d'Arenberg's The Stump Jump 2007

Region: Adelaide, Australia
Grapes: 62% Riesling, 18% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Marsanne, 6% Viognier, 6% Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
Price: $12

Pale in color with the scent of sweet lemon custard, you would believe this wine to be sweeter than it in fact is. Only slightly sweet with a pleasantly tart acidity. Simple, but a good choice for someone trying to move into drier wines for the first time.

Region: Southern Australia
Grapes: 50% Grenache, 29% Shiraz, 21% Mourvedre
ABV: 14
Price: $12

Light ruby in your glass. Almost bright. Nose of dark fruits and oak with plum and blackberry standing out on the palate with a delicious spice overlay. Wonderful finish. Best $12 red you will buy this year.

El Nido Clio 2006

Region: Jumillia, Spain
Grapes: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 70% Monastrell
ABV: 15.5%
Price: $50

This wine is a beast to be tamed, to be sure. After it's first three vintages, this fourth continues to rank up there with some of the best wine out of Spain, maybe out of all of Europe, this year. With its completely opaque inkiness and almost incense-like nose, this wine hits you with a full-bodied punch of dark fruit, cranberry and brown sugar-cinnamon with a slight earth and oak note hanging out in the background. Epicurean.

Goldeneye Pinot Noir 2006

Region: Anderson Valley, California
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
ABV: 14.5%
Price: $60

Admittedly a little young, but with a couple hours in a decanter, it opened up wonderfully! With a very light color and a delicate nose, Goldeneye's 2006 offering is light and tart with elements of tobacco, coffee, and earth backed with brightness and lovely red berry notes. Complex and will become even more inviting as a few more years pass.

Graveyard Post, Part 1 of ?

Here's the thing: I have been slacking. I know to you few who read this blog, this isn't news. Here is the deal: I have a lot of reviews written down, but a great deal of it probably can no longer be found or is phasing out. In an effort to not be wasteful, I am going to cram all the wine that I think may be old news here. Who knows? You may find some of it and this will be of use. No pictures, just text.

Bergevin Lane Syrah 2004

Region: Columbia Valley, Washington

Grapes: Syrah

ABV: 14.9%
Price: $20

Deep purple, spicy and full of jammy blackberries. Pleasant acidity.

Flat Bed Red Zinfandel 2005

Region: Napa Valley, California

Grapes: Zinfandel

ABV: 14.5%
Price: $15

Dry with notes of cherries and strawberries. Punch-In-The-Face flavor.

Mauritson Zinfandel 2005

Region: Dry Creek Valley, California

Grapes: Zinfandel

ABV: 15.1%
Price: $20

Dark, spicy, light in body and flavor with a cherry bite. A little bitter on the finish. Probably not one of their better years.

Weingut Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner 2005

Region: Germany

Grapes: Riesling

ABV: 12%
Price: $17

Bright, with a nose of grapefruit and melon, this riesling seems to have quite a bit in common with a sauvignon blanc. Light acidity, somewhat sweet, but with very enticing citrus notes.

Chateau Guirauton 2006

Region: Graves, France

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion

ABV: 12.5%
Price: $16

Golden, full of melon, lemon/lime with a mineral backing. Very full-bodied.

Waterbrook Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Region: Columbia Valley, Washington

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 13.7%
Price: $20

Thick and dark with a spicy nose. Bone dry on the palate, spicy, raspberry and an oaky finish.

Longhop Boomerang Shiraz 2005

Region: Adelaide, Australia

Grapes: Shiraz

Price: $14

Ruby, with scents of cherries and tobacco. Spicy, earthy tobacco flavors give way to a lingering cherry finish.

Pillar Box White 2006

Region: Padthaway, Australia

Grapes: 66% Chardonnay, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Verdelho

ABV: 12.5%
Price: $10

Amber in color and incredibly light and crisp in flavor. Cool and refreshing.

Chateau Guirauton 2006

Region: Graves, France

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion

ABV: 12.5%
Price: $16

Golden, full of melon, lemon/lime with a mineral backing. Very full-bodied.

Well, that should start us up. I have a ton more, but I should get back to work. We will continue shortly. Until next time, enjoi!

Les Tours de Beaumont 2005 Haut-Médoc

Preface: I have so many of these things to put up. This is a little thing called "ketchup".

Region: Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, France

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13%
Price: $14

Light bodied, with a nose of toasty wood and sweet berries. Tannins are a little too strong, overwhelming what might otherwise be a fine, if a little light, red blend. Blackberry is drowned leaving only the spicy tannins and bits of oak.

La Ninota Priorat 2005

Preface: Huge break...sorry about that. Here we go again!
Region: Catalogne, Spain
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Merlot, Tempranillo, Carignan
Price: $18

This dark red meritage (pronouced like heritage) from Spain has a nice body and can only be described as "ultra-dry" (ie, it will make you want a glass of water afterwards). The nose is a strange oaky-plumy beast and the wine is full of ripe black fruit (plums and dark berries) with hints of coffee and spice.

Conde de Valdemar Reserva 2004

Preface: So I was lazy this week...here is part 7 of my 11 part series of Spanish wine...
Region: Rioja, Spain
Grapes: Tempranillo
Price: $22

The Conde de Valdemar is a nice full-bodied red with a beautiful ruby red color and notes of raspberry and oak. Would be great with a meal off the grill.

Viña Mayor Reserva 2002

Preface: Part 6 of my 11 part series of Spanish wine...
Region: Ribera del Duero, Spain
Grapes: Primarily Tempranillo
Price: $18

This red was aged for 5 years before being released to the unsuspecting public. Was it worth the wait? Personally, I don't think so. It has a very heavy aroma of tobacco, is incredibly dry and somewhat like leather with the hint of cherries and oak in the background.

Cosme Palacio Y Hermanos Rioja 2004

Preface: Part 5 of my 11 part series of Spanish wine...salud!
Region: Rioja, Spain
Grapes: 100% Tempranillo
Price: $10
Alcohol Level: 13.5%

Another incredibly dry red, this one with an undefinable nose (my collegues and I were thinking possibly the french oak barrel it was aged in coming out very strongly). While the nose is not very appealing, the wine was a nice light red with flavors of spice, coffee, prunes and blueberries.

Barahonda Monastrell 2006

Preface: Part 4 of my 11 part series of Spanish vino...enjoy!
Region: Yecla, Spain
Grapes: 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre)
Price: $12
Alcohol Level: 14.5%

Bone-suckingly dry with loads of tannins. Medium red in color with a spicy nose. I get cherries and licorice out of this wine, but they are hidden behind the bold tang of the tannins. Not to be enjoyed without food, for sure.

Rosemont Hill Of Gold Shiraz 2004

Region: Mudgee, Australia
Grapes: Shiraz (Syrah)
Price: $12
Alcohol Level: 13%

Completely against my expectations. Deep purple in color with a nose of spices. Flavor is very spicy, with a slight sweetness behind it, full of dark fruits. "Oaky" comes to mind. Even with all this, the wine was a lot lighter than I expected it to be. Would be recommended to people who like Pinot Noir.

Diseño Malbec 2006

Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Grapes: Malbec
Price: $9
Alcohol Level: 13.5%

This wine has the aromas of cherries and blueberries. Maybe raspberries as well. The color is a deep red-purple and the flavors are juicy with a hint of spice. Tart and nicely acidic with a very-berry blueberry finish.

Château du Glana 2003

Region: St-Julien, Bordeaux
Grapes: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc
Price: $20
Alcohol Level: 13%

Here is a real Bordeaux. 2003 was a really good year in Bordeaux and brought about some very nice wines. The Château du Glana is a bright red wine with the aromas of berries and spice. With a sip, you are greeted with a nice mouthful of spices with a background of dark fruits (I sensed blackberry and plum). Light in body with a very blackberry finish.

My opinion, if you want a French wine for your fancy meal, you would not be disappointed by this wine. It would go great with lamb, sausages from the grill and strong cheeses, but does not have the body for a heavy meat like steak.

Mouton Cadet (Red) 2005

Preface: I decided to start off with an inexpensive wine to get the ball rolling. While I have been getting more and more into wine over the past year, I have never decided to brave the classic wine, the bourdeaux wines of France. While I have tried a few, this is the true beginning for my journey into "real" French wine.


Region: Bourdeaux (general)
Grapes: 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
Price: $7

At first glance, this wine has a deep red hue. The coloration shows that this wine will leave you with a major case of wine lips. The wine has a rich aroma of spices with fruit scents in the background that makes for a very pleasant nose. Upon tasting, you are greeted with strong tannins with blackberry and cherry lingering in the background for a smooth finish. This wine has a pleasant tartness to it, and sucks the moisture out of your mouth.

When I bought a $7 Bourdeaux, I suppose I had different expectations. I found this bottle very pleasant after spending about 10 minutes cooling off in the fridge (gotta get it a little closer to that wonderful 65 degrees). This wine will suck the moisture from your mouth, but not to the point where it is unpleasant. It does not specify a region, which I assume means that the grapes just come from wherever. Thankfully 2005 was a great year in Bourdeaux. While I have had wines I have enjoyed much more, for seven bucks, you cannot go wrong with this French table wine. This would go great with a steak or maybe some lasagna, and it won't cost you a fortune should you have company to share it with.