Wine Tasting - Australia + 1

AUSTRALIA+ - Hollywood Wine & Espresso, Portland OR (4/4/2008)

Friday Flight at Hollywood Wine & Espresso, 4075 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97212.

Wines of Australia...plus 1

Tasting wines from Australia, plus 1 from Napa Valley

• 2006 Stephen Pannell Sauvignon Blanc - Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
  Sweet and fruity...not my style. Good - 82 points. (82 pts.)


• N.V. Patritti Shargren - Australia
  Interersting "black bubbly"...a sparkling blend of shiraz and grenache. Very sweet, tastes like sparkling grape juice. A little confusing...not used to my red wine fizzing in my mouth. Good - 82 points. (82 pts.)


• 2006 Earthworks Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  Bright sour cherry fruit, lots of mineral flavors, bitter finish. Good - 84 points. (84 pts.)


• 2004 Schulz Zinfandel Johanne - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  While zin is not my thing, this one wasn't too bad. Big spicy fruit with some pleasant earthiness, and very fruity finish. Good/Very Good - 84 points. (84 pts.)


• 2006 SlipStream - Australia, South Australia, Clare Valley / McLaren Vale
  A nice shiraz-grenache blend from McLaren Vale. Big fruit, nice terrior, with a long peppery finish. Excellent - 87 points. (87 pts.)


• 2006 Kaesler GSM Stonehorse - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  VERY nice Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre blend! Incredibly smooth, great fruit, leather, tar, pepper flavors swim around the mouth. Finish of black fruit and pepper. Excellent/Outstanding - 90 points. (90 pts.)


• 2006 Epsilon Shiraz - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  Wow. Wine of the Tasting! Incredible nose of pepper, dark fruits and earth. Very well integrated, with balanced acidity, fruit and tannins. Great fruit flavors, mixed in with some nice terrior. I could drink this all night! Outstanding - 92 points. (92 pts.)


• 2003 Tudal Family Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
  This was the only non-Australian wine in our tasting, added, according to HW&E owner Dennis McLearn, "because I can!". Nice nose, blueberry, earth and a bit of heat. Sweet blueberry fruit and some earth, leather and pepper on the palate. Finish is long, and very pleasant. A close second for WotT. Outstanding - 91 points. (91 pts.)


• 2005 Massena Durif Howling Dog - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
  Fun factoid of the night: "Durif" is called Petite Sirah here in the states. I can see why the dog is howling...this is a tannic monster! Thick, inky black and teeth-staining. Huge fruit, oaky, but overpowering tannins that leave you wanting a glass of water. Would be much better with food. This has the potential to be outstanding, but way too tannic right now. - Excellent - 90 points. (90 pts.)

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Wine Tasting - Affordable 2005 Bordeaux

AFFORDABLE 2005 BORDEAUX - GEM Wine Cellar, Portland OR (4/4/2008)

Friday night wine tasting at GEM Wine Cellar, 3433 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232.

2005 Bordeaux wines, all priced under $20.

• 2005 Château Segonzac - France, Bordeaux, Côtes de Blaye, Premières Côtes de Blaye
  Nice wine, good fruit, decent terroir, short finish. Good wine to start the flight, but nothing special. Good/Very Good - 85 points. (85 pts.)


• 2005 Château Moulin Rompu - France, Bordeaux, Médoc
  A step up from the first wine of this tasting, with decent minerality, and smooth tannins, nicely integrated with the acidty and berry fruit. Excellent - 88 points. (88 pts.)


• 2005 Château Cornelie - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
  VERY nice Bordeaux, with great berry fruit, some pepper, and nice French minerality. Nose has some leather and raspberry. I like this one. Excellent/Outstanding - 90 points. (90 pts.)


• 2005 Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Bordeaux Contrôlée Réserve Spéciale - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée
  This had been open for a bit, but very well-integrated fruit, acidity and tannins, to make a tasty, nice-drinking wine. May still need some time to really shine. Outstanding - 90 points. (90 pts.)


• 2005 Château des Granges D'Or Médoc - France, Bordeaux, Médoc
  Drinking very well, with sour cherry fruit, tobacco, and some edgy tannins. Not as nice as the previous two. Excellent - 88 points. (88 pts.)


• 2005 Château Paradis Casseuil - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée
  Wow. Excellent integration, with slightly drying tannins, smooth acidty that's keeping the fruit in check, and very nice terrior/minerality. Wine of the Tasting...too bad they are out of it at the wine shop, or I'd buy a bottle or three. Outstanding - 91 points. (91 pts.)

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