's Feast Winery (Cuneo) Pinot Noir Tre Nova Dolcepassa - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
    Food Pairing:
    Lemon-poppyseed biscotti.
    Tasting Notes: Just tasted this last weekend...consistent with previous note. (85 pts.)


Zenas Wines

Zenas Wines
Decided to stop in here on the way home from Cana's Feast, and I'm very glad we did! Ended up getting two tastings (free), two nice Bordeaux wine glasses (free), and a bottle of the 2006 Meritage (10% off). Score! No food pairings at this winery, unfortunately.
  • 2006 Zenas Riesling Hand-Select Montinore Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    Very dry, for a Riesling. Apricots, minerals and a touch of citrus sweetness. (83 pts.)

  • 2006 Zenas Riesling Sekt Montinore Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    My first sparkling Riesling! Made in the "Sekt" style, which is a German style almost identical to the "Méthode Champenoise" of Champagne. Quite sweet, with nice bubbles that are not annoying (as the Prosecco earlier today). Pears, with a touch of nuts. Very nice. (85 pts.)

  • 2006 Zenas Cabernet Franc Del Rio Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    A very tasty wine with blueberry on the nose. Flavors of blackberry, with some pepper on the finish. A very smooth wine, with light tannins and acidity. Could be paired with almost anything... (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Zenas Merlot Del Rio Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    Their first Merlot release. Usually they just add the Del Rio Merlot to their Claret (now called Meritage). I like this one quite a bit. Very lush cherry fruit, with nice vanilla oak on the finish. (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Zenas Meritage Del Rio Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Rogue Valley
    A blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from Del Rio Vineyard, aged 14+ months in French oak. Very nice structure, with blackberry fruit, coffee and chocolate flavors. My favorite Zenas wine today. (92 pts.)


Even though I just spent a day last weekend tasting (many) wines in Carlton, today was a lot of fun, and I was very happy to have Kristina along with me. The weather was beautiful, the food delicious, and the wines were outstanding!

Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Wine Tasting - Cathedral Ridge Holiday Celebration

Cathedral Ridge Winery


CATHEDRAL RIDGE WINERY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION - The Governor Hotel, Portland, OR (12/4/2008)

I attended the Cathedral Ridge Winery annual holiday celebration party at The Governor Hotel Ballroom on Thursday night, with Kristina and Trish.

White Wine Station
A collection of current release white wines. The 2006 Dry Riesling was gone by the time I arrived.
  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Pinot Gris - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Very crisp, with granny smith apples on the nose and palate. Some hazelnut on the finish that is surprising. (85 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Chardonnay - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Very buttery and smooth. I really enjoy CR's chardonnays. Nice minerality with great body. (88 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Rosé - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Very tasty. I think this included some merlot and/or syrah grapes in it...Quite tasty, with flavors of peaches and a short, sweet finish redolent of flowers. (87 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Riesling - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Quite sweet, with a solid backbone of mineral and apples. Good, but I've had better Rieslings. (84 pts.)


Pinot Noir Station
A collection of current release Pinot Noir wines.
  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Much thinner than I like...spicy and fruity, but lacking body and structure. Cherry fruit, but a forgettable wine. (82 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Pinot Noir Huber Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Much tastier than the regular Pinot bottling, this had much more prominent cherry fruit, with a nice acidty to integrate everything together. Finish is short, but with a nice spicy 'zing'. (87 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Necessity Red - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    A blend of Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Interesting blend, but not my style. Some fruitiness from the Zin, and some earth from the Piniot, but this wine doesn't really come together properly. (84 pts.)


Red Wine Station
A collection of current release red wines. I did not taste the 2006 Zinfandel, since the wine club saw fit to send me THREE bottles of this wine in club shipments over the last year, and I already know that I don't like it.
  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Merlot - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Nice and fruity, I was surprised this was drinking so well this soon. Big plum fruit, with some spicy vanilla oak on the finish. This has some potential! (88 pts.)

  • 2007 Cathedral Ridge Cabernet-Merlot - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    This one seems to be a tad young yet. I still have a bottle of the 2006, and it's just starting to drink very well, so I think this could use another year. Raspberry fruit, with light tannins on the finish. (88 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Bordheauxd Red - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    While I was very impressed with the 2005 vintage of this wine, this one is somewhat of a letdown. Spicy raspberry fruit and earth, reminding me of (surprise) a Bordeaux. More time required! (88 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Nice fruit, blackberry and cherry. Fairly intense right now, with tight tannins that dry the mouth out. Needs more time for sure. (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Syrah - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Very nice nose of blackberry, pepper and violets, following to the palate. Finish has some nice pepper in it, and light tannins. Tasty stuff! (91 pts.)


Reserve/Specialty Wine Station
A collection of current release reserve wines.
  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Pinot Noir Reserve Bangsund Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Columbia Gorge
    Very much in the style of Pinot Noir I like. Lots of cherry fruit, earth, tobacco leaf, with a smooth finish of spicy chocolate. Tasted blind, I would not have called this one a Pinot. (90 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Quite bold in style, reminding me of a Cali Cabernet. Pretty big tannins at the moment, so I'd lay this one down for another couple years. Tasty blackberry fruit and a lot of oak on the finish. (91 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Syrah Reserve - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Blackberry fruit for days, with spicy black pepper and tobacco. Just like the regular Syrah, plus one. (92 pts.)

  • 2006 Cathedral Ridge Rock Star Red - USA, Oregon, Columbia Valley
    Wine of the Night for me. Take all of the best things about the Reserve Cabernet and the Reserve Syrah (50% of each) and put them together, you will have this wine. Very complex, with well-integrated tannins, big fruit and pepper flavors, and a touch of earth and flowers to make it interesting. Delicious! (93 pts.)


Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker