Wine Tasting: 2012 Bodegas Breca Old Vine Garnacha

Tonight I decided I wanted to relax and try something with a little change of pace.  That would be the 2012 Bodegas Breca Old Vine Garnacha.

Tasting Notes:
A very dark cranberry sauce like color with scents of cranberry and wet granite. Flavors of allspice and fruitcake jump out at me with late batanicals and an eathen minerality.

Final Thoughts:
Quite smooth and very tasty with a late acidity followed up with a slight warming sensation.  Excellent.  Tonight, I'm a happy man.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Castello di Neive Barbera d'Alba Messoirano

Tonight it's Italian for dinner with an Italian pair.

Tasting Notes:
Deep dark violet in color while bright luscious berries on the nose. On the palette, audacious flavors of pomegranate, sour cherry, and hints of passion fruit that I would describe more as tart than piquant. A round texture with a late acidic punch.

Final Thoughts:
A bold and interesting wine, but a bit sharp for my tastes.  That's two in a row!

Wine Tasting: 2013 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling

Continuing with the summer whites, we are going with a 2013 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Dry Riesling.

Tasting Notes:
Almost colorless, and scents of decaying rubber and insecticide. Not exactly pleasing to the nose. The wine tastes of lemon lime with grapefruit accents. As the flavoring suggest, the wine has quite a tart punch to it. More so than your standard dry wine fare. Given my description, the wine is still quite good and has a silky smooth texture even with it’s tart finish.

Final Thoughts:
A tad tart for my tastes, but you can taste the quality of this wine and of course that's what you expect from Leeuwin Estate Art Series wines.  If you're into tart this would pair well with a salad with a vinaigrette dressing or something similar.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla

I have a bad habit when I'm roaming my local wine shops.   I like to pick up a few bottles to taste and my local wine shop starts giving discounts at six bottles, so I always end up looking for a last bottle or two to round out the number to six bottles.

I decided I wanted to try another Spanish wine so I went to the Spain section.  After poking around a bit, I found this rather bland labeled wine.  2013 Juan Gil Monastrell from Jumilla.

Tasting Notes:
Hues of Ruby and Violet with gratuitous scents of blueberry, plum, and black cherry.  Powerful flavors of dark fruits, citrus zest, and late earthen mineralities flourish with this wine.

Final Thoughts:
Wow!  For $15US, this is an incredible deal!  It's not silky smooth like some of the really great wines, but this wine is an eye opener.  Big and bold and just great tasting and very aromatic.  If you see it sitting on the self at your local wine shop and you love trying new wines.  You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't pick up a bottle to try.

Wine Tasting: 2012 Mythic Block Malbec

I've had a few Mythic wines and while many tend to be popular.  I've found them mostly good, but nothing nothing that I found really special.  Today's wine is probably the most expensive one I've tried so far, but it's not a budget buster either at around $29US.

Tasting Notes:
Medium bodied and violet in color with a peppery black plum on the noise.  On the palette, a black cherry and blueberry mix with hints of pomegranate.  Potent bouquet of flavors, yet lean on body and texture.

Final Thoughts:
Malbec wines (beyond blends that include Malbec) are a wine that I'm only lightly familiar with as I've only tried 10-20 of them.  Some where rough, others were okay, but I haven't had one knock my socks off.  This one is better than most that I've had.  I like this wine, though I can definitely see why it's a popular blending wine.  The Malbec grape has a lot of interesting characteristics that can give red blends a lot of depth.  Maybe if one day my winemaking skills reach the point of making real red blends.

Wine Tasting: 2014 Decoy Sauvignon Blanc

With summer coming to a close.  It's time to get in all the nice summer wines.   Today I'm going with a 2014 Decoy Sauvignon Blanc.  My last Decoy wine was not pleasing. (2012 Decoy Zinfandel)

Tasting Notes:
Light gold in color. Aromas of citrus and wet wool. Flavors of honeydew with a savory lemony citrus backing. Bright and beautiful with a light smooth texture.

Final Thoughts:
I find this Decoy Sauvignon Blanc exceptional compared to the 2012 Decoy Zinfandel.  This is a Sauvignon Blanc that I would happily keep in stock for a standard pairing with cheeses and other finger food pairings.  It's a winner.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve

Tonight I'm having shrimp scampi and a Chardonnay to match.

Tasting Notes:
Light gold in color, modest scents of citrus and lemongrass. On the palate, tenacious buttery cantaloupe, with hints of lemon, and kiwi. Full bodied and lusciously smooth.

Final thoughts;
This is a beautiful Chardonnay.  While my expectations were high for this Chardonnay, it exceeded them quite a bit.  This is definitely a talking wine.

Wine Tasting: 2014 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Gavi Principessa Gavia

Sunday afternoon watching the Olympics deserves a nice cool and crisp Italian white.   So we are going with a 2014 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Gavi Principessa Gavia.

Tasting Notes:
Straw in color, with citrus with a light rubbery scents.  Bright flavors of green apple, lemon lime, and St. Augustine grass.  Decent finish with a late tartness and boasts a sharp acidity.

Final thoughts:
Very nice, though the tart finish is a bit more that I would like.  Overall it does not detract from my enjoyment of this wine on such a warm and humid day.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Cold Creek Vineyard

My last wine tasting update was also a Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 2013 Indian Well I believe it was.  Today it's the 2011 Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting Notes:
Dark violet in color with lavender and dark fruit rind on the nose.   Medium to medium plus body,  fairly smooth with tart raspberry, cherry, with a medium wet granite finish.

Final thoughts:
Good, but not great.  I had noted in the Indian Wells tasting notes that Chateau Ste. Michelle had better wines than the Indian Wells, this is definitely one of them.  Though, this one comes with a larger price tag too boot.  I still feel the QPR is a little low on this wine though.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Indian Wells

This evening I decided upon a wine I just picked up as a sixth bottle of a wine purchase.  I was really only looking for the five wines, but my local wine shop gives a 5% discount on six and well.  This one was practically free with the discount on the others.

Tasting Notes:
Dark violet in color, blueberry, cherry, and red beet on the nose. Black current, black olive, and wet granite on the palate. Semi-smooth with a long finish.

Final thoughts:
It's okay.  You won't impress anyone with it.  Chateau Ste. Michelle has a lot better offerings if you're looking for a good wine.