THACKREY ANDROMEDA PINOT NOIR - 2003

From one of my favorite winemakers comes this Pinot Noir from Devil's Gulch Ranch, Marin County. A California red with a whopping 15.1% alcohol, Thackrey pulls no punches. Many of you may remember hearing about the Vallejo warehouse fire of 2005 that wiped out a good portion of his 2003 vintage. I guess that makes this bottle even more rare than it already was since Sean's wines are often hard to find in the local stores.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark rich red in color, much more so than you'd expect from a Pinot Noir. The nose is smokey with raspberry, earth, minerals and vanilla. In the mouth, this feels and tastes like a robust Syrah with lots of cherry, rapsberry, spice and cranberry. The body is close to full, yet the wine seems a bit closed.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS
An eccentric Pinot Noir with an unusal profile. If you are looking for an elegant Oregon styled Pinot or a heady Burgundy, you'll get neither. This is a wine of a different kind. An intriguing experience in the glass, but not worth its current inflated retail price of $60 - $70 a bottle.

RIONDO PROSECCO

Prosecco is a sparkling white from Italy's Veneto region. Although often regarded as a summer wine, it is great all year long. Prosecco is an affordable alternative to Champagne.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale straw color with a nose of flowers, apples and pears. Light, clean, and smooth with a soft mouthfeel dominated by apple and pear flavors.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS
Parker scored this 90 PTS, but I think that is a bit aggressive. This is a very easy to drink sparkler that is refreshing, but the fruit is somewhat muted. It reminds me of an unsweetened Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. This is an easy crowd pleaser and a very simple and affordable wine at $8.99 a bottle, but it is not outstanding. With a low alcohol content of 10.5%, it makes a great apertif.

BASILISCO AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE - 2000

Aglianico, the Barolo of the South, is a bold and powerful varietal. It is often grown in volcanic soils in hot climates. This varietal was originally brought to Italy by the Greeks.

TASTING NOTES:

Deep inky purple color with an enormous fig and prune nose accented by a bit of coffee. Flavors of fig, prune, leather, earth, black currant and hints of oak, strawberry and raspberry, especially on the second day. Serious mouth-drying astringency, enormous concentration, complexity, saturation and intensity. Lots of leathery tannin, acidity and robust fruit.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91 PTS
A complex Italian red with a tremendous nose. The aromatics on this wine are mind-blowing. This wine is not for everyone. It is very dry and has a ton of sediment. I did not decant this red, but would highly recommend doing so. Around $24 a bottle with 14.5% alcohol that is undetectable in this well structured effort.

HUNOLD GEWURZTRAMINER - 2004

Bruno Hunold is a classic Alsace estate that makes quality affordable wines.

TASTING NOTES:

Floral nose with a wonderful blend of apple, pear and melon characteristics that builds to a honey and lemon rind finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

This white with low acidity and delicious flavors is a great apertif or can accompany fish, cheeses, and exotic dishes with ease. At $19 a bottle, perhaps a bit pricey for this varietal, but a solid offering.

K VINTNER'S MAGNIFICIENT WINE CO "HOUSE WINE" - 2004

This Columbia Valley, Washington State red is a made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 5% Syrah. With an alcohol content of 13.9%, this is an American version of a Bordeaux blend.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple color with a thick, rich, sweet spice and toasted oak nose. Leathery tannins and huge powdered cocoa flavors with dark fruit, spice and black currant on the finish. Tastes like drinking a mix of fruit and toasted cocoa. Big with tremendous saturation and concentration.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS
Incredibly solid red blend for only $10. The fruit is a little overpowered by the cocoa and toasted oak up front, but this is quality wine. Good luck finding House Wine as the "house wine" at any restaurant. This is simply way above those standards.

HEDGES CMS WHITE - 2005

This 13.5% alcohol white wine from Columbia Valley, Washington State is a blend of 54% Sauvignon Blanc, 44% Chardonnay, and 2% Marsanne. Marsanne is a classic Rhone varietal that is used as a blending grape. It has very low acidity and helps create a sleek mouthfeel to white wines.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale gold color with extremely obvious banana candy marshmellow "circus" peanuts on the nose and on the tongue. Flavors of apple, pear, citrus and minerals are integrated nicely into a smooth juicy finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS

This is a wonderful wine with a unique blend of grapes. A bit straightforward and one dimensional but what a great dimension it is! Retails for around $13 a bottle. Highly recommend this easy to drink, refreshing white.

SANTA JULIA TARDIO - 2004

A unique dessert wine made from late harvested Torrontes (85%) and Viognier (15%). The grapes are grown in Mendoza, Argentina by Familia Zuccardi and the wine has 8.5% alcohol.

Torrontes, a very aromatic grape, is rarely grown at all in the United States but a common white grape grown in Argentina, Spain and Chile. In fact, it is Argentina's #1 white varietal.

TASTING NOTES:

Light pale to golden yellow in color with strong aromas of gasoline and apricots. On the palate, apricot, petrol, grapefruit, apple, and pineapple are all present along with a mellow honey finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

Sweet, yet light and not at all cloying. A straightforward dessert wine that won't overpower you with syrup and sugar. A 500ml bottle for the retail price of $14 makes this a great buy since most dessert wines are 375mls.

PEREZ PASCUAS VINA PEDROSA - 2004

This red wine from Spain has 14% alcohol and spent 12 months in oak barrels before release. It is a Ribera Del Duero table wine and made from Tempranillo.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple grape juice color with an extraordinary nose of oak, coffee, vanilla and black fruit. Very dry, fairly smooth, lots of tannin and flavors of leather, tea, ripe blackberry, herbs, a hint of chocolate and black cherry on the finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87 - 88 PTS

This is a really difficult wine to score. The wine actually smells better than it tastes. I would give the nose 90 points. Phenomenal Bordeaux-like aromas but simply not pleasant enough on the tongue. I wanted to love this wine especially because it smelled so amazing. Unfortunately it falls a little short of expectations. Definitely a much better food wine than a sipping wine. Lots of leathery tannin and complexity. There's plenty of flavor bouncing around, but it just doesn't all come together harmoniously. Perhaps it needs more time in the cellar. At $16 a bottle, there are a lot of cheaper and better Spanish alternatives.

BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF WOLF TRAP - 2005

Boekenhoutskloof (pronounced boo–ken–hoots-kloof) crafts amazing South African wines. Best known for their Chocolate Block, this winery founded in 1776 is run by winemaker Marc Kent.

The Wolftrap is the latest edition to the wines offered from this Western Cape producer. There is a 250-year old wolf trap on Boekenhoutskloof and the name is a tribute to the pioneers who in the early days of the Cape erected a wolf trap, mistakenly believing that wolves inhabited the area. To date, no wolf either real or mystical has been seen in the valley.

This red blend has an alcohol content of 14% and is a blend of 65% Syrah, 19% Cinsault, 11% Mourvedre and 5% Viognier.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark red-black color with spice, bacon and wood on the nose. Smooth, smokey bacon and spice flavors overshadow subdued, mellow cherry and blackberry fruit. Dry, light mouthfeel with good structure and a black currant finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

For $7 a bottle, this is a wonderful wine. I've been a fan of Boekenhoutskloof wines and especially South African reds for awhile now. Anyone who has read my blog knows that I adore the rich smoked pork, bacon, grilled meats and black fruit that these South African reds deliver. Not nearly as good the Vergelegen Merlot '01, Mulderbosch Faithful Hound '02, Simonsig Tiara '00, or Radford Dale Merlot '01, but this wine is less than half the cost of all those big reds so this is a huge value wine. A complete steal!

KURT HAIN PIESPORTER GOLDTROPFCHEN SPATLESE RIESLING - 2003

"The Hain family has been growing wine since 1600, and today has an estate with holdings in Piesport’s top sites of Goldtropfchen and Domherr. Gernot Hain began managing the estate in 1988. With his unique passion and skill he has captured the attention of wine press on an international level. Hugh Johnson, for example, described him as “the most talented young wine producer on the Mosel.” The wines are vinified in a traditional manner, as gently as possible, and with great quality control. They are wines of substance, well-structured, with fine fruit and mineral tones and great aging potential." - Chapin Cellars

TASTING NOTES:

Golden color and a sweet nose with apple-pear on the palate accented by vanilla, grapefruit and lemon. Light acidity, but bright and bold.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90PTS

Refreshing and vibrant. Solid German Riesling that is not overly sweet but has enough acidity to compliment sharp, complex cheeses. Wine Spectator gave this wine 92 points which is a bit high for me, but it is solid at around $18 a bottle.

WILLM ALSACE GEWURZTRAMINER - 2005

Sometimes referred to as Gewurtz or Traminer, this spicy, floral white varietal is very aromatic and mainly grown in and associated with Alsace, France and Hungary. Gewurztraminer is also known to be a great wine to pair with spicy Thai or asian food. The dry, yet sweet spice of this white compliments racy food.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale straw yellow color with fresh flowers, potpourri, and citrus on the nose. Flavors of pear, pineapple, honeydew, and apple with lots of honey on the finish. This is a dry white but it is still sweet on the tongue. Not a lot of acidity, elegant rather than big and bold like a sweet Riesling. Perhaps a little bit thin on the mouthfeel but very smooth, clean and refreshing.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS
A great entry-level Traminer if you've never tried the varietal. Readily available and inexpensive at around $11 a bottle.

ROCHIOLI RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIR - 2000

Joe Rochioli purchased the 161-acre California vineyard in the late 1950s. His son, Tom, began to produce the first Rochioli wines in the mid 1980s and quickly made a name for himself with excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. This Pinot has 14.2% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Cherry red in color with a seductive dusty earth, oak, and vanilla nose. Incredibly smooth and soft on the palate with strong flavors of pomegranate accompanied by a mix of cherry, spice, cranberry and game.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

93+ PTS

Phenomenal. Maybe this is peaking at just the right time, but I was blown away by the nose and complexity of this wine. Delicate and powerful. Elegant and earthy. Wonderful red fruits. Simply outstanding. Purchased for $30 upon release years ago.

CAYMUS CONUNDRUM - 2002

This California white table wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Viognier and Muscat Canelli. About 30% of this wine was aged in stainless steel and the remaining percentage was aged in French and American oak. The first vintage of this wine dates back to 1989. The 2002 has 13.5% alcohol.

TASTING NOTES:

Sunny yellow in color. Floral, tropical fruits and golden raisins on the nose. Heavy mouthfeel with sweet honey, apricot, citrus orange, and pear. There is a two-stage finish that begins with a spicy-tart acidity before transitioning to smooth, mellow honey and caramel.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

Delicious and complex. Really enjoyed this vintage. It is very easy to pick out the varietals in this blend. They work so well together but also stand out on their own. Delightful and refreshing. Retails for around $20 - $25.

CARM DOURO RESERVA - 2003

It is so great to be drinking and enjoying wine again. Over the Christmas holiday I had a bad cold. I couldn't taste anything and even the hint of alcohol would bring my resistance down and make me feel worse. I looked at all the bottles in my cellar and they stared back at me unapologetically. I wondered for a moment what would happen if I never got to taste these wines. We take our health for granted.

It did make me wonder how the Robert Parker's, Tanzer's and Vaynerchuk's of the world survive when they get sick. Tasting is their life, their business. If they can't taste, things come to an abrupt halt.

Well I'm glad to be back and thrilled to be drinking and experiencing the pleasures of wine again. So without any further tangents, onto the wine.

TASTING NOTES:

Black-red color with lots of coffee, cherry, vanilla and chocolate on the nose. In the mouth, it is lush with firm tannins and relatively smooth with a little heat that dissipates. Flavors of rich blackberry, plum, cherry and cassis on the slightly acidic finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89+ PTS
This Portuguese red was close to a 90 point wine for me, but just not quite there. The bottle says it has 14% alcohol but I think it is probably north of that. A very good wine, with a great nose but lacks some finesse. Retails for around $15 - $20.

CLONE 5 ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2005

For me there was a lot of excitement and anticipation with this wine. First off, it is a fairly inexpensive California Cabernet ($20) and that always intrigues me. Secondly, it was made under the direction of wine rock star, Gary Vaynerchuk. In case you've been trapped under a rock for the last year, Gary is the Director of Operations for Wine Library and the host of Wine Library TV, a phenomenal wine video blog.

A mouthpiece for value, Gary's agenda was to make a wine that tastes like a $50 California Cab, but costs less than half the price. Gary did the blending and picking of the vineyards and tried to make a wine that captured the subtle nuances of Bordeaux while keeping the "oak monster" in check.

Readers of this blog know that I take great pride in the due diligence of tasting wines as soon as I pull the cork, as well as minutes and hours later. I also try my best to taste most wines the next day to see how they hold up, improve or change. Why do I do this? Because I don't want to miss anything. I'm in love with the evolution of wine as soon as it opens up and the roller coaster ride it takes as it slowly develops in the glass and over the course of time.

This is a wine that rewards you for tasting it early. If you open up this wine and let it breathe for a few hours you will miss some of the excitement it has to offer.

This red is a five clone blend of Cabernet and Merlot with 13.5% alcohol. The weight of the bottle itself is obnoxious. You can replace the dumbbells in your gym with two 750ml Clone 5s. The wine also sports the deepest punt I have ever seen on a bottle. It is around 2.5 - 3 inches. Yes, I roughly measured it.

TASTING NOTES:

Medium to dark ruby red color. Upon first opening, there's plenty of red berry (strawberry/raspberry) and a hint of alcohol on the nose. The mouthfeel feels a bit thin initially but it quickly sures itself up. After about 10 minutes the nose becomes heavy with cigar smoke. The cigar smoke disappears almost completely 40 minutes later and is replaced with a sweet nose of cherry and light oak. On the mid-palate you'll find tobacco leaf, some wood, chocolate and a hint of vanilla. There is a very obvious and intense black cherry candy finish that tastes like the hard outer coating of a Tootsie Roll Pop that gets stuck in your teeth. The mouthfeel becomes very smooth, gains some weight and depth and the alcohol becomes soundly integrated into the wine. Good body and complexity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91 PTS
Complex and affordable Cabernet with lots of excitement upfront. This is a very young wine with the potential to improve with cellaring, but completely approachable now. For $20 a bottle there is tremendous value here. Gary clearly knows wine and you wouldn't expect anything less from him than a wine with a bit of artistry and craft. Congratulations, Gary. Well done.

JOHANN HAART PIESPORTER GOLDTROPFCHEN RIESLING SPATLESE - 2003

"The village of Piesport has been growing wine since Roman times and the growers still use the old traditions to make wine. The Johann Haart estate was founded in the early 1920s when the estate of Joseph Haart was divided upon inheritance by his seven children. Since 1971 Gerd Haart, the grandson of Johann Haart, has operated the family estate along with his wife Elfriede. The Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, meaning "little drops of gold", is one of the most famed vineyards in the Mosel. Today the Haart estate consists of six vineyards, two of which are located in Piesporter Goldtröpfchen. This small family estate produces less than 6,000 cases of wine annually. "

TASTING NOTES:

Pale yellow color with a strong Vaseline and gasoline nose. Very dominant flavors of orange creamsicle, sweet lemon, citrus, peach and a tart, sour apple finish. Complex with great acidity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

91 PTS

Bought this bottle for around $17 and it is exceptional. The alcohol content is only 8.5% and the ripe fruit flavors are unctious. Excellent Riesling that stands up to much more expensive entries in this category.

HOOK & LADDER CABERNET SAUVIGNON - 2004

This is one of the oldest Cabernet vineyards in the Russian River. It is single vineyard Cabernet that is dry-farmed and head-pruned for low, low yields and maximum flavor intensity.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark red-black color with a creamy vanilla oak nose and flavors of vanilla, chocolate and mint. Smooth, full-bodied, great mouthfeel and big, yet soft tannins. Good finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

88 PTS

Nicely crafted wine that is very big. There's not a ton of complexity here, but it overdelivers in its simplicity. Great saturation, ripe fruit, clean and rich flavors. Retails for around $25 a bottle.

CONCANNON CENTRAL COAST PETITE SIRAH LIMITED RELEASE - 2004

This hefty, beautifully crafted glass bottle also has great wine in it! I'm always impressed by Concannon's bottles. They are like works of art with sculpted, embossed glass and they are heavy enough to knock out a night intruder. The bottle itself speaks of quality as much as the history behind this legendary winery.

James Concannon, the founder, started making wine in Livermore Valley in 1883 and the winery is the first to produce Petite Sirah. No wonder they are so good at it.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple-black in color with smooth, rich tannins and a creamy vanilla oak nose. Plush, vibrant blueberry, blackberry, and plum coat the palate along with a hint of cocoa and vanilla oak. Pleasant, soft and easy to drink.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

90 PTS

For about $11 a bottle this is pure heaven. Concannon has always made a terrific Petite Sirah and this Limited Release for only a few dollars more is even better. No hard edges and bursting with dark fruit flavors. A home run and an enormous bargain.

CHATEAU MYLORD - 2005

Another early release from the 2005 Bordeaux vintage. This Merlot based red has an alcohol content of 13.5%.

TASTING NOTES:

Dark purple color with oak, black cherry and berries on the nose. The palate does not mimic the aromas and delivers lots of big, ripe fruit and toasty oak. Very concentrated with lots of acidity but the flavors die on the palate. Incredibly short finish.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

87 PTS
The exceptional 2005 vintage and its ripe, rich fruit is allowing this wine to overachieve. Without the concentrated dark fruits, this wine would be a disappointment. Instead it is enjoyable and an early indication of how saturated and promising 2005 Bordeaux will be. At $10 a bottle or less, it is well worth trying, but not really a wine you want to buy by the case. I don't think this wine will improve considerably with bottle age. This is one to drink now and it will help feed your imagination and expectations for your 2005 Futures.

MUMM NV CORDON ROUGE BRUT CHAMPAGNE

A Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend from GH Mumm & Cie from Reims-France. This 12% alcohol sparkler is non vintage but the cork was stamped with year 2000. In the late nineteenth century, this champagne was decorated with the famous red ribbon, as a tribute to the Légion d'Honneur.

TASTING NOTES:

Pale golden color with citrus, bread, dough and yeast on both the nose and palate. Flavors of honey, caramel and sour apple are harmoniously balanced with a touch of acidity.

SCORE & RECOMMENDATION:

89 PTS
I opened this Champagne to ring in the new year. The nose was very alluring and the flavors echo the aromas. Complex, with a slight sweet-sour acidity, this is a well crafted Champagne with depth. Very enjoyable.