Wine Tasting: 2010 Baron de Ley Rioja Reserva

Today, it's a Tempranillo tap dance!  2010 Baron de Ley Reserva is a beautiful Rioja from Spain.  It's aged 20 months in America oak casks and then a further 24 months in the bottle before it's released.

Tasting Notes:
Full bodied and dark ruby in color and a fleshy texture and long finish.  Tobacco and plum rind on the nose with a remarkable rich red fruit, tar and volcanic rock flavors. A very nice minerality of sorts.

Final thoughts:  This Rioja is quite delicious and well balanced, though I believe a little more time will add to the complexities and smoothen out a bit more.   It's very good now and has a possibility of becoming great.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight's wine was a gift from a co-worker of mine.  I haven't tried Louis Martini wine before, so I'm happy to have it.

Tasting Notes:
Dark garnet and full bodied.  On the nose and palate there is dark cherry and plum.  There is also nutmeg and other spices that give it a more earthen warmth in the flavors.

The wine is quite juicy and the texture feels lighter than you expect from a full bodied wine.  Less tannic.  The acidity is very good.

Final Thoughts:  I like it, though it's not a great wine.  Very easy drinking.  A great table wine.

Wine Tasting: 2014 Kukeri Pinot Noir

Back to one of my favorite California regions.  The Russian River Valley.  Today with a 2014 Kukeri Pinot Noir.

A limited production wine, only six barrels were produced. (144 cases)  It is 100% Pinot Noir and aged in 100% French oak barrels with 30% of them new oak.

Tasting Notes:
This Pinot Noir is violet in color and has aromas of black cherry with a centered floral and light citrus backing.  On the palate, impressions begin with an anemic floral overtones, but a delayed saturation of cherry and plum rind quickly increase much of the missing initial piquancy.  The texture is quite silky and smooth.  I would say slightly too much so as it's missing some needed acidity to deliver proper balance.

Final thoughts:  Good, but not great.  Though this vino is young and could definitely improve quite a bit with more time.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Tous Ensemble Syrah

Copain Wines is a vineyard that sits up high on a hill overlooking California's Russian River Valley.  The winemaker is Wells Guthrie who apprenticed with the legendary Michel Chapoutier in France's Rhone Valley. They make a multitude of wines, but today we are tasting their 2013 Tous Ensemble Syrah.

Tasting Notes:
This wine is garnet in color, but shows its youth with a purplish blue hues at the edge.  Fragrances of blueberries, black cherry, and cassis rise off the glass.   Gustatorily a cranberrish pomegranate character with a sort of amaranthine tartness for the finish.  It is also quite dry and has an acute acidity, and while I think it affects the balance a bit.  I do not find it too distracting.

A decent wine for drinking.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay, Napa Valley

So, I've started my first foray into Winemaking.  It started off well and then ended terribly this morning losing the entire batch.  Ugh!  Well, the wine wasn't lost (I didn't know that at the time), but in hast to get to work and thinking it was ruined due to overnight exposure to the air.  I personally ruined it by dumping it down the drain.  That's another story though.  One I will probably document soon.

Anyway, because my morale was in the toilet after this mornings debacle.  I decided I would open a slightly more pricey bottle tonight to enjoy.  

Today's tasting is Cakebread Cellar's 2013 Napa Valley Chardonnay.  The Winemaker is Julianne Laks and it was aged sur lie in French oak barrels, 20% new with periodic stirring of the lees.  I note the aging for a reason which I will get to in the tasting notes.

Tasting Notes:
Citrus on the nose, though its quite faint.  On the palate there is grapefruit, lemon, and a zesty acidity that punches right through the buttery scampi sauce I had with dinner.  This Chardonnay boasts much more flavor than the aroma suggests which was a little surprising.  There is next to no oak or buttery flavoring within the wine itself which is why I choose to note the French oak aging.

Overall, it's a good Chardonnay, but I do not believe the value is there at its price point.  Cakebread Cellars has a higher end Chardonnay Reserve that I would like to try and compare.

Wine Tasting: 2012 Baron Cooper Old Vine Zinfandel, Tamura Vineyard

A product of Greg Burns of Jessie’s Grove and St. Amant.  Baron Cooper Old Vine Zinfandel from Tamura Vineyards is up for tasting tonight.

I've actually had this wine and a Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon waiting for tasting for several months now.  Considering their supposed quality, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get around to them.

Tasting Notes:
Aromas of red fruit, floral essence, with some hints of radish. On the tongue it's has a savory cranberry sauce flavor, a light impression of pepperiness along with other spices and rich velvety floral on the palate. Almost silky texture with a long finish and nice acidity for a good balance. Very nice.

Overall, an excellent Zinfandel.  I wish I had picked up more than just two bottles.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Fattoria Petrolo Torrione Toscana IGT

Today's vino-visit is to Italy.  Of the countries I've visited, (approximately twelve)  Italy is definitely my favorite thus far.

Torrione is a Tuscan red blend consisting 80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot, and finally 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

My tasting notes are as follows:

Cherries, rose petals, and red apple rind on the nose. Strawberry licorice with a woody essence and a spoke in tartness leading in the the finish.  Smooth, but doesn't have the depth to have a silky texture.  For this wine, I think that maybe superfluous as it certainly doesn't detract from it being a great wine and at it's price point. ($23US) It's an absolute steal.