Wednesday, November 29, 2006

2001 Torrione Petrolo (Italy-Tuscany)

Rudy red color. Blueberry aroma with notes of pepper and just a hint of cedar. Soft fruity texture with a medium long finish.
When I first had this wine, I thought it was a great value as I paid approximately $20 for it at D. Sokolin in Long Island. However, it appears I just plain got a great deal (which they sometimes have) as it retails for approximately $40 elsewhere. Unfortunately, D. Sokolin doesn’t have any more and as nice as it was, I’d probably pass at the higher price tag.

Friday, November 17, 2006

2005 Chateau Lafayette Reneau – Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes)

Straw yellow color. Strong citrus aroma. Heavily lemon on both the nose and tongue. Crisp with a nice zippy acidity. Very refreshing and a good bargain at the $14 I paid for it at GCP Liquors and Wines in Upstate Elmira Heights New York.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

2003 Chateau Coufran (Bordeaux-Haut Medoc)

A big juicy red. Deep purple color. Spicy and full of black fruit on the nose. Blackberry, crème de cassis, some minerality on the palate. Velvety with a soft texture. This wine really evolves after some time in the glass or after decanting. It becomes even smoother with nice kirsch notes and subtle hints of cedar. The wine will be fantastic with a couple years of bottle age.

The 2003 Bordeaux vintage has been somewhat controversial with claims that the heat wave of that year have yielded concentrated and jammy wines. (link here). That may be true and some of the more famous châteaux have come under scrutiny this year for producing “atypical” wines according to Bordeaux standards. However, I really feel that some of the Cru Bourgeois wines and have produced some early drinking, excellent value wines. This is one of them.

I found this wine at Grand Wine and Liquor in Astoria where they have been selling it for $16, an excellent bargain which delivery a great price per quality ratio.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

2004 Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras – Les Christins (France-Rhone)

This might be one of the best value wines I’ve had all year. It’s a Rhone blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. It was also listed as one of Wine Spectators Top 100 wines of the year.

Deep ruby colored with rich aromas of both jammy dark fruit and Indian spice. Blueberries and black currant. Some notes of licorice or anise. Mouth coating and lush texture. Long finish.

This wine is around but is getting harder to find after being “anointed” by Wine Spectator. My bottles were bought at Garnet Wine and Spirits on the Upper East Side for $15.