Yes, Vacation…again…sort of. Truth be told, I’m headed out for a couple of job interviews but I’ll be there for a few days, so I’m hoping to see a bit more than the inside of an office. Not sure if I’ll be sampling any wine while I’m there, but obviously, if I do, I’ll write about it when I get back on Saturday. Until later…
This bottle has one of the livelier labels that I’ve seen over the past few months. The only bottle I’ve had prior whose label provides any competition was Mollydooker the Boxer. Unfortunately, attractive labels don’t necessarily translate proportionally into taste, so I had no idea what I was in for.
Spanish Quarter is a Cab-Tempranillo blend from Spain. I’m not positive that it’s from Catalunya but it does have el Monumento de Colón on the label which is iconic of Barcelona. The wine itself was surprisingly pleasant. It has a deep color and a complex nose. The taste is rich with plenty of cherry and blackberry. I’m also getting a bit of an oaky flavor as well.
Overall, the wine is pretty good. It breathed up a bit over the course of the hour or so between opening and being finished. I’d definitely pick this bottle up again. Spanish Quarter: C+/B-
I got pretty excited this afternoon when I realized that I had been neglecting an entire section of my local wine shop dedicated to Spanish wine. I proceeded to pick up more than a couple of Spanish bottles, including this one, in hope of reminiscing in the good old days a.k.a. 2 years ago in Barcelona.
Carro is a Spanish Red Blend. They call it Tinto, which really just refers to red wine. The nose is full of fruit and the color is equally enticing: a deep cherry. The taste is very nice, sweet and fruitful. There’s a strong plum flavor that comes through very clearly along with a slight smokiness on the back end. The wine, too, is medium-bodied which explains why it strikes me as more dynamic.
This wine definitely breathed up over the course of the half hour to hour that it was open. It became smoother and fuller, which made for a delightful progression of an already tasty bottle of vino. Overall, this bottle was more enjoyable than many I’ve tried recently. I’ve got to say I do like my Spanish Reds… Carro: C+/B-
I thought this bottle looked fishy when I grabbed it out of the crate in my basement. I thought to myself, “jeez did I really buy this?” Low and behold, I did buy it, and tonight was the night for me to indulge.
Bartenura is an Italian Moscato. I don’t really know what a Moscato is, but it seems as though it’s a type of sparkling wine. My general impression of Bartenura is that it’s a peach flavored sprite with half the carbonation. There isn’t a whole lot to say otherwise in my opinion. If you’re into sweet sparkling wines, or looking for a soda with a kick, Bartenura might be for you. However, I wouldn’t buy it again when looking to sample wine. Bartenura: D/D+
Tonight’s bottle isn’t exactly revolutionary, but I did discover a new pairing for white wine: layer cake! I’ve had many a bottle of California Chardonnay, but never before have I coupled it with baked goods; such a pairing goes quite well.
Ashford Court is a milder chardonnay than many I’ve had in the past. The flavor is a bit more complex, but much less forward. The wine is much less sweet than other chardonnays and has a more bitter/earthy taste than I’m used to. I taste peaches, apricots, and honeydew which work well together for a complete and pleasant taste.
I’m not sure why I gravitate toward chardonnay when I buy bottles of white. Maybe they’re just cheaper than other varieties and I closely watch price tags. That said, I’m certainly not displeased with this bottle. I enjoyed Ashford Court and would be happy to drink it again, especially if it comes with layer cake 😉 Ashford Court: C-
I don’t usually look forward to the bottles of white that I buy. I’ve found that reds fall into favor with me much more effortlessly than do whites. That said, this bottle of Chardonnay was appropriate as I paired it with a seafood meal this evening.
Palette is an ’06 California Chard that strikes me as a pretty standard chardonnay. The color is pretty clear. The nose is light and fruity. The taste is full of mild citrus and is moderately sweet. All in all, a very pleasant wine, but nothing that gets me overly excited.
As far as my white wine tasting has gone, Palette ranks pretty well. It’s one of the better wines I’ve tried, but it really doesn’t have enough to differentiate itself from the world of Cali Chards — a world of decent but not exceptional wine in my experience. Palette: C-/C
Kimberly is a pretty tame merlot as far as I’m concerned. The color is a pretty deep cherry and the nose is pretty typical of a merlot. The wine itself is light-bodied with a moderately fruity flavor. In my opinion, this wine is pretty oak-y with a decent finish.
Overall, this wine was a pretty drinkable Merlot. It’s not the best I’ve had by a long shot, but I wouldn’t speak ill of it either. Kimberly: D+
To be honest, I had never heard of Israeli wine before I saw this bottle in my local wine shop. I guess they have the climate to grow the grapes, but it’s my understanding that they don’t have a reputation for fine wine.
Barkan is a pinot noir, somewhat along the lines of those I’ve had in the past. Pinot Noir is one of my favorite red wine varities — it’s flavorful, sweet, and seemingly hard to screw up. This particular wine is both dark smelling and dark colored. It is light bodied but packs in enough cherry flavor to keep you coming back for more. I taste hints of strawberries amidst soft yet palpable tannins.
The bottle tasted pretty consistent during the two to three hours it took me to finish it. Barkan definitely hasn’t discouraged me from trying another bottle of wine from Israel. In fact, I’m eager to try wine from regions not specifically known for their grapes — I love finding a diamond in the rough. Barkan: D+
I’ve wanted to try a Chianti for a while and when perusing a new wine store this afternoon, I jumped at the opportunity to snag an affordable bottle.
Bolla is a Tuscan Chianti that runs $9 in my semi-upscale wine shop. The nose is fruity and robust. The color, too, is intense. I find that I enjoy the flavor: full of fruit, namely plum, cherry, and raspberry. Overall, it’s a heartier variety than the average red I’ve had for the duration of this blog. All that said, it took about 30 minutes of breathing for this wine to really open up. At first, the back end was pretty harsh, but after a half hour it became much more smooth.
Overall, Bolla was good enough to get me sort of excited about trying Chiantis in the future. It was a decent Italian red, but nothing great … it merely served as an acceptable introduction to a new variety. Bolla: C-/D+
The power went out in my town this evening, so I rummaged through my dark garage to find this bottle of Pinot Noir. It’s a bit older, and French, two things that are pretty uncommon in my wine choices so far. I was curious to see how those factors would influence the taste.
My general thought about Vero is that it’s been sitting in the garage a little bit too long…and by a little bit, I mean a few too many years. The color is much lighter than I was expecting from a Pinot Noir. The body is incredibly light. In my opinion, most of the flavor was absent. It had a tiny bit of light fruit and a bit of bitterness on the back end. Other than that, I thought the wine was pretty void of flavor.
I find it really interesting that some wines are meant to be opened soon after bottling while others are best decades down the road. This bottle strikes me as one of the former that was opened past its prime. Oh well, perhaps I should do some research before opening older bottles to better understand what to expect. Vero: D
Bottle A Day (Keeps the Doctor Away) 