2010 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel

 After drinking and posting a lot of old world, and specifically Burgundy wines, I thought it was time again to try a wine that is a bit out of my comfort zone. Zinfandel is not my go to wine grape variatal because they tend to be a bit over the top for my palate, but I've had some that pleases me.

Tasting note on the 2010 Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel:

The nose is loaded with fruit candy and chocolate. The fruit goes towards blackberries, blueberries, but there is also some red cherries here. Actually a better nose than expected. Quite attractive. The wine is full bodied. There is dark fruit and blueberry, leather, chocolate on the palate. The fruit on the palate has a good, fresh feel to it. This is for me important to balance the wine out. It isn't as ripe as many Zinfandels tend to be. On the finnish though, the alcohol starts to show and is bothering me. It's not integrated at all. I also do feel some oak here, but the alcohol is the one thing that stands out on the finnish. 84 points 

This wine really had much going for it. It's got deliciuos fresh fruit and it has a good front and mid palate. It is so sad that the alcohol comes and ruins this experience on the end.

I really had a har time scoring this wine. If I would score this wine based on the nose, the front and mid palate I would have been in the 88-90 point range. If I'd score this based on the finnish it would have been in the 75-78 point range. So I ended up scoring the wine somewhere in between.

The interesting thin here is that when i do some research on the wine I find different alcohol percentages listed. On the back of my bottle it said 15.2%, on my local wine stores website it's listed with 15.5% and on wine.com they say 14%. Perhaps there are different bottlings of the wine. I do believe that in the bottle I had, there alchol must have been 15%+. If it had been at 14%, I think the score would have been much higher.

if you have a higher tolerance for alcohol than me, this is probably a wine you could like. I would though recommend you put it a way in your cellar for at least 3-5 year for optimal drinking. There is some roughness to the tannins on the back end here.

2009 Bruno Clair Marsannay

Bruno Clair founded his domaine in 1979. Back then the domaine had plots in Marsannay, Fixin, Savigny-les-Beaune and Morey-St-Denis. The domaine has grown since then and added plots in Clos de Bèze, Cazetiers, Clos St-Jacques, Vosne-Romanée, Clos du Fonteny and Chambolle-Musigny, Corton-Charlemagne, Pernand-Vergelesses,Aloxe-Corton and Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle.

Today Domaine Bruno Clair has 23 hectares of vineyards, making a total of 22 different wines.

According to the Domaine's website, Les Roseys, les Boivins, les Étalles and some small plots are vinified together to produce the domaine's red Marsannay.

Tasting note on the 2009 Bruno Clair Marsannay

The bottle was popped and poured straight from the cellar, thus this wine was a bit too cold wine was a bit cold in the beginning.

With litttle air I got a very nice, typical Pinot nose. Even I would've probably been able to gues that this was a Pinot just from the nose. You get florals and the typical ripeness of the red fruit that you will often find in the 2009s, but not too ripe. The mouthfeel is fresh and light. I get strawberries, flaroals and some steeliness. Crisp.

With some air, and the temprature rising, the fruit turns more dark. I get more plum, but there is also some cranberries and forrest floor components. Good tannins on the back end, but well integrated. The finnish is a bit short. One of the best things about this wine is the acidity. It is mouthwatering and keeping this wine in good balance. 89+ points

When i read my own notes, I kindof don't understand why I didn't score this more than 89 points. But even though I pick up different flavours and there is a good acidity to this wine, there is just something lacking. Don't get me wrong, this is a very pleasent and delicious wine, but it is a bit basic. It isn't overly complex and the finnish is a bit short.

That said, given the price of this wine, and that it is a Bourgogne, this is a great value. I think you can give it can have the potential to develop for 3 more years, but it's not a crime drinking this right now.

2010 Weingut Keller Riesling von der Fels

Klaus Peter Keller is a Riesling superstar. He produces some of the best German Rieslings, and by that, some of the best Rieslings in the world.

The Keller wine making history dates back to the 18th century, Their estate is located in the small town of Flörsheim-Dalsheim outside Frankfurt in the Rheinhessen region.Klaus Peter took over as head of Weingut Keller in 2001. He soon started shifting the focus from sweeter wines to dry wines. Today, the Grosses Gewächs wines from Weingut Keller is some of the most sought after dry Rieslings in the world.

The von der Fels wine is based on grapes primarily from young vines from the different Grosses  Gewächs vineyards.

Tasting note on the 2010 Weingut Keller Riesling von der Fels

On the nose I get aplles, lemon and banana. The palate is full of fruit, green apples, honeydew and some banana. The finnish starts of with yellow apples. After a while it turns into a very strong mineral component, flinty. The length is good, but what really makes this wine is the citrus driven acidity. There is some residual sugar in this wine, but the acidity is so clear and keeps this wine in perfect balance.

The negative thing here is that i do get some notes of rotten fruit on the finnish. It's interesting, but not extremely attractive. I'm not sure, but this might not have been an optimal bottle.  It isn't overly complex either, but it is a very good Rieling. 90 points

2009 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage

Crozes Hermitage is an AOC appelation in the Northern Rhone wine region of France, and it is the largest appelation in the Northern Rhone. back in the days it had a very questionable reputation due to the fact that they produced large quantities of bulk wine, but in recent years new winemakers to the appelation has brought quality focus to the region.

Syrah is the only red grape allowed in the wines from Crozes Hermitage, but up to 15% of the wine can be the white grapes Marsanne and Rousanne.

Alain Graillot founded the domaine in 1985. Today he owns 50 acres of vineyeards in Crozes Hermitage, consisting of 30 year old vines. He also has 2 small parcels in St. Joseph. From the grapes in Crozes Hermitage he makes 1 or 2 wines. The basic Crozes Hermitage is produced every year. In good vintages he also produces a small quantity of La Guiraude.

Tasting note on the 2009 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage

Once again I popped and poured this wine, not giving it much time to breathe. As a consequence, and do to the fact that the wine was a bit cold, the nose gave away little. On the palate though, I got pepper, blueberries and blackberries. The palate is very primary. A typical Syrah palate.the fruit is ripe, but contained. The finnish has a good attack of spices and smal red, sour berries. The tannins are dry and a bit stilky. 88 points

I would wait 2-3 years for optimal drinking. It is approachable now, but the tannins aren't totally integrated yet. The wine is powerfull and lack some finesse, but is it to some extent balanced.

Amazing red Burgundy QPR: 2010 A.F. Gros Beaune 1er Cru Les Boucherottes

I just have to get this wine out to you. On my way back from work yesterday I stopped by my local wine shop and bought a bottle of the 2010 A.F. Gros Beaune 1er Cru Les Boucherottes. I haven't had it before and haven't heard much about the producer. All I saw was a very reasonable priced 1er cru from Beaune from the amazing 2010 vintage.

There are currently 4 Gros domaines in Burgundy. This is a result of retirement of one generation and dividing the vineyards up so that every child gets a vineyard. The Domaine A.F. Gros today makes wine from Pommard, Beaune, Vosne Romane and Chambolle Musigny.

Tasting note on the 2010 A.F. Gros Beaune 1er Cru Les Boucherottes

It is a bit closed on the nose not giving that much, but that is probably only due to the lack of air this was given. The notes I pick up are red berries in form of raspberries and strawberries.

On the palate you get hit by delicious red berries, with the raspberries continuing from the nose on to the palate. There is a floral component there as well and mineralty. The finnish again has great fruit, florality and the minerality gets more focused. With air, redcurrants get more obvious and really brings the wine to the next level.

The wine has a great acidity, a smooth feel and great transitions from beginning to end. There is good length on the finnish. 92+ points

I need you to go out and find this wine. I got it at $50 and I bet you can find it at even better prices. This wine is just so yummy. Is it the most complex wine ever? No. Is a great wine that gives ou a lot of pleasure? Yes! Seek it out!

2007 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

Domaine Christian Moreau has it's history going back to 1814, but it wasn't until the 2002 vintage that Christian Moreau's family gained the right to exploit own vineyards and make and market the wines belonging to their domaine.

The Domaine has a total of 12 hectares of vineyards in the Chablis area of Burgundy. It holds areas within the following vineyards:

• Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, Clos des Hospices
• Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
• Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
• Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
• Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
• Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon
• Chablis
• Petit Chablis

Christian Moreau has about 100 acres of land within the Grand Cru vineyard of Valmur with the average vine age being 50 years. The wine is aged in 55% stainless vats and 45% in barrels.

Tasting note for the 2007 Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

I get ocean, minerality and citrus. The wine has the weight you expect from a grand cru. The mouthfeel is mooth with green apples and a nice citrus driven acidity. There's good length on the finnish with salt water, minerality and tropical flavours. 90+ points

This is a good wine. It has the weight and the length that you expect from a grand cru Chablis, but there is really not that much more. It delivers, but it does not blow me away.

2004 Chateau Musar Hochar Pere et Fils

I've been facinated by Chateau Musar since the beginning of my wine interest for three reasons: The fact that it is from Lebanon and the QPR. The Chateau Musar was established 80 years ago by Gaston Hochar. The estate was established in a castle from th 19th century in Ghazir, about 20 miles north of Beirut.

The estate makes both red and white wines. The red wine grape variatals in the vineyards are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Grenache, Mourvedre og Carignan. The 2004 Hochar is a blend of 50% cinsault, 25% cabernet sauvignon, 25% carignan. The alcohol level is 13.5%.

Tasting note for the 2004 Chateau Musar Hochar Pere et Fils


On the nose: some alcohol, dry plum. On the palate: some strawberries, plum and pepper. Juicy plum finnish. Good length. Actually quite balanced. Southern Rhone style, but the balanced kind. 89 points

 This is for me a very Southern Rhone style of wine. But while I tend to find many Southern Rhone wines to be a bit too ripe, lacking freshness and have unbalanced alcohol, this is not the case for this wine. It has fresh fruit and good balance.

If you are in to this style of wine I highly recommend that you try to seek it out. Chateau Musar has a pretty good distribution so it should be possible to find.

2007 La Gravette de Certan

The La Gravette de Certan is the second wine of Vieux Chateau Certan. The Chateau's vineyards are situated close to the church in Pomerol with nabours such as Petrus and Certan de May. The vineyard is 14 hectares and consists of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2007 La Gravette de Certan has 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The alcohol comes in at 13%

Tasting note for the 2007 La Gravette de Certan

 Back currants and leather on the nose. Very good mouthfeel. Fresh blackberries and black currants. Some leather notes as well. I get some oak on the finnish but its well integrated with the delicious berry flavours. At the end  the berries lean more towards red berries. Nice length on this medium bodied wine. The tannins are well integrated. 91 points

This is a great Bordeaux considering the price point. I see than Huon Hooke gave it a 93. I would say that is a bit high, but I totally agree with him that this is a hidden treasure. I have 3 more bottles of this in my cellar and I'm super excited.

If you're into Bordeaux, but kinof sick of the prices you need to pay for good wine, this is the wine for you. It's drinking well right now, but could easily last for 5 more years. Not sure if it will get much better though.

At Sotheby's Wine you can get a bottle for $34.95. That's a steal!

2010 Giardin Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly

It's been embarrasingly quit on this blog over the Christmas break. That doesn't mean I havn't enjoyed wine, ot in some cases had wine and not enjoyed it that much. I have many tasting notes saved on my iPhone, so I hope I will have wime to get them all out to you soon.

I've posted a tasting note on this blog earlier of the 2010 Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, a wine that I liked very much. As I said then, St. Aubin is a region within Burgundy where you can find some good values.

Vincent Giardin took over his family's 2 hectares of vineyards in 1980. Today the domaine has 20 hectares in 42 different parcels around Burgundy. Vincent Giardin har lately been troubled with his back so his wife has taken more control over the domaine, but the wine making philosophy has so far been kept relatively the same.

The Giardin wines are often great value wines. It is not a top producer, but it's a good bet for a tuesday night wine.

Tasting note for the 2010 Vincent Giardin Saint Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly

Very tight nose right after opening. Apples, honeydew melon and pineapples. Sweetness on the nose and oak (very butter popcorn). Apples og kataloupe melon. A good portion oak on the palate as well, especially on the finnish. Butter popcorn on the palate as well  A bit to heavy and oaky. Lacking balance. 82 points

Although I tend to find the Giardin wines good value, this one was a miss. The oak here is just crazy. I find that Giardin often manages to balance the oak, but not in this case.

I had to google this a bit after tasting it to see what others have written about it. What I find is that even though everyone notices the oak here, there is some variations in whether they find it balanced ot not. Maybe there is some bottle variation, but my guess is that even with a great bottle this wine will be a bit overoaked. Perhaps with a good bottle (assuming this one wasn't) I could have given it 85-86. 

Either way, I do think there are better wines to buy than this. For example you can try out the Puligny Montrachet les Enseigneres from the same producer. I've had it in other vintages and it has been good.