Archive for the ‘Mourvedre’ Category
Varietal: Petite Sirah; Tempranillo; Syrah; Grenache; Malbec; Mourvedre; Nebeillo; Tannat; Souzao; Aglianico; Barbera; Zinfandel; Petite Verdot; Cabernet Franc; Charbano; Nero d’Avola; Sanviovese; Sagrantino
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: This Big House Red lives up to that old Fruit Bomb moniker that you’ve come to expect. It starts with a nose full of blackberries and raspberries, with hints of leather and spices. The palate is clean, exhibiting flavors of cranberries, roses, and a touch of rhubarb. This finish lingers, with flavors of vanilla and a touch of dark cherries in the finish. Pairs well with all grilled meats, lasagna Bolognese, grilled vegetables, or even sashimi grade Ahi tuna.
My Review: The previous version of this wine was one of those that I was torn on. I liked what they were trying to do by creating a table wine with a little bit of everything that could then go with a little bit of everything, but I felt that the attempt created a wine that just fell flat. This vintage was different.
Varietal: 80% Zinfandel; 10% Mourvedre; 8% Carignane; 2% Petite Sirah
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: This is a refined pleasure with intense flavors of blackberry mingling with soft creamy touches of oak, vanilla, and dry herbs. It’s full on the palate, but not heavy and the fruit is constant from the first sip to the end of the finish. Pairs well with grilled pork, pasta Bolognese, and barbecued ribs or chops.
My Review: It’s taken me a while to get around to sampling/reviewing this wine. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but rather because I knew what I wanted to pair with it and took my sweet time getting and then cooking up some ribs. This past Saturday I finally got around to it.
This past Wednesday I once again was lucky enough to participate in the Wines of Chile Virtual Blogger Tasting. For anybody that hasn’t seen me write about this before, Wines of Chile allows bloggers such as myself the opportunity to sample several bottles of Chilean wine and interact with the wine makers. It’s definitely one of the highlights of being a wine writer for me.
This particular tasting was of blended red wines, and I have to say that once I got the tasting kit I quickly wanted the 13th of October to arrive so I could open up the bottles. Given that they send us 8 bottles of wine, I invited several friends and family members over to participate in the tasting with me. So, here’s what we thought about the wines.
2005 Valdivieso Eclat
A blend of 56% Carignan, 24% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah with a SRP of $27. Garnet in color with hints of purple in the color, red fruit on the nose with a flavor of tart berry on the palate with a noticeable tannic finish. Overall it wasn’t a bad way to start the tasting, but it wasn’t my favorite of the evening.
2006 De Martino Single Vineyard Old Bush Vines “Las Cruces”
A blend of 66% Malbec and 34% Carmenere with a SRP of $45. Dark red in color with aromas of dark chocolate and concord grapes. Flavors of fruit and bell pepper, prominent flavors in both Malbec and Carmenere, seemed to be fighting each other with neither one being able to win. While I didn’t dislike the wine, I don’t know that I could justify paying $45 for it.
2008 Estampa Gold Assemblage Carmenere
A blend of 57% Carmenere, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 8% Petit Verdot with a SRP of $22. Dark, ruby red colors with aromas of pepper, tobacco, smoke, red fruit, and herbs. The flavor of bell pepper from the Carmenere really came through with the Petit Verdot smoothing out the finish. As I enjoy Carmenere by itself this wine was successful to me.
2008 Montes Limited Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Carmenere with a SRP of $15. Garnet color with aromas of bell pepper and eucalyptus. Flavors of Bell pepper and what I could only call dish rag made me hesitant on this one. It wasn’t my least favorite, but it wasn’t my favorite either, though I will say some time in the decanter helped mellow out the dish rag flavors.
2006 Maquis Lien
A blend of 42% Syrah, 30% Carmenere, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, and 7% Malbec with a SRP of $19. Medium-dark red in color with aromas of ripe black fruit, berry, spice, and a hint of bell pepper. Flavors of bell pepper, black pepper, and crushed fruit with a nice smooth finish made this one both enjoyable, and a great value for the price.
2008 Hacienda Araucano Clos de Lolol
A blend of 31% Syrah, 29% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Carmenere with a SRP of $23. Medium-dark red in color with aromas of licorice, tobacco leaf, blackberry, black cherry, and spices. Flavors of raspberry with a smooth tannic finish that made this one of my favorites on the evening and another great value.
2007 Emiliana Coyam
A blend of 38% Syrah, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere, 17% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Mourvedre with a SRP of $29. An intense dark red color with aromas of dark fruit and earth with which lead into an earthy, dry palate with crushed berry flavors with a bit of oak on it as well. This was probably my favorite of the evening and one I would definitely pick up in the store.
2007 Casas del Bosque Gran Estate Selection Private Reserve
A blend of 61% Syrah, 26% Merlot, 13% Pinot Noir with a SRP of $50. Deep red in color, perhaps the deepest of the night, with aromas of currant, anise, berry, and lavender. Earthy flavors with flavors of black cherry, leather, and what I could only call Robitussin (though not in a bad way). This was easily the wine I was most looking forward to opening once I got the kit, and while I have a hard time spending $50 on any bottle of wine, this bottle was definitely far more worth the cost than the De Martino.
All in all I had a great time doing another Wines of Chile Blogger Tasting, and I look forward to doing more in the future. It was nice to try some other varietals from Chile, though I do think I like Carmenere either all by itself, or as a much smaller percentage of a blend – the bell pepper flavors tend to conflict with others to me.
I want to thank Wines of Chile for including me in this tasting, and thank my friends and family for coming over and helping me enjoy all the wine.
Varietal: 95% Grenache; 5% Mourvedre
Region: Rhone – France
Cost: $20
Deep purple in color with aromas of leather, licorice, berry, and cassis. Earthy flavors with dark berries and a hint of licorice and pepper. Pairs well with pasta bolognese and beef.
Recommendations: French wine is one area where I have a serious weakness in making selections. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed French wine when drinking it, but only that it wasn’t a region I indulged in when I first got into wine, and as I’ve gotten older and expanded my wine horizons, it’s still been missed in favor of other regions. I’ve decided it’s time to rectify this situation.
During a trip to my local Richmond wine shop for a tasting, I confronted the owner about my problem and asked him to help me. He helped me pick out a couple of bottles, one of which, the 2005 Maison du Midi, was actually on the employee recommended list. Two people recommending a wine to me is usually enough to make me buy it. Read the rest of this entry »
