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BV Reserve Dulcet

January 2, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Originally established by the famous Geroges de Latour in 1900, Beaulieu Vineyard is a Napa Valley staple. This Reserve Dulcet is wonderful bottle of wine at a reasonable price for a reserve wine. The grapes are 100% Napa Valley and this Dulcet has been given all the care and detail of higher end reserves including aging in small oak barrels. Deep ruby in color, this Dulcet is balanced with strong berry intensity and very smooth tannins. Hints of vanilla come from a mild almost creamy oak flavor, not nearly as oaky as I would have anticipated. The wine is smooth, medium bodied, and very drinkable alone and paired with food.

Winery Name: Beaulieu Vineyards
Appellation: Napa Valley
Vintage: 2000
Grape: Cabernet / Shiraz blend
Timing: Now or this year
Drinkable Score: 8/10
Price: $40 retail

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Kangarilla Road McLaren Vale 2001 Shiraz

November 16, 2005 By Leave a Comment

Plenty of complexity, a touch of class and high quality define the Kangarilla Road Shiraz which is also, in a word, “dark.” While I enjoyed a couple of glasses unaccompanied by food I can imagine this one would go well with a peppercorn filet or other moderately spicy dish. There is a hint of dark fruit (plum and dark berries) which becomes more noticeable as I work my way down through the glass, but early on I caught the distinct flavor of earthiness reminiscent of the mild-Mediterranean like climate this wine was grown in. And while Kangarilla describes their oak usage as “an integrated approach … that does not overpower the palette” I find the oak to be very present, not overpowering but noticeable. The 2001 is slighlt more acidic and spicy than what I would have expected from an Australian. Not the most notable wine in my collection but worth having, very drinkable and a very good buy.

Ownership: Kevin & Helen O’?Brien
Winemaker: Kevin O’?Brien
Appellation: McLaren Vale
Winery Name: Kangarilla Road
Vintage: 2001
Wine Maker: Kevin O’Brien
Grape: Syrah
Country: Australia
Timing: Now or by the end of 2006.
Drinkable Score: 8/10
Price: $15 – $20 in Store

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2002 Nugan Family Shiraz (Third Generation)

October 14, 2005 By Leave a Comment

Born in New South Wales, Australia, a semi-arid region of the Land Down Under, these grapes are heavy on pepper and spice, deep fruity flavor and earthy tones. This was a great bottle of wine, highly drinkable alone and a KILLER value in the under $15 a bottle range. While I haven’t learned much about Nugan wines here is what I could find about this one (it is notable that this Aussie wine is not fermented in stainless steel as many of them are).

Grapes picked: March 2002
Vintage conditions: Warm days, cool nights; Moderate rainfall
Fermentation time & temp: 8 days between 22-25°C
Method: The Shiraz grapes were crushed, yeasted and pumped over in traditional style so as not to extract bitter tannins
Oak Treatment: American and French Oak treatment
Post blending treatment: Coldstabilizedd, filtered and bottled
Bottled In: August 2003
Drink now or cellar for up to 2-3 years

Owner: Nugan Family
Winemaker: Daren Owens
Appellation: Nugan Family
Vintage: 2002
Grape: 95% Shiraz; 5% Durif
Drink now or by End of 2006.
Drinkable Score: 8.0/10

Winemaker’s notes: Machine harvested. Premium parcels of fruit were crushed/destemed and fermented in vinimatics and statics vessels with auto irrigators. Primary ferment was completed in 6-8 days, followed by bagpressing onto American oak tank staves. Once seeded for malolactic fermentation a portion of Shiraz was drained off into barrels for maturation. Post blending, the wine was cold stabilized, filtered and despatched for bottling.

Price: Under $15

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