Another Quick Picks sharing a wine I enjoyed over the Holidays, an aged Bordeaux blend from Pomerol.

Château Clos René 2000 ($30-60) – Deep crimson-purple in color with aromas of black cherry, dark currant, pencil lead, fennel and mint. Rich black cherry fruit with black pepper and dark chocolate finishing with moderate, but plush, tannins. A delicious Bordeaux blend that has more years ahead of it.

13% ABV
Natural cork
Rating:

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I’m back in action on the 4th anniversary of my first podcast with a high-end Carmenere-led blend from Chile.

Vina Santa Ema, “Rivalta” 2003 – ($68/sample) Dark purple in color with aromas of black currant, plum, blueberry, fennel, mint and vanilla. Rich and concentrated dark currant and blackberry fruit with black pepper and dark chocolate finishing with firm tannins. A delicious Carmenere-led blend that will age at least 4-6 more years.

13.8% ABV
Natural cork closure
Rating:

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I’m back with another pick that I thought I hadn’t yet blogged but I wrote about the 2003 vintage for WBW 35.

Bodegas Castano, “Hecula”, Monastrell, Yecla 2004 ($14) – Very dark purple-black with aromas of blackberry, bacon, licorice and vanilla. Ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with medium firm tannins, good acidity and a nice minerality on the finish.

14.5% ABV
Synthetic cork closure
Score: 89
Rating:

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Another Quick Picks just in time for the Thanksgiving table featuring two Roussanne-based wines from Tablas Creek Vineyard.

Tablas Creek Vineyard, Roussanne 2005 ($27) – Light straw in color with aromas of pear, pineapple and orange blossom. Crisp pear and pineapple flavors with nice minerality on the finish. Wow.

Score: 91
Rating: 4/5 stars

Tablas Creek Vineyard, Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, Roussanne/Grenache Blanc/Picpoul Blanc blend 2005 ($35) – Light yellow in color with aromas of pear, honey and spice. Pear, citrus and pineapple flavors finish long with refreshing acidity. A delicious Rhone blend that shows what can be done with these grapes in California. I will cellar a few bottles to see what happens with 5, 10 and 15 years of bottle age.

Score: 92
Rating: 4/5 stars

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Copyright 2007 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

 

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Another Wine Blogging Wednesday and this time I’m podcasting for the first time since WBW 23. Neil from Brooklynguy’s Wine and Food Blog came up with a great theme this month: ‘Silver’ Burgundy. Instead of investing in a Côte d’Or (‘gold coast’) wine, we are drinking affordable Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais.

Since I favor red wines this time of year, I selected a village wine from Mercurey made by the well known Faiveley family. Listen to the podcast for more details but here are my tasting notes:

J. Faiveley, Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet, Mercurey 2003 ($20) – Deep ruby color with aromas of dark cherry, fennel and sage. Rich black cherry and raspberry fruit with a touch of earth finishing with firm tannins and good acidity. The bold fruit balances the tannins so I expect this wine to improve with a year or two more in the cellar. Alternatively, you could give it a couple hours in the decanter to open up before enjoying. A very good value in Pinot Noir.

13% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88
Rating:

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Copyright 2007 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/

 

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Quick Picks rolls into 2007 with a look at the standout Zinfandels from Chase Family Cellars tasted at last month’s ZAP tasting in San Francisco.

Tasting notes:

Chase Family Cellars, Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard 2004 ($45) – Ruby-purple in color with aromas of raspberry, blackberry and spice. Ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit flavors with black pepper finishing elegant and very balanced with medium-firm tannins. A real fruit bomb but has enough structure for further aging.

Score: 91

Chase Family Cellars, Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard “Reserve” 2004 ($75) – Dark purple in color with intense aromas of blackberry jam, raspberry and licorice. In the mouth, there is rich blackberry and black cherry fruit along with white pepper and spices finishing very smooth and long with well integrated tannins. Perhaps the best Zinfandel I’ve ever had. Only 100 cases produced.

Score: 95

Show Notes:

00:04 – Welcome and winery background
01:30 – Chase Family Cellars, Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard 2004
02:12 – Chase Family Cellars, Zinfandel, Hayne Vineyard “Reserve” 2004
03:29 – Contact details

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Copyright 2007 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under Creative Commons.

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Another Quick Picks podcast highlighting two outstanding values from Spain’s Bodegas Borsao.

Show Notes:
00:13 – Bodegas Borsao background
00:51 – Bodegas Borsao, “Red Wineâ€Â? 2005 ($8)
01:29 – Bodegas Borsao, “Tres Picos“, Garnacha (Grenache) 2004 ($15)
02:01 – Next show theme

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Copyright 2006 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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Another Quick Picks podcast celebrating both my birthday and the release of Beaujolais Nouveau today. My favorite from my tasting today is featured.

Louis Tete, Beaujolais Nouveau 2006 ($13) – Clear ruby/purple in color with aromas of strawberry, cherry and banana. In the mouth the wine is juicy with wild cherry and strawberry jam flavors finishing with good acidity and soft tannins. Textbook Nouveau from a reliable shipper. Drink with your Thanksgiving turkey and fixings.

12.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 82

If you want to hear more about Beaujolais Nouveau, be sure to check out Winecast 47 from last year.

Show Notes:
00:05 – Welcome and show theme
01:18 – Louis Tete, Beaujolais Nouveau 2006
02:18 – Shout out to Joseph Drouhin Nouveau
02:31 – Contact Details and next show theme

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Copyright 2006 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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I get behind the mic once again to talk about two Rhone-style wines from the Curtis Winery in California.

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A return to the Quick Picks format last seen almost a year ago with a review of a value-price Zinfandel.

Tasting Notes:

Castle Rock, Zinfandel, Sonoma County 2004 ($10) – Dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, sage and a touch of vanilla. Round and soft in the mouth with boysenberry and blackberry flavors, some spice and silky, sweet tannins. An excellent value drinking as well as wines more than twice it’s price.

13.9% ABV
Composite cork closure
Score: 88

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A new weekly side podcast highlighting some of the wines I have recently tasted and think you would enjoy. In this first installment I review two California Pinot Noirs for under $10 a bottle:

- Mark West, Pinot Noir, Central Coast 2004 ($8)
- HRM Rex-Goliath, “Giant 47 Pound Rooster�, Pinot Noir, California NV ($8.50)

Feedback: winecast@gmail.com | Audio comments: +01-206-33-WINE-9 (+01-206-339-4639)
Copyright 2005 Tim Elliott. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

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