Thanksgiving Wines

Sorry for being AWOL. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I did not get a chance to write down detailed notes but I would like to share a couple of memorable wines that I tasted over the break.

2007 Justin Isosceles - My father-in-law opened this from his Justin collection. I remember tasting an Isosceles at the Justin winery earlier this year, but the 2007 at Thanksgiving was more memorable. The wine has nice tannins and a pretty lengthy finish. A couple more years of cellaring might benefit this wine.

2008 Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel - Great value at $20. Nice ripe zinfandel fruit, deep purple coloring, and good balance. My father-in-law mentioned that aeration (about 30-45 minutes in a half full bottle) flattened out the flavor profile. I did not detect the same but he does have a more sophisticated palate than I do at the moment. I highly recommend this wine.

2005 Bogle Phantom - A blend of Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre. In my humble opinion, the 2005 Phantom does not have the same presence as the previous two. But it is still enjoyable. The 2007 version is available at Costco for less than $15.

2007 Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is available at K&L Wines in Hollywood, California, for $12. Nice color and good flavors for the price point. I do not quite remember the finish or any of the other details. What I do remember: For $12, this Cabernet from Napa delivers pretty well. 

2006 (?) Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet - I apologize for not remembering the exact vintage. I had this wine at a wedding shower. Sadly, the wine was served at a pretty low temperature. What I remember: nice color, decent berry flavors, and the condensation on my wine glass. Side note: The Louis Martini 2005 Napa Reserve holds a special place in my heart. That wine was served at my wedding. I have one bottle left resting peacefully underneath my bed. I might have to open it sooner rather than later, because of the less than ideal storage conditions (our apartment hovers anywhere from 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit).

I hope to update the website with more tasting notes after I get most of my law school applications out. See you then!

2007 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2007 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon hails from Paso Robles, California. The Liberty is available at Costco for $8.00 after a coupon discount and it clocks in at 13.5% ABV. According to the winemaker, the wine spent some time in American and French oak barrels (10% new) and was blended three months before bottling.

Right off the bat, I was greeted by the Liberty's inky purple color. The nose exhibited a lot of fruit (mainly berries?) with a tiny hint of spice. It's a very fruity wine with good mouth feel and silky tannins. The finish was a little shorter than expected.

The verdict: For $8 dollars, the Liberty is a great value. It's very approachable now and would have the most appeal for individuals who gravitate towards very fruit forward cabernets.

The (Future) Standard Pour Rating System

I have always been skeptical of the various rating systems that many publications and wine critics use in rating wines. For my palate, I probably would not be able to distinguish the difference between an 89-point wine and a 91-point wine. In addition, my emphasis on affordability (i.e., my budget) makes most wines that receive 95 points and above out of reach. Anyway, I am in the middle of devising some kind of rating system that will standardize my opinions of each wine. Stay tuned!

2006 Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva

The 2006 Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva is an Italian blend that is available at Trader Joe's for a very reasonable $5.99. The wine is composed of 80% Negro Amaro and 20% Malvasia Nera. If I get a response from the importer, D'Aquino Italian Importing (www.daquino.com), I will post more details about how this wine was made. The Salice Salentino clocks in at 13% ABV.

The wine had an appealing ruby color. The nose showed concentrated berry fruit and a distinct floral component with a hint of minerality. The fruit and floral aromas continuing on the palate. The mouth feel did not impress with the wine being less viscous than expected with a medium body at most, definitely less than what one would expect from a wine at 13% ABV. The finish was short and dry, with the floral component lingering until the next sip.

This wine is well made and the floral note is something to experience. This Epicuro is a bargain at $5.99 and has my recommendation.

2006 Adelaida Cellars Schoolhouse Recess Red

My wife and I recently visited Adelaida Cellars in Paso Robles and purchased the 2006 Recess Red for $15.00 from the winery. The Recess Red is a current release from 'Schoolhouse', Adelaida's third label below the more expensive Reserve and Adelaida labels. According to the winemaker, the grapes that make up this wine come from the same vineyards as the more expensive labels. It is a blend of ten varietals (!) and the composition is as follows: 32% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Zinfandel, 9% Touriga National, 7% Pinot Noir, 6% Grenache, 5% Gamay Noir, 5% Mouvedre, 2% Cinsault, and 1% Counoise. The wine spent 26 months in French Oak (10% new) and is rated at 14.5% ABV.

The Recess Red exhibited a deep garnet color with good fruit flavors on the nose and palate. It had a medium body with good mouth feel.  At the back end, the wine showed a pleasant spice that introduced a balanced, short/medium-length finish. The wine does not appear to be an after thought on the part of the wine makers. It was a good effort for a third label wine and I wonder how long it took the blenders to decide the final proportions for each of the ten varietals present. The Recess Red is a good and approachable wine but I have some reservations about purchasing the wine at its full retail price* (i.e., at a retail store and not at the winery) .

*I definitely recommend visiting Adelaida Cellars in Paso Robles. The staff in the tasting room was very helpful, down to earth, and more than happy to talk about their wine and other things, such as Southern California high school football. There is a $10 tasting fee that can be applied to any wine purchase. It's also worth noting that, during our trip to Paso Robles, Adelaida's Pinot Noir HMR Estate Reserve 2007 ($50) was one of the more memorable wines we tasted.

2008 La Granja Tempranillo

The 2008 La Granja Tempranillo is available at Trader Joe's for $3.99. According to the wine maker (www.axialvinos.com), the wine comes from the S. C. Vit. Longares Winery in the Cariñena Region in Northeast Spain. The grapes were harvested manually and fermented in stainless steel tanks for 25 days. The La Granja is rated at 13% ABV.

The wine had a nice garnet color and exhibited a tight nose right out of the bottle. Although not particularly offensive, there is a pronounced alcohol scent (almost like sniffing purple isopropyl alcohol). The wine was incredibly tart and reminded me of really sour candies. It had a short and dry finish with hints of dark cherry and some smoke. In my opinion, the finish is the only saving grace of this wine, since the nose and opening flavors were a disjointed and tart mess. For $3.99, I was not surprised by the wine's quality. I would recommend saving four dollars and maybe adding another two or three dollars to invest in a bottle that is approachable immediately after opening.

UPDATE: After one day, I still had half a bottle left and decided to give the La Granja another chance. The tartness calmed down quite a bit after a day. I could definitely appreciate the dark fruit and finish more without having to cringe every time I took a sip. I still did not like this wine even after improving in the bottle. A four dollar bottle of wine is meant to be consumed immediately after opening.

2008 Trentatre Rosso

After reading favorable reviews in wine blogs, I decided to taste the 2008 Trentatre Rosso, a blend from the Apulia Region in Southern Italy. The wine is composed of 33.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.3% Merlot, and 33.4% Montepulciano. It was aged for six months in oak barrels and is rated at 14% ABV. This particular wine is available at Trader Joe's for $5.99.

The wine's inky purple color was a great start. It was aromatically challenged and tasted sour right out of the bottle. Aeration opened up this wine. I got dark fruit on the nose. The initial tartness gave way to a medium-bodied wine with a smooth mouth feel and a hint of oak. The finish was short but pleasant.

The wine's tart character aside, it is a good value at six dollars.