Wine Review "WAWA White"

Region: Grandview, Wa
Producer: WA. WA. Wines
Vintage: 2004

Taste:
Light soothing tannins that deliver a mid body flavor. Refreshing spring wine that is complements with a wood barrel aging to it. Full vibrant smell with thin light tannins. Overall tasting is refreshing and complete.

Overall Performance:
3 our of 10- An elegant drinking/table wine that is great on a spring evening. Also a complement to most meals. Light red meats and other fish and meats.

Wine Review "Tiziano"

Producer: Tiziano

Type: Chianti “Sangiovese”

Region: Tuscany

Vintage: 2005

Taste:

A perfume aroma that radiates a presence of excellence. Slight hints of berry and youthful body that carries little flavor. After opening the wine you can since its presence but truly only time will serve this wine best!

Appearance:

Light plum color throughout! Very much a delicate color and long thin runny legs complete the age and appearance of this Chianti.

Overall Performance:

3 out of 10 – Maybe it was my own fault for this wines performance. Impatience can ruin a wine. I am sure with a few years of cellar life this wine would grow into the fine taste we have appreciated from Tiziano Chianti. Both 2001 and 2003 were fabulous years for the Tiziano and at reasonable prices I would suggest those vintages over the 2005 unless you plan to hold the wine.

Wine Review "Louis Martini"

Producer: Louis Martini

Type: Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Sonoma Valley

Vintage: 2003

Taste:

Light tannins with a deep plum and blackberry flavors. The vanilla from the oak makes a perfect blend between flavors. A mid body that tingles as it slowly evolves it balance of tobacco and coffee.

Appearance:

Very ruby red with a deep full color. The radiance of age is even throughout the tone of the wines color. A well established deep color that is presentable and pleasing to the eye.

Overall Performance:

5 out of 10 – This is a great American cuisine wine. Its mid range yet fuller feel is perfectly balanced with many American dishes. This is a common wine at traditional American restaurants and its character fits this type of establishment. I would say on the whole it is a pleasing experience with the expected flavors and tastes you would come to anticipate form a traditional American cab.

Italy's Finest Wine - Barolo

This past weekend the NPR show "The Splendid Table" aired an interview with Lettie Teague, an editor at Wine and Food magazine. The interview was based on her article entitled "Is Barolo Still Italy's Greatest Wine?" found in the September 2007 issue of Food and Wine magazine. The article addressed one of Italy's most famous wines. Although we dedicate our writing to basic and beginner wine knowledge, I enjoyed the interesting and detailed review on Barolo and how the demand for wine around the world has changed over time and economies (demand for wine around the world). For the common wine drinker like myself, Barolo would not even appear on our immediate list of wines to drink. In many cases this wine is on the high range of price (low 100's to 1000's) and often kept for many years before enjoyed. However this is still a perfect time to reveal the beauty of wine and its long history which is incessantly changing.

Barolo is from the Piemonte region of Italy, part of the North West corner of the county, and Barolo itself is a town and region within Piemonte. The tradition of Barolo was refined over hundreds of years ago by a Frenchman who took the wine to its current famous status of "King of Wines". As the King of Wines, Barolo has enjoyed many years of fame and standing. However the wine consumer of today has developed new respects for wine, many of them considered part of the modernist movement in wine. This divide between modernist and traditional wine making has become self evident in the Barolo producers of Piemonte. This modernist movement of fruity flavors and palatable pleasurable wine has transformed even the most traditional wines like Barolo. In this interview you hear Lettie describe this change as a crusade and battle between traditionalist and modernists.

For new wine drinkers I would recommend listing to her interview and her experience with the changes to wine. As with many other great desired indulgences fashion and trend often take hold of the market. Take a hard look at your style of pleasure with wine. Reach for what is truly yours and reach out to the producers and care takers of your style. As economies and trends push wines in mass markets toward palatable and high consumption trends, new and old wine drinkers around the world will have to prepare accordingly.

Wine Review "CK Mondavi"

Overall Performance:
2 out of 10- A fun wine if you have a large group gathering and the wine experience is not important. Enjoyed with few pairings like salad and dips.
Region: St. Helena, CA - WildCreek Canyon
Vineyard: CK Mondavi
Vintage: 2005
Type: Merlot

Taste:
Mid body light cherry flavor with a slow finish that is both refreshing and standard. Not a punching wine but cleanly a table wine which is soft and flat.

Color:
Deep plum color with soft thin tannins and a running water look with nice food coloring.

Overall Performance:
2 out of 10- A fun wine if you have a large group gathering and the wine experience is not important. Enjoyed with few pairings like salad and dips.

Wine Review "Nipozzano"

Region: Tuscany Italy (Firenze)
Type: Chianti Rafina (Reserva)
Vintage: 2002
Vineyard: Frescobaldi Nipozzano

Taste
This 11th century vineyard from Tuscany which grows in the Sangiovese region has acclaimed Chianti’s. The 2002 vintage has a Full bodied layered taste of fruit and a long sensation when finished. This wine is a true value within the midrange Chianti options.

Appearance
Deep purple tone thought this wine has surly hit a prime in ageing and can be enjoyed at any occasion. The color tone is evident throughout the wine and its silky tannins possess the flavor of blueberry, blackberry and vanilla. The red ruddy like color is extend both flavor and aroma in the intense beauty of this wine.

Overall Performance
6 out of 10 - An excellent value if you see this wine on your store shelf BUY IT! The value is there and its shelf life is close to an end. Enjoy this bottle soon.

Merlot Where Have You Gone?

This Friday the Wall Street Journal columnist’s Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher reached their 10th year anniversary. They often say that with age comes wisdom, many of the recommendations and reviews shared by their columns have blossomed the common mans wine vocabulary, we thank them and solute them to many more years.

In Friday’s column they revisited the Merlot and focused on the midrange varieties that you can still pick up at the local store. The instant realization they came to was that so much of the selection was bottled in poor taste. I am not referring to the packaging but the contents inside. However over time they discovered a few shining starts and they certainly are not what you would expect.

The Kendall-Jackson “Grand Reserve” 2004 and 2005 where two wines that climbed the mountain. And we mean this literally – The producers of the wine stated that many of the grapes grown for merlot had been on mountain slopes. This seems to be the perfect location for merlot production in the Kendall-Jackson vintage. Overall it seems from both this column and much of my resent experience with merlot that many of the recent producers are sacrifice quality for notoriety of name. This may soon come back to haunt them as almost all producers in American have a merlot!

My question is when will the old days of merlot return? This truly exquisite yet affordable wine of American must take its place on the grand stage again. For so many years we have permitted wine producers to exploit our trust in the name of merlot.

Wine Review "The Reserve [Yellow Tail]"

Vineyard: Casella Wines
Region: Wakley Road, Yenda, New South Wales, Australia
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2005 (The Reserve)
Brand: Yellow Tail

Taste
A spice infusion with a burst of mint and oak finish: The aromas are softened by the berry blend of black cherry and a complex connection with vanilla. Clearly a wine which establishes its taste, while keeping its refreshing light dryness. Much care has been given to this Australia mate!

Appearance
Spotty think tannins with a lighted cherry color not full throughout the wine. Evidence of youthfulness in both color and body of the wine. I would suggest one to two more year of cellar life would do this reserve some good.

Performance
4 out of 10 – A well enjoyed wine that is classy and a step beyond the typical yellow tail your college friends bring. A complement to roasted meats including duck or tenderloin.

Wine Review "Meridian"

Vineyard: Meridian
Region: St. Helena And Napa California
Type: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2005

Remarks
Bold fruit filled southing blend with a refreshing finish. A sold spice with approaches the pallet carefully and with pleasure. A plum tingle and a hint of peach round the fruity flavors. Invisible tannins that give way to the fruity burst of enjoyment.

Appearance:
Wise aged color throughout the wine with a youthful expression of lightened red. Thin silky legs giving the wine a sophisticate appearance.

Overall Performance:
5.5 out of 10- great youthful wine! Recommended for easter or passover with lamb or tender yet flavorful cut of meat. Fine for dinner or a evening glass of wine. Great car is taken in producing this wine which is clear in the overall taste and enjoyment.

Wine Review "Estancia"

Vineyard: Lucia Range Ranches
Producer: Estancia Monterey
vintage: 2004
Type/Grape: Merlot

“This 2004 vintage embodied a variety of weather patterns. The early part of the season was cool with a punctuated period of warm weather. Those warm periods happened to coincide with the bloom for much of the Merlot, which is particularly delicate at that time.” From producer!

Appearance
A bright yet deep red tone color Merlot with soft and content flavors. A blend of spices that never takes hold yet slowly delivers its concentrated flavor.

Overall Performance
2.5 out of 10- Not a robust or powerful flavored wine may be due to the weather patterns described by the producer. Pairing is difficult and best suited for table enjoyment.

WiNe FoOd Scam???

Ohh sure you don't want to think its true! Could someone possibly take advantage of a hard working middle aged couple looking for nice meal paired with a complimenting wine. Once you dig deeper into the art of paring you soon realize that is it not as simply as an educated guess. At the moment you try this fine suggestion of a wine the wait staff proliferates how well the wine fits there braised pork tenderloin.

------ Let the truth be told -------

our friends at vinography have outlined the common misconceptions with wine paring's!

Wine Reviews "Cartlidge & Browne"

Name/Type: Pinot Noir
Region: American Cayon, Napa County, California
Year: 2006
Producer/Vineyard: Cartlidge & Browne
Purchase from: Trader Joes - 5 bucks

Taste
Elegant aroma with a hint of spice that blends well with the light/soft tannins. The wine offers a smooth taste calmed by flavors of plum and berry. The spices tingle at the back of the throat which would boat well with fatty meats.

Appearance
A rich blood red which carries an even color throughout the wine keynoting the age and tenderness of this wine. Leveled by its thick leg and silky appearance the wine suggests a youthful appearance. Recommendation: Can be kept for a few years before enjoyed also a candidate for table pleasure having no need to open or decant.

Overall Performance
4.5 out of 10 – Can be enjoyed by it self or even with a tender fatty meat. Not an example of fine pinot and a recommended as a second choice.