Wine Scores and Reviews

5 Killer Wines to try..that I enjoyed in 2016 and recommend

By in 2016 Top Wines, Australian Wine, California Wine, French Wine, Spain Wine, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

These are five great wines that come to mind as I think of some of the best I’ve tasted this year. They are not value wines. They are serious and all of them can be cellared for enjoyment. The Domaine Serene Chardonnay is a special one to point out because it has a cerebral quality to it that is not often found in whites as well as the Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz which is diverse enough to be served with fish and Chinese food. Seek them out and enjoy!
 
Sierra Cantabria 2010 Reserva -Rioja  Excellent baked spices and toasty notes, herbs, plums, big flavors

 Domaine Serene 2013 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay -Dundee Hills  Big fruit, really creamy exudes a mouthfeel that is very sensuous, nice long finish.

Glaetzer 2013 Bishop Shiraz  -Barossa Valley  Nice strong chewy Shiraz the way they should be; meaty with eucalyptus, glycerin and dollops of berry fruit.

 Château Calon Ségur 2013 -Saint Estèphe  Great fresh black fruits, vivid with integrated tannins; layers and a tautness in it that says ‘lay me down’.

Château Haut-Monplaisir 2012 Prestige Malbec – Cahors  Great concentration with mouthwatering acidity and black plums, complex, intense fruit and dry tannins

A Grand List of Wines (mostly under $25) that will not dissapoint…Seek them out over 2015 and 2016

By in Argentina Wine, Australian Wine, Chile Wines, German Wines, Italian Wine, New York Wine, New Zealand Wine, Travel, Washington State Wine, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

A friend asked me to put together a wine list and this is what I did. Enjoy the list and happy searching.

 
 
2011 Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial Sardon de Duero, Ribera del Duero (750ml)

 

2014 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles (750ml)

 

2012 Bodega Norton Privada, Mendoza (750ml)

 

2010 Castello di Bossi Berardo Chianti Classico Riserva, Chianti (750ml)

 

2013 M.Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem, Cotes du Roussillon Villages (750ml)

 

2013 Villacreces Pruno, Ribera del Duero (750ml)

 

2012 Montes Alpha Syrah, Colchagua Valley (750ml)

 

2012 Fattoria Poggiopiano Chianti Classico, Chianti (750ml)

 

2011 Frescobaldi Castello di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva, Chianti (750ml)

 

2012 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa (750ml) $32

 

2013 Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa (750ml) $29

 

2013 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered, Napa (750ml) $34

 

2012 St. Clement Cabernet Sauvignon Oroppas, Napa (750ml) $39

 

2012 Chateau Haut Bergey Rouge, Pessac-Leognan (750ml)

 

2006 Chateau La Vieille Cure, Fronsac (750ml)

 

2012 La Fleur de Bouard, Lalande de Pomerol (750ml) $29

 

2012 Chateau La Tour Carnet, Haut-Medoc (750ml) $33

 

2012 Saint Damien Les Souteyrades, Gigondas (750ml) $29

 

2013 Saint Cosme, Gigondas (750ml) $34

 

2010 Domaine Pallieres Gigondas Les Terrasse du Diable, Gigondas (750ml) $36

 

2013 Chateau Saint Roch La Chapelle, Côtes du Roussillon (750ml) $29

 

2012 Ridge Zinfandel Three Valleys, Russian River (750ml)

 

2012 Condado de Haza Tinto, Ribera del Duero (750ml)

 

2011 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre, Veneto (750ml)

 

2012 Tikves Bela Voda, Tikves (750ml)

 

2014 Turley Wine Cellars Juvenile Zinfandel, California (750ml)

 

2013 Duorum Colheita, Douro (750ml)

 

2012 Zolo Reserve Malbec, Uco Valley (750ml)

 

If it’s the most important task of a wine director…Why is creating and managing a restaurant’s wine list seem to be an afterthought?

By in California Wine, French Wine, Wine and Food Pairings, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews, Wine Sensory Guide

I often get asked about Wine Lists and why some are better than others.

The general roundabout question always seems to be…

If it’s probably the most important tasks of a wine director; why is creating and managing a restaurant’s wine list seem to somehow be an afterthought?

Wow! It sure is a difficult question but it doesn’t have to be…

But just what sets apart a just-ok wine list from a great one? How does a Wine Director or Sommelier go about picking wines and making a great list? What’s most important?

My way of thinking is that there are folks who are interested in wine but may not know anything about wine.

Then, there are interested enthusiasts; who will be eyeing for particular names or styles. It’s key to try to build a list that appeals to everyone.

A great wine list starts with the proprietor(s) caring about wine and caring about profits. This must go hand in hand or the list is doomed.

Also, storing the wine in a hot closet just won’t work. Do it in the best cool environment if not a cellar. Make this happen. It speaks about the heart of the establishment.
Let’s get deep for a second…
Today, the new era of the Mixologist is on the rise; just like the new era Sommelier. Knowledge and creativity are in play.
The wine ‘is’ the driver that sells repeat menu diners; not the mixed drinks. The last thing a foodie wants consider is distillation. It’s a distinction that should be understood. Mixed drinks encompass the ‘establishment’ but truthfully not the meals…That’s not it’s purpose. But, the wine is both….and I say if you care about ‘sense of place’ in your wine; you are on the best path.

Then the first step in making a great wine list is talking to the chef about the food. The wine should go with the food. Period. That is crucial. This gives me hints and ideas to the types of wines that will pair remarkably well with the dishes. Wines with the right acidity, freshness, body, salinity, minerality most and notably—structure

The wine list is one that can pair up with multiple dishes and be able to criss-cross where several wines can address the dish. A guest needs to be able to sit with the menu at first glance along the wine list and determine whether he or she will or can return to your establishment and this is even before a bite of food is ever taken. Will it work with the meals? Will it work with Cheese? Will it work with dessert? Will it work on its own?

The list has to be fun and have some crowd pleasers as well the ones that make you think a bit. Like a white or a red that you wouldn’t expect. Or a varietal from a producer or a vineyard that is a curiosity. A great wine list can tell a story about history, geography and the combination of flavors that compel you to want more. They echo a Sommelier’s beliefs about wine. Not necessarily what are the Somm’s favorite wines or a who’s who greatest hits… but a diversity of taste. A diversity of value and some prized ones are important as well.

A list that is too small and cheap can tire you very quickly. So a small restaurant needs to be crafty and empathetic to its dishes; if they care about their patrons. Caring means to make sure all the information that is needed is displayed so the guest gets what they thought they were ordering and can make the right decision alone or with help from the Somm.

It’s not about whether the wine scored 90, 92 or 94 points. A great wine list is all about caring and listening your guest likes and providing them with your best options available, all while keeping it fun and enjoyable.
 

 

 

Five Top Red Wine Values under $20 – that are Big and Bold; that Drink 3 to 5 times their Cost – A Special Report by Wine Correspondent Ralph Del Rio

By in 2015 Top Wines, Argentina Wine, BBQ and Wine, French Wine, Spain Wine, Tampa Bay Wine Pairing, Washington State Wine, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

By Ralph Del Rio, Wine Correspondent

Every now and then I jot down some of my favorites values; especially when they knock your socks off! Here are 5 wines that are ridiculously good. They are big tasty wines. Decant if you like…but not necessary. All of them are delicious on their own or with a hearty meal, stew or grilled meats. Try them today, they won’t disappoint.

Dona Paula Black Label Red Blend Argentina, South America 2012 – Whiffs of plum, spices and juicy red pepper stand out in this very harmonious(Is it forward or not?) and balanced wine; with round integrated tannins and a deliciously endless finish…grapes are from a very high altitude.

Substance Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, Washington 2013 – Charles Smith, who continues to make great wines at all prices…the 2013 Substance is big and bold with aromas and flavors of cassis, wild flowers, pencil shavings and tobacco it is a great wine at any price; tastes 3 times what wines like this are usually going for…not kidding.

Bodegas Castano Solanera Spain 2012 – It comes through importer Eric Solomon. Every year it’s one you can count on. This is better than the 2003. It’s rich and harmonious with black raspberries, blueberries and black currants abound. It’s very full-bodied, very intense but somehow approachable. Magic for the price. It taste almost five times as much which sounds totally preposterous!

Gerard Bertrand Corbieres 2011 Languedoc-Roussillon, France – the 2011 Corbieres Terroir offers an elegant lead pencil, tobacco leaf presence and with blackberry notes and plummy aromas and flavors. It has enveloping solid structure with a persistent feel that goes into a memorable finish

Bodegas Zerran Tinto Spain 2011 – a Jorge Ordonez from the region of Montsant which by the way has soils just like its neighbor, Priorat! The overall balance is remarkable, very intense black fruit flavors with high level of concentration with hint of vibrancy. The fruit is ripe, chewy with earthy, smoky nuances on the palate and the retrohale.

It’s April…its time to taste the Classic Bordeaux in Barrels for ratings and pricing. It’s called “En Primeur”…What about some thoughts on California and their older wineries…

By in California Wine, French Wine, Tastings, Wine Scores and Reviews

It’s April and that usually means its time to taste the Bordeaux in Barrels. These “En Primeur” tastings is Bordeaux bring on a who’s who in the wine tasting world to rate the future of the vintage and what the effects on the market might be; Granted there is an idea based on previous vintage information, but nevertheless there is always excitement.

The wines focused on and tasted  during “En Primeur’ are usually the classics, the older wineries, the 1855 Classification Growths, the heavy hitters from the left and right banks.

So in honor of Bordeaux I am going to write about and list some thoughts on California and their older wineries…How’s that!?!

As Karen MacNeil’s nicely researched ‘The Wine Bible’ (I totally recommend) puts it…

By the turn of the 20th century nearly 300 grape varieties were being grown in California, providing for its nearly 800 wineries. Worldwide recognition looked pending, especially after helping solve the Pheloxera disease crisis in France by using American rootstock saving the Bordeaux vineyards.

Yes! That actually happened.

But then suddenly on January 16, 1919… the 18th Amendment ushered in the beginning of Prohibition.

The rest is history until California came roaring back in the late sixties and seventies.

Let’s review some of the classic California Wineries, wines and oldest vines.

 

In the late 1800’a and early 1900’s…During this period some of California’s oldest wineries were founded including :

Buena Vista Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, Inglenook Winery, Markham Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards. – Great pedigree with abundant value…and then some

 In a way, these wineries should be looked upon, here are some tid-bits.
 
So here’s a nice list of 100 year old wineries….

• Beaulieu Vineyards –Founded in 1900, a great place to visit too

• Beringer – Famous Rhine House completed in 1884; I’d like to add, as part of their line the Knights Valley Cabernet provides such a great consistent value 

• Charles Krug – Founded in 1861 by Charles Krug, owned by Peter Mondavi

• Chateau Montelena – Established in 1882 by Alfred Tubbs.

• Inglenook – This Chateau dates back to 1879

• Nichelini – Founded in 1890 and the same family owns it today

• Schramsberg – Founded in 1862, the present owners purchased the winery in 1968

• Trefethen Family Vineyards – Winery built in 1886, Trefethen begins in 1968

 • Buena Vista Winery – Pioneer Haraszthy founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857 on a site in Sonoma

Check them out, keep them handy…Good wine, good conversation.

Here are also some California vineyards that have some of America’s Oldest Vines along with a blurb or two….

Michael David Winery Ancient Vine Cinsault

Back then these 128-year-old vines were planted, Grover Cleveland was the USA president, and when you needed to get to get around in a hurry you rode a horse and buggy.

Scherrer Old & Matua Vines Zinfandel

A wine that is multi-generational; Fred Scherrer makes it with fruit from vines his father and grandfather planted in the 1970s and 1912, respectively.

Turley Duarte Zinfandel

Using ancient vines of Contra Costa County, this red zin pulls from the Salvador, Evangelho and Mori vineyards (the Mori vineyard spooky story is that it was planted by a pair of gravedigger brothers in the 1940s).

Bedrock Wine Co. Bedrock Heritage Red

The Bedrock Vineyard purportedly has 33 acres of ancient vines date from 1888; as landowner Morgan Twain-Peterson has said, “This vineyard has a long history, and I’m just passing through.”

Ravenswood Old Hill Zinfandel

It has been reported since 1871, that journalists were praising this vineyard; the Pacific Rural Press wrote that its wine was “superior…to any in the state.”
Also, for good measure I thought I’d mention the famous 1976 Reds
from the Paris tasting because they competed against many “En Premeur” wines…These wines have gone on to good fortune and status
The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 or the Judgment of Paris was a wine competition –Reds:

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 

Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 1971 

Heitz Wine Cellars Martha’s Vineyard 1970 

Clos Du Val Winery 1972 

Mayacamas Vineyards 1971   

Freemark Abbey Winery 1969 

As you can see California has some very cool historical vineyards and wines to keep you busy on this kind of subject.

 

 

What is a Cult Wine?…Let’s expand a little on the Cult Wines of Bordeaux and California…

By in California Wine, French Wine, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

What is a Cult Wine?

A cult wine is essentially an American term used to define a high quality, exceedingly expensive wines that are produced in very small quantities and are highly sought after by collectors. It refers mainly but not exclusively to Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced by a group of Napa Valley wineries.

Similarly wines from Bordeaux of extraordinary quality are also hunted and pursued by such accumulators.

The thing is that outstanding cult Napa Valley and Bordeaux wines is that they have this deservedly rich intrigue. These wines are rare and veiled gems and are a lot are true rock stars. For some folks the whole quest is in turning up one of these bottles.

Let’s expand a little on the Cult Wines of Bordeaux and California…
Cult Wines Bordeaux

The cult wines of Bordeaux tend to be left-bank cabernet-based wines that ranked highly in the Classification of 1855. Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion, and Château Mouton Rothschild all qualify. Right-bank wines from Pétrus, Château Le Pin, Château Angélus, and Château Cheval Blanc are also highly sought-after. With the exception of Le Pin (which was first produced in 1979, all of these estates have a long history of fine wine production, going back in some cases before the 1700s. The production levels of these wines is generally higher than California cult wines—Haut-Brion, for example, produces 10-12,000 cases annually, Lafite produces just under 30,000, and Petrus produces 6,000. Le Pin would be one of the smallest-producing of the Bordeaux cult wines, at 600-700 cases a year.

Cult Wines California

California cult wines refers to any of the California wines “typically but not exclusively Napa Valley Cabernets” for which collectors, investors and highly enthusiastic consumers will pay very high prices. The emergence of the cult movement coincided with trends in the 1990s towards riper fruit and wines with bigger and more concentrated flavors. The producers of such wines include Araujo Estates, Bryant Family Vineyard, Chateau Montelena, Colgin Cellars, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Grace Family Vineyards, Harlan Estate, Schrader Cellars, Screaming Eagle and Sine Qua Non. All of which have scored 100 point scores from wine critics.

These wines are generally very expensive and are limited production (often fewer than 600 cases per year) and can command several times their “release price” in the secondary market.

Many are flipping and reselling these bottles at a much higher price; sometimes showing up at wine auctions.

Some wine lovers spend years on winery waiting lists in the hopes to have an opportunity to to buy just a few bottles of the Cult Wines. While other side deals with wine shops or similar contacts to purchase Bordeaux futures to get a shot at the wine.

The “Golden Triangle” of Pomerol…Arguably the Best Wines in the World…

By in French Wine, Tastings, Wine Scores and Reviews

The “Golden Triangle” of Pomerol a triangle shaped cluster of vineyards in a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It is located near Bordeaux.

It comprises arguably the best wines in the world… Great Bordeaux!

Pomerol has come a long way in the past fifty years or so, and yet it also remains markedly different from the other famous Bordeaux communes. It has with no classification system yet and is pieced together with small, regularly family-owned vineyards, scattered with farmhouses realistically not châteaux (many liken Pomerol to Burgundy rather than Bordeaux); the right banked Pomerol does not resemble the opulence of the Bordeaux left bank. Curiously, Pomerol has never been written about with the same admiration repeatedly publicized to the châteaux of Pauillac, St Julien, Margaux or St.Emillon;  But obviously it should.
 
The open flat land of Pomerol not really distinct. Yet with endless acres of vines that are emaciated in the winter and fertile in the summer. These plains have narrow roads, ditches and farmhouses which contain hills with plateaus and uplands where the soils were deposited as sediments by water, ice and wind.

Subsequently, formed by erosion; these hills are made up of two thirds sandy and gravely soil and one third clay and gravely soil. It is the only wine producing region in the world with a large degree of blue clay in its soils.

After the famous 1982 vintage, Pomerol has respectfully received a lot more attention. That was the year that prices began to soar for wines like Petrus and Lafleur.

This “Golden Triangle” of Pomerol encompasses the best chateaux, including: Petit village, Le Pin, Vieux Chateau Certan, La Conseillante, l’Evangile, Pétrus, Lafleur, Le Gay, La Croix de Gay , Clos l’Eglise, Chateau Cabanne, Trotanoy and finally the top of Nenin”. These have consistently been producing the best wines in the Pomerol commune. Try one if you can.

The rest of Pomerol is sandy soil like most of Bordeaux, where it is usually more difficult for growers to find a distinctiveness or individuality for their wines.

Understandably, there are numerous outstanding Pomerol wines. Many are terroir driven some are a combination of advanced technology with good marketing creating a winning formula (purely ‘technique’ driven). Really great wine nevertheless.

Some of the ones I enjoy regularly are Chateau de Sales, Chateau Ferrand, Chateau La Pointe and Clos Rene.

Hence, the transformation of the “Golden Triangle” wines come from the dynamics and physical history of the terrain and the clear-cut style of wine making.

Pomerol wines consistently are fleshy with an easy drinking quality and many display this quality when young, there are others which require a huge amount of patience and command respect for their ability to age in bottle, transforming into something other-worldly over many unfathomable decades. Such wines have need of high honor and consideration during this modern age of instant gratification.

Sometimes you find only the most wealthy collectors might afford the price tag of a age worthy ‘Golden Triangle’ Pomerol(due to scarcity and limited production)…

But the allure of an easy drinking, fleshy, young Pomerols… ironically command the attention of not only the wealthy but a whole lot of wine lovers through and through. Certainly, nothing wrong with that!

Is there any better way to celebrate the New Year than with a cheerful sparkling wine?!? – Spanish and Italian bubbly rocks too! – My Easy Going Picks!

By in 2014 Top Wines, Sparkling Wine, Wine Scores and Reviews

Is there any better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve than with cheerful sparkling wine?!? Certainly Not! Bring on the Bubbly!

Since we’re talking of sparkling wines, champagne is of course the king of bubbles and apart from recognized and celebrated maisons, such as Krug, Bollinger and Ruinart…

In fact the New York Daily News was so kind to publish the top 10 champagne brands for 2013 by volume sales:

1. Moet & Chandon

2. Veuve Clicquot

3. Nicolas Feuillatte

4. G.H. Mumm

5. Laurent-Perrier

6. Taittinger

7. Piper-Heidsieck

8. Pommery

9. Lanson

10. Canard-Duchene

All just awesome! But there’s more to this story…

So… in no special order because I really enjoy all of these…here is my selection of easy going sparkling wines of the New Year … actually for any time… a perfect match for every mood and pocketbook. Enjoy, and not all are Champagne of course… Spanish and Italian bubbly rocks too! Stock this stuff up; so you always a have some sparklers that are good.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Extra Dry – $10 – The crowd pleasing Cava in the black bottle; it’s earthy and fruity and not really dry…It’s flavorful and is nice and smooth.

Depreville Extra Dry, France – $10 –  a light off-dry bubbly with nice fruit white peaches, lemons, pears, cream… well-dressed with tropical notes

Mumm Cuvee Napa Brut Prestige, Napa – $20 – Simply the best complex sparkler for the price…Crisp flavors! Fresh apple, ginger spice and smoke with notes of raspberry; Layered…

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava, Cava – $10 – creamy bead supporting red apple and pastry cream with lemon notes

Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio Champagne, California – $10 – Yes this one… the ‘Pinot Grigio’; Aromas and flavors of Key lime pie and medium dry

Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto D’Acqui DOCG, Itlay – $20 – Perfumed with a hint of rose petals, raspberries, strawberry shortcake, like punch in color. Effervescence is softer…Truly remarkable stuff.

Marques de Monistrol Brut Cava – $10 – A good straight forward Cava; with apple and stone-fruit fragrances. A nice easy finish too  

Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico NV, Valdobbiadene – $15 – A bad boy Prosecco! White peaches, flowers, wet stones, smoldering tinges

La Marca Prosecco di Conegliano, Valdobbiadene –  $13 – This Prosecco with a heady bouquet of ripe lemons and flowers on the tongue it’s ultra-juicy; vanilla cream on both nose and palate

Domaine Chandon Brut Classic, California –  $15 – Nuts and stoned fruits. Peaches with creamy vanilla flavors; with a hint of raspberry. Delicious! There’s a slight sweetness peeking through…

I hope this list inspires you to pick some of these up and …Happy New Year!

 

Buying wines, storing wines and finding wines to store

By in Tastings, Wine Chatter and Blather, Wine Scores and Reviews

Today, the majority of wines are best drunk immediately.  But if you are looking for a wine to nurture for the future it is often smart to look for a wine from a good vintage.

Few of us are fortunate to live in a house with a readymade wine cellar or even a house with a cool dark basement. Nevertheless for wine lovers a “cellar” or wine fridge is not just a small nice to have-it’s essential.

With an attentively stocked cellar you can be confident of having the right wine for the right occasion, even if most of them are for ordinary quaffing.

What I like about wine buying is the mystery behind it.  It’s no science. It’s important to have a few different places to buy your wine. Not only just to keep it interesting, but also it allows you to try to build some relationships.  Not all your wine should be bought at the grocery store or the large outlet.  There’s always several nice wine shops in town and yes, you may pay a little bit more but you might get some valuable information in return…

Is there a guarantee that you will be a successful wine buyer and how do you know if you are good at it? The answer is not plain and simple but if you are thoughtful about it…

The joys of drinking those budding wines that you have stored for its peak of maturity for a certain occasion (recognizing your thorough judgment/luck) can be rewarding and a lot of fun!

So what’s a good place to start? A good place to start is with wine producers.

You might ask… Is it okay to purchase blindly from certain producer’s …Sure!

For example , these days for Spanish wines, I can reach for an Eric Solomon and Jorge Ordonez wine.  If it is under $25 per bottle and it is in my budget; I will try it. Another is Kermitt Lynch; I will certainly consider his stuff because it’s always well-made. Try one of his burgundy wines (red or white). He has great French product that I trust and a lot of good restaurants do as well. Jeffrey M. Davis is excellent too especially for Bordeaux wines!

Mainly these producers are purchasing grapes or finished wine from countless minor estates, then blending, bottling and selling the wine under the their name. A lot of the times it’s excess grapes from expensive vineyards.

In Burgundy, France some of the best, and well-known, burgundy producers are primarily négociants (merchants)—including Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, and Bouchard Père & Fils and they make great wines at all price levels.

Recently folks like distributor Cameron Hughes and Australian Cult winemaker Chris Ringland with the same inspiration are buying lots or creating ambitious even nontraditional wines that I like as well. There are a lot of good ones out there.

So what about storing the wine.  Here are a few general tips on storing wines…

Basic Red Wines:

Cabernet Sauvignon wines are often created to be drunk young but in overall will improve with aging. Bordeaux, France produces Cabernet based wines that have varying degrees of aging potential. A Classed Growth from a good vintage may sometimes need 10 years to mature. Some Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California and Washington State have aging potential as well.

The Bordeaux’s best Merlot -based wines also need about 10 years to mature.  Lesser Merlot’s tend to peak in 3-5 years.

Pinot Noir  is the ‘noble’ grape. It can age well if grown correctly. Hailing from Burgundy France; it grows best in Oregon, California and New Zealand.  A good red Burgundy needs about  2-5 years to develop its peak complexity.

Syrah/Shiraz based wines especially from the Rhone, France are outstanding wines for aging; some can be cellared for 20 years. In general terms 4- 10 years and let’s not forget that artificial aging achieved through 30 minutes to an hour of decanting will help you consume these wines while they are young.

…and now the

Basic White Wines:  (which very few whites are truly suited for aging too long in the cellar or wine fridge).

A Grand Cru Chardonnay can arguably last up to 15 years but all Chardonnay is really at its best between 2-5 years.

Riesling is usually immediately drinkable but can age well….especially the German Rieslings have great storage potential, the Grand Cru’s can store for 10 years or more. Look for the Rieslings from Washington state, upstate New York Canada for excellent drinking.
 
Sparkling and Fortified Wines  are a story as well and both can be kept for years but that is best  another story for another day.

Well obviously there is an inherent risk with aging but as you can see… buying, storing and finding wines to store can be very rewarding… and remember it’s not a science.

Wine Scores and Reviews – It’s Good to Keep Notes

By in Tampa Examiner Wine Pairing, Tastings, Wine Scores and Reviews

Reviewing wines always come with a little trepidation. But generally to keep things straight it is good to jot a few reminders down. Many think it is not viable to talk about a wines worth without some kind of scoring system. Wine tasting is totally subjective.

For Example, wine scoring systems such as Robert parker’s 100 point scale or the 20 point scale that Clive Coates uses can be very detailed and influential to a wines price and success; Yet the ratings are meaningless unless readers actually try some of the wines recommended and see whether their appreciation or enjoyment is similar or not. It only really carries any great weight if there is agreement on certain wines.

Some people are totally against scoring; It is a respected point of view due to the fact that wine shouldn’t just boil down to single number because so much goes into it. The goal is to inform the readers of thoughts on certain wines for the plain reason that tasting experience brings strong insight, information and preferences which can be pretty useful to pass along.


WINE CORRESPONDENT 5 POINT SCALE
5 – GREAT
4– ABOVE AVERAGE TO VERY GOOD
3– AVERAGE WELL MADE WINE
2- EVERYDAY WINE NO MAJOR DISTINCTION
1- UNDESIRABLE
S-SLEEPER WINE
V- EXCELLENT VALUE FOR THE PRICE
L- LAVISH
E- EVERYDAY WINE

To help illustrate, the 2004 Martinat Epicurea – Cotes de Bourg: lush and velvet concentrated, complex, cherries, good body and admirable; scores a “5-VS” as a great wine where there is an excellent value for the price along with being a sleeper wine( which is all around surprise and should be seeked out).
On the other hand, the 2006 Chateau Montviel – Pomerol: which is rich with a lot of minerality, and is vaguely interesting scores a” 2 “because it is questionable and does not really provide a great value.
A good scoring system and some notes to remember what you like is helpful in enjoyment of wine. Eventhough there are arguments that wine critics have preferences for flavors and that wine makers are striving to please the critics for high scores. The joy of wine is to find the one that pleases.

Should you always trust wine rating and scores? How do you know a wine is worth buying? How much should I buy? Is the wine good for a gift? All great questions that can be answered by taking some notes and using wine reviews and scores as a shorthand study of the critics thoughts while tasting.

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