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DJCC Winetasting 2008

February 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce is having it’s 8th Annual Wine Tasting on February 23rd at the Dallas Contemporary Museum of Art. If you live in Dallas be there. The usual crowd will be 300-400 young professionals from around Dallas supporting a helluva good cause. Proceeds from the event go to support the DJCC’s Easter Egg Hunt for the blind.

Ok, so here is the breakdown:

Wine Tasting features wines from all over the world including a special contribution from Vincent Arroyo Winery that you can’t buy anywhere but direct from the winery (thanks guys!) so if you want to try the best damn Petite Syrah ever you’ll have to buy a ticket and show up.

Funds from the Wine Tasting go to support the Easter Egg Hunt for the blind (March 8th, watch the DJCC website for details). Since you are probably confused I’ll clarify one important detail, we don’t torment visually impaired kids. We have beeping eggs for them to find and it’s an amazing experience to watch them hunt.

For $30 (non-member price) you get to try wines from all over and socialize with the best of Dallas’ Young Professionals.

Even if you can’t make it but want to support the EEH, go by a ticket. (Don’t worry, I’ll drink your wine).

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Tildio 2004 Red Zinfandel

June 15, 2006 By Leave a Comment

This wine was a welcome surprise discovered while visiting the Salish Lodge in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington. Big and fruit forward this wine reminded me of some of the big Californian Cab’s I’ve had but a little less “in-your-face”. The fruit is not overpowering but is again, forward. Balancing the fruit is just the right amount of spice (my favorite characteristic of Zin’s). With a long, smooth finish aged in French and American Oak this wine is a total bargain at $17.00 a bottle. Easily consumed alone or with red meat because the fruit/spice balance of this wine is so well done. The only problem, only 196 cases were produced so good luck finding this one outside of select places in Washington.

Score: 8.0/10
Composition: 100% Zinfandel
Winery Name: Tildio Winery
Region: Washington State
Retail Price: $17

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1996 Loudenne Medoc Bordeaux

March 30, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Great Fruit, great color, velvety on the tongue, full bodied. This wine is a great buy at a this price.

Winemaker’s Notes
Beautiful color intense and deep ruby testimony of its youth. Expressive red fruit nose walls melted with vanilla flavours. The breeding was of oak brings to roasted and toastees notes charming ladies.

Score: 8.5/10

Alcohol: 13%

Composition: 40 % Sauvignon Cabernet, 55 % Merlot, 4 % Honest Cabernet, 1 % Small Verdot

Winery Name: Chateau Loudenne

Appellation: A.O.C. Medoc

Region: Medoc

Restaurant/Retail Price: $60/$30

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Gary Farrell 2003 Pinot Noir – Russian River Valley / Russian River Selection

January 20, 2006 By Leave a Comment

This extremely drinkable wine managed to be nicely fruity without being sweet, delicate while still holding up well to food without sacrificing fullness with a touch of spice. Smooth and long on the tongue the fruit is well balanced. Color is gorgeous and dark. While I’m sure it opened up with time, this wine was great the minute you opened the bottle and I didn’t notice a significant change over time, though I must admit, it didn’t last all that long. This is the kind of wine I really love because you can enjoy it will most meals or just as easily drink it alone and fully enjoy what this wine has to offer. This was the first Gary Farrell wine I have tried and I will try others, it was a welcome surprise to stumble across this bottle.


Winemaker’s Notes

Intense aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit. The incredible richness of this wine centers around succulent dark berry flavors, enhanced by lavish, spicy oak elements. This deeply colored pinot noir has evolving layers of complexity, with a silky, sensual, lengthy finish. The wonderful balancing acidity ensures excellent compatibility with a wide range of foods, including salmon, lamb and pork dishes.

Score: 9/10

Bottled: July 2004
Released: June 2005
Alcohol: 14.2%
Case Production: 5068
Winery Name: Gary Farrell
Wine Maker: Gary Farrell

Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Restaurant Retail Price: $75.00
Acid/pH: 0.67 / 3.45

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David Bruce 2004 Central Coast Petite Sirah

January 6, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Deep red color with a light but noticable spice characterizes this wine. Upon first consumption this Petitie Sirah is noticeably less fruty than others I have tried, however dry the tannins are present but light. The finish is more present on the front of your tounge and very smooth on the back. Berry flavors are again a little absent relative to other PS’s but the light spice is quite nice and would accompay red meat very well.

Vitner’s notes: “The resulting components display notable differences,some exuding bright,spice-tinged fruit while others are jammy,earthy and dense.The blend in many ways exceeds the sum of these parts,offering blackberry,blueberry and white pepper aromas,with a supple and balanced feel coming from our gentle handling of the fruit.Limiting the influence of new oak allows the fruit to shine through,making this wine versatile with foods,and ready to drink now.”

I’d agree with the white pepper but I just didn’t get the frut in this one, even as described by the Vinter.

Winery Name: David Bruce
Wine Maker: Dean de Korth
Apellation: Napa Valley
Suggest Retail Price: $20.00
Case Production: 13,824
Type of Oak: French and American
Time in Oak: 3 months
Alcohol: 13.77%

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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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Charles Krug – Napa Valley Cabernet

January 2, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Deep red in color with strong berry aroma. This wine is full bodied with a big mouth feel. Berry flavors are in the background keeping this cab not overly fruity or berry intense. Tannins from oak aging are ever present and spicy.

Vitner’s notes: “Beautiful deep red rose petal color with very concentrated berry aromas and traces of cocoa and vanilla. Silky palate with blackberry fruit and chewy tannins. Full bodied structure of both elegance and depth. A round and graceful Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet vanilla oak and wood spice.”

Winery Name: Charles Krug
Owner: Peter Mondavi
Varietal Content: 80% Cab. Sauv, 18% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Syrah
Apellation: Napa Valley
Barrel Process: 22 Months in 97% French, 2% American, 1% Hungarian Oaks
Bottled: April 2003
Released: November 2003
Suggest Retail Price: $24.00
Production: 30,000 cases

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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 Firriato “Ribeca”

November 9, 2005 By Leave a Comment

Vitner’s Description:
This is a song for Sicily and for her extraordinary indigenous grapes. The wine is a joyful blend of the vogorous and exuberant Nero d’Avola and the rare and decisive Perricone. The colour is deep and intense ruby, and the seductive perfume is of exquisite red fruits, spices and summer woodlands. The taste is fascinating, rich and warm with soft and delicate tannins. Ribeca is a rare and elegant pleasure and is dedicated to all lovers everywhere.

Cooperage:
Fermentation and maturation in French, American and Russian barriques for 10 months.

Owner/Manager: Salvatore Di Gaetano
Winemaker: Giuseppe Pelligrino
Appellation: Firriato, Sicily
Vintage: 2002
Grape: 60% Nero d’Avola; 40% Perricone
Fabulous right now
Drinkable Score: 8.5/10

Price: $75 (Restaurant pricing)

I had this wine in San Francisco on a recommend from our server/wine steward. As a bonus, it turns out that Tuesday is “Half price Italian Wine Night” at The Last Supper on Valencia & 23rd! This wine is very fruit forward, not something one would attribute to an old world wine, however I’m told this is a distinguishing characteristic of Southern Italy. The wine is initially soft, changing to bigger and robust as it migrates across the palate. There is a presence of earthiness and tannins are mild. The result is a well balanced and very drinkable wine. We paired this wine with a rustic veal stew and halibut in a spicy tomato sauce, both were complimented beautifully by this Southern red. -EB

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2003 Frank Family Zinfandel

November 2, 2005 By Leave a Comment

Vitner’s Description:
Frank Family Vineyards 2003 Napa Valley Zinfandel is dense, dark scarlet to the eye; the nose is jam-packed with dazzling blackberries, plums, and black cherries touched with the essence of white pepper spice. The palate is rich and concentrated with mouth filling ripe fruit flavors interwoven with velvety tannins followed by a long, comforting finish.

Cooperage:
15 months maturation in 35% New French Oak and 65% once and twice filled French Oak barrels

Owner: Rich Frank
Winemaker: Frank, Rombauer, Graff
Appellation: Frank Family
Vintage: 2003
Grape: 90% Zinfandel; 8% Syrah; 2% Petite Sirah
Drink now or linger, but don’t camp too long.
Drinkable Score: 8.0/10

Price: $35

I tasted this wine on site in Rutherford. While I quite enjoyed Frank Family’s full line of Cabernets, I was most impressed with their Zinfandel. “Concentrated and Spicy” is an understatement. The spice in this wine walks that fine line between bold and over the top. Spicy enough to stand out, yet not so far as to bite or leave too rough of a finish. In the words of the slightly toasted tasting room pourer, “It’s a rocket ship baby!” I bought a bottle and can’t wait to bust it out with my next spicy pork tenderloin. -EB

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