Wine Tasting: 2014 Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon

Tonight's wine is a very youthful wine.  I choose this wine from a friend of mine who loves Washington wines not to mention it has a fantastic wine label!

It's 2014 Intrinsic Cabernet Sauvignon from the Intrinsic Wine Company which is owned by Ste. Michelle and the winemaker is the head winemaker for Columbia Crest.  Juan Muñoz Oca.

Generally, I would drop a 2014 Cab/Sauv in the cellar and wait for it, but I wanted to try this one.  If it was good, I would pick up a couple of more bottles to age a bit.

Tasting Notes:
Dark purple and it’s youth can really be seen at the edges. Red fruit, mainly plum rind on the nose. Really minimal aromas at this point. On the palate, it’s very fruit forward and juicy, but comes off a bit thin. It has an edge to it like a young wine will and with some decanting would probably open up a bit more.

Final Thoughts:
I would say this wine is a buy and hold. It definitely has upside. Hopefully it being a bit thin doesn't hurt in the long run.  Though I think it will be fine.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Rama Cabernet Sauvignon

Today we are going with a 2013 Rama Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley region.  The winemaker is Mario Bazán who immigrated from Oaxaca, Mexico back in 1973.

Tasting Notes:
Dark garnet in color with aromas of peppery red fruit and tar. On the palate its silky smooth with a red plum, slight sour cherry and damp peat moss. A medium minus acidity that keeps the wine well balanced.

Final Thoughts:
Very smooth, easy drinking.  Great everyday wine, but better than your average table wine.  I like it.

Wine Tasting: 2011 Banknote Counterfeit Zinfandel

Today's wine is comes from one of my favorite value wine producers.  Banknote's Counterfeit series wines.

Banknote is an interesting story.  They do not have their own vineyards.  They produce their wines from purchased grapes.  The proprietor is a graphic designer who re-creates old bank notes as art.  When he was trying to decide on a name for his wine, his son or daughter (can't recall who, I was told the story by the wines local distributor) said that Pete should use his art on the bottle and Banknote Counterfeit was born.

Tasting Notes:
Gorgeous ruby red in color, classic rose petals and radish on the nose.  Vivid raspberry jam and earthen spices with a tart finish.  Fifteen minutes in the decanter softens the acidity to reach a very nice balance.

Final Thoughts:
Just like Banknote's Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is an excellent value wine.  Well worth it's price point. ($18 US)

Wine Tasting: 2013 Kenneth Volk Pinot Noir

This evening, a 2013 Kenneth Volk Pinot Noir.  I had three bottles of this wine.  I tasted the first one quite some time ago, but didn't record any notes. (I do remember it though)

The second bottle was given away as a gift.  Not my first choice, but he is a Pinot Noir fan and wanted a bottle and this was the only Pinot Noir I had on hand at the time.

Tasting Notes:
Ruby redish with violet hues showing a bit of youth.  Minerals, spices and a splash of red fruit on the nose.  Plum rind, florals, and allspice fill out the juicy flavors with a medium finish.  Strong acidity that requires decanting to soften.

Final Thoughts:
With some age, I believe this could can be much better.  Decanting is an absolute must.  You will be punch-drunk by the acidity if you do not.  Within 30 minutes, the wine opens and burns off the extreme acidity.

Wine Tasting: 2012 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Delicious!  Well, I'm getting ahead of myself.  Today's wine is Goldeneye's 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.

Goldeneye is Duckhorn's upper echelon wine label and as I've clearly already stated.  This wine does not disappoint.  While I haven't yet visited Duckhorn's Vineyard in California.  It is supposed to be one of the more highly rated Vineyards to visit.  Keep that in mind if you plan a visit to Napa Valley.

Tasting Notes:
Caliginously garnet in color, medium bodied with a warming alcohol level. Fruit forward with strawberry and raspberry jam on the nose and cherries, strawberries, and rose petals on the tongue. Very juicy with a long finish and a potent acidity that blends well with the progressive fruit flavors.

Final Thoughts:  I believe I've already made this obvious.  This was in delicious and well worth it's price point. ($40-$45 US)

Wine Tasting: 2013 Ashan Chardonnay, Kestrel Vineyard

Like sands through an hour glass.  So drains the wine from my glass!  Today I am tasting Kestrel Vineyards 2013 Ashan Chardonnay created by winemaker Chris Goman.  Their website states that their vines are the oldest in the state.  (Washington State)

Tasting Notes:
Yellow gold, very faint on the nose. Mostly rubber and citrus though as I noted, the fragrance is quite weak. It's medium bodied, dry with a heavy punch of acidity. Flavors of apricot, lemon, and a touch of grapefruit.

Final Thoughts:
I think the wine has good quality, but not exactly my tastes. It may have had to do with the wine pairng being a shrimp scampi that had a touch of lemon zest competing with it.  I have another bottle.  Next time I will try it without the pairing or find a more suitable pairing for it.

Wine Tasting: 2013 Andrew Murray's Tous les Jours Syrah

I've started Winemaking recently and my first wine is a Barbossa Valley Shiraz.  It's in the secondary fermentation phase now and tomorrow I will be racking it and beginning the clearing phase.  When this happens, I need to top the wine up (fill the container to the top) to keep as much oxygen as I can out of the wine.

So you usually have a choice of three things.  Use marbles, water, or wine to fill up the space.  I don't have marbles (and they can break glass carboys), water will water the wine down.  So, I'm going with using wine!  I purchased this wine to do the top up with.

Anyhow, since I have it.  Why not do an official tasting?

Tasting Notes:
Full bodied and dark ink in the middle with a cranberry color at the edges.  Smells of blueberry and cranberry.  Showing flavors of blackberry and raspberry jam.  Quite smooth with a very long finish that sports a heady acidity.

Final thoughts:  Decent, but not great.  It's probably fine for topping up my homemade wine, but I'm leaning towards using my Schild Estate Shiraz.  It's much better than this offering, but I'm not sure it's going to matter since I'm mixing it with just under six gallons of other wine.