Name: Casa Silva
Country: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Grape(s): Semillon & Gewurztraminer
Vintage: (Late Harvest) 2007
Colour: clear, medium intensity, golden colour
Smell: This was a clean, light and fruity flavour. The first aromas were like a fruit cocktail aroma with a strong pineapple scent. A deeper insight into this smell we picked up vanilla and cream. Great scent overall and quite appealling that my mouth was beginning to water.
Taste: This was a sweet, low acidic light bodied flavour. Its flavour spoke volumes of honey, caramel, candy even a light port interpretation. If you have heard of a drink called Irn Bru (an export from Scotland) it really tasted like that. The length of this wine was short.
Conclusion: An acceptable wine. It had been a long time since I had drunk a dessert wine and so it was a pleasant reintroduction. I was very surprised by the differences between the scents and the flavours. I was expecting a fruiter/floral base and was shocked to taste more sweeter flavours. We opened this bottle with the intention of enjoying it while we sat and enjoyed the evening however, it clearly was too sweet to be a bottle we were about to finish, so we stop drinking it. If we had been enjoying a dessert, maybe a chocolate moose, fruit cake or a nice creme brullee this would have been a very complimentry drink.
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10.
Final comments: Sweet wines are very much a personal preference. This was the first sweet wine I had from Chile and I it could definately stand on its own. Again Chile does a great job at presenting a great wine. Chile is definately a great wine producer and I look forward to trying a lot more.
Showing posts with label 6 out of 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 6 out of 10. Show all posts
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Chile, Central Valley, Sun Rise, Sauvignon Blanc, 2008
Name: Sunrise
Country: Chile
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2008
Colour: clear crispy lemon colour…..
Smell: A real clean fresh scent, which is light and airy. You get an instant hit of citrus flavours – lemon and grapefruit were my first thoughts. This developed into aromas of nettles, pineapple and gooseberries. But there is another level to this and I could pick up hints of black pepper.
Taste: Very dry and quite acidic. The flavour was more on the light side and was very much a citrus taste. Lemons and grapefruit were very pronounced and then hints of gooseberries.
Conclusion: A good wine.
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10.
Final Comments: Unless you really really enjoy the citrus sharp flavours then I think you are on to a winner with this one. It had all the classic signs of a young Sauvignon Blanc. What you smelt is what you tasted however, I didn’t taste any pepperiness which I picked up on when I was smelling it. I would highly recommend that you drunk this ice cold as I felt that has the bottle warmed up the flavour became a bit denser and the citrus flavour was not so entertaining anymore.
Country: Chile
Grape(s): Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2008
Colour: clear crispy lemon colour…..
Smell: A real clean fresh scent, which is light and airy. You get an instant hit of citrus flavours – lemon and grapefruit were my first thoughts. This developed into aromas of nettles, pineapple and gooseberries. But there is another level to this and I could pick up hints of black pepper.
Taste: Very dry and quite acidic. The flavour was more on the light side and was very much a citrus taste. Lemons and grapefruit were very pronounced and then hints of gooseberries.
Conclusion: A good wine.
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10.
Final Comments: Unless you really really enjoy the citrus sharp flavours then I think you are on to a winner with this one. It had all the classic signs of a young Sauvignon Blanc. What you smelt is what you tasted however, I didn’t taste any pepperiness which I picked up on when I was smelling it. I would highly recommend that you drunk this ice cold as I felt that has the bottle warmed up the flavour became a bit denser and the citrus flavour was not so entertaining anymore.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Uruguay - Ariano, Muscat Ottonel 2005
Name: Ariano Muscat Ottonel
Country: Uruguay, Canelones Province
Notes: This grape is a member of the muscat grape variety. Originally from France it was first cultivated in the Alsace region of the Loire valley. This is commonly a dessert wine due to its perfume aromas.
Grape(s): Muscat Ottonel
Vintage: 2005
Colour: Dark gold colour – sort of like the colour of 22 Karat gold. Mummy said it looked like beer which it does actually.
Smell: The first scents were the flloral aromas, sort of like a bouquet of young roses. Very typical of the Muscat family. Smelling more deeply you could pick up the mild aroma of a fruit cocktail…a mixture of tropical fruit flavours.
Taste: Off Dry and acidic with prounounced grapefruit/citrus base at the same time you did think you were drinking roses!!! This had a short length to it.
Conclusion: An acceptable wine
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10 for Muscat grape but 8 out of 10 for Uruguay
Final comments: This was my very first Uruguay wine I had EVER had. I was really looking forward to opening this and see what the Uruguayans had to offer considering their neighbouring countries offered excellent wine. Comparing it to other Muscat wine I gave this 6 out of 10 because I am not keen on the floral aromas and tastes. I love roses but not in my mouth. However, it was a nice wine and I can see why it works well as a dessert variety. I commented that this was an off dry taste but I think really it heads towards being more medium in flavour. It is quite deceptive and it does confuse you….you can think about it one way and then you sip it again and it gives you something else to play with. However, given that this was a Uruguayan wine I was impressed. I would buy this again….and try others. It was surprisingly good. I want to try another Uruguayan wine and compare it to chile and argentina….its going to be good.
Country: Uruguay, Canelones Province
Notes: This grape is a member of the muscat grape variety. Originally from France it was first cultivated in the Alsace region of the Loire valley. This is commonly a dessert wine due to its perfume aromas.
Grape(s): Muscat Ottonel
Vintage: 2005
Colour: Dark gold colour – sort of like the colour of 22 Karat gold. Mummy said it looked like beer which it does actually.
Smell: The first scents were the flloral aromas, sort of like a bouquet of young roses. Very typical of the Muscat family. Smelling more deeply you could pick up the mild aroma of a fruit cocktail…a mixture of tropical fruit flavours.
Taste: Off Dry and acidic with prounounced grapefruit/citrus base at the same time you did think you were drinking roses!!! This had a short length to it.
Conclusion: An acceptable wine
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10 for Muscat grape but 8 out of 10 for Uruguay
Final comments: This was my very first Uruguay wine I had EVER had. I was really looking forward to opening this and see what the Uruguayans had to offer considering their neighbouring countries offered excellent wine. Comparing it to other Muscat wine I gave this 6 out of 10 because I am not keen on the floral aromas and tastes. I love roses but not in my mouth. However, it was a nice wine and I can see why it works well as a dessert variety. I commented that this was an off dry taste but I think really it heads towards being more medium in flavour. It is quite deceptive and it does confuse you….you can think about it one way and then you sip it again and it gives you something else to play with. However, given that this was a Uruguayan wine I was impressed. I would buy this again….and try others. It was surprisingly good. I want to try another Uruguayan wine and compare it to chile and argentina….its going to be good.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
France, Fat Bastard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007
Name: Fat bastard, Thierry & Guy
Country: French Wine
Notes: Thierry Boudinaud is a French winemaker who believes that "the average consumer hated the traditional intimidation heaped upon them by most of the wine industry." He partnered with British winemaker Guy Anderson to produce and distribute FAT bastard wine, which is labeled by the variety of grape from which it is made.
FAT bastard is a French wine produced and distributed by a British and French partnership. A 2005 survey found that 72% of the adult French population finds it difficult to understand French wine labels, and the problem is not unique to that country. Research found many consumers, disliked wine labels that picture chateaux, that appear elitist, and that are difficult to understand. FAT bastard appears to solve that marketing problem. The label reflects the fact that most New World (and many Old World) consumers prefer to buy "brand name" wines that are labeled by the variety of grape from which they are made. (source: Wikipedia.org)
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Colour: Deep ruby
Smell: Its has very much a black berry, cherry flavour. – There was a kind of vegetal taste as well but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Taste: : This was as the label said a rich, round full body wine. Lots of tannin and very much on the dry side of taste. It did have good length to it too. Again the flavours were fruity based.
Conclusion: This was a acceptable wine.
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10
Final comments: I bought this because I had never seen a bottle called “Fat Bastard” before and I really wanted to know what this tasted like. I am also have fan of Caberne Sauvignon. This was a young Cabernet Sauvignon and too be honest this bottle may have been smoother had it been a bit more mature. The youngness of the drink (2007) could have meant that the full body flavour wasn’t as smooth as it could be or even as I would have liked. It was on more on the rough side. I would definitely buy this bottle again but leave it a few years to see if letting it sit for a few years helps this flavour. Anyway it will be cool to have a bottle sat there called Fat Bastard…people will remember it!! Good marketing ploy!!
Country: French Wine
Notes: Thierry Boudinaud is a French winemaker who believes that "the average consumer hated the traditional intimidation heaped upon them by most of the wine industry." He partnered with British winemaker Guy Anderson to produce and distribute FAT bastard wine, which is labeled by the variety of grape from which it is made.
FAT bastard is a French wine produced and distributed by a British and French partnership. A 2005 survey found that 72% of the adult French population finds it difficult to understand French wine labels, and the problem is not unique to that country. Research found many consumers, disliked wine labels that picture chateaux, that appear elitist, and that are difficult to understand. FAT bastard appears to solve that marketing problem. The label reflects the fact that most New World (and many Old World) consumers prefer to buy "brand name" wines that are labeled by the variety of grape from which they are made. (source: Wikipedia.org)
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2007
Colour: Deep ruby
Smell: Its has very much a black berry, cherry flavour. – There was a kind of vegetal taste as well but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Taste: : This was as the label said a rich, round full body wine. Lots of tannin and very much on the dry side of taste. It did have good length to it too. Again the flavours were fruity based.
Conclusion: This was a acceptable wine.
WINEDEX: 6 out of 10
Final comments: I bought this because I had never seen a bottle called “Fat Bastard” before and I really wanted to know what this tasted like. I am also have fan of Caberne Sauvignon. This was a young Cabernet Sauvignon and too be honest this bottle may have been smoother had it been a bit more mature. The youngness of the drink (2007) could have meant that the full body flavour wasn’t as smooth as it could be or even as I would have liked. It was on more on the rough side. I would definitely buy this bottle again but leave it a few years to see if letting it sit for a few years helps this flavour. Anyway it will be cool to have a bottle sat there called Fat Bastard…people will remember it!! Good marketing ploy!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Argentina - Santa Julia - Mendoza - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2007
Santa Julia was served up with a really yummy chicken wrapped in bacon with a tomatoe and mushroom sauce with a side dish of potato wedges. The meal was compliments of Tracey - who cooked this meal. She is a great at putting on a great meal.
Name: Santa Julia
Country: Argentina
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour:It was a lovely ruby colour - nice and deep. On appearance it looked like it would be a light red wine.
Smell: Its smell was light again adding to the thought that it would be a light red wine to drink. Its smelled quite spicy with a distinctively black pepper flavour. The label said black currents but I couldn't identify with that, but we could pick up a hint of cranberry - that was charlotte's suggestions and I thought that was very good. For me it was clearly on the spicy side of life.
Taste: It was definitely a full bodied spicy/black peppery Cabernet sauvignon taste. Lots of vegetable hints - not overly earthy but defintaly on that route. which was surprising given its light scent. Again proving that smell and taste can be distinctly different. It was definitely dry - not doubt about that It was very acidic either given it spicy smell and taste and its tannin levels were high. The taste lasted a while suggesting a some what medium length considering it full body attitude it was unusual.
Conclusion: This was an acceptable wine. I think maybe having it with chicken wrapped in bacon may have not been a good match. the wedges did well particularly as they had a lot of of salt and pepper seasoning. It was fine - it didn't stand out, it tasted average and OK. I think I would probably give this a bash again with a slightly heavier dinner to see if it reacts better. I don't know the price because it was bought by Tracey. But I will check that up next time.
Winedex: 6 out of 10
Final Comments:"Its good, I would drink it again, if there was nothing else on the menu that I liked I would probably have drunk that" I just looked up the wine buyer to see what they had to say about this wine. I was right i think a stronger meat will make this wine perform better. On the first introduction thought I am going to stick with my windex at this time until future notice.
Name: Santa Julia
Country: Argentina
Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour:It was a lovely ruby colour - nice and deep. On appearance it looked like it would be a light red wine.
Smell: Its smell was light again adding to the thought that it would be a light red wine to drink. Its smelled quite spicy with a distinctively black pepper flavour. The label said black currents but I couldn't identify with that, but we could pick up a hint of cranberry - that was charlotte's suggestions and I thought that was very good. For me it was clearly on the spicy side of life.
Taste: It was definitely a full bodied spicy/black peppery Cabernet sauvignon taste. Lots of vegetable hints - not overly earthy but defintaly on that route. which was surprising given its light scent. Again proving that smell and taste can be distinctly different. It was definitely dry - not doubt about that It was very acidic either given it spicy smell and taste and its tannin levels were high. The taste lasted a while suggesting a some what medium length considering it full body attitude it was unusual.
Conclusion: This was an acceptable wine. I think maybe having it with chicken wrapped in bacon may have not been a good match. the wedges did well particularly as they had a lot of of salt and pepper seasoning. It was fine - it didn't stand out, it tasted average and OK. I think I would probably give this a bash again with a slightly heavier dinner to see if it reacts better. I don't know the price because it was bought by Tracey. But I will check that up next time.
Winedex: 6 out of 10
Final Comments:"Its good, I would drink it again, if there was nothing else on the menu that I liked I would probably have drunk that" I just looked up the wine buyer to see what they had to say about this wine. I was right i think a stronger meat will make this wine perform better. On the first introduction thought I am going to stick with my windex at this time until future notice.
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