2009 Couly-Dutheil La Baronnie Madeleine Chinon

Couly-Dutheil is a producer established in 1921. The vineyards lie within Chinon, a sub-region in the Loire valley. Unusually for the Liore valley, there is almost no white wines produced here. To be classified as a Chinon the wine must be beased on the Cabernet Franc grape, but it is allowed to use a maximum of 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting note for the 2009 Couly-Dutheil La Baronnie Madeleine Chinon

Purple colour. Very green on the nose but blows away to some extent. Dark fruit and some earthy tones. To me the palate is dominated by the greenness, represented by a good fistful of paprika. There is some earthy tones here as well as dark fruit and some sour cherries. The finish has good length with a very vegetal aspect and earthy with some sour cherries. 84 points

 
This is a good Chinon at a very nice price point. It has the green aspect that you often find in these wines, but is not my cup of tea. It’s well made, but I score my wines based on whether I like them or not.

2011 Fritz Haag Riesling Trocken

I'm back with another short tasting note of a german Riesling. This time it's the 2011 Fritx Haag Riesling Trocken.

Crushed stone, green apples and acidity on the nose. The wine is silky smooth on the palate, almost a cloudy feel. The chrushed stones are on the palate as well. But the dominate flavour is the apples. They are almost more towards the red apples than the green. The finish is a bit short, but I love the focus and the apples. It lacks some complexity. 88 points

Tasting note: 2010 Battenfeld Spanier Estate Riesling Trocken

Minerals and hints of lime on the nose. Light and crisp mouthfeel. Very smooth with freat acidity. Crushed rocks and freen apples. Good length and a very minral driven finnish. 89 points

It's been more than a year since I last had this wine, and it has improved. I can't the tasting note from last time, but I think I scored it 87-88 points. I think this still has some upward potential. The best thing would be to taste my last 5 wines over the next 4-5 years, but I'm not sure I can wait that long.

WInes I Buy Every Vintage

I haven't been interested in wine that long, but already now I have found some wines I try to buy every vintage. It's a great way to learn more about vintage variations and what style you prefer. Here's some of the wines I try to find every vintage:

• Bartolo Mascarello Barolo
• Ratti Barolo Marcenasco
• Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero
• Gonon Saint Joseph
• The riservas from Produttori del Barbaresco
• La Gravette de Certan

I started writing this post before I started listing up the wines. Now I realize that I need to find more wines from outside the Piedmont. I need some Burgundy wines. Do you have any recommendations for red Burgs I should buy every vintage? Please leave a comment.

2007 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco

Renato Ratti made his first Barolo in 1965 in La Morra. He died in 1988 and the winnery has since then been run by his son Pietro. The quality of the wines that Peitro have been making have been improving over the last 10-15 years, especially the standard Marcenasco wine. I typically find the stndard Barolo to be a great QPR in Barolo.

Tasting Note for the 2007 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco:

Delicious nose with floral notes, leather and blueberry. The flarolity and blueberry jam notes continue on to the palate. To me, the floral taste is dominant in this wine. I also get som plum and some minerality. The tannins are firm and makes the finish dry. There's oak in this wine, but it's well integrated. 92 points

This is a great wine. It is elegant, but has the tannins to last for 10 years more. If your looking for a value driven Barolo, I think this is the wine.

2006 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a wine I bought based on reviews I've read on this wine. Jancis Robinson gave it 17 points, James Halliday gave it 95, Jeremy Oliver 93 and it has a current ranking of 89 on CellarTracker. Given the pricepoint (I gave $19 pr bottle) of this wine I bought 8 bottles of the wine.

The Wynns winery is based in the Coonawarra region in South Australia. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and has 14% alcohol.

Tasting note for the 2006 Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

It has a good nose with dark berries, plum and oak, but there are hints of some alcohol showing. On the palate there's a nice licquorise flavour and good acidity. The fruit flavours are black, with blackberries, blackcurrants and plum. There is also some dirt flavours. There is a good grip from the tannins on the finish telling that this wine has more years to go. It is actually too oaky for me at this stage though. 87- points

Right after pouring this wine I got more read fruit on the palate and it showed less oak. The oak is bothering me with this wine. Maybe I'm just supersensitive to new oak, because 17 points from Jancis is a pretty high score. After drinking this I went to check out the oak use on this. I found out that they used 43% new oak, 31% 1 year old oak and 26% 2 year old oak or older. 43% new oak is pretty aggressive, and for me at this stage, shows too much.

I'm going to sit on the rest of the bottles and see how they develop. There are some great flavours in this wine. It is not over-the-top, but actually very balanced (except from the oak).

2011 Occhipinti SP 68 Nero d'Avola e Frappato

The 2011 Occhopinti SP Nero d-Avola e Frappato is made by the young winemaker Arianna Occhipinti. The winery is based on the in Vittoria on the southwestern tip of Sicily, a island off of Italy's Mediterranean coast. The first vintage was 2004. The winery has a total of 10 hectares Nero d’Avola and Frappato vines. Since 2009, the vines have been farmed using biodynamic methods.

The Occhipinti SP 68  Nero d'Avola e Frappato is a bland of 60% Frappato di Vittoria and 40% Nero d'Avola. The Nero d'Avola and Frappato grape are both some of the most used grapes in Sicily. The alcohold level of the 2011 wine is 12.5 %.

Tasting note for the 2011 Occhipinti SP 68 Nero d'Avola e Frappato

 Raspberries and som dark berries on the nose with come cherry canyesque flavours. Strawberries and sour red berries in the mouth, Nice lightness and concentration. Plenty of freshness and acidity. On the back end I first get some dirt, then some sour cherries and then it ends up with some soily flavours again. 86 points

This wine is on the lighter side with a focus on the sour berries. It isn't thin, it is just focused. For me personally it is a bit too much over on the sour side. It is by all means a well made wine. 

I went back to tasting this after 3.5 hours, and the wine had calmed down a bit. I got less soureness and more strawberries and some mushrooms. If scoring the wine at this stage I would be more around 88 points.

My recent wine purchases

Thought it would be fun to post my most recent wine purchases from time to time here on the blog. This list does not include the bottles I buy for consumption right away. These are wines that I'll maybe try one of and then put them in the cellar.

First, here is a list of what regions that currently are most represented in my cellar (% of total bottles)

1. Piedmont - 22%
2. Germany - 16%
3. Burgundy - 15%
4. Northern Rhone - 15%

So, my top 4 regions represent almost 70% of all my bottles. Would I like to see this list change forward? Yes. First of all, I would like to see more Burgundy in my basement. I'm a bit concerned about buying the whites from Burgundy because of the premox ghost, but I definetely need more of the reds. Secondly I would like some more bottles of Bordeaux and Cali Cabs.

I guess my recent purchases should reflect these wished, but they don't. My most recent wines purchased are:

1. 2007 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo (4 btls)
2. 2010 Taupenot-Merme Nuit-St.-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers (4 btls)
3. 2011 Riffault Sancerre Les Chailloux Silex (4 btls)

Thankfully, these recent purchases tell me only one thing. I need to buy more wine, since these ones do not match my wish of more Bordeaux and Cabs from California.

What are your most recent wine purchases? Leave a comment below.

Tasting Note for the 2001 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial

La Rioja Alta is one of Rioja's most traditional and consistent traditional producers. It was established back in 1890 by five vine growers. La Rioja Alta is now listed on the stock exchange but the majority is still controlled by the five founding families.

The Vina Ardanza bottlig was first produced in 1942. Originally it was aged for 42 months in oak barrels, but this is now cut down to 36 months. The 2001 vintage is classified as "Reserva Especial" a labeling only wines from the best vintages gets. This was only the third time the Vina Ardanza got labeled Especial, the other vintages being 1964 and 1973.

Tasting Note for the 2001 La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial

Dark fruit, some oak and dirt and some cigar box on the nose. On the palate it shows a good body and consistency. I get leather, dark fruit, integrated oak and leather. There is also some red fruit here offering some sourness balancing this wine out. The finish is long with some dirt showing up and at the end I get a strond floral component which is very good. 92 points

If you want old world wines that are reasonable priced Rioja is a great place to start. There are some producers here that offer great entry level wines at very good price points. My favourite producers in this category are Lopez de Heredia, Marques de Murrietta and La Rioja Alta.


For more on this wine check out:
Wine-Searcher
K&L Wines
Ny Times

Tasting Note: 2010 Bonterra Chardonnay

I've been feeling like such a sellout since I started blogging. Why? Because all of the wines I've tried have been really good. Thankfully though, I tried a Chardonnayvfrom California yesterday that changed all this.

I havn't had much Cali Chard and those I have had have been carefully selected based on my preferences for old world Chardonnay. Yesterday I felt like giving a low priced Chard a try. I brought home the 2010 Bonterra Chardonnay which I knew nothing about.

Tasting note for the 2010 Bonterrra Chardonnay:

On the nose I pick up some apricot, peach and oak. Already at this point I'm starting to fear this wine. I like oak if it's balanced, but this nose points in the direction of that this might not be the case. One the palate I pick up peach and butter and one more thing: oak, oak and more oak. This wine is so heavy and so over-oaked that it makes me nauseous. There is no acidity to balance it out. 74 points

Wow, this was fun and very painfull at the same time. Fun because I haven't had a lot of wines that are so over-oaked and unbalanced and painfull also due to the over-oaking and the lack of balance. A couple of hours after I had a glass of this wine it still felt like I had wood chips stuck in my mouth that needed to be pulled out.

I'm sure there are people out there with palates that would apreciate this wine, but for me, this is just a bad effort.

2011 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken

Dönnhoff is a producer from the Nahe region in Germany and has been in business since 1750. They have 25 hectares of vineyeards mainly consisting of volcanic and slate soils. 80% of all their vines are Riesling with the rest being Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.

Donnhoff has an very high brand equity especially in the US. They produce some of the most sought-after and highly scored Rieslings in the world. Even so, you can still get the wine I tried for 25$. I haven't had much Riesling from Dönnhoff. I've felt like there are so many other good producers that you can get for less money, but I found the 2011 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken on the shelfs of my local store yesterday and thought it was a good time to check it out.

The 2011 vintage for Rieslings in Germany has gotten alot of praise, and it couldn't come at a better time. Although I loved the acidity in the 2010 vintage, it is nice to be able to buy the more easy and approachable wines from 2011.

Tasting note for the 2011 Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Riesling Trocken
Apples and lemons on the nose. Green apples, sitrus and a touch of honey on the palate, but the one thing that really stands out is the chalkiness or crushed stones. This is not the same type of minerality as i got on the Kuhling-Gillot. This minerality tastes like if you take white stones and crush them into powder and put it in your mouth. It has a great length for a Riesling Trocken. It's balanced and smooth with the acidity balancing out the apples and the crushed stone nicely. At this stage it has very primary fuits and flavour profile. 91 points

This is a stunning 2011 Riesling Trocken from Donnhoff. I can easily see this wine improve for at least 5 more years, although it's drinking very well already.  At 25$ this i a BUY.

2006 Cantina Fratelli Pardi Sagrantino di Montefalco

This is another wine I tasted some time ago. I bought this wine after watching Gary Vaynerchuck's episode on the Sagrantino di Montefalco wines on WineLibrary TV. Sagrantino di Montefalco means Sagrantino from Montefalco so these are wines based on the Sagrantino grape from the Montefalco region.

Motefalco is a small commune within Umbria in the middle of Italy. The Sagrantino di Montefalco wines does not neccesarily have to come from vineyeards that lie within the commune of Montefalco. It was awarded a DOCG status in 1991. There are only 25-30 producers and only 250 acres of land dedicated to the grape Sagrantino.

To be a Sagrantino di Montefalco the wines have to be 100% Sagrantino. It is one of the more tannic grape varietals that exist. These are massive wines.

Tasting note for the 2006 Pardi Sagrantino di Montefalco:
Ink and dark berries on the nose. Opens up after some air. Shows licquorice, leather and plum on the palate. Firm tannins that gives a really dry mouthfeel. Should develop further with some years on the back, but drinks very well right now. 91 points

This wine is so dry and tannic. I was blown away by the dryness of this wine, so that is something you should be aware of before you buy these wines. It is a massive wine, but it has complexity. It is also traditional with real fruit flavours. This is not new world style.

I have some more of this wine in my cellar. The wine is drinking so good right now, but I'm sure they can last for 5-7 years more. The tannins are definetly there to make it last, but it also have enough fruit to last for years to come.

Great wine. Good QPR. And last but not least, it's a really fun wine to drink to expand your palate and try wines from regions and areas you haven't had wines from before.

Tasting note: 2008 Duplessis Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons

Chablis is an district within Burgundy that facinates me. There is so much great white wines from the area, but the prices are in a totally different range than many of the other white wine areas within Burgundy. One of the key drivers for the lower prices is probably the perception Americans have of the brand Chablis. Many Americans think of large jugs of wine with questionable quality when they think of Chablis. That is something we should be gratefull for. That said, there is also a trend in the US towards Chablis getting a better brand status. So if you're not dinking Chablis it's time to start.

Chablis is a white wine district with Chardonnay being the only grape used in the wines. Is is the northernmost district within Burgundy. The vineyards of Chablis are classified into four tiers of quality. Starting from the top, they are: Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis. If you go for a wine from the Chablis tier, pick a well-knowned producer. In the Premier- and Grand Cru tiers there are many great wines, and it's easier to pick a decent wine.To me, the Premier Cru's is where I find the best qpr.

Duplessis is a little known producer in Chablis. That is not due to the quality of the wines produced by this estate. The little knowledge of Duplessis' wines is more a result of bad or  lack of marketing. It's hard to find the producer in the US. Historically 75% of the production is outsourced and it's mainly exported to the UK.

Tasting note for the 2008 Duplessis Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon:
On the nose i get hints of the ocean and minerals. The ocean feel continues on the palate as well. I really get a saltwater / ocean feel on with a dash of lemon. Seashells and crushed rocks. Nice acidity and a medium body. 88 points

This is a good and typical Chablis. It has the typical charachteristics that you often find in wines from the region with both the minerality and the sea feel. Wines like this facinates me. There is just so much character.

Personally I probably like wines that have more staightforward fruit flavours, but it is probably more fun to drink a wine like this one.

I did a pop and pour of this wine. For the first glass I was more around 85-86 points. But it opened up after some time, and on the last glass I felt the wine was close to 89-90 ponits. It is drinking good right now if you let it get some air, but it could probably last for 2-4 years more.