Reviews

Reviews November 11, 2011

Little James’ Basket Press – A Wine by Louis Barroul.

Grapes 100% Grenache   Facts Louis Barruol, the winemaker behind the Little James Basket Press is part of the new generation of winemakers in the Southern Rhone region of France, who through years of study and instruction from his winemaking father, has breathed a fair amount of new life into their old family-held estates.   The Barruol family has a long heritage in winemaking and has been involved with the hugely respected Chateau de St….

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Reviews November 9, 2011

Conundrum Red Blend 2009 from California

Grape(s) No clue. I reached out for the winery, and their lips are staying sealed. I don’t think any of the grapes in the blend will be a huge surprise.   Facts Imagine my surprise walking down the aisle of the local-dirty-great-big-wine-store, when out of the corner of my eye I saw this on the shelf! I’d always heard that the Wagners (the winemaking family behind Conundrum, Caymus, Belle Glos and Mer Soleil) made a…

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Reviews November 2, 2011

Cantina Trexenta Contissa Vermentino di Sardegna

Grape 85% Vermentino [ver-men-tee-no], 15% Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (% varies by vintage)   Facts If you’ve gotten this far into the article, I have to congratulate you! The title of this article is more than an ample mouthful for most! For that reason, I wouldn’t expect to find this wine too widely carried by retailers, although it’s worth seeking out!   I’ve thrown in some holiday snaps into this post from my trip to…

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Reviews October 26, 2011

Chateau de la Dimerie Muscadet Sevre et Maine

  Grape 100% Melon de Bourgogne – and yes, I know you’ve probably never heard of it…   Facts …and the French wonder why people stopped buying their wine, and moved toward New World producers!?!?! No-one can understand the wine labels!!! The full name of this wine is so intimidating, it makes you wish you’d paid better attention in 3rd grade French class!   Let’s take a look at the label above, and break it…

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Reviews October 22, 2011

Veramonte “Primus” Red Wine Blend from Colchagua, Chile.

Grapes 65% Cabernet, 20% Syrah, 8% Merlot, 7% Carmenere   Facts In 1960, a relatively unknown gentleman by the name of Agustin Huneeus burst onto the Chilean wine-scene. He purchased part of the Concha y Toro winery operation, became the winery’s CEO, and is credited with turning it into the largest wine producers in the country. By the 70’s however, things in Chile had gotten kind of crazy! Pinochet had overthrown the Government, and Agustin…

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Reviews October 14, 2011

Volver Tempranillo, La Mancha, Spain 2009

Grape 100% Tempranillo [TEM-pruh-NEE-yo]   Facts This is another bottle from Spanish Wine God Jorge Ordonez. See yesterday’s review on Can Blau for a little more about him…   The Tempranillo grape is native to Spain and is arguably one of the most “noble” of all Spanish varietals.   The grapes going into the Volver are harvested from a small 72 acre vineyard that were planted in 1967. The wine is fermented in its barrel,…

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Reviews October 13, 2011

Can Blau 2008 from Montsant, Spain.

Grapes Mazuelo 40%, Syrah 40%  Garnacha 20% Facts I’ve been on a bit of a Jorge Ordonez (the importer of this wine) kick lately! As the “bringer-inner” (I just made up that term) of some of the best Spanish wines in the U.S, he’s been fighting to help the wines of Spain wines out of obscurity since 1987. When looking at a bottle of Spanish wine, look for the Jorge Ordoñez importer information on the…

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Reviews October 7, 2011

Chateau Ksara Blanc de Blanc-A Wine from Lebanon

Grape 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Chardonnay, 25% Semillon   Facts That’s right, I said it! Lebanon!!! When you think of the top wine producing regions in the world, Lebanon most likely isn’t a part of that list. However; the fact that the country can even produce wine in such a place so torn apart by war, is nothing short of an absolute miracle!   Believe it or not, Lebanon is actually one of the oldest…

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Reviews September 27, 2011

Orin Swift “Saldo” Zinfandel 2009

Grape 80% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah,  8% Syrah, 3% Grenache   Facts Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for a good wine label; but this one is….well…minimalistic to say the least! I do have to say though, I am a fan. You won’t find this fact on the website, however I have it under good authority that Orin Swift were so stuck for ideas on the label for the Saldo, that they…

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Reviews September 13, 2011

Dr Pauly Bergweiler Noble House Riesling

Grape 100% Riesling   Facts If German Riesling conjures up images of Blue Nuns and Black Katz, you’re forgiven! I’ve been saying for quite some time now that Riesling is one of the most misunderstood grapes there is; but sometimes it’s like banging your head against a brick wall! The perception of the “average” consumer is that all Rieslings are sugar-water, in the form of wine. But who can blame them!?!? The market is dominated…

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